bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chusquea sect. Tenellae (Bambuseae, Bambusoideae, Poaceae), a taxonomic revision of a new section from South America
Authors: ATTIGALA LAKSHMI , FUENTES ALFREDO F. , CLARK LYNN G.
Published: October 2017

The Chusquea ramosissima informal group, including four named species, is classified within Chusquea subg. Chusquea based on morphological characters, but has not been rigorously studied in its entirety. The putative synapomorphies distinguishing the C. ramosissima informal group from the remainder of Chusquea subg. Chusquea are the presence of a pseudopetiolate culm leaf blade that remains green and synflorescences borne on a mix of longer leafy and shorter non-leafy subsidiary branches per node, features unknown in the rest of the subgenus or the genus as a whole. In addition, the species of the C. ramosissima informal group share a bud complement with a set of 1–4 laterally compressed, + falcate subsidiary buds on each side positioned facing each other, a central bud with parallel sides and a broadly triangular apex, and thin-textured spikelets. Because of this unique combination of characters, including two that are unique within Chusquea, and molecular support, we here formally describe Chusquea sect. Tenellae within Chusquea subg. Chusquea to accommodate this group. Five species, distributed in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, are included in the newly recognized Chusquea sect. Tenellae: C. fasciculata, C. ramosissima, C. tenella, C. tenuiglumis, and the newly described C. ovatifolia. This revision includes a comparison of sect. Tenellae with the five previously recognized sections of subg. Chusquea, detailed descriptions for the five species of sect. Tenellae, line illustrations or images for all species, maps of their distributions, and morphological keys for their identification. The names Chusquea fasciculata, C. tenuiglumis, C. tenuiglumis var. laxiuscula and C. tenuiglumis var. subcylindrica are lectotypified.
Lectotypification of the names of three species of Gentiana (Gentianaceae) occurring in India
Authors: SHABIR MOHD , AGNIHOTRI PRIYANKA , HUSAIN DANISH , TIWARI JK. , HUSAIN TARIQ
Published: October 2017

During our ongoing revisionary studies of the genus Gentiana in India, we found that no lectotypes for the names G. elwesii C.B. Clarke, G. gilvostriata C. Marquand and G. listeri Burkill have been designated, which are here proposed.
A taxonomic monograph of the genus Dodomeira Bellò & Baviera, a new genus of Peritelini from Sicily (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae)
Authors: BELLO CESARE , OSELLA GIUSEPPE , BAVIERA COSIMO
Published: October 2017

The genus Dodomeira Bellò & Baviera gen. n. of the tribe Peritelini Lacordaire (1863) (Curculionidae: Entiminae) which includes 39 species is described. Seven species are transferred from Pseudomeira Stierlin, 1881: Dodomeira confusa (Pierotti, 2012) comb. n., Dodomeira exigua (Stierlin, 1861) comb. n., Dodomeira ficuzzensis (Bellò & Baviera, 2011) comb. n., Dodomeira himerensis (Bellò & Baviera, 2011) comb. n., Dodomeira petrensis (Bellò & Baviera, 2011) comb. n., Dodomeira pfisteri (Stierlin, 1864) comb. n., Dodomeira trinacriae (Bellò & Baviera, 2011) comb. n.. Thirty-two species are new for science and here described: Dodomeira adrianae Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira alta Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira angelae Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira asinelliensis Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira belicensis Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira bertoni Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira calatina Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira caoduroi Bellò & Baviera sp. n. n., Dodomeira elima Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira enzoi Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira fossor Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira forbicionii Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira genistae Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira giustoi Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira hiemalis Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira ibleiensis Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira illuminatae Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira juliae Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira laliaensis Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira magrinii Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira montivaga Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira margheritae Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira maritimaensis Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira nobilis Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira paladinii Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira sabellai Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira saccoi Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira sicana Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira sicelidis Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira siderea Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira silvanae Bellò & Baviera sp. n., Dodomeira zingara Bellò & Baviera sp. n.. In addition, according to morphological characters, eight informal groups of species are established (the number of species ascribed to the group is in brackets): Dodomeira adrianae species group (13), Dodomeira caoduroi species group (2), Dodomeira exigua species group (5), Dodomeira ficuzzensis species group (2), Dodomeira maritimaensis species group (1), Dodomeira petrensis species group (2), Dodomeira pfisteri species group (13), Dodomeira saccoi species group (1). We present a key for the identification of the new genus among Palaearctic Peritelini, one for single species groups and an other for each species. A checklist of all the species currently known of Dodomeira gen. n. and Pseudomeira Stierlin (1881), with distribution maps and data on ecology and phenology of all the species of Dodomeira gen. n. are also provided.
Review of Dissomphalus Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from Panama, with key to the Central American species
Authors: BRITO CHIRLEI D. , AZEVEDO CELSO O.
Published: October 2017

