bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compositional Control as the Key for Achieving Highly Efficient OER Electrocatalysis with Cobalt Phosphates Decorated Nanocarbon Florets
Authors: Saha Jayeeta , Verma Sonam , Ball Ranadeb , Subramaniam Chandramouli , Murugavel Ramaswamy
Published: September 2019

Compositional interplay of two different cobalt phosphates (Co(H2PO4)2; Co‐DP and Co(PO3)2; Co‐MP) loaded on morphologically engineered high surface area nanocarbon leads to an increased electrocatalytic efficiency for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in near neutral conditions. This is reflected as significant reduction in the onset overpotential (301 mV) and enhanced current density (30 mA cm−2 @ 577 mV). In order to achieve uniform surface loading, organic‐soluble thermolabile cobalt‐bis(di‐tert‐butylphosphate) is synthesized in situ inside the nanocarbon matrix and subsequently pyrolyzed at 150 °C to produce Co(H2PO4)2/Co(PO3)2 (80:20 wt%). Annealing this sample at 200 or 250 °C results in the redistribution of the two phosphate systems to 55:45 or 20:80 (wt%), respectively. Detailed electrochemical measurements clearly establish that the 55:45 (wt%) sample prepared at 200 °C performs the best as a catalyst, owing to a relay mechanism that enhances the kinetics of the 4e− transfer OER process, which is substantiated by micro‐Raman spectroscopic studies. It is also unraveled that the engineered nanocarbon support simultaneously enhances the interfacial charge‐transfer pathway, resulting in the reduction of onset overpotential, compared to earlier investigated cobalt phosphate systems.
Effect of Amylose–Amylopectin Ratios on Physical, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of Starch‐Based Bionanocomposite Films Incorporated with CMC and Nanoclay
Authors: Jha Pankaj , Dharmalingam Koodalingam , Nishizu Takahisa , Katsuno Nakako , Anandalakshmi Ramalingam
Published: September 2019

The objective of this work is to examine the effect of amylose–amylopectin ratios on physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of starch‐based bionanocomposite films. Starch sources with different amylose–amylopectin ratios (potato starch, 20:80; wheat starch, 25:75; corn starch, 28:72; and high‐amylose corn starch, 70:30) are blended with carboxyl methylcellulose (CMC) and sodium montmorillonite (Na‐MMT) to produce bionanocomposite films. Experimental results reveal that corn starch/CMC/nanoclay bionanocomposite films possess higher tensile strength, lower film solubility, lower water vapor permeability, and higher glass transition temperature due to molecular structure of amylose–amylopectin and their molecular space in corn starch, which help in strong interaction with CMC and extensive intercalation of nanoclay. The highest degree of crystallinity and strong interaction of corn starch with CMC (─OH and─COOH) and nanoclay (Si─O─Si and Al─OH) are confirmed by X‐ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results, respectively. The prepared bionanocomposite films can be used for food packaging applications to improve the shelf‐life and safety of food products, which can serve as a potential substitute for conventional plastic packaging materials.
Social Stigma, Stress and Enforced Transition in Specialist Epilepsy Services 1905–1965
Authors: Hewitt Rachel
Published: September 2019

In the late nineteenth century, specialist institutions for people with epilepsy (known as epileptic colonies) began to draw a causal link between stress and epileptic seizures. As the history of epilepsy has focused on neurological development, this chapter explores the history of epilepsy within the development of social psychiatry and psychoanalysis. It argues that the mid-twentieth-century understanding of family dynamics underpinned a social construction of the ‘epileptic personality’. Simultaneously, a development of the understanding of stress and anxiety in young people with epilepsy led to changes in service planning, in particular the aim to reduce enforced transitions between adult and child services.
Sheltered Employment and Mental Health in Britain: Remploy c.1945–1981
Authors: Holroyde Andy
Published: September 2019

This chapter explores the provision of sheltered employment for mentally disabled people in post-war Britain. Focusing particularly on the case of Remploy, this study examines the impact of the policy of deinstitutionalisation upon the company’s so-called ‘disability mix’ and its understanding of how it should operate. It argues that with the company already employing an increasing number of mentally disabled people, deinstitutionalisation supported an existing trend. Despite some concerns about the growing proportion of mentally disabled employees, during the period considered here, it did not lead to any significant change in how Remploy fundamentally operated.
Resonant heavy Higgs searches at the HL-LHC
Authors: Adhikary Amit , Banerjee Shankha , Barman Rahool Kumar , Bhattacherjee Biplob
Published: September 2019

Abstract

In this work, we show the importance of searches for heavy resonant scalars (H) and pseudoscalars (A). Taking cue from the present searches, we make projections for searches in an extended scalar sector at the high luminosity run of the Large Hadron Collider. We study the three most relevant search channels, i.e., H → hh, H/A → t

$$ \overline{t} $$

t
¯

and bbH/A. Upon studying multifarious final states for the resonant double Higgs production, we find that the b

$$ \overline{b} $$

b
¯

γγ (σ(pp → H → hh) ∈ [81.27, 14.45] fb for m
H ∈ [300, 600] GeV at 95% C.L.) and b

$$ \overline{b} $$

b
¯

b

$$ \overline{b} $$

b
¯

([5.4, 2.5] fb for m
H ∈ [800, 1000] GeV at 95% C.L.) channels are the most constraining. For the b

$$ \overline{b} $$

b
¯

H channel, we can exclude σ(pp → b

$$ \overline{b} $$

b
¯

H) ∈ [22.2, 3.7] fb for m
H ∈ [300, 500] GeV. Finally, we consider the phenomenological Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model as an example and impose various present constraints and our future direct search-limits and obtain strong constraints on the m

