bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treaty Bodies
Authors: McCall-Smith Kasey
Published: July 2019

This article contributes to existing understandings about the influence of human rights treaty bodies on the development of customary international law. It offers a method of assessing State responses to treaty body jurisprudence for the purposes of determining to what extent the responses push toward the reaffirmation or crystallisation of a customary rule of international law, namely the prohibition against torture. It speaks to the way in which, despite its status as a peremptory norm, the content of the norm is often challenged, but also incrementally expanding due in large part to the way in which treaty bodies engage and guide States both inside and outside of the primary reporting procedures. Ultimately, this article demonstrates that State practice and opinio juris are increasingly influenced by treaty bodies.
Changing Customary Law
Authors: Kleczkowska Agata
Published: July 2019

The unwritten nature of customary international law (CIL) enables it to remain flexible and easily adaptable to changes in States practice and opinio juris, but at the same time may be the source of substantial uncertainties when it comes to the formation, identification and development of customary norms. To investigate this issue, this paper examines the attitudes adopted by States in the aftermath of the airstrikes conducted in Syria by the USA, the UK and France in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The paper is divided into two parts: the first part includes a brief summary of the statements made by States, including the intervening States, after the 2017 and 2018 airstrikes, while the second part is devoted to the analysis of how CIL may have been influenced by the reaction of States to the airstrikes.
Allium dönmezii, a new species of Allium sect. Melanocrommyum (Amaryllidaceae) from Turkey: morphological and molecular evidence
Authors: KARAKUŞ ŞÜKRÜ , MUTLU BİROL
Published: July 2019

Allium dönmezii is described as a new species from east Anatolia, Turkey. The molecular marker ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA) confirms that the new species belongs to A. sect. Melanocrommyum. The diagnostic characters of the new species are morphologically compared with the related A. woronowii, A. serpentinicum, and A. moderense, as well as with A. rothii and A. chrysantherum. In addition, the ITS regions of A. purpureoviride and A. chrysantherum were sequenced and uploaded on GenBank for the first time.
Solving the identity of Terfezia trappei (Pezizaceae, Ascomycota)
Authors: RODRÍGUEZ ANTONIO , NAVARRO-RÓDENAS ALFONSO , ARENAS FRANCISCO , MUÑOZ-MOHEDANO JUSTO M. , MORTE ASUNCIÓN
Published: July 2019

The identity of the isotype specimen of Terfezia trappei (≡ Elaphomyces trappei) is studied with both morphological and molecular techniques. The obtained results demonstrate that T. trappei is a heterotypic synonym of Terfezia fanfani.
The identity of Lepidagathis yappii (Acanthaceae)
Authors: DENG YUNFEI , SUGUMARAN MANICKAM , LIN ZHELI
Published: July 2019

The examination of type material of Lepidagathis yappii reveals that it is conspecific with Thysanostigma odontites. The description, distribution and conservation status are provided.
Genetic and phenotypic diversity of Branchinecta sandiegonensis (Crustacea: Anostraca) in the vernal pools of Baja California, México
Authors: ARTEAGA MARIA CLARA , ESCUDERO NAYELI , GASCA-PINEDA JAIME , BELLO-BEDOY RAFAEL , GUILLIAMS C. MATT
Published: July 2019

Branchinecta sandiegonensis is a passively dispersed species that occurs in the vernal pool complexes of southern California, the USA, and northwestern Baja California, México. The fragmented distribution of these vernal pool complexes could limit the gene flow, generating high genetic structure and morphometric variation across the landscape. Here we estimate the genetic and phenotypic variation of B. sandiegonensis in the southern part of its range. We sampled 15 vernal pools from four geographic regions of the Baja California Peninsula. We genotyped 150 individuals using nuclear microsatellites and 31 individuals using the mitochondrial COI region. We also conducted a morphometric analysis on a sample of 232 individuals. We found moderate levels of genetic diversity and different patterns of structure depending upon the spatial scale of analysis. Demographic models suggest contrasting trends among populations. Phenotypically, we found high levels of heterogeneity in body size of fairy shrimps within and across the regions. Our findings highlight that vernal pools in Baja California are important reservoirs of genetic and phenotypic diversity for B. sandiegonensis. The interplay between gene flow and genetic drift may have influenced the patterns we detected in the southern part of the range of this species.
1. Language Contact and the Politics of Recognition amongst Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China: The rTa’u-Speaking ‘Horpa’ of Khams
Authors: Sonam Lhundrop Tunzhi , Suzuki Hiroyuki , Roche Gerald
Published: July 2019

