bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Slowness‐domain kinematical characteristics for horizontally layered orthorhombic media. Part I: Critical slowness match
Authors: Ravve Igor , Koren Zvi
Published: February 2019

Kinematical characteristics of reflected waves in anisotropic elastic media play an important role in the seismic imaging workflow. Considering compressional and converted waves, we derive new, azimuthally dependent, slowness‐domain approximations for the kinematical characteristics of reflected waves (radial and transverse offsets, intercept time and traveltime) for layered orthorhombic media with varying azimuth of the vertical symmetry planes. The proposed method can be considered an extension of the well‐known ‘generalized moveout approximation’ in the slowness domain, from azimuthally isotropic to azimuthally anisotropic models. For each slowness azimuth, the approximations hold for a wide angle range, combining power series coefficients in the vicinity of both the normal‐incidence ray and an additional wide‐angle ray. We consider two cases for the wide‐angle ray: a ‘critical slowness match’ and a ‘pre‐critical slowness match’ studied in Parts I and II of this work, respectively. For the critical slowness match, the approximations are valid within the entire slowness range, up to the critical slowness. For the ‘pre‐critical slowness match’, the approximations are valid only within the bounded slowness range; however, the accuracy within the defined range is higher. The critical slowness match is particularly effective when the subsurface model includes a dominant high‐velocity layer where, for nearly critical slowness values, the propagation in this layer is almost horizontal. Comparing the approximated kinematical characteristics with those computed by numerical ray tracing, we demonstrate high accuracy.
Reflexivity denied? The emotional and health‐seeking resources of men facing disadvantage
Authors: Simpson Paul , Richards Michael
Published: February 2019

Based on focus group discussions of self‐generated photographs of individuals aged 19–67 resident in urban Northwest England, this article examines the health narratives of men facing disadvantage because of economic hardship and/or mental health difficulty (mhd). In contrast to stereotypes of men as uncomfortable with emotions linked to vulnerability, we explore how such men can develop within self‐help groups the kind of emotional resources that encourage health‐seeking behaviours. Our argument contrasts with theories that risk denying/diminishing working‐class men's emotional reflexivity or that frame reflexivity (thought on feelings and behaviour to effect life changes) as individualised and more available to middle‐class (younger) men. We argue that participant accounts indicate development of more collective emotional and epistemic resources from a position of subordinated masculinity. This argument challenges stereotypes of working‐class men as lacking in knowledge/skill in health and self‐care. Collective reflexivity over health/wellbeing was particularly visible in three main accounts that emerged during focus groups: involvement in self‐help ‘communities of practice’, use of local aesthetic spaces and negotiation with/qualified challenge to healthy eating discourse.
Detection and Classification of Ignitable Liquid Residues in the Presence of Matrix Interferences by Using Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry,
Authors: Barnett Isabella , Bailey Frank C. , Zhang Mengliang
Published: February 2019

Conventional Gas Chromatography‐Mass Spectrometry (GC‐MS) methods for the analysis of ignitable liquids (ILs) are usually time‐consuming, and the data produced are difficult to interpret. A fast IL screening method using direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART‐MS) is proposed in this study. GC‐MS, QuickStrip DART‐MS, and thermal desorption DART‐MS methods were used to analyze neat ILs and thermal desorption DART‐MS without extraction was used to analyze ILs on five substrates (e.g., carpet, wood, cloth, sand, and paper). Compared to GC‐MS, DART‐MS methods generated different spectral profiles for neat ILs with more peaks in the higher mass range and also provided better detection of less volatile compounds. ILs on substrates were successfully classified (98 ± 1%) using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) models based on thermal desorption DART‐MS data. This study shows that DART‐MS has great potential for the high‐throughput screening of ILs on substrates.
Resolution of acenocoumarol‐associated calciphylaxis with drug withdrawal
Authors: Suárez‐Peñaranda José‐Manuel , Minasyan Anna , Sainz‐Gaspar Laura , Sánchez‐Aguilar María‐Dolores
Published: February 2019

Calciphylaxis is a syndrome of cutaneous ischaemic necrosis and ulceration due to arteriolar calcification with subsequent thrombosis, which rarely presents in patients without terminal kidney disease. Recently, several reports of coumarins‐associated calciphylaxis have stressed the relevance of anticoagulant therapy as an important risk factor for the development of this condition. We report five cases of acenocoumarol‐associated, biopsy‐proven calciphylaxis in women aged between 64 and 92 years. The drug had been prescribed for atrial fibrillation and was taken without interruption from 14 to 224 months. Lesions were present for months in all cases and were resistant to multiple therapeutic options, but they resolved only with simple wound care measures 6–14 months after changing the anticoagulant therapy.
Of Two Minds, But One Heart: A Good “Gut” Feeling Moderates the Effect of Ambivalence on Attitude Formation and Turnout
Authors: Groenendyk Eric
Published: February 2019

