bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photoacoustic assessment of hemodynamic changes in foot vessels
Authors: Yang Jinge , Zhang Guang , Wu Man , Shang Qiquan , Huang Lin , Jiang Huabei
Published: March 2019

Monitoring the blood supply in the lower extremities is critical for individuals who are vulnerable to vascular dysfunction. Current clinical approaches are ineffective in observing hemodynamic changes in peripheral vessels. In this paper, we investigate the potential of photoacoustic tomography (PAT) as an alternative way to in vivo monitor hemodynamic changes in foot vessels. High spatial and temporal resolution maps of hemoglobin in major arteries and veins are shown. Results from twelve human subjects are presented here to visualize vascular perfusion of healthy volunteers in two age groups (young vs aged). Significant differences between the two groups are observed and verify the declining in vascular function with aging, highlighting the potential of PAT as a new tool to evaluate vascular function in the lower extremities.
Impact of chrysin on the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic complications
Authors: Farkhondeh Tahereh , Samarghandian Saeed , Roshanravan Babak
Published: March 2019

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder, resulting in high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Neuropathy, ocular diseases, kidney diseases, and cardiovascular disease are common complications of diabetes that threats the patient’s life. Chrysin (CH), a natural flavonoid, has several pharmacological effects, including antioxidant, antiapoptotic, anti‐inflammatory, and anticancer. Strong scientific documents indicated that chrysin may be effective for preventing and treating complications of diabetes in experimental models. The present study was designed to review the association between chrysin administration and diabetes complications by focusing on the possible molecular pathway. The findings indicate that chrysin has protective effects against diabetes outcomes by modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in animal models. However, more clinical trial study should be done to clear the protective effects of chrysin in diabetic patients.
Renal impairment and analgesia: From effectiveness to adverse effects
Authors: Alizadeh Reza , Aghsaie Fard Ziba
Published: March 2019

Kidney pain is one of the clinically significant features of renal dysfunction. Mild to severe pain is seen in the lower back area. Painkillers are mostly recommended in these cases to relieve the symptom. Yet, several analgesics are associated with side effects that can worsen the state of the disease. This review is based on the studies conducted in these aspects analgesics used to treat kidney pain and their effectiveness, renal consequences of postoperative analgesia, and pharmacogenetics of these palliatives are briefly summarized in this paper.
Design, Synthesis, and In Vitro Anticancer Activities of Diethylene Glycol Tethered Isatin‐1,2,3‐triazole‐coumarin Hybrids
Authors: Diao Quan‐Ping , Guo Hua , Wang Gang‐Qiang
Published: March 2019

A series of novel diethylene glycol tethered isatin‐1,2,3‐triazole‐coumarin hybrids 9a–l were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activities against HepG2 (liver carcinoma), Hela (cervical cancer), A549 (lung adenocarcinoma), DU145 (prostatic cancer), SKOV3 (ovarian carcinoma), MCF‐7 (breast cancer), and drug‐resistant MCF‐7/DOX (doxorubicin‐resistant MCF‐7) human cancer cell lines. The results showed that most of the synthesized hybrids exhibited considerable in vitro activities against the tested seven cancer cell lines, and these hybrids can be acted as starting points for further investigation.
An approach combining the integral equation method with a generalized image technique for modeling incabin radio wave propagation
Authors: Zhao Wei‐Jiang , Liu En‐Xiao , Wang Binfang , Gao Si‐Ping , Png Ching Eng
Published: March 2019

An approach that combines the integral equation (IE) method with a generalized image technique (GIT) is proposed for modeling radio wave propagation inside an electrically large and imperfectly conducting closed environment. The electric current distribution on a transmit antenna solved with a method of moment procedure is expressed as a weighted sum of basis functions. Each basis function with a small dimension is thought as a subtransmitter. The GIT is introduced to compute the single and multiple reflections by imperfectly conducting walls due to the radiation from these subtransmitters. The proposed approach can be applied to predict the radio wave propagation from a transmitter in the vicinity of an electrically large environment. Its validity is demonstrated through some numerical examples where full‐wave results are available.
Interpreting medieval mobility from burials at the rock‐hewn church of St. Georges, Gurat (France): Insights from strontium isotope analysis of bones and teeth
Authors: Meijer Jacqueline , Dolphin Alexis E. , Yakymchuk Chris , Gervers Michael
Published: March 2019