This chapter looks at language contact along two dimensions: a horizontal dimension (associated more with linguistics) and a vertical dimension (power dynamics – language hierarchies). These two dimensions are argued to make up the politics of language contact. Using the case study of the rTa’u language, the authors show how lack of recognition from the state leads to a lack of prestige for minority languages, leading to language shift away from them; mis-recognition of rTa’u, in particular, by the Tibetan population also contributes to the conception of the language as non-prestigious and immoral. The possibility of recognition as a tool to reverse language shift is discussed, alongside the importance of accepting the presence of multilingualism in the Himalaya.
Introduction
Authors: Sonntag Selma K.
Published: July 2019

The introduction presents language politics and its interdisciplinarity and sets out how the current volume will contribute to the field. It explains the volume’s focus on the endurance of established language hierarchies in the Himalaya and introduces the coming chapters.
Influence of a River Plume on Coastal Upwelling Dynamics: Importance of Stratification
Authors: Chen Zhaoyun , Jiang Yuwu , Wang Jia , Gong Wenping
Published: July 2019

Satellite images show that the Pearl River plume is entrained into the upwelling front in the northeastern South China Sea. To understand the processes and extend to other coastal zones, an idealized numerical model is used to investigate the upwelling dynamics in response to the arrival of the river plume. Upon forcing by an upwelling-favorable wind, the model reproduces the upwelling frontal jet with a stratified water column, which takes the river plume far away from the mouth of the estuary. The river plume introduces additional upwelling and downwelling at its inshore and offshore sides (defined as plume-related secondary upwelling circulation), respectively. For the initially unstratified water column, the plume-related secondary upwelling circulation is stronger and extends to deeper water than for the stratified condition. The surface boundary layer thins and the offshore current intensifies in the river plume. The variations in wind-driven current over the deep-water shelf in different stratified conditions are modulated by the vertical profiles of the eddy viscosity, which are shown by a one-dimensional numerical model. Offshore transport is reinforced when the head of the river plume arrives. Thereafter, it is changed by the cross-shore baroclinic geostrophic component of velocity, due to alongshore density variation by the river plume. The horizontal gradient of stress on the two sides of the river plume is responsible for the plume-related secondary upwelling circulation owing to different stress decay scales inside and outside the river plume.
Experiential Learning Processes Informing Climate Change Decision Support
Authors: Kalafatis Scott E. , Neosh Jasmine , Libarkin Julie C. , Whyte Kyle Powys , Caldwell Chris
Published: July 2019

Climate scientists are increasingly called upon to collaborate with policy makers to develop climate science–informed policy decisions. However, there are concerns that existing professional and cultural boundaries will remain persistent barriers to fulfilling the potential promise of these collaborations. The perception that scientists will be learning by doing while pursuing these efforts does little to assuage these concerns because more research is needed into how scientists actually learn to collaborate more effectively. Using interviews with 18 individuals identified by their peers as particularly successful participants in collaborations between Native American Tribes and climate science organizations, this paper offers suggested practices and examines learning processes underlying the development of these suggestions. The development of the list of suggested practices highlights the extent to which having the right attitude, taking the right actions, and cultivating the right processes are intertwined factors associated with success in these collaborations. Analysis of the learning processes underlying interviewees’ suggestions for suggested practices offered five sources of information that frequently led interviewees to reflect on their experiences and gain new knowledge from them. Despite these common trends, each interviewee described a reflection system that they had cultivated to continually monitor and enhance their work in collaborations that was personalized and distinctive from those the other interviewees used. Increased attention to these tailored reflection systems offers a path forward for understanding how experiential learning can most effectively enhance climate change decision support.
Quality control failures exceeding the weekly limit (QC FEWL): a simple tool to improve assay error detection
Authors: Kilpatrick Eric S
Published: July 2019

Background

Even when a laboratory analyte testing process is in control, routine quality control testing will fail with a frequency that can be predicted by the number of quality control levels used, the run frequency and the control rule employed. We explored whether simply counting the number of assay quality control run failures during a running week, and then objectively determining if there was an excess, could complement daily quality control processes in identifying an out-of-control assay.

Methods

Binomial statistics were used to determine the threshold number of quality control run failures in any rolling week which would statistically exceed that expected for a particular test. Power function graphs were used to establish error detection (Ped) and false rejection rates compared with popular control rules.

Results

Identifying quality control failures exceeding the weekly limit (QC FEWL) is a more powerful means of detecting smaller systematic (bias) errors than traditional daily control rules (12s, 13s or 13s/22s/R4s) and markedly superior in detecting smaller random (imprecision) errors while maintaining false identification rates below 2%. Error detection rates also exceeded those using a within- and between-run Westgard multirule (13s/22s/41s/10x).

