bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanisation in the Periphery: The Experience of Chilean Agriculture, c. 1850–90
Authors: ROBLES-ORTIZ CLAUDIO 
Published: September 2018

Abstract:This article examines mechanisation during the period of export-led growth in Chilean agriculture, c. 1850–90. According to conventional wisdom, since labour was cheap, landowners did not modernise theirhaciendas. The introduction of machinery was late and superficial; the large estate remained backward and inefficient. This view is flawed by lack of quantitative evidence and a narrow approach. Using imports and stocks data, and case material from the National Agricultural Society's bulletin, the article presents an alternative interpretation. The development of the market for agricultural equipment involved a fruitful exchange of technical expertise between the foreign importing companies and local landowners and experts. Mechanisation solved labour supply bottlenecks, and developed primarily on harvest tasks, above all the threshing of wheat. The scale and pattern of mechanisation were consistent with the development of this process in other countries’ older agricultures. The area mechanically harvested was much larger than previously estimated. Mechanisation was a significant transformation in the agricultural sector.
Travel, Modernity and Rural Landscapes in Nineteenth-Century Liguria
Authors: PIANA PIETRO , WATKINS CHARLES , BALZARETTI ROSS 
Published: September 2018

Abstract:New roads and, later, railways were essential for the modernisation and rapid economic development of north-western Italy in the early nineteenth century. The new routes also encouraged an increasing number of foreign travellers to visit the region. They opened up fresh tracts of countryside and provided novel viewpoints and points of interest; many travellers took the opportunity to record these views with topographical drawings and watercolours. In this article we make use of some of these views to examine how the modernised transport routes released new places to be celebrated by tourists and became themselves features and objects of especial interest and comment. We examine the works of three artists, one English and two Italian, who depicted landscapes of contrasting rural Ligurian landscapes. Their drawings and prints are contextualised and interpreted with maps, field data, archival documents and contemporary descriptions of roads and railways by travellers and in guidebooks.
The New Ethics of Neuroethics
Authors: BULLER TOM 
Published: September 2018

Abstract:According to a familiar distinction, neuroethics incorporates the neuroscience of ethics and the ethics of neuroscience. Within neuroethics, these two parts have provoked distinct and separate lines of inquiry, and there has been little discussion of how the two parts overlap. In the present article, I try to draw a connection between these two parts by considering the implications that are raised for ethics by scientific findings about the way we make moral decisions. The main argument of the article is that although neuroscience is “stretching” ethics by revealing the empirical basis of our moral decisions and, thereby, challenging our present understanding of the dominant ethical theories, substantial further questions remain regarding the impact that neuroscience will have on ethics more broadly.
Neurolaw and Neuroethics
Authors: CHANDLER JENNIFER A. 
Published: September 2018

Abstract:This short article proposes a conceptual structure for “neurolaw,” modeled loosely on the bipartite division of the sister field of neuroethics by Adina Roskies into the “ethics of neuroscience” and the “neuroscience of ethics.” As normative fields addressing the implications of scientific discoveries and expanding technological capacities affecting the brain, “neurolaw” and neuroethics have followed parallel paths. Similar foundational questions arise for both about the validity and utility of recognizing them as distinct subfields of law and ethics, respectively. In both, a useful distinction can be drawn between a self-reflexive inquiry (the neuroscience of ethics and law) and an inquiry into the development and use of brain science and technologies (the ethics and law of neuroscience). In both fields, these two forms of inquiry interact in interesting ways. In addition to a proposed conceptual structure for neurolaw, the article also addresses the neurolegal versions of the critiques made against neuroethics, including charges of reductionism, fact/value confusion, and biological essentialism.
Brain–Computer Interfaces: Lessons to Be Learned from the Ethics of Algorithms
Authors: WOLKENSTEIN ANDREAS , JOX RALF J. , FRIEDRICH ORSOLYA 
Published: September 2018

Abstract:Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are driven essentially by algorithms; however, the ethical role of such algorithms has so far been neglected in the ethical assessment of BCIs. The goal of this article is therefore twofold: First, it aims to offer insights into whether (and how) the problems related to the ethics of BCIs (e.g., responsibility) can be better grasped with the help of already existing work on the ethics of algorithms. As a second goal, the article explores what kinds of solutions are available in that body of scholarship, and how these solutions relate to some of the ethical questions around BCIs. In short, the article asks what lessons can be learned about the ethics of BCIs from looking at the ethics of algorithms. To achieve these goals, the article proceeds as follows. First, a brief introduction into the algorithmic background of BCIs is given. Second, the debate about epistemic concerns and the ethics of algorithms is sketched. Finally, this debate is transferred to the ethics of BCIs.
Ethical Considerations in Ending Exploratory Brain–Computer Interface Research Studies in Locked-in Syndrome
Authors: KLEIN ERAN , PETERS BETTS , HIGGER MATT 
Published: September 2018

