bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Audiovisual Sexual Stimulation Improves Diagnostic Accuracy of Penile Doppler Ultrasound in Patients With Erectile Dysfunction
Authors: Carneiro Felipe , Nascimento Bruno , Miranda Eduardo P. , Cury José , Cerri Giovanni G. , Chammas Maria Cristina 
Published: December 2019

AbstractIntroductionAlthough penile Doppler ultrasound (PDU) is a useful tool in evaluating erectile dysfunction (ED), an optimal erectile response might be limited because of an increased sympathetic discharge. Audiovisual sexual stimulation (AVSS) has been suggested to help improving PDU performance.AimTo evaluate the use of AVSS as a tool to improve diagnostic accuracy of PDU studies.MethodsA total of 40 men (mean age: 61.8 ± 10.2 years) with ED were enrolled. PDU sessions were performed in a randomized fashion as follows: session A under intracavernous injection (ICI) alone and session B under ICI and AVSS with 7-day interval between sessions. Peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistive index (RI) were measured 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes after ICI.Main Outcome MeasureComparisons between PSV, EDV, and RI values were performed with and without AVSS. Univariable and multivariable analyses including clinical and demographic parameters were performed to evaluate predictors of an abnormal PDU.Results23 patients performed the first session without AVSS, and 17 performed the first session with AVSS. EDV and RI were better in AVSS session (p = 0.022 and 0.019). PSV was not influenced by AVSS (p = 0.768). The proportion of patients whose diagnosis was changed because of the AVSS was 4 of 40 (10.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.8–23.7%). Of 12 patients with venous leak observed on the PDU without AVSS, 3 turned into normal after AVSS (25.0%, 95% CI: 5.5–57.2%). Of 4 men with arterial insufficiency observed on the PDU on ICI alone, 1 became normal after AVSS (25.0%, 95% CI: 0.6–80.6%). International Index of Erectile Function-5 scores were lower in patients with abnormal PDU (6.3 ± 3.3 vs 12.0 ± 5.8, p=0.003). On multivariable analysis, DM and International Index of Erectile Function-5 scores were the only independent predictors of abnormal PDU studies.Clinical ImplicationsFalse diagnoses of venous leak during PDU with ICI could be a result of an increased adrenergic discharge during the examination. Routine AVSS may be helpful to avoid error in diagnosis.Strength & LimitationsThe study has randomized the use of AVSS in different session orders. Only one previously published study has used this strategy to control the accommodation effect in repeat studies, a common source of bias in the PDU literature. The main limitation is the absence of a rigidity assessment and a redosing protocol.ConclusionAdding AVSS during PDU improves ICI response and may help clinicians evaluate penile hemodynamics more accurately.
Household carriage and acquisition of extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae: A systematic review
Authors: Martischang Romain , Riccio Maria E. , Abbas Mohamed , Stewardson Andrew J. , Kluytmans Jan A. J. W. , Harbarth Stephan 
Published: December 2019

AbstractObjective:The epidemiology of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) has been extensively studied in hospitals, but data on community transmission are scarce. We investigated ESBL-PE cocarriage and acquisition in households using a systematic literature review.Methods:We conducted a systematic literature search to retrieve cross-sectional or cohort studies published between 1990 and 2018 evaluating cocarriage proportions and/or acquisition rates of ESBL-PE among household members, without language restriction. We excluded studies focusing on animal-to-human transmission or conducted in nonhousehold settings. The main outcomes were ESBL-PE cocarriage proportions and acquisition rates, stratified according to phenotypic or genotypic assessment of strain relatedness. Cocarriage proportions of clonally related ESBL-PE were transformed using the double-arcsine method and were pooled using a random-effects model. Potential biases were assessed manually.Results:We included 13 studies. Among 863 household members of ESBL-PE positive index cases, prevalence of ESBL-PE cocarriage ranged from 8% to 37%. Overall, 12% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8%–16%) of subjects had a clonally related strain. Those proportions were higher forKlebsiella pneumoniae(20%–25%) than forEscherichia coli(10%–20%). Acquisition rates of clonally related ESBL-PE among 180 initially ESBL-PE–free household members of a previously identified carrier ranged between 1.56 and 2.03 events per 1,000 person weeks of follow-up. We identified multiple sources of bias and high heterogeneity (I2, 70%) between studies.Conclusions:ESBL-PE household cocarriage is frequent, suggesting intrafamilial acquisition. Further research is needed to evaluate the risk and control of ESBL-PE household transmission.