A
− tan β parameter space, where m

A
and tan β are respectively the mass of the pseudoscalar and the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two Higgs doublets. Assuming that the heavy Higgs boson decays only to Standard Model (SM) states, we find that the H → hh → b

$$ \overline{b} $$

b
¯

γγ (H → t

$$ \overline{t} $$

t
¯

) channel excludes tan β as low as 4 (m

A
∈ [400,800]GeV) at 95% CL. This weakens up to ∼ 5.5 when the b

$$ \overline{b} $$

b
¯

H channel dominates. Upon allowing for non-SM decay modes, the limits weaken.
MR imaging in discriminating between benign and malignant paediatric ovarian masses: a systematic review
Authors: van Nimwegen Lotte W. E. , Mavinkurve-Groothuis Annelies M. C. , de Krijger Ronald R. , Hulsker Caroline C. C. , Goverde Angelique J. , Zsiros József , Littooij Annemieke S.
Published: September 2019

Objectives

The use of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in differentiation between benign and malignant adnexal masses in children and adolescents might be of great value in the diagnostic workup of sonographically indeterminate masses, since preserving fertility is of particular importance in this population. This systematic review evaluates the diagnostic value of MR imaging in children with an ovarian mass.

Methods

The review was made according to the PRISMA Statement. PubMed and EMBASE were systematically searched for studies on the use of MR imaging in differential diagnosis of ovarian masses in both adult women and children from 2008 to 2018.

Results

Sixteen paediatric and 18 adult studies were included. In the included studies, MR imaging has shown good diagnostic performance in differentiating between benign and malignant ovarian masses. MR imaging techniques including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) imaging seem to further improve the diagnostic performance.

Conclusion

The addition of DWI with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values measured in enhancing components of solid lesions and DCE imaging may further increase the good diagnostic performance of MR imaging in the pre-operative differentiation between benign and malignant ovarian masses by increasing specificity. Prospective age-specific studies are needed to confirm the high diagnostic performance of MR imaging in children and adolescents with a sonographically indeterminate ovarian mass.

Key Points

• MR imaging, based on several morphological features, is of good diagnostic performance in differentiating between benign and malignant ovarian masses. Sensitivity and specificity varied between 84.8 to 100% and 20.0 to 98.4%, respectively.

• MR imaging techniques like diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) imaging seem to improve the diagnostic performance.

• Specific studies in children and adolescents with ovarian masses are required to confirm the suggested increased diagnostic performance of DWI and DCE in this population.
Consumer Policy in 28 EU Member States: An Empirical Assessment in Four Dimensions
Authors: Nessel S.
Published: September 2019

This article examines consumer policy in 28 EU Member States. It introduces a new methodological framework and several indicators to analyse legal, social, enforcement, and associational dimensions of consumer policy. Drawing on the most recent data, the empirical results provide a detailed picture of consumer policy across Europe displayed in several indices. The results furthermore allow for statistically testing consumer policy regimes, as suggested by previous research. These indices reveal great differences between individual countries but only few instances of statistically significant differences between consumer policy regimes. Considering legal and political accounts as well as sociological explanations that have not yet been applied, possible explanations for these findings are discussed. It is concluded that comparative consumer policy analysis should further analyse differences between individual European countries in several dimensions and should not only account for consumer policy regimes from a legal or a political science perspective. The methodological framework and the theoretical explanations outlined in this article may help to accomplish this goal.
Guidance on Design and Construction of the Built Environment Against Wildland Urban Interface Fire Hazard: A Review
Authors: Intini Paolo , Ronchi Enrico , Gwynne Steven , Bénichou Noureddine
Published: September 2019

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires, a worldwide problem, are gaining more importance over time due to climate change and increased urbanization in WUI areas. Some jurisdictions have provided standards, codes and guidelines, which may greatly help planning, prevention and protection against wildfires. This work presents a wide systematic review of standards, codes and guidelines for the design and construction of the built environment against WUI fire hazard from North American, European, Oceanic countries, alongside with trans-national codes. The main information reviewed includes: the definition of WUI hazards, risk areas and related severity classes, the influence of land and environmental factors, the requirements for building materials, constructions, utilities, fire protection measures and road access. Some common threads among the documents reviewed have been highlighted. They include similar attempts at: (a) defining WUI risk areas and severity classes, (b) considering land factors including the defensible space (also known as ignition zones), (c) prescribing requirements for buildings and access. The main gaps highlighted in the existing standards/guidelines include lacks of detailed and widespread requirements for resources, fire protection measures, and lacks of taking into account environmental factors in detail. The main design and construction principles contained in the reviewed documents are largely based on previous research and/or good practices. Hence, the main contributions of this paper consist in: (a) systematically disseminate these guidance concepts, (b) setting a potential basis for the development of standards/guidelines in other jurisdictions lacking dedicated WUI fire design guidance, (c) highlighting gaps in existing standards/guidelines to be addressed by current and future research.
From Explanation to Understanding: Normativity Lost?
Authors: de Regt Henk W.
Published: September 2019

