bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-performance GPU computations in nonlinear dynamics: an efficient tool for new discoveries
Authors: Hegedűs Ferenc , Krähling Péter , Lauterborn Werner , Mettin Robert , Parlitz Ulrich
Published: March 2020

The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate the benefit of the application of high-performance computing techniques in the field of non-linear science through two kinds of dynamical systems as test models. It is shown that high-resolution, multi-dimensional parameter scans (in the order of millions of parameter combinations) via an initial value problem solver are an efficient tool to discover new features of dynamical systems that are hard to find by other means. The employed initial value problem solver is an in-house code written in C++ and CUDA C software environments, which can exploit the high processing power of professional graphics cards (GPUs). The first test model is the Keller–Miksis equation, a non-linear oscillator describing the dynamics of a driven single spherical gas bubble placed in an infinite domain of liquid. This equation is important in the field of cavitation and sonochemistry. Here, the high-resolution parameter scans gave us the opportunity to lay down the basis of a non-feedback technique to control multi-stability in which direct selection of the desired attractor is possible. The second test model is related to a pressure relief valve that can exhibit a special kind of impact dynamics called grazing impact. A fine scan of the initial conditions revealed a second focal point of the grazing lines in the initial-condition space that was hidden in previous studies.
Peer Feedback Improves Students’ Academic Self-Concept in Higher Education
Authors: Simonsmeier Bianca A. , Peiffer Henrike , Flaig Maja , Schneider Michael
Published: March 2020

Peer feedback has been shown to be an effective strategy to improve academic achievement. However, little evidence is available about the effects of peer feedback on academic outcomes other than achievement, such as academic self-concept (ASC). ASC and achievement are reciprocally related and thus mutual reinforce themselves. The present study focuses on the effect of a four week long structured web-based peer feedback intervention on ASC in the domain of academic writing as a part of a seminar assignment in a sample of undergraduate psychology students. The study investigated the effectiveness with 49 students in a randomized-controlled trial with a pre-and post-test. Each student acted as an author and a reviewer. Results indicated significant improvements in ASC for the domain of academic writing over time as compared to a control group. Furthermore, the causal effect of peer feedback compared to no feedback on ASC for academic writing was strong with d = 0.72. The effect was domain specific, as the ASCs for the sub-domains statistics and language remained unchanged by the intervention. Overall, the results revealed that participation in a peer feedback system is an effective method to enhance ASC in the context of higher education.
A Triple Pore Network Model (T-PNM) for Gas Flow Simulation in Fractured, Micro-porous and Meso-porous Media
Authors: Rabbani Arash , Babaei Masoud , Javadpour Farzam
Published: March 2020

In this study, a novel triple pore network model (T-PNM) is introduced which is composed of a single pore network model (PNM) coupled to fractures and micro-porosities. We use two stages of the watershed segmentation algorithm to extract the required data from semi-real micro-tomography images of porous material and build a structural network composed of three conductive elements: meso-pores, micro-pores, and fractures. Gas and liquid flow are simulated on the extracted networks and the calculated permeabilities are compared with dual pore network models (D-PNM) as well as the analytical solutions. It is found that the processes which are more sensitive to the surface features of material, should be simulated using a T-PNM that considers the effect of micro-porosities on overall process of flow in tight pores. We found that, for gas flow in tight pores where the close contact of gas with the surface of solid walls makes Knudsen diffusion and gas slippage significant, T-PNM provides more accurate solution compared to D-PNM. Within the tested range of operational conditions, we recorded between 10 and 50% relative error in gas permeabilities of carbonate porous rocks if micro-porosities are dismissed in the presence of fractures.
A population-based resource for intergenerational metabolomics analyses in pregnant women and their children: the Generation R Study
Authors: Voerman Ellis , Jaddoe Vincent W. V. , Uhl Olaf , Shokry Engy , Horak Jeannie , Felix Janine F. , Koletzko Berthold , Gaillard Romy
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Adverse exposures in early life may predispose children to cardio-metabolic disease in later life. Metabolomics may serve as a valuable tool to disentangle the metabolic adaptations and mechanisms that potentially underlie these associations.

Objectives

To describe the acquisition, processing and structure of the metabolomics data available in a population-based prospective cohort from early pregnancy onwards and to examine the relationships between metabolite profiles of pregnant women and their children at birth and in childhood.

Methods

In a subset of 994 mothers-child pairs from a prospective population-based cohort study among pregnant women and their children from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, we used LC–MS/MS to determine concentrations of amino acids, non-esterified fatty acids, phospholipids and carnitines in blood serum collected in early pregnancy, at birth (cord blood), and at child’s age 10 years.

