bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recursive generation in language
Authors: Lobina David J.
Published: July 2017

The introduction of recursion into linguistics was the result of applying some of the results of mathematical logic to the study of language. In particular, recursion was introduced in the 1950s as a general property of the mechanical procedure underlying the grammar, in order to account for language’s discrete infinity and expressive power—in the 1950s, this mechanical procedure was a production system, whereas more recently, of course, it is the set-operator merge. Unfortunately, the recent literature has confused the general recursive property of a grammar with specific instances of (recursive) rules/operations within a grammar; more worryingly still, there has been a general conflation of these recursive rules with some of the self-embedded structures these rules can generate, adding to the confusion. The conflation is manifold but always fallacious. Moreover, language manifests a much more generally recursive structure than is usually recognized: bundles of the universal (Specifier)-Head-Complement(s) geometry.
Everyday Cryptography
Authors: Martin Keith
Published: July 2017

Cryptography is a vital technology that underpins the security of information in computer networks. This book presents a comprehensive introduction to the role that cryptography plays in providing information security for technologies such as the Internet, mobile phones, payment cards, and wireless local area networks. Focusing on the fundamental principles that ground modern cryptography as they arise in modern applications, it avoids both an over-reliance on transient technologies and overwhelming theoretical research. The first part of the book provides essential background, identifying the core security services provided by cryptography. The next part introduces the main cryptographic mechanisms that deliver these security services such as encryption, hash functions, and digital signatures, discussing why they work and how to deploy them, without delving into any significant mathematical detail. In the third part, the important practical aspects of key management are introduced, which is essential for making cryptography work in real systems. The last part considers the application of cryptography. A range of application case studies is presented, alongside a discussion of the wider societal issues arising from use of cryptography to support contemporary cyber security.
‘Social Investment’
Authors: Barbier Jean-Claude
Published: July 2017

There are two ways of envisaging ‘social investment’ today: with or against social protection. The first is to think of social investment as accompanying existing social protection; here, we need to devote serious consideration to what social protection actually is, as the mainstream English expression ‘welfare state’ does not suffice. The second way is to devise social investment as a vehicle to destroy social protection and to help make Mario Draghi’s 2012 remark come true—according to him the European social model ‘is already gone’. In the economics profession, the advocates of the second solution are more numerous. This chapter tries to assess the chances of the second conjecture by closely examining the notion of ‘social impact assessment’ (SII) that has picked up currency in European social policy debates since the onslaught of the global financial crisis.
Social Investment and the Matthew Effect
Authors: Bonoli Giuliano , Cantillon Bea , Lancker Wim Van
Published: July 2017

There are reasons to assume that spending on social investment is more susceptible to Matthew Effects than spending on social protection. Due to the gravity of social and cultural stratification, more vulnerable segments of societies tend to find it hard to navigate their way to the educational system, the labour market, and public services. Therefore, although social investment strategies have the potential to mitigate social and cultural inequalities, spending on capacitating services will tend to be more beneficial to the middle and upper classes, thereby creating an adverse redistribution of resources. This unintended and reinforcing effect has been shown by empirical research on the benefits of childcare, parental leave, some active labour-market policies, and higher education. Appropriate policy designs may reduce such adverse effects, but are unlikely to eliminate them completely. This requires that redistributive and protective issues should be firmly addressed in policy and discourse.
A Normative Foundation for the Social Investment Approach?
Authors: Morel Nathalie , Palme Joakim
Published: July 2017

The SIA has been criticized for its productivist view of social policy and one-sided emphasis on economic returns. Indeed, it is fair to say that the social dimension of social investment has been paid lip service both in terms of policy developments and in academic research. In fact, it may be that one of the weaknesses of the SIA is its lack of clear normative underpinning or theory of social justice against which to develop a well-founded evaluative framework for assessing the quality of social policies and social arrangements both for society as a whole and from the life perspective of individuals. This contribution discusses the possible relevance of the capabilities approach developed by Amartya Sen, both in developing a normative framework for social investment, but also in developing indicators for assessing social outcomes, and for analysing how different institutional arrangements support or hinder agency and capabilities.
A Social Investment Turn in East Asia?
Authors: Fleckenstein Timo , Lee Soohyun Christine
Published: July 2017

The welfare states of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan were built by conservative elites to serve the project of late industrialization, and for this reason the East Asian developmental welfare state focused its resources on those who were deemed most important for economic development (especially male industrial workers). Starting in the 1990s and increasingly since the 2000s, the developmental welfare state has experienced a far-reaching transformation, including the expansion of family policy to address the post-industrial challenges of female employment participation and low fertility. This chapter assesses social investment policies in East Asia, with a focus on family policy and on the South Korean case, where the most comprehensive rise of social investment policies were observed.
Why No Social Investment in Italy
Authors: Kazepov Yuri , Ranci Costanzo
Published: July 2017