In recent years, scientific understanding has become a focus of attention in philosophy of science. Since understanding is typically associated with the pragmatic and psychological dimensions of explanation, shifting the focus from explanation to understanding may induce a shift from accounts that embody normative ideals to accounts that provide accurate descriptions of scientific practice. Not surprisingly, many ‘friends of understanding’ sympathize with a naturalistic approach to the philosophy of science. However, this raises the question of whether the proposed theories of understanding can still have normative power. In this paper I address this question by examining two theories of scientific understanding: Jan Faye’s pragmatic-rhetorical theory and my own contextual theory of scientific understanding. I argue that both theories leave room for normativity, despite their naturalistic tendencies. The normative power of my contextual theory is illustrated with a case study of the chemical revolution.
Foundations and Their Practical Implications for the Constitutive Coefficients of Poromechanical Dual-Continuum Models
Authors: Ashworth Mark , Doster Florian
Published: September 2019

A dual-continuum model can offer a practical approach to understanding first-order behaviours of poromechanically coupled multiscale systems. To close the governing equations, constitutive equations with models to calculate effective constitutive coefficients are required. Several coefficient models have been proposed within the literature. However, a holistic overview of the different modelling concepts is still missing. To address this we first compare and contrast the dominant models existing within the literature. In terms of the constitutive relations themselves, early relations were indirectly postulated that implicitly neglected the effect of the mechanical interaction arising between continuum pressures. Further, recent users of complete constitutive systems that include inter-continuum pressure coupling have explicitly neglected these couplings as a means of providing direct relations between composite and constituent properties, and to simplify coefficient models. Within the framework of micromechanics, we show heuristically that these explicit decouplings are in fact coincident with bounds on the effective parameters themselves. Depending on the formulation, these bounds correspond to end-member states of isostress or isostrain. We show the impacts of using constitutive coefficient models, decoupling assumptions and parameter bounds on poromechanical behaviours using analytical solutions for a 2D model problem. Based on the findings herein, we offer recommendations for how and when to use different coefficient modelling concepts.
Measuring Kidney Perfusion, pH, and Renal Clearance Consecutively Using MRI and Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography
Authors: Minhas Atul S. , Sharkey Jack , Randtke Edward A. , Murray Patricia , Wilm Bettina , Pagel Mark D. , Poptani Harish
Published: September 2019

Purpose: To establish multi-modal imaging for the assessment of kidney pH, perfusion, and clearance rate using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) in healthy mice. Kidney pH and perfusion values were measured on a pixel-by-pixel basis using the MRI acidoCEST and FAIR-EPI methods. Kidney filtration rate was measured by analyzing the renal clearance rate of IRdye 800 using MSOT. To test the effect of one imaging method on the other, a set of 3 animals were imaged with MSOT followed by MRI, and a second set of 3 animals were imaged with MRI followed by MSOT. In a subsequent study, the reproducibility of pH, perfusion, and renal clearance measurements were tested by imaging 4 animals twice, separated by 4 days. The contrast agents used for acidoCEST based pH measurements influenced the results of MSOT. Specifically, the exponential decay time from the kidney cortex, as measured by MSOT, was significantly altered when MRI was performed prior to MSOT. However, no significant difference in the cortex to pelvis area under the curve (AUC) was noted. When the order of experiments was reversed, no significant differences were noted in the pH or perfusion values. Reproducibility measurements demonstrated similar pH and cortex to pelvis AUC; however, perfusion values were significantly different with the cortex values being higher and the pelvic values being lower in the second imaging time. We demonstrate that using a combination of MRI and MSOT, physiological measurements of pH, blood flow, and clearance rates can be measured in the mouse kidney in the same imaging session.
Epistemic Responsibility and Criminal Negligence
Authors: Greenberg Alexander
Published: September 2019

We seem to be responsible for our beliefs in a distinctively epistemic way. We often hold each other to account for the beliefs that we hold. We do this by criticising other believers as ‘gullible’ or ‘biased’, and by trying to persuade others to revise their beliefs. But responsibility for belief looks hard to understand because we seem to lack control over our beliefs. In this paper, I argue that we can make progress in our understanding of responsibility for belief by thinking about it in parallel with another kind of responsibility: legal responsibility for criminal negligence. Specifically, I argue that that a popular account of responsibility for belief, which grounds it in belief’s reasons-responsiveness, faces a problem analogous to one faced by H.L.A. Hart’s influential capacity-based account of culpability. This points towards a more promising account of responsibility of belief, though, if we draw on accounts of negligence that improve on Hart’s. Broadly speaking, the account of negligence that improves on Hart’s account grounds culpability in a (lack of) concern for others’ interests, whereas my account of epistemic responsibility grounds responsibility for belief in a (lack of) concern for the truth.
The Role of Grain Refiner in the Nucleation of AlFeSi Intermetallic Phases During Solidification of a 6xxx Aluminum Alloy
Authors: Lui A. , Grant P. S. , Stone I. C. , O’Reilly K. A. Q.
Published: September 2019

