bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Could the Drug Tafenoquine Revolutionize Treatment of Babesia microti Infection?
Authors: Mordue Dana G , Wormser Gary P 
Published: April 2019

Abstract

Background
Tafenoquine (TQ) was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for prophylaxis of malaria and, in addition, for eradication of the hepatic phase of the relevant Plasmodium species. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of TQ for treatment of Babesia microti infection in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).

Methods
SCID mice were infected with 1.1–1.5 × 108 B. microti–infected red blood cells by intraperitoneal injection. On day 3 or 4 postinfection, when parasitemia levels typically exceeded 10%, mice were treated with TQ vs vehicle alone, both administered by oral gavage.

Results
A single dose of TQ completely eliminated detectable parasites, with a >90% reduction in the level of parasitemia within just 4 days. Before elimination, a conspicuous phenotypic change in the parasite was observed. Although parasitologic cure was not achieved, there was no evidence for the development of drug resistance.

Conclusions
This study suggests that TQ may be a highly useful drug to treat B. microti infection in patients. If further animal studies establish that a marked reduction in B. microti parasitemia can be reliably achieved with peak blood levels of TQ known to be well tolerated in humans, a clinical trial in patients should be considered.
Misuse and Mortality Related to Gabapentin and Pregabalin are Being Under-Estimated: A Two-Year Post-Mortem Population Study
Authors: Nahar Limon Khatun , Murphy Kevin G , Paterson Sue 
Published: April 2019

AbstractDue to the rise in their misuse and associated mortality, the UK government is reclassifying gabapentin (GBP) and pregabalin (PGL) to Class C controlled drugs from April 2019. However, it is impossible to gauge the extent of their use with current post-mortem toxicological screening, where GBP and PGL are only screened for if they are mentioned in the case documents. This study determines the prevalence of GBP and PGL, the potential extent of their under-reporting and poly-drug use in a post-mortem population. Between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2017, 3,750 deceased from Coroners’ cases in London and South East England underwent a routine drugs screen and a specific screen for GBP and PGL. The prevalence of both drugs was determined in the cohort and the subcategories of heroin users and non-heroin-users. The prevalence of both drugs was compared to tramadol (Class C drug). Case documents were reviewed to investigate the under-reporting of GBP and PGL and poly-drug use. Of 3,750 samples analyzed, 118 (3.1%) were positive for GBP, 229 (6.1%) for PGL and 120 (3.2%) were positive for tramadol. If routine analysis without additional screening of GBP and PGL had been performed in this cohort, GBP would have been under-reported by 57.6% (P < 0.0001) and PGL by 53.7% (P < 0.0001) in deaths. The most common drug group observed with GBP and PGL was non-heroin-related opioids at 60.2% and 64.6%, respectively. In total 354 deceased (9.4%) were heroin users. GBP was positive in 23 (6.5%) of these cases and PGL was positive in 69 (19.5%). The prevalence of PGL in heroin users (19.5%) was 4.1 times greater than in non-heroin users (4.7%) (P < 0.0001). GBP and PGL are being significantly under reported in fatalities. Both drugs are extensively used with opioids. The prevalence of PGL in heroin users is highly significant.
Postmenopausal Androgen Metabolism and Endometrial Cancer Risk in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study
Authors: Michels Kara A , Brinton Louise A , Wentzensen Nicolas , Pan Kathy , Chen Chu , Anderson Garnet L , Pfeiffer Ruth M , Xu Xia , Rohan Thomas E , Trabert Britton 
Published: April 2019

Abstract

Background
After menopause, several androgens continue to be produced primarily by the adrenal glands; these can be converted into estrogens via aromatization or into androgen metabolites. It is unclear if androgens are associated with endometrial cancer risk independently of their being precursors to estrogens or if alternative metabolic pathways influence risk.

Methods
We measured prediagnostic serum concentrations of 12 androgens and their metabolites using highly sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry assays in a nested case-control study of postmenopausal women from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study (313 endometrial cancer case subjects, 354 matched control subjects). Estrogens were previously assayed. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for endometrial cancer with adjustment for confounders.

Results
Compared to the lowest concentrations, the highest levels of adrenal androgens were associated with increased endometrial cancer risk: dehydroepiandrosterone (5th vs 1st quintile: OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.06 to 3.25), androstenedione (OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.34 to 4.16), and testosterone (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.12 to 3.24). Downstream androgen metabolites were not associated with endometrial cancer. Although increased risks for the parent androgens were still suggested after adjustment for unconjugated estradiol, the associations attenuated, and with the exception of androstenedione, were no longer statistically significant. We also evaluated ratios of estrogens relative to their androgenic precursors; both higher unconjugated estrone:androstenedione and higher unconjugated estradiol:testosterone were associated with increased endometrial cancer risk.