In this chapter, the case of Italy is considered as an extreme adverse case for social investment policies. Not only is the country’s social expenditure strongly targeted to compensatory policies, but the contextual conditions within which these policies are implemented are also likely to produce ambiguous consequences. Three recent social investment policies will be reviewed: (a) childcare policies; (b) school–work transition policies aiming at increasing the human capital available in a given territory; (c) apprenticeship policy. We show that these policies produce negative effects, not only, nor necessarily, because of their poor quantity and/or quality, but also, and basically, due to the lack of specific structural and institutional preconditions. Our main general conclusion is that these arrangements are crucial to understand the impact of social investment: strategies should be context-sensitive and tailored to the different structural and institutional configurations in order to be suitable and effective.
Public Opinion and the Politics of Social Investment
Authors: Busemeyer Marius R.
Published: July 2017

Existing survey data on the public’s opinion on education policy usually finds large majorities in support of more educational investments. And yet, in many countries, actual levels of public spending on education remain stagnant. Making use of a new and original dataset on public opinion in eight European countries, this chapter provides a partial answer to this puzzle. In particular, it finds that popular support for more education spending drops significantly once citizens are confronted with the necessity of cutbacks in other parts of the welfare state (such as pensions or unemployment benefits). The conclusion is that the social investment project might face considerable political resistance if the more traditional parts of the welfare state are threatened. On the plus side, there is also evidence for a continued support for education even when citizens are confronted with the reality of political and fiscal trade-offs.
Diploma Democracy
Authors: Bovens Mark , Wille Anchrit
Published: July 2017

Lay politics lies at the heart of democracy. Political offices are the only offices for which no formal qualifications are required. Contemporary political practices are diametrically opposed to this constitutional ideal. Most contemporary democracies in Western Europe are diploma democracies—ruled by those with the highest formal qualifications. Citizens with low or medium educational qualification levels currently make up about 70 per cent of the electorates, yet they have become virtually absent from almost all political arenas. University graduates have come to dominate all relevant political institutions and venues, from political parties, parliaments and cabinets, to organized interests, deliberative settings, and internet consultations. This rise of a political meritocracy is part of larger trend. In the information society, educational background, like class, or religion, is an important source of social and political divides. Those who are well educated tend to be cosmopolitans, whereas the lesser educated citizens are more likely to be nationalists. This book documents the context, contours, and consequences of this rise of a political meritocracy. It explores the domination of higher educated citizens in political participation, civil society, and political office in Western Europe. It discusses the consequences of this rise of political meritocracy, such as descriptive deficits, policy incongruences, biased standards, and cynicism and distrust. Also, it looks at ways to remedy, or at least mitigate, some of the negative effects of diploma democracy.
Postcolonial Borges
Authors: Fiddian Robin
Published: July 2017

This work considers geopolitical and postcolonial themes in a range of writings by Jorge Luis Borges, analysing the development of a postcolonial sensibility in works such as ‘Mythical Founding of Buenos Aires’, ‘Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius’, ‘Theme of the Traitor and the Hero’, and ‘Brodie’s Report’. It examines Borges’s treatment of national and regional identity and of East–West relations in several essays and poems, contained, for example, in Other Inquisitions, The Self and the Other, and Seven Nights. The theoretical concepts of ‘coloniality’ and ‘Occidentalism’ shed new light on several works by Borges, who acquires a sharper political profile than previously acknowledged. The book pays special attention to Oriental subjects in Borges’s works of the 1970s and 1980s, where their treatment is bound up with a critique of Occidental values and assumptions. Classified by some commentators as a precursor of postcolonialism, Borges emerges as a prototype of the postcolonial intellectual exemplified by James Joyce, Aimé Césaire, and Edward Said. From a regional perspective, his repertoire of geopolitical and historical concerns resonates with those of Leopoldo Zea, Enrique Dussel, Eduardo Galeano, and Joaquín Torres, amongst others, who illustrate different strands and kinds of Latin American postcolonialism(s) of the mid- to late twentieth century. At the same time, essential differences in respect of political and artistic temperament mark Borges out as a postcolonial intellectual and creative writer who is unquestionably sui generis.
The Physical World
Authors: Manton Nicholas , Mee Nicholas
Published: July 2017