Primary grain refinement using inoculant additions and intermetallic compound (IMC) phase selection are critical aspects in the solidification of commercial aluminum alloys, controlling the final mechanical properties in service. Although there have been studies which suggest there are explicit interactions between the two phenomena, they have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, through study of intermetallic phase particles extracted from an inoculated casting, key features relating to the nucleation of different intermetallic phases via eutectic reactions are recognized and explained. In particular, rake-like IMCs are identified as initiation points for the deleterious

$$\beta $$

β

-AlFeSi IMC phase in a model 6xxx series Al alloy. A mechanism is proposed for how

$${\text{TiB}}_{2}$$

TiB
2

inoculant particles, which are commonly used for primary phase refinement, play a role in enhancing the nucleation of intermetallic phases during eutectic reactions at the liquid/

$$\alpha $$

α

-Al interface in the final stages of solidification. The implication of this mechanism is that, after the event of primary grain refinement, any unused

$${\text{TiB}}_{2}$$

TiB
2

inoculant particles could be contributing to IMC formation thereby affecting the overall type, size, and distribution of intermetallic phases in the solidified alloy.
The Latent Precariousness of Migrant Workers: a Study of Ukrainians Legally Employed in Poland
Authors: Filipek Kamil , Polkowska Dominika
Published: September 2019

The global rise in migration has captured academic attention and spurred discussions around migrants—their living and working conditions, status, relations with the host community, future plans, etc. A significant stream of research explores migrants’ problems using the concept of precariousness. However, such research often becomes complicated as arrivals do not fit the frame of precariousness characterising the host society. Migrants encounter numerous problems, such as access to benefits and pensions, minimal wages, work permits or security and safety, but they do not complain or assess their personal situation as precarious. Based on fifteen in-depth interviews with Ukrainians working in Poland, this paper presents and discusses the problem of latent precariousness as a challenge to such qualitative methods as the in-depth interview. Social comparison theory has been used to explain critical problems related to the extent of precariousness among migrants.
Polyclad phylogeny persists to be problematic
Authors: Dittmann Isabel L. , Cuadrado Daniel , Aguado Maria Teresa , Noreña Carolina , Egger Bernhard
Published: September 2019

Two conflicting morphological approaches to polyclad systematics highlight the relevance of molecular data for resolving the interrelationships of Polycladida. In the present study, phylogenetic trees were reconstructed based on a short alignment of the 28S rDNA marker gene with 118 polyclad terminals (24 new) including 100 different polyclad species from 44 genera and 22 families, as well as on a combined dataset using 18S and 28S rDNA genes with 27 polyclad terminals (19 new) covering 26 different polyclad species. In both approaches, Theamatidae and Cestoplanidae were included, two families that have previously been shown to switch from Acotylea to Cotylea. Three different alignment methods were used, both with and without alignment curation by Gblocks, and all alignments were subjected to Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood tree calculations. Over all trees of the combined dataset, an extended majority-rule consensus tree had weak support for Theamatidae and Cestoplanidae as acotyleans, and also the cotylean generaBoninia,ChromyellaandPericelisappeared as acotyleans. With the most inclusive short 28S dataset, on the other hand, there is good support for the aforementioned taxa as cotyleans. Especially with the short 28S matrix, taxon sampling, outgroup selection, alignment method and curation, as well as model choice were all decisive for tree topology. Well-supported parts of the phylogeny over all trees include Pseudocerotoidea, Prosthiostomoidea, Stylochoidea, Leptoplanoidea and Cryptoceloidea, the latter three with new definitions. Unstable positions in the tree were found not only for Theamatidae, Cestoplanidae,Boninia,ChromyellaandPericelis, but also forAnonymus,ChromoplanaandCycloporus.
Persistent Precarity and the Disaster of Everyday Life: Homeless People’s Experiences of Natural and Other Hazards
Authors: Gaillard J C , Walters Vicky , Rickerby Megan , Shi Yu
Published: September 2019

Knowledge of how homeless people deal with natural hazards and disasters is sparse and there is a remarkable absence of homeless people in policies and practices for disaster risk reduction (DRR). This article aims at filling this gap by exploring the lives of homeless people in two New Zealand cities that are exposed to natural hazards. It shows that natural hazards are of marginal concern to homeless people in comparison to the everyday hazards that they experience and that make their everyday life a disaster in itself. The disaster of everyday life is created and compounded by homeless people’s precarious lifeworlds. The article, nonetheless, shows that homeless people’s vulnerability to natural hazards remains high as they lack power to control the processes that shape their everyday lives, to prepare for large-scale events, and to be represented in DRR policy. Therefore, the article ultimately argues that disaster policies require greater attention to be paid to the power structures that create persistent precarity and the ways in which this is experienced in everyday life.
Households’ Willingness to Pay for Disaster Resilient Safe Drinking Water Sources in Southwestern Coastal Bangladesh
Authors: Islam Md. Sariful , Afrin Sonia , Ahsan Md. Nasif , Haider Mohammed Ziaul , Mamun Tasnim Murad , Das Debasish Kumar
Published: September 2019

