bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Multispectral photoacoustic imaging for the detection of subclinical melanoma
Authors: Sinnamon Andrew J. , Neuwirth Madalyn G. , Song Yun , Schultz Susan M. , Liu Shujing , Xu Xiaowei , Sehgal Chandra M. , Karakousis Giorgos C. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackgroundPhotoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a noninvasive technique for melanin detection within melanoma metastases. While ex vivo and early studies suggest promising clinical application, there are no standardized parameters for defining presence of melanoma metastases.MethodsFollowing flank/hindlimb melanoma induction in BRaf‐PTEN transgenic mice, bilateral inguinal lymph nodes (LN) were imaged in vivo at 4 to 8 weeks using PAI. Fourteen diagnostic parameters for in vivo detection of LN metastases were compared using the receiver operating characteristic and area‐under‐the‐curve (AUC). Limits of detectability were assessed in ex vivo and in vitro phantom studies.ResultsForty‐nine LNs were imaged in 25 mice. Among metastatic LNs, tumor size ranged from scattered cells to 2.8 mm. The strongest predictor of LN metastasis was the ratio of peak 10% PA melanin signal in the LN compared with adjacent soft tissue (median 4.22 for positive LNs vs 1.07 for negative LNs, P < 0.0001). The AUC was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.90‐1.00). In phantom studies, B16 tumor cells were detectable at a concentration of 10 to 25 cells/μL and at a tissue depth of 2.5‐3 cm.ConclusionsWe identified a simple, objective diagnostic parameter for identifying melanoma LN metastases in vivo. These findings may help inform the design of future clinical trials.
Chimeric mouse model for MRI contrast agent evaluation
Authors: Mir Faryal F. , Tomaszewski Ryan P. , Shuboni‐Mulligan Dorela D. , Mallett Christiane L. , Hix Jeremy M. L. , Ether Nicholas D. , Shapiro Erik M. 
Published: March 2019

PurposeWhile rodents are the primary animal models for contrast agent evaluation, rodents can potentially misrepresent human organ clearance of newly developed contrast agents. For example, gadolinium (Gd)‐BOPTA has ~50% hepatic clearance in rodents, but ~5% in humans. This study demonstrates the benefit of chimeric mice expressing human hepatic OATPs (organic anion‐transporting polypeptides) to improve evaluation of novel contrast agents for clinical use.MethodsFVB (wild‐type) and OATP1B1/1B3 knock‐in mice were injected with hepatospecific MRI contrast agents (Gd‐EOB‐DTPA, Gd‐BOPTA) and nonspecific Gd‐DTPA. T1‐weighted dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI was performed on mice injected intravenously. Hepatic MRI signal enhancement was calculated per time point. Mass of gadolinium cleared per time point and percentage elimination by means of feces and urine were also measured.ResultsFollowing intravenous injection of Gd‐BOPTA in chimeric OATP1B1/1B3 knock‐in mice, hepatic MRI signal enhancement and elimination by liver was more reflective of human hepatic clearance than that measured in wild‐type mice. Gd‐BOPTA hepatic MRI signal enhancement was reduced to 22% relative to wild‐type mice. Gd‐BOPTA elimination in wild‐type mice was 83% fecal compared with 32% fecal in chimeric mice. Hepatic MRI signal enhancement and elimination for Gd‐EOB‐DTPA and Gd‐DTPA were similar between wild‐type and chimeric cohorts.ConclusionHepatic MRI signal enhancement and elimination of Gd‐EOB‐DTPA, Gd‐BOPTA, and Gd‐DTPA in chimeric OATP1B1/1B3 knock‐in mice closely mimics that seen in humans. This study provides evidence that the chimeric knock‐in mouse is a more useful screening tool for novel MRI contrast agents destined for clinical use as compared to the traditionally used wild‐type models.
