bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Microstructure and mechanical property of TiB reinforced Ti matrix composites fabricated by ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser engineered net shaping
Authors: Ning Fuda , Hu Yingbin , Cong Weilong 
Published: November 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify if the implementation of ultrasonic vibration in laser engineered net shaping (LENS) process can help to reduce internal weaknesses such as porosity, coarse primary TiB whisker and heterogeneous distribution of TiB reinforcement in the LENS-fabricated TiB reinforced Ti matrix composites (TiB-TMC) parts.

Design/methodology/approach
An experimental investigation is performed to achieve the results for comparative studies under different fabrication conditions through quantitative data analysis. An approach of microstructural characterization and mechanical testing is conducted to obtain the output attributes. In addition, the theoretical analysis of the physics of ultrasonic vibration in the melting materials is presented to explain the influences of ultrasonic vibration on the microstructural evolution occurred in the part fabrication.

Findings
Because of the nonlinear effects of acoustic streaming and cavitation induced by ultrasonic vibration, porosity is significantly reduced and a relatively small variation of pore sizes is achieved. Ultrasonic vibration also causes the formation of smaller TiB whiskers that distribute along grain boundaries with a homogeneous dispersion. Additionally, a quasi-continuous network (QCN) microstructure is considerably finer than that produced by LENS process without ultrasonic vibration. The refinements of both reinforcing TiB whiskers and QCN microstructural grains further improve the microhardness of TiB-TMC parts.

Originality/value
The novel ultrasonic vibration-assisted (UV-A) LENS process of TiB-TMC is conducted in this work for the first time to improve the process performance and part quality.
Assessing the landscape of US postdoctoral salaries
Authors: Athanasiadou Rodoniki , Bankston Adriana , Carlisle McKenzie , Niziolek Caroline A. , McDowell Gary S. 
Published: November 2018

Purpose
Postdocs make up a significant portion of the biomedical workforce. However, data about the postdoctoral position are generally scarce, and no systematic study of the landscape of individual postdoc salaries in the USA has previously been carried out. The purpose of this study was to assess actual salaries for postdocs using data gathered from US public institutions; determine how these salaries may vary with postdoc title, institutional funding and geographic region; and reflect on which institutional and federal policy measures may have the greatest impact on salaries nationally.

Design/methodology/approach
Freedom of Information Act Requests were submitted to US public universities or university systems containing campuses with at least 300 science, engineering and health postdocs, according to the 2015 National Science Foundation’s Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. Salaries and job titles of postdocs as of December 1, 2016, were requested.

Findings
Salaries and job titles for nearly 14,000 postdocs at 52 US institutions around December 1, 2016, were received. Individual postdoc names were also received for approximately 7,000 postdocs, and departmental affiliations were received for 4,000 postdocs. This exploratory study shows evidence of a postdoc gender pay gap, a significant influence of job title on postdoc salary and a complex relationship between salaries and the level of institutional National Institutes of Health/NSF funding.

