bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is DEET a dangerous neurotoxicant?
Authors: Swale Daniel R , Bloomquist Jeffrey R
Published: May 2019

Controversies surrounding the safety of N,N‐diethyl‐meta‐toluamide (DEET) when used as an insect repellent are centered around conflicting findings in the scientific literature and inaccurate reporting in the public media. Lethal cases of DEET poisoning are few, and usually due to deliberate or other overdoses that ignore product label instructions. Deleterious effects of DEET typically involve skin reactions and even when encephalopathies, such as seizures, occur they often abate without sequelae. Recent mode‐of‐action studies prove it has little direct effect on acetylcholinesterase, and have identified G protein‐coupled receptors as a site of action deserving of further investigation. Studies with pregnant women found that DEET had no effect on the developing fetus from proper use and its continued deployment as a repellent is endorsed by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency, with specific recommendations of how it should be used on children. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Skyrmion Crystals in Frustrated Shastry–Sutherland Magnets
Authors: Yu Jianhe , Li Weihao , Huang Zongpeng , Liang Jinjing , Chen Jun , Chen Deyang , Hou Zhipeng , Qin Minghui
Published: May 2019

The phase diagrams of the frustrated classical spin model with the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interaction on the Shastry–Sutherland lattice are studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations. For ferromagnetic next‐nearest‐neighboring (J2) interactions, the introduced exchange frustration enhances the effect of the DM interaction, which enlarges the magnetic field‐range with the skyrmion lattice phase and increases the skyrmion density. For antiferromagnetic J2 interactions, the so‐called 2q phase (two‐sublattice skyrmion crystal) and the spin‐flop phase are observed, and their stabilizations are closely dependent on the DM interaction and J2 interaction, respectively. The simulated results are qualitatively explained from the energy competitions among these couplings, which provide an important guidance for finding skyrmion crystals in frustrated magnets.
Vacuum‐Deposited Inorganic Perovskite Memory Arrays with Long‐Term Ambient Stability
Authors: Zou Chen , He Lijun , Lin Lih Y.
Published: May 2019

Recently, metal halide perovskites have been widely used and considered as an alternative to oxides or chalcogenides in memory devices due to the high on–off ratio and low operating voltage, as well as ease of fabrication. However, most of the perovskite thin films in previous studies have been deposited by lab‐scale solution‐processed methods. They are not directly applicable to larger‐scale and volume manufacturing, hindering the commercialization of this technology. Herein, the performance of memory devices based on vacuum‐deposited inorganic perovskite (VDIP) is investigated for the first time. The optimized VDIP‐based memory devices exhibit reliable and reproducible resistive switching (RS) behaviors with a high on–off ratio (>100), low set/reset voltage (<2 V), and reversible RS by fast pulse‐voltage operations. Furthermore, the devices show an excellent ambient stability, and no obvious degradation is observed after storage in an ambient condition for 30 days. The memory devices on flexible substrates also show a good mechanical flexibility under a bending stress. In addition, a VDIP memory array with 16 × 16 memory cells on a large‐scale substrate is demonstrated, suggesting the strong potential of the VDIP for high‐density, large‐area storage devices.
Complementary approach for accurate determination of carbon isotopic compositions in γ‐hydroxybutyric acid using gas chromatography/combustion‐isotope ratio mass spectrometry
Authors: Lee Dong‐Hun , Kim Hyojeong , Yun Hee Young , Park Meejung , Choe Sanggil , In Sanghwan , Kim Eunmi , Han Eunyoung , Shin Kyung‐Hoon
Published: May 2019

Rationale

γ‐Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is a naturally endogenous neurotransmitter that is popular as a recreational drug due to its sedative, hypnotic, and euphoric effects. GHB derived from endogenous production or exogenous ingestion has been effectively discriminated by carbon isotopic compositions (δ13C values) through gas chromatography/combustion‐isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C‐IRMS). However, an unintended uncertainty of isotopic signatures caused by a wide range of GHB quantities remains unsolved when using only single‐isotope corrections of the di‐TMS derivative.

Methods

The δ13C values of the original GHB standard were first determined by elemental analyzer/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA/IRMS). The δ13C values of silylated GHB in concentrations from 10 to 500 ppm were determined by GC/C‐IRMS. With respect to the silylated reaction products, the correction of δ13C values for the introduced carbons was calculated from a stoichiometric mass balance equation.