Conclusions

Daily review of tests shown to statistically exceed their rolling week limit of expected quality control run failures is more powerful than traditional quality control tools at identifying potential systematic and random test errors and so offers a supplement to daily quality control practices that has no requirement for complex data extraction or manipulation.
Parent perceptions of literacy learning of their young children on the autism spectrum in their first year of schooling
Authors: O’Leary Kathryn A , Flückiger Bev , Paynter Jessica , Westerveld Marleen F
Published: July 2019

Many children on the autism spectrum struggle in their reading development. This study investigated parents’ views of challenges and facilitators to literacy learning at home and at school in children on the autism spectrum who were in their first year of schooling. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 37 parents revealed parents’ in-depth knowledge of their child’s strengths and interests, which they utilised to engage their child in literacy learning activities at home. Parents raised concerns about the support their children were receiving at school, with many describing challenges with teacher understanding of autism spectrum disorders, limited adaptation of the curriculum to suit the child’s learning needs and poor communication between school and home. The study challenges schools and educators to review and refine current practices to ensure individualised, learner-focused and inclusive pedagogies and practices to better support children on the autism spectrum.
A Pilot Study Evaluating a Binge-Eating Screener in Children: Development of the Children’s Brief Binge-Eating Questionnaire in a Pediatric Obesity Clinic
Authors: Franklin Elizabeth Victor , Simpson Vanessa , Berthet-Miron Michelle , Gupta Olga T. , Barlow Sarah E.
Published: July 2019

Children referred to pediatric obesity programs are at high risk of binge-eating disorder (BED) symptoms. Our goal was to develop and evaluate the Children’s Brief Binge-Eating Questionnaire (CBBEQ) as a rapid screen of BED symptomatology. Seventy patients between the ages of 7 and 18 years (57% females) completed the CBBEQ and underwent the Eating Disorder Assessment for DSM-5 (EDA). Reliability and validity were assessed by examining results of the CBBEQ compared with the EDA, as well as measures of sleep, depression, and anxiety. Twenty-four of seventy (34%) children met full diagnostic interview criteria for BED and 12 (17%) met subclinical criteria. The CBBEQ demonstrated 100% specificity, 93% sensitivity, and a 100% negative predictive value for BED at a cutoff total score of 9. If confirmed in larger sample, this questionnaire could be a quick and accurate clinical tool for non–mental health providers to identify children at risk for BED.
Validation of the Spanish version of the Prosocial Behavior toward Different Targets Scale
Authors: Mesurado Belén , Guerra Paulina , De Sanctis Florencia , Rodriguez Lucas Marcelo
Published: July 2019

The objective of this article was to validate the Spanish version of a prosociality scale that evaluates prosociality toward family members, friends, and strangers. This objective was developed in two studies. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis was conducted to test the construct validity of the scale. The reliability was tested using McDonald’s omega coefficient and coefficient H. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to confirm the structure of the scale. Moreover, the convergent validity of the Prosocial Behavior Scale toward Different Targets was studied by analyzing its correlation with other well-known scales: the Prosocial Tendencies Measure and Interpersonal Reactivity Index.
Dynamics of a culture of workplace safety in human service organizations: A qualitative analysis
Authors: Shier Micheal L , Turpin Aaron , Nicholas David B , Graham John R
Published: July 2019

Workplace cultures are an important component in creating safe work environments. In-depth qualitative interviews ( n = 85) were conducted with human service workers of a large publicly administered human service organization in Canada to learn more about the organizational and/or workplace conditions that contribute to a safety culture. Findings reveal that a safety culture within this human service workplace is defined by values or attitudes associated with safety and structured mechanisms that help promote workplace safety. Insights from respondents help to identify areas for workplace and organizational development to promote health and safety within human service workplaces.
Additive manufacturing of composites made of epoxy resin with magnetite particles fabricated with the direct ink writing technique
Authors: Restrepo Jose J , Colorado Henry A
Published: July 2019

In this investigation, particulate composites materials made of epoxy resin matrix with magnetite particles were fabricated via additive manufacturing with the direct ink writing technique. Magnetite is an inexpensive material and the direct ink writing process is not only inexpensive but also easy to adapt to any material. A total of eight formulations were investigated, from which only four were feasible for the printing process: 32.6, 33.6, 35.4 and 41 wt.% of particles. The composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, compressive strength, particle size distribution, density, and ductility. Results showed that composites exhibit very competitive mechanical properties even though the process was not vacuum assisted, therefore enabling them to be used in large scale and in other structural applications. Composite can be used in electromagnetic shielding.
Born to drive: Elderly women’s recollections of early automotive experiences
Authors: Lezotte Chris
Published: July 2019