Originality/value
These results provide insights into the ability of institutions to collate and report out annualized salary data on their postdocs, highlighting difficulties faced in tracking and reporting data on this population by institutional administration. Ultimately, these types of efforts, aimed at increasing transparency regarding the postdoctoral position, may lead to improved support for postdocs at all US institutions and allow greater agency for postdocs making decisions based on financial concerns.
Ungulates mediate trade‐offs between carbon storage and wildfire hazard in Mediterranean oak woodlands
Authors: Lecomte Xavier , Caldeira Maria C. , Catry Filipe X. , Fernandes Paulo M. , Jackson Robert B. , Bugalho Miguel N. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractUngulates influence ecosystem services in important ways, including by altering the amount of standing plant biomass and species composition. Browsing, for example, removes biomass and, in consequence, can decrease the risk of wildfires. The influence of ungulates on carbon storage is more complicated. Browsers reduce carbon stocks directly by consuming biomass, but if browsing reduces fine fuel loads, then long‐term carbon storage may increase.We investigated how wild ungulates mediate trade‐offs between carbon stocks and wildfire hazard in a Mediterranean oak woodland. We assessed the effects of deer (Cervus elaphusandDama dama) on the colonization by gum cistus (Cistus ladanifer), a highly flammable Mediterranean shrub, through a long‐term ungulate exclusion experiment.We established fenced (unbrowsed) and open (browsed) plots in areas where shrubs were previously cleared, and compared shrub density, height, biomass, and above‐ground carbon stocks 6 and 14 years after fencing.There were no significant differences in shrub density between treatments after 6 years of browsing exclusion but, by this point, height was already significantly greater in fenced plots. At the end of the experiment, shrub density and height were both significantly greater in fenced plots. Biomass and carbon stocks of gum cistus increased and reached a plateau in fenced plots, while in open plots biomass and carbon stocks increased initially but then decreased. Ungulates also prevented accumulation of litter carbon stocks, which was significantly higher in fenced plots after 14 years of browsing exclusion.We also modelled fire behaviour in fenced and open plots. Browsing reduced fine fuel load, an important contributor to fire spread, by 80%. In browsed plots, modelled wildfire rate of spread, flame length, and fireline intensity decreased by 50%, 65%, and 90%, respectively, which also decreased the probability of canopy fire and of oak mortality.Synthesis and applications. By decreasing fire hazard and the probability of canopy fire, ungulates may ultimately increase ecosystem carbon stocks through improved adult oak survival. These critical, indirect trade‐offs need to be assessed when addressing the effects of ungulates on ecosystems and the management of their populations.
Response of a peat bog vegetation community to long‐term experimental addition of nitrogen
Authors: Levy Peter , van Dijk Netty , Gray Alan , Sutton Mark , Jones Matthew , Leeson Sarah , Dise Nancy , Leith Ian , Sheppard Lucy 
Published: November 2018

Abstract

We report results from a long‐term experiment in which additional nitrogen has been deposited on a peat bog in central Scotland for over 14 years, in three different forms: as ammonia (NH3) gas, as ammonium () solution, or as nitrate () solution. The automated experiment was designed to apply nitrogen in such a way that mimics real‐world nitrogen deposition. Background nitrogen deposition at the site was 0.8 g N m−2 year−1).

Observations of cover for 46 species were made. We analysed the change in six common species in relation to nitrogen dose and form. The responses differed among species and nitrogen forms, but five out of the six species declined, and NH3 produced the biggest change in cover per unit of nitrogen addition. The exception was the graminoid sedge Eriophorum vaginatum, which increased dramatically in the NH3 treatment. Multivariate analyses identified responses to nitrogen dose across treatments which were consistent with the univariate results.

We surmised that the larger experimental response to nitrogen observed in the NH3 treatment (cf. the and treatments) was because of the higher nitrogen concentrations at the vegetation surface produced by dry deposition. and were sprayed in solution, but much of this will enter the peat porewater, and be further diluted. Because NH3 deposits directly to the leaf, it stays contained within the small volume of water on and in the leaf, producing a high internal concentration of nitrogen ions.

Synthesis. Consistent trends with nitrogen were discernible across species. All species showed a decline with NH3 treatment, except for Eriophorum vaginatum which increased. In the absence of phosphorous and potassium (PK), all species declined with and , except for Calluna vulgaris and Hypnum jutlandicum. The effect of PK was not consistent across species. Per unit of nitrogen deposited, NH3 generally had a larger impact on vegetation composition than or . However, the actual deposition rate of NH3 on UK peat bogs is lower than the other forms. In the case of the most common species of the peat‐forming genus Sphagnum, we estimate that deposition has the largest impact, followed by and NH3.
Humboldt and the reinvention of nature
Authors: Pausas Juli G. , Bond William J. 
Published: November 2018

Abstract

Alexander von Humboldt is a key figure in the history of ecology and biogeography who contributed to shape what is today ecology, as well as the environmentalist movement. His observation that the world’s vegetation varies systematically with climate was one of his many contributions to science.