Results

The results showed a significant quantity‐dependent trend in δ13C values of introduced carbon (δ13Cdi‐TMS values) with increased GHB standard concentrations (r2 = 0.70, p <0.05). We applied a logarithmic equation to determine isotopic data in low‐GHB urine specimens from five healthy female volunteers. The δ13CGHB values in urine samples corrected with quantity‐dependent δ13Cdi‐TMS values were different by an average of 2.7‰ from those corrected with single δ13Cdi‐TMS values (p <0.05).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the overall residual amount‐dependent isotope fractionation should be mathematically corrected by the logarithmic function and this may improve the reliability of isotopic analysis to evaluate the origin of GHB before applying the approach to routine toxicological and forensic studies.
Secure delegation of group exponentiations: Efficient and fully verifiable schemes with two servers†
Authors: Moritz Stephan , Uzunkol Osmanbey
Published: May 2019

Recent interactions between cloud service providers and mobile resource‐constrained devices have increased the interest on the delegation of expensive computations to powerful external server providers. At the same time, security and verifiability of the delegated computation are challenging though highly demanded requirements for various application scenarios. Many security solutions using advanced cryptographic technologies require a large number of highly expensive group exponentiations (GEs). In this paper, we address the problems regarding secure and verifiable delegation of GEs. We first analyze two delegation schemes for GEs both introduced recently in Cluster Computing by Fu et al with the claim that they both provide full verifiability. Particularly, we show that the first scheme is only verifiable with a probability at most 2/3, and the second scheme is totally unverifiable. Then, we propose a secure, efficient and fully verifiable delegation scheme InvDel for a GE using two servers, where one of which is malicious. With InvDel the delegator does not require computations of any group inversions (GIs) while providing full verifiability. Then, we extend InvDel to SimInvDel which is the first, efficient and secure delegation scheme for n‐simultaneous GEs achieving full verifiability for n > 1. Secondly, we give implementation results of InvDel and SimInvDel using an Android application together with a comprehensive efficiency analysis of computation and communication with the previous schemes. For instance, when the required CPU costs for a single GE are compared with a 4092‐bit modulus, InvDel is more than 220‐times (resp. more than two times) more efficient than the local computation (resp. using a previous fully verifiable scheme proposed in the literature). Finally, we also utilize InvDel and SimInvDel to speed‐up the verification of Schnorr's signature and Cramer‐Shoup encryption schemes.
Doubly fed induction generator‐based variable‐speed wind turbine: Proposal of a simplified model under a faulty grid with short‐duration faults
Authors: Rolán Alejandro , Pedra Joaquín
Published: May 2019

The aim of this study is to provide a simplified model of a variable‐speed wind turbine (VSWT) with the technology of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), which operates under faulty grid conditions. A simplified model is proposed, which consists of a set of electrical and mechanical equations that can be easily modeled as simplistic electrical circuits. It makes it an excellent tool to achieve fault ride‐through capability of grid‐connected VSWT with DFIGs. Both symmetrical and unsymmetrical grid faults, which cause symmetrical and unsymmetrical voltage sags, have been applied to the system in order to validate the model. The proposed simplified model has been compared with the traditional full‐order model under multiple sags (different durations and depths), and the results reveal that both models present similar accuracy. As the idea is to reduce the computational time required to simulate the machine behavior under faulty grid conditions, the proposed model becomes suitable for that purpose. The analytical study has been validated by simulations carried out with MATLAB.
Entanglement dynamics in 2D CFT with boundary: entropic origin of JT gravity and Schwarzian QM
Authors: Callebaut Nele , Verlinde Herman
Published: May 2019

Abstract

We study the dynamics of the geometric entanglement entropy of a 2D CFT in the presence of a boundary. We show that this dynamics is governed by local equations of motion, that take the same form as 2D Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity coupled to the CFT. If we assume that the boundary has a small thickness ϵ and constant boundary entropy, we derive that its location satisfies the equations of motion of Schwarzian quantum mechanics with coupling constant C = c ϵ/12π. We rederive this result via energy-momentum conservation.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy with infundibulum cystic artery first technique: A record-based case series
Authors: Nawar Momen A.
Published: May 2019

ABSTRACT

Background and aim:

Even though laparoscopic cholecystectomy LC became the gold standard for the treatment of gallstones, bile duct injuries, (BDI), are still more frequent than that recorded in the open cholecystectomy OC era. The aim of the study is to describe the experience with this modified technique through a retrospective case series.

Materials and methods:

This record-based study was carried out at Dawadmi General Hospital in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data were collected from hospital records from January 2008 to September 2017. It included all the patients undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC) performed by the author using a modified infundibulum first technique with cystic artery identification. The number of eligible records was 502.

Results:

The majority of patients were women (81.7%), having symptomatic cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis (83.7%). The median operative time was 43.1 minutes. Nine (1.79%) patients experienced intra-operative incidents, the most common being iatrogenic gall bladder perforation (4 patients). None of the patients had bile duct injury (BDI), while 3 required conversion to open cholecystectomy (OC). Overall, 8 (1.59%) patients had early post-operative complications. The overall morbidity rate was 2.99% (95% CI: 1.75–4.77).

Conclusion and recommendations:

The modified LC approach based on identification of the cystic artery is associated with lower rates of intra- and post-operative complications, with low conversion rate. A multi-center randomized clinical trial is recommended to provide more evidence of the utility of this technique.

