bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antitumour effects of metformin and curcumin in human papillomavirus positive and negative head and neck cancer cells
Authors: Lindsay Cameron , Kostiuk Morris , Conrad Dustin , O’Connell Daniel A. , Harris Jeffrey , Seikaly Hadi , Biron Vincent L.
Published: July 2019

The incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has significantly increased in recent decades due to human papillomavirus (HPV)‐mediated oncogenesis. Unfortunately, a growing number of HPV‐positive (+) OPSCC survivors are living with the irreversible side effects of treatment. The novel, well‐tolerated chemotherapeutics with improved side effect profiles are, therefore, in high demand. Metformin is one such drug, widely used as a first‐line oral agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Curcumin is another well‐tolerated agent quickly gaining attention for its medicinal properties. Both metformin and curcumin have been shown to display anticancer properties. This study aimed to determine the antitumor effects of these agents, individually and combined, in HPV+​​​​ ​​​and HPV‐negative (−) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines. This was achieved by assessing the efficacy of varying drug concentrations on the overall cell viability, proliferation, and expression of common HNSCC biomarkers. The results from protein and RNA expression data are highly variable, as expected, with multiple pathways being affected in cancer. 3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays and immunofluorescence microscopy suggest that both agents are capable of slowing proliferation and inducing apoptosis. We conclude that curcumin and metformin display effective antitumor effects in both HPV+ and HPV− HNSCC cell lines. The curcumin effects appear more pronounced in the HPV− cell lines. Metformin appears to be more effective at reducing the overall cell numbers in HPV+ cell lines. Metformin and curcumin combined did not appear to have synergistic effects on the proliferation or apoptosis of the treated cell lines.
Homogenization of contact problem with Coulomb's friction on periodic cracks
Authors: Griso Georges , Orlik Julia
Published: July 2019

We consider the elasticity problem in a domain with contact on multiple periodic open cracks. The contact is described by the Signorini and Coulomb‐friction conditions. The problem is nonlinear, the dissipative functional depends on the unknown solution, and the existence of the solution for fixed period of the structure is usually proven by the fix‐point argument in the Sobolev spaces with a little higher regularity, H1+α. We rescaled norms, trace, jump, and Korn inequalities in fractional Sobolev spaces with positive and negative exponents, using the unfolding technique, introduced by Griso, Cioranescu, and Damlamian. Then we proved the existence and uniqueness of the solution for friction and period fixed. Then we proved the continuous dependency of the solution to the problem with Coulomb's friction on the given friction and then estimated the solution using fixed‐point theorem. However, we were not able to pass to the strong limit in the frictional dissipative term. For this reason, we regularized the problem by adding a fourth‐order term, which increased the regularity of the solution and allowed the passing to the limit. This can be interpreted as micro‐polar elasticity.
On the Riesz basis property of the root functions of a discontinuous boundary problem
Authors: Cabri Olgun
Published: July 2019

In this paper, we consider the nonself‐adjoint discontinuous Sturm Liouville operator with periodic (antiperiodic) boundary condition and compatibility conditions. Asymptotic formulas of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the operator are obtained. Using these accurate asymptotic formulas for eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, we prove the basisness of the root functions of the boundary value problem.
Numerical approximation of the generalized regularized long wave equation using Petrov–Galerkin finite element method
Authors: Bhowmik Samir Kumar , Karakoc Seydi B. G.
Published: July 2019

The generalized regularized long wave (GRLW) equation has been developed to model a variety of physical phenomena such as ion‐acoustic and magnetohydrodynamic waves in plasma, nonlinear transverse waves in shallow water and phonon packets in nonlinear crystals. This paper aims to develop and analyze a powerful numerical scheme for the nonlinear GRLW equation by Petrov–Galerkin method in which the element shape functions are cubic and weight functions are quadratic B‐splines. The proposed method is implemented to three reference problems involving propagation of the single solitary wave, interaction of two solitary waves and evolution of solitons with the Maxwellian initial condition. The variational formulation and semi‐discrete Galerkin scheme of the equation are firstly constituted. We estimate rate of convergence of such an approximation. Using Fourier stability analysis of the linearized scheme we show that the scheme is unconditionally stable. To verify practicality and robustness of the new scheme error norms L2, L∞ and three invariants I1, I2, and I3 are calculated. The computed numerical results are compared with other published results and confirmed to be precise and effective.
Early Time‐Restricted Feeding Reduces Appetite and Increases Fat Oxidation But Does Not Affect Energy Expenditure in Humans
Authors: Ravussin Eric , Beyl Robbie A. , Poggiogalle Eleonora , Hsia Daniel S. , Peterson Courtney M.
Published: July 2019

Objective

Eating earlier in the daytime to align with circadian rhythms in metabolism enhances weight loss. However, it is unknown whether these benefits are mediated through increased energy expenditure or decreased food intake. Therefore, this study performed the first randomized trial to determine how meal timing affects 24‐hour energy metabolism when food intake and meal frequency are matched.