It is estimated that in the years leading up to the Second World War, less than one quarter of USA women held driver’s licenses. Due to the absence of data on women’s automotive participation prior to 1963, what is known about the female motorist of this era is limited. While feminist historians have painstakingly recovered the woman driver through traditional research methods, there remains an absence of first-hand accounts of women’s automobile experience. This paper calls upon the narratives of 21 elderly women to provide new insight into women’s automotive history. These rich oral histories not only fill in the gaps about what is known about women and cars, but examined through the lens of Portelli’s “living voices”, reveal how automotive experiences affected women’s lives in the past, and how the meaning of those experiences has been remembered and reconstructed over time.
Measuring Welfare Beyond GDP
Authors: Aitken Andrew
Published: July 2019

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is often treated as shorthand for national economic well-being, even though it was never intended to be; it is a measure of (some) of the marketable output of the economy. This paper reviews several developments in measuring welfare beyond GDP that were recently presented at the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) annual conference in May 2019. The papers discussed fall into three broad areas. First, a significant amount of work has focused on incorporating information about the distribution of income, consumption and wealth in the national accounts. Second, the effects of digitisation and the growth of the internet highlight the potential value in measuring time use as a measure of welfare. Third, the digital revolution has spawned many new, often ‘free’ goods, the welfare consequences of which are difficult to measure. Other areas, such as government services, are also difficult to measure. Measuring economic welfare properly matters because it affects the decisions made by government and society. GDP does a reasonable job of measuring the marketable output of the economy (which remains important for some policies), but it should be downgraded; more attention should be given to measures that reflect both objective and subjective measures of well-being, and measures that better reflect the heterogeneity of peoples' experiences.
Cloud Computing, Cross-Border Data Flows and New Challenges for Measurement in Economics
Authors: Coyle Diane , Nguyen David
Published: July 2019

When economists talk about ‘measurement’ they tend to refer to metrics that can capture changes in quantity, quality and distribution of goods and services. In this paper we argue that the digital transformation of the economy, particularly the rise of cloud computing as a general-purpose technology, can pose serious challenges to traditional concepts and practices of economic measurement. In the first part we show how quality-adjusted prices of cloud services have been falling rapidly over the past decade, which is currently not captured by the deflators used in official statistics. We then discuss how this enabled the spread of data-driven business models, while also lowering entry barriers to advanced production techniques such as artificial intelligence or robotic-process-automation. It is likely that these process innovations are not fully measured at present. A final challenge to measurement arises from the fragmentation of value chains across borders and increasing use of intangible intermediate inputs such as intellectual property and data. While digital technologies make it very easy for these types of inputs to be transferred within or between companies, existing economic statistics often fail to capture them at all.
Criminal justice policy inside-out: An initial case study in education among police and incarcerated men
Authors: Conti Norman , Burston Adam , Wozniak Jesse , Frantz Elaine
Published: July 2019

This project discusses the development and implementation of a three-credit graduate/undergraduate course, offered to police officers and incarcerated men, that would eventually become part of the city’s recruit training academy. The initial class consisted of six veteran officers and six men serving life sentences. The programme has the potential to integrate the fundamentals of restorative justice within the occupational culture of policing in order to produce direct benefits for public safety and may also be effective for building more authentic relationships between police and communities of colour. The article explains what went into creating this class, how it progressed and what resulted.
Tubercular liver abscess rupturing into the pleural cavity: a rare complication
Authors: Bansal Mohit , Dalal Poonam , Kadian Yogender , Malik Navneeti
Published: July 2019

Liver abscesses, either pyogenic or amoebic, with or without the involvement of the pleura, are not infrequently encountered in children. Isolated tubercular liver abscess without active pulmonary, gastrointestinal or other clinical evidence of tuberculosis is, however, rare and more so its rupture into the pleura. We report a case of a 14-year-old girl who presented with a liver abscess rupturing into the pleura causing an empyema. Successful management was achieved by intercostal tube drainage and antitubercular treatment.
Local community networks in the fight against cervical cancer: the role of coffee ceremonies in the uptake of screening in Ethiopia
Authors: de Fouw Marlieke , Kaba Mirgissa , Hailu Molalign , Bereket Feriha Zitesti , Beltman Jogchum Jan
Published: July 2019

Community mobilisation is an essential part of cervical cancer screening programmes to increase demand for screening services. While there are different methods of community mobilisation, in Ethiopia community conversations during traditional coffee ceremonies appear to be a context appropriate and effective method. Linkage of community mobilisation with existing community networks can increase uptake of cervical cancer screening and improve continuous support and care among community members.
Assessing Differences between Nested and Cross-Classified Hierarchical Models
Authors: Melamed David , Vuolo Mike
Published: July 2019