The cave church St. Georges is a hand‐carved limestone cave church located in Gurat, southwestern France, which likely developed from a hermitic site by the High Middle Ages (1001–1300 AD). Gurat is unique in that few bioarchaeological studies of monastic collections, particularly in France, have been conducted. This research represents the first effort to understand who the people at Gurat were, and where they might have travelled from, by employing strontium isotope analysis. Such data are used to interpret motivations behind hypothesized mobility. Dental and skeletal tissues from 14 individuals excavated at the cave church site were analysed for their strontium isotope ratio via laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry. The 87Sr/86Sr values in human bone samples from Gurat indicate that all individuals likely lived near Gurat for at least the last few years of their lives. 87Sr/86Sr values yielded from tooth enamel samples indicate that during childhood, the Gurat individuals were mobile and originated from a region isotopically dissimilar to Gurat. Mobility into the site of Gurat may be explained by the pilgrimage routes in which traversed Gurat, as well as by the practice of transhumance. Given that two pilgrimage routes passed near the village, Gurat would have been a consistently well‐travelled site for nonlocal Christians during the Middle Ages. It is therefore likely that many travellers passed through the village of Gurat. Additionally, because Cistercian monks practiced transhumance during the medieval period, and many of the Gurat individuals do appear isotopically to have origins from highland regions in France (i.e., the Massif Central), it is possible that these individuals engaged in seasonal migration between highland and lowland regions. Therefore, the data presented here have demonstrated that, through strontium isotope analysis, the Gurat individuals were likely migrants to the Gurat cave church.
Spindle cell/pleomorphic lipoma of the cheek: A case report
Authors: Yoshida Yu , Tamura Takayuki , Takubo Kazuko , Otsuki Kazuma , Doi Rieko , Kodani Isamu
Published: March 2019

We report a rare case of spindle cell/pleomorphic lipoma (SL/PL) in a 76‐year‐old woman who visited our hospital because of a mass on her right cheek. She presented with no other abnormal symptoms. We observed a 22‐mm wide, elastic, painless, yellow mass on her right cheek that was tumefactive, and the boundary between it and the surrounding tissue was relatively clear. With the patient under general anesthesia, we performed surgery to remove the tumor, which was identified by pathological examination as SL/PL. Six months postoperatively, the patient experiences no symptom recurrence and is in good condition.
Immunotherapy for malignant tumors with focus on toll‐like receptors
Authors: Manome Yoko , Suzuki Dai , Nishida Rie , Yamada Atsushi , Miyamoto Yoichi , Funatsu Takahiro , Kamijo Ryutaro
Published: March 2019

One in three Japanese people will develop cancer during their lifetime and cancer is the leading cause of death in Japan, with prognosis known to worsen with development of distant metastasis. Recently, immunotherapy treatment for cancer has become established and shown to be more effective with fewer side effects as compared to other therapeutic options. As a result, toll‐like receptors (TLRs), which recognize molecules derived from many types of pathogens and activate the intra‐vital immune system, have become new targets for cancer immunotherapy treatment. In the present review, we provide an outline of immunotherapy procedures with a focus on TLRs.
Dimethyl‐methylphenyl copolysiloxanes by dimethylsilanolate‐initiated ring opening polymerization. Evidence for linearity of the resulting polymer structures
Authors: Zlatanic Alisa , Radojcic Dragana , Wan Xianmei , Messman Jamie M. , Bowen Daniel E. , Dvornic Petar R.
Published: March 2019

Recently, we reported that dimethylsilanolate‐initiated anionic ring opening polymerization of dimethylsiloxy‐ and diphenylsiloxy‐cyclic siloxanes results in polymer chain branching by dimethylsilanolate‐induced cleavage of only one Si‐CAr side bond in diphenylsiloxy repeat units, leading to formation of “Ph‐T‐branches”, and not extending to the cleavage of the second phenyl group. We attributed this behavior to electronic structures of the participating dimethylsiloxy‐, diphenylsiloxy and Ph‐T‐branch silicons and predicted that copolymers prepared by this synthetic route from dimethylsiloxy‐ and methylphenylsiloxy‐cyclics should not undergo branching at all but should have perfect linear chain configuration. Here, we describe results of a study of two such dimethylsilanolate‐initiated ring opening polymerizations of dimethylsiloxy‐ and methyphenylsiloxy‐cyclic tetramers and characterization of the resulting polymers by SEC‐MALS‐VIS, Mark‐Houwink‐Sakurada relationship and 29Si NMR. The results obtained clearly confirmed our prediction of expected linearity of these polymer chains and also indicated that the resulting polymers were completely amorphous even at as low methylphenylsiloxy‐content as 3.9 mol %. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1122–1129
On parameter convergence in least squares identification and adaptive control
Authors: Pan Yongping , Sun Tairen , Yu Haoyong
Published: March 2019

Least squares estimation is appealing in performance and robustness improvements of adaptive control. A strict condition termed persistent excitation (PE) needs to be satisfied to achieve parameter convergence in least squares estimation. This paper proposes a least squares identification and adaptive control strategy to achieve parameter convergence without the PE condition. A modified modeling error that utilizes online historical data together with instant data is constructed as additional feedback to update parameter estimates, and an integral transformation is introduced to avoid the time derivation of plant states in the modified modeling error. On the basis of these results, a regressor filtering–free least squares estimation law is proposed to guarantee exponential parameter convergence by an interval excitation condition, which is much weaker than the PE condition. And then, an identification‐based indirect adaptive control law is proposed to establish exponential stability of the closed‐loop system under the interval excitation condition. Illustrative results considering both identification and control problems have verified the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach.
Systematic Comparison of Retinal Organoid Differentiation from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Reveals Stage Specific, Cell Line, and Methodological Differences
Authors: Mellough Carla B. , Collin Joseph , Queen Rachel , Hilgen Gerrit , Dorgau Birthe , Zerti Darin , Felemban Majed , White Kathryn , Sernagor Evelyne , Lako Majlinda
Published: March 2019