Methods

Eleven adults with overweight practiced both early time‐restricted feeding (eTRF) (eating from 8 am to 2 pm) and a control schedule (eating from 8 am to 8 pm) for 4 days each. On the fourth day, 24‐hour energy expenditure and substrate oxidation were measured by whole‐room indirect calorimetry, in conjunction with appetite and metabolic hormones.

Results

eTRF did not affect 24‐hour energy expenditure (Δ = 10 ± 16 kcal/d; P = 0.55). Despite the longer daily fast (intermittent fasting), eTRF decreased mean ghrelin levels by 32 ± 10 pg/mL (P = 0.006), made hunger more even‐keeled (P = 0.006), and tended to increase fullness (P = 0.06‐0.10) and decrease the desire to eat (P = 0.08). eTRF also increased metabolic flexibility (P = 0.0006) and decreased the 24‐hour nonprotein respiratory quotient (Δ = −0.021 ± 0.010; P = 0.05).

Conclusions

Meal‐timing interventions facilitate weight loss primarily by decreasing appetite rather than by increasing energy expenditure. eTRF may also increase fat loss by increasing fat oxidation.
Do the 2015 Beers Criteria predict medication‐related harm in older adults? Analysis from a multicentre prospective study in the United Kingdom
Authors: Parekh Nikesh , Ali Khalid , Davies J. Graham , Rajkumar Chakravarthi
Published: July 2019

Purpose

To investigate whether inappropriate prescribing, defined by the Beers Criteria, is associated with medication‐related harm (MRH), hospital admission, and mortality in older adults in England.

Methods

A multicentre, prospective cohort study recruited 1280 patients (median age 82 years) at hospital discharge. Patients were followed‐up in the community by pharmacists for 8 weeks to identify MRH (harm from adverse drug reactions, non‐adherence, and medication errors) and hospital admissions. One‐year mortality was determined using hospital records. Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) were determined using the 2015 version of the Beers criteria. Logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between patients prescribed PIMs and adverse outcomes.

Results

Two hundred and seventy‐six patients (22%) were prescribed one or more PIMs at hospital discharge. The main PIM classes prescribed at hospital discharge were benzodiazepines and related drugs (30%) and antidepressants (27%). 1116 out of 1280 patients completed follow‐up and 413 (37%) experienced MRH. In 51 cases (12%), MRH was attributable to a PIM. There was no significant relationship between patients prescribed PIMs and overall MRH, hospital readmission or all‐cause one‐year mortality. Multiple PIMs at discharge was independently associated with an increased risk of ADR (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.03‐5.23).

Conclusion

The prescribing of PIMs is common at hospital discharge of older adults in England. The 2015 Beers criteria have a limited clinical value to predict adverse outcomes following hospital discharge in this setting.
Effect of high‐frequency oscillation on pressure delivered by high flow nasal cannula in a premature infant lung model
Authors: Rub David M. , Sivieri Emidio M. , Abbasi Soraya , Eichenwald Eric
Published: July 2019

Objective

This study describes the effect of high‐frequency oscillation on airway pressure generated by high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in a premature infant lung model.

Design/Methods

A premature in 0.5 or 1.0 mL/cmH
2O, respiratory rate (RR) of 40 or 60 breaths per min, and tidal volume of 6 mL. Oscillation was achieved by passing the HFNC supply flow through a 3‐way solenoid valve operating at 4, 6, 8, or 10 Hz. Airway pressure at the simulated trachea was recorded following equilibration of end‐tidal CO
2 both with and without oscillation.

Results

Superimposing high‐frequency oscillations onto HFNC resulted in an average decrease in mean airway pressure of 17.9% (P = .011). The difference between the maximum and minimum airway pressures, ∆
P
min‐max, significantly increased as oscillation frequency decreased (
P < .001). Airway pressure during oscillation was 12.8% greater with the 1.0 vs the 0.5 mL/cmH
2O compliance at flows > 4 L/min (
P = .031). CO
2 clearance was 13.1% greater with the 1.0 vs 0.5 mL/cmH
2O compliance at oscillation frequencies less than 8 Hz (
P = .015).

Conclusion

In this in‐vitro study we demonstrate that delivered mean airway pressure decreases when applying high‐frequency oscillation to HFNC, while still improving CO2 clearance. The combination of improved CO
2 clearance and reduced pressure delivery of this novel noninvasive modality may prove to be a useful improvement in the respiratory care of infants in respiratory distress.
Association of vitamin D status with lung function measurements in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Loukou Ioanna , Moustaki Maria , Sardeli Olympia , Plyta Marina , Douros Konstantinos
Published: July 2019

Background

Vitamin D status is considered a potential determinant of lung function in cystic fibrosis (CF). The aim of this retrospective longitudinal study was to investigate the decline of spirometric values in association with vitamin D status.