Here, we question to what extent Humboldt’s view biased our vision of nature. The current emphasis on the role of climate and soils in ecological and evolutionary studies, and the emphasis on forests as the potential and most important vegetation, suggests that we still view nature through the eyes of Humboldt.

Over the last 20 years, diverse studies have shown that many open non‐forested ecosystems (savannas, grasslands, and shrublands) cannot be predicted by climate and are ancient and diverse systems maintained by fire and/or vertebrate herbivory. Paleoecological and phylogenetic studies have shown the key role of these plant consumers at geological time scales. This has major implications for how we understand and manage our ecosystems.

Synthesis. We need to consciously probe the long‐standing idea that climate and soils are the only major factors shaping broad‐scale patterns in nature. We propose to move beyond the legacy of Humboldt by embracing fire and large mammal herbivory as additional key factors in explaining the ecology and evolution of world vegetation.
Americanising Brexit Britain's Welfare State?
Authors: Gingrich Jane , King Desmond 
Published: November 2018

AbstractWill the British welfare state revert to an Americanisation trajectory or retain features of the European model after April 2019? After a period of historically prolonged austerity and substantial working age welfare reform, with the UK facing yet another renegotiation of the social contract in a post‐Brexit world, the question of whether there remains space for an alternative to the ‘American’ model is of crucial importance. We argue that there has been a blurring of differences across the American and European welfare states in terms of working age benefits, as most countries have adopted aspects of work‐based conditionality reforms, which attach the receipt of benefits to the active pursuit of work and, to varying extents, the underlying politics of US welfare reform, where there are large coalitions supportive of more punitive policies towards low‐income adults and minorities. These trends are taking place against the backdrop of a second major shift: increasing restrictions on benefits for immigrants. This double narrowing of the welfare state, making benefits conditional for citizens and excluding those who are not citizens, seemingly sets the agenda for a more restrictive post‐Brexit welfare state. The experience of the last two decades suggests, however, that the adoption of the American model has not been wholesale; steering a middle path between punitive conditional American benefits and more traditionally generous universal benefits is on the agenda across advanced welfare states.
A Rising Tide? The Salience of Immigration and the Rise of Anti‐Immigration Political Parties in Western Europe
Authors: Dennison James , Geddes Andrew 
Published: November 2018

AbstractIn this article, we consider the causes of the increase in voting for anti‐immigration parties in western Europe in the past decade. We first note that one of the most commonly assumed reasons for this increase is an associated increase in anti‐immigration sentiment, which we show is likely to be false. We also outline the major theoretical explanations, which we argue are likely to be incomplete. We then introduce our proposed explanation: these parties have benefitted from a sharp increase in the salience of immigration amongst some voters. We show that there are strong correlations over time between the salience of immigration and the polling of such parties in most western European countries. We argue that aspects of immigration in the last decade have activated pre‐existing opposition to immigration amongst a shrinking segment of the populations of western European states.
The Globalization of Production and the Politics of Dispute Initiation at the World Trade Organization
Authors: Yildirim Aydin B. , Poletti Arlo , Chatagnier J. Tyson , De Bièvre Dirk 
Published: November 2018