Conclusions
We identified increased risks for endometrial cancer with the highest levels of adrenal androgens and high levels of estrogens relative to these androgens. As adrenal androgens can be aromatized to estrogens, this suggests androgens likely influence endometrial carcinogenesis via estrogen metabolism.
A machine-vision method for automatic classification of stellar halo substructure
Authors: Hendel David , Johnston Kathryn V , Patra Rohit K , Sen Bodhisattva 
Published: April 2019

ABSTRACT
Tidal debris structures formed from disrupted satellites contain important clues about the assembly histories of galaxies. To date, studies of these structures have been hampered by reliance on by-eye identification and morphological classification which leaves their interpretation significantly uncertain. In this work, we present a new machine-vision technique based on the Subspace-Constrained Mean Shift (SCMS) algorithm which can perform these tasks automatically. SCMS finds the location of the high-density ‘ridges’ that define substructure morphology. After identification, the coefficients of an orthogonal series density estimator are used to classify points on the ridges as part of a continuum between shell-like or stream-like debris, from which a global morphological classification can be determined. We dub this procedure Subspace-Constrained Unsupervised Detection of Structure (SCUDS). By applying this tool to controlled N-body simulations of minor mergers, we demonstrate that the extracted classifications correspond to the well-understood underlying physics of phase mixing. The application of SCUDS to resolved stellar population data from near-future surveys will inform our understanding of the buildup of galaxies’ stellar haloes.
Best Practices When Using 360 Feedback for Performance Appraisal
Authors: Campion Emily D. , Campion Michael C. , Campion Michael A. 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
This chapter draws from 221 articles or book chapters collected from researchers and professional literature to provide the basis for a list of 56 best practices when 360 Feedback is used to support performance management processes. The practices are grouped into nine categories: strategic consideration, items, scales, raters, administrations, training/instruction, and interpretation of feedback, development, and review. In each section, the authors define and address the importance of each category, briefly discuss practices illustrative of each category, and propose future work needed to further elaborate on the practices within each category. Each best practice is supported with a comprehensive list of resources, with each reference provided in an Appendix.
Living Mirrors
Authors: Nachtomy Ohad 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
This work presents Leibniz’s view of infinity and the central role it plays in his theory of living beings. Chapter 1 introduces Leibniz’s approach to infinity by presenting the central concepts he employs; chapter 2 presents the historical background through Leibniz’s encounters with Galileo and Descartes, exposing a tension between the notions of an infinite number and an infinite being; chapter 3 argues that Leibniz’s solution to this tension, developed through his encounter with Spinoza (ca. 1676), consists of distinguishing between a quantitative and a nonquantitative use of infinity, and an intermediate degree of infinity—a maximum in its kind, which sheds light on Leibniz’s use of infinity as a defining mark of living beings; chapter 4 examines the connection between infinity and unity; chapter 5 presents the development of Leibniz’s views on infinity and life; chapter 6 explores Leibniz’s distinction between artificial and natural machines; chapter 7 focuses on Leibniz’s image of a living mirror, contrasting it with Pascal’s image of a mite; chapter 8 argues that Leibniz understands creatures as infinite and limited, or as infinite in their own kind, in distinction from the absolute infinity of God; chapter 9 argues that Leibniz’s concept of a monad holds at every level of reality; chapter 10 compares Leibniz’s use of life and primitive force. The conclusion presents Leibniz’s program of infusing life into every aspect of nature as an attempt to re-enchant a view of nature left disenchanted by Descartes and Spinoza.
Representation and the Electoral College
Authors: Alexander Robert M. 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
This book evaluates the Electoral College as it relates to relevant theories of representation. The purpose of the study is to help readers understand the ways in which the institution does or does not align with expectations relating to representative democracy. In the aftermath of the 2016 election, heated calls to abolish the Electoral College were made in large part because the winning candidate received nearly 3 million fewer votes from across the country than his opponent. At the same time, many lauded the institution for working as intended—particularly as it relates to federalism. The Electoral College is a unique institution. It is also one of the most debated institutions in American politics. Many arguments concerning the body—it protects less populated states, it helps preserve federalism, it violates the one-person, one-vote principle, it forces candidates to produce broad-based coalitions—rarely receive the depth of attention they deserve. This book sets out to do this by examining the origin, evolution, and practice of the Electoral College. Much of the controversy relating to the institution revolves around whether we rely on the original or the evolved Electoral College to inform our perspective. Understanding the origin and evolution of the body allows us to more appropriately evaluate contemporary arguments over the institution. In addition to looking at common arguments relating to the Electoral College, this study pays particular attention to its role in the 2016 election and the often overlooked but essential position of presidential electors.
Authority, Moral Criteria of Validity, and Conceptual Confusion
Authors: Himma Kenneth Einar 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
This chapter challenges the Identification Thesis. The Identification Thesis considers our conceptual practices with respect to the term ‘authority’ and states that they entail that an institutional normative system cannot be legitimate unless it is conceptually possible for a subject to determine what its norms require without having to decide themselves what they ought to do. If our conceptual practices with respect to using the terms ‘law’ and ‘authority’ are determined by what competent speakers typically believe and say about law and authority, then those ordinary linguistic practices allow for the possibility of a legitimate legal system with moral criteria of validity. Our conceptual practices are thus inconsistent with the Identification Thesis. As the Identification Thesis expresses the core of the service conception of authority, the service conception is inconsistent with the concept of authority as it is defined by our conceptual practices.