Nonfunctionality of engineered water sources after two catastrophic cyclones—Sidr in November 2007 and Aila in May 2009—created acute scarcity of safe drinking water in coastal Bangladesh. The objective of this study was to estimate households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for disaster resilient water sources in Dacope upazila of Khulna District in southwestern coastal Bangladesh. By applying the double bounded dichotomous contingent valuation method to a dataset of 250 randomly selected households, we found that the mean WTP is BDT 263 and that inaccessibility to functional safe drinking water sources is the most significant determining factor of households’ WTP. Projecting mean WTP for a disaster resilient water source project in the study area, we measured a present value of aggregate WTP over project’s life span worth about BDT 624 (USD 7.37) million, which is about 14.30 times the present value of project’s aggregate establishment and maintenance cost. However, charging the local inhabitants a water tariff at mean WTP would lead to the exclusion of around 50% of the people from getting access to the improved water services or create a free riding problem. Through simulation exercises this study determined that the socially optimal water tariff is BDT 50 per month. This tariff would not only generate revenue of more than five times the project cost but would also create access to disaster resilient improved drinking water sources for almost 99% of the people.
Topical Bromfenac Sodium in Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery
Authors: Aguilar Sierra María Camila , Alvarado-Villacorta Rosa , Pastrana Claudia Palacio
Published: September 2019

Purpose:

To evaluate the effect of preoperative 0.09% bromfenac ophthalmic solution for the reduction of intraoperative miosis and pain in patients who have undergone femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery.

Methods:

This prospective randomized clinical study included 65 patients with senile cataracts in the absence of significant ocular comorbidity. The patients received 0.09% bromfenac ophthalmic solution or control placebo twice a day for 3 days before surgery. Pupil diameter was measured at the initiation and finalization of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, and pain quantification was assessed by an analogous pain scale after one day of follow-up.

Results:

A total of 65 patients were randomly divided into two groups. Five patients were excluded due to defective coupling with the laser interface. Each of the 60 patients was randomized to receive preoperative topical treatment with either 0.09% bromfenac or 0.1% sodium hyaluronate. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups for age and gender. The mean change in horizontal and vertical pupil diameter from the preoperative to post-femtosecond laser measurements were significantly less in the bromfenac group than in the placebo group (0.43 ± 0.6 vs. 1.71 ± 0.9, P < 0.001 and 0.40 ± 0.6 vs. 1.78 ± 0.9, P < 0.001, respectively). Compared with untreated patients, the quantification of pain one day after the procedure was significantly lower in the 0.09% bromfenac group (46.7% with a score of 3 vs. 50% with a score of 1, P < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions:

The maintenance of pupil dilation and the prevention of miosis were more effective in the 0.09% bromfenac group than in the control group. Likewise, the greater control of postoperative pain represented an additional significant benefit.
Into the Void: A Counsel Perspective on the Need to Articulate Rules Concerning Disclosure Before the ICJ
Authors: Parlett Kate , Sander Amy
Published: September 2019

Individuals appearing before the ICJ on behalf of states are not subject under international law to any compulsory code of conduct to guide them in navigating issues of professional ethics. Article 42(2) of the ICJ Statute merely provides that parties “may have the assistance of counsel or advocates before the Court” and does not impose qualification requirements on those a state elects to appear on its behalf. In practice, legal teams appearing before the Court are comprised of individuals from different legal backgrounds who are either qualified legal practitioners or academics (referred to below as “counsel”). Qualified practitioners will likely be subject to professional codes of conduct applicable to them in their home jurisdiction, and those codes of conduct may bind them in relation to proceedings before the ICJ. But the professional obligations applying to practitioners from different jurisdictions can vary considerably. Some may consider that their domestic code of conduct does not (and/or should not) bind counsel before an international court. Those who are academics or are not admitted in any jurisdiction may not be subject to any conduct rules when acting as counsel. The absence of a common set of professional obligations means that the obligations bearing upon the conduct of particular counsel are unclear and certainly not uniform. This may have an impact on the presentation of a case before the Court, and in turn on the Court's understanding of the dispute. Ultimately, it could materially impact the outcome of a case.
Ethical Dimensions of Arbitrator Resignations
Authors: Levine Judith
Published: September 2019