Methods

The data regarding 25‐hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) serum levels, spirometric measurements (FEV1, FVC, FEF25‐75%), and factors known to be associated with the decline of lung function in CF were retrospectively collected over a 5‐year period. The spirometric indices were recorded as the best and the average value of each year, as well as the value, recorded concurrently or closely with 25OHD level measurement.

Results

A significantly positive relationship was observed between 25OHD serum levels and the best annual value of FEV1 (P = .034), and the values of FEV1 (P = .010) and FVC (P = .018) measured concurrently or closely with serum 25OHD levels. The evolution of the best annual value of FEV1 was worse in patients with a mean 5‐year value of 25OHD levels less than 20 ng/mL compared with patients with a mean 5‐year value of ≥30 ng/mL (P < .001), or ≥20 to <30 (P < .001). There was no significant difference between patients with mean 5‐year 25OHD levels ≥30 ng/mL and ≥20 to <30 ng/mL (P = .76).

Conclusions

Vitamin D status is associated with lung function in patients with CF. Levels of 25OHD above 20 ng/mL were associated with higher best annual FEV1.
Ethnic residential segregation: A matter of ethnic minority household characteristics?
Authors: Coenen Ad , Verhaeghe Pieter‐Paul , Van de Putte Bart
Published: July 2019

Despite the importance of household characteristics for residential mobility, these characteristics are seldom considered in research on ethnic residential segregation. This study seeks to fill this gap when focusing on the residential behaviour of ethnic minorities and the constraints they face on the housing market. We use conditional logit modelling to analyse the Belgian Census 2011 in order to investigate the relationship between, on the one hand, the presence of children and marital status and, on the other hand, living in neighbourhoods with many coethnics in Brussels and Antwerp, focusing on households formed by young adults of Moroccan descent. We find no association for the presence of children but find clear differences based on marital status. Unmarried couples are less likely than married couples to live in neighbourhoods with many coethnics. Moreover, there appear to be gender differences: Female‐headed single‐person households are less likely than married couples to live in neighbourhoods with many coethnics, whereas male‐headed single‐person households are more likely to do so. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the existing ethnic residential segregation theories that focus on ethnic minorities should take household characteristics into account.
CuO Nanoplates for High‐Performance Potassium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Cao Kangzhe , Liu Huiqiao , Li Wangyang , Han Qingqing , Zhang Zhang , Huang Kejing , Jing Qiangshan , Jiao Lifang
Published: July 2019

Potassium‐ion batteries (KIBs) are promising alternatives to lithium‐ion batteries because of the abundance and low cost of K. However, an important challenge faced by KIBs is the search for high‐capacity materials that can hold large‐diameter K ions. Herein, copper oxide (CuO) nanoplates are synthesized as high‐performance anode materials for KIBs. CuO nanoplates with a thickness of ≈20 nm afford a large electrode–electrolyte contact interface and short K+ ion diffusion distance. As a consequence, a reversible capacity of 342.5 mAh g−1 is delivered by the as‐prepared CuO nanoplate electrode at 0.2 A g−1. Even after 100 cycles at a high current density of 1.0 A g−1, the capacity of the electrode remains over 206 mAh g−1, which is among the best values for KIB anodes reported in the literature. Moreover, a conversion reaction occurs at the CuO anode. Cu nanoparticles form during the first potassiation process and reoxidize to Cu2O during the depotassiation process. Thereafter, the conversion reaction proceeds between the as‐formed Cu2O and Cu, yielding a reversible theoretical capacity of 374 mAh g−1. Considering their low cost, easy preparation, and environmental benignity, CuO nanoplates are promising KIB anode materials.
Do My Students Know I Don't Like Writing? Shifting Attitudes and Instruction
Authors: Hall Anna H. , White Kelley Mayer
Published: July 2019

The authors focus on how teachers’ attitudes toward writing can affect their instructional decisions. The authors give tips for teachers to self‐reflect, explore avenues for mentoring and support, and develop and share with students their individual journey as a writer.
Forecasting benchmarks of long-term stock returns via machine learning
Authors: Kyriakou Ioannis , Mousavi Parastoo , Nielsen Jens Perch , Scholz Michael
Published: July 2019

Recent advances in pension product development seem to favour alternatives to the risk free asset often used in the financial theory as a performance standard for measuring the value generated by an investment or a reference point for determining the value of a financial instrument. To this end, in this paper, we apply the simplest machine learning technique, namely, a fully nonparametric smoother with the covariates and the smoothing parameter chosen by cross-validation to forecast stock returns in excess of different benchmarks, including the short-term interest rate, long-term interest rate, earnings-by-price ratio, and the inflation. We find that, net-of-inflation, the combined earnings-by-price and long-short rate spread form our best-performing two-dimensional set of predictors for future annual stock returns. This is a crucial conclusion for actuarial applications that aim to provide real-income forecasts for pensioners.
Spatial mobility and opportunity-driven entrepreneurship: the evidence from China labor-force dynamics survey
Authors: Fu Wenying
Published: July 2019