Results

Concentrations of diacyl-phosphatidylcholines, acyl-alkyl-phosphatidylcholines, alkyl-lysophosphatidylcholines and sphingomyelines were the highest in early pregnancy, concentrations of amino acids and non-esterified fatty acids were the highest at birth and concentrations of alkyl-lysophosphatidylcholines, free carnitine and acyl-carnitines were the highest at age 10 years. Correlations of individual metabolites between pregnant women and their children at birth and at the age of 10 years were low (range between r = − 0.10 and r = 0.35).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that unique metabolic profiles are present among pregnant women, newborns and school aged children, with limited intergenerational correlations between metabolite profiles. These data will form a valuable resource to address the early metabolic origins of cardio-metabolic disease.
A service evaluation of e-triage in the osteoporosis outpatient clinic—an effective tool to improve patient access?
Authors: Lindsay John R. , Lawrenson G. , English S.
Published: March 2020

Summary

We introduced an electronic triage system into our osteoporosis service to actively manage referral demand in a busy outpatient service. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of e-triage in supporting alternative management pathways, through use of virtual advice and direct to investigation services, to improve patient access.

Purpose

Osteoporosis referrals are increasing with awareness of the potential for prevention of fragility fracture and with complex decision making around management with long-term bisphosphonate therapy. We examined whether active triage of referrals might improve referral management processes and patient access to osteoporosis services.

Methods

We implemented electronic triage (e-triage) of referrals to our osteoporosis service using the Northern Ireland electronic health care record. This included the option of ‘advice only’, direct to investigation with DXA or face-to-face appointments at the consultant-led complex osteoporosis service. We anticipated that there was scope to manage patient flow direct to investigation, or to provide referring clinicians with clinical advice without the need for a face-to-face assessment, at the consultant-led specialist service.

Results

We reviewed e-triage outcomes of 809 referrals (692 F; 117 M) to osteoporosis specialist services (mean age 65 ± 16.5 years) over a 12-month period. There was a high degree of agreement for the triage category between the referring clinician and specialist services (741/809). 73.3% attended a face-to-face appointment at the consultant-led clinic, while active triage enabled direct to investigation (18.4%) or discharge (8.3%) in the remainder. The mean time between receipt of an electronic referral and e-triage was 3 days over the 12-month period as compared with 2.1 days (median 1.1 days) when annual leave periods were excluded.

Conclusion

E-triage supports effective referral management in a busy osteoporosis service. Efficiency is limited by reliance on a sole clinician and 5 day working at present. There is scope to further improve systems access through multidisciplinary team working, virtual clinics and future information technology developments.
Re-designing adaptive selling strategies: the role of different types of shopping companions
Authors: Scholz Tobias , Redler Jörn , Pagel Sven
Published: March 2020

This paper explores the influence of shopping companions in retail sales conversations and the necessity of designing more comprehensive sales training programs. In particular, the characteristics and behaviors of shopping companions and their subsequent effects on accompanied shoppers, the salesperson and the sales conversation are examined. Shopping companions have not played a role in adaptive selling research and most practical trainings for salespeople so far, although they can significantly affect shopper behavior and decision-making, and require distinct approaches by salespeople. Systematizing in-depth interviews with salespeople and qualitative content analysis reveal a variety of different character traits and behaviors of shopping companions that can lead to positive and negative outcomes from a salesperson’s perspective. The interactions that take place between customers and salespeople are the core element of customer-oriented service in retailing. When a holistic customer-oriented service is part of their value proposition, retailers should consider re-designing training programs for salespeople and include the influence of shopping companions. In doing so, salespeople’s customer orientation can be increased by augmenting their capabilities and enabling them to make use of adaptive selling techniques specifically designed for co-shopping situations.
Searching for structure in collective systems
Authors: Twomey Colin R. , Hartnett Andrew T. , Sosna Matthew M. G. , Romanczuk Pawel
Published: March 2020

From fish schools and bird flocks to biofilms and neural networks, collective systems in nature are made up of many mutually influencing individuals that interact locally to produce large-scale coordinated behavior. Although coordination is central to what it means to behave collectively, measures of large-scale coordination in these systems are ad hoc and system specific. The lack of a common quantitative scale makes broad cross-system comparisons difficult. Here we identify a system-independent measure of coordination based on an information-theoretic measure of multivariate dependence and show it can be used in practice to give a new view of even classic, well-studied collective systems. Moreover, we use this measure to derive a novel method for finding the most coordinated components within a system and demonstrate how this can be used in practice to reveal intrasystem organizational structure.
Percutaneous mitral valve repair: the necessity to redefine secondary mitral regurgitation
Authors: Halim J. , Van den Branden B. , Coussement P. , Kedhi E. , Van der Heyden J.
Published: March 2020