This essay considers the ethical implications of arbitrator resignations. The resignation of an arbitrator “can severely disrupt an arbitration, particularly if it occurs at a late stage of the proceedings” and can cause “delays and significantly increased expense” resulting from replacement efforts, possible suspension of proceedings, and even the repetition of hearings. Given its potential impact on the parties and the arbitrator's own liability and reputation, “resigning from office is a serious decision, and should never be taken lightly.” Ethical issues connected with resignation have traditionally been given less prominence than discussion of conflicts and challenges, but should not be overlooked in any new endeavors aimed at developing a code of conduct for international arbitration.
Choosing Wisely Canada's emergency medicine recommendations: Time for a revision
Authors: Cheng Amy H. Y. , Campbell Sam , Chartier Lucas B. , Dowling Shawn , Goddard Tom , Gosselin Sophie , Holroyd Brian R. , Kapur Atul K. , Magee Kirk , McEwen Jill , Thiruganasambandamoorthy Venkatesh , Upadhye Suneel , Rowe Brian H.
Published: September 2019

Choosing Wisely Canada (CWC) is a national initiative designed to encourage patient-clinician discussions about the appropriate, evidence-based use of medical tests, procedures and treatments. The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians’ (CAEP) Choosing Wisely Canada (CWC) working group developed and released ten recommendations relevant to Emergency Medicine in June 2015 (items 1–5) and October 2016 (items 6–10). In November 2016, the CAEP CWC working group developed a process for updating the recommendations. This process involves: 1) Using GRADE to evaluate the quality of evidence, 2) reviewing relevant recommendations on an ad hoc basis as new evidence emerges, and 3) reviewing all recommendations every five years. While the full review of the CWC recommendations will be performed in 2020, a number of high-impact studies were published after our initial launch that prompted an ad hoc review of the relevant three of our ten recommendations prior to the full review in 2020. This paper describes the results of the CAEP CWC working group's ad hoc review of three of our ten recommendations in light of recent publications.
Slavery, Absorption, and Gender: Frederick Cooper and the Power of Comparison
Authors: Lindsay Lisa A.
Published: September 2019

This essay considers Frederick Cooper’s early scholarship on African slavery, which called for and modeled a practice of comparative historiography. His critique of the “absorption model” of African slavery, enabled by comparison with the Americas, anticipated important recent trends in the study of Atlantic slavery. Revisiting this critique helps us to understand key features of cultural continuity and change among enslaved people and can inform future research about gender and the Atlantic slave trade. In particular, it suggests the limitations of an analysis that separates the assumed African assimilation of enslaved women from the export mostly of men.
Hospital-level high-risk antibiotic use in relation to hospital-associated Clostridioides difficile infections: Retrospective analysis of 2016–2017 data from US hospitals
Authors: Tabak Ying P. , Srinivasan Arjun , Yu Kalvin C. , Kurtz Stephen G. , Gupta Vikas , Gelone Steven , Scoble Patrick J. , McDonald L. Clifford
Published: September 2019

Objective:

Antibiotics are widely used by all specialties in the hospital setting. We evaluated previously defined high-risk antibiotic use in relation to Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs).

Methods:

We analyzed 2016–2017 data from 171 hospitals. High-risk antibiotics included second-, third-, and fourth-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, carbapenems, and lincosamides. A CDI case was a positive stool C. difficile toxin or molecular assay result from a patient without a positive result in the previous 8 weeks. Hospital-associated (HA) CDI cases included specimens collected >3 calendar days after admission or ≤3 calendar days from a patient with a prior same-hospital discharge within 28 days. We used the multivariable Poisson regression model to estimate the relative risk (RR) of high-risk antibiotic use on HA CDI, controlling for confounders.

Results:

The median days of therapy for high-risk antibiotic use was 241.2 (interquartile range [IQR], 192.6–295.2) per 1,000 days present; the overall HA CDI rate was 33 (IQR, 24–43) per 10,000 admissions. The overall correlation of high-risk antibiotic use and HA CDI was 0.22 (P = .003), and higher correlation was observed in teaching hospitals (0.38; P = .002). For every 100-day (per 1,000 days present) increase in high-risk antibiotic therapy, there was a 12% increase in HA CDI (RR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04–1.21; P = .002) after adjusting for confounders.

Conclusions:

High-risk antibiotic use is an independent predictor of HA CDI. This assessment of poststewardship implementation in the United States highlights the importance of tracking trends of antimicrobial use over time as it relates to CDI.
Efficient Wine Pricing Using Stochastic Frontier Models
Authors: Fried Harold O. , Tauer Loren W.
Published: September 2019

We specify a two-tier stochastic frontier model to estimate a price equation for U.S. Rieslings and determine overpricing and underpricing of specific wines. The data is for 2000–2016. Using tasting score and tasting score squared as sole independent variables, we found evidence of overpricing and underpricing of wines. When additional location variables were entered, empirical estimates for this two-tier model were infeasible, suggesting that both underpricing and overpricing did not occur simultaneously in this market. Separate one-sided stochastic frontier models were then specified and estimated to test for either under or overpricing in this market. Results showed that overpricing exists and not underpricing, but the extent of overpricing is minor, suggesting that wineries do an efficient job pricing their wines, given tasting scores, conditional on regional location premiums or discounts. We also investigated the effect of scale on pricing for a smaller set of wineries. (JEL Classifications: C4, D4, Q1)
Vowel duration in English adjectives in attributive and predicative constructions
Authors: BYBEE JOAN , NAPOLEÃO DE SOUZA RICARDO
Published: September 2019

