bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ergodicity of age-dependent inventory control systems
Authors: Olsson Fredrik , Turova Tatyana S. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractWe consider continuous review inventory systems with general doubly stochastic Poisson demand. In this specific case the demand rate, experienced by the system, varies as a function of the age of the oldest unit in the system. It is known that the stationary distributions of the ages in such models often have a strikingly simple form. In particular, they exhibit a typical feature of a Poisson process: given the age of the oldest unit the remaining ages are uniform. The model we treat here generalizes some known inventory models dealing with partial backorders, perishable items, and emergency replenishment. We derive the limiting joint density of the ages of the units in the system by solving partial differential equations. We also answer the question of the uniqueness of the stationary distributions which was not addressed in the related literature.
Quantile sensitivity estimation for dependent sequences
Authors: Jiang Guangxin , Fu Michael C. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractIn this paper we estimate quantile sensitivities for dependent sequences via infinitesimal perturbation analysis, and prove asymptotic unbiasedness, weak consistency, and a central limit theorem for the estimators under some mild conditions. Two common cases, the regenerative setting and ϕ-mixing, are analyzed further, and a new batched estimator is constructed based on regenerative cycles for regenerative processes. Two numerical examples, the G/G/1 queue and the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, are given to show the effectiveness of the estimator.
One-component regular variation and graphical modeling of extremes
Authors: Hitz Adrien , Evans Robin 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe problem of inferring the distribution of a random vector given that its norm is large requires modeling a homogeneous limiting density. We suggest an approach based on graphical models which is suitable for high-dimensional vectors. We introduce the notion of one-component regular variation to describe a function that is regularly varying in its first component. We extend the representation and Karamata's theorem to one-component regularly varying functions, probability distributions and densities, and explain why these results are fundamental in multivariate extreme-value theory. We then generalize the Hammersley–Clifford theorem to relate asymptotic conditional independence to a factorization of the limiting density, and use it to model multivariate tails.
Renewal approximation for the absorption time of a decreasing Markov chain
Authors: Alsmeyer Gerold , Marynych Alexander 
Published: October 2016

AbstractWe consider a Markov chain (Mn)n≥0 on the set ℕ0 of nonnegative integers which is eventually decreasing, i.e. ℙ{Mn+1<Mn  |  Mn≥a}=1 for some a∈ℕ and all n≥0. We are interested in the asymptotic behavior of the law of the stopping time T=T(a)≔inf{k∈ℕ0:  Mk<a} under ℙn≔ℙ (·  |  M0=n) as n→∞. Assuming that the decrements of (Mn)n≥0 given M0=n possess a kind of stationarity for large n, we derive sufficient conditions for the convergence in the minimal Lp-distance of ℙn(T−an)∕bn∈·) to some nondegenerate, proper law and give an explicit form of the constants an and bn.
The SEIS model, or, the contact process with a latent stage
Authors: Foxall Eric 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe susceptible→exposed→infectious→susceptible (SEIS) model is well known in mathematical epidemiology as a model of infection in which there is a latent period between the moment of infection and the onset of infectiousness. The compartment model is well studied, but the corresponding particle system has so far received no attention. For the particle system model in one spatial dimension, we give upper and lower bounds on the critical values, prove convergence of critical values in the limit of small and large latent time, and identify a limiting process to which the SEIS model converges in the limit of large latent time.
Longest paths in random Apollonian networks and largest r-ary subtrees of random d-ary recursive trees
Authors: Collevecchio Andrea , Mehrabian Abbas , Wormald Nick 
Published: October 2016

AbstractLet r and d be positive integers with r<d. Consider a random d-ary tree constructed as follows. Start with a single vertex, and in each time-step choose a uniformly random leaf and give it d newly created offspring. Let 𝒯d,t be the tree produced after t steps. We show that there exists a fixed δ<1 depending on d and r such that almost surely for all large t, every r-ary subtree of 𝒯d,t has less than tδ vertices. The proof involves analysis that also yields a related result. Consider the following iterative construction of a random planar triangulation. Start with a triangle embedded