Interest in percutaneous mitral valve repair has increased during recent years. This is mainly driven by the significant number of patients being declined for mitral valve surgery because of a high risk of surgery-related complications or death. In this subset of patients, percutaneous edge-to-edge repair using the MitraClip device (Abbott, Menlo Park, CA, USA) has become an established treatment option, proven to be safe, efficient and associated with improved functional status. In contrast to primary mitral regurgitation (MR), clinical outcomes after mitral valve surgery appear to be less favourable as regards secondary MR due to heart failure. In the MITRA-FR and COAPT trials, patients with moderate to severe and severe secondary MR with reduced left ventricular function received either medical treatment (control group) or MitraClip implantation plus medical treatment (device group). Results were conflicting, with only the COAPT trial showing better clinical outcomes in the device group. However, both trials are now seen as complementary and provide useful information especially regarding patient selection for MitraClip therapy. The goal of this review is to delineate which subset of patients with secondary MR will potentially benefit from percutaneous mitral valve repair.
Chemometric analysis for pollution source identification and human health risk assessment of water resources in Ojoto Province, southeast Nigeria
Authors: Egbueri Johnbosco C. , Mgbenu Chukwuma N.
Published: March 2020

This paper quantified the level of heavy metals contamination, identified possible sources of pollution, and assessed the human health risks associated with drinking water resources in Ojoto Province, Nigeria. The study’s gross findings revealed that the suitability of some water sources for consumption purposes in this province is questionable. Based on water quality index, 57.14% of the total samples are within acceptable limits, while 42.86% are unsuitable for drinking. It was observed that the northwestern and southern parts of the study area have more of deteriorated water quality. The health hazard index revealed that 25% of the samples predispose their consumers (both adult and children populations) to high chronic health risks. Moreover, heavy metal pollution index, contamination index, and probability of cancer risk (CR) revealed that about 25% of the total samples were unsuitable and off the CR standard acceptable range of ≤ 1 × 10−6–1 × 10−4. Correlation and component factor analyses linked the origin of major ions to geogenic processes and that of the heavy metals to both natural and anthropogenic processes. Cluster analysis divided the samples into two equal classes (50% each): poor and excellent quality waters. This study indicated that Pb is the priority pollutant impacting the water quality. The various assessments revealed that waters from hand-dug wells and deeper boreholes are the least contaminated and hence best suited for drinking than waters from springs, streams, and shallow wells.
Data-driven model for shear wave transit time prediction for formation evaluation
Authors: Onalo David , Adedigba Sunday , Oloruntobi Olalere , Khan Faisal , James Lesley A. , Butt Stephen
Published: March 2020

Sonic well logs provide a cost-effective and efficient non-destructive tool for continuous dynamic evaluation of reservoir formations. In the exploration and production of oil and gas reservoirs, these sonic logs contain crucial information about the formation. However, shear sonic logs are not acquired in all oil and gas exploration wells. More so, many offset wells are not run with the most recent sonic logging tools capable of measuring both shear and compressional sonic transit times due to the relatively high costs of running such equipment. And in wells where they are deployed, they are run only over limited intervals of the formation. Such wells lack continuous shear wave transit time measurements along the formation. In this study, an exponential Gaussian process model is presented. The model accurately predicts the shear wave transit times in the formations which lack reliable shear wave transit time measurements. The proposed model is developed using an array of well logs, namely depth, density, porosity, gamma ray, and compressional transit time. A Monte Carlo simulation is used to quantify the proposed model uncertainty. The shear sonic transit time predictions are used to estimate some formation deformation properties, namely Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio of a reservoir formation. The results suggest that shear transit time can be represented and predicted by Gaussian-based process model with RMSE, R2, and MSE of 11.147, 0.99, and 124.6, respectively. The proposed model provides a reliable and cost-effective tool for oil and gas dynamic formation evaluation. The findings from this study can help for better understanding of shear transit times in formations which do not have multipole sonic logs or where data have been corrupted while logging in the Niger Delta.
Data-driven approaches tests on a laboratory drilling system
Authors: Løken Erik Andreas , Løkkevik Jens , Sui Dan
Published: March 2020

In recent years, considerable resources have been invested to exploit vast amounts of data that get collected during exploration, drilling and production of oil and gas. Data-related digital technologies potentially become a game changer for the industry in terms of reduced costs through increasing operational efficiency and avoiding accidents, improved health, safety and environment through strengthening situational awareness and so on. Machine learning, an application of artificial intelligence to offer systems/processes self-learning and self-driving ability, has been around for recent decades. In the last five to ten years, the increased computational powers along with heavily digitized control and monitoring systems have made machine learning algorithms more available, powerful and accurate. Considering the state-of-art technologies that exist today and the significant resources that are being invested into the technologies of tomorrow, the idea of intelligent and automated drilling systems to select best decisions or provide good recommendations based on the information available becomes closer to a reality. This study shows the results of our research activity carried out on the topic of drilling automation and digitalization. The main objective is to test the developed machine learning algorithms of formation classification and drilling operations identification on a laboratory drilling system. In this paper, an algorithm to develop data-driven models based on the laboratory data collocated in many scenarios (for instance, drilling different formation samples with varying drilling operational parameters and running different operations) is presented. Moreover, a testing algorithm based on data-driven models for new formation detection and confirmation is proposed. In the case study, results on multiple experiments conducted to test and validate the developed machine learning methods have been illustrated and discussed.
Cumulative Effects of Doubling Up in Childhood on Young Adult Outcomes
Authors: Harvey Hope
Published: March 2020