Abstract:Brain–computer interface (BCI) is a promising technology for restoring communication in individuals with locked-in syndrome (LIS). BCI technology offers a potential tool for individuals with impaired or absent means of effective communication to use brain activity to control an output device such as a computer keyboard. Exploratory studies of BCI devices for communication in people with LIS are underway. Research with individuals with LIS presents not only technological challenges, but ethical challenges as well. Whereas recent attention has been focused on ethical issues that arise at the initiation of studies, such as how to obtain valid consent, relatively little attention has been given to issues at the conclusion of studies. BCI research in LIS highlights one such challenge: How to decide when an exploratory BCI research study should end. In this article, we present the case of an individual with presumed LIS enrolled in an exploratory BCI study. We consider whether two common ethical frameworks for stopping randomized clinical trials—equipoise and nonexploitation—can be usefully applied to elucidating researcher obligations to end exploratory BCI research. We argue that neither framework is a good fit for exploratory BCI research. Instead, we apply recent work on clinician-researcher fiduciary obligations and in turn offer some preliminary recommendations for BCI researchers on how to end exploratory BCI studies.
Therapy for fatigue and cognitive dysfunction in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
Authors: Boris Jeffrey R. , Bernadzikowski Thomas 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIntroductionSevere fatigue and cognitive dysfunction are frequent symptoms in patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. They can be debilitating, and often do not resolve despite improvement in haemodynamic symptoms. Our analysis was intended to assess clinical outcomes of medication treatment for these symptoms in a large, single-centre paediatric programme.Materials and MethodsWe performed a retrospective review of patients treated for fatigue and cognitive dysfunction. Patients aged 18 years or younger at the time of initial diagnosis were included. Patients who had a specific medication ordered five or more times for these symptoms were confirmed by chart review for clinical improvement. Percentage of patients with clinical improvement for each medication and overall for all medications, as well as the number of medications per patient required to achieve improvement, were assessed. Data were analysed based on gender as well. t-Test and χ2analyses were used to assess for differences between means in variables, or specific variables.ResultsA total of 708 patients met study criteria, of whom 517 were treated for fatigue or brain fog. Overall efficacy was 68.8%, with individual medication effectiveness ranging from 53.1 (methylphenidate) to 16.5% (atomoxetine). There was no significant difference in efficacy with respect to gender. The median number of medications used per patient was 2, without gender difference. Therapy was limited by side effects or lack of efficacy.DiscussionMedications are effective in the improvement of fatigue and cognitive dysfunction in these patients. However, trials of multiple medications may be needed before achieving clinical improvement.
Dysphagia characteristics in Huntington’s disease patients: insights from the Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing and the Swallowing Disturbances Questionnaire
Authors: Manor Yael , Oestreicher-Kedem Yael , Gad Alona , Zitser Jennifer , Faust-Socher Achinoam , Shpunt Dina , Naor Stav , Inbar Noit , Kestenbaum Meir , Giladi Nir , Gurevich Tanya 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundHuntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by increasing dysphagia as the disease progresses. Specific characteristics of the HD dysphagia are not well defined.ObjectiveTo characterize the swallowing disturbances of HD patients, to evaluate the feasibility of Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) in assessing dysphagia in HD patients, and to discern the relation between FEES findings and patients’ self-report on dysphagia symptoms and swallowing related quality of life (SWAL-QOL).MethodA retrospective case series in a tertiary referral center. All recruited HD patients underwent Bed Side Swallowing Evaluation (BSE), FEES, the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). All completed the Swallowing Disturbances Questionnaire (SDQ) and the SWAL-QOL questionnaire.ResultsFourteen HD patients were recruited. All were able to complete the FEES study. The FEES demonstrated delayed swallowing reflex, solid food residues, and pre/post swallowing spillage in most patients (50%, 53.5%, 83.3%, and 87.5%, respectively). The mean SDQ score was 13.2. Significant correlations were found between the SWAL-QOL fear of eating score; the SDQ oral, pharyngeal, and total scores; and the FEES parameters of pureed and solid food bolus flow time. Significant correlations were also found between the total UHDRS score, the volitional cough score, and the SWAL-QOL disease burden score.ConclusionHD patients exhibit prominent unique oropharyngeal dysphagia features that may serve as a marker of disease progression. The FEES and the SDQ are valuable tools for detecting these features in HD patients with swallowing disturbance.
Decoding Brain States for Planning Functional Grasps of Tools: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Multivoxel Pattern Analysis Study
Authors: Buchwald Mikolaj , Przybylski Łukasz , Króliczak Gregory 
Published: September 2018