Is Information Enough? The Effect of Information about Education Tax Benefits on Student Outcomes
Authors: Bergman Peter , Denning Jeffrey T. , Manoli Dayanand 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThere is increasing evidence that tax benefits for college do not affect college enrollment. This may be because prospective students do not know about tax benefits for college or because the design of tax benefits is not conducive to affecting educational outcomes. We focus on changing awareness of tax benefits by providing information to students or prospective students. We sent e‐mails and letters to students that described tax benefits for college, and we tracked college outcomes. For all three of our samples—rising high school seniors, already enrolled students, and students who had previously applied to college but were not currently enrolled—information about tax benefits for college did not affect enrollment or reenrollment. We test whether effects vary according to information frames and found that no treatment arms changed student outcomes. We conclude that awareness is not the primary reason that tax benefits for college do not affect enrollment.
Impact of delisting high‐strength opioid formulations from a public drug benefit formulary on opioid utilization in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Martins Diana , Khuu Wayne , Tadrous Mina , Juurlink David N. , Mamdani Muhammad M. , Paterson J. Michael , Gomes Tara ,   On behalf of the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network
Published: March 2019

AbstractPurposeHigh‐strength opioid formulations were delisted (removed) from Ontario's public drug formulary in January 2017, except for palliative patients. We evaluated the impact of this policy on opioid utilization and dosing.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal study among patients receiving publicly funded, high‐strength opioids from August 2016 to July 2017. The primary outcome measure was weekly median daily opioid dose (in milligrams of morphine or equivalent; MME) of (1) publicly funded and (2) all opioid prescriptions irrespective of funding source, evaluated using interrupted time series analyses and stratified by palliative care status.ResultsFollowing policy implementation, the weekly median daily dose of publicly funded opioids decreased immediately among non‐palliative patients by 10 MME (95% confidence limit [CL], −16.8 to −3.1) from a pre‐intervention dose of 424.5 MME (95% CL, 417.8‐431.2) and fell gradually among palliative patients by 3.9 MME per week (95% CL, −5.5 to −2.3) from a pre‐intervention dose of 450.1 MME (95% CL, 432.5‐467.7). In contrast, among all opioid prescriptions, gradual reductions in weekly median daily doses were observed only for non‐palliative patients, which decreased by 0.7 MME per week (95% CL, −1.3 to −0.2) from a pre‐intervention dose of 426.2 MME (95% CL, 420.9‐431.5).ConclusionThe delisting of publicly‐funded, high‐strength opioids was accompanied by changes in funding source and small reductions in the weekly median daily doses dispensed. Although observed dose reductions of less than 1 MME weekly are likely not clinically relevant, safety implications of these changes require further monitoring.
A double exponentially weighted moving average chart based on likelihood ratio for monitoring an inflated Pareto process
Authors: Bizuneh Berihun , Wang Fu‐Kwun 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIn this paper, we present a new chart called a likelihood ratio based double exponentially weighted moving average (LR_DEWMA) chart to monitor the shape parameter of the inflated Pareto process. Three other control charts such as the Shewhart type, the classical cumulative sum (CUSUM), and the likelihood ratio based EWMA (LR_EWMA) charts are also investigated. The performance of the control charts is evaluated by the average run length (ARL) and standard deviation of run lengths (SDRL) computed through the Monte Carlo simulation approach. Moreover, the median run length (MRL) and some other run length (RL) percentiles are also considered in some cases. Different charts have shown the best performance in different cases. In detecting smaller shifts, while the LR_DEWMA chart outperformed the other charts in terms of ARL and MRL, the CUSUM chart has shown the best performance in terms of SDRL and IQR of RLs. The application of the proposed control charts is illustrated using a chromatography analyses data from the food industry.
The Akaike information criterion: Background, derivation, properties, application, interpretation, and refinements
Authors: Cavanaugh Joseph E. , Neath Andrew A. 