A major goal in the stem cell field is to generate tissues that can be utilized as a universal tool for in vitro models of development and disease, drug development, or as a resource for patients suffering from disease or injury. Great efforts are being made to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells in vitro toward retinal tissue, which is akin to native human retina in its cytoarchitecture and function, yet the numerous existing retinal induction protocols remain variable in their efficiency and do not routinely produce morphologically or functionally mature photoreceptors. Herein, we determine the impact that the method of embryoid body (EB) formation and maintenance as well as cell line background has on retinal organoid differentiation from human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells. Our data indicate that cell line-specific differences dominate the variables that underline the differentiation efficiency in the early stages of differentiation. In contrast, the EB generation method and maintenance conditions determine the later differentiation and maturation of retinal organoids. Of the latter, the mechanical method of EB generation under static conditions, accompanied by media supplementation with Y27632 for the first 48 hours of differentiation, results in the most consistent formation of laminated retinal neuroepithelium containing mature and electrophysiologically responsive photoreceptors. Collectively, our data provide substantive evidence for stage-specific differences in the ability to give rise to laminated retinae, which is determined by cell line-specific differences in the early stages of differentiation and EB generation/organoid maintenance methods at later stages.
Consequences of the Coleman‐Noll inequality for isotropic materials
Authors: Šilhavý M.
Published: March 2019

The paper establishes necessary and sufficient conditions for the Cole‐man‐Noll inequality for isotropic materials. The novel part in these conditions is based on a formula that was not available at the time of writings of Coleman and Noll on the subject.
Continuum naturalness
Authors: Csáki Csaba , Lee Gabriel , Lee Seung J. , Lombardo Salvator , Telem Ofri
Published: March 2019

Abstract

We present a novel class of composite Higgs models in which the top and gauge partners responsible for cutting off the Higgs quadratic divergences form a continuum. The continuum states are characterized by their spectral densities, which should have a finite gap for realistic models. We present a concrete example based on a warped extra dimension with a linear dilaton, where this finite gap appears naturally. We derive the spectral densities in this model and calculate the full Higgs potential for a phenomenologically viable benchmark point, with percent level tuning. The continuum top and gauge partners in this model evade all resonance searches at the LHC and yield qualitatively different collider signals.
The infrared structure of exceptional scalar theories
Authors: Yin Zhewei
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Exceptional theories are a group of one-parameter scalar field theories with (enhanced) vanishing soft limits in the S-matrix elements. They include the nonlinear sigma model (NLSM), Dirac-Born-Infeld scalars and the special Galileon theory. The soft behavior results from the shift symmetry underlying these theories, which leads to Ward identities generating subleading single soft theorems as well as novel Berends-Giele recursion relations. Such an approach was first applied to NLSM in refs. [1, 2], and here we use it to systematically study other exceptional scalar field theories. In particular, using the subleading single soft theorem for the special Galileon we identify the Feynman vertices of the corresponding extended theory, which was first discovered using the Cachazo-He-Yuan representation of scattering amplitudes. Furthermore, we present a Lagrangian for the extended theory of the special Galileon, which has a rich particle content involving biadjoint scalars, Nambu-Goldstone bosons and Galileons, as well as additional flavor structure.
Symmetries of M-theory and free Lie superalgebras
Authors: Gomis Joaquim , Kleinschmidt Axel , Palmkvist Jakob
Published: March 2019

Abstract

We study systematically various extensions of the Poincaré superalgebra. The most general structure starting from a set of spinorial superchargesQαis a free Lie superalgebra that we discuss in detail. We explain how this universal extension of the Poincaré superalgebra gives rise to many other algebras as quotients, some of which have appeared previously in various places in the literature. In particular, we show how some quotients can be very neatly related to Borcherds superalgebras. The ideas put forward also offer some new angles on exotic branes and extended symmetry structures in M-theory.
More on complexity of operators in quantum field theory
Authors: Yang Run-Qiu , An Yu-Sen , Niu Chao , Zhang Cheng-Yong , Kim Keun-Young
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Recently it has been shown that the complexity of SU(n) operator is determined by the geodesic length in a bi-invariant Finsler geometry, which is constrained by some symmetries of quantum field theory. It is based on three axioms and one assumption regarding the complexity in continuous systems. By relaxing one axiom and an assumption, we find that the complexity formula is naturally generalized to the Schatten p-norm type. We also clarify the relation between our complexity and other works. First, we show that our results in a bi-invariant geometry are consistent with the ones in a right-invariant geometry such as k-local geometry. Here, a careful analysis of the sectional curvature is crucial. Second, we show that our complexity can concretely realize the conjectured pattern of the time-evolution of the complexity: the linear growth up to saturation time. The saturation time can be estimated by the relation between the topology and curvature of SU(n) groups.
Mixed QCD-electroweak corrections to Higgs production via gluon fusion in the small mass approximation
Authors: Anastasiou Charalampos , Del Duca Vittorio , Furlan Elisabetta , Mistlberger Bernhard , Moriello Francesco , Schweitzer Armin , Specchia Caterina
Published: March 2019