Popular psychological accounts argue that successful candidates address their appeals to citizens’ “hearts” rather than their “heads.” Yet research on campaigns shows that candidates win elections by getting voters to think about particular issues—especially issues that create ambivalence in the minds of opposition supporters. This article helps to reconcile these “heart‐centered” and “head‐centered” accounts of preference formation during campaigns. An original experiment and ANES data analyses (1980–2004) show that a “good gut feeling” toward a candidate helps citizens to overcome the paralyzing effect of ambivalence on attitude formation and turnout. And, since turnout is most tenuous among those with lower income, this is where the effect is most pronounced. Since Democratic candidates rely disproportionately on support from these lower‐income voters, it is particularly important that they inspire positive affect among latent supporters.
Rural centres do not have a higher prevalence of post‐operative complications than urban centres: a retrospective analysis of a mortality audit
Authors: Ferrah Noha , Stephan Karen , Lovell Janaka , Beiles Charles B. , Ibrahim Joseph E.
Published: February 2019

Background

The trend towards centralization of surgical care from rural to high‐volume centres is based on studies showing better outcomes for patients requiring complex surgical procedures. However, evidence that this also applies to less complex procedures is lacking. This study therefore aimed to determine whether there was a relationship between geographic location (rural versus urban) of surgical procedures of varying complexity and post‐operative complications.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study examining all in‐hospital deaths reported to the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality (ANZASM) between 2009 and 2016. Multivariable logistic regression was used to ascertain interactive effects of location and complexity of surgical procedures on post‐operative complications, adjusted for potential confounders.

Results

There was no interactive effect of hospital location and operation complexity on the occurrence of post‐operative complications. Post‐operative complications were reported in 2160 of 6963 (31%) patients who died post‐surgery. Patients operated on in rural centres had lower risk profiles: younger, with lower American Society of Anesthesiologists grades and less likely to present with injury and circulatory diseases. Nonetheless, risk of post‐operative complications did not differ between procedures performed in rural compared with urban hospitals.

Conclusion

Results of this study suggest that a wide range of procedures may be safely performed in rural centres. Further prospective studies of unfiltered cohorts are warranted to validate these findings.
Parental reports showed that snoring in infants at three and eight months associated with snoring parents and smoking mothers
Authors: Katila Maija , Saarenpää‐Heikkilä Outi , Saha Marja‐Terttu , Vuorela Nina , Paavonen E. Juulia
Published: February 2019

Aim

This prospective study examined the prevalence of snoring during infancy and the prenatal and postnatal risk factors for this condition.

Methods

The study population comprised 1388 infants from the CHILD‐SLEEP birth cohort, who were recruited in the Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Finland, between 2011 and 2013. Sleep and background factor questionnaires were filled out prenatally by parents and when the infant was three and eight months old.

Results

The prevalence of habitual snoring was 3.2% at the age of three months and 3.0% at eight months, and snoring infants had more sleeping difficulties at those ages, with odds ratios (ORs) of 3.11 and 4.63, respectively. At three months, snoring infants slept for a shorter length of time (p = 0.001) and their sleep was more restless (p = 0.004). In ordinal logistic regression models, parental snoring (adjusted OR = 1.65 and 2.60) and maternal smoking (adjusted OR = 2.21 and 2.17) were significantly associated with infant snoring at three and eight months, while formula feeding and dummy use (adjusted OR = 1.48 and 1.56) were only associated with infant snoring at three months.

Conclusion

Parental snoring and maternal smoking increased the risk of snoring. Infants who snored also seemed to suffer more from other sleep difficulties.
Deglaciation history of Lake Ladoga (northwestern Russia) based on varved sediments
Authors: Gromig Raphael , Wagner Bernd , Wennrich Volker , Fedorov Grigory , Savelieva Larisa , Lebas Elodie  , Krastel Sebastian , Brill Dominik , Andreev Andrei , Subetto Dmitry , Melles Martin
Published: February 2019

Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia is Europe's largest lake. The postglacial history of the Ladoga basin is for the first time documented continuously with high temporal resolution in the upper 13.3 m of a sediment core (Co1309) from the northwestern part of the lake. We applied a multiproxy approach including radiographic imaging, (bio‐)geochemical and granulometric analyses. Age control was established combining radiocarbon dating with varve chronology, the latter anchored to a correlated radiocarbon age from a lake close by. The age‐depth model reveals the onset of glacial varve sedimentation at 13 910±140 cal. a BP, when Lake Ladoga was part of the Baltic Ice Lake. Linear extrapolation of published retreat rates of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet provides a formation age of the Luga moraine close to Lake Ladoga's southern shore of 14.5–15.9 cal. ka BP, older than previously assumed. Varve sedimentation covers the Bølling/Allerød interstadial, the Younger Dryas stadial and the Early Holocene. Varve‐thickness variations, conjoined with grain‐size and geochemical variations, inform about the relative position of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet and the climate during the deglaciation phase. The upper limit of the varved succession marks the change from glaciolacustrine to normal lacustrine sedimentation and post‐dates the drainage of the Baltic Ice Lake as well as the formation of the Salpausselkä II moraine north of Lake Ladoga, by c. 250 years. The Holocene sediment record is divided into three periods in the following order: (i) a lower transition zone between the Holocene boundary and c. 9.5 cal. ka BP, characterized by mostly massive sediments with low organic content, (ii) a phase with increased organic content from c. 9.5 to 4.5 cal. ka BP corresponding to the Holocene Thermal Maximum, and (iii) a phase with relatively stable sedimentation in a lacustrine environment from c. 4.5 cal. ka BP until present.
The effect of an organ procurement experience on preclinical medical student perceptions of transplant surgery
Authors: Feinstein Max A. , Marcus Sivan G. , Amara Dominic P. , Durcanova Beata , Roll Garrett R. , Orandi Babak J.
Published: February 2019