Sixty-four species of Dissomphalus from Panama are recognized, 31 are described and illustrated as new to science: D. abarus sp. nov., D. afestus sp. nov., D. arbeius sp. nov., D. ardonius sp. nov., D. areius sp. nov., D. aretisus sp. nov., D. arteobius sp. nov., D. arteus sp. nov., D. asfartus sp. nov., D. asitius sp. nov., D. azagus sp. nov., D. borus sp. nov., D. citus sp. nov., D. ettus sp. nov., D. geortus sp. nov., D. ibocius sp. nov., D. ibrastus sp. nov., D. ilarius sp. nov., D. iozus sp. nov., D. isortus sp. nov., D. isteus sp. nov., D. racarus sp. nov., D. raziogus sp. nov., D. sartus sp. nov., D. teobus sp. nov., D. teraus sp. nov., D. terbius sp. nov., D. tisinus sp. nov., D. trisus sp. nov., D. urazius sp. nov. and D. ubracus sp. nov.. Eight species are registered for the first time from Panama: D. angulatus Azevedo, D. galeatus Alencar & Azevedo, D. infissus Evans, D. persontaus Redighieri & Azevedo, D. pilus Alencar & Azevedo, D. politus Ashmead, D. pronus Alencar & Azevedo and D. vallensis Evans. Eighteen species had their known distribution broadened in the country: D. bilobatus Azevedo, D. brasiliensis Kieffer, D. cervoides Azevedo, D. coronatus Alencar & Azevedo, D. culteratus Alencar & Azevedo, D. curvifoveatus Azevedo, D. dilatatus Azevedo, D. geniculatus Azevedo, D. gilvipes Evans, D. guttus Azevedo, D. intradentatus Azevedo, D. piscicercus Azevedo, D. plaumanni Evans, D. punctatus (Kieffer), D. rettenmeyeri Evans, D. rufipalpis Kieffer, D. strepsus Azevedo and D. unitus Azevedo. Seven species previously recorded from Panama were not found in the studied material: D. altivolans Evans, D. apertus Kieffer, Alencar & Azevedo, D. declinatus Alencar & Azevedo, D. latus Azevedo, D. ramosus Alencar & Azevedo, D. strabus Azevedo and D. subdeformis Azevedo. A key to species of Dissomphalus from Central America is provided.
Satellite-Based Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Development and Applications
Authors: Menzel W. Paul , Schmit Timothy J. , Zhang Peng , Li Jun
Published: October 2017

Atmospheric sounding of the vertical changes in temperature and moisture is one of the key contributions from meteorological satellites. The concept of using satellite infrared radiation observations for retrieving atmospheric temperature was first proposed by Jean I. F. King. Lewis D. Kaplan noted that the radiation from different spectral regions are primarily emanating from different atmospheric layers, which can be used to retrieve the atmospheric temperature at different heights in the atmosphere. The United States launched the first meteorological satellite Television Infrared Observation Satellite-1 (TIROS-1) on 1 April 1960, opening a new era of observing the Earth and its atmosphere from space. Since then, hundreds of meteorological satellites have been launched by space agencies, including those in Europe, China, Japan, Russia, India, Korea, and others. With the rapid development of atmospheric sounding technology and radiative transfer models, it became possible to determine the atmospheric state from combined satellite- and ground-based measurements. With advances in computing power, forecast model development, data assimilation, and observing technologies, numerical weather prediction (NWP) has achieved consistently better results and thereby improved the prediction and early warning of severe weather events as well as fostered the initial monitoring of global climate change. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and discuss the development of satellite vertical sounding capability, quantitative profile retrieval theory, and applications of satellite-based atmospheric sounding measurements, with a focus on infrared sounding.
Large-Scale Circulation Anomalies and Intraseasonal Oscillations Associated with Long-Lived Extreme Heat Events in South China
Authors: Chen Ruidan , Wen Zhiping , Lu Riyu
Published: October 2017

South China experiences extreme heat (EH) most frequently in eastern China. This study specifically explores the large-scale circulation anomalies associated with long-lived EH events in south China. The results show that there is an anomalous cyclone (anticyclone) and active (inactive) convection over south China (the western Pacific) before the EH onset; then, an anticyclone develops and moves northwestward and dominates over south China on the onset day. The anomalous anticyclone maintains its strength over south China and then diminishes and is replaced by another cyclone migrating from the western Pacific after the final day of the EH event. Consequently, the temperature increases over south China around the onset day and is anomalously warm for approximately 10 days on average and then decreases shortly thereafter. The fluctuating anomalies over south China and the western Pacific are intimately related to two intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) modes, namely, the 5–25- and 30–90-day oscillations, which originate from the tropical western Pacific and propagate northwestward. The 5–25-day oscillation is vital to triggering and terminating EH, accounting for approximately half of the original temperature and circulation anomaly transitions. The 30–90-day oscillation favors the persistent warming during EH events, accounting for approximately one-third of the original prolonged warming and anticyclonic anomaly. This result suggests that different ISO modes play crucial roles at different stages of the events. Moreover, a higher annual frequency of long-lived EH days in south China is associated with the transition phase from El Niño to La Niña. It is suggested that both medium-range and interannual forecasting of long-lived EH in south China are possible.
The Role of Nonlinear Drying above the Boundary Layer in the Mid-Holocene African Monsoon
Authors: Dixit Vishal , Sherwood Steven , Geoffroy Olivier , Mantsis Damianos
Published: October 2017