In multilevel data, cross-classified data structures are common. For example, this occurs when individuals move to different regions in longitudinal data or students go to different secondary schools than their primary school peers. In both cases, the data structure is no longer fully nested. Estimating cross-classified multilevel models is computationally intensive, so researchers have used several shortcuts to decrease run time. We consider how these shortcuts affect parameter estimates. In particular, we compare parameter estimates from fully nested and cross-classified models using a series of Monte Carlo simulations. When the outcome is continuous, we identify systematic differences in estimated standard errors and some differences in the estimated variance components. When the outcome is binary, we also find differences in the estimated coefficients. Accordingly, we caution researchers to avoid fully nested model specifications when cross-classification exists but suggest some limited conditions under which parameter estimates are unlikely to be different.
Professionals’ Implicit Attitudes about the Competence of People Who are Blind
Authors: McDonnall Michele C. , Cmar Jennifer L. , Antonelli Karla , Markoski Kasey M.
Published: July 2019

Introduction:

The purpose of this study was to measure blindness professionals’ implicit attitudes about the competence of people who are blind, compare implicit attitudes of blindness professionals with those of employers in hiring positions, and examine blindness professionals’ implicit attitudes by type of profession and work tenure.

Methods:

The study included 322 blindness professionals and 450 employers. Participants completed a brief online survey and the Implicit Association Test–Blind/Visually Impaired, which measures implicit attitudes regarding the competence of blind people.

Results:

On average, blindness professionals exhibited a slight association, whereas employers exhibited a strong association, for sighted with competence and blind with incompetence. Blindness professionals and employers had large, statistically significant differences in implicit attitudes. Blindness professionals’ implicit attitudes did not differ by type of profession, but they differed slightly by work tenure.

Discussion:

Employers’ strong implicit bias toward sighted and competence may reflect their limited knowledge about blindness and lack of opportunities to interact with blind people. Compared to employers, blindness professionals exhibited a much smaller implicit bias, which may relate to their knowledge about blindness, exposure to successful blind people, and meaningful interactions with blind people across social contexts.

Implications for practitioners:

Blindness professionals may benefit from increased exposure to highly successful blind role models throughout their professional preparation programs and their careers. Blindness professionals can promote positive attitudes about blindness to the general public and to consumers and their families. During educational opportunities, they could incorporate information about how blind people perform work tasks, which has the potential to improve attitudes about the competence of blind people.
Intersecting Identities, Intersecting Issues: Exploring the Needs of LGBTQ+ Communities in Wisconsin
Authors: Harris Angelique C. , Anderson Katherine M. , Bergen Daniel J.
Published: July 2019

To identify the most critical needs facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, plus (LGBTQ+) communities in Wisconsin postmarriage equality, this case study utilizes intersectionality as a theoretical framework for conducting a needs assessment through collaborative engagement with social service agency leaders, a community foundation, and a university research center. Adopting intersectionality as a framework allows for a more nuanced understanding of the various communities (racial, class, sexual orientation, gender, etc.) comprising the LGBTQ+ population and, just as critically, generates important qualitative data about the ways in which key social determinants, such as poverty, discrimination, and violence, impact certain communities in more substantive ways.
Analysis of Olfaction after Bilateral Nasoseptal Rescue Flap Transsphenoidal Approach with Olfactory Mucosal Preservation
Authors: Griffiths Chester F. , Barkhoudarian Garni , Cutler Aaron , Duong Huy T. , Karimi Kian , Doyle Olivia , Carrau Ricardo , Kelly Daniel F.
Published: July 2019

Objective

To ascertain the impact of septal olfactory strip preservation and bilateral rescue flap elevation on the incidence of olfactory dysfunction.

Study Design

Case series with chart review of patients undergoing endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery (2012‐2014).

Setting

Providence Saint John’s Health Center and John Wayne Cancer Institute.

Subjects and Methods

The incidences of postoperative epistaxis, hyposmia, and anosmia were analyzed using the Brief Smell Identification Test (B‐SIT), which was completed in 110 of the 165 patients.

Results

Seventy‐eight patients required extended approaches. Bilateral nasoseptal rescue flaps were elevated in 144 patients (87.3%) and pedicled nasoseptal or middle turbinate flaps in 21 patients (12.7%). The neurovascular pedicles were preserved in all patients, and there were no episodes of postoperative arterial epistaxis. Normal olfaction was noted in 95 patients (86%), with new hyposmia noted in 5 patients (5.5%). Within the rescue flap cohort, new hyposmia occurred in 6.3% (P <. 01) of patients, balanced by improvement of olfaction in 43% of patients with preoperative dysfunction (overall pre‐ and postoperative olfactory function: 85% vs 86%). Patients with pedicled nasoseptal flaps did not have new hyposmia, with a net improvement of olfaction (71% vs 86%, P =. 07). No patients experienced new anosmia. There was no difference between flap type within either subgroup.

