bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The preparation, physicochemical and thermal properties of the high moisture, solvent and chemical resistant starch-g-poly(geranyl methacrylate) copolymers
Authors: Worzakowska Marta 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThe thermal properties together with the identification of the emitted volatiles during heating of the starch-graft-poly(geranyl methacrylate) copolymers with the use of a TG/FTIR-coupled method and some of the physicochemical properties of the copolymers were determined. It was found that the use of the geranyl methacrylate monomer to the graft copolymerization with potato starch allowed to replace ca. 1.46 hydroxyl groups per glycosidic units of starch macromolecule by the poly(geranyl methacrylate) chains under the optimal reaction conditions. Generally, all tested starch graft copolymers exhibited a significant increase in polar solvent resistance, moisture resistance and chemical stability as compared to potato starch. However, the thermal stability of the obtained materials was substantially lower as compared to the thermal stability of potato starch. The beginning of the decomposition of the copolymers was observed below 150 °C. It was due to low thermal stability of the poly(geranyl methacrylate) chains. The decomposition of the prepared materials runs at least four, unseparated stages. The first stage was visible up to 220–240 °C. It was connected with the emission of some aldehyde, acid, alcohol, alkene, ester fragments, H2O and CO2as a result of the depolymerization, destruction and partial decarboxylation of the poly(geranyl methacrylate) chains. The second stage was spread between ca. 220–240 and 358–375 °C. The emission of organic, saturated, unsaturated, aromatic, oxygen-rich fragments, CO, CO2and H2O as a result of the decomposition and dehydration of starch was confirmed. Heating of the studied materials between 358–375 and 455–477 °C resulted in subsequent decomposition processes of the residues and the creation of some oxygen-rich saturated and unsaturated fragments, CO, CO2, H2O and CH4. Finally, above 455–477 °C, a minor mass loss as a result of the decomposition processes of the residues formed before was observed. The emission of CO, CO2, H2O, CH4and some oxygen-rich saturated and unsaturated fragments was confirmed.
Yaffe on Democratic Citizenship and Juvenile Justice
Authors: Howard Jeffrey W. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractWhy, exactly, should we punish children who commit crimes more leniently than adults who commit the same offenses? Gideon Yaffe thinks it is because they cannot vote, and so the strength of their reasons to obey the law is weaker than if they could. They are thus less culpable when they disobey. This argument invites an obvious objection: why not simply enfranchise children, thereby granting them legal reasons that are the same strength as enfranchised adults, and so permitting similarly severe punishment? Yaffe answers this question by arguing that child enfranchisement would objectionably undermine the values of political equality and self-government. This article explores some serious doubts about these arguments. It closes by questioning Yaffe’s reliance on a retributivist theory of punishment, contending that, once we reject retributivism in favor of more humane and productive alternatives, the thesis that child criminals deserve a break—which Yaffe assumes to be undeniably correct—becomes less plausible.
Characterization of brain microstructural abnormalities in cirrhotic patients without overt hepatic encephalopathy using diffusion kurtosis imaging
Authors: Sun Qing , Fan Wenliang , Liu Yuan , Zou Yan , Wiseman Natalie , Kou Zhifeng , Han Ping 
Published: September 2019

AbstractCirrhosis is a major public health concern. However, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying brain microstructure alterations in cirrhotic patients. The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate brain microstructural alterations in cirrhosis with or without minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and their relationship with patients’ neurocognitive performance and disease duration using voxel-based analysis of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). DKI data were acquired from 30 cirrhotic patients with MHE, 31 patients without MHE (NMHE) and 59 healthy controls. All DKI-derived parametric maps were compared across the three groups to investigate their group differences. Correlation analyses were further performed to assess relationships between altered imaging parameters and clinical data. Voxel-based analysis of DKI data results showed that MHE/NMHE patients had increased radial diffusivity, axial diffusivity (AD) and mean diffusivity in addition to decreased axial kurtosis (AK) and fractional anisotropy of kurtosis in several regions. Compared to controls, these regions were primarily the cingulum, temporal and frontal cortices. The DKI metrics (i.e., AK and AD) were correlated with clinical variables in the two patient groups. In conclusion, DKI is useful for detecting brain microstructural abnormalities in MHE and NMHE patients. Abnormal DKI parameters suggest alterations in brain microstructural complexity in cirrhotic patients, which may contribute to the neurobiological basis of neurocognitive impairment. These results may provide additional information on the pathophysiology of cirrhosis.
Influence of adverse weather on drivers’ perceived risk during car following based on driving simulations
Authors: Chen Chen , Zhao Xiaohua , Liu Hao , Ren Guichao , Liu Xiaoming 
Published: September 2019