Literature on regional entrepreneurship has tended to neglect inter-regional flows of human capital, and yet spatial mobility provide the nascent entrepreneurs with multi-location knowledge and networks to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities. The paper fills the gap by adopting an agent-environment interactionist perspective in the investigation on the interrelation between mobility and entrepreneurship. To be more specific, it deals with two underlying themes. First, the way through which the multi-location experiences and non-local knowledge equip the migrants with the pursuit of opportunity-driven entrepreneurship. Second, the distinctive relationship between the regional environment and opportunity-driven entrepreneurial motives for individuals with and without spatial mobility experiences. These themes are investigated with the China labor-force dynamics survey data, comparing the characteristics and drivers of entrepreneurial motives of the migrants and locals. The survey data presents clear evidence of a higher prevalence of opportunity-driven entrepreneurship in migrant entrepreneurs compared to their local counterparts. Furthermore, the ordered logit regression results demonstrate that spatial mobility experiences significantly promote the likelihood of entering into opportunity-based business. The regional environment exerts impacts on migrants and non-migrants’ entrepreneurial motives, yet in different ways. Local entrepreneurs are more influenced by the endogenous nature of firm ecology in the city, whereas migrant entrepreneurs start business pulled by both local demands and extra-local connectedness to greater market areas. Finally, the paper reflects upon possible implications for a more targeted and inclusive entrepreneurial policy, as well as the future areas of research.
Iron Ore Reduction by Hydrogen Using a Laboratory Scale Fluidized Bed Reactor: Kinetic Investigation—Experimental Setup and Method for Determination
Authors: Spreitzer Daniel , Schenk Johannes
Published: July 2019

The reduction kinetics of hematite iron ore fines to metallic iron by hydrogen using a laboratory fluidized bed reactor were investigated in a temperature range between 873 K and 1073 K, by measuring the weight change of the sample portion during reduction. The fluidization conditions were checked regarding plausibility within the Grace diagram and the measured pressure drop across the material during experiments. The apparent activation energy of the reduction was determined against the degree of reduction and varied along an estimated two-peak curve between 11 and 55 kJ mol−1. Conventional kinetic analysis for the reduction of FeO to metallic iron, using typical models to describe gas–solid reactions, does not show results with high accuracy. Multistep kinetic analysis, using the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami model, shows that the initial stage of reduction from Fe2O3 to Fe3O4, and partly to FeO, is controlled by diffusion and chemical reaction, depending on the temperature. Further reduction can be described by a combination of nucleation and chemical reaction, whereby the influence of nucleation increases with an increasing reduction temperature. The results of the kinetical analysis were linked to the shape of the curve from apparent activation energy against the degree of reduction.
Comparative Cost-effectiveness of Surgery, Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum, and Penile Traction Therapy in Men with Peyronie’s Disease in an Era of Effective Clinical Treatment
Authors: Wymer Kevin , Kohler Tobias , Trost Landon
Published: July 2019

Background

Traditionally, surgery has been considered the gold standard treatment for Peyronie’s disease (PD). Less-invasive alternatives, such as collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) and traction therapy, have been proposed and proven effective.

Aim

To compare cost-effectiveness of management options for PD.

Methods

A Markov analytic model was created to compare the cost-effectiveness of treatment with a novel traction device, RestoreX (RXPTT), vs CCH vs surgery. Outcomes were derived from single-institution, prospective data of 63 men treated with RXPTT, 115 with CCH, and 23 with plication or incision and grafting. Costs were based on 2017 Medicare reimbursement and utility values from the literature.

Main Outcome Measures

Model outcomes included complications for each treatment arm, as well as the probability of success, which was defined as ≥20% improvement in curvature. Univariable and multivariable sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the model.

Results

Overall success rates were 96% (surgery), 66% (CCH), and 48% (RXPTT). At 10 years after treatment, RXPTT was the most cost-effective, with mean costs per patient of $883 (RXPTT), $11,419 (surgery), and $33,628 (CCH). CCH and surgery both resulted in a gain of quality adjusted life years (QALYs) relative to RXPTT (9.44 and 9.36 vs 9.27, respectively). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated greater cost-effectiveness for surgery if lower (≤46%) rates of postoperative erectile dysfunction or length loss (≤3%). CCH became more cost-effective at lower costs (≤$16,726) or higher success rates (≥76%). On multivariable sensitivity analysis at a willingness to pay threshold of $100,000/QALY, the most cost-effective strategy was RXPTT in 49%, surgery in 48%, and CCH in 3% of simulations. At a willingness to treat threshold of $150,000/QALY, the most cost-effective treatment option was RXPTT in 33%, surgery in 55%, and CCH in 12% of simulations.

Clinical Implications

In an era of value-based care, this model can guide cost-effective treatment selection on the basis of provider, patient, and payer characteristics.

Strengths & Limitations

The current study represents the first cost-effectiveness comparison of treatment modalities for PD and is strengthened by prospective data collection, large CCH and traction sample sizes, and robust sensitivity analyses. Consistent with cost-effective models, the model is limited by assumptions and may not apply to all scenarios.