Conclusions

Superior olfactory strip preservation during elevation of reconstructive flaps preserves olfactory function and maintains adequate surgical exposure. In addition, rescue flaps have significantly diminished the rate of arterial postoperative epistaxis while maintaining the ability to harvest nasoseptal flaps for future reconstruction.
Image‐Guided Mastoidectomy with a Cooperatively Controlled ENT Microsurgery Robot
Authors: Razavi Christopher R. , Wilkening Paul R. , Yin Rui , Barber Samuel R. , Taylor Russell H. , Carey John P. , Creighton Francis X.
Published: July 2019

Mastoidectomy is a common surgical procedure within otology. Despite being inherently well suited for implementation of robotic assistance, there are no commercially available robotic systems that have demonstrated utility in aiding with this procedure. This article describes a robotic technique for image‐guided mastoidectomy with an experimental cooperatively controlled robotic system developed for use within otolaryngology–head and neck surgery. It has the ability to facilitate enhanced operative precision with dampening of tremor in simulated surgical tasks. Its kinematic design is such that the location of the attached surgical instrument is known with a high degree of fidelity at all times. This facilitates image registration and subsequent definition of virtual fixtures, which demarcate surgical workspace boundaries and prevent motion into undesired areas. In this preliminary feasibility study, we demonstrate the clinical utility of this system to facilitate performance of a cortical mastoidectomy by a novice surgeon in 5 identical temporal bone models with a mean time of 221 ± 35 seconds.
A Standardized Care Pathway following Mandibular Distraction in Infants Less Than 3 Months of Age
Authors: Leu Grace R. , Scott Andrew R.
Published: July 2019

Objectives

To assess for differences in postoperative care following mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) in infants before and after implementation of a standardized protocol.

Study Design

Retrospective chart review.

Setting

Urban tertiary pediatric hospital.

Subjects and Methods

The inpatient charts of infants who underwent MDO before 90 days of age were assessed for metrics such as postoperative length of stay (LOS), duration of mechanical ventilation, and the choice and duration of sedating medications.

Results

Over a 6‐year period, 16 patients met inclusion criteria. The first 4 consecutive patients were managed at the discretion of the critical care staff. The remaining 12 infants were managed with a planned 4‐ to 6‐day period of postoperative intubation, during which a standard protocol determined the choice, dosage, and duration of sedating medications. The mean age was similar between groups (preprotocol: mean, 26.5 days; protocol: mean, 20.3 days; P =. 51). The mean postoperative LOS was 13.3 days less among infants managed with the protocol (P =. 06), and the mean number of midazolam boluses was fewer among protocol patients (P <. 01). A more consistent postoperative LOS, duration of mechanical ventilation, and exposure to sedating medications was observed among protocol subjects (P <. 01). The LOS for 2 patients in the preprotocol group was extended due to iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome. There were no instances of accidental extubation or anoxia in either group.

Conclusions

Among infants undergoing MDO, standardizing postoperative airway and sedation practices may offer a more predictable postoperative course as compared with a case‐by‐case management philosophy.
Does Attending Surgeon Presence at the Preinduction Briefing Improve Operating Room Efficiency?
Authors: Saxena Rajeev C. , Whipple Mark E. , Neradilek Moni B. , Solomon Stuart , Fong Christine T. , Nair Bala G. , Lang John D.
Published: July 2019

Objective

To examine if attending surgeon presence at the preinduction briefing is associated with a shorter time to incision.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study and survey.

Setting

Tertiary academic medical center.

Subjects and Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 22,857 operations by 141 attending surgeons across 12 specialties between August 3, 2016, and June 21, 2018. The independent variable was attending surgeon presence at the preinduction briefing. Linear regression models compared time from room entry to incision overall, by service line, and by surgeon. We hypothesized a shorter time to incision when the attending surgeon was present and a larger effect for cases with complex surgical equipment or positioning. A survey was administered to evaluate attending surgeons’ perceptions of the briefing, with a response rate of 68% (64 of 94 attending surgeons).

Results

Cases for which the attending surgeon was present at the preinduction briefing had a statistically significant yet operationally minor reduction in mean time to incision when compared with cases when the attending surgeon was absent. After covariate adjustment, the mean time to incision was associated with an efficiency gain of 1.8 ± 0.5 minutes (mean ± SD; P <. 001). There were no statistically significant differences in the subgroups of complex surgical equipment and complex positioning or in secondary analysis comparing service lines. The surgeon was the strongest confounding variable. Survey results demonstrated mild support: 55% of attending surgeons highly prioritized attending the preinduction briefing.

Conclusion

Attending surgeon presence at the preinduction briefing has only a minor effect on efficiency as measured by time to incision.
Incidence and Significance of Hypermetabolic PET‐CT Findings in Unilateral TVF Motion Impairment
Authors: Stanisce Luke , Renzi Timothy , Paripati Nikita , Ahmad Nadir , Spalla Thomas C. , Roth Howard L. , Koshkareva Yekaterina
Published: July 2019

Objective

To determine the incidence and significance of asymmetric hypermetabolic laryngeal findings on positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET‐CT) in patients with unilateral true vocal fold (TVF) motion abnormalities.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort.