Highlights:
Nietzsche's The Gay Science
Authors: Ure Michael
Published: May 2019

Nietzsche's The Gay Science (1882/1887) is a deeply personal book, yet also an important work of philosophy. Nietzsche conceives it as a philosophical autobiography, a record of his own self-transformation. In beautifully composed aphorisms he communicates his central experience of overcoming pessimism and recovering the capacity to affirm joyfully the tragedy of life. On the basis of his experiments in living, Nietzsche articulates his most famous philosophical concepts and images: the death of God, the exercise of eternal recurrence, and the ideal of self-fashioning. This book explains the ancient and modern philosophical contexts that shape Nietzsche's central concern with the affirmation of life. It surveys Nietzsche's philosophy as a whole, explains the pivotal place of The Gay Science as the source of his ideal of tragic joy, and shows how he revives an ancient conception of philosophy as a way of life and the philosopher as physician.
One British Thing: Jodhpurs
Authors: Mayer Tara
Published: May 2019

Jodhpurs, despite their Indian name and provenance, are a quintessentially “British thing” in that they exemplify the material and cultural exchanges between Britain and its Indian colony in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The trousers, originally associated with elite Indian sportsmen and royalty, have become an iconic staple of British equestrian culture, cavalry uniforms, and fashionable leisurewear. This particular example of sartorial borrowing illustrates the complicated cultural proximity of empire within metropolitan Britain.
INTERPRETING ARITHMETIC IN THE FIRST-ORDER THEORY OF ADDITION AND COPRIMALITY OF POLYNOMIAL RINGS
Authors: UTRERAS JAVIER
Published: May 2019

We study the first-order theory of polynomial rings over a GCD domain and of the ring of formal entire functions over a non-Archimedean field in the language $\{ 1, + , \bot \}$. We show that these structures interpret the first-order theory of the semi-ring of natural numbers. Moreover, this interpretation depends only on the characteristic of the original ring, and thus we obtain uniform undecidability results for these polynomial and entire functions rings of a fixed characteristic. This work enhances results of Raphael Robinson on essential undecidability of some polynomial or formal power series rings in languages that contain no symbols related to the polynomial or power series ring structure itself.
Nutritional status and energy expenditure in elderly patients with recent hip fracture during a 2-month follow-up
Authors: Paillaud Elena , Bories Phuong-Nhi , Le Parco Jean-Claude , Campillo Bernard
Published: May 2019

A 2-month follow-up of nutritional status was performed in forty elderly patients with recent hip fracture. Patients were nutritionally assessed on admission to our rehabilitation unit (day 0), then monthly (day 30, day 60) by measurement of resting energy expenditure (REE), anthropometric, impedance and biological variables. Patients were defined as undernourished (n 13) or normally nourished (n 27) on the basis of mid-arm circumference (MAC) and triceps skinfold thickness (TST) measurements. Seven patients recovered a walking autonomy and were discharged from the hospital before day 30 (group I) whereas thirteen patients were discharged after day 30 (group II); twenty patients remained in the study at day 60 (group III). MAC and TST decreased in normally nourished patients from group III throughout the study whereas they did not change in group II or in undernourished patients from group III. REE values in relation to fat-free mass were increased compared with normal values and were similar in the three groups on day 0; they did not change during the study. Daily energy intake in relation to body weight was higher in group I and increased in group II and in undernourished patients from group III throughout the study. In contrast, it was below the recommended value at day 0 and it did not significantly improve in normally nourished patients from group III. Serum albumin, transthyretin and transferrin levels on day 0 were below reference intervals in the three groups. Albumin levels increased in group III throughout the study. Inflammatory proteins decreased in groups II and III, with C-reactive protein levels returning to normal values in group II by day 30 and in group III at day 60, while orosomucoid levels did not become completely normal over this period. Our findings indicate no improvement in nutritional status in undernourished patients after surgery for recent hip fracture, despite an adequate energy intake. An insufficient spontaneous energy intake for normally nourished patients was associated with a delayed favourable outcome resulting in a prolonged duration of hospitalization. A hypermetabolic state persisted during the 3 months after surgery.
Intestinal, hepatic, and circulating vitamin K levels at low and high intakes of vitamin K in rats
Authors: Koivu-Tikkanen Terhi J. , Schurgers Leon J. , Thijssen Henk H. W. , Vermeer Cees
Published: May 2019

The aim of the present study was to assess how high doses of dietary vitamin K influence the intestinal profile of K-vitamins in vitamin K-deficient rats, and whether the induced changes are reflected in the hepatic vitamin K store. Vitamin K-deficient rats were fed for 10 d on diets containing different forms of vitamin K, and it was determined how these diets affected the vitamin K concentration at various sites of the instestine, serum, and the liver. It was found that the absorption of phylloquinone from standard food is not more than 10 %, while the absorption of pharmacological doses of oil-solubilized phylloquinone and menaquinone-4 was also far from complete (18 and 55 % respectively). High intakes of phylloquinone suppress the colonic production of all higher menaquinones. High menaquinone-4 intake induces very high menaquinone-8 concentrations, both in the colonic contents as well as in the liver. These data suggest that menaquinone-4 may be converted into menaquinone-8 (but not into other menaquinones) via a metabolic pathway which has not been reported previously.
No effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 on short-term satiety and energy intake in man
Authors: Long S. J. , Sutton J. A. , Amaee W. B. , Giouvanoudi A. , Spyrou N. M. , Rogers P. J. , Morgan L. M.
Published: May 2019