The book is an inspirational survey of fundamental physics, emphasizing the use of variational principles. Chapter 1 presents introductory ideas, including the principle of least action, vectors and partial differentiation. Chapter 2 covers Newtonian dynamics and the motion of mutually gravitating bodies. Chapter 3 is about electromagnetic fields as described by Maxwell’s equations. Chapter 4 is about special relativity, which unifies space and time into 4-dimensional spacetime. Chapter 5 introduces the mathematics of curved space, leading to Chapter 6 covering general relativity and its remarkable consequences, such as the existence of black holes. Chapters 7 and 8 present quantum mechanics, essential for understanding atomic-scale phenomena. Chapter 9 uses quantum mechanics to explain the fundamental principles of chemistry and solid state physics. Chapter 10 is about thermodynamics, which is built around the concepts of temperature and entropy. Various applications are discussed, including the analysis of black body radiation that led to the quantum revolution. Chapter 11 surveys the atomic nucleus, its properties and applications. Chapter 12 explores particle physics, the Standard Model and the Higgs mechanism, with a short introduction to quantum field theory. Chapter 13 is about the structure and evolution of stars and brings together material from many of the earlier chapters. Chapter 14 on cosmology describes the structure and evolution of the universe as a whole. Finally, Chapter 15 discusses remaining problems at the frontiers of physics, such as the interpretation of quantum mechanics, and the ultimate nature of particles. Some speculative ideas are explored, such as supersymmetry, solitons and string theory.
Motions of Bodies—Newton’s Laws
Authors: Manton Nicholas , Mee Nicholas
Published: July 2017

Chapter 2 covers Newtonian dynamics, Newton’s law of gravitation and the motion of mutually gravitating bodies. The principle of least action is used to provide an alternative approach to Newton’s laws. Motion of several bodies is described. By analogy the same results are used to describe the motion of a single body in three dimensions. The equations of motion are solved for a harmonic oscillator potential. The general central potential is considered. The equations are solved for an attractive inverse square law force and shown to agree with Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. The Michell–Cavendish experiment to determine Newton’s gravitational constant is described. The centre of mass is defined and the motion of composite bodies described. The Kepler 2-body problem is solved and applied to binary stars. The positions of the five Lagrangian points are calculated. Energy conservation in mechanical systems is discussed, and friction and dissipation are considered.
Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Manton Nicholas , Mee Nicholas
Published: July 2017

In this chapter, the main features of quantum theory are presented. The chapter begins with a historical account of the invention of quantum mechanics. The meaning of position and momentum in quantum mechanics is discussed and non-commuting operators are introduced. The Schrödinger equation is presented and solved for a free particle and for a harmonic oscillator potential in one dimension. The meaning of the wavefunction is considered and the probabilistic interpretation is presented. The mathematical machinery and language of quantum mechanics are developed, including Hermitian operators, observables and expectation values. The uncertainty principle is discussed and the uncertainty relations are presented. Scattering and tunnelling by potential wells and barriers is considered. The use of variational principles to estimate ground state energies is explained and illustrated with a simple example.
Thermodynamics
Authors: Manton Nicholas , Mee Nicholas
Published: July 2017

This chapter is about thermodynamics, or statistical mechanics, which explains macroscopic features of the world in terms of the motion of vast numbers of particles on the atomic scale. It discusses how macroscopic variables such as temperature and entropy were originally introduced, before presenting modern definitions of temperatures and entropy and the Laws of Thermodynamics. Alternative thermodynamic variables, including enthalpy and the Gibbs free energy, are defined and the Gibbs distribution is explained. The Maxwell distribution is derived. The chemical potential is introduced and the pressure and heat capacity of an electron gas is calculated, The Fermi–Dirac and Bose–Einstein functions are derived. Bose–Einstein condensation is explained. Black body radiation is discussed and the Planck formula is derived. Lasers are explained. Spin systems are used to model magnetization. Phase transitions are briefly discussed. Hawking radiation and the thermodynamics of black holes is explained.
Cosmology
Authors: Manton Nicholas , Mee Nicholas
Published: July 2017

This chapter is about the large-scale structure of the universe, how it is described in general relativity and recent advances in determining the cosmological parameters. The Hubble distance–redshift relationship is discussed. The assumptions of the FRW cosmologies are presented and the FRW solutions of Einstein equation are derived. The FRW model is interpreted in terms of Newtonian gravity. Cosmological redshift is explained. The evidence for dark matter and its possible origin are discussed. The evidence for the Big Bang is presented, including the cosmic microwave background and the latest measurements of the CMB by the Planck probe. The evidence for dark energy is discussed, along with its interpretation as an FRW cosmology with a non-zero cosmological constant. Computer models of galaxy formation are discussed. Outstanding cosmological puzzles are presented along with their possible solution by inflationary models.
Frontiers of Physics
Authors: Manton Nicholas , Mee Nicholas
Published: July 2017