On resampling schemes for polytopes
Authors: Qi Weinan , Zarepour Mahmoud 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe convex hull of a sample is used to approximate the support of the underlying distribution. This approximation has many practical implications in real life. To approximate the distribution of the functionals of convex hulls, asymptotic theory plays a crucial role. Unfortunately most of the asymptotic results are computationally intractable. To address this computational intractability, we consider consistent bootstrapping schemes for certain cases. Let$S_n=\{X_i\}_{i=1}^{n}$be a sequence of independent and identically distributed random points uniformly distributed on an unknown convex set in$\mathbb{R}^{d}$($d\ge 2$). We suggest a bootstrapping scheme that relies on resampling uniformly from the convex hull of$S_n$. Moreover, the resampling asymptotic consistency of certain functionals of convex hulls is derived under this bootstrapping scheme. In particular, we apply our bootstrapping technique to the Hausdorff distance between the actual convex set and its estimator. For$d=2$, we investigate the asymptotic consistency of the suggested bootstrapping scheme for the area of the symmetric difference and the perimeter difference between the actual convex set and its estimate. In all cases the consistency allows us to rely on the suggested resampling scheme to study the actual distributions, which are not computationally tractable.
On maxima of stationary fields
Authors: Soja-Kukieła N. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractLet
$\{X_{\textbf{n}} \colon \textbf{n}\in{\mathbb Z}^d\}$
be a weakly dependent stationary random field with maxima
$M_{A} :=, \sup\{X_{\textbf{i}} \colon \textbf{i}\in A\}$
for finite
$A\subset{\mathbb Z}^d$
and
$M_{\textbf{n}} := \sup\{X_{\textbf{i}} \colon \mathbf{1} \leq \textbf{i} \leq \textbf{n} \}$
for
$\textbf{n}\in{\mathbb N}^d$
. In a general setting we prove that
${\mathbb{P}}(M_{(N_1(n),N_2(n),\ldots, N_d(n))} \leq v_n)$

$= \exp(\!- n^d {\mathbb{P}}(X_{\mathbf{0}} > v_n , M_{A_n} \leq v_n)) + {\text{o}}(1)$
for some increasing sequence of sets
$A_n$
of size
$ {\text{o}}(n^d)$
, where
$(N_1(n),N_2(n), \ldots,N_d(n))\to(\infty,\infty, \ldots, \infty)$
and
$N_1(n)N_2(n)\cdots N_d(n)\sim n^d$
. The sets
$A_n$
are determined by a translation-invariant total order
$\preccurlyeq$
on
${\mathbb Z}^d$
. For a class of fields satisfying a local mixing condition, including m-dependent ones, the main theorem holds with a constant finite A replacing
$A_n$
. The above results lead to new formulas for the extremal index for random fields. The new method for calculating limiting probabilities for maxima is compared with some known results and applied to the moving maximum field.
Martingale decomposition of an L2 space with nonlinear stochastic integrals
Authors: Simard Clarence 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis paper generalizes the Kunita–Watanabe decomposition of an
$L^2$
space. The generalization comes from using nonlinear stochastic integrals where the integrator is a family of continuous martingales bounded in
$L^2$
. This result is also the solution of an optimization problem in
$L^2$
. First, martingales are assumed to be stochastic integrals. Then, to get the general result, it is shown that the regularity of the family of martingales with respect to its spatial parameter is inherited by the integrands in the integral representation of the martingales. Finally, an example showing how the results of this paper, with the Clark–Ocone formula, can be applied to polynomial functions of Brownian integrals.