Abstract
Adverse weather has a considerable impact on the behavior of drivers, which puts vehicles and drivers in hazardous situations that can easily cause traffic accidents. This research examines how drivers’ perceived risk changes during car following under different adverse weather conditions by using driving simulation experiment. An expressway road scenario was built in a driving simulator. Eleven types of weather conditions, including clear sky, four levels of fog, four levels of rain and two levels of snow, were designed. Furthermore, to simulate the car-following behavior, three car-following situations were designed according to the motion of the lead car. Seven car-following indicators were extracted based on risk homeostasis theory. Then, the entropy weight method was used to integrate the selected indicators into an index to represent the drivers’ perceived risk. Multiple linear regression was applied to measure the influence of adverse weather conditions on perceived risk, and the coefficients were considered as indicators. The results demonstrate that both the weather conditions and road type have significant effects on car-following behavior. Drivers’ perceived risk tends to increase with the worsening weather conditions. Under conditions of extremely poor visibility, such as heavy dense fog, the measured drivers’ perceived risk is low due to the difficulties in vehicle operation and limited visibility.
A data-driven hierarchical MILP approach for scheduling clinical pathways: a real-world case study from a German university hospital
Authors: Schwarz Karsten , Römer Michael , Mellouli Taïeb 
Published: September 2019

AbstractFacing economic pressure and case-based compensation systems, hospitals strive for effectively planning patient hospitalization and making efficient use of their resources. To support this endeavor, this paper proposes a flexible hierarchical mixed-integer linear programming (MILP)-based approach for the day-level scheduling of clinical pathways (CP). CP form sequences of ward stays and treatments to be performed during a patient’s hospitalization under consideration of all relevant resources such as beds, operating rooms and clinical staff. Since in most hospitals CP-related information needed for planning is not readily available, we propose a data-driven approach in which the structure of the CP to be scheduled including all CP-related constraints is automatically extracted from standardized hospital billing data available in every German hospital. The approach uses a flexible multi-criteria objective function considering several patient- and hospital-related aspects which makes our approach applicable in various scenarios. Furthermore, in contrast to other approaches, it considers several practically relevant aspects ensuring the implementability of the scheduling results such as multiple ward stays per hospitalization and gender-separated room assignments. Regarding the treatment resources such as operation rooms and clinical staff, it considers the eligibility of resources for treatments based on information such as special equipment or qualification and represents complex resources individually to avoid disaggregation problems. To allow solving the resulting complex and large-scale scheduling problem for realistically dimensioned problem instances, we propose a hierarchical two-stage MILP approach involving carefully designed anticipation components in the first-stage model. We evaluate our approach in a case study with real-world data from a German university hospital showing that our approach is able to solve instances with a planning horizon of 1 month exhibiting 1088 treatments and 302 ward stays of 286 patients. In addition to comparing our approach to a monolithic MILP approach, we provide a detailed discussion of the scheduling results for two practically motivated scenarios.
An estimation of causal structure based on Latent LiNGAM for mixed data
Authors: Yamayoshi Mako , Tsuchida Jun , Yadohisa Hiroshi 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThe linear non-gaussian acyclic model (LiNGAM) has been proposed as a method for estimating causal structures using structural equation modeling (SEM). LiNGAM is useful as an exploratory estimation method for a causal structure. However, the assumptions that all observed variables in LiNGAM are continuous is not applicable in case of mixed data (i.e., when discrete variables are also included in the dataset). Therefore, we propose the Latent LiNGAM (L-LiNGAM), where each variable corresponds to a continuous latent variable and is observed as data through transformation via a link function. In the numerical study, when mixing discrete variables, the estimation of causal structure using L-LiNGAM is proven useful in terms of sum of squared error and path recovery. Moreover, from real-world data applications, the causal structure estimated by L-LiNGAM is shown to be the best for evaluation under SEM. The model fit is also superior to that of existing methods.
Early detection of cognitive dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis: Implications on outcome
Authors: Naseer Maged Abdel , Fathi Shereen , Labib Dalia M. , Khalil Dalia H. , Aboulfotooh Alshaimaa M. , Magdy Rehab 
Published: September 2019