Spatiality and Subjecthood in Mallarmé, Apollinaire, Maeterlinck, and Jarry
Authors: Shtutin Leo 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
This study explores the interrelationship between spatiality and subjecthood in the work of Stéphane Mallarmé, Guillaume Apollinaire, Maurice Maeterlinck, and Alfred Jarry. Concerned with various modes of poetry and drama, it also examines the cross-pollination that can occur between these modes, focusing on a relatively narrow corpus of core texts: Mallarmé’s Igitur (c.1867–70) and Un coup de dés (1897); Apollinaire’s ‘Zone’ (1912) and various of his calligrammes; Maeterlinck’s early one-act plays—L’Intruse (1890), Les Aveugles (1890), and Intérieur (1894); and Jarry’s Ubu roi (1896) and César-Antechrist (1895). The poetic and dramatic practices of these four authors are assessed against the broader cultural and philosophical contexts of the fin de siècle. The fin de siècle witnessed a profound epistemological shift: the Newtonian–Cartesian paradigm, increasingly challenged throughout the nineteenth century, was largely dismantled, with ramifications beyond physics, philosophy and psychology.
Defamiliarizing the Page
Authors: Shtutin Leo 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Chapter 2 focuses on Mallarmé’s Un coup de dés and Apollinaire’s calligrammes—works that defamiliarize page-space by undermining various (naturalized) conventions of paginal configuration. Many of the calligrammes are non-linear, having no ‘beginning’ or ‘end’; Un coup de dés is more accurately described as multi-cursal, its typographical hierarchy generating a network of forking paths that presents a formidable challenge to the first-time reader. Mallarmé and Apollinaire transform page-space from an inert ground into an integral component of the text; the syntax of Un cup de dés and the calligrammes is not merely verbal but visual, and calls for spatio-textual parsing. The chapter concludes with a comparative analysis of the ways in which Mallarmé and Apollinaire manipulate the institutional frame of the page, comprised of a series of typographic and spatial norms endemic to conventionally printed texts.
Introduction
Authors: Shtutin Leo 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
The Introduction sets out the key concerns of the book—early modernist conceptualizations of spatiality and subjecthood, and the treatment of space and subject in the poetic and dramatic works of Stéphane Mallarmé, Guillaume Apollinaire, Maurice Maeterlinck, and Alfred Jarry. It also examines some of the critical literature on these four principal authors, remarking on the variable quality of existing analyses—while the semiotics of Jarry’s Ubu cycle, for example, has been brilliantly and comprehensively elucidated, critics have, until comparatively recently, tended to gloss over the semiotic complexity of Apollinaire’s calligrammes, some doing so with unjustified disparagement. The Introduction concludes with a brief overview of the book’s five chapters.
Moment Inequalities via Martingale Methods
Authors: Merlevède Florence , Peligrad Magda , Utev Sergey 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIn this chapter we establish different kinds of moment inequalities for partial sums and the maximum of partial sums of a large class of random variables, including martingale sequences, mixingales, and other dependent structures. All the bounds involve the moments of the conditional expectations of either the partial sums or the individual random variables. In most of the proofs martingale approximations are used. This method allows us to use the moment inequalities for the martingale part developed in Chapter 2. We start with a dyadic scheme useful for analysis of the variance of partial sums in the stationary setting. Then, we obtain Burkholder-type inequalities via Maxwell–Woodroofe-type characteristics and an extension of Doob’s maximal inequality for adapted sequences. A Rosenthal-type inequality for stationary sequences is also provided with bounds using conditional expectations of the partial sums. Maximal exponential inequalities are established involving either Maxwell–Woodroofe-type characteristics or the projective operators.
Dependence Coefficients for Sequences
Authors: Merlevède Florence , Peligrad Magda , Utev Sergey 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIn this chapter we survey several mixing conditions, which can be viewed as measures of departure from independence. We start with the traditional mixing coefficients such as the strong mixing coefficient and the coefficient of absolute regularity, as well as the ϕ- and ρ-mixing coefficients. We extend the definitions to sequences of random variables and give examples of such processes including classes of linear processes, Markov processes, and Gaussian processes. The most important property of these mixing coefficients is the fact that they allow the coupling with independent structures. This is the reason we pay special attention to the coupling properties of these mixing coefficients. The chapter continues with the presentation of weaker forms of mixing coefficients, defined by using smaller classes of functions. They allow us to enlarge the class of examples to more general functions of i.i.d. or to a larger class of dynamical systems.
Examples of Stationary Sequences with Approximate Negative Dependence
Authors: Merlevède Florence , Peligrad Magda , Utev Sergey 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIn this chapter, we treat several examples of stationary processes which are asymptotically negatively dependent and for which the results of Chapter 9 apply. Many systems in nature are complex, consisting of the contributions of several independent components. Our first examples are functions of two independent sequences, one negatively dependent and one interlaced mixing. For instance, the class of asymptotic negatively dependent random variables is used to treat functions of a determinantal point process and a Gaussian process with a positive continuous spectral density. Another example is point processes based on asymptotically negatively or positively associated sequences and displaced according to a Gaussian sequence with a positive continuous spectral density. Other examples include exchangeable processes, the weighted empirical process, and the exchangeable determinantal point process.
Linear Processes
Authors: Merlevède Florence , Peligrad Magda , Utev Sergey 
Published: April 2019