Despite the overwhelming successes of modern physics, there are questions that remain to be answered and these are considered in the final chapter. The interpretation of quantum mechanics is discussed, including the EPR paradox, the Aspect experiments and quantum entanglement. Next, the question of whether particles are really point-like and the possibility of an alternative description in terms of solitons is considered. The Skyrmion and the Standard Model sphaleron are described. Unexplained features of the universe, such as the matter–antimatter asymmetry, the existence of dark matter and the even more mysterious dark energy, are discussed. There is also a critique of the loose ends of the Standard Model and the need for a quantum theory of gravity. The chapter concludes with a look beyond the Standard Model at the arguments and evidence in favour of Grand Unified Theories and ultimately string theory.
The Problem of Equality from a Political Economy Perspective
Authors: Anderson Elizabeth
Published: July 2017

This paper explores challenges to the creation of an egalitarian society from what we know about different types of human society across human history. All human beings originally lived in hunter-gatherer bands, which, along with tribal societies, are remarkably egalitarian. Inegalitarian social forms—rank societies and social stratification—are rooted in the following causes: (1) despotic tendencies rooted in human psychology; (2) esteem competition; (3) descent group closure and ingroup opportunity hoarding; (4) inegalitarian ideology; and (5) the increasing scale of societies, administration of which requires layers of hierarchically organized bureaucracy. Large-scale social organization can deliver dramatically reduced interpersonal violence and increased prosperity and opportunities. Securing the benefits of scale without oppressive social hierarchy requires the institution of checks and norms against bullies and narcissists, reworking the economy of esteem, ending descent group opportunity hoarding, integrating social groups, promoting egalitarian ideologies, and perfecting democratic practices.
The Moral Neglect of Negligence
Authors: Shiffrin Seana Valentine
Published: July 2017

The moral significance of negligence is regularly downplayed in the legal and philosophical literature. Two common tenets about negligence diminish its perceived importance: first, culpable negligence is substantially less significant than malice (as well as other intentionally inflicted wrongs); second, considered apart from its consequences, culpable negligence is a rather petty moral wrong. This paper argues, by contrast, that culpable negligence can be a serious moral and political wrong and non-negligence is a significant moral virtue. The paper sketches an account of moral and political negligence that stresses the significance of the agent’s motives and canvasses many examples, including an extended discussion of Edward Snowden as an example of a politically negligent agent. The discussion encompasses the connection between negligence and the act/omission distinction, the doctrine of double effect, our remedial responses and reactive attitudes toward negligence, and the connection between anti-discrimination norms and negligence.
Authority and Harm
Authors: Parry Jonathan
Published: July 2017

This paper argues that certain common views about, respectively, the justification of harm and the moral limits of legitimate authority require revision. It defends two main claims. The first concerns agents who are commanded to inflict serious harm on others. It is argued that agents can be morally required to obey such commands, including in (at least some) cases where harming would be morally prohibited in the absence of the command. The argument thus defends a novel ‘authority-based’ justification for harm. The second claim concerns the permissibility of using defensive force against ‘authorized threateners’. It is argued that an agent’s possessing an authority-based justification does not, in itself, raise the justificatory burden on defensively harming them. In doing so, an alternative explanation is provided of why resisting authorized agents is often intuitively impermissible, which holds that authoritative commands can also impose constraints on causing harm, in addition to creating justifications.
Nonlocal Newtonian Cosmology
Authors: Mashhoon Bahram
Published: July 2017

We explore some of the cosmological implications of nonlocal gravity (NLG) theory, in which nonlocality is due to the gravitational memory of past events. Memory dies out in space and time. The fading of memory in time implies that in NLG the strength of the gravitational interaction must decrease with cosmic time. In the Newtonian regime of NLG, the nonlocal character of gravity simulates dark matter in spiral galaxies and clusters of galaxies. However, dark matter is considered indispensable as well for structure formation in standard models of cosmology. Can nonlocal gravity solve the problem of structure formation in cosmology without recourse to dark matter? In this chapter, a beginning is made in this direction by extending nonlocal gravity in the Newtonian regime to the cosmological domain. The nonlocal analog of the Zel’dovich solution is formulated and the consequences of the resulting nonlocal Zel’dovich model are investigated in detail.
What is a Moral Law?
Authors: Rosen Gideon
Published: July 2017