Paleoclimatic proxies indicate that significant summertime rainfall reached the Sahara region during the mid-Holocene, presumably in response to stronger summertime heating in the Northern Hemisphere. Climate models generally do not replicate the enhanced precipitation. As a step toward understanding the response and possible role of model errors, a series of idealized experiments were conducted with the Community Earth System Model in which local atmospheric heat sources of increasing magnitude were applied in the boundary layer over the Sahel and Sahara. In response to this local heating, the cold and moist southwesterly monsoon inflow encroaches farther northward. A source strength of roughly 1 K day−1 produces responses similar to those in a simulation with mid-Holocene orbital forcing imposed globally, while that of 1.5 K day−1 produces a precipitation response similar to that from paleoproxies. The precipitation increases nonlinearly, with a jump at heating of around 1 K day−1, even though the low-level monsoon inflow increases linearly. Competition at low-to-middle levels between drying by a shallow return flow just above the boundary layer and moistening by vertical advection within the layer affects convection and determines the northward extension of precipitation. When the heating becomes 1.5 K day−1, the boundary layer flow encroaches sufficiently northward to weaken the shallow return flow, further aiding precipitation. This novel nonlinear mechanism operates without biogeophysical feedbacks, and suggests that poor representation of the local thermodynamic processes may hamper a model’s ability to simulate dynamical feedbacks and hence the strength and poleward extension of monsoon rains under forcings like those during the mid-Holocene.
Framing Diplomatic Relations
Authors: Fong Yang Lai , Chia Teoh Yong
Published: October 2017

Malaysia and China have been enjoying cordial relations since 1974. In 2015, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang paid an official visit to Malaysia at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Abdul Razak. This study aims to examine the framing of Malaysia–China relations as well as Premier Li’s visit to Malaysia by the mainstream Malay, English and Chinese-language newspapers in Malaysia, as well as the mainstream press in China. The findings indicate that the newspapers reported the topic with differing intensity and prominence, while employing different news sources. Economics and trade was found to be the most salient frame in the coverage by both the Malaysian and Chinese newspapers. In addition, this study also found that both Malaysian and Chinese newspapers mostly used neutral valence in reporting about Malaysia–China diplomacy and Premier Li’s visit to Malaysia. The frame built by the newspapers can be attributed to the fact that they have the inclination to serve the political and economic vested interests of their own countries.
Enlisting Supervised Machine Learning in Mapping Scientific Uncertainty Expressed in Food Risk Analysis
Authors: Rona-Tas Akos , Cornuéjols Antoine , Blanchemanche Sandrine , Duroy Antonin , Martin Christine
Published: October 2017

Recently, both sociology of science and policy research have shown increased interest in scientific uncertainty. To contribute to these debates and create an empirical measure of scientific uncertainty, we inductively devised two systems of classification or ontologies to describe scientific uncertainty in a large corpus of food safety risk assessments with the help of machine learning (ML). We ask three questions: (1) Can we use ML to assist with coding complex documents such as food safety risk assessments on a difficult topic like scientific uncertainty? (2) Can we assess using ML the quality of the ontologies we devised? (3) And, finally, does the quality of our ontologies depend on social factors? We found that ML can do surprisingly well in its simplest form identifying complex meanings, and it does not benefit from adding certain types of complexity to the analysis. Our ML experiments show that in one ontology which is a simple typology, against expectations, semantic opposites attract each other and support the taxonomic structure of the other. And finally, we found some evidence that institutional factors do influence how well our taxonomy of uncertainty performs, but its ability to capture meaning does not vary greatly across the time, institutional context, and cultures we investigated.
Beginning at the beginning: Reading missio Dei from the start of the Bible
Authors: Anderson Christian J.
Published: October 2017

While Missiological hermeneutics have pointed to the missio Dei concept as key to the entire Biblical narrative, these readings have described God’s mission activity as commencing after the entrance of sin, rather than at the beginning of the Bible. This article argues that a mission hermeneutic ought to begin with the Bible’s opening chapters, where humanity’s vocation in the narratives of Genesis 1 and 2 need not be treated as a separate “creation mandate,” but as involvement in the missio Dei. Iranaeus’ theology provides a precedent for thinking that God’s perfecting work was still at an early stage when sin entered creation; and G. K. Beale’s reading of Eden as a garden sanctuary to be expanded gives at least one exegetical avenue for seeing the creation narratives as continuous with the mission entrusted to Abraham’s descendants. Missio Dei participation, then, is inherent to humanity, and sin’s origins can be framed as a refusal to embrace it.
Liminality and the diplomacy of the British Overseas Territories: An assemblage approach
Authors: McConnell Fiona , Dittmer Jason
Published: October 2017