AbstractHere we apply different methods to establish the Gaussian approximation to linear statistics of a stationary sequence, including stationary linear processes, near-stationary processes, and discrete Fourier transforms of a strictly stationary process. More precisely, we analyze the asymptotic behavior of the partial sums associated with a short-memory linear process and prove, in particular, that if a weak limit theorem holds for the partial sums of the innovations then a related result holds for the partial sums of the linear process itself. We then move to linear processes with long memory and obtain the CLT under various dependence structures for the innovations by analyzing the asymptotic behavior of linear statistics. We also deal with the invariance principle for causal linear processes or for linear statistics with weakly associated innovations. The last section deals with discrete Fourier transforms, proving, via martingale approximation, central limit behavior at almost all frequencies under almost no condition except a regularity assumption.
Functional Central Limit Theorem for Empirical Processes
Authors: Merlevède Florence , Peligrad Magda , Utev Sergey 
Published: April 2019

AbstractHere we discuss the Gaussian approximation for the empirical process under different kinds of dependence assumptions for the underlying stationary sequence. First, we state a general criterion to prove tightness of the empirical process associated with a stationary sequence of uniformly distributed random variables. This tightness criterion can be verified for many different dependence structures. For ρ-mixing sequences, by an application of a Rosenthal-type inequality, tightness is verified under the same condition leading to the usual CLT. For α-dependent sequences whose α-dependent coefficients decay polynomially to zero, it is shown to hold with the help of the Rosenthal inequality stated in Section 3.3. Since the asymptotic behavior of the finite-dimensional distributions of the empirical process is handled via the CLT developed in previous chapters, we then derive the functional CLT for the empirical process associated with the above-mentioned classes of stationary sequences. β-dependent sequences are also investigated by directly proving tightness of the empirical process.
Elements of Geometry of Balls in Banach Spaces
Authors: Goebel Kazimierz , Prus Stanislaw 
Published: April 2019

AbstractOne of the subjects of functional analysis is classification of Banach spaces depending on various properties of the unit ball. The need of such considerations comes from a number of applications to problems of mathematical analysis. The list of subjects contains: differential calculus in normed spaces, approximation theory, weak topologies and reflexivity, general theory of convexity and convex functions, metric fixed point theory, and others. The aim of this book is to present basic facts from this field. It is addressed to advanced undergraduate and graduate students interested in the subject. For some it may result in further interest, a continuation and deepening of their study of the subject. It may be also useful for instructors running courses on functional analysis, supervising diploma theses or essays on various levels.
Drivers and Issues of China–EU Negotiations for a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment
Authors: Marisi Flavia , Wang Qian 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Although the China–EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), currently under negotiation, covers only bilateral investments, it may clear the path for a potential free trade agreement between the parties. Its relevance goes beyond the purely economic and legal impact, owing to the central importance that these two regions have both economically and strategically in their wider neighbourhood and worldwide, often in competition with the interests of other world powers. In particular, the chapter identifies the provisions of fair and equitable treatment (FET), taxation, and transparency as the core issues in the negotiation process, and highlights both their features and relevance. The latter can be inferred from the frequency of alleged breaches in investor–state cases, and therefore it is on these issues that the legal discussion of the greater part of arbitration cases focuses. It is of essence that China and the EU carefully design all the clauses in the CAI, concluding a treaty able to foster investments in both directions and satisfy the parties’ interests, both as home states of investors and as host states. With these features, the CAI has full potential to serve as a role model for the rest of the world.