Transplant surgery is a predominantly male specialty with high burnout rates. There are currently limited data regarding how programs can attract a diverse applicant pool to the field of transplant surgery. This study evaluated the effect of an Organ Procurement Experience elective on preclinical medical students' perceptions of transplant surgery in a prospective, longitudinal study. Preclinical medical students were anonymously surveyed before and after attending a deceased donor organ procurement. Questions focused on the following themes: Personal Beliefs, Personal/Professional Life, Diversity, and Gender Equality. Responses were rated on a five‐point Likert scale. Ninety‐nine and 45 students completed pre/post‐procurement survey, respectively. Post‐procurement responses demonstrated increased education about the field (2.1/5 vs 3.89/5, P < 0.001) and perceptions of the personalities and collegiality between surgeons (3.06/5 vs 3.73/5, P = 0.005). Post‐procurement, women were less likely to feel that female transplant surgeons are treated differently (3.98/5 vs. 3.45/5, P < 0.017). Post‐procurement, 19% agreed that transplant surgeons have a high quality of life. One percent of respondents felt the current gender distribution in transplant surgery is satisfactory. The Organ Procurement Experience significantly improved preclinical students’ perceptions of the field. However, there remains a strong concern about quality of life and gender diversity within the field.
Tau positron emission tomography imaging in C9orf72 repeat expansion carriers
Authors: Ly C. V. , Koenig L. , Christensen J. , Gordon B. , Beaumont H. , Dahiya S. , Chen J. , Su Y. , Nelson B. , Jockel‐Balsarotti J. , Drain C. , Jerome G. , Morris J. C. , Fagan A. M. , Harms M. B. , Benzinger T. L. S. , Miller T. M. , Ances B. M.
Published: February 2019

Background and purpose

AV‐1451 (18F‐AV‐1451, flortaucipir) positron emission tomography was performed in C9orf72 expansion carriers to assess tau accumulation and disease manifestation.

Methods

Nine clinically characterized C9orf72 expansion carriers and 18 age‐ and gender‐ matched cognitively normal individuals were psychometrically evaluated and underwent tau positron emission tomography imaging. The regional AV‐1451 standard uptake value ratios from multiple brain regions were analyzed. Spearman correlation was performed to relate the AV‐1451 standard uptake value ratio to clinical, psychometric and cerebrospinal fluid measures.

Results

C9orf72 expansion carriers had increased AV‐1451 binding in the entorhinal cortex compared to controls. Primary age‐related tauopathy was observed postmortem in one patient. AV‐1451 uptake did not correlate with clinical severity, disease duration, psychometric performance or cerebrospinal fluid markers.

Conclusion

C9orf72 expansion carriers exhibited increased AV‐1451 uptake in entorhinal cortex compared to cognitively normal controls, suggesting a propensity for primary age‐related tauopathy. However, AV‐1451 accumulation was not associated with psychometric performance in our cohort.
Yield modeling for prediction of regional whole‐crop barley productivity
Authors: Guan Leran , Peng Jinglun , Han Kunjun , Sung Kyungil
Published: February 2019

Rice production has surpassed market demand in South Korea, and it is necessary to diversify the inputs of available agricultural resources from rice production to forage or other more demanded grains. This research was conducted to develop a yield predictive model of whole‐crop barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) based on climatic data in South Korea. A data set (n = 290) containing dry matter yield (DMY), cultivated locations and climatic variables was developed based on collected research reports. With DMY as the response variable, three optimal climatic variables including spring accumulated temperature (SAT), period to accumulated temperature 150°C (PAT150) and spring duration of sunshine (SDS) were selected through the stepwise approach of multiple regression analysis. Subsequently, through the general linear model, the yield predictive model including the three climatic variables and cultivated locations was constructed. The adjusted R2 of the model was 51.6%. Meanwhile, the model was tested through residual diagnostics and cross‐validation. The selection of SAT, PAT150 and SDS confirmed that the growth and development of autumn‐seeded whole‐crop barley were active in the next spring in South Korea, while the coefficient of determination of the model was lower than anticipated since only considering climatic variables. In the future research, a new model with higher interpretability might be developed via increasing data size, adopting more environmental variables or constructing the models for each location individually instead of pooling their data together.
Cutaneous findings in Bardet‐Biedl syndrome
Authors: Haws Robert M. , McIntee Thomas J. , Green Clayton B.
Published: February 2019

Background

Bardet‐Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare, pleiotropic syndrome and member of a diverse group of disorders known as ciliopathies. Improved understanding of dermatoses in BBS will further understanding of the syndrome and will help define the role of dermatologists in providing care for patients with BBS. The purpose of this study was to describe the cutaneous phenotype of BBS in patients attending a large, multispecialty BBS clinic.