Abstract

We compute the mixed QCD-electroweak corrections to the cross section for the production of a Higgs boson via gluon fusion, in the limit of a small mass of the electroweak gauge bosons. This limit is regular and we calculate it by setting the W, Z masses to zero in the Feynman rules for their propagators. Our analytic results provide an independent check, in a non-trivial limit, of a recent exact computation for the three-loop mixed QCD and electroweak virtual corrections [1] and the corresponding contribution to the cross section in the soft-virtual approximation [2]. From our calculation in the small mass approximation, we can infer the second term in the expansion of the cross section around the threshold limit with its exact dependence on the masses of the W, Z bosons. Furthermore we find that in the small mass approximation the non-factorizable contributions from the real radiation, so far unknown for full gauge boson mass dependence, are modest in comparison to the known factorizable and virtual contributions to the full

$$ \mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}_s^3{\alpha}^2\right) $$

O

α
s
3

α
2

mixed QCD and electroweak cross-section. This furnishes a new phenomenological test of estimates [3] for the mixed QCD and electroweak corrections, which were based on the hypothesis of factorization of QCD and electroweak corrections.
Multiplets of superconformal symmetry in diverse dimensions
Authors: Córdova Clay , Dumitrescu Thomas T. , Intriligator Kenneth
Published: March 2019

Abstract

We systematically analyze the operator content of unitary superconformal multiplets in d ≥ 3 spacetime dimensions. We present a simple, general, and efficient algorithm that generates all of these multiplets by correctly eliminating possible null states. The algorithm is conjectural, but passes a vast web of consistency checks. We apply it to tabulate a large variety of superconformal multiplets. In particular, we classify and construct all multiplets that contain conserved currents or free fields, which play an important role in superconformal field theories (SCFTs). Some currents that are allowed in conformal field theories cannot be embedded in superconformal multiplets, and hence they are absent in SCFTs. We use the structure of superconformal stress tensor multiplets to show that SCFTs with more than 16 Poincaré supercharges cannot arise in d ≥ 4, even when the corresponding superconformal algebras exist. We also show that such theories do arise in d = 3, but are necessarily free.
Vacuum structure of charge k two-dimensional QED and dynamics of an anti D-string near an O1−-plane
Authors: Armoni Adi , Sugimoto Shigeki
Published: March 2019

Abstract

We study the vacuum structure of N

f
flavour two-dimensional QED with an arbitrary integer charge k. We find that the axial symmetry is spontaneously broken from

$$ {\mathbb{Z}}_{k{N}_f} $$

ℤ

k

N
f

to

$$ {\mathbb{Z}}_{N_f} $$

ℤ

N
f

due to the non-vanishing condensate of a flavour singlet operator, resulting in k degenerate vacua. An explicit construction of the k vacua is given by using a

non-commutative algebra obtained as a central extension of the

$$ {\mathbb{Z}}_{k{N}_f} $$

ℤ

k

N
f

discrete axial symmetry and ℤ
k
1-form (center) symmetry, which represents the mixed ’t Hooft anomaly between them.

We then give a string theory realization of such a system with k = 2 and N

f
= 8 by putting an anti D-string in the vicinity of an orientifold O1−-plane and study its dynamics using the two-dimensional gauge theory realized on it. We calculate the potential between the anti D-string and the O1−-plane and find repulsion in both weak and strong coupling regimes of the two-dimensional gauge theory, corresponding to long and short distances, respectively. We also calculate the potential for the (Q, −1)-string (the bound state of an anti D-string and Q fundamental strings) located close to the O1−-plane. The result is non-perturbative in the string coupling.
Renormalization group evolution of dimension-seven operators in standard model effective field theory and relevant phenomenology
Authors: Liao Yi , Ma Xiao-Dong
Published: March 2019

Abstract

We showed in a previous publication that there are six independent dimension-seven operators violating both lepton and baryon numbers (L = −B = 1) and twelve ones violating lepton but preserving baryon number (L = 2, B = 0) in standard model effective field theory, and we calculated one-loop renormalization for the former six operators. In this work we continue our efforts on renormalization of the operators. It turns out this could become subtle because the operators are connected by nontrivial relations when fermion flavors are counted. This kind of relations does not appear in lower dimensional operators. We show how we can extract anomalous dimension matrix for a flavor-specified basis of operators from counterterms computed for the above flavor-blind operators without introducing singular inverse Yukawa coupling matrices. As a phenomenological application, we investigate renormalization group effects on nuclear neutrinoless double β decay. We also discuss very briefly its analog in the meson sector, K
± → π
∓
μ
±
μ
±, and indicate potential difficulties to compute its decay width.
Hypoparathyroidism After Total Thyroidectomy: Importance of the Intraoperative Management of the Parathyroid Glands
Authors: Ponce de León‐Ballesteros Guillermo , Velázquez‐Fernández David , Hernández‐Calderón F. Javier , Bonilla‐Ramírez Carlos , Pérez‐Soto Rafael H. , Pantoja Juan Pablo , Sierra Mauricio , Herrera Miguel F.
Published: March 2019

Background

Total thyroidectomy is the most common surgical procedure for the treatment of thyroid diseases. Postoperative hypocalcemia/hypoparathyroidism is the most frequent complication after total thyroidectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of postoperative hypocalcemia and permanent hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy in order to identify potential risk factors and to evaluate the impact of parathyroid autotransplantation.