This chapter explores bridge-law non-naturalism: the view that when a particular thing possesses a moral property or stands in a moral relation, this fact is metaphysically grounded in non-normative features of the thing in question together with a general moral law. Any view of this sort faces two challenges, analogous to familiar challenges in the philosophy of science: to specify the form of the explanatory laws, and to say when a fact of that form qualifies as a law. The chapter explores three strategies for answering these questions, all of which maintain that a moral law is a true generalization of the form [It is normatively necessary that whatever ϕ‎s is (thereby) F].
Expressivism and Varieties of Normativity
Authors: Wodak Daniel
Published: July 2017

Expressivists aim to explain the meaning of a fragment of language—typically, claims about what we morally ought to do—in terms of the non-cognitive attitudes they express. Critics evaluate expressivism on those terms. This is a mistake. We don’t use that fragment of language in isolation. We make claims about what we morally, legally, rationally, and prudentially ought to do: we relativize “ought” and other deontic modals to different standards, or varieties of normativity. This chapter argues that the standard-relativity of “ought” poses a dilemma for expressivists. If they claim that “ought” expresses different types of attitudes when it is relativized to different standards (e.g. morality and legality), they struggle to explain why “ought” is univocal when relativized. If they claim that “ought” always expresses the same type of non-cognitive attitude, they struggle to explain why “ought” claims that are relativized to different standards do not express inconsistent attitudes.
The Fear of Invasion
Authors: Morgan-Owen David G.
Published: July 2017

The Fear of Invasion presents a new interpretation of British preparation for war before 1914. It argues that protecting the British Isles from invasion was the foundation upon which all other plans for the defence of the Empire were built up and that defensive concerns played a crucial role in shaping British preparations for war before 1914. The requirements of home defence were a crucial factor in the distribution of military strength across the Empire, and determined the relative priorities of the Army and Navy—both of which played an important role in preventing an invasion. As politicians were reluctant to prepare for precipitant British military action against other Great Powers, home defence became the means by which the government contributed to an ill-defined British ‘grand’ strategy by dictating the relative roles and responsibilities of the two services. The Royal Navy formed the backbone of British defensive preparations, yet after 1905 the Admiralty came to view the threat of a German invasion of the British Isles as far more credible than is commonly realized. As the Army became more closely associated with operations in Europe, the Navy thus devoted an ever-greater amount of time and effort to safeguarding the vulnerable British coast with ‘very insidious’ consequences: the role of the Fleet became overly defensive and reactive. This book explains how and why this came to pass, presenting a new perspective on British strategy in 1914 and questioning the role of government in making strategy more broadly.
Introduction
Authors: Cornwell Hannah
Published: July 2017

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of peace, specifically the concept designated by the word pax, in Roman political thought, and to explore the ways in which it became a vehicle for imperialism. The introduction starts from the perceived dichotomy between war and peace, and argues that rather than viewing peace as an afterthought of war, it should instead be viewed as part of a wider discourse on the nature of power in the ancient world, of which war is, of course, an essential component. Understanding the ways in which the Romans conceptualized peace is integral to an analysis of the changing dynamics of the Roman state through civil war to the creation of a new political system and world-rule.
Climate Crisis and the Democratic Prospect
Authors: Fischer Frank
Published: July 2017

Can contemporary democratic governments tackle climate crisis? Some say that democracy has to be a central part of a strategy to deal with climate change. Others say that experience shows it not to be up to the challenge in the time frame available—that it will require a stronger hand, even a form of eco-authoritarianism. This work seeks to sort out and assess the competing answers to a question that is not easily resolved. While the book supports the case for environmental democracy, it argues that establishing and sustaining democratic practices will be difficult during the global climate turmoil ahead, especially if confronted with permanent states of emergency. This inquiry undertakes a search for an appropriate political-ecological strategy capable of preserving a measure of democratic governance during hard times. Without ignoring the global dimensions of the crisis, the analysis finds an alternative path in the theory and practices of participatory environmental governance embodied in a growing relocalization movement, and a form of global eco-localism. Although these movements largely operate under the radar of the social sciences, the media, and the political realm generally, such vibrant socio-ecological movements not only speak to the crisis ahead, but are already well established and thriving on the ground, including ecovillages, eco-communes, eco-neighborhoods, and local transition initiatives. With the help of these ideas and projects, the task is to shift the discourse of environmental political theory in ways that can assist those who will face the climate crisis in its full magnitude in real terms.
The Aesthetics of the Ordinary and Familiar
Authors: Saito Yuriko
Published: July 2017