Published: March 2019

The Akaike information criterion (AIC) is one of the most ubiquitous tools in statistical modeling. The first model selection criterion to gain widespread acceptance, AIC was introduced in 1973 by Hirotugu Akaike as an extension to the maximum likelihood principle. Maximum likelihood is conventionally applied to estimate the parameters of a model once the structure and dimension of the model have been formulated. Akaike's seminal idea was to combine into a single procedure the process of estimation with structural and dimensional determination. This article reviews the conceptual and theoretical foundations for AIC, discusses its properties and its predictive interpretation, and provides a synopsis of important practical issues pertinent to its application. Comparisons and delineations are drawn between AIC and its primary competitor, the Bayesian information criterion (BIC). In addition, the article covers refinements of AIC for settings where the asymptotic conditions and model specification assumptions that underlie the justification of AIC may be violated.This article is categorized under:Software for Computational Statistics > Artificial Intelligence and Expert SystemsStatistical Models > Model SelectionStatistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Modeling Methods and AlgorithmsStatistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Information Theoretic Methods
Fundamental solution for extended dislocation in one‐dimensional piezoelectric quasicrystal and application to fracture analysis
Authors: Fan CuiYing , Chen Shuai , Xu GuangTao , Zhang QiaoYun 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIn this paper, we derive a fundamental solution for extended dislocations of one‐dimensional (1D) hexagonal piezoelectric quasicrystals. Based on the Stroh formalism, the fundamental solutions for 1D hexagonal piezoelectric quasicrystals expressing by extended dislocations, including phonon, electric, and phason dislocations, are obtained. Then, by considering the continuously distributed dislocations to be a crack, the crack opening displacement, intensity factor, and energy release rate of the extended dislocation are expressed. Numerical calculations are used to confirm the validity of the theory and to investigate the effect of different parameters on the energy release rate.
POPE FRANCIS, TRUE RELIGION, AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Authors: Harrison Joel 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThis article examines Pope Francis's understanding of the relationship between church and state, the ends of civil authority, and the importance of religious liberty. It argues that Francis challenges claims made by legal and religious scholars that civil authority must be neutral as to religious ends. Francis, the article contends, uses the categories of idolatry and solidarity as opposing ends that are cultivated by civil authorities caring for, most notably, the economy and the environment. Both are religious. Idolatry is the solipsistic pursuit of created things as an ultimate end and solidarity entails living in communion with God and others. The article further considers how these arguments have shaped Francis's views on religious liberty. Francis points to the importance of civil authorities respecting conscientious objection, the desirability of cultivating healthy pluralism, and religious liberty as securing the end of solidarity. This presents two challenges: first, to recent legal scholarship questioning the special importance of religious liberty; and second, to the exercise of religious liberty itself. If religious liberty is protected for the end of solidarity, can it be exercised wrongly? The article concludes by considering the Supreme Court's 2014 Hobby Lobby decision.
Modern pollen-vegetation relationships along a steep temperature gradient in the Tropical Andes of Ecuador
Authors: Hagemans Kimberley , Tóth Claudia-Dana , Ormaza Manuela , Gosling William D. , Urrego Dunia H. , León-Yánez Susana , Wagner-Cremer Friederike , Donders Timme H. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe characterization of modern pollen rain assemblages along environmental gradients is an essential prerequisite for reliable interpretations of fossil pollen records. In this study, we identify pollen-vegetation relationships using modern pollen rain assemblages in moss polsters (n = 13) and lake sediment surface samples (n = 11) along a steep temperature gradient of 7°C (3100–4200 m above sea level) on the western Andean Cordillera, Ecuador. The pollen rain is correlated to vascular plant abundance data recorded in vegetation relevées (n = 13). Results show that pollen spectra from both moss polsters and sediment surface samples reflect changes in species composition along the temperature gradient, despite overrepresentation of upper montane forest taxa in the latter. Estimated pollen transport distance for a lake (Laguna Llaviucu) situated in a steep upper montane forest valley is 1–2 km, while a lake (Laguna Pallcacocha) in the páramo captures pollen input from a distance of up to 10–40 km. Weinmannia spp., Podocarpus spp., and Hedyosmum sp. are indicators of local upper montane forest vegetation, while Phlegmariurus spp. and Plantago spp. are indicators for local páramo vegetation.
Le participe passé et la construction analytique des temps verbaux en français
Authors: Bres Jacques , Le Bellec Christel 
Published: March 2019

RÉSUMÉLe présent article défend la thèse selon laquelle (i) le participe passé est une forme purement aspectuelle représentant le temps interne du procès sur la borne terminale de sa phase processuelle ; (ii) cette représentationdétensivedu temps interne, qu’il ne partage avec aucune autre forme verbale, permet de rendre compte des trois principales constructions dans lesquelles entre le participe passé : l’emploi nu, la construction du passif périphrastique, la construction analytique. C’est à l’analyse du rôle du participe passé dans la construction analytique, du fait de son aspect détensif, qu’est consacré le présent article.