Patients and Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of 1018 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy at our institution between 2000 and 2016. Medical records were reviewed to analyze patient features, clinical presentation, management and postoperative complications. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed based on the natural scaling of each included variable. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.

Results

Mean ± SD age was 46.79 ± 15.9 years; 112 (11.7%) were males and 844 (88.3%) females. A total of 642 (67.2%) patients underwent surgery for malignant disease. The rate of postoperative hypocalcemia, transient, protracted and permanent hypoparathyroidism was 32.8%, 14.43%, 18.4% and 3.9%, respectively. Permanent hypoparathyroidism was significantly associated with the number of parathyroid glands remaining in situ (4 glands: 2.5%, 3 glands: 3.8%, 1–2 glands: 13.3%; p ˂ 0.0001) [OR for 1–2 glands in situ = 5.32, CI 95% 2.61–10.82]. Other risk factors related to permanent hypoparathyroidism were obesity (OR 3.56, CI 95% 1.79–7.07), concomitant level VI lymph node dissection (OR 3.04, CI 95% 1.46–6.37) and incidental parathyroidectomy without autotransplantation (OR 3.6, CI 95% 1.85–7.02).

Conclusions

Identification and in situ preservation of at least three parathyroid glands were associated with a lower rate of postoperative hypocalcemia (30.4%) and permanent postoperative hypoparathyroidism (2.79%).
Choosing one’s future? Narratives on educational and occupational choice among folk high school participants in Sweden
Authors: Fejes Andreas , Dahlstedt Magnus
Published: March 2019

This article poses these questions: How do participants on two different courses in folk high schools in Sweden, a basic course and a theatre course, motivate their educational and occupational choices, and what similarities and differences can be identified? We analyse interviews with students drawing on a narrative approach. Five trajectories emerge: desire to get away; desire to get back on track; desire for employment; desire to change occupation; and desire to realise one’s dreams. We argue that these trajectories reproduce existing social stratification in society, whereby certain futures are available to some people, and not to others.
Static Versus Expandable Devices Provide Similar Clinical Outcomes Following Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion
Authors: Khechen Benjamin , Haws Brittany E. , Patel Dil V. , Yoo Joon S. , Guntin Jordan A. , Cardinal Kaitlyn L. , Iyer Sravisht , Singh Kern
Published: March 2019

Background

Few studies have analyzed differences in radiographic parameters and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between expandable and static interbody devices in patients undergoing minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF).

Questions/Purposes

To evaluate differences in radiographic parameters and PROs following MIS TLIF between static and expandable interbody devices.

Methods

Patients undergoing primary, single-level MIS TLIF between 2014 and 2017 were retrospectively identified. Radiographic measurements including lumbar lordosis (LL), segmental lordosis (SL), disc height (DH), and foraminal height (FH) were performed on lateral radiographs before and after MIS TLIF with a static or expandable articulating interbody device. Radiographic outcomes and PROs were compared using paired and unpaired Student's t test.

Results

Thirty patients received expandable interbody devices and 30 patients received static interbody devices. The expandable device cohort exhibited significantly greater improvement in DH and FH at final follow-up compared with those receiving a static device. Both device cohorts experienced significant improvements in PROs at 6 months post-operatively.

Conclusion

MIS TLIF with an expandable interbody device led to a greater increase of DH and FH than with a static interbody device. Patients undergoing MIS TLIF can expect similar improvements in PROs whether receiving a static or an expandable interbody device. Further studies are required to better understand improvements in clinical outcomes afforded by expandable interbody devices.
Geographical variation in spawning histories of age-1 Pacific saury Cololabis saira in the North Pacific Ocean during June and July
Authors: Suyama Satoshi , Ozawa Hitomi , Shibata Yasutoki , Fuji Taiki , Nakagami Masayasu , Shimizu Akio
Published: March 2019

We examine geographical differences in percentages of age-1 Pacific saury Cololabis saira with previous spawning experience collected from 143°E to 165°W during June and July of 2013 and 2014. Previous spawning experience of fish was determined using a new histological method involving Victoria blue (VB)-positive ovarian arterioles. We also compared the radius of the otolith annual ring (ROA), which indicates fish body size at the beginning of the breeding season, with the incidence of previous spawning experience. A generalized linear model was used that treats the occurrence of fish with VB-positive arterioles as a response variable, following the Bernoulli distribution of probability pi, where longitude, latitude, body length, ROA in age-1 fish, year (2013 or 2014), sea surface temperature, and days elapsed from a survey starting date, are used as fixed effect terms. An estimated regression coefficient of longitude was negative while that of ROA was positive, meaning that the probability of previous spawning increases with a latitudinal progression west, and with increased ROA. Our results suggest that differences in the percentage of previously spawned fish in different geographic areas are caused by differences in body length at the beginning of the breeding season.
A hybrid machine learning algorithm for designing quantum experiments
Authors: O’Driscoll L. , Nichols R. , Knott P. A.
Published: March 2019