This paper examines diplomatic processes that compose our geopolitical world as dynamic and yet also seemingly affirm the status quo. It turns attention to the entrepreneurial creativity of individual diplomats, the transformations occurring at threshold moments, spaces and practices, and the materiality of diplomacy that exceeds human agency. The paper does so by forging an innovative dialogue between assemblage theory and the notion of liminality as developed in cultural anthropology, and by focusing on a hitherto overlooked set of diplomatic actors: British Overseas Territories. Three vignettes of Overseas Territory diplomacy are traced: an account of the liminal subjectivity of London-based Overseas Territory representatives, the 1982 Argentinian invasion that tipped the Falkland Islands into a state of greater autonomy, and the geophysical ‘tipping point’ of the 1997 volcanic eruption on Montserrat that made the island dependent for the foreseeable future. The paper concludes by noting potential avenues of future research that the synergy between liminality and assemblage may open up in the fields of Science and Technology Studies, anthropology, and geography.
Whale geography
Authors: Burnham Rianna
Published: October 2017

Typically, organism-based biogeographic studies consider distribution and abundance over time on various scales. However, to be comprehensive, factors of environment and habitat, energetics, morphology, and population dynamics should also be included. In addition, these studies should consider not only the spatial extent that an individual or species occupies or can roam within, but also the space over which an animal can extract and interpret information, a less well-defined element of niche space which largely shapes its movements or distribution. Understanding the processes that inform patterns of species distribution, both intrinsic and external to the animal, is key to understanding a species’ ecology. Here, we consider the biogeography of whales, given these ideas, with a particular focus on the acoustical components of their biology and landscape. Cetaceans use of sound to communicate, navigate and forage, and so interpret the soundscape, is a central consideration. It has important implications in a changing ambient environment and will increasingly influence species’ survival.
The Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Distance Traveled to Access Abortion in a Nationally Representative Sample of Abortion Patients
Authors: Ely Gretchen , Murshid Nadine
Published: October 2017

The objective of this article is to describe a secondary data analysis of the 2008 Abortion Patient Survey (APS 2008) data exploring the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and travel distances in a national sample of patients seeking abortion services in the United States. The researchers used the 2008 APS, which is the most recent publicly available version of this dataset, to conduct chi-square tests to examine the bivariate associations between all independent and dependent variables. Prevalence ratios were calculated to determine the association between physical and sexual violence and distance traveled to get an abortion, controlling for length of pregnancy, age, education, income, poverty category, race, relationship status, insurance type, whether women went to the closest clinic, whether the pregnancy was wanted, and number of previous abortions. Results indicate that approximately 83% of the women traveled between 1 and 50 miles, 11% traveled between 51 and 100 miles, 4% traveled between 101 and 150 miles, and 3% traveled more than 151 miles to get an abortion. Prevalence ratios (PR) reveal that physical violence was significantly associated with distance traveled to get an abortion (PR = 1.15, p < .05) when all control variables were accounted for. Patients in abusive relationships that involve physical violence may have to travel longer distances to access abortion. Repeal of policy that impedes access to abortion is recommended.
Effect of tauroursodeoxycholic acid on PUFA levels and inflammation in an animal and cell model of hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: Aslan M , Kıraç E , Yılmaz Ö , Ünal B , Konuk EK , Özcan F , Tuzcu H
Published: October 2017

The aim of this study was to evaluate hepatic polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and inflammatory response in an animal and cell model of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Rats were divided into control, tunicamycin (TM)-treated, and TM + tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA)-treated groups. Hepatic ER stress was induced by TM and the ER stress inhibitor TUDCA was injected 30 min before induction of ER stress. Liver THLE-3 cells were treated with TM and TUDCA was administered in advance to decrease cytotoxic effects. Necroinflammation was evaluated in liver sections, while cell viability was determined using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay kit. ER stress was confirmed by immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis of C/EBP-homologous protein and 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein. Arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6), dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (C20:3n-6), eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3) in liver tissue and THLE-3 cells were determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Phospholipase A2 (PLA2), cyclooxygenase (COX), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were measured in tissue and cell samples. Hepatic ER stress was accomplished by TM and was alleviated by TUDCA. TM treatment significantly decreased PUFAs in both liver and THLE-3 cells compared to controls. PLA2, COX, and PGE2 levels were significantly increased in TM-treated rats and THLE-3 cells compared to controls. TUDCA leads to a partial restoration of liver PUFA levels and decreased PLA2, COX, and PGE2. This study reports decreased PUFA levels in ER stress and supports the use of omega-3 fatty acids in liver diseases demonstrating ER stress.
Impact of non-uniform correlation structure on sample size and power in multiple-period cluster randomised trials
Authors: Kasza J , Hemming K , Hooper R , Matthews JNS , Forbes AB
Published: October 2017