Exponential convergence rate of ruin probabilities for level-dependent Lévy-driven risk processes
Authors: Goffard Pierre-Olivier , Sarantsev Andrey 
Published: December 2019

AbstractWe find explicit estimates for the exponential rate of long-term convergence for the ruin probability in a level-dependent Lévy-driven risk model, as time goes to infinity. Siegmund duality allows us to reduce the problem to long-term convergence of a reflected jump-diffusion to its stationary distribution, which is handled via Lyapunov functions.
The alpha-mixture of survival functions
Authors: Asadi Majid , Ebrahimi Nader , Soofi Ehsan S. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis paper presents a flexible family which we call the
$\alpha$
-mixture of survival functions. This family includes the survival mixture, failure rate mixture, models that are stochastically closer to each of these conventional mixtures, and many other models. The
$\alpha$
-mixture is endowed by the stochastic order and uniquely possesses a mathematical property known in economics as the constant elasticity of substitution, which provides an interpretation for
$\alpha$
. We study failure rate properties of this family and establish closures under monotone failure rates of the mixture’s components. Examples include potential applications for comparing systems.
Fashion-making and co-creation in the transglobal landscape: Sino-Italian fashion as method
Authors: Ling Wessie , Segre Reinach Simona 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe ‘making’ of fashion cannot merely refer to garment production and manufacturing. It is the prerequisite for a nation to actively participate on the global stage. To establish a ‘recognisable’ fashion image, a country must go far beyond the competition of a specialised garment and textile industry. Being recognised as the ‘author countries’ for fashion creation is part of a process in which the (re)negotiation of national hierarchies and roles are constantly at play. For a country or a city, expressing an instantly recognisable aesthetic has become an important corollary of the communication of political and economic strength. More than in the past centuries, fashion has been tasked with not only reflecting and representing social or individual needs, but also constructingex novoterritories in which old stereotypes and imaginary are creatively set free. This is because, unlike most production and commercial activities, fashion expresses an elaborate culture whose composition of symbols, ideologies and lifestyles (Crane 2004) can be drawn on. On the other hand, the accelerated production relocation in past decades has irrevocably changed the geography of fashion, as well as the rhetoric of the origin of national creativity. In particular, it leads one to wonder what happens when two or more players are engaged in the making of fashion. Specifically, what happens when Italy and China collaborate in transglobal fashion-making? How does one account for the national creativity that has sprung from the Sino-Italian co-creation? Drawing on accounts of Italian fashion and Chinese fashion, this article discusses the intricacy of Sino-Italian collaboration and the implications of such a fashion co-creation; it then reflects on transglobal fashion-making and proposes a framework for its examination.
Contingent Advantage? Sovereign Borrowing, Democratic Institutions and Global Capital Cycles
Authors: Ballard-Rosa Cameron , Mosley Layna , Wellhausen Rachel L 
Published: December 2019

AbstractHow do domestic and global factors shape governments’ capacity to issue debt in primary capital markets? Consistent with the ‘democratic advantage’, we identify domestic institutional mechanisms, including executive constraints and policy transparency, that facilitate debt issuance rather than electoral events. Most importantly, we argue that the democratic advantage is contingent: investors’ attention to domestic politics varies with conditions in global capital markets. When global financial liquidity is low, investors are risk-averse, and political risk constrains governments’ capacity to borrow. But when global markets are flush, investors are risk-tolerant and less sensitive to political risk. We support our argument with new data on 245,000 government bond issues in primary capital markets – the point at which governments’ costs of market access matter most – for 131 sovereign issuers (1990–2016). In doing so, we highlight the role of systemic factors, which are under-appreciated in much ‘open economy politics’ research, in determining access to capital markets.