We introduce a hybrid machine learning algorithm for designing quantum optics experiments to produce specific quantum states. Our algorithm successfully found experimental schemes to produce all 5 states we asked it to, including Schrödinger cat states and cubic phase states, all to a fidelity of over 96%. Here, we specifically focus on designing realistic experiments, and hence all of the algorithm’s designs only contain experimental elements that are available with current technology. The core of our algorithm is a genetic algorithm that searches for optimal arrangements of the experimental elements, but to speed up the initial search, we incorporate a neural network that classifies quantum states. The latter is of independent interest, as it quickly learned to accurately classify quantum states given their photon number distributions.
X-Flow membranes exceed expectations at Germany's largest UF plant
Authors: Atkinson Simon
Published: March 2019

Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology from X-Flow – the international membrane brand of Pentair, a global water treatment company – has been helping a waterworks in Germany produce drinking water for many years. The membrane modules have served 12 years in continuous operation, with only eight years expected, as this brief article reveals.
PROPERTY GRAPHS – A STATISTICAL MODEL FOR FIRE AND EXPLOSION LOSSES BASED ON GRAPH THEORY
Authors: Parodi Pietro , Watson Peter
Published: March 2019

It is rare that the severity loss distribution for a specific line of business can be derived from first principles. One such example is the use of generalised Pareto distribution for losses above a large threshold (or more accurately: asymptotically), which is dictated by extreme value theory. Most popular distributions, such as the lognormal distribution or the Maxwell-Boltzmann-Bose-Einstein-Fermi-Dirac (MBBEFD), are convenient heuristics with no underlying theory to back them. This paper presents a way to derive a severity distribution for property losses based on modelling a property as a weighted graph, that is, a collection of nodes and weighted arcs connecting these nodes. Each nodev(to which a value can also be assigned) corresponds to a room or a unit of the property where a fire can occur, while an arc (v,v′;p) between verticesvandv′ signals that the probability of the fire propagating fromvtov′ isp. The paper presents two simple models for fire propagation (the random graph approach and the random time approach) and a model for explosion risk that allow one to calculate the loss distribution for a given property from first principles. The MBBEFD model is shown to be a good approximation for the simulated distribution of losses based on property graphs for both the random graph and the random time approach.
A Survey of Cerebrospinal Fluid Total Protein Upper Limits in Canada: Time for an Update?
Authors: Bourque Pierre R. , McCudden Christopher R. , Warman-Chardon Jodi , Brooks John , Hegen Harald , Deisenhammer Florian , Breiner Ari
Published: March 2019

Background:The antiquated standard reference range of 0.15–0.45 g/L for cerebrospinal fluid total protein (CSF-TP) is well entrenched in medical literature and laboratory operating procedures across the world.Methods:We conducted a web-based survey with a response rate of 34.9% through the listserv of the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation. Additional laboratory reference data were collated by telephone interview of hospital laboratory technologists across Canada.Results:A total of 142 site responses were obtained: 64.1% from academic/tertiary hospitals and 35.9% from community hospitals. A strong majority (80.4%) of both types of institutions reported using a CSF-TP upper reference limit of 0.45 g/L or less. As a rule, no age adjustments were implemented in CSF-TP-level interpretation.Conclusions:Recent well-powered laboratory reference studies have documented CSF-TP upper reference limits that are above 0.6 g/L starting at age 50, with incremental limits partitioned by subsequent decades of age. The conventional 0.45 g/L limit could lead to false positive results. Our survey suggests there is a need to consider a wide adoption of data-driven, rather than historical, reference values.
The evolution of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI): Is it time for more inclusive metrics?
Authors: Advani Sonali D. , Fakih Mohamad G.
Published: March 2019

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) has long been considered a preventable healthcare-associated infection. Many federal agencies, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and public and private healthcare organizations have implemented strategies aimed at preventing CAUTIs. To monitor progress in CAUTI prevention, the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) CAUTI metric has been adopted nationally as the primary outcome measure and has been refined over the past decades. However, this surveillance metric may underestimate infectious and noninfectious catheter harm. We suggest evolving to more inclusive performance metrics to better reflect quality improvement efforts underway in hospitals. The standardized device utilization ratio (SUR) provides a good surrogate for preventable catheter harm. On the other hand, a population-based metric that combines both standardized infection ratio (SIR) and SUR would address both infectious and noninfectious harm, while adjusting for population risk. Finally, electronically captured catheter-associated bacteriuria may contribute essential information on local testing stewardship.
Popularity in Early Modern England (ca. 1580–1642): Looking Again atThingandConcept
Authors: Cuttica Cesare
Published: March 2019