Stepped wedge and cluster randomised crossover trials are examples of cluster randomised designs conducted over multiple time periods that are being used with increasing frequency in health research. Recent systematic reviews of both of these designs indicate that the within-cluster correlation is typically taken account of in the analysis of data using a random intercept mixed model, implying a constant correlation between any two individuals in the same cluster no matter how far apart in time they are measured: within-period and between-period intra-cluster correlations are assumed to be identical. Recently proposed extensions allow the within- and between-period intra-cluster correlations to differ, although these methods require that all between-period intra-cluster correlations are identical, which may not be appropriate in all situations. Motivated by a proposed intensive care cluster randomised trial, we propose an alternative correlation structure for repeated cross-sectional multiple-period cluster randomised trials in which the between-period intra-cluster correlation is allowed to decay depending on the distance between measurements. We present results for the variance of treatment effect estimators for varying amounts of decay, investigating the consequences of the variation in decay on sample size planning for stepped wedge, cluster crossover and multiple-period parallel-arm cluster randomised trials. We also investigate the impact of assuming constant between-period intra-cluster correlations instead of decaying between-period intra-cluster correlations. Our results indicate that in certain design configurations, including the one corresponding to the proposed trial, a correlation decay can have an important impact on variances of treatment effect estimators, and hence on sample size and power. An R Shiny app allows readers to interactively explore the impact of correlation decay.
Politicisation of the accounting standard-setting process and the influence of key-players: An investigation into the withdrawal of the mandatory status of the Statement of Accounting Concepts No. 4 (SAC 4) in Australia
Authors: Islam Jesmin , Khan Habib Zaman , Hughes Mark , Ali Mohobbot
Published: October 2017

This article aims to develop our understanding of the political activity of groups and individual key-players leading to the withdrawal of the Statement of Accounting Concepts No. 4 (SAC 4). The study also examines the arguments advanced by opponents of this rule, using archival data and semi-structured interviews. The key findings of the study highlight the importance of highly motivated, influential and passionate stakeholders in lobbying against proposed accounting rules. In addition, this event raises interesting questions relating to our understanding of Capture theory. This article shows how key-players within the standard-setting environment interacted with each other and lobbied to bring about the withdrawal of the mandatory status of SAC 4. This study adds to the academic literature by allowing individual key-players to explain their motivations and activities in their own words.
Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI) and Transfusion-Associated Circulatory Overload (TACO) in Liver Transplantation: A Case Report and Focused Review
Authors: Smith Natalie K. , Kim Sang , Hill Bryan , Goldberg Andrew , DeMaria Samuel , Zerillo Jeron
Published: October 2017

Liver transplantation (LT) is a complex procedure in a patient with multi-organ system dysfunction and coagulation defects. The surgical procedure involves dissection, major vessel manipulation, and pathophysiologic effects of graft storage and reperfusion. As a result, LT frequently involves significant hemorrhage. Subsequent massive transfusion carries high risk of transfusion-associated complications. Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) and transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) are the leading causes of transfusion associated mortality. In this case report and focused review, we present data that suggest that patients undergoing liver transplantation may be at higher risk for TRALI and TACO than the general population. Anesthesiologists can play a role in decreasing these risks by increasing recognition and reporting of TRALI and TACO, using point of care testing with thromboelastography to guide and decrease transfusion, and considering alternatives to traditional blood products like solvent/detergent plasma.
Male factor infertility and risk of multiple sclerosis: A register-based cohort study
Authors: Glazer Clara Helene , Tøttenborg Sandra Søgaard , Giwercman Aleksander , Bräuner Elvira Vaclavik , Eisenberg Michael L , Vassard Ditte , Magyari Melinda , Pinborg Anja , Schmidt Lone , Bonde Jens Peter
Published: October 2017

Background:

Gender, possibly due to the influence of gonadal hormones, is presumed to play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), but no studies have evaluated whether male infertility is associated with MS.

Objective:

To study the association between male factor infertility and prevalent as well as incident MS.

Method:

Our cohort was established by linkage of the Danish National in vitro fertilization (IVF) registry to The Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry and consisted of 51,063 men whose partners had undergone fertility treatment in all public and private fertility clinics in Denmark between 1994 and 2015.

Results:

With a median age of 34 years at baseline, 24,011 men were diagnosed with male factor infertility and 27,052 did not have male factor infertility and made up the reference group. Men diagnosed with male factor infertility had a higher risk of prevalent (odds ratio (OR) = 1.61, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.04–2.51) and incident MS (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.28, 95% CI 0.76–2.17) when compared to the reference group.

Conclusion:

This nationwide cohort study has shown, for the first time, an association between male infertility and MS which may be due to underlying common etiologies such as hypogonadism, shared genetics, or a joint autoimmune component.
Discomfort glare evaluation: The influence of anchor bias in luminance adjustments
Authors: Kent MG , Fotios S , Altomonte S
Published: October 2017

Luminance adjustment is a procedure commonly used to evaluate discomfort glare and the results from adjustment experiments form the basis of some recommendations for limiting its occurrence. There are, however, strong reasons to expect that settings made using adjustment are unintentionally influenced by extraneous variables. This paper discusses bias towards the initial anchor, the setting of the variable stimulus immediately before an adjustment is made. Specifically, the initial luminance is expected to influence the setting that is made by adjustment; for example, a lower initial luminance leads to a lower setting than a high initial luminance. To investigate anchor bias, a Hopkinson-like multiple-criterion adjustment experiment was undertaken, but with three different anchors. The results confirmed significant bias: glare settings were biased towards the luminance of the initial anchor. This demonstrates a need for caution when using adjustment to explore discomfort glare and when interpreting the results of past studies that used discomfort glare models fitted to data obtained with this procedure.
The Role of Positive Psychology, Cultural, and Family Factors on Hispanic/Latino College Students’ Depressive Symptoms and Subjective Happiness
Authors: Hinojosa Yvette , Vela Javier Cavazos
Published: October 2017