Methods

All patients attending the multispecialty BBS Clinic at the Marshfield Medical Center over a 12‐month period were invited to participate. Complete cutaneous examinations were performed by a board‐certified dermatologist, and comprehensive physical examinations were performed by clinic physicians. Molecular genetic results were obtained when available. Comprehensive laboratory studies were performed in each patient including fasting blood sugar and thyroid and renal function.

Results

Thirty‐one individuals ranging in age between 2 and 69 years (median age, 12 years) participated in the study. Cutaneous findings were present in all subjects. Keratosis pilaris was present in 80.6% of subjects, and seborrheic dermatitis was present in 19.3%. Obesity, a cardinal feature of BBS, was present in the majority of subjects (90.3%) and was accompanied by known obesity‐related dermatologic disorders.

Conclusions

Cutaneous disorders are common in BBS and suggest disturbance of keratinization and keratinocyte function as well as systemic consequences of BBS on skin health. Increased prevalence of skin barrier dysfunction in this ciliopathy demonstrates the importance of dermatologist contribution to health care in BBS.
High temperature mechanical behavior of porous ceria and ceria‐based solid‐oxide fuel cells
Authors: Stanley Patrick , Hays Thomas , Langdo Tom , Gore Colin , Wachsman Eric D.
Published: February 2019

Multiple environment mechanical testing of solid‐oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and SOFC materials is critical to ensure appropriate compressive sealing in stack designs. Establishing the effects of temperature, environment, and porosity on the flexural strength of ceria‐based SOFCs is a significant step toward practical deployment of the technology. This article presents research into these properties by use of a temperature and atmosphere controlled 3‐point bend fixture capable of reaching Intermediate Temperature (IT)‐SOFC operating conditions (650°C). Gadolinium‐doped ceria (GDC) samples with varying porosity and pore geometry were tested and it was determined that more spherical porosity contributed to improved flexural strength as compared with higher aspect ratio porosity. A linear strengthening effect was also observed with increasing temperature from ambient to 650°C for GDC‐based anode support layers and half‐cell samples. Scanning electron microscopy was performed on fracture surfaces to identify fracture modes and to examine internal pore structures. Directionality of the applied stress with respect to the layered microstructure was found to have no measurable impact on mechanical properties in air, but orientation had a significant impact on strength of cells with reduced anodes. Additionally, with the support of thermogravimetric analysis, it was determined that after reduction, exposure to oxygen below 100°C does not influence mechanical properties of the cells.
Factors associated with foot ulcer self‐management behaviours among hospitalised patients with diabetes
Authors: Chin Yen‐Fan , Huang Tzu‐Ting , Hsu Brend Ray‐Sea , Weng Li‐Chueh , Wang Chih‐Ching
Published: February 2019

Aims and objectives

To determine prehospitalised diabetes‐related foot ulcer (DFU) self‐management behaviours and explore the factors associated with these behaviours.

Background

Although there are many studies that explore DFU prevention and treatment, to our knowledge, there are no quantitative studies of DFU self‐management behaviours.

Design

Cross‐sectional design.

Methods

From June 2015–June 2016, 199 hospitalised patients with DFU were given a survey questionnaire at a medical centre in northern Taiwan. DFU self‐management behaviours, diabetes foot self‐care behaviours, beliefs in regard to barriers to DFU self‐management behaviours, and knowledge regarding warning signs of DFU deterioration were assessed by well‐designed measurement tools. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist was used to ensure quality reporting during this observational study (see Supporting Information Appendix ).

Results

The results revealed that 62.8% of participants never monitored their blood glucose level when they had foot ulcers, and 63.8% never sought treatment for their wounds when their wounds were not painful. After controlling for demographic and medical variables, stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the following eight significant variables were associated with DFU self‐management behaviours: two DFU self‐management barrier beliefs, foot self‐care behaviour, no treatment for diabetes, poor financial status, employment, knowledge regarding the warning signs of DFU deterioration, and number of DFU hospitalisations.

Conclusions

Diabetes‐related foot ulcer self‐management behaviours were insufficient. Some modifiable factors and high‐risk groups for insufficient DFU self‐management behaviour were identified.