AbstractObjective:Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) has a complex relationship with disease progression and neurodegeneration. The aim of this study was to shed light on the importance of early detection of cognitive impairment in MS patients.Methods:The study comprised two groups of definite MS patients, relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), each with 25 patients. Physical disability was assessed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), while the risk of secondary progression was assessed using the Bayesian Risk Estimate for Multiple Sclerosis (BREMS). Cognitive functions were assessed using the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) and Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT). Assessment of neurodegeneration was done using optical coherence tomography (OCT) via quantification of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL).Results:MS patients with higher RNFL thickness demonstrated a larger learning effect size than patients who had lower values in RNFL thickness regardless of MS type. RRMS patients showed significant improvement in delayed recall after giving cues than SPMS. The symbol digit modalities test was the only neuropsychological test that showed a significant negative correlation with EDSS (P = 0.009). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between BREMS scores and performance in all neuropsychological tests.Conclusion:Inclusion of neurocognitive evaluation in the periodic assessment of MS patients is mandatory to detect patients at increased risk of secondary progression. The thickness of RNFL is suggested as a method to estimate the expected benefit of cognitive rehabilitation, regardless of MS type.
Religion and Grassroots Social Conservatism in Canada
Authors: Wilkins-Laflamme Sarah , Reimer Sam 
Published: September 2019

AbstractWith a decisive Liberal party electoral victory in 2015, observers are now wondering if religious conservatism's role in the Canadian political landscape is waning. Using data from the Canadian Election Study (CES) from the years 2004 to 2015, we find that respondents’ attitudes toward same-sex marriage and women working outside the home have moved left on the spectrum among both the general population and more religious voters. However, this does not go hand in hand with a decline in the effect strength of religiosity on the Conservative vote, which remains significant across the five federal elections examined in this study. Conservative religious voters now make up a smaller share of the adult population, but their issue positions on sexual morals and gender roles, along with the wider conservative value orientation these issues represent, remain important in their vote choice.
COMPARING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL COURTS OF CHINA WITH THE SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL COURT
Authors: Huo Zhengxin , Yip Man 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThe article critically reviews the litigation framework of the Chinese International Commercial Court (‘CICC’) using a comparative approach, taking as a benchmark the Singapore International Commercial Court (‘SICC’)—another Asian international commercial court situated within the Belt and Road Initiative (‘BRI’) geography. It argues that the CICC, despite being lauded as a visionary step toward an innovative, efficient and trustworthy dispute resolution system, does not live up to those grand claims on closer scrutiny. The discussion shows that the CICC is in many respects insular and conservative when compared with the SICC. The distinctions between the two litigation frameworks may be explained by the differences in objectives. Whereas the SICC was created to compete for international judicial business and bolster Singapore as a leading dispute resolution hub, the CICC is presently designed to provide a legal safeguard in BRI disputes with Chinese elements. This article also identifies major challenges confronting the CICC and sets out proposals for change.
THE PARIS RULEBOOK: BALANCING INTERNATIONAL PRESCRIPTIVENESS WITH NATIONAL DISCRETION
Authors: Rajamani Lavanya , Bodansky Daniel 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThis article discusses the importance of the recently concluded Paris Rulebook, the extent to which it limits national discretion, instils discipline and generates ambition and accountability, and the challenges that lie ahead in implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement. It discusses, in particular, the rules on mitigation, transparency, the global stocktake and the implementation and compliance mechanism, in order to highlight the choices Parties made on three overarching issues that have long bedevilled the climate change regime—prescriptiveness (the level of detail of the rules), legal bindingness (the extent to which particular rules are legally binding) and differentiation (the extent to which particular rules accommodate differences between Parties or apply uniformly to all Parties).
Recovery of the Critically Endangered bracket fungus Amylocystis lapponica in the Estonian network of strictly protected forests
Authors: Runnel Kadri , Sell Indrek , Lõhmus Asko 
Published: September 2019

AbstractIn regions where primeval forests have vanished it is unclear whether forest protection can sustain specialized old-forest biota, and over what time scale. We report on population expansion of an old-growth specific fungus of European conservation concern, Amylocystis lapponica, in the forest reserve network of Estonia. This conspicuous species was known for 40 years from only single records in one old-growth forest and was categorized nationally as Critically Endangered. During the last 10 years A. lapponica has expanded over the eastern half of the country, with nine subpopulations, in 12 localities, now known, all in long-protected old-growth forests and several > 50 km apart. In most of the new localities historical absence of the species can be reliably assessed based on earlier surveys. The historical remnant subpopulation has also increased. The population size (c. 100 mature individuals) in Estonia indicates the species should be recategorized nationally as Endangered. This success story suggests that more than 50 years of non-intervention may be needed even in large old-forest reserves for old-growth specialist species to recover.
Why God is probably good: a response to the evil-god challenge
Authors: MILLER CALUM 
Published: September 2019

AbstractA number of philosophers have recently defended the evil-god challenge, which is to explain relevant asymmetries between believing in a perfectly good God and believing in a perfectly evil god, such that the former is more reasonable than the latter. In this article, I offer a number of such reasons. I first suggest that certain conceptions of the ontology of good and evil can offer asymmetries which make theism a simpler hypothesis than ‘maltheism’. I then argue that maltheism is itself complex in a variety of ways: it is difficult to articulate a simple precise version of maltheism; maltheism posits a mixture of positive and negative properties; maltheism posits a more complex relationship between moral motivation, practical reason and action; and maltheism relevantly parallels other epistemically ‘complex’ sceptical scenarios.
In Search of Atticus’ Greek
Authors: O’Sullivan Neil 
Published: September 2019