This study examined how presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, hope, gratitude, enculturation, and family influenced Hispanic/Latino college students’ depression and subjective happiness. The first regression model showed that hope, presence of meaning in life, family, and search for meaning in life were related with depression. The second showed that gratitude and presence of meaning in life were related with subjective happiness. Findings and recommendations for counselors and higher education professionals are provided.
From Lynch Mobs to the Deportation State
Authors: Blue Ethan
Published: October 2017

This article explores the relationship between mob violence, immigration control, and the early twentieth-century US deportation regime. Scholars examining the decline of lynch violence in the South typically see modern criminal justice as a new incarnation of white, heteropatriarchal violence. But they have left the deportation apparatus, a conjoined element of a US carceral assemblage, unexamined. This article argues that modern border policing’s ostensibly bloodless removal absorbed anti-immigrant mob violence within its carceral-eliminatory system. As with the diminution of the Southern, anti-black lynch mob, invocations of legality in deportation proved better suited to the biopolitics of liberal capitalist modernity. Nevertheless, the deportation regime, bolstered by an extensive federal infrastructure, still targeted migrants of color, took aim against political radicals, and policed heteropatriarchy in its production of settler-colonial citizenship via the spatial elimination of so-called undesirable aliens.
Dynamic responses of anchored ducted flames to harmonic velocity forcing
Authors: Ren Ze-tian , Li Su-hui , Zhu Min
Published: October 2017

This paper aims at developing a computationally inexpensive method to investigate the premixed flame instabilities. The kinematic G-equation is combined with a two-dimensional discrete vortex method, and the conformal mapping is applied to make calculations for complicated geometries more efficiently. The vortex dynamics and flame response to harmonic velocity forcing of an anchored ducted V-flame are investigated, and the effects of harmonic forcing, Reynolds number, and bluff body geometry are examined. Results show that the vortex structures, flow instability, and flame response are closely coupled with each other. The unsteady vortex structures generate instabilities at the flame base, and the convection of the flame wrinkles then influences the flame dynamics downstream. The flame heat release fluctuates with larger amplitude under low-frequency forcings, while the phase of the flame transfer function is quasi-linear with increasing forcing frequency. Both higher inflow velocity and sharper bluff body corners can result in more unsteady large-scale vortex structures and hence influence the flame responses.
Nerve Blocks in the Geriatric Patient With Hip Fracture: A Review of the Current Literature and Relevant Neuroanatomy
Authors: Amin Nirav H. , West Jacob A. , Farmer Travis , Basmajian Hrayr G.
Published: October 2017

Introduction:

Hip fracture is a common occurrence in the elderly population with high morbidity and mortality due to postoperative pain and opioid use. The goal of this article is to review the current literature on the neuroanatomy of the hip and the use of localized nerve block in controlling hip fracture pain.

Methods:

A thorough search of MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was conducted using the search terms “hip fracture” and “fascia iliaca block (FICB).” An additional search was conducted utilizing multiple search terms including “hip fracture,” “greater trochanter,” “femur,” “hip,” “anatomy,” “neuroanatomical,” and “anatomic.” Each search result was investigated for cadaveric studies on the innervation of the trochanteric region.

Results:

Twenty-five clinical studies examining the use of FICBs in hip fracture patients were identified. These studies show that FICB is safe and effective in controlling perioperative pain. Additionally, FICB has been shown to decrease opioid requirement and opioid-related side effects. Neuroanatomical studies show that the hip capsule is innervated by contributions from the femoral, obturator, sciatic, and superior gluteal nerves. Imaging studies suggest that FICB anesthetizes these branches through localized spread along the fascia iliaca plane. Cadaveric evidence suggests that the greater trochanter region is directly innervated by a single branch from the femoral nerve.

Discussion:

The proven efficacy of nerve blocks and their anatomic basis is encouraging to both the anesthesiologist and orthopedic surgeon. Their routine use in the hip fracture setting may improve patient outcomes, given the unacceptably high morbidity and mortality associated with opioid use.

Conclusions:

Localized nerve blocks, specifically FICB, have been shown to be safe and effective in managing acute hip fracture pain in geriatric patients, leading to decreased opioid use. Knowledge of the hip neuroanatomy may help guide future development of hip fracture pain blockade.
Performance Monitoring in Children Following Traumatic Brain Injury Compared to Typically Developing Children
Authors: Wilkinson Amy A. , Dennis Maureen , Taylor Margot J. , Guerguerian Anne-Marie , Boutis Kathy , Choong Karen , Campbell Craig , Fraser Douglas , Hutchison Jamie , Schachar Russell ,   for the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group (CCCTG)
Published: October 2017