Centrally administered glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) inhibits feeding in fasted rats, but its role in human satiety has been largely unexplored. The present study investigated the effect of peripheral GLP-1 infusion on gastric emptying and satiety in man. Ten non-obese male subjects were infused in a randomized single-blind within-subject crossover study using saline infusion as control. They received either a GLP-1 infusion (1·2 pmol/kg per min) or a saline infusion for 1 h, at 18.00 hours. At 20 min after starting the infusion the gastric emptying of a 400 ml water load was measured. Subjects completed behavioural self-rating scales to assess hunger and satiety. After 40 min subjects were given a buffet mealad libitumand their food intake was recorded. GLP-1 infusion raised circulating GLP-1 concentrations to approximately twice those seen following a meal. It did not affect circulating insulin levels but caused a small fall in glucose levels. Gastric emptying of the water load was significantly delayed by the GLP-1 infusion. Energy intake from the buffet was unaffected by GLP-1 infusion. Self-assessment of hunger and satiety was similarly unaffected by the infusion before the buffet meal, although subjects tended to be less hungry after the buffet meal following GLP-1 infusion (P< 0·09). GLP-1 infusion delayed gastric emptying but had a minimal effect on food intake and satiety. This study casts doubts on whether GLP-1 is a major satiety factor in man, although a raised circulating plasma glucose level, as would normally occur postprandially, might be necessary for GLP-1 to increase satiety.
Blood pressure and calcium intake are related tobone density in adult males
Authors: Metz Jill A. , Morris Cynthia D. , Roberts Leslie A. , McClung Michael R. , McCarron David A.
Published: May 2019

Based on the premise that elevated blood pressure and low bone mass have both been associated with poor Ca nutriture and disturbances in Ca metabolism, a cross-sectional study was employed to determine if blood pressure and dietary Ca intake were significantly related to bone mass. Forty-seven men between 24–77 years of age with blood pressure values ranging from normal to mildly elevated comprised the study group. Blood pressure was measured with a random-zero sphygmomanometer. Bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) of the hip, spine and total body were measured with dual-photon absorptiometry. Dietary intake and physical activity were also assessed. Multiple linear regression analysis was used for statistical analysis. After adjusting for known confounding variables (age, BMI, Ca intake, and others) diastolic blood pressure was negatively related to BMC (P ≤ 0·05) and BMD (P ≤ 0·01) of the total body, trochanteric region (P < 0·01) and Ward's triangle (P < 0·05), and to BMC of the femoral neck (P < 0·05) and lumbar spine, although the latter was just shy of statistical significance (P = 0·058). Systolic blood pressure was negatively related to trochanteric BMD (P = 0·04) and BMC (P = 0·06). Ca intake was positively related to total body BMD (P = 0·005), and BMC of the lumbar spine (P = 0·05). In this population of men, Ca intake was a positive predictor, and blood pressure was a negative predictor of regional measures of bone mass. These findings support the concept that independent of age, BMI and Ca intake, elevated blood pressure varies indirectly with bone mass and density, known predictors of osteoporotic fractures. Future studies are needed to determine whether elevated blood pressure is causally related to the development of low bone mass, and what role dietary Ca plays in that pathway.
Effects of red pepper on appetite and energy intake
Authors: Yoshioka Mayumi , St-Pierre Sylvie , Drapeau Vicky , Dionne Isabelle , Doucet Eric , Suzuki Masashige , Tremblay Angelo
Published: May 2019

Two studies were conducted to investigate the effects of red pepper (capsaicin) on feeding behaviour and energy intake. In the first study, the effects of dietary red pepper added to high-fat (HF) and high-carbohydrate (HC) meals on subsequent energy and macronutrient intakes were examined in thirteen Japanese female subjects. After the ingestion of a standardized dinner on the previous evening, the subjects ate an experimental breakfast (1883 kJ) of one of the following four types: (1) HF; (2) HF and red pepper (10 g); (3) HC; (4) HC and red pepper. Ad libitum energy and macronutrient intakes were measured at lunch-time. The HC breakfast significantly reduced the desire to eat and hunger after breakfast. The addition of red pepper to the HC breakfast also significantly decreased the desire to eat and hunger before lunch. Differences in diet composition at breakfast time did not affect energy and macronutrient intakes at lunch-time. However, the addition of red pepper to the breakfast significantly decreased protein and fat intakes at lunch-time. In Study 2, the effects of a red-pepper appetizer on subsequent energy and macronutrient intakes were examined in ten Caucasian male subjects. After ingesting a standardized breakfast, the subjects took an experimental appetizer (644 kJ) at lunch-time of one of the following two types: (1) mixed diet and appetizer; (2) mixed diet and red-pepper (6 g) appetizer. The addition of red pepper to the appetizer significantly reduced the cumulative ad libitum energy and carbohydrate intakes during the rest of the lunch and in the snack served several hours later. Moreover, the power spectral analysis of heart rate revealed that this effect of red pepper was associated with an increase in the ratio sympathetic: parasympathetic nervous system activity. These results indicate that the ingestion of red pepper decreases appetite and subsequent protein and fat intakes in Japanese females and energy intake in Caucasian males. Moreover, this effect might be related to an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity in Caucasian males.
Inverse association between coffee drinking and serum uric acid concentrations in middle-aged Japanese males
Authors: Kiyohara C. , Kono S. , Honjo S. , Todoroki I. , Sakurai Y. , Nishiwaki M. , Hamada H. , Nishikawa H. , Koga H. , Ogawa S. , Nakagawa K.
Published: May 2019