AbstractThe aim of this article is to show how the degree of integration into so‐called global value chains (GVCs) affects World Trade Organization (WTO) members’ decision to initiate a dispute at the WTO. Many potential violations of WTO law remain unchallenged, raising the question under which conditions WTO members complain about particular allegedly‐WTO‐incompatible policies. Controlling for alternative explanations, we demonstrate that decision‐makers are generally more likely to try and eliminate barriers to cross‐border trade by tabling a WTO complaint, when they are facing pressures to do so by firms and sectors highly integrated into such GVCs, especially when these are multinational corporations with sourcing interests in the defendant country. We test our hypothesis by comparing data from trade barrier reports with actual dispute initiation data from the US and find that, all else equal, trade barriers are more likely to be filed as disputes at the WTO in sectors with US MNCs highly integrated into GVCs. In light of the anti‐WTO rhetoric of the current US administration and its attempts to undermine its functioning and legitimacy, this analysis suggests that GVCs activate relevant societal actors that have an interest to uphold existing multilateral trade commitments, even in the efface of reluctance from their own political leaders.
Machine learning to classify animal species in camera trap images: Applications in ecology
Authors: Tabak Michael A. , Norouzzadeh Mohammad S. , Wolfson David W. , Sweeney Steven J. , Vercauteren Kurt C. , Snow Nathan P. , Halseth Joseph M. , Di Salvo Paul A. , Lewis Jesse S. , White Michael D. , Teton Ben , Beasley James C. , Schlichting Peter E. , Boughton Raoul K. , Wight Bethany , Newkirk Eric S. , Ivan Jacob S. , Odell Eric A. , Brook Ryan K. , Lukacs Paul M. , Moeller Anna K. , Mandeville Elizabeth G. , Clune Jeff , Miller Ryan S. 
Published: November 2018

Abstract

Motion‐activated cameras (“camera traps”) are increasingly used in ecological and management studies for remotely observing wildlife and are amongst the most powerful tools for wildlife research. However, studies involving camera traps result in millions of images that need to be analysed, typically by visually observing each image, in order to extract data that can be used in ecological analyses.

We trained machine learning models using convolutional neural networks with the ResNet‐18 architecture and 3,367,383 images to automatically classify wildlife species from camera trap images obtained from five states across the United States. We tested our model on an independent subset of images not seen during training from the United States and on an out‐of‐sample (or “out‐of‐distribution” in the machine learning literature) dataset of ungulate images from Canada. We also tested the ability of our model to distinguish empty images from those with animals in another out‐of‐sample dataset from Tanzania, containing a faunal community that was novel to the model.

The trained model classified approximately 2,000 images per minute on a laptop computer with 16 gigabytes of RAM. The trained model achieved 98% accuracy at identifying species in the United States, the highest accuracy of such a model to date. Out‐of‐sample validation from Canada achieved 82% accuracy and correctly identified 94% of images containing an animal in the dataset from Tanzania. We provide an r package (Machine Learning for Wildlife Image Classification) that allows the users to (a) use the trained model presented here and (b) train their own model using classified images of wildlife from their studies.

The use of machine learning to rapidly and accurately classify wildlife in camera trap images can facilitate non‐invasive sampling designs in ecological studies by reducing the burden of manually analysing images. Our r package makes these methods accessible to ecologists.
Hot Off the Press: A Systematic Review And Meta‐analysis of Ketamine as an Alternative to Opioids for Acute Pain in the Emergency Department
Authors: Heitz Corey , Morgenstern Justin , Bond Christopher , Milne William K. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractKetamine has been studied as an alternative to opioids for acute pain in the emergency department setting. This review compares the effectives of intravenous ketamine at a dose of <0.5mg/kg to opioids for acute pain in adult patients. Measurements were taken within 60 minutes of administration. Ketamine was found to have similar effectiveness to opioids. Increased, but short‐lived, side effects were seen with ketamine.
Risk factors for suicide in depression in Finland: first‐hospitalized patients followed up to 24 years
Authors: Aaltonen K. I. , Isometsä E. , Sund R. , Pirkola S. 
Published: November 2018