Smallest weakly contractible non-contractible topological spaces
Authors: Cianci Nicolás , Ottina Miguel 
Published: December 2019

AbstractWe characterize the topological spaces of minimum cardinality which are weakly contractible but not contractible. This is equivalent to finding the non-dismantlable posets of minimum cardinality such that the geometric realization of their order complexes are contractible. Specifically, we prove that all weakly contractible topological spaces with fewer than nine points are contractible. We also prove that there exist (up to homeomorphism) exactly two topological spaces of nine points which are weakly contractible but not contractible.
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural formation and color change in lactose-hydrolyzed Dulce de leche
Authors: Francisquini Júlia d'Almeida , Rocha Júlia , Martins Evandro , Stephani Rodrigo , Henrique Fonseca da Silva Paulo , Toledo Renhe Isis Rodrigues , Tuler Perrone Ítalo , Fernandes de Carvalho Antônio 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe work described in this Research Communication concerns the production of Dulce de leche (DL), that is a traditional product from South America obtained by concentration. Maillard reaction (MR) products are mainly responsible for the formation of color and flavor in this product. Lactose-hydrolyzed products have been developed to supply consumer demand, but this hydrolysis may affect the flavor, color, taste, texture and even some nutritional aspects of the product. We studied the influence of different levels of lactose-hydrolysis, sucrose addition and initial pH on the development of MR, appraised by the determination of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). A process simulator with multi-monitoring system was used to produce 15 DL. Box-Behnken 33 experimental design was applied for the three factors: pH, lactose-hydrolysis level and sucrose concentration. Lipids, protein, ashes, carbohydrates, water activity, dissolved solids, colorimetric analysis and HMF (free and total) are among the physicochemical attributes and MR indicators analyzed in this work. The products showed significant differences in composition but all the values were in agreement with the literature. Moreover, higher levels of lactose hydrolysis and higher pH presented a direct relation with the development of MR, observed by an increase in coloration (lower luminosity) and more formation of HMF, both free and total. The present study expands the knowledge about DL spread made of lactose-hydrolyzed milk, allowing the food industries to produce a lactose free DL with nutritional and sensory characteristics closer to the traditional product.
Substances, Agents and Processes
Authors: Steward Helen 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis paper defends a substance-based metaphysics for organisms against three arguments for thinking that we should replace a substantial understanding of living things with a processual one, which are offered by Dan Nicholson and John Dupré in their edited collection,Everything Flows: Towards a Processual Philosophy of Biology(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018). Dupré and Nicholson consider three main empirical motivations for the adoption of a process ontology in biology. These motivations are alleged to stem from facts concerning (i) metabolism; (ii) the life cycles of organisms; and (iii) ecological interdependence. The paper discusses each of the three arguments in turn and concludes that none gives us any compelling reason to abandon the metaphysics of things. At best, they are arguments against a kind of caricature substance metaphysics that ought never to have been in the running in any case. Then, at the end of the paper, it is suggested that there may be more positive arguments for insisting on retaining things in our metaphysics, arguments which, perhaps ironically (given the opposed standpoint ofEverything Flows) get their main impetus from the phenomenon of life.
Tell us how to engage you! Asking polar stakeholders about their engagement preferences
Authors: Baer Kristina C. , Latola Kirsi , Scheepstra Annette J. M. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe changes the polar regions face are too complex to be tackled by single scientific disciplines and in isolation from societal actors. Therefore, the call for polar research projects that engage with stakeholders outside academia increases. The ideal set-up of these projects is envisioned as an inclusive and action-oriented process that brings scientists and stakeholders together to identify pressing issues of societal and scientific relevance and to develop research projects that produce practical outcomes. However, working across disciplines and knowledge systems can be challenging. To better understand stakeholders’ motivation for engaging in polar science projects, to learn what stages of a project they are interested in and what their preferred modes of engagement are, stakeholders were surveyed as part of the EU-funded project EU-PolarNet. The results suggest that while most academic survey participants are eager to participate from problem definition to dissemination of results, most non-academic survey participants preferred interaction at the stages when results were disseminated and used for informed decision-making. The survey results have their limitations, yet they provide a basis for important future approaches to stakeholder engagement in polar research projects. They show that stakeholders prefer to engage in different stages of a research project depending on their specific needs and interests, while also acknowledging that additional support may be required to enable meaningful engagement throughout the research process.