Consumption of caffeine-rich beverages, which have diuretic properties, may decrease serum uric acid concentrations. We examined cross-sectionally the relationship of coffee and green tea consumption to serum uric acid concentrations in 2240 male self-defence officials who received a pre-retirement health examination at four hospitals of the Self-Defence Forces between 1993 and 1994. The mean levels of coffee and green tea consumption were 2·3 and 3·1 cups/d respectively. There was a clear inverse relationship between coffee consumption and serum uric acid concentration. When adjusted for hospital only, those consuming less than one cup of coffee daily had a mean serum uric acid concentration of 60 mg/l, while that of those drinking five or more cups of coffee daily was 56 mg/l (P < 0·0001). No such relationship was observed for green tea, another major dietary source of caffeine in Japan. The relationship between coffee consumption and serum uric acid concentration was independent of age, rank in the Self-Defence Forces, BMI, systolic blood pressure, serum creatinine, serum total cholesterol and serum HDL-cholesterol concentrations, smoking status, alcohol use, beer consumption and intake of dairy products. These findings suggest that coffee drinking may be associated with lower concentrations of serum uric acid, and further studies are needed to confirm the association.
Quantitative significance of measuring trimethylselenonium in urine for assessing chronically high intakes of selenium in human subjects
Authors: Janghorbani M. , Xia Y. , Ha P. , Whanger P. D. , Butler J. A. , Olesik J. W. , Daniels L.
Published: May 2019

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of Se restriction on the excretion of Se in men who had consumed high levels of this element during their entire lives. With the use of stable isotopes of Se as selenite, the excretion of methylated Se in urine was investigated in Chinese men (n 10) who had habitual chronic high intakes of this element. The relationship between either urine Se or trimethylselenonium (TMSe) to the estimated long-term Se intake was not linear over the entire range of intake, which was also true for the infusion of labelled selenite. A non-linear relationship was also found between urine TMSe and urine Se both for TMSe arising from catabolism of endogenous body Se and that from infused selenite. The data suggest a close precursor–product relationship of urine Se and its TMSe component based on the nearly identical specific activities for these two selenocompounds. Although dimethylselenide in breath was not measured in the present study, combining urinary TMSe with this breath test may be more useful in the assessment of long-term Se status.
Liberal Leaders and Liberal Success: The Impact of Alternation
Authors: Johnston Richard
Published: May 2019

A leader from Quebec boosts the fortunes of the Liberal party in that province. This, in turn, has helped make Quebec the veto player in twentieth-century Canadian elections and the Liberals the “natural” governing party. Although Quebec is no longer as critical as before, a leader from the province still makes a big difference. Full impact from the pattern requires more than one election to unfold. Patterns outside Quebec are similar, if fainter: the Liberal party is not punished for choosing a Quebecker and may even be helped. The early success of the pattern moved the Liberals to alternate between Quebec and non-Quebec leaders, such that the party is now led by a Quebecker more often than not. Maintaining alternation has never been easy and is only getting harder.
William James on an Unseen Order
Authors: Proudfoot Wayne
Published: May 2019

In one of his earliest articles, William James says that the radical question of life is whether this be at bottom a moral or an unmoral universe: moral or unmoral, not moral or immoral. James is not asking whether the universe is good or bad, but whether i t is coordinate with the inner lives of persons, their desires, and their purposes. The sense of “moral” here is not restricted to ethics, but is the sense in which the moral sciences (comprising what we now call the humanities and the social sciences) were contrasted in the nineteenth century with the natural sciences.
Paul's Uncommon Declaration in Romans 1:18–32 and Its Problematic Legacy for Pagan and Christian Relations
Authors: Gaca Kathy L.
Published: May 2019

By the late fourth century, prominent Christian leaders no longer remained content to advocate religious separatism from their polytheistic social environment. Instead they started making more strenuous efforts in law and in the streets to prohibit Greek and other pagan religious practices in the Roman Empire. This change in policy and practice was the outcome of historical factors that need better explanation than that of the unavoidable destiny of Christianity. One important aspect of this change, I argue here, is a problematic innovation in the tradition of Hellenistic Jewish and early Christian polemic against polytheism. The innovation derives from Paul's letter to the Ro-mans and develops through patristic endorsements of Paul's argument. In Rom 1:18–32 Paul fully reworks the Hellenistic Jewish polemical tradition, even though his argument is not yet recognized today as the distinctive proclamation that it is. Nonetheless, the polemic he wages in Rom 1:18–32 is anomalous in the tradition before, during, and for a century after he lived.
MALTHUS, NINETEENTH-CENTURY SOCIALISM, AND MARX
Authors: STEDMAN JONES GARETH
Published: May 2019