AbstractObjectives: We used multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) to investigate neural selectivity for grasp planning within the left-lateralized temporo-parieto-frontal network of areas (praxis representation network, PRN) typically associated with tool-related actions, as studied with traditional neuroimaging contrasts. Methods: We used data from 20 participants whose task was to plan functional grasps of tools, with either right or left hands. Region of interest and whole-brain searchlight analyses were performed to show task-related neural patterns. Results: MVPA revealed significant contributions to functional grasp planning from the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) and its immediate vicinities, supplemented by inputs from posterior subdivisions of IPS, and the ventral lateral occipital complex (vLOC). Moreover, greater local selectivity was demonstrated in areas near the superior parieto-occipital cortex and dorsal premotor cortex, putatively forming the dorso-dorsal stream. Conclusions: A contribution from aIPS, consistent with its role in prospective grasp formation and/or encoding of relevant tool properties (e.g., potential graspable parts), is likely to accompany the retrieval of manipulation and/or mechanical knowledge subserved by the supramarginal gyrus for achieving action goals. An involvement of vLOC indicates that MVPA is particularly sensitive to coding of object properties, their identities and even functions, for a support of grip formation. Finally, the engagement of the superior parieto-frontal regions as revealed by MVPA is consistent with their selectivity for transient features of tools (i.e., variable affordances) for anticipatory hand postures. These outcomes support the notion that, compared to traditional approaches, MVPA can reveal more fine-grained patterns of neural activity. (JINS, 2018, 24, 1013–1025)
Dosimetric comparison between three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in the treatment of different stages of nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Ibrahim Mohamed S. , Attalla Ehab M. , El Naggar Mostafa , Elshemey Wael M. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractBackgroundThis work aims to compare the dosimetric performance of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), a relatively available technique in developing countries, to intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in the treatment of different stages of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).Materials and MethodsAccording to the diagnostic stages, 40 NPC patients were divided into two equal groups. Three planning techniques such as 3D-CRT, seven-field IMRT (7F-IMRT) and nine-field IMRT (9F-IMRT) were compared. Dose prescriptions of 70 and 66 Gy were delivered in 35 fractions to gross planning target volume (PTV1) and bilateral retropharyngeal carcinoma (PTV2), respectively.ResultsStage I dose data for almost all of the three investigated planning techniques obey the international recommendations. The dose delivered to PTV1 and PTV2 for 3D-CRT and 7F-IMRT are statistically similar, whereas 9F-IMRT is significantly better than 3D-CRT. For organs at risk (OARs), the delivered dose is significantly better for 9F-IMRT compared with the other two techniques, whereas 7F-IMRT is significantly better than 3D-CRT.Conclusions3D-CRT is an acceptable alternative treatment technique for stage I NPC patients in developing countries suffering from the lack of advanced radiotherapy treatment techniques. 3D-CRT and 7F-IMRT have comparable performance in PTVs, while 9F-IMRT is superior in PTVs and OARs.
Virtual reality as a distraction technique for pain and anxiety among patients with breast cancer: A randomized control trial
Authors: Bani Mohammad Eslam , Ahmad Muayyad 
Published: September 2018

AbstractObjectiveThe goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR) distraction technology in reducing pain and anxiety among female patients with breast cancer.MethodA randomized control trial design was used with a sample of 80 female patients with breast cancer at a specialized cancer center in Jordan. Participants were randomly assigned into intervention and comparison groups.ResultThe study findings showed that one session of the immersive VR plus morphine made a significant reduction in pain and anxiety self-reported scores, compared with morphine alone, in breast cancer patients.Significance of resultsImmersive VR is an effective distraction intervention for managing pain and anxiety among breast cancer patients. Using immersive VR as an adjuvant intervention is more effective than morphine alone in relieving pain and anxiety; furthermore, VR is a safe intervention more than pharmacological treatment.
Effects of Size and Temperature‐Dependent Thermal Conductivity on the Cooling of Pyroclasts in Air
Authors: Moitra Pranabendu , Sonder Ingo , Valentine Greg A. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe knowledge of the cooling time scales of pyroclasts, in conditions of free to forced convection, is of paramount importance in microtextural analysis, development of welded deposits, and in eruption column and pyroclast flow modeling. We performed cooling experiments of heated rock inside a cylindrical wind tunnel under a range of air speeds. In order to estimate the heat transfer coefficients, we modeled the transient temperature distribution in the sample with temperature‐dependent thermal diffusivity and heat capacity, which were obtained from laser flash measurements. For air speeds up to 15 m/s and for sample temperatures up to 1383 K (1110 ° C), a Nusselt‐Reynolds (Nu‐Re) relationship up to Re=3× 104 is established in this study. We find that the dependency of heat loss on size is particularly important for pyroclasts larger than ∼1 mm. Our results suggest that the cooling time scales of pyroclasts could be large enough to cause postfragmentation modification of clast microtextures. We further show that clasts of few‐centimeter and larger develop solid crusts with molten cores within time scales of a few minutes and therefore may inhibit postdepositional welding.
The 2018 MW 7.9 Gulf of Alaska Earthquake: Multiple Fault Rupture in the Pacific Plate
Authors: Lay Thorne , Ye Lingling , Bai Yefei , Cheung Kwok Fai , Kanamori Hiroo 
Published: September 2018