Setting

Single‐center tertiary care institution.

Subjects and Methods

The medical records of patients with unilateral TVF motion abnormalities were reviewed. The incidence of normal and asymmetric hypermetabolic laryngeal findings was calculated in patients who underwent PET‐CT and laryngeal examination, operative laryngoscopy with biopsy, or injection medialization laryngoplasty.

Results

A total of 135 patients with unilateral TVF motion abnormalities underwent PET‐CT. After exclusion of patients who completed new or surveillance imaging for a laryngeal neoplasm (n = 27), asymmetric hypermetabolic findings in the larynx were noted in 21 (19%) cases: 13 (12%) on the contralateral side of the impaired TVF, 8 (7%) on the ipsilateral side. Two (25%) patients with ipsilateral hypermetabolism had concerning subsequent fiberoptic laryngeal examinations prompting operative biopsy. There was no evidence of inflammatory or neoplastic disease in all patients with contralateral hypermetabolic findings. Fifteen patients completed PET‐CT scans after injection medialization procedures; 6 (40%) displayed avidity ipsilateral to the side of the injection. The median time from injection to scan was 27 days, as opposed to 193 days in the unremarkable scans (P =. 011).

Conclusion

Contralateral hypermetabolism in patients with unilateral TVF motion abnormalities may represent a false‐positive finding. Ipsilateral hypermetabolic uptake without recent fold instrumentation warrants prompt diagnostic evaluation.
Mound building and summit architecture at the Carson site, a Mississippian mound center in the southeastern United States
Authors: Mehta Jayur M
Published: July 2019

Significant scholarly attention has been paid to monument construction, craft production, and leadership strategies in the Mississippian world (A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1540) of the Southeastern and Midcontinental United States. As new sites are discovered and new data brought into consideration, greater consideration can be made linking the building of large earthen mounds to social and political relationships. This article presents an archaeological and ethnohistoric consideration of mound building and mound summit use at Mound D at the Carson site, located in northwest Mississippi. Data from earthen mound excavation, mound summit architecture, material culture, and optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon (accelerator mass spectrometry) dating are used to discuss the formation of the monumental landscape beginning in the early 13th century. Several postulates are offered for the interpretation of mound construction and mound summit use.
Epidemic policing: The spreading of counter-radicalization in Denmark
Authors: Johansen Mette-Louise
Published: July 2019

This article offers a theoretical and ethnographic account of what I term “epidemic policing.” The article introduces the notion of epidemic policing to show how Danish measures for countering violent extremism are based on an epidemiological approach resembling the World Health Organization public health rationale, and how the field of countering violent extremism policing is itself expanding in epidemic ways. With an empirical starting point in ethnographic fieldwork among the police in Denmark’s second city, Aarhus, the article ponders the intersection between crime prevention and countering violent extremism in urban policing. The article shows that while traditional Danish crime prevention has been marked by conventional processes of securitization and topographical forms of policing, a particular form of topological policing is implied in the security logics of countering violent extremism. This new form of policing entails a reconfiguration of the epidemiological approach, including a diffusion of encoded risk categories, an expansion of institutional security infrastructures, and a de-territorialization of the space that is being policed. The article argues that this reconfiguration of Danish urban policing is a highly spatialized process, which has resulted in the co-production of intensified territorial control and an inert potentiality of policing everywhere in the city.
Preoperative detection of colorectal liver metastases: DWI alone or combined with MDCT is no substitute for Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI
Authors: Schulz Anselm , Joelsen-Hatlehol Eivind Selstø , Brudvik Kristoffer Watten , Aasand Kjersti Karoline , Hanekamp Bettina , Viktil Ellen , Johansen Cathrine K , Dormagen Johann Baptist
Published: July 2019

Background

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with hepatocyte specific contrast has the highest sensitivity for colorectal liver metastases but comes at high costs and long examination times.

Purpose

To evaluate if preoperative detection of colorectal liver metastases with less resource-consuming diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) alone or in combination with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) can compete with gadolinium-etoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI.

Material and Methods

Forty-four patients with 123 colorectal liver metastases received MDCT and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI including DWI before liver resection for colorectal liver metastases. Five image sets were evaluated by two radiologists. The DWI set consisted of DWI, ADC map, coronal, axial T2-weighted single-shot sequences. The DWI-T2F set contained additionally respiratory-triggered T2-weighted TSE-SPIR sequences. The MDCT set consisted of four-phase MDCT, the MDCT-DWI set also contained DWI. The CE-MRI set contained all MRI sequences including Gd-EOB-DTPA. Reference standards was histopathology and follow-up.