Capturing the realm of everyday aesthetics requires a wide net. The defamiliarized familiar certainly is its major ingredient. However, everyday aesthetics contains diverse modes of experience beyond defamiliarziation. The familiar experienced as familiar, often yielding a sense of comforting security and stability while at other times felt as sheer drudgery, also comprises an important dimension of everyday aesthetics. The only aspect of daily life that does not belong to everyday aesthetics is inattentiveness, as it prevents one from having any ‘experience’ to speak of. Everyday aesthetics thus embraces a rich array of different experiences, sometimes by turning the ordinary into something extraordinary, while at other times illuminating the familiar texture of daily life, and at other times exposing instances of negative aesthetics in everyday experience.
The Power of Everyday Aesthetics in World-Making
Authors: Saito Yuriko
Published: July 2017

This chapter argues for the importance of cultivating aesthetic literacy and vigilance, as well as practicing aesthetic expressions of moral virtues. In light of the considerable power of the aesthetic to affect, sometimes determine, people’s choices, decisions, and actions in daily life, everyday aesthetics discourse has a social responsibility to guide its power toward enriching personal life, facilitating respectful and satisfying interpersonal relationships, creating a civil and humane society, and ensuring the sustainable future. As an aesthetics discourse, its distinct domain unencumbered by these life concerns needs to be protected. At the same time, denying or ignoring the connection with them decontextualizes and marginalizes aesthetics. Aesthetics is an indispensable instrument for assessing and improving the quality of life and the state of the world, and it behooves everyday aesthetics discourse to reclaim its rightful place and to actively engage with the world-making project.
A Framework for Optimizing Phytosanitary Thresholds in Seed Systems
Authors: Choudhury Robin Alan , Garrett Karen A. , Klosterman Steven J. , Subbarao Krishna V. , McRoberts Neil
Published: July 2017

Seedborne pathogens and pests limit production in many agricultural systems. Quarantine programs help prevent the introduction of exotic pathogens into a country, but few regulations directly apply to reducing the reintroduction and spread of endemic pathogens. Use of phytosanitary thresholds helps limit the movement of pathogen inoculum through seed, but the costs associated with rejected seed lots can be prohibitive for voluntary implementation of phytosanitary thresholds. In this paper, we outline a framework to optimize thresholds for seedborne pathogens, balancing the cost of rejected seed lots and benefit of reduced inoculum levels. The method requires relatively small amounts of data, and the accuracy and robustness of the analysis improves over time as data accumulate from seed testing. We demonstrate the method first and illustrate it with a case study of seedborne oospores of Peronospora effusa, the causal agent of spinach downy mildew. A seed lot threshold of 0.23 oospores per seed could reduce the overall number of oospores entering the production system by 90% while removing 8% of seed lots destined for distribution. Alternative mitigation strategies may result in lower economic losses to seed producers, but have uncertain efficacy. We discuss future challenges and prospects for implementing this approach.
Perceived Pain Extent is Not Associated With Widespread Pressure Pain Sensitivity, Clinical Features, Related Disability, Anxiety, or Depression in Women With Episodic Migraine
Authors: Fernández-de-las-Peñas Cesar , Falla Deborah , Palacios-Ceña María , Fuensalida-Novo Stella , Arias-Buría Jose L. , Schneebeli Alessandro , Arend-Nielsen Lars , Barbero Marco
Published: July 2017

Objective:

People with migraine present with varying pain extent and an expanded distribution of perceived pain may reflect central sensitization. The relationship between pain extent and clinical features, psychological outcomes, related disability, and pressure pain sensitivity in migraine has been poorly investigated. Our aim was to investigate whether the perceived pain extent, assessed from pain drawings, relates to measures of pressure pain sensitivity, clinical, psychological outcomes, and related disability in women with episodic migraine.

Methods:

A total of 72 women with episodic migraine completed pain drawings, which were subsequently digitized allowing pain extent to be calculated utilising novel software. Pressure pain thresholds were assessed bilaterally over the temporalis muscle (trigeminal area), the cervical spine (extratrigeminal area), and tibialis anterior muscle (distant pain-free area). Clinical features of migraine, migraine-related disability (migraine disability assessment questionnaire [MIDAS]), and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale [HADS]) were also assessed. Spearman ρ correlation coefficients were computed to reveal correlations between pain extent and the remaining outcomes.

Results:

No significant associations were observed between pain extent and pressure pain thresholds in trigeminal, extratrigeminal or distant pain-free areas, migraine pain features, or psychological variables including anxiety or depression, and migraine-related disability.