abstract

Using ten English adjectives, this study tests the hypothesis that the vowels in adjectives in predicative constructions are longer than those in attributive constructions in spoken conversation. The analyses considered a number of factors: occurrence before a pause, lexical adjective, vowel identity, probability given surrounding words, and others. Two sets of statistical techniques were used: a Mixed-effects model and the Random Forest Analysis based on Conditional Inference Trees (CIT). Both analyses showed strong effects of predicative vs. attributive constructions and individual lexical adjectives on vowel duration in the predicted direction, as well as effects of many of the phonological variables tested. The results showed that the longer duration in the predicative construction is not due to lengthening before a pause, though it is related to whether the adjective is internal or final in the predicative construction. Nor is the effect attributable solely to the probability of the occurrence of the adjective; rather construction type has to be taken into account. The two statistical techniques complement each other, with the Mixed-effects model showing very general trends over all the data, and the Random Forest / CIT analysis showing factors that affect only subsets of the data.
The End of the “Green Oasis”: Chronological Bayesian Modeling of Human and Environmental Dynamics in the Bahariya Area (Egyptian Sahara) from Pharaonic Third Intermediate Period to Medieval Times
Authors: Colin Frédéric , Quiles Anita , Schuster Mathieu , Schwartz Dominique , Duvette Catherine , Marchand Sylvie , El Dorry Mennat-Allah , van Heesch Johan
Published: September 2019

After the sharp transition to aridity that followed the “Green Sahara” episode 5500 years ago, human settlements took refuge in Egyptian oases, which have to varying extents been “Green Oases” for centuries. In that period, synchronous with the beginning of historical times, the desert’s aridity is generally regarded as broadly comparable to the current period. Natural and anthropogenic deposits studied during 13 excavation campaigns in Bahariya Oasis (Egyptian Desert) suggest that a fairly clear transition from a relatively green environment to much more arid landscapes occurred in the first millennia BCE and CE. This article aims at establishing the chronology of human occupations and environmental change within this period, by combining archaeological and radiocarbon data, using Bayesian modeling. It reveals that the drying up of the environment experienced by desert farmers occurred at some point between the reigns of Antoninus Pius and Caracalla (2nd–3rd century CE). The accuracy of the produced chronological models made it possible to highlight synchronisms between the end of this “Green Oasis” phase and comparable aridification phenomena on regional and interregional scales. Similar degradation processes on remote sites inside the Roman Empire might be explained by globalized anthropogenic agencies overlapping with a broader climatic drying.
The Compound Effects of Candidate Race and Racial Resentment in US House Elections
Authors: Hale Isaac
Published: September 2019

Despite the longstanding underrepresentation of blacks in Congress, political science research has not settled on the cause. While there is increasing evidence that racial attitudes affect vote choice in today's congressional elections, how this effect interacts with the race of the candidates is unknown. This study addresses this debate by analyzing novel survey, census, and candidate data from the Obama era of congressional elections (2010–2016) to test whether racially prejudiced attitudes held by whites decrease their likelihood of supporting black Democratic candidates and Democratic candidates as a whole. In line with theoretical predictions, this paper finds that Democratic House candidates are less likely to receive votes among white voters with strong racial resentment toward blacks, and black Democratic candidates fare even worse. These findings help to explain the persistence of black legislative underrepresentation and contribute to theories of partisan racial realignment.
ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN DIFFERENTIAL POLYNOMIAL RINGS AND POLYNOMIAL RINGS OVER NIL RINGS
Authors: CATALANO LOUISA , CHANG-LEE MEGAN
Published: September 2019

In this paper, we study some connections between the polynomial ring $R[y]$ and the differential polynomial ring $R[x;D]$. In particular, we answer a question posed by Smoktunowicz, which asks whether $R[y]$ is nil when $R[x;D]$ is nil, provided that $R$ is an algebra over a field of positive characteristic and $D$ is a locally nilpotent derivation.
THE FIRST COHOMOLOGY GROUP OF BANACH INVERSE SEMIGROUP ALGEBRAS WITH COEFFICIENTS IN -EMBEDDED BANACH BIMODULES
Authors: GHAHRAMANI HOGER
Published: September 2019

Let $S$ be a discrete inverse semigroup, $l^{1}(S)$ the Banach semigroup algebra on $S$ and $\mathbb{X}$ a Banach $l^{1}(S)$-bimodule which is an $L$-embedded Banach space. We show that under some mild conditions ${\mathcal{H}}^{1}(l^{1}(S),\mathbb{X})=0$. We also provide an application of the main result.
Effect of flaxseed oil on muscle protein loss and carbohydrate oxidation impairment in a pig model after lipopolysaccharide challenge
Authors: Kang Ping , Wang Yang , Li Xiangen , Wan Zhicheng , Wang Xiuying , Zhu Huiling , Wang Chunwei , Zhao Shengjun , Chen Huifu , Liu Yulan
Published: September 2019