Relevance to clinical practice

Diabetes‐related foot ulcer self‐management behaviours should be promoted. Interventions that modify the risk factors that were identified in this study can be designed to promote the performance of DFU self‐management behaviours.
Electoral violence under different contexts. Evidence from the Western Balkans
Authors: Mochtak Michal
Published: February 2019

The paper addresses the question of what settings are empirically relevant for the occurrence of electoral violence in the region of Western Balkans and what theoretical paths may cover their logic. Electoral violence has been part of the electoral arenas in the region for decades and although it has evolved and in some cases disappeared, a number of countries still experience it. The paper analyses original data on electoral violence collected from the OSCE monitoring reports covering fifty‐six parliamentary elections organized between 1990 and 2015. Applying fuzzy‐set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), the paper identifies four sub‐models under which electoral violence is observed. The conjunctural logic that defines each and every of the discussed paths within the sub‐models shows that the scenarios of electoral violence in the Western Balkans are always complex and potentially relevant conditions are never sufficient for the outcome on their own.
Between ideology and practice, national conflict and anti‐imperialist struggle: the National Liberation League in Palestine
Authors: Jacobson Abigail
Published: February 2019

This paper focuses on the National Liberation League (NLL), a Palestinian Arab communist movement which operated in Palestine between the years 1943–1948. The paper examines its short‐lived history in light of the relevant three contexts in which it operated: the local Palestinian national context; the regional context of communist activity in the Middle East and the external‐internationalist context of the Soviet Union. The paper further discusses the activities of the NLL during the period of the 1948 War in Palestine, as well as in the first period of military rule, imposed on the Palestinian citizens of Israel. An analysis of the NLL during the late Mandatory period and the early years of the State of Israel allows a close examination of the ways by which concepts of identity, nationalism, class and ethnicity were conceptualised, debated and contested during times of a national conflict and anti‐imperial struggle and brings to the fore tensions between ideology and practice, nationalism and internationalism. The NLL offers an important opportunity to look into the complex matrix of communist movements that combine anti‐imperial struggles with struggles for national liberation in the context of a national conflict and to examine their dilemmas and what may seem as internal contradictions.
Ameliorating effects of optimized gastric electrical stimulation and mechanisms involving nerve growth factor and opioids in a rodent model of gastric hypersensitivity
Authors: Dong Yan , Li Shiying , Yin Jieyun , Chen Jiande D. Z.
Published: February 2019

Background

Gastric electrical stimulation (GES) has been applied to treat gastric motility disorders for decades. This study was designed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of GES for visceral hypersensitivity in a rodent model of functional dyspepsia (FD).

Methods

Male Sprague‐Dawley rat pups at 10‐days old received 0.1% iodoacetamide (IA) daily for 6 days. The experiments were performed when the rats reached 8‐11 weeks of age, and visceral hypersensitivity was established. Then, GES parameters were optimized and the chronic effects of GES on gastric hypersensitivity were assessed by electromyogram (EMG). Naloxone (3 mg/kg), D‐Phe‐Cys‐Tyr‐D‐Trp‐Orn‐Thr‐Pen‐Thr‐NH2 (CTOP, 1 mg/kg), and anti‐NGF (16 μg/kg) were individually intraperitoneally injected to investigate opioid and nerve growth factor (NGF) mechanisms. Tissues were analyzed for NGF expression.

Key Results

In the IA‐treated rats, the visceromotor response to gastric distension was significantly increased, and both acute GES with optimized stimulation parameters (0.25 seconds on, 0.25 seconds off, 100 Hz, 0.25 ms, 6 mA) and chronic GES (7 days, 2 hours/day) normalized gastric hypersensitivity. The inhibitory effect of GES on gastric hypersensitivity was blocked by naloxone and CTOP. Anti‐NGF normalized EMG responses in IA‐treated rats. The expressions of NGF in the tissues of IA‐treated rats were dramatically increased, and these increases were suppressed with GES.

Conclusions and Inferences

GES with optimized parameters improves gastric hypersensitivity induced by neonatal treatment of IA mediated peripherally by suppressing NGF and via the opioid mechanism involving the µ receptor. GES as a potential therapy for treating visceral pain may be explored in clinical studies.
Folliculotropic mycosis fungoides in a pediatric patient mimicking black dot tinea capitis
Authors: Wang Rebecca F. , Sokumbi Olayemi , Chiu Yvonne E.
Published: February 2019

Immunosuppression following organ transplantation is a known risk factor for the development of lymphoproliferative disorders. Mycosis fungoides, a rare entity in pediatric patients, has seldom been reported as a post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. We report a case of folliculotropic mycosis fungoides in a pediatric patient following liver transplantation that was initially diagnosed as tinea capitis.
Differences in pH influence the fate of CO2 in plants
Authors: Law Simon R.
Published: February 2019

Soils represent the largest and most stable carbon pools on Earth, exceeding even the carbon aggregate found in the atmosphere and global phytomass. However, our understanding of how CO2 travels from the soil to the atmosphere, and the role of plants in this journey, is not fully understood. An article in this issue of Physiologia Plantarum (Shimono et al. 2019) sheds light on this process and unearths the dramatic effect pH can have on the fate of CO2 in plants.
Therapeutic burden in interstitial lung disease: Lessons to learn
Authors: Khor Yet H. , Glaspole Ian , Goh Nicole S.L.
Published: February 2019

Background and objective

Patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) are often prescribed disease‐targeted and symptomatic therapies, both of which can cause significant treatment burden due to polypharmacy and drug–disease interactions. This study aimed to evaluate medication regimen complexity before and after introduction of ILD‐specific therapies. Potential drug–disease interactions were evaluated for patients who were prescribed prednisolone.