Living in a doubled-up, or shared, household is a common experience. Nearly one-half of children in the United States double up at some point during childhood, yet we know little about the cumulative effects of these households on children. This study estimates the effects on young adult health and educational attainment of childhood years spent in three doubled-up household types: (1) those formed with children’s grandparent(s), (2) those formed with children’s adult sibling(s), and (3) those formed with other extended family or non-kin adults. Using marginal structural models and inverse probability of treatment weighting—methods that account for the fact that household composition is both a cause and consequence of other family characteristics—I find that doubling up shapes children’s life chances, but the effects vary depending on children’s relationships with household members. Childhood years spent living with nongrandparent extended family or non-kin adults are associated with worse young adult outcomes, but coresidence with grandparents is not significantly associated with young adult outcomes after selection into these households is accounted for, and coresidence with adult siblings may be beneficial in some domains. By studying the effects of coresidence with adults beyond the nuclear family, this research contributes to a fuller understanding of the implications of family complexity for children.
Current formulation approaches in design and development of solid oral dosage forms through three-dimensional printing
Authors: Curti Carlo , Kirby Daniel J. , Russell Craig A.
Published: March 2020

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies are continuously applied to novel fields, laying the foundations for a new industrial revolution. With regard to pharmaceutical sciences, 3D printed drug products are emerging as attractive and innovative tools in personalised medicine. For example, solid oral dosage forms (e.g. tablets) can be printed in a wide range of dosages, release profiles, geometries and sizes by simply modifying a digital model, thus providing patients with tailored therapies. Various 3D printing technologies have been applied to pharmaceutical manufacture in recent years, and different materials have been investigated to fabricate solid oral dosage forms in a broad range of properties. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the state of the art of 3D printing oral pharmaceuticals, with the view to provide formulation scientists with essential information to approach the development of 3D printed drug products, from digital design to final product quality control. Short- to long-term potential areas of application of 3D printed drug products and their relative regulatory pathway challenges are also presented.
Desformylflustrabromine, a positive allosteric modulator of α4β2-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, enhances cognition in rats
Authors: Nikiforuk Agnieszka , Litwa Ewa , Krawczyk Martyna , Popik Piotr , Arias Hugo
Published: March 2020

Rationale

The α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α4β2-nAChRs) may represent useful targets for cognitive improvement. It has been recently proposed that a strategy based on positive allosteric modulation of α4β2-nAChRs reveals several advantages over the direct agonist approach. Nevertheless, the procognitive effects of α4β2-nAChR positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) have not been extensively characterized.

Objectives

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the procognitive efficacy of desformylflustrabromine (dFBr), a selective α4β2-nAChR PAM.

Methods

Cognitive effects were investigated in the novel object recognition task (NORT) and the attentional set-shifting task (ASST) in rats.

Results

The results demonstrate that dFBr attenuated the delay-induced impairment in NORT performance and facilitated cognitive flexibility in the ASST. The beneficial effects of dFBr were inhibited by dihydro-β-erythroidine, a relatively selective α4β2-nAChR antagonist, indicating the involvement of α4β2-nAChRs in cognitive processes. The tested α4β2-PAM was also effective against ketamine- and scopolamine-induced deficits of object recognition memory. Moreover, procognitive effects were also observed after combined treatment with inactive doses of dFBr and TC-2403, a selective α4β2-nAChR agonist.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that dFBr presents procognitive activity, supporting the strategy based on α4β2-nAChR potentiation as a plausible therapy for cognitive impairment.
ENUMERATION OF MEANDERS AND MASUR–VEECH VOLUMES
Authors: DELECROIX VINCENT , GOUJARD ÉLISE , ZOGRAF PETER , ZORICH ANTON
Published: March 2020

A meander is a topological configuration of a line and a simple closed curve in the plane (or a pair of simple closed curves on the 2-sphere) intersecting transversally. Meanders can be traced back to H. Poincaré and naturally appear in various areas of mathematics, theoretical physics and computational biology (in particular, they provide a model of polymer folding). Enumeration of meanders is an important open problem. The number of meanders with

$2N$

crossings grows exponentially when

$N$

grows, but the long-standing problem on the precise asymptotics is still out of reach.