Conclusions:

Pain extent within the trigeminocervical area was not associated with any of the measured clinical outcomes and not related to the degree of pressure pain sensitization in women with episodic migraine. Further research is needed to determine if the presence of expanded pain areas outside of the trigeminal area can play a relevant role in the sensitization processes in migraine.
Exercise Training Improves Ventilatory Efficiency in Patients With a Small Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Lima Ricardo M. , Vainshelboim Baruch , Ganatra Rucha , Dalman Ronald , Chan Khin , Myers Jonathan
Published: July 2017

Purpose:

To investigate the effects of exercise training on ventilatory efficiency and physiological responses to submaximal exercise in subjects with small abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Methods:

Sixty-five male patients (72.3 ± 7.0 years) were randomized to exercise training (n = 33) or usual care group (n = 32). Exercise subjects participated in a training groups for 3 mo. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed before and after the study period and peak

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2, the ventilatory threshold (VT), the oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES), and the

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2 slope were identified. Baseline work rates at VT were matched to examine cardiopulmonary responses after training.

Results:

Significant interactions indicating improvements before and after training in the exercise group were noted for time (P < .01),

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2 (P < .01), and work rate (P < .01) at the VT. At peak effort, significant interactions were noted for time (P < .01) and work rate (P < .01), while borderline significance was noted for absolute (P = .07) and relative (P = .04)

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2. Significant interactions were observed for the OUES both when using all exercise data (P = .04) and when calculated up to the VT (P < .01). For the

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2 slope, significance was noted only when calculated up to the VT (P = .04). After training, heart rate,

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2 and respiratory exchange ratio were significantly attenuated for the same baseline work rate only in the exercise group (all P < .01).

Conclusions:

Exercise training improves ventilatory efficiency in patients with small AAA. In addition, patients who exercised exhibited less demanding cardiorespiratory responses to submaximal effort.
Predictive Value of the Water Drinking Test and the Risk of Glaucomatous Visual Field Progression
Authors: De Moraes Carlos G. , Susanna Remo , Sakata Lisandro M. , Hatanaka Marcelo
Published: July 2017

Purpose:

The purpose of this is to test the hypothesis the intraocular pressure (IOP) peaks during a stress test [the water drinking test (WDT)] can estimate the risk of future visual field progression in treated primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients.

Patients and Methods:

Design: Prospective, longitudinal study. Setting: Clinical practice. Study population: Treated POAG patients whose IOP was ≤18 mm Hg and who had no IOP-lowering interventions between the date of the WDT and the last eligible visual field. Intervention: At baseline examination, patients underwent the WDT and were then followed at regular intervals with office-based IOP measurements and visual field testing. Main outcome measure: Cox-proportional hazards survival analysis testing the predictive value of IOP peaks during the WDT versus IOP measurements during office hours on visual field progression.

Results:

A total of 144 eyes of 96 patients with baseline visual field damage ranging from mild to severe followed for a mean of 28 months were analyzed. In the multivariable analysis adjusting for potential confounders, higher IOP peaks during the WDT were predictive of future visual field progression (hazard ratio=1.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.02 to 1.21; P=0.013). The average and peak IOP during office hours over the same follow-up period were not significantly associated with progression (P=0.651 and 0.569, respectively).

Conclusions:

IOP peaks detected with the WDT were predictive of future visual field progression in a treated POAG population. This stress test could be a useful tool for risk assessment in daily practice.
Injuries Among Recreational Football Players: Results of a Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Dönmez Gürhan , Korkusuz Feza , Özçakar Levent , Karanfil Yiğitcan , Dursun Erhan , Kudaş Savaş , Doral Mahmut Nedim
Published: July 2017

Objectives:

To establish the incidence and patterns of football injuries and associated consequences in daily life and labor loss, among public employees.

Design:

Prospective cohort study.

Setting:

Football tournament between public employees in Turkey.

Participants:

A total of 1821 recreational players from 78 teams.

Main Outcome Measures:

Injury rates (injuries per 1000 hours of football exposure) during tournament by age group, as well as prevalence, severity, and injury types were recorded. The data regarding the occurrence (eg, location, type, circumstances) and consequences (eg, absenteeism, medical treatment, labor loss) of injuries were collected.

Results:

Of the 1821 football players registered for participation, 57% (n = 1038) were included in the study with the returned questionnaire forms. In total, 257 matches were played with a total exposure time of 5654 hours. A total of 218 injuries were recorded in 192 players (10.5%), resulting in a mean of 0.85 time-loss injuries per match (38.6 per 1000 hours). Severe injuries constituted 42.6% of all injuries, and 28.9% of all injuries caused the participants to be absent at least 1 day for the next working day. The total labor loss was 1196 days for all injuries. The rate of missing subsequent working day was significantly less for muscle injuries (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