Children with traumatic brain injury are reported to have deficits in performance monitoring, but the mechanisms underlying these deficits are not well understood. Four performance monitoring hypotheses were explored by comparing how 28 children with traumatic brain injury and 28 typically developing controls (matched by age and sex) performed on the stop-signal task. Control children slowed significantly more following incorrect than correct stop-signal trials, fitting the error monitoring hypothesis. In contrast, the traumatic brain injury group showed no performance monitoring difference with trial types, but significant group differences did not emerge, suggesting that children with traumatic brain injury may not perform the same way as controls.
Cancrinite–vishnevite solid solution from Cinder Lake (Manitoba, Canada): crystal chemistry and implications for alkaline igneous rocks
Authors: Martins Tânia , Kressall Ryan , Medici Luca , Chakhmouradian Anton R.
Published: October 2017

This paper presents a microbeam (electron microprobe, Raman spectroscopic and X-ray microdiffraction) study of cancrinite-group minerals of relevance to alkaline igneous rocks. A solid solution is known to exist between cancrinite and vishnevite with the principal substitutions being CO32- by SO42- and Ca for Na. In the present study, several intermediate members of the cancrinite–vishnevite series from a syenitic intrusion at Cinder Lake (Manitoba, Canada), were used to examine how chemical variations in this series affect their spectroscopic and structural characteristics. The Cinder Lake samples deviate from the ideal cancrinite-vishnevite binary owing to the presence of cation vacancies. The only substituent elements detectable by electron microprobe are K, Sr and Fe (0.03-0.70, 0-0.85 and 0-0.45 wt.% respective oxides). The following Raman bands are present in the spectra of these minerals: ∼631 cm-1 and ∼984-986 cm-1 [SO42- vibration modes]; ∼720-774 cm -1 and ∼1045-1060 cm -1 [CO32- vibration modes]; and ∼3540 cm -1 and 3591 cm -1 [H2O vibration modes]. Our study shows a clear relationship between the chemical composition and Raman characteristics of intermediate members of the cancrinite-vishnevite series, especially with regard to stretching modes of the CO32- and SO42- anions. From cancrinite-poor (Ccn65) to cancrinite-dominant (Ccn913) compositions, the SO42- vibration modes disappear from the Raman spectrum, giving way to CO32- modes. X-ray microdiffraction results show a decrease in unit-cell parameters towards cancrinite-dominant compositions: a = 12.664 (1) Å, c = 5.173(1) Å for vishnevite (Ccn22); a = 12.613 (1) Å, c = 5.132(1) Å for cancrinite (Ccn71). Our results demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy and X-ray microdiffraction are effective for in situ identification of microscopic grains of cancrinite-vishnevite where other methods (e.g. infrared spectroscopy) are inapplicable. The petrogenetic implications of cancrinite-vishnevite relations for tracing early- to late-stage evolution of alkaline magmas are discussed.
Variational Bayesian inversion of synthetic 3D controlled-source electromagnetic geophysical data
Authors: Penz Sébastien , Duchêne Bernard , Mohammad-Djafari Ali
Published: October 2017

Inversion of controlled-source electromagnetic data is dealt with for a geophysical application. The goal is to retrieve a map of conductivity of an unknown body embedded in a layered underground from measurements of the scattered electric field that results from its interaction with a known interrogating wave. This constitutes an inverse scattering problem whose associated forward problem is described by means of electric field domain integral equations. The inverse problem is solved in a Bayesian framework in which prior information is introduced via a Gauss-Markov-Potts model. This model describes the body as being composed of a finite number of different materials distributed into compact homogeneous regions. The posterior distribution of the unknowns is approached by means of the variational Bayesian approximation as a separable distribution that minimizes the Kullback-Leibler divergence with respect to the posterior law. Thus, we get a parametric model for the distributions of the induced currents, the conductivity contrast, and the various parameters of the prior model that are obtained following a semisupervised iterative approach. This method is applied to multifrequency synthetic data corresponding to a 3D crosswell configuration in which the sought body is made of two separated anomalies, a conductive heterogeneity and a resistive one, and its results are compared with that given by the classic contrast source inversion (CSI). The method succeeds in retrieving compact homogeneous regions that correspond to the two anomalies whose shape and conductivities are obtained with a good precision compared with that obtained with CSI.
Fundamental Epidemiology Terminology and Measures: It Really Is All in the Name
Authors: Vetter Thomas R. , Jesser Christine A.
Published: October 2017