Methods

In this study, 214 patients with ILD were assessed for demographic information, co‐morbidities and medication use. Medication lists were reviewed prior to and after the introduction of ILD‐specific therapies. Complexity of treatment regimen was examined using the validated Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI).

Results

Of the 214 patients, 75 had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) while the rest had inflammatory ILD (chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis: 45; connective tissue disease‐related ILD: 41). Polypharmacy was common at baseline (IPF: 51%, inflammatory ILD: 63%). Following introduction of ILD‐specific therapies, median total MRCI scores significantly increased from 8 (interquartile range (IQR) = 8–15) to 22.5 (17.5–27.5) and 14.5 (8.5–21) to 21.5 (16–30) for IPF and inflammatory ILD groups, respectively (P < 0.0001 for both). Complex dosing instructions contributed the most to total MRCI scores for ILD‐specific therapies. Among patients receiving prednisolone (n = 113), 88% had ≥1 co‐morbidity which may be impacted. Common co‐morbidities included gastrointestinal diseases (56%), obesity (37%), osteoporosis (24%) and diabetes mellitus (18%).

Conclusion

Polypharmacy and complex medication regimen are common in patients with ILD of different aetiologies. There is a high frequency of potential drug–disease interactions among patients who are prescribed systemic corticosteroids. These findings highlight the need for careful evaluation of the impact of therapeutic complexity and burden in patients with ILD.
The Political Consequences of Nativism: The Impact of Nativist Sentiment on Party Support*
Authors: Davis Nicholas T. , Goidel Kirby , Lipsmeyer Christine S. , Whitten Guy D. , Young Clifford
Published: February 2019

Objective

Scholars have noted the increase in nativist sentiment in political debates in both the United States and across Europe. However, how these changes have affected voting behavior and political party support is less clear. In this article, we ask how relevant nativist attitudes are when making voting decisions across party systems in the United States and Europe. Are these sentiments pushing out other drivers of vote choice, and if so, what are the ramifications for democratic governance?

Method

We present hypotheses about the impact of nativist sentiments that follow logically from the theories on spatial models of politics and political economy models of politics. We use a series of multinomial logit models on survey data from Great Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, and the United States to estimate the impact of nativist sentiments on support for political parties in 2016.

Results

We find support for all three of our hypotheses. Not surprisingly, there is a strong positive relationship between nativist sentiments and support for nativist parties. There is some variation, however, in terms of whether this increase in support for nativist parties comes at the expense of ideologically adjacent parties (as expected from spatial models of politics) or from parties of the left (as expected from political economy models of politics).

Conclusions

Nativist sentiments were major drivers of support for political parties in 2016. Although more nativist sentiments drive voters in all cases examined toward nativist political parties, there is substantial variation across nations in terms of which parties lose support. The latter findings should be the focus of future studies.
The sero‐epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) across livestock species and herding contexts in Laikipia County, Kenya
Authors: Larson Peter S. , Espira Leon , Grabow Cole , Wang Christine A. , Muloi Dishon , Browne A. Springer , Deem Sharon L. , Fèvre Eric M. , Foufopoulos Johannes , Hardin Rebecca , Eisenberg Joseph N. S.
Published: February 2019

Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Query fever (Q fever), is among the most highly infectious zoonotic pathogens transmitted among livestock, with chronic effects challenging to veterinary and medical detection and care systems. Transmission among domestic livestock species can vary regionally due to herd management practices that determine which livestock species are raised, whether or not livestock are in contact with wildlife, and the susceptibility of these livestock to infection. To explore how different livestock management practices are associated with the risk of infection in multispecies environments, we carried out a comparative study of three types of herd management systems in the central Kenyan county of Laikipia: agro‐commercial, mixed conservancy/commercial, and smallholder ranches. We tested C. burnetii antibody seroprevalence in four common livestock species. Across all management types, the highest seroprevalence was in camels (20%), followed by goats (18%), sheep (13%), and cattle (6%). We observed a lower odds of testing seropositive for young compared to adult animals (adjusted OR = 0.44 [95% CI 0.24, 0.76]), and for males compared to females (adjusted OR = 0.52 [95% CI 0.33, 0.80]). Animals from mixed conservancy/commercial and smallholder operations had a higher odds of testing seropositive compared to animals from agro‐commercial ranches (adjusted OR = 5.17 [95% CI 2.71, 10.44] and adjusted OR = 2.21 [95% CI 1.17, 4.43] respectively). These data suggest that herd management practices might affect the transmission dynamics of C. burnetiiin arid African ecosystems like those seen in Kenya where several transmission modes are possible, risk of drought has promoted new livestock species such as camels, and multiple wildlife species may co‐occur with livestock on the landscape. Further longitudinal studies are needed to disentangle the mechanisms underlying these patterns, and further explore transmission patterns between wildlife, domestic animal, and human populations.
On the importance of fine‐scale sampling in detecting alpha taxonomic diversity among saproxylic invertebrates: A velvet worm (Onychophora: Opisthopatus amaxhosa) template
Authors: Barnes Aaron , Daniels Savel R.
Published: February 2019