Conclusions

RXPTT represents a more cost-effective method for achieving ≥20% curvature improvement compared with surgery or CCH. Depending on treatment goals, rate of surgical complications, and willingness to pay threshold, surgery and CCH may become more cost-effective in select scenarios.
Who Dominates the Discourses of the Past? Gender, Occupational Affiliation, and Multivocality in North American Archaeology Publishing
Authors: Fulkerson Tiffany J. , Tushingham Shannon
Published: July 2019

Equity and the dissemination of knowledge remain major challenges in science. Peer-reviewed journal publications are generally the most cited, yet certain groups dominate in archaeology. Such uniformity of voice profoundly limits not only who conveys the past but also what parts of the material record are narrated and/or go untold. This study examines multiple participation metrics in archaeology and explores the intersections of gender and occupational affiliation in peer-reviewed (high time cost) and non-peer-reviewed (reduced time cost) journals. We find that although women and compliance archaeologists remain poorly represented in regional and national peer-reviewed journals, they are much more active in unrefereed publications. We review feminist and theoretical explanations for inequities in science and argue that (1) the persistent underrepresentation of women and of compliance professionals in archaeological publishing are structurally linked processes and (2) such trends can be best understood in light of the existing structure of American archaeology and the cost-benefit realities of publishing for people in various sectors of the discipline. We suggest that nonrefereed venues offer a pathway to multivocality and help to address epistemic injustices, and we discuss methods for widening the current narrow demographic of men and academics who persist in dominating discourses.
An integrated design methodology for the deployment of constellations of small satellites
Authors: Crisp N. H. , Smith K. L. , Hollingsworth P. M.
Published: July 2019

A growing interest in constellations of small satellites has recently emerged due to the increasing capability of these platforms and their reduced time and cost of development. However, in the absence of dedicated launch services for these systems, alternative methods for the deployment of these constellations must be considered which can take advantage of the availability of secondary-payload launch opportunities. Furthermore, a means of exploring the effects and tradeoffs in corresponding system architectures is required. This paper presents a methodology to integrate the deployment of constellations of small satellites into the wider design process for these systems. Using a method of design-space exploration, enhanced understanding of the tradespace is supported , whilst identification of system designs for development is enabled by the application of an optimisation process. To demonstrate the method, a simplified analysis framework and a multiobjective genetic algorithm are implemented for three mission case-studies with differing application. The first two cases, modelled on existing constellations, indicate the benefits of design-space exploration, and possible savings which could be made in cost, system mass, or deployment time. The third case, based on a proposed Earth observation nanosatellite constellation, focuses on deployment following launch using a secondary-payload opportunity and demonstrates the breadth of feasible solutions which may not be considered if only point-designs are generated by a priori analysis. These results indicate that the presented method can support the development of future constellations of small satellites by improving the knowledge of different deployment strategies available during the early design phases and through enhanced exploration and identification of promising design alternatives.
Lessons learned from a prolonged norovirus GII.P16-GII.4 Sydney 2012 variant outbreak in a long-term care facility in Portugal, 2017
Authors: Sáez-López Emma , Marques Rodrigo , Rodrigues Nuno , Oleastro Mónica , Andrade Helena , Mexía Ricardo , de Sousa Rita
Published: July 2019

Objective:

To investigate an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis caused by norovirus (NoV) in a long-term care facility (LTCF) in Portugal to describe and estimate its extent, and we implemented control measures.

Design:

Outbreak investigation.

Methods:

Probable cases were residents or staff members in the LTCF with at least 1 of the following symptoms: (1) diarrhea, (2) vomiting, (3) nausea, and/or (4) abdominal pain between October 31 and December 8, 2017. Confirmed cases were probable cases with positive NoV infection detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the same genotype in stool specimens.

Results:

The outbreak was caused by NoV GII.P16-GII.4 Sydney 2012 variant and affected 146 people. The highest illness rates were observed in residents (97 of 335, 29%) and nurses (16 of 83, 19%). All 11 resident wards were affected. Data on cases and their working or living areas suggest that movement between wards facilitated the transmission of NoV, likely from person to person.

Conclusions:

The delay in the identification of the causative agent, a lack of restrictions of resident and staff movement between wards, and ineffective initial deep-cleaning procedures resulted an outbreak that continued for >1 month. The outbreak ended only after implementation of strict control measures. Recommendations for controlling future NoV outbreaks in LTCFs include emphasizing the need to control resident’s movements and to restrict visitors, timely and effective environmental cleaning and disinfection, leave of absence for ill staff, and encouraging effective hand hygiene.
A Prophetic Guide for a Perplexed World: Louis Finkelstein and the 1940 Conference on Science, Philosophy, and Religion
Authors: Rock-Singer Cara
Published: July 2019