We show that the situation becomes more tractable if one additionally fixes the topological type (or the total number of minimal arcs) of a meander. Then we are able to derive simple asymptotic formulas for the numbers of meanders as

$N$

tends to infinity. We also compute the asymptotic probability of getting a simple closed curve on a sphere by identifying the endpoints of two arc systems (one on each of the two hemispheres) along the common equator.

The new tools we bring to bear are based on interpretation of meanders as square-tiled surfaces with one horizontal and one vertical cylinder. The proofs combine recent results on Masur–Veech volumes of moduli spaces of meromorphic quadratic differentials in genus zero with our new observation that horizontal and vertical separatrix diagrams of integer quadratic differentials are asymptotically uncorrelated. The additional combinatorial constraints we impose in this article yield explicit polynomial asymptotics.
A Qualitative Approach to School Counsellor Self-Efficacy: Sources and Enhancement Strategies
Authors: Özteke Kozan Hatice İrem
Published: March 2020

In the current study, the source of self-efficacy beliefs of school counsellors and enhancement strategies were investigated using a qualitative approach. A phenomenological research design was used in the current study. Nineteen school counsellors from Turkey participated in the study (11 of them female). For data collection, a semistructured interview technique was used, and for data analysis, thematic and content analyses were undertaken, resulting in particular themes and categories. Sources of school counsellor self-efficacy and likely enhancement strategies were collected under five themes: counselling skills, management of group behaviour, working with resistant students, consultation, and assessment techniques by using content analysis. Results were discussed in line with the literature and suggestions were given.
Mid-Furongian trilobites and agnostids from theWujiajiania lyndasmithaeSubzone of theElviniaZone, McKay Group, southeastern British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Chatterton Brian D.E.
Published: March 2020

A well-preserved fauna of largely articulated trilobites is described from three new localities close to one another in the Bull River Valley, southeastern British Columbia. All the trilobites from these localities are from the lower or middle part of theWujiajiania lyndasmithaeSubzone of theElviniaZone, lower Jiangshanian, in the McKay Group. Two new species are proposed with types from these localities:Aciculolenus askewiandCliffia nicoleae. The trilobite (and agnostid) fauna from these localities includes at least 20 species:Aciculolenus askewin. sp.,Agnostotes orientalis(Kobayashi, 1935),Cernuolimbus ludvigseniChatterton and Gibb, 2016,Cliffia nicoleaen. sp.,Elvinia roemeri(Shumard, 1861),Grandagnostus? species 1 of Chatterton and Gibb, 2016,Eugonocare?phillipiChatterton and Gibb, 2016,Eugonocare? sp. A,Housia vacuna(Walcott, 1912),Irvingella convexa(Kobayashi, 1935),Irvingella flohriResser, 1942,Irvingellaspecies B Chatterton and Gibb, 2016,Olenaspella chrisnewiChatterton and Gibb, 2016,Proceratopyge canadensis(Chatterton and Ludvigsen, 1998),Proceratopyge rectispinata(Troedsson, 1937),Pseudagnostuscf.P. josepha(Hall, 1863),Pseudagnostus securiger(Lake, 1906),Pseudeugonocare bispinatum(Kobayashi, 1962),Pterocephaliasp., andWujiajiania lyndasmithaeChatterton and Gibb, 2016.Pseudagnostus securiger, a widespread early Jiangshanian species, has not been previously recorded from southeastern British Columbia. Non-trilobite fossils collected from these localities include brachiopods, rare trace fossils, a complete silica sponge (Hyalospongea), and a dendroid graptolite. The faunas from these localities are more diverse and better preserved than those from other previously documented localities of the same age in the region.

Additional specimens of a rare species, found by amateur collectors in previously documented localities of slightly younger age (upper part ofWujiajiania lyndasmithaeSubzone) in the same region, are documented. These new specimens, when combined with an earlier discovered specimen, provide adequate type material to propose a new species ofLabiostria, L. gibbae, which may be useful for biostratigraphy.

UUID:http://zoobank.org/89551eac-b3af-4b2b-8ef3-7c2e106a560d
Smoking amongst adults experiencing homelessness: a systematic review of prevalence rates, interventions and the barriers and facilitators to quitting and staying quit
Authors: Soar Kirstie , Dawkins Lynne , Robson Deborah , Cox Sharon
Published: March 2020

Background

To date, there has been no review of the research evidence examining smoking cessation among homeless adults. The current review aimed to: (i) estimate smoking prevalence in homeless populations; (ii) explore the efficacy of smoking cessation and smoking reduction interventions for homeless individuals; and (iii) describe the barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation and smoking reduction.