The phylogeography and social structure of the narrow endemic velvet worm species Opisthopatus amaxhosa were investigated by conducting fine‐scale sampling in its distribution range in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. In addition, and as part of larger grant on forest biodiversity, Opisthopatus specimens sampled at localities not included during a recent evaluation of the genus were included in a new phylogeny. A total of 89 specimens from 18 sample localities were collected at three forest patches for O. amaxhosa samples, while an additional six Opisthopatus sample localities were included. For O. amaxhosa, we sequenced the COI locus for all specimens, while a subset of specimens was sequenced for two nuclear loci, 18S rRNA and the fushi tarazu intron (FTz). Phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences of the latter species revealed the presence of two highly divergent clades, characterised by marked uncorrected sequence divergence values. In addition, these two clades did not share any maternal haplotypes, were characterised by high FST values and fixed nuclear difference for the 18S rRNA locus, while the FTz intron was genetically invariant. Furthermore, the application of scanning electron microscopy between the two genetically divergent clades also revealed the presence of fixed ventral and dorsal scale numbers. Collectively, this provides evidence for a novel species that is present at a fine scale. Divergence time estimations suggest that the two clades diverged during the late and early Pleistocene with climatic cycling potentially causal to the fragmentation. The social structure was male‐biased, and samples from the same logs were not always genetically identical. At the broader scale, the inclusion of new specimens within Opisthopatus revealed no novel lineages. Fine‐scale sampling appears more important to detect alpha taxonomic diversity compared to broadscale sampling.
Temperature Distribution Optimization of an Air-Cooling Lithium-Ion Battery Pack in Electric Vehicles Based on the Response Surface Method
Authors: Liao Xiangping , Ma Chong , Peng Xiongbin , Garg Akhil , Bao Nengsheng
Published: February 2019

Electric vehicles have become a trend in recent years, and the lithium-ion battery pack provides them with high power and energy. The battery thermal system with air cooling was always used to prevent the high temperature of the battery pack to avoid cycle life reduction and safety issues of lithium-ion batteries. This work employed an easily applied optimization method to design a more efficient battery pack with lower temperature and more uniform temperature distribution. The proposed method consisted of four steps: the air-cooling system design, computational fluid dynamics code setups, selection of surrogate models, and optimization of the battery pack. The investigated battery pack contained eight prismatic cells, and the cells were discharged under normal driving conditions. It was shown that the optimized design performs a lower maximum temperature of 2.7 K reduction and a smaller temperature standard deviation of 0.3 K reduction than the original design. This methodology can also be implemented in industries where the battery pack contains more battery cells.
Modeling, Development, and Testing of a 2 MW Polymeric Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Plant Fueled With Hydrogen From a Chlor-Alkali Industry
Authors: Campanari Stefano , Guandalini Giulio , Coolegem Jorg , ten Have Jan , Hayes Patrick , Pichel A. H.
Published: February 2019

The chlor-alkali industry produces significant amounts of hydrogen as by-product which can potentially feed a polymeric electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell (FC) unit, whose electricity and heat production can cover part of the chemical plant consumptions yielding remarkable energy and emission savings. This work presents the modeling, development, and experimental results of a large-scale (2 MW) PEM fuel cell power plant installed at the premises of a chlor-alkali industry. It is first discussed an overview of project’s membrane-electrode assembly and fuel cell development for long life stationary applications, focusing on the design-for-manufacture process and related high-volume manufacturing routes. The work then discusses the modeling of the power plant, including a specific lumped model predicting FC stack behavior as a function of inlet stream conditions and power set point, according to regressed polarization curves. Cells’ performance decay versus lifetime reflects long-term stack test data, aiming to evidence the impact on overall energy balances and efficiency of the progression of lifetime. Balance of plant is modeled to simulate auxiliary consumptions, pressure drops, and components’ operating conditions. The model allows studying different operational strategies that maintain the power production during lifetime, minimizing efficiency losses, as well as to investigate the optimized operating setpoint of the plant at full load and during part-load operation. The last section of the paper discusses the experimental results, through a complete analysis of the plant performance after startup, including energy and mass balances and allowing to validate the model. Cumulated indicators over the first two years of operations regarding energy production, hydrogen consumption, and efficiency are also discussed.
A Low-Cost Experimental Kit for Teaching Wave Optics Based on the CDIO Approach
Authors: Khoa Dinh Xuan , Bang Nguyen Huy
Published: February 2019