An asymptotic bound for the strong chromatic number
Authors: Lo Allan , Sanhueza-Matamala Nicolás 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe strong chromatic number χs(G) of a graph G on n vertices is the least number r with the following property: after adding $r\lceil n/r\rceil-n$ isolated vertices to G and taking the union with any collection of spanning disjoint copies of Kr in the same vertex set, the resulting graph has a proper vertex colouring with r colours. We show that for every c > 0 and every graph G on n vertices with Δ(G) ≥ cn, χs(G) ≤ (2+o(1))Δ(G), which is asymptotically best possible.
The importance of trace minerals copper, manganese, selenium and zinc in bovine sperm–zona pellucida binding
Authors: Anchordoquy Juan Patricio , Anchordoquy Juan Mateo , Lizarraga Raúl Martín , Nikoloff Noelia , Pascua Ana Malen , Furnus Cecilia Cristina 
Published: March 2019

SummarySperm–zona pellucida (ZP) binding is a necessary event for successful fertilization. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of trace minerals such as copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) on bovine spermatozoa binding to ZP. Sperm viability, functional membrane integrity, acrosomal status (AS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and sperm lipid peroxidation (LPO) were also evaluated. For the present study,in vitrofertilization (IVF) medium was supplemented with Cu (0.4 µg/ml Cu), Mn (5 ng/ml Mn), Se (100 ng/ml Se), Zn (0.8 µg/ml Zn), all minerals (Cu+Mn+Se+Zn), or tested without supplement (Control). Considerably more sperm bound to ZP when Cu, Se or Zn were added to the IVF medium, but there were no difference compared with the Control, Mn and Cu+Mn+Se+Zn groups. After 1 h of incubation, viability was increased by the addition of Cu, Mn and Se with respect to the Control but, after 2 h, viability was higher only with the addition of Mn to IVF medium. Functional membrane integrity improved in sperm treated with Cu. Acrosome integrity was higher in sperm treated with Zn after 1 h of incubation. LPO was significantly higher in sperm treated with Cu or Cu+Mn+Se+Zn. The mean TACs of sperm treated with Cu, Mn, Zn or Cu+Mn+Se+Zn were lower than in the Control. In conclusion, the results obtained in the present study determined that the presence of Cu, Se and Zn in the IVF medium increased the number of spermatozoa bound to the ZP, highlighting the importance of these minerals in the fertilization process.
The Negative Effects Questionnaire: psychometric properties of an instrument for assessing negative effects in psychological treatments
Authors: Rozental Alexander , Kottorp Anders , Forsström David , Månsson Kristoffer , Boettcher Johanna , Andersson Gerhard , Furmark Tomas , Carlbring Per 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackground:Psychological treatments provide many benefits for patients with psychiatric disorders, but research also suggests that negative effects might occur from the interventions involved. The Negative Effects Questionnaire (NEQ) has previously been developed as a way of determining the occurrence and characteristics of such incidents, consisting of 32 items and six factors. However, the NEQ has yet to be examined using modern test theory, which could help to improve the understanding of how well the instrument works psychometrically.Aims:The current study investigated the reliability and validity of the NEQ from both a person and item perspective, establishing goodness-of-fit, item bias, and scale precision.Method:The NEQ was distributed to 564 patients in five clinical trials at post-treatment. Data were analysed using Rasch analysis, i.e. a modern test theory application.Results:(1) the NEQ exhibits fairness in testing across sociodemographics, (2) shows comparable validity for a final and condensed scale of 20 instead of 32 items, (3) uses a rating scale that advances monotonically in steps of 0 to 4, and (4) is suitable for monitoring negative effects on an item-level.Conclusions:The NEQ is proposed as a useful instrument for investigating negative effects in psychological treatments, and its newer shorter format could facilitate its use in clinical and research settings. However, further research is needed to explore the relationship between negative effects and treatment outcome, as well as to test it in more diverse patient populations.