Epidemiology is the study of how disease is distributed in populations and the factors that influence or determine this distribution. Clinical epidemiology denotes the application of epidemiologic methods to questions relevant to patient care and provides a highly useful set of principles and methods for the design and conduct of quantitative clinical research. Validly analyzing, correctly reporting, and successfully interpreting the findings of a clinical research study often require an understanding of the epidemiologic terms and measures that describe the patterns of association between the exposure of interest (treatment or intervention) and a health outcome (disease). This statistical tutorial thus discusses selected fundamental epidemiologic concepts and terminology that are applicable to clinical research. Incidence is the occurrence of a health outcome during a specific time period. Prevalence is the existence of a health outcome during a specific time period. The relative risk can be defined as the probability of the outcome of interest (eg, developing the disease) among exposed individuals compared to the probability of the same event in nonexposed individuals. The odds ratio is a measure of risk that compares the frequency of exposure to a putative causal factor in the individuals with the health outcome (cases) versus those individuals without the health outcome (controls). Factors that are associated with both the exposure and the outcome of interest need to be considered to avoid bias in your estimate of risk. Because it takes into consideration the contribution of extraneous variables (confounders), the adjusted odds ratio provides a more valid estimation of the association between the exposure and the health outcome and thus is the preferably reported measure. The odds ratio closely approximates the risk ratio in a cohort study or a randomized controlled trial when the outcome of interest does not occur frequently (<10%). The editors, reviewers, authors, and readers of journal articles should be aware of and make the key distinction between the absolute risk reduction and the relative risk reduction. In assessing the findings of a clinical study, the investigators, reviewers, and readers must determine if the findings are not only statistically significant, but also clinically meaningful. Furthermore, in deciding on the merits of a new medication or other therapeutic intervention, the clinician must balance the benefits versus the adverse effects in individual patients. The number needed to treat and the number needed to harm can provide this needed additional insight and perspective.
Malignant Hyperthermia Versus Thyroid Storm in a Patient With Symptomatic Graves Disease: A Case Report
Authors: Strowd Sara M. , Majewski Michael B. , Asteris Jennifer
Published: October 2017

Malignant hyperthermia and thyroid storm are intraoperative emergencies with overlapping symptoms but different treatment protocols. We faced this diagnostic dilemma in a 25-year-old patient with symptomatic hyperthyroidism, elevated free T3 and free T4, and low thyroid-stimulating hormone from Graves disease despite treatment with propranolol 80 mg daily and methimazole 40 mg every 8 hours. During thyroidectomy, he developed hyperthermia and hypercarbia without tachycardia. When the rate of rise of Paco
2 and temperature accelerated, we treated the patient for malignant hyperthermia, a diagnosis subsequently confirmed by genetic testing.
Implications of Mitochondrial Dysfunction for the Anesthetic and Perioperative Management: A Case Report of Spinal Fusion, Genetic Confusion, and a Patient’s Perspective
Authors: Aglio Linda S. , Lockhart Brian T. , Lunshof Jeantine E. , Nabzdyk Christoph S.
Published: October 2017

We describe a patient’s personal struggle with a symptom complex consisting of profound muscle weakness requiring pyridostigmine, and metabolic abnormalities suggestive of mitochondrial disease. This included a profound sensitivity to opioids, which in the past caused severe respiratory depression during a prior hospital admission. Interestingly, the patient herself is a professor of ethics in genomic sciences, and she and her medical team thus far have not been able to formally diagnose her with mitochondrial disease. The patient now presented for a multilevel lumbar spine fusion and her hospital course and perspective on her medical odyssey are described here.
Coronary Sinus Catheter-Induced Heart Block During Aortic Valve Replacement: A Case Report
Authors: Dahl Aaron B. , Murray-Torres Teresa , Emmert Daniel A.
Published: October 2017

Conduction abnormalities after cardiac surgery are common as is spontaneous resolution of these abnormalities. However, 1%–3% of patients will require placement of a permanent pacemaker. Patients with preexisting conduction abnormalities, undergoing reoperation, preexisting pulmonary hypertension and undergoing mitral or aortic valve operations are at a higher risk for requiring a permanent pacemaker. We present the first case described in the literature of a patient with a preexisting left bundle branch block, and heart failure with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction of 25% who developed complete heart block after placement of a coronary sinus catheter.
The Descrittione dell’India occidentale, a Sixteenth-Century Source on the Italian Reception of Mesoamerican Material Culture
Authors: Domenici Davide
Published: October 2017

This article discusses the Descrittione dell’India occidentale, a neglected Italian sixteenth-century anonymous and undated text that describes a set of Mesoamerican artifacts brought from Mexico to Italy by an anonymous priest. The text contains data on Mesoamerican material culture, on its Italian reception, and on its contribution to the formation of an early modern corpus of ethnographic knowledge. Herein I provide an analysis of the text, revealing its connections to other sixteenth-century texts and proposing hypotheses on its date and place of publication as well as on the identity of the author and of the priest whose arrival in Italy is the subject of the text. In the concluding section, I discuss some research lines that can be tackled on the basis of the Descrittione dell’India occidentale.
Teaching the Short-Story Cycle, Teaching American Literature
Authors: Smith Jennifer J.
Published: October 2017

This article argues that the short-story cycle should be central to teaching American literature, because the genre crystallizes major tensions of American literary history: marginality and inclusion, the individual and the community, and the formation of a national literature from transnational and local materials.
Making Ends Meet
Authors: Weeks Andrew , Forkner Kelsey , George Susan , Lorig Josette
Published: October 2017

Against the background of available pedagogical advice, this article describes the challenges faced and innovations undertaken in a large lecture-discussion literature class for nonmajor undergraduates. The professor and graduate teachers found the task fraught with problems but also fertile in possibilities for improving undergraduate literacy and pedagogical skills and techniques.