We constructed a low-cost experimental kit consisting of a compact 532-nm diode laser, optics, and optomechanical components that arrange on a small honeycomb breadboard. The kit is flexible enough to construct five typical wave optic experiments, e.g., double-slit interference, Michelson and Mach-Zehnder interferometers, diffraction, and Malus’s law of polarization. It is useful to use in both classrooms and laboratories to enhance experimental skills and creativity based on the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) approach.
Acoustofluidic particle steering
Authors: Shaglwf Zaid , Hammarström Bjorn , Shona Laila Dina , Hill Martyn , Glynne-Jones Peter
Published: February 2019

Steering micro-objects using acoustic radiation forces is challenging for several reasons: resonators tend to create fixed force distributions that depend primarily on device geometry, and even when using switching schemes, the forces are hard to predict a priori. In this paper an active approach is developed that measures forces from a range of acoustic resonances during manipulation using a computer controlled feedback loop based in matlab, with a microscope camera for particle imaging. The arrangement uses a planar resonator where the axial radiation force is used to hold particles within a levitation plane. Manipulation is achieved by summing the levitation frequency with an algorithmically chosen second resonance frequency, which creates lateral forces derived from gradients in the kinetic energy density of the acoustic field. Apart from identifying likely resonances, the system does not require a priori knowledge of the structure of the acoustic force field created by each resonance. Manipulation of 10 μm microbeads is demonstrated over 100 s μm. Manipulation times are of order 10 s for paths of 200 μm length. The microfluidic device used in this work is a rectangular glass capillary with a 6 mm wide and 300 μm high fluid chamber.
Best reply structure and equilibrium convergence in generic games
Authors: Pangallo Marco , Heinrich Torsten , Doyne Farmer J.
Published: February 2019

We offer a new approach to understanding convergence to equilibrium in game theory, inspired by ecology and statistical mechanics.
Cochlear outer hair cell horizontal top connectors mediate mature stereocilia bundle mechanics
Authors: Cartagena-Rivera Alexander X. , Le Gal Sébastien , Richards Kerianne , Verpy Elisabeth , Chadwick Richard S.
Published: February 2019

Noncontact AFM follows the development of OHC bundle stiffness and damping in mice having or lacking horizontal top connectors.
Seed predation increases from the Arctic to the Equator and from high to low elevations
Authors: Hargreaves A. L. , Suárez Esteban , Mehltreter Klaus , Myers-Smith Isla , Vanderplank Sula E. , Slinn Heather L. , Vargas-Rodriguez Yalma L. , Haeussler Sybille , David Santiago , Muñoz Jenny , Carlos Almazán-Núñez R. , Loughnan Deirdre , Benning John W. , Moeller David A. , Brodie Jedediah F. , Thomas Haydn J.D. , Morales M. P. A.
Published: February 2019

Alaska to Ecuador mega-experiment shows seeds are more likely to be munched toward the tropics and lowlands, as Darwin predicted.
Targeting DDR2 enhances tumor response to anti–PD-1 immunotherapy
Authors: Tu Megan M. , Lee Francis Y. F. , Jones Robert T. , Kimball Abigail K. , Saravia Elizabeth , Graziano Robert F. , Coleman Brianne , Menard Krista , Yan Jun , Michaud Erin , Chang Han , Abdel-Hafiz Hany A. , Rozhok Andrii I. , Duex Jason E. , Agarwal Neeraj , Chauca-Diaz Ana , Johnson Linda K. , Ng Terry L. , Cambier John C. , Clambey Eric T. , Costello James C. , Korman Alan J. , Theodorescu Dan
Published: February 2019

In vivo–based functional genomic screen identifies DDR2 as an important determinant of efficacy of anti–PD-1 immunotherapy.
A closed-loop hand prosthesis with simultaneous intraneural tactile and position feedback
Authors: D’Anna Edoardo , Valle Giacomo , Mazzoni Alberto , Strauss Ivo , Iberite Francesco , Patton Jérémy , Petrini Francesco M. , Raspopovic Stanisa , Granata Giuseppe , Di Iorio Riccardo , Controzzi Marco , Cipriani Christian , Stieglitz Thomas , Rossini Paolo M. , Micera Silvestro
Published: February 2019

Bionic hand provides accurate tactile and position information and leads to improved performance during sensing tasks.
Sodium chloride is an ionic checkpoint for human T
H
2 cells and shapes the atopic skin microenvironment
Authors: Matthias Julia , Maul Julia , Noster Rebecca , Meinl Hanna , Chao Ying-Yin , Gerstenberg Heiko , Jeschke Florian , Gasparoni Gilles , Welle Anna , Walter Jörn , Nordström Karl , Eberhardt Klaus , Renisch Dennis , Donakonda Sainitin , Knolle Percy , Soll Dominik , Grabbe Stephan , Garzorz-Stark Natalie , Eyerich Kilian , Biedermann Tilo , Baumjohann Dirk , Zielinski Christina E.
Published: February 2019

Sodium chloride induces and amplifies human T
H
2 cell responses, potentially shaping the atopic skin microenvironment.