An important object of study in the historiography of early modern England, popularity has been examined in relation to figures such as the Earl of Essex and the Duke of Buckingham. It has been equally accounted for as the activity of MPs who fostered the cause of patriotic and freeborn Englishmen during the absolutist reigns of the early Stuarts. Popularity has also been dealt with when addressing resistance theory and people's power in pre-societal arrangements (“popular power”) and with regard to the popular component within a mixed government (“popular sovereignty”). Far less studied is another meaning ofpopularity, identified with direct democracy and its practices (“popular government”). This article shows how a large portion of public debate between the 1580s and 1642 focused on what were perceived as the threats of democratic strategies pursued by various (subversive) actors in England. Besides setting forth a revised understanding of the pejorative “popular” that distinguishes it from constitutional (republican) meanings on the one hand and from elite or royal popularity seeking on the other, this article unearths usages that presented it as an anarchic empowerment of the meanest of people—neither a mere theoretical sovereignty nor a mere right to be represented by one body in a mixed regime. Considering a composite range of sources and analyzing political, social, and, above all, ecclesiastical controversies, the article explains what democratic popularity was thought to stand for, who its exponents were, and how it was attacked from a wide spectrum of perspectives.
“Whatever Community Is, This Is Not It”: Notting Hill and the Reconstruction of “Race” in Britain after 1958
Authors: Schofield Camilla , Jones Ben
Published: March 2019

The impact of the 1958 Notting Hill riots tends to figure in histories of the political right, as a galvanizing force for anti-immigrant sentiment—or as radical catalyst in the transnational history of the Black Atlantic. Meanwhile, the generation of black and white social workers and activists who flocked to Notting Hill after the riots have largely been left out of the history of the British left. This article treats Notting Hill after 1958 as an important locale of new progressive thinking and action. It seeks to consider the political work that the idea of “community” did in Notting Hill, allowing us consider how the politics of antiracism relates in complex ways to the reformulation of progressive politics in postwar Britain. It reveals how black activists came to reappropriate the language of “community” to critique the ameliorative, welfarist approach to antiracism. It also unearths the forgotten eclectic beginnings of Britain's New Left. By excavating the history of community work and New Left activism “from below,” this article traces the ways in which a motley group of Methodist ministers, Christian Workers, students, social workers, and community leaders tested the limits of the liberal paternalism and “universalism” of the postwar social democratic state.
Safe for Democracy: Constitutional Politics, Popular Spectacle, and the British Monarchy 1910–1914
Authors: Mort Frank
Published: March 2019

How did the British monarchy respond to the multiple challenges of early twentieth-century mass democracy? Historians have separated the growth of constitutional sovereignty from the practice of a welfare monarchy, or from royalty as decorative and media friendly. This article argues that the political transformation of the modern monarchy was inseparable from innovations to its style and presentation. Opening with the dramatic constitutional crisis that confronted George V and his advisors in 1910, I show how the monarchy's entanglement in high politics forced the crown to assume an increasingly neutral, arbitrarial stance on industrial disputes and on the Irish question, despite the king's own conservatism. Simultaneously, George V invested in styles of royal accessibility and informality that contrasted sharply with other major European dynasties, in a series of royal tours across the industrial heartlands of England and Wales in 1912 and 1913. Extensively covered by the national and imperial press and by the newsreels, these visits to the strongholds of laborism promoted a vision of patrician democracy that drew heavily on traditions of organic, one-nation conservatism. But they also positioned royalty and the people in a new imaginary relationship that was more personal and intimate. Both versions had long-term consequences for the British monarchy across the twentieth century.
Los fragmentos de Vilcabamba, Perú: un testimonio iconográfico excepcional de la visión andina sobre el enfrentamiento entre indígenas y españoles
Authors: Artzi Bat-ami , Nir Amnon , Fonseca Santa Cruz Javier
Published: March 2019

En una excavación arqueológica llevada a cabo por el Ministerio de Cultura del Cuzco en el sitio de Espíritu Pampa, el último refugio Inca de Vilcabamba (Perú), se encontraron 55 fragmentos de una vasija extraordinaria. La pieza presenta una decoración pictórica con una escena muy compleja, llena de simbolismos y metáforas visuales sobre el enfrentamiento entre españoles e indígenas. La escena incluye 39 seres humanos y 57 animales, los cuales fueron estudiados cuidadosamente. El análisis iconográfico considera los diferentes detalles representados, tales como las armas y las prendas, además de otros elementos más simbólicos y metáforas visuales representadas por medio de los animales y el motivo del arcoíris. Al reunir los diferentes componentes de la iconografía, concluimos que la escena no es la representación de un evento bélico concreto, sino una visión incaica del futuro, en la que los indígenas, unidos bajo el mandato inca, vencerán a los españoles.
Bosques, claros y cultivos: una aproximación tecnológico-funcional a las hachas o azuelas líticas de las Sierras de Córdoba (Argentina)
Authors: Medina Matías E. , Balena Imanol , Vázquez Esteban , Coriale Nelson , Pastor Sebastián
Published: March 2019