This article traces negotiations over the epistemic, ethical, and political authority of Judaism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and science in mid-twentieth-century America. Specifically, it examines how the president of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Dr. Louis Finkelstein, led a diverse group of intellectual elites as they planned and convened the 1940 Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion in Their Relation to the Democratic Way of Life (CSPR). Based on the conference's transcripts, proceedings, and papers, in addition to Finkelstein's writings from the period, this article shows how Finkelstein used his vision of the Jewish tradition as a model to form a pluralistic intellectual space that brought together the representatives of multiple religious traditions and modern science. To accredit the American way of life to Judaism, Finkelstein traced America's ethical values, democratic politics, and scientific genius back to the Hebrew Prophets through Rabbinic Judaism. In response to Finkelstein's historiography and the political and ideological challenges of World War II, scientific and religious experts negotiated their authority and debated how to mobilize their traditions in a quest for political stability. By analyzing the CSPR as a meeting of multiple discourses, this article reinstates science as a fundamental player in the story of American pluralism and demonstrates the way a non-Protestant tradition shaped the terms of an elite public's understanding of the “democratic way of life.”
A Novel Dedicated HVE 14C AMS System
Authors: Klein M , Podaru N C , Mous D J W
Published: July 2019

High Voltage Engineering Europa (HVE) has designed a vacuum-insulated tandem accelerator dedicated to radiocarbon (14C) analysis. A unique feature of the design is a magnetic charge state selector that is incorporated in the high voltage terminal, which reduces the primary source of background that originates from the injection of 13CH− to negligible levels. As a result, background levels in the low 10−16 regimes are anticipated, thus supporting the most stringent 14C dating applications. Another feature of the system is the incorporation of several slit feedback loops for stabilization of the position of the ion beam throughout the system, which avoids drift and ensures stable, long-term operation. Finally, this article presents measurements and quantitative analysis of background contributions from 13CH−.
ON A GENERALISATION OF A RESTRICTED SUM FORMULA FOR MULTIPLE ZETA VALUES AND FINITE MULTIPLE ZETA VALUES
Authors: MURAHARA HIDEKI , MURAKAMI TAKUYA
Published: July 2019

We prove a new linear relation for multiple zeta values. This is a natural generalisation of the restricted sum formula proved by Eie, Liaw and Ong. We also present an analogous result for finite multiple zeta values.
A new species ofPhysaloptera(Nematoda: Spirurida) fromProechimys gardneri(Rodentia: Echimyidae) from the Amazon rainforest and molecular phylogenetic analyses of the genus
Authors: Maldonado A. , Simões R.O. , Luiz J. São , Costa-Neto S.F. , Vilela R.V.
Published: July 2019

Nematodes of the genusPhysalopteraare globally distributed and more than 100 species are known. Their life cycle involves insects, including beetles, cockroaches and crickets, as intermediate hosts. This study describes a new species ofPhysalopteraand reports molecular phylogenetic analyses to determine its relationships within the family Physalopteridae.Physaloptera amazonican. sp. is described from the stomach of the caviomorph rodentProechimys gardnericollected in the Amazon rainforest in the state of Acre, Brazil. The species is characterized by the male having the first and second pair of sessile papillae asymmetrically placed, lacking a median papilla-like protuberance between the third pairs of sessile papillae, differentiated by size and shape of the spicules, while females have four uterine branches. For both nuclear 18S rRNA and MT-CO1 gene-based phylogenies, we recoveredTurgidasequences forming a clade nested withinPhysaloptera, thus makingPhysalopteraparaphyletic to the exclusion ofTurgida, suggesting that the latter may have evolved from the former monodelphic ancestral state to a derived polydelphic state, or that some species ofPhysalopteramay belong to different genera. Relationships between most taxa withinPhysalopterawere poorly resolved in our phylogenies, producing multifurcations or a star phylogeny. The star-like pattern may be attributed to evolutionary processes where past simultaneous species diversification events took place.Physaloptera amazonican. sp. formed an independent lineage, separately from the other species ofPhysaloptera, thus supporting the status of a new species. However, all molecular data suggested a closer relationship with other Neotropical species. In conclusion, we added a new species to this already largely diverse genusPhysaloptera, bringing new insights to its phylogenetic relationships. Further analyses, adding more species and markers, should provide a better understanding of the evolutionary history of physalopterids.
Stories of Patient Involvement Impact in Health Technology Assessments: A Discussion Paper
Authors: Single Ann N.V. , Facey Karen M. , Livingstone Heidi , Silva Aline Silveira
Published: July 2019

Objectives

As more health technology assessment (HTA) bodies seek to implement patient involvement, there is a desire to learn from other HTA bodies about their experiences and understand what approaches can be used and which ones make a real difference to HTA. This is difficult, as the impact of patient involvement in HTA is not well documented. This study aims to promote further discussion about the ways in which patient involvement can impact HTAs by studying stories of impact.

Methods

In a multi-stakeholder workshop, experts leading patient involvement in four HTA bodies shared examples of HTAs where they believed patient involvement made a difference, then they reflected on these impact stories within the wider context of impact evaluation.