The risk of injury in recreational football players is relatively high causing significant labor loss. The results suggest that prevention programs should consider specific injury characteristics, as there is a greater incidence of muscle and anterior cruciate ligament injuries in this population.
An Automated Inpatient Split-dose Bowel Preparation System Improves Colonoscopy Quality and Reduces Repeat Procedures
Authors: Yadlapati Rena , Johnston Elyse R. , Gluskin Adam B. , Gregory Dyanna L. , Cyrus Rachel , Werth Lindsay , Ciolino Jody D. , Grande David P. , Keswani Rajesh N.
Published: July 2017

Background/Goals:

Inpatient colonoscopy preparations are often inadequate, compromising patient safety and procedure quality, while resulting in greater hospital costs. The aims of this study were to: (1) design and implement an electronic inpatient split-dose bowel preparation order set; (2) assess the intervention’s impact upon preparation adequacy, repeated colonoscopies, hospital days, and costs.

Study:

We conducted a single center prospective pragmatic quasiexperimental study of hospitalized adults undergoing colonoscopy. The experimental intervention was designed using DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control) methodology. Prospective data collected over 12 months were compared with data from a historical preintervention cohort. The primary outcome was bowel preparation quality and secondary outcomes included number of repeated procedures, hospital days, and costs.

Results:

On the basis of a Delphi method and DMAIC process, we created an electronic inpatient bowel preparation order set inclusive of a split-dose bowel preparation algorithm, automated orders for rescue medications, and nursing bowel preparation checks. The analysis data set included 969 patients, 445 (46%) in the postintervention group. The adequacy of bowel preparation significantly increased following intervention (86% vs. 43%; P<0.01) and proportion of repeated procedures decreased (2.0% vs. 4.6%; P=0.03). Mean hospital days from bowel preparation initiation to discharge decreased from 8.0 to 6.9 days (P=0.02). The intervention resulted in an estimated 1-year cost-savings of $46,076 based on a reduction in excess hospital days associated with repeated and delayed procedures.

Conclusions:

Our interdisciplinary initiative targeting inpatient colonoscopy preparations significantly improved quality and reduced repeat procedures, and hospital days. Other institutions should consider utilizing this framework to improve inpatient colonoscopy value.
Validity of Administrative Data in Identifying Cancer-related Events in Adolescents and Young Adults
Authors: Gupta Sumit , Nathan Paul C. , Baxter Nancy N. , Lau Cindy , Daly Corinne , Pole Jason D.
Published: July 2017

Background:

Despite the importance of estimating population level cancer outcomes, most registries do not collect critical events such as relapse. Attempts to use health administrative data to identify these events have focused on older adults and have been mostly unsuccessful. We developed and tested administrative data-based algorithms in a population-based cohort of adolescents and young adults with cancer.

Methods:

We identified all Ontario adolescents and young adults 15–21 years old diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, sarcoma, or testicular cancer between 1992–2012. Chart abstraction determined the end of initial treatment (EOIT) date and subsequent cancer-related events (progression, relapse, second cancer). Linkage to population-based administrative databases identified fee and procedure codes indicating cancer treatment or palliative care. Algorithms determining EOIT based on a time interval free of treatment-associated codes, and new cancer-related events based on billing codes, were compared with chart-abstracted data.

Results:

The cohort comprised 1404 patients. Time periods free of treatment-associated codes did not validly identify EOIT dates; using subsequent codes to identify new cancer events was thus associated with low sensitivity (56.2%). However, using administrative data codes that occurred after the EOIT date based on chart abstraction, the first cancer-related event was identified with excellent validity (sensitivity, 87.0%; specificity, 93.3%; positive predictive value, 81.5%; negative predictive value, 95.5%).

Conclusions:

Although administrative data alone did not validly identify cancer-related events, administrative data in combination with chart collected EOIT dates was associated with excellent validity. The collection of EOIT dates by cancer registries would significantly expand the potential of administrative data linkage to assess cancer outcomes.
Genetic control of apoprotein A-I and atheroprotection: some insights from inbred strains of mice
Authors: Getz Godfrey S. , Reardon Catherine A.
Published: July 2017

Purpose of review

Previous epidemiological studies and studies in experimental animals have provided strong evidence for the atheroprotective effect of HDL and its major apoprotein, apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I). Identification of genetic loci associating apoA-I/HDL with cardiovascular disease is needed to establish a causal relationship.

Recent findings

Pharmacological interventions to increase apoA-I or HDL cholesterol levels in humans are not associated with reduction in atherosclerosis. Genome wide association study (GWAS) studies in humans and hybrid mouse diversity panel (HMDP) studies looking for genetic variants associated with apoA-I or HDL cholesterol levels with cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis have not provided strong evidence for their atheroprotective function.

These findings indicate that GWAS and HMDP studies identifying possible genetic determinants of HDL and apoA-I function are needed.