This article examines radical and socialist responses to Malthus'sEssay on population, beginning with the response of William Godwin, Malthus's main object of attack, but focusing particularly upon the position adopted by his most important admirer, Robert Owen. The anti-Malthus position was promoted and sustained both by Owen and the subsequent Owenite movement. Owenites stressed both the extent of uncultivated land and the capacity of science to raise the productivity of the soil. The Owenite case, preached weekly in Owenite Halls of Science, and argued by its leading lecturer, John Watts, made a strong impact upon the young Frederick Engels working in Manchester in 1843–4. His denunciation of political economy in theDeutsch-Französische Jahrbücher, heavily dependent upon the Owenite position, was what first encouraged Marx to engage with political economy. Marx initially reiterated the position of Engels and the Owenites in maintaining that population increase pressured means of employment rather than means of subsistence, and that competition rather than overpopulation caused economic crises. But in his later work, his main criticism of the Malthusian theory was its false conflation of history and nature.
Longevity of crenate broomrape (Orobanche crenata) seed under soil and laboratory conditions
Authors: López-Granados Francisca , García-Torres Luis
Published: May 2019

The effect of storage conditions on longevity of crenate broomrape seed was determined and then used to predict and simulate new infestations. Newly harvested broomrape seed mixed with soil and placed in nylon mesh bags was buried in soil 8 and 23 cm deep or kept at room temperature in the laboratory for 6 yr. In the field, seed exhibited a seasonal pattern in germination, showing consistent and poor germination from September to January and for the rest of the year, respectively. The two burial depths tested showed no significant differences in seed germination or survival. Seed stored under laboratory conditions germinated throughout the year. The negative exponential model (% germination =Aexp−-B-months of storage) described the time course of germination of crenate broomrape seed. Seed longevity decreased much quicker in the field than in the laboratory. For example, germination capacity decreased 66 and 95% and only 27 and 60% after 33 and 108 mo of soil burial or under laboratory conditions, respectively. According to these findings, the repeatedly reported infestations occurring in plots after many (up to 14) years of not growing broomrape-susceptible crops can not be attributed to the longevity of buried seed.
Yellow (Cyperus esculentus) and purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) are not injured by increasing root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) population density
Authors: Schroeder Jill , Thomas Stephen H. , Murray Leigh W.
Published: May 2019

Greenhouse studies in 1995 and 1996 examined the response of yellow and purple nutsedge to inoculation with increasing densities of southern root-knot nematodes. Yellow and purple nutsedge root and shoot weight, numbers of leaves and tubers produced, and tuber weight were unaffected across 17 nematode inoculum densities that ranged from 0 to 20,000 eggs per 15-cm pot, four times the maximum nematode density recorded under field conditions in New Mexico. Hence, yellow and purple nutsedge do not exhibit a classic threshold response to root-knot nematodes. Moreover, the results suggest that the relationship between these nematodes and perennial nutsedges is an example of a positive biological interaction. The relationship between root-knot nematodes and purple nutsedge appears to be one of commensalism, because while the nematodes reproduced effectively, purple nutsedge reproduction was not related to final nematode populations. The relationship between yellow nutsedge and root-knot nematodes appears to be a mutually beneficial one, because yellow nutsedge tuber number and weight and root weight increased as final nematode populations increased. However, while both nutsedges were unaffected in the absence of the association, root-knot nematodes cannot survive without a host plant.
Effects of environmental factors on germination and emergence ofAmaranthus retroflexus
Authors: Ghorbani R. , Seel W. , Leifert C.
Published: May 2019

Detailed knowledge about the environmental conditions required for weed seed germination and establishment in soil is an important prerequisite for the development of integrated and biological weed control strategies. Germination and establishmentof Amaranthus retroflexuswere studied at different temperatures, planting depths, soil types, nitrogen supply, and water potentials. The minimum temperature for seed germination was > 5 C; maximum germination occurred between 35 and 40 C. At temperatures between 25 and 35 C, an additive effect on germination rate was observed when temperature and water availability were increased. For all soils tested, the percentage emergence of seeds placed on the soil surface and 4 cm deep was significantly lower than seeds placed between 0.5 and 3 cm. Emergence in the four sandy soils was generally greater than in the two heavier soils included in the study. There was a highly significant interaction between seed depth and soil type. Plant growth was also greatest in the lighter soils. Plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, fresh and dry weight, and nitrogen and carbon percentage in plant tissues ofA. retroflexusincreased significantly with increasing soil nitrogen supply.
Use of PCR-based molecular markers to identify weedyAmaranthusspecies
Authors: Wetzel Denise K. , Horak Michael J. , Skinner Daniel Z.
Published: May 2019