Method

Systematic review of peer-reviewed research. Data sources included electronic academic databases. Search terms: ‘smoking’ AND ‘homeless’ AND ‘tobacco’, including adult (18+ years) smokers accessing homeless support services.

Results

Fifty-three studies met the inclusion criteria (n = 46 USA). Data could not be meta-analysed due to large methodological inconsistencies and the lack of randomised controlled trials. Smoking prevalence ranged from 57% to 82%. Although there was no clear evidence on which cessation methods work best, layered approaches with additions to usual care seemed to offer modest enhancements in quit rates. Key barriers to cessation exist around the priority of smoking, beliefs around negative impact on mental health and substance use, and environmental influences.

Conclusions

Homeless smokers will benefit from layered interventions which support many of their competing needs. To best understand what works, future recommendations include the need for consensus on the reporting of cessation outcomes.
National trends and state-level variation in the duration of incoming quitline calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW during 2012–2015
Authors: Mann Nathan , Malarcher Ann , Zhang Lei , Shaikh Asma , Thompson Jesse , Chapman LeTonya
Published: March 2020

Introduction

The duration of incoming quitline calls may serve as a crude proxy for the potential amount of reactive counseling provided.

Aims

To explore whether call duration may be useful for monitoring quitline capacity and service delivery.

Methods

Using data on the duration of incoming quitline calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW from 2012 through 2015, we examined national trends and state-level variation in average call duration. We estimated a regression model of average call duration as a function of total incoming calls, nationally and by state, controlling for confounders.

Results

From 2012 through 2015, average call duration was 11.4 min, nationally, and was 10 min or longer in 33 states. Average call duration was significantly correlated with quitline service provider. Higher incoming call volume was significantly associated with lower average call duration in 32 states and higher average call duration in five states (P-value <0.05). The relationship between call volume and call duration was not correlated with quitline service provider.

Conclusions

Variation in average call duration across states likely reflects different service delivery models. Average call duration was associated with call volume in many states. Significant changes in call duration may highlight potential quitline capacity issues that warrant further investigation.
Discrimination in public accommodations
Authors: Harvey Anna , West Emily A.
Published: March 2020

Despite widespread belief in the efficacy of statutes prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations, including protections for the use of privately provided yet publicly available services such as transportation, hotels, and restaurants, we lack causal estimates of the impacts of these statutes on the well-being of those they are designed to protect. We leverage the US Supreme Court's 1883 strike of the public accommodations provisions in the Civil Rights Act of 1875, along with variation in state-level statutes, to identify the impact of the Act's public accommodations provisions. Using a panel of repeated geo-located medical exams of US Colored Troops (USCT) and white Union Army veterans, and a series of difference-in-differences, geographic regression discontinuity, and placebo designs, estimates consistently suggest that the Court's ruling led to meaningful weight losses for USCT veterans in states without state-level public accommodations statutes. These findings suggest that statutes prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations can have significant positive impacts on the well-being of those they are designed to protect.
The Right to Dominate: How Old Ideas About Sovereignty Pose New Challenges for World Order
Authors: Paris Roland
Published: March 2020

A principal theme of international relations scholarship following the Cold War was the apparent erosion of state sovereignty caused by globalization's integrative effects and the proliferation of international institutions and networks. In recent years, however, scholars have noted a reverse trend: the reassertion of traditional, or Westphalian, state sovereignty. By contrast, I highlight another recent trend that has gone largely overlooked: the reaffirmation of older “extralegal” and “organic” versions of sovereignty by three of the world's most powerful states—Russia, China, and the United States. After tracing the genealogy of these older concepts, I consider how and why they have gained prominence in the official discourse of all three countries. I also explore the implications of this shift, which not only illustrates the importance of “norm retrieval” in international affairs, but also raises questions about the foundations of international order. Contrary to Westphalian sovereignty, which emphasizes the legal equality of states and the principle of noninterference in domestic affairs, the extralegal and organic versions offer few constraints on state action. If anything, they appear to license powerful states to dominate others.
On the evolution of the glass ceiling in Italian academia: the case of economics
Authors: Corsi Marcella , D’Ippoliti Carlo , Zacchia Giulia
Published: March 2020

Argument

Following an international trend, Italy has reformed its university system, especially concerning methods and tools for research evaluation, which are increasingly focused on a number of bibliometric indexes. To study the effects of these changes, we analyze the changing profiles of economists who have won competitions for full professorship in the last few decades in the country. We concentrate on individual characteristics and on scientific production. We show that the identification of a univocal and standardized concept of “research quality” within the new research assessments has progressively imposed a strategy of “homologation,” especially for women. We find that women economists are at a higher risk of discrimination than their male colleagues and thus they are more likely to conform their research activities to the standardized profile imposed by the gender-blind application of simplistic bibliometric methods.
Cultural differences in the content of child talk: evaluative lexis of English monolingual and Spanish–English bilingual 30-month-olds
Authors: SHIRO Martha , HOFF Erika , RIBOT Krystal M.
Published: March 2020