Authenticating El Dorado: Frustrated Knowledge Production in Walter Ralegh'sDiscoverie of Guiana
Authors: Winchcombe Rachel 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis article takes a fresh approach to Walter Ralegh's published account of his voyage to Guiana,The Discoverie of the Large, Rich, and Bewtiful Empyre of Guiana(1596), using it as a case study through which to explore the fragility of sixteenth-century processes of knowledge production about new lands. The article revisits this famous account in order to scrutinise in more detail the types of evidence Ralegh used to support his claims that a rich and powerful empire lay ready to be conquered by the English in the Amazon. This new analysis of Ralegh's narrative highlights the continued centrality of reputational models of authority in early modern travel literature and examines the types of evidence that could be employed by writers to support their suppositions when witness testimony was lacking. Ralegh's narrative illustrates that systems of knowledge production centred on the New World were, at the end of the sixteenth century, still in a state of flux. New ideas about what constituted credible knowledge, from firsthand experience to the collection of material artefacts, competed with older frameworks of authentication and authority. By examining knowledge production in frustration, and by dissecting Ralegh's failure to present a believable vision of El Dorado, this article throws into starker relief the many pitfalls and difficulties that beset those who attempted to present new and credible knowledge about the New World.
The Making of a Timber Colony: British North America, the Navy Board, and Global Resource Extraction in the Age of Napoleon
Authors: Crevier Martin 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis article recounts the worldwide search for timber undertaken by the Navy Board, the administrative body under the authority of the Admiralty responsible for the supply of naval stores and the construction and repair of ships during the Napoleonic Wars. The closure of the Baltic by France and its European allies is considered the main factor in making British North America a timber colony. Yet the process through which the forests of the Laurentian Plateau and the North Appalachians came to fuel the dockyards of England and Scotland is taken for granted. To acquire this commodity, through merchants, diplomats, and commissioned agents, the power of the British state reached globally, reshaped ecological relationships, and integrated new landscapes to the Imperial economy. Many alternatives to the Baltic were indeed considered and tentatively exploited. Only a mixture of contingency, political factors, and environmental constraints forced the Board to contract in Lower Canada and New Brunswick rather than in areas such as the Western Cape, the Brazilian coast, or Bombay's hinterland.
Association between the IL-10-1082G/A, IL-10-819T/C and IL-10-592A/C polymorphisms and Brucellosis susceptibility: a meta-analysis
Authors: Jin Xiaochun , Yin Shuzhou , Zhang Youtao 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Brucellosis is a widespread zoonosis caused by small bacteria of the genus Brucella. The promoter polymorphisms of IL-10 (-1082 loci, -819 loci and -590 loci) are closely related to the production of IL-10, leading to the alteration of development and pathogenesis of Brucellosis. However, the previous results were controversial. In the present study, we conduct the meta-analysis to get a more precise result of IL-10 polymorphisms with Brucellosis risk. The quality of the studies was assessed according to a predefined scale. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were counted to evaluate the association strength. No significant association was found between position -1082 loci or -590 loci polymorphism and Brucellosis risk. The significant association was found in Asian population of position -819 (T vs. C: OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.44–0.82, P = 0.001), homozygote comparison (TT vs. CC: OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.09–0.62, P = 0.003) and recessive genetic model (TT vs. TC/CC: OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.05–0.91, P = 0.036). The present meta-analysis demonstrates that IL-10-819 loci polymorphism is not associated with Brucellosis risk of Caucasian population but may contribute a decreased risk to Asian population. And neither IL-10-1082 loci nor -592 loci polymorphism is associated with Brucellosis risk.