Weedy species of the genusAmaranthus, commonly referred to as pigweeds, have increased in frequency and severity over the past few years. Identification of these weeds is difficult because of similar morphological characteristics among species and variation within species. Studies were initiated to develop a molecular marker identification system utilizing restriction enzyme analysis of amplified ribosomal DNA (rDNA). A set of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) markers was developed to distinguish 10 weedy species of pigweeds. Restriction-site variation, utilizing five endonucleases, within the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of the rDNA allowed for the positive identification of eight species and one pair of species. These markers will be useful for biological and ecological studies on the genus.
RelatingEriochloa villosaemergence to interference inZea mays
Authors: Mickelson James A. , Harvey R. Gordon
Published: May 2019

Critical period experiments were conducted in 1997 near Milton, WI, and in 1998 near Edgerton, WI, in whichEriochloa villosa(Thunb.) Kunth emergence was characterized and related toZea maysL. yield loss and weed seed production. At Milton, 2.7% of the spring seedbank emerged, and at Edgerton, 14.5% of the spring seedbank emerged. Peak time ofE. villosaemergence occurred early in the season at both locations, accounting for 84% of the total season emergence at Milton by 37 d after planting and 90% of the total season emergence at Edgerton by 27 d after planting. A secondary peak in emergence occurred at each site, accounting for 14% of the total season emergence at Milton between 38 and 52 d after planting and 8% of the total season emergence at Edgerton between 28 and 43 d after planting. Following the secondary peak in emergence at each site, approximately 2% of the total season emergence occurred.Zea maysgrain yield was reduced whenE. villosainterfered withZ. mayspast the V11 stage at Milton and the V3 stage at Edgerton.Zea maysyield reductions at Edgerton were greater, occurred under shorter periods of weed interference, and were associated with greaterE. villosabiomass than yield reductions at Milton.Eriochloa villosathat emerged after the V2Z. maysstage at Milton and the V3 stage at Edgerton did not cause crop yield loss; however, these plants produced seed at 143 and 63% of the initial spring seedbanks, respectively.
EXPLAINING AWAY CORRUPTION IN PRE-MODERN BRITAIN
Authors: Knights Mark
Published: May 2019

This essay explores those in pre-modern Britain (chiefly the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) who were accused of corruption and yet denied their guilt and made defenses, disavowals, justifications, protests, vindications or at least sought to explain away, rationalize, or legitimize their behavior, both to themselves and to others. Six, sometimes overlapping, categories of rationales are identified. Focusing on the strategies and arguments used by the allegedly corrupt has both historical and philosophical value. Thinking about such cases helps both the state and its citizens to be as clear as possible about how to define integrity, and judge whether there was, or is, an intention to break, subvert, or manipulate moral codes. Thus it is not merely the legislator or the law court, but also the court of public opinion, that decides such matters; and debates about the acceptability of such defenses are an important part of a process of public debate about where society has drawn, or does now draw, ethical lines. There are degrees of corruption that need careful evaluation. Thinking about the past also raises interesting questions about whether corruption can be judged across time, culture, and space by a set of universal values. I argue that what appear to be universal values evolved over time as a result of particular cultural circumstances and contests over historical scandals. Contesting corruption allegations was an inherently political process: corruption is not just an economic issue but also a political and moral issue that demands contextualization. That process must include an understanding of national histories.
Notification data and criteria during a large Q-fever epidemic reassessed
Authors: Hanssen D. A. T. , Morroy G. , de Lange M. M. A. , Wielders C. C. H. , van der Hoek W. , Dijkstra F. , Schneeberger P. M.
Published: May 2019

From 2007 to 2010, the largest reported Q-fever epidemic occurred in the Netherlands with 4026 notified laboratory-confirmed cases. During the course of the epidemic, health-seeking behaviour changed and awareness among health professionals increased. Changes in laboratory workflows were implemented. The aim of this study was to analyse how these changes instigated adjustments of notification criteria and how these adjustments affected the monitoring and interpretation of the epidemic. We used the articles on laboratory procedures related to the epidemic and a description of the changes that were made to the notification criteria. We compared the output of a regional laboratory with notifications to the regional Public Health Service and the national register of infectious diseases. We compared the international notification criteria for acute Q-fever. Screening with ELISA IgM phase II and PCR was added to the diagnostic workflow. In the course of the epidemic, serology often revealed a positive IgG/IgM result although cases were not infected recently. With increasing background seroprevalence, the presence of IgM antibodies can only be suggestive for acute Q-fever and has to be confirmed either by seroconversion of IgG or a positive PCR result. Differences in sero-epidemiology make it unlikely that full harmonisation of notification criteria between countries is feasible.
Seasonality and zoonotic foodborne pathogens in Canada: relationships between climate and Campylobacter, E. coli and Salmonella in meat products
Authors: Smith B. A. , Meadows S. , Meyers R. , Parmley E. J. , Fazil A.
Published: May 2019