We examined the size, content, and use of evaluative lexis by 26 English monolingual and 20 Spanish–English bilingual 30-month-old children in interaction with their mothers. We extracted the evaluative words, defined as words referring to cognition, volition, or emotion. Controlling for overall vocabulary skills as measured by the MacArthur-Bates inventories, monolinguals had a larger evaluative lexicon than the bilinguals’ Spanish evaluative lexicon, but no difference was found between monolinguals’ and bilinguals’ English evaluative lexicons. There were differences between the monolinguals and bilinguals in the distribution of evaluative words across semantic categories: English monolingual children used more words pertaining to volition and cognition and talked more about volition than the Spanish–English bilingual children. These results suggest that the development of evaluative lexicons is influenced by cultural differences, and consequently, bilingual children, who are also bicultural, follow a different developmental path in both languages from the path followed by their monolingual peers.
What mental health services should be available after the postnatal period?
Authors: Schrank B. , Jovanovic N. , Abiskup E. , C. Dimech , Luciano M. , Mahlke C. , Ness O. , Pintodacosta M. , van der Krieke L. , Priebe S.
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Mothers with severe mental illness may require mental health support through postnatal services. However, little is known about what services are actually provided to support parents after the postnatal period in Europe.

Aims

To explore existing services for parents with severe mental illness after the postnatal period across Europe.

Methods

Mental health specialists from major cities in nine European countries were asked to identify all health and social services available for mothers with psychosis after the postnatal period. They received two case vignettes and completed a data collection sheet for every identified service. Data analysis used semi-quantitative methods to describe the identified services.

Results

A wide range of different services was identified with no systematic coverage of specific target groups or target problems. Likewise, their scope was extremely diverse, ranging from simple telephone advice to multi-professional support for multiple complex problems. Most services targeted parents or families in general but would at least in principle be available for parents with severe mental illness. A much smaller number specialized on targeted help for parents with mental illness.

Conclusions

Patchy and heterogeneous service provision may make it difficult to navigate support systems for both patients and professionals. Systematic research is required, e.g. on the use, the costs, and patient experiences in different types of services, so that service provision can be based on some evidence. Given the differences in service provision across European countries, such research might use international comparisons for evaluating the benefits of different types of services for parents with severe illnesses.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Building national associations for psychiatry trainees: The MENTA recipe for success
Authors: Gondek T.M.
Published: March 2020

European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees (EFPT) is an umbrella organization for national psychiatric trainee associations in Europe, aiming to develop collaboration between psychiatric trainees. EFPT states that organised trainee interest is crucial in promoting high quality psychiatric training, therefore it promotes that both general adult psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry trainees are represented by national trainee association in each European country. The Maintaining and Establishing a National Trainee Association Working Group (MENTA WG), a permanent EFPT working group, has been created to assist trainees in building a local trainee organization. MENTA WG supports organising meetings, helps manage the problems of functioning of an association, sends letters of support to national decision makers, helps prepare the organization's bylaws and facilitates the process of application for full EFPT membership. The group also helps reactivate the inactive associations and assists them in expansion and developing new initiatives. MENTA WG maintains close collaboration with the European Psychiatric Association Early Career Psychiatrists Committee (EPA ECPC) Task Force on Meetings and Associations and other organizations dedicated to early career psychiatrists, such as the Young Psychiatrists’ Network. In the last few years, due to the work done within MENTA WG, the EFPT family has grown and welcomed new official members, such as: Poland, Spain and Slovakia. Currently, we are planning on supporting trainees in Moldova, Bulgaria and Kosovo to establish new official organizations in these countries. We also expand our activities beyond Europe and offer counselling for psychiatric trainees from such countries as Australia or South Africa.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.
Does Europe need foreign psychiatrists? Recruitment trend in Europe
Authors: Ryland H. , Gomez Alemany T. , Azvee Z. , Baessler F. , Casanova Dias M. , Kanellopoulos A. , Pinto da Costa M. , Sonmez E.
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Recruitment in to psychiatry is a long-standing concern in many countries, with low proportions of medical graduates choosing it as a specialty and ongoing stigma from within the medical profession. In other countries, the reverse problem is the case, with too many doctors wishing to enter psychiatry and insufficient training places available.

Objectives

To understand the current situation within Europe with regards to recruitment in to psychiatry and to identify existing initiatives designed to boost recruitment.

Methods

The European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees conducts an annual survey of all member organizations. This is purposive sampling via an online, semi-structured survey, which is completed by country representatives. The survey asks respondents to identify if their country has a problem with recruitment and if so whether there were too many or too few applicants for training places. Those countries identifying recruitment initiatives were asked to provide further details.