Se presentan los primeros resultados obtenidos del estudio tecnológico-funcional de un conjunto de 55 cabezales de hachas o azuelas líticas asignadas al período prehispánico tardío (1500–360 años aP) de las Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina. A partir del análisis de sus atributos tecnológicos (peso, agudeza y largo de los filos, etc.) y de los rastros de uso utilizando aumentos de 20–50x, se argumenta que un número significativo de instrumentos fue utilizado para realizar tareas que involucraron el contacto con sedimentos abrasivos, probablemente para cortar y arrancar elementos leñosos del sotobosque a nivel del suelo. Una proporción del conjunto evidenció rastros de uso exclusivamente asociados al trabajo sobre maderas, como pulido y micro-estrías restringidas a la periferia de los filos. Se concluye que los grupos tardíos desarrollaron artefactos pulidos costosos para cumplir efectivamente con la apertura y mantenimiento de claros en el bosque serrano, ya sea para el cultivo, la construcción de viviendas o incrementar la capacidad reproductiva de plantas silvestres de las cuales dependían, entre otros motivos. De esta manera, comprender la función de las hachas o azuelas tardías es fundamental para discutir las actividades productivas y la modificación antrópica del paisaje propuesta para la región a fines del Holoceno.
A new way of rapidly screening for depression in multiple sclerosis using Emotional Thermometers
Authors: Thompson Andrew G. B. , Sheldon Rollo , Poole Norman , Varela Rita , White Sarah , Jones Paula , Mulley Carole , Berg Amy , Blain Camilla R. V. , Agrawal Niruj
Published: March 2019

Objective

Depression is a common, serious, but under-recognised problem in multiple sclerosis (MS). The primary objective of this study was to assess whether a rapid visual analogue screening tool for depression could operate as a quick and reliable screening method for depression, in patients with MS.

Method

Patients attending a regional MS outpatient clinic completed the Emotional Thermometer 7 tool (ET7), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale – Depression Subscale (HADS-D) and the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) to establish a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition (DSM-IV) diagnosis of Major Depression. Full ET7, briefer subset ET4 version and depression and distress thermometers alone were compared with HADS-D and MDI. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were calculated to compare the performance of all the screening tools.

Results

In total, 190 patients were included. ET4 performed well as a ‘rule-out’ screening step (sensitivity 0.91, specificity 0.72, NPV 0.98, PPV 0.32). ET4 performance was comparable to HADS-D (sensitivity 0.96, specificity 0.77, NPV 0.99, PPV 0.37) without need for clinician scoring. The briefer ET4 performed as well as the full ET7.

Conclusion

ET are quick, sensitive and useful screening tools for depression in this MS population, to be complemented by further questioning or more detailed psychiatric assessment where indicated. Given that ET4 and ET7 perform equally well, we recommend the use of ET4 as it is briefer. It has the potential to be widely implemented across busy neurology clinics to assist in depression screening in this under diagnosed group.
The Role of Religious Fundamentalism in the Intersection of National and Religious Identities
Authors: Wibisono Susilo , Louis Winnifred , Jetten Jolanda
Published: March 2019

Indonesia has seen recent expansions of fundamentalist movements mobilising members in support a change to the current constitution. Against this background, two studies were conducted. In Study 1, we explored the intersection of religious and national identity among Indonesian Muslims quantitatively, and in Study 2, we qualitatively examined religious and national identification among members of moderate and fundamentalist religious organisations. Specifically, Study 1 ( N = 178) assessed whether the association of religious and national identity was moderated by religious fundamentalism. Results showed that strength of religious identification was positively associated with strength of national identification for both those high and low in fundamentalism. Using structured interviews and focus group discussions, Study 2 ( N = 35) examined the way that self-alignment with religious and national groups develops among activists of religious movements in Indonesia. We found that while more fundamentalist activists attached greater importance to their religious identity than to any other identity (e.g., national and ethnic), more moderate activists represented their religious and national identities as more integrated and compatible. We conclude that for Indonesian Muslims higher in religious fundamentalism, religious and national identities appear to be less integrated and this is consequential for the way in which collective agendas are pursued.
Social Class, Group-Based Anger, and Collective Action Intentions in China
Authors: Li Kai , Xu Yan , Yang Shenlong , Guo Yongyu
Published: March 2019

This research examines the anger and collective action intentions among different social classes in China. Based on social cognition theory with respect to social class, we proposed that the relationship between group-based anger and collective action intentions would be moderated by social class. To test this hypothesis, two studies were conducted. First, using data collected from a sample of 100 residents of Hubei Province, China, Study 1 found that the relationship between group-based anger and collective action intentions was moderated by social class: group-based anger can predict collective action intentions among the upper social class but not among the lower social class. Then, Study 2 employed a 2 × 2 completely randomised design. Its 118 participants were manipulated to experience a momentary change in their subjective social class and the level of their group-based anger before measuring their collective action intentions. The results were consistent with Study 1. Taken together, the findings suggest that social class does moderate the relationship between group-based anger and collective action intentions.