The Art of Chieftaincy in the Writings of Pashtun Tribal Rulers
Authors: PELEVIN MIKHAIL 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe article surveys the views of Pashtun military-administrative elite on governance in the works of Khushḥāl Khān Khaṫak (d. 1689) and Afżal Khān Khaṫak (d. circa 1740). The texts under discussion pertain to the universal literary genre of “Mirrors for Princes”(naṣīḥat al-mulūk)and include the Khaṫak chieftains’ didactical writings in prose and verse, as well as still poorly studied documents on real politics from Afżal Khān's historiographical compilation “The Ornamented History”(Tārīkh-i muraṣṣaʿ). Rooted in the medieval Persian classics, early modern Pashto “mirrors” are distinguished by local ethnocultural peculiarities which manifest in shifting the very subject from statesmanship to chieftaincy and declaring regulations of the Pashtun unwritten Code of Honour. The study proves that the outlook and behavioural patterns of Pashtun tribal rulers stemmed from a combination, partly eclectic and contradictory, of Islamic precepts, feudal ideologies of the Mughal administrative system, and norms of the Pashtun customary law(Pashtunwali).
Swimming with wealthy sharks: longevity, volatility and the value of risk pooling
Authors: Milevsky Moshe A. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractWhovalueslife annuities more? Is it the healthy retiree who expects to live long and might become a centenarian, or is the unhealthy retiree with a short life expectancy more likely to appreciate the pooling of longevity risk? What if the unhealthy retiree is pooled with someone who is much healthier and forced to pay an implicit loading? To answer these and related questions this paper examines the empirical conditions under which retirees benefit (or may not) from longevity risk pooling by linking theeconomicsof annuity equivalent wealth toactuariallymodels of aging. I focus attention on theCompensation Law of Mortalitywhich implies that individuals with higher relative mortality (e.g., lower income) age more slowly and experience greater longevity uncertainty. Ergo, they place higher utility value on the annuity. The impetus for this research today is the increasing evidence on the growing disparity in longevity expectations between rich and poor.
Music and Socialism: Three Moments
Authors: DROTT ERIC 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThis article asks how we might map the complex relations between music and socialism. If an abiding concern of socialism is the collective appropriation of the means of production, what are the points at which music might participate in this project? Three moments from the history of music's entanglements with socialism shed light on this question. The first considers music's role in workers’ struggles in Europec. 1900. Here what is at stake is how music and musical associations (most notably workers’ choruses) were mobilized as a tool in the struggle to socialize the means of production. A second vignette turns to France after May 1968, when music itself became a site of political intervention. Here what is at stake is the struggle to socialize the means of musical production, part of the struggle to institute a truly democratic culture. The third vignette turns its attentions to the proximate future, considering music's place in emerging forms of digital capitalism. Crucial in this regard is the way music is being transformed into a means of production in its own right – a means, that is, of producing the kinds of subjects required by contemporary capitalism – as well as the political constraints and possibilities these shifts present for a socialism of the future.
Music for Socialism, London 1977
Authors: PIEKUT BENJAMIN 
Published: March 2019

AbstractMembers of the rock band Henry Cow co-founded Music for Socialism in early 1977 with the assistance of several associates in London's cultural left. Their first large event, a socialist festival of music at the Battersea Arts Centre, gathered folk musicians, feminists, punks, improvisers, and electronic musicians in a confabulation of workshops, performances, and debates. The organization would continue to produce events and publications examining the relationship between left politics and music for the next eighteen months. Drawing on published sources, archival documents, and interviews, this article documents and analyzes the activities of Music for Socialism, filling out the picture of a fascinating, fractious organization that has too often served as a thin caricature of abstruse failure compared with the better resourced, more successful, and well-documented Rock Against Racism. As important as the latter was to anti-racist activism during the rise of the National Front, it was not concerned with the issues that Music for Socialism considered most important – namely, how musical forms embody their own politics and how musicians might control their means of production. Affiliated with the Socialist Workers Party (UK), Rock Against Racism produced massive benefit concerts and rallies against the fascist right, drawing together musicians and audiences from punk and reggae. The much smaller events of Music for Socialism enrolled musicians from a range of popular music genres and often placed as much emphasis on discussion and debate as they did on having a good time. The organization's struggles, I will suggest, had less to do with ideological rigidity than it did with the itineracy and penury of musicians and intellectuals lacking support from the music industry, governmental arts funding, labor organizations, or academia.