AbstractCicero’s friend and correspondent Titus Pomponius Atticus was a key figure in the Graeco-Roman cultural life of his time, and knowing about the Greek that he used would give us insight not only into this broader culture, but also into the Greek language itself at this crucial point of its history. However, no writings by him survive, and his Greek can only be reconstructed from Cicero’s letters. The only previous attempt to do this was made nearly a century ago and was generously inclusive but lacking in discernment. The current study seeks to distinguish the different types of evidence on this question that Cicero’s letters can offer. It provides a list of those Greek words we can be most confident featured in Atticus’ letters and suggests some criteria for judging the more numerous doubtful instances. Finally, it points to some conclusions about Atticus’ Greek, and how this may have differed from Cicero’s.
Coping in context: The effects of long-term relations between interparental conflict and coping on the development of child psychopathology following parental divorce
Authors: O'Hara Karey L. , Sandler Irwin N. , Wolchik Sharlene A. , Tein Jenn-Yun 
Published: September 2019

AbstractExposure to high levels of postdivorce interparental conflict is a well-documented risk factor for the development of psychopathology, and there is strong evidence of a subpopulation of families for which conflict persists for many years after divorce. However, existing studies have not elucidated differential trajectories of conflict within families over time, nor have they assessed the risk posed by conflict trajectories for development of psychopathology or evaluated potential protective effects of children's coping to mitigate such risk. We used growth mixture modeling to identify longitudinal trajectories of child-reported conflict over a period of six to eight years following divorce in a sample of 240 children. We related the trajectories to children's mental health problems, substance use, and risky sexual behaviors and assessed how children's coping prospectively predicted psychopathology in the different conflict trajectories. We identified three distinct trajectories of conflict; youth in two high-conflict trajectories showed deleterious effects on measures of psychopathology at baseline and the six-year follow-up. We found both main effects of coping and coping by conflict trajectory interaction effects in predicting problem outcomes at the six-year follow-up. The study supports the notion that improving youth's general capacity to cope adaptively is a potentially modifiable protective factor for all children facing parental divorce and that children in families with high levels of postdivorce conflict are a particularly appropriate group to target for coping-focused preventive interventions.
Delirium in the intensive care setting dependent on the Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS): Inattention and visuo-spatial impairment as potential screening domains
Authors: Boettger Soenke , Meyer Rafael , Richter André , Rudiger Alain , Schubert Maria , Jenewein Josef , Nuñez David Garcia 
Published: September 2019

AbstractObjectiveIn the intensive care setting, delirium is a common occurrence; however, the impact of the level of alertness has never been evaluated. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the delirium characteristics in the drowsy, as well as the alert and calm patient.MethodIn this prospective cohort study, 225 intensive care patients with Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) scores of −1 — drowsy and 0 — alert and calm were evaluated with the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-1998 (DRS-R-98) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4th edition text revision (DSM-IV-TR)-determined diagnosis of delirium.ResultsIn total, 85 drowsy and 140 alert and calm patients were included. Crucial items for the correct identification of delirium were sleep–wake cycle disturbances, language abnormalities, thought process alterations, psychomotor retardation, disorientation, inattention, short- and long-term memory, as well as visuo-spatial impairment, and the temporal onset. Conversely, perceptual disturbances, delusions, affective lability, psychomotor agitation, or fluctuations were items, which identified delirium less correctly. Further, the severities of inattentiveness and visuo-spatial impairment were indicative of delirium in both alert- or calmness and drowsiness.Significance of resultsThe impairment in the cognitive domain, psychomotor retardation, and sleep–wake cycle disturbances correctly identified delirium irrespective of the level alertness. Further, inattentiveness and — to a lesser degree — visuo-spatial impairment could represent a specific marker for delirium in the intensive care setting meriting further evaluation.
Fighting on Christmas: brawling as self-governance in rural Peru
Authors: Escalante Edwar E. , March Raymond J. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThis paper analyzes the Peruvian highland tradition of Takanakuy, a public brawling ritual occurring each Christmas to resolve conflicts between local community members. We argue that Takanakuy provides an effective way for locals to resolve disputes that Peru's formal judicial system is unable or unwilling to settle. Using insights from ethnographic fieldwork, journalistic articles, reports, and academic sources, we find that brawling during Takanakuy encourages social cooperation by preventing potential violence and offering community members a credible mechanism of law enforcement in an orderly fashion with social acceptance.