Results

The HTA bodies drew on patient input and patient-based evidence to inform their HTAs. The patient involvement was observed to elucidate patients’ experiences, needs and preferences which, in turn, was observed to influence the HTA recommendations about optimal use of technologies, including taking account of issues for sub-groups, outcomes that matter to patients and educational needs.

Conclusions

Personal stories of patient involvement may enable a wider understanding of different approaches to and impact of patient involvement. The examples relate to both patient input and patient-based evidence and highlight the role that patient involvement can play in reducing uncertainties and complementing the clinical and economic evidence in HTA. They suggest that impact can be seen in recommendations about how and when a technology is used.
BORDER CROSSINGS
Authors: Adelstein Richard
Published: July 2019

I first met Bill Barber in 1975, when I came to interview for a position in economics at Wesleyan University, where Bill had taught for almost twenty years. I’d shown some interest in interdisciplinary work, so my hosts made sure my tour included the College of Social Studies, an unusually intensive undergraduate program that combined three years of close study in economics, government, history, and philosophy with a relentless regime of weekly essays and tutorial meetings. Bill had his office there, across the campus from the other economists, and taught half his courses in the college, which he’d helped to found. It was, my skeptical hosts cordially informed me, modeled on the way philosophy, politics, and economics were taught together at Oxford, and had little to do with "real" economics, the kind they did, with its high theory and, even then, its commitment to econometrics. As I soon learned, the college was the brainchild of a group of tweedy Oxonians with a mission: to teach these subjects together in a way that recognized the essential unity of the social sciences and history and, in the teaching of each, drew insights and context from all the others. This wasn’t how I’d been taught economics, or anything else. I knew nothing about Oxford, and next to nothing about history and philosophy. But in the two hours I spent that day at the College of Social Studies with Bill and his collaborators in the mission, all of them subjects of the same cordial skepticism in their own departments, I became one of them myself.
Willingness of general dental practices in South East London to
engage with research
Authors: Afeef Marwah , Redican Caillin , Bernabé Eduardo
Published: July 2019

This study assessed the willingness of general dental practices (GDPs) to
participate in research. All 263 GDPs in South East London that provide dental
care under National Health Service (NHS) contracts were invited. The survey
instrument was adapted from previous studies and piloted before administration.
Geographical factors and practice characteristics associated with willingness to
participate in research were explored in logistic regression models. A total of
77 responses were received (response rate: 29%). Of them, 40 (53%)
expressed interest in being involved in primary care research. They saw their
main role as collecting data and facilitating access to patients. Time,
bureaucracy and lack of energy were the main reasons behind a decision not to
engage with research. Those spending more time in NHS services were more likely
to be willing to participate in research. Other possible indicators were
single-handed GDPs, participation in the dental foundation training programme
and location in more affluent areas.
Comparison of preventive health service provision before and after
reorganization of primary care in Turkey: a community-based
study
Authors: Kaya Çiğdem Apaydın , Akman Mehmet , Ünalan Pemra Cöbek , Çifçili Serap , Uzuner Arzu , Akdeniz Esra
Published: July 2019

Aim

To investigate the changes in the provision of preventive health services in
terms of woman and child health after reorganization of the primary health
care services.

Background

The primary care system in Turkey has undergone fundamental changes as a part
of Health Transformation Program during last decade. But there was no
community-based study to evaluate these changes.

Method

This community-based and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010, just
before the reorganization of primary care services and in 2015, five year
after the reforms. The 30×7 cluster sampling method was used in
Zümrütevler quarter of Maltepe District. The socio-demographic
characteristics of the participants, the presence of the physician who can
be consulted for any health problem, the presence of smokers at home were
questioned. The women aged 18 years or older and gave consent provided
information about history of pregnancy and birth, the number of follow-ups
during pregnancy, family planning method usage, cervical and breast cancer
screening, breastfeeding duration, vaccinations, and prophylactic iron and
vitamin D supplementation for their children.

Findings

After the reorganization of primary care, more people stated that they had
physicians to whom they could consult for all kinds of health problems (27.8
versus 44.7%; P<0.001) and that physician was
the primary care physician (30.2 versus 64.7%;
P<0.001). The reported frequency of at least one
smoker at home was decreased after reorganization of primary care (63.6
versus 53.1%; P=0.034). There were no
significant differences in terms unplanned pregnancy, the use of family
planning method, the number of pregnancy follow-ups and the frequency of Pap
smears and mammography. There are no significant differences in terms of
healthy children follow-ups, vaccination, vitamin D and iron supplementation
(P>0.05). It was found that the duration of
total breastfeeding increased after reorganization of primary care
(P<0.001).
Media-Induced Misperception Further Divides Public	Opinion
Authors: Han Jiyoung , Yzer Marco
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Although there is growing evidence that partisans believe they are further apart than they actually are, the causes and consequences of this misperception are not always clear. Informed by the literature on news framing and self-categorization theory, we hypothesize that the media’s focus on partisan conflict increases partisans’ perceptions of public polarization, which fuels partisan attitude polarization on disputed issues in news coverage. Study 1 supports this contention in the political domain. By retesting the hypotheses in a gender context, Study 2 further demonstrates that the impact of conflict news framing on attitude polarization is not simply due to preexisting political polarization. The implications of the present study are discussed in light of its generalizability to varying political systems.
Plant Uptake Offsets Silica Release From a Large Arctic Tundra Wildfire
Authors: Carey Joanna C. , Abbott Benjamin W. , Rocha Adrian V.
Published: July 2019