Infections due to Campylobacter, Escherichia coli and Salmonella pose a significant health burden in Canada, resulting in major costs to the health care system and economic impacts due to lost productivity resulting from illness. Recent literature suggests that climate may play a role in the prevalence of these pathogens along the food chain. This study used integrated surveillance data to examine associations between weather variables, serving as a proxy for climate, in agricultural areas and Campylobacter, generic E. coli and Salmonella contamination on samples of beef, poultry and swine meat products in Canada. Various temperature metrics (average, maximum and variability) were correlated with Campylobacter prevalence along the food chain. The prevalence of E. coli and Salmonella was correlated with both precipitation and temperatures metrics; however, analysis for E. coli was limited to beef and swine meats at retail settings, because prevalence in other combinations approached 100%, which obviated further analysis. Campylobacter contamination in poultry and swine at abattoir and retail settings demonstrated a seasonal trend, with increased prevalence generally from June or July through November, compared to the baseline month of December. Based on these analyses, Campylobacter is the most likely foodborne bacteria studied whose occurrence in meat products is affected by climatic changes in Canada. An exploratory analysis of data at the provincial scale, using Ontario as an example, revealed similar directional relationships between climate and bacterial prevalence.
Real-world study on clinical outcomes of nucleos(t)ide analogues antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Sun Y. , Zhang Y. , Xu Y. , Shu M. , Bonroy K. , Qiu H. , Cai W.
Published: May 2019

Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are widely used for antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), but real-world data on treatment patterns and long-term clinical outcomes are not always available. Using data from electronic medical records between January 2011 and December 2016 in Shanghai, China, we evaluated patient characteristics, treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with CHB. There were 6688 patients in the study cohort. The incidences of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were 41.0‰ and 6.8‰ person-years, respectively. There were more cirrhosis and HCC cases among patients who had shorter NA treatment duration (<365 days), or who were less compliant (<80%). In addition, increased risk of cirrhosis and HCC was observed in patients who did not achieve hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss/seroconversion. Moreover, patients with cirrhosis developed after antiviral treatments had a higher incidence of HCC (adjusted hazard ratio 15.86, 95% confidence interval 7.35–34.24). Good compliance with treatment and longer treatment duration significantly decreased the risk of developing cirrhosis and HCC. HBsAg loss seemed to be a protective factor for cirrhosis/HCC in NAs-treated patients with CHB, and cirrhosis was a confirmed risk factor for HCC development as expected.
Future Trends in the Interdependence Between Flood Peaks and Volumes: Hydro‐Climatological Drivers and Uncertainty
Authors: Brunner Manuela I. , Hingray Benoît , Zappa Massimiliano , Favre Anne‐Catherine
Published: May 2019

Reliable flood estimates are needed for designing safe and cost‐effective flood protection structures. Classical flood estimation methods applied for deriving such estimates focus on peak discharge and neglect other important flood characteristics such as flood volume and the interdependence among different flood characteristics. Furthermore, they do not account for potential nonstationarities in hydrological time series due to climate change. The consideration of both the interdependence between peak discharge and flood volume and its nonstationarity might help us derive more reliable flood estimates. A few studies have looked at changes in the general dependence of peak discharge and flood volume for small sets of catchments and explored ways of modeling such changes. However, spatial analyses of trends in this dependence or in their climatological drivers have not been carried out. The aim of this study was to help close this knowledge gap by first quantifying trends in the general dependence between peak discharge and flood volume as described by Kendall's tau on a spatially comprehensive data set of 307 catchments in Switzerland. Second, potential climatological drivers for changes in the dependence between peak discharge and flood volume were identified. Our results show that the dependence between peak discharge and flood volume and its trends are spatially heterogeneous. This pattern cannot be explained by one driver only but by an interplay of changes in precipitation, snowmelt, and soil moisture. Both the trends and the links between drivers and trends depend on the climate model chain considered and are therefore uncertain.
A compilation of multitemporal TLS snow depth distribution maps at the Weisssee snow research site (Kaunertal, Austria)
Authors: Fey C. , Schattan P. , Helfricht K. , Schöber J.
Published: May 2019

The study presents a data set of the interannual and intraannual snow depth distribution recorded by terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) scans at Weisssee snow research site in Austria between November 2014 and May 2018. The data set comprises 23 snow‐on digital elevation models, one snow‐off digital elevation model, and the difference raster calculated between a snow‐off and snow‐on scans. The relative accuracy of the TLS scans was determined by measuring the distance between snow‐free planes from the snow‐on and snow‐off scans and shows mean values smaller than 0.03 m and standard deviations ranging between 0.02 and 0.1 m. The reliability of the snow depths derived from TLS was further assessed by comparing snow depths from snow probing, Global Navigation Satellite System measurements, and continuous snow depth measurements from the weather station. Comparison of the different measurement methods shows average deviations of less than 0.1 m. The data can be used for analysis and modeling of snow distribution or for assessing the representativeness of snow sensors or other remote sensing products.
Correction: Treatment and cost of pressure injury stage III or IV in four patients with spinal cord injury: the Basel Decubitus Concept
Authors: Meier Christine , Boes Stefan , Gemperli Armin , Gmünder Hans Peter , Koligi Kamran , Metzger Stefan , Schaefer Dirk J. , Schmitt Klaus , Schwegmann Wolfram , Wettstein Reto , Scheel-Sailer Anke
Published: May 2019

A correction to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.