AbstractA major (MW 7.9) intraplate earthquake ruptured the Pacific plate seaward of the Alaska subduction zone near Kodiak Island on 23 January 2018. The aftershock seismicity is diffuse, with both NNW‐ and ENE‐trending distributions, while long‐period point source moment tensors have near‐horizontal compressional and tensional principal strain axes and significant non‐double‐couple components. Backprojections from three large‐aperture networks indicate sources of short‐period radiation not aligned with the best double‐couple fault planes. A suite of finite‐fault rupture models with one to four faults was considered, and a four‐fault model, dominated by right‐lateral slip on an SSE trending, westward‐dipping fault, is compatible with most seismic, GPS, and tsunami data. However, the precise geometry, timing, and slip distribution of the complex set of faults is not well resolved. The sequence appears to be the result of intraplate stresses influenced by slab pull, the 1964 Alaska earthquake, and collision of the Yakutat terrane in northeastern Alaska.
Using the Airborne Snow Observatory to Assess Remotely Sensed Snowfall Products in the California Sierra Nevada
Authors: Behrangi Ali , Bormann Kat J. , Painter Thomas H. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) performed two acquisitions over two mountainous basins in California on 29 January and 3 March 2017, encompassing two atmospheric river events that brought heavy snowfall to the area. These surveys produced high‐resolution (50 m) maps of snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) that were used to estimate monthly areal snowfall accumulation. Comparison of ASO snow accumulation with point measurements showed that the ASO estimates ranged from −10 to +16% relative bias across three sites, which is likely inflated by the disagreement in areal representation of the quantities from the actual errors in these products. The aggregated SWE accumulations from ASO are then used to evaluate a suite of in situ based and remote sensing precipitation products. During the study period, Parameter‐Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) and Mountain Mapper estimates had relative bias <10% compared with ASO‐based estimates of snow accumulation, but satellite and radar products largely underestimate snowfall accumulation compared to ASO (up to 50%). Despite their underestimation, satellite and radar products show correlation coefficients >0.8 with ASO snow accumulation over the selected grids at the monthly scale. Finally, we leveraged the fine‐scale sampling of the spatially complete ASO products to show that by moving from 100 m to 2 km spatial scales, the perceived bias errors SWE at point locations increased by an order of magnitude, displaying a nonlinear relationship. The study demonstrates that ASO acquisitions in cold months can bring a new and effective approach to spatial evaluation of precipitation products.
Imaging and Measurement of Pore‐Scale Interfacial Curvature to Determine Capillary Pressure Simultaneously With Relative Permeability
Authors: Lin Qingyang , Bijeljic Branko , Pini Ronny , Blunt Martin J. , Krevor Samuel 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThere are a number of challenges associated with the determination of relative permeability and capillary pressure. It is difficult to measure both parameters simultaneously on the same sample using conventional methods. Instead, separate measurements are made on different samples, usually with different flooding protocols. Hence, it is not certain that the pore structure and displacement processes used to determine relative permeability are the same as those when capillary pressure was measured. Moreover, at present, we do not use pore‐scale information from high‐resolution imaging to inform multiphase flow properties directly. We introduce a method using pore‐scale imaging to determine capillary pressure from local interfacial curvature. This, in combination with pressure drop measurements, allows both relative permeabilities and capillary pressure to be determined during steady state coinjection of two phases through the core. A steady state waterflood experiment was performed in a Bentheimer sandstone, where decalin and brine were simultaneously injected through the core at increasing brine fractional flows from 0 to 1. The local saturation and the curvature of the oil‐brine interface were determined. Using the Young‐Laplace law, the curvature was related to a local capillary pressure. There was a detectable gradient in both saturation and capillary pressure along the flow direction. The relative permeability was determined from the experimentally measured pressure drop and average saturation obtained by imaging. An analytical correction to the brine relative permeability could be made using the capillary pressure gradient. The results for both relative permeability and capillary pressure are consistent with previous literature measurements on larger samples.