ObjectiveTo examine longitudinally risk factors for suicide in depression, and gender differences in risk factors and suicide methods.MethodWe linked data from (i) The Finnish Hospital Discharge Register, (ii) the Census Register of Statistics Finland, and (iii) Statistics Finland's register on causes of deaths. All 56 826 first‐hospitalized patients (25 188 men, 31 638 women) in Finland in 1991–2011 with a principal diagnosis of depressive disorder were followed up until death (2587 suicides) or end of the year 2014 (maximum 24 years).ResultsClinical characteristics (severe depression adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 1.19 [95% CI 1.08–1.30]; psychotic depression AHR 1.45 [1.30–1.62]; and comorbid alcohol dependence AHR 1.26 [1.13–1.41]), male gender (AHR 2.07 [1.91–2.24]), higher socioeconomic status and living alone at first hospitalization were long‐term predictors of suicide deaths. Highest risk was associated with previous suicide attempts (cumulative probability 15.4% [13.7–17.3%] in men, 8.5% [7.3–9.7%] in women). Gender differences in risk factors were modest, but in lethal methods prominent.ConclusionSociodemographic and clinical characteristics at first hospitalization predict suicide in the long term. Inpatients with previous suicide attempts constitute a high‐risk group. Despite some gender differences in risk factors, those in lethal methods may better explain gender disparity in risk.
Retrospective evaluation of early risk factors in children with different types of micturition disorders
Authors: Berk Klaudia , Powirtowska Malgorzata , Blahuszewska Adrianna , Korzeniecka‐Kozerska Agata 
Published: November 2018

AbstractAimThe aetiology of micturition disorders in children is multifactorial and still unclear. The perinatal factors may play a role in the development of children's urinary incontinence. We compared each type of micturition disorders in terms of length of gestation, birthweight, family history of bedwetting and delivery type.MethodsData were from 488 patients of the Department of Pediatrics and Nephrology, Children's Clinical Hospital of the Medical University of Bialystok, and included: age, sex, clinical diagnosis, perinatal history, constipation, history of vesicoureteral reflux, family history of nocturnal enuresis, urodynamic diagnosis, bladder capacity. We performed statistical analysis using Mann–Whitney and Spearman tests.ResultsCombined daytime‐nocturnal incontinence made a higher percentage and nocturnal enuresis made a lower percentage of clinical diagnoses in children with low birthweight compared with group of normal birthweight. In children with micturition disorders, lower birthweight was associated with smaller bladder capacity than normal for age.ConclusionLow birthweight might predispose to combined daytime‐nocturnal incontinence. We are the first to show that patients suffering from micturition disorders with low birthweight present lower estimated bladder capacity than age‐matched children. Thus, we assume that low birthweight may have strong clinical relevance in children's micturition disorders.
Compensatory gastric stretching following subtotal gastric resection due to gastric adenocarcinoma in a diamond python (Morelia spilota spilota)
Authors: Baron HR , Šlapeta J , Donahoe SL , Doneley RTJ , Phalen DN 
Published: November 2018

Case reportA 7‐year‐old male diamond python (Morelia spilota spilota) presented with a 2‐month history of anorexia and a discrete intracoelomic mass, approximately 15 cm in length, located 90 cm from the head and approximately two‐thirds of the snout to vent length. Physical examination determined the mass was likely to be stomach, testes or the right kidney. Radiographs showed a soft tissue opacity mass in the region of the stomach; fine needle aspirate demonstrated cellular debris admixed with bacteria and degenerate heterophils. Exploratory coeliotomy revealed a gastric mass involving 90% of the length of the stomach, partially occluding the gastric lumen. A subtotal gastrectomy was performed; the neoplastic tissue was removed with 2 cm margins, leaving 1 cm of stomach wall and the pyloric sphincter caudally that was anastomosed to the oesophagus. Four large nematodes were found within the necrotic lumen of the mass tightly adhered to the gastric mucosa. Ascarid nematodes were identified morphologically and further confirmed by molecular diagnostics as Ophidascaris spp. Histopathological evaluation of the excised mass revealed a gastric adenocarcinoma. Postoperatively the snake suffered from gastrointestinal dysfunction and maldigestion and was managed with slurry feeding for month. Three months postoperatively the snake was gaining weight, eating without assistance and digesting whole prey, which was incrementally increased in size. Gastroscopy 6 months postoperatively revealed the presence of a functional stomach with a functional pyloric sphincter and 8.5 cm of gastric mucosa caudal to the anastomosis between the oesophagus and stomach.ConclusionThis is the first report of almost complete subtotal gastric resection in an Australian python, with evidence of compensatory gastric stretching resulting in a functional stomach.