Rapid climate change at high latitudes is projected to increase wildfire extent in tundra ecosystems by up to fivefold by the end of the century. Tundra wildfire could alter terrestrial silica (SiO2) cycling by restructuring surface vegetation and by deepening the seasonally thawed active layer. These changes could influence the availability of silica in terrestrial permafrost ecosystems and alter lateral exports to downstream marine waters, where silica is often a limiting nutrient. In this context, we investigated the effects of the largest Arctic tundra fire in recent times on plant and peat amorphous silica content and dissolved silica concentration in streams. Ten years after the fire, vegetation in burned areas had 73% more silica in aboveground biomass compared to adjacent, unburned areas. This increase in plant silica was attributable to significantly higher plant silica concentration in bryophytes and increased prevalence of silica‐rich gramminoids in burned areas. Tundra fire redistributed peat silica, with burned areas containing significantly higher amorphous silica concentrations in the O‐layer, but 29% less silica in peat overall due to shallower peat depth post burn. Despite these dramatic differences in terrestrial silica dynamics, dissolved silica concentration in tributaries draining burned catchments did not differ from unburned catchments, potentially due to the increased uptake by terrestrial vegetation. Together, these results suggest that tundra wildfire enhances terrestrial availability of silica via permafrost degradation and associated weathering, but that changes in lateral silica export may depend on vegetation uptake during the first decade of postwildfire succession.
The Paramount Societal Impact of Soil Moisture
Authors: Tuller Markus , Babaeian Ebrahim , Jones Scott , Montzka Carsten , Vereecken Harry , Sadeghi Morteza
Published: July 2019

Recent technological innovations offer new opportunities for soil moisture characterization and monitoring from the pedon to global scales.
Seismological Investigations of Induced Earthquakes Near the Hutubi Underground Gas Storage Facility
Authors: Zhou Pengcheng , Yang Hongfeng , Wang Baoshan , Zhuang Jiancang
Published: July 2019

The Hutubi underground gas storage facility in Xinjiang, China, with a maximum gas storage capacity of 10.7 billion m3, provides a good opportunity to study seismicity potentially induced by the annually cyclic injection and extraction of natural gas. To statistically distinguish induced seismicity from the tectonic background, we investigate the background seismicity probability of each event using the space‐time epidemic‐type aftershock sequence model and a stochastic declustering method. Our statistical results suggest a potential link between gas injection and two groups of seismicity, with very low background seismicity probabilities during the first and second injection periods in August 2013 and May 2014, respectively. To better understand the earthquake physics, we relocate earthquakes by incorporating a dedicated mobile seismic network after refining the regional 1D velocity model by utilizing an artificial source. After double‐difference relocations, those two groups of earthquakes move much closer to the faults bounding the rock storage units and are situated at a depth around 4 km, slightly deeper than the reservoir formation. Focal mechanism solutions of the two largest earthquakes (Mw 2.8 and 3.0) in August 2013 show a possibly unmapped reverse fault gently dipping to the south. Based on our high‐resolution earthquake locations, we propose that these on‐fault earthquakes are not hydrologically connected with the reservoir formation but are likely induced by poroelastic stress perturbations due to gas injection. Poroelastic stressing can have a larger impact on seismicity rate than pore pressure diffusion at large distances; hence, the distributions and sizes of preexisting faults might play a key role in seismic hazard assessments in our study region.
Stability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: A Review and Synthesis
Authors: Weijer W. , Cheng W. , Drijfhout S. S. , Fedorov A. V. , Hu A. , Jackson L. C. , Liu W. , McDonagh E. L. , Mecking J. V. , Zhang J.
Published: July 2019

The notion that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) can have more than one stable equilibrium emerged in the 1980s as a powerful hypothesis to explain rapid climate variability during the Pleistocene. Ever since, the idea that a temporary perturbation of the AMOC—or a permanent change in its forcing—could trigger an irreversible collapse has remained a reason for concern. Here we review literature on the equilibrium stability of the AMOC and present a synthesis that puts our understanding of past and future AMOC behavior in a unifying framework. This framework is based on concepts from Dynamical Systems Theory, which has proven to be an important tool in interpreting a wide range of model behavior. We conclude that it cannot be ruled out that the AMOC in our current climate is in, or close to, a regime of multiple equilibria. But there is considerable uncertainty in the location of stability thresholds with respect to our current climate state, so we have no credible indications of where our present‐day AMOC is located with respect to thresholds. We conclude by identifying gaps in our knowledge and proposing possible ways forward to address these gaps.