Results

CE-MRI set had highest sensitivity ( P ≤ 0.013) with 95% compared to 72%, 73%, 73%, and 87% the for DWI set, DWI-T2W-FS set, MDCT set, and MDCT-DWI set, respectively. The CE-MRI set had the highest sensitivity ( P≤0.012) for colorectal liver metastases <10 mm with 87% compared to 55%, 52%, 23%, and 58% for the DWI set, DWI-T2W-FS set, MDCT set, and MDCT-DWI set, respectively. The MDCT-DWI set improved sensitivity overall and in size-dependent subgroup analyses compared to the MDCT set ( P ≤ 0.031). The MDCT-DWI set showed the highest specificity of 98% followed by 98%, 98%, 95%, and 88% for the DWI set, DWI-T2W-FS set, MDCT set, and CE-MRI set, respectively.

Conclusion

The less resource and time-consuming DWI sets are inferior to Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for the detection of colorectal liver metastases. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI with its excellent sensitivity should be the preferred preoperative modality when meticulous lesion identification is essential. Combination of DWI with MDCT improved significantly sensitivity compared to each modality alone.
In Situ Temporospatial Characterization of the Glial Response to Prion Infection
Authors: Michael Alyona V. , Greenlee Justin J. , Harm Tyler A. , Moore S. Jo , Zhang Min , Lind Melissa S. , Greenlee M. Heather West , Smith Jodi D.
Published: July 2019

Mammalian transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) display marked activation of astrocytes and microglia that precedes neuronal loss. Investigation of clinical parallels between TSEs and other neurodegenerative protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, has revealed similar patterns of neuroinflammatory responses to the accumulation of self-propagating amyloids. The contribution of glial activation to the progression of protein misfolding diseases is incompletely understood, with evidence for mediation of both protective and deleterious effects. Glial populations are heterogeneously distributed throughout the brain and capable of dynamic transitions along a spectrum of functional activation states between pro- and antiinflammatory polarization extremes. Using a murine model of Rocky Mountain Laboratory scrapie, the neuroinflammatory response to prion infection was characterized by evaluating glial activation across 15 brain regions over time and correlating it to traditional markers of prion neuropathology, including vacuolation and PrPSc deposition. Quantitative immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate glial expression of iNOS and Arg1, markers of classical and alternative glial activation, respectively. The results indicate progressive upregulation of iNOS in microglia and a mixed astrocytic profile featuring iNOS expression in white matter tracts and detection of Arg1-positive populations throughout the brain. These data establish a temporospatial lesion profile for this prion infection model and demonstrate evidence of multiple glial activation states.
Race and ethnicity II: White women and the possessive geographies of white supremacy
Authors: Bonds Anne
Published: July 2019

In this second report on research about race and ethnicity in geography, I build from growing scholarly interest in the geographies of white supremacy to consider white women’s central role in the production and maintenance of white supremacy in the United States. I discuss some of the conceptual approaches and critical interventions of Black and antiracist feminist scholarship in theorizing white supremacy. After reviewing key themes and theoretical insights about gender and white supremacy, I expand on the notion of possessive geographies as a means of examining discourses and rationalizations of ownership and white propertied power. I emphasize the importance of engaging with Black and antiracist feminist scholarship that has long provided the tools necessary for understanding white women and the possessive geographies of white supremacy.
Wind turbine power converter fault diagnosis using DC-link voltage time–frequency analysis
Authors: Ismail Adla , Saidi Lotfi , Sayadi Mounir
Published: July 2019

With the developments in power electronic devices, there is increasing use of the insulated gate bipolar transistor devices in power converters. Power converters are more and more gaining attention in the wind energy conversion system. In this article, a grid-connected wind energy conversion system is considered. Wind energy conversion system optimal operation requires a diagnostic method for back-to-back power converter to be addressed in detail in this article. Therefore, an open-circuit switching fault diagnosis method for a back-to-back power converter is developed to improve the system reliability and optimize the produced power and also achieve its real operational cost. In this work, we investigate only the DC-Link voltage signal and we use the time–frequency analysis to achieve the diagnosis purpose. The scheduled diagnosis approach is divided into two tasks: the first one is the fault detection task and the second one is the fault localization task. The main novelty of the proposed diagnosis approach is to localize the appropriate faulty power converter, that is, rotor side power converter or grid side power converter. Also, this approach is able to localize faults when there is a simultaneous fault on both power converters. Simulations are carried out to verify the robustness of the proposed diagnosis approach. The achieved simulation results would help in diagnosing of Back-to-back power converter that would expectedly cancel the traditional diagnosis method.