Results

Data will be presented from the past three years (2014–2016). Around half of all countries have stated that recruitment is a concern in the EFPT country survey. Many report that the number of new psychiatrists is too low and vacancies are not being filled. A small number reported that the number of new psychiatrists is too high and there are not enough vacancies. Of those countries reporting problems with recruitment around half describe initiatives to improve recruitment, which include financial incentives, careers fairs, mentoring schemes and a whole host of other projects.

Conclusions

Recruitment in to psychiatry remains a serious problem in many European countries, but there are a wide range of initiatives, which aim to combat this shortfall.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Going private: Selling your soul to the devil or freedom at last?
Authors: R. Psaras
Published: March 2020

Going private, whether by choice or by circumstance, may offer a lot of opportunities or benefits, but at the same time create certain difficulties. In this presentation, we are taking a closer look to what it means to be an early career medical doctor, specifically a psychiatrist, and have your own private practice. Does it feel like “freedom at last”? Or does it mean “selling your soul to the devil”? Or both?

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.
Material Culture and Social Practice: Archaeology and History in Understanding Europe’s ‘Celtic Fringe’
Authors: Houston Robert A.
Published: March 2020

In recent years there has been a rapprochement between history and archaeology in Britain and Ireland. Two formerly quite distinct disciplines have learned to appreciate how documents and artefacts together can enrich our understanding of everyday life. Always important to understandings of classical, Dark Age, and medieval society, archaeology has also opened up new horizons for appreciating domestic and industrial buildings, burial patterns, urban morphology, land use and environment, and the consumption of both food and objects in the early modern period. I look at some recent research that has enhanced our knowledge of local, regional, national and transnational identities in a sometimes poorly understood ‘fringe’ area of Europe.
Machine Learning Analysis of Digital Clock Drawing Test Performance for Differential Classification of Mild Cognitive Impairment Subtypes Versus Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Binaco Russell , Calzaretto Nicholas , Epifano Jacob , McGuire Sean , Umer Muhammad , Emrani Sheina , Wasserman Victor , Libon David J. , Polikar Robi
Published: March 2020

Objective:

To determine how well machine learning algorithms can classify mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subtypes and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using features obtained from the digital Clock Drawing Test (dCDT).

Methods:

dCDT protocols were administered to 163 patients diagnosed with AD(n= 59), amnestic MCI (aMCI;n= 26), combined mixed/dysexecutive MCI (mixed/dys MCI;n= 43), and patients without MCI (non-MCI;n= 35) using standard clock drawing command and copy procedures, that is, draw the face of the clock, put in all of the numbers, and set the hands for “10 after 11.” A digital pen and custom software recorded patient’s drawings. Three hundred and fifty features were evaluated for maximum information/minimum redundancy. The best subset of features was used to train classification models to determine diagnostic accuracy.

Results:

Neural network employing information theoretic feature selection approaches achieved the best 2-group classification results with 10-fold cross validation accuracies at or above 83%, that is, ADversusnon-MCI = 91.42%; ADversusaMCI = 91.49%; ADversusmixed/dys MCI = 84.05%; aMCIversusmixed/dys MCI = 84.11%; aMCIversusnon-MCI = 83.44%; and mixed/dys MCIversusnon-MCI = 85.42%. A follow-up two-group non-MCIversusall MCI patients analysis yielded comparable results (83.69%). Two-group classification analyses were achieved with 25–125 dCDT features depending on group classification. Three- and four-group analyses yielded lower but still promising levels of classification accuracy.

Conclusion:

Early identification of emergent neurodegenerative illness is criterial for better disease management. Applying machine learning to standard neuropsychological tests promises to be an effective first line screening method for classification of non-MCI and MCI subtypes.
Development of the scale of effects of social media on eating behaviour: a study of validity and reliability
Authors: Keser Alev , Bayındır-Gümüş Aylin , Kutlu Hüseyin , Öztürk Ebru
Published: March 2020

Objectives:

The aim of the current study is to develop a valid and reliable instrument with psychometric qualities to measure effect of social media usage on eating behaviour in university students.

Design:

A thirty-eight-item draft scale developed by the researchers. After content validity, twenty-two items are remained and was used to collect the data. In the analysis of the data, confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test construct validity. For the reliability of the scale, Cronbach alpha coefficient was calculated for the whole of the scale.

Setting:

The participants attended from various departments of different universities in Ankara.

Participants:

The scale was administered to the study group consisting of 247 university students.

Results:

Four items that had total correlation value less than 0·40 were removed from scale. The reliability coefficient of the whole eighteen-item scale was found to be 0·928.

Conclusions:

It has been shown that the scale developed as a result of the validity and reliability analyses performed for the scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool and can be used in studies.