Flaxseed oil is rich in α-linolenic acid (ALA), which is the metabolic precursor of EPA and DHA. The present study investigated the effect of flaxseed oil supplementation on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced muscle atrophy and carbohydrate oxidation impairment in a piglet model. Twenty-four weaned pigs were used in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment including dietary treatment (5 % maize oilv. 5 % flaxseed oil) and LPS challenge (salinev. LPS). On day 21 of treatment, the pigs were injected intraperitoneally with 100 μg/kg body weight LPS or sterile saline. At 4 h after injection, blood, gastrocnemius muscle and longissimus dorsi muscle were collected. Flaxseed oil supplementation increased ALA, EPA, totaln-3 PUFA contents, protein:DNA ratio and pyruvate dehydrogenase complex quantity in muscles (P< 0·05). In addition, flaxseed oil reduced mRNA expression of toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain protein (NOD) 2 and their downstream signalling molecules in muscles and decreased plasma concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8, and mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-1βand IL-6 (P< 0·05). Moreover, flaxseed oil inclusion increased the ratios of phosphorylated protein kinase B (Akt) 1:total Akt1 and phosphorylated Forkhead box O (FOXO) 1:total FOXO1 and reduced mRNA expression of FOXO1, muscle RING finger (MuRF) 1 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 in muscles (P< 0·05). These results suggest that flaxseed oil might have a positive effect on alleviating muscle protein loss and carbohydrates oxidation impairment induced by LPS challenge through regulation of the TLR4/NOD and Akt/FOXO signalling pathways.
Simulations of carbon ion acceleration by 10 PW laser pulses on ELI-NP
Authors: Sangwan D. , Culfa O. , Ridgers C.P. , Aogaki S. , Stutman D. , Diaconescu B.
Published: September 2019

We present results of 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of carbon ion acceleration by 10 petawatt (PW) laser pulses, studying both circular polarized (CP) and linear polarized (LP) pulses. We carry out a thickness scanning of a solid carbon target to investigate the ideal thickness for carbon ion acceleration mechanisms using a 10 PW laser with an irradiance of 5 × 1022 W cm−2. The energy spectra of carbon ions and electrons and their temperature are studied. Additionally, for the carbon ions, their angular divergence is studied. It is shown that the ideal thickness for the carbon acceleration is 120 nm and the cutoff energy for carbon ions is 5 and 3 GeV for CP and LP pulses, respectively. The corresponding carbon ions temperature is ~1 and ~0.75 GeV. On the other hand, the energy cutoff for the electrons is ~500 MeV with LP and ~400 MeV with CP laser pulses. We report that the breakout afterburner mechanism is most likely causing the acceleration of carbon ions to such high energies for the optimal target thickness.
Health Technology Agency insights: informing modification of a qualitative benefit risk framework for Health Technology Reassessment of prescription medications
Authors: Maloney Mary Alison , Schwartz Lisa , O'Reilly Daria , Levine Mitchel
Published: September 2019

Objectives

This study's intent was to determine if a qualitative benefit risk framework could be used or modified to further enable Health Technology Reassessment (HTR) of prescription medicine recommendations. The purpose of this research was to understand Canadian Health Technology Agency assessors past experiences and insights to inform any modifications to the Universal Methodology for Benefit−Risk Assessment (UMBRA) qualitative framework. The UMBRA framework consists of an eight-step process, used during the assessment phase, to aid in decision making and dissemination.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive study was conducted and included a purposeful, criterion-based sample of eight assessors who had participated in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) or HTR for prescription medicines or in qualitative decision-making frameworks.

Results

Participant interviews lead to four common themes: “adoption of a qualitative benefit risk framework,” “data (either too much or not enough),” “importance of incorporating stakeholder values,” and “feasibility of the UMBRA framework.” Methodological challenges with HTR were highlighted including the lack of clinical outcome data and the ability to compare clinically relevant meaningful differences. The implementation of a ranking or weighing process found within the UMBRA framework was not favored by half of the participants.

Conclusions

Research participants did not consider all steps of the UMBRA framework to be transferable to the assessment phase of HTR given the need for simplicity, resource efficiency, and stakeholder input throughout the process. The assessor experiences and insights and the resultant key themes can be used in future research to aid in the development of a qualitative recommendation framework for HTR.
WHY ARE LEXICAL TONES DIFFICULT TO LEARN?
Authors: Chan Ricky KW , Leung Janny HC
Published: September 2019

L2 sounds present different kinds of challenges to learners at the phonetic, phonological, and lexical levels, but previous studies on L2 tone learning mostly focused on the phonetic and lexical levels. The present study employs an innovative technique to examine the role of prior tonal experience and musical training on forming novel abstract syllable-level tone categories. Eighty Cantonese and English musicians and nonmusicians completed two tasks: (a) AX tone discrimination and (b) incidental learning of artificial tone-segment connections (e.g., words beginning with an aspirated stop always carry a rising tone) with synthesized stimuli modeled on Thai. Although the four participant groups distinguished the target tones similarly well, Cantonese speakers showed abstract and implicit knowledge of the target tone-segment mappings after training but English speakers did not, regardless of their musical experience. This suggests that tone language experience, but not musical experience, is crucial for forming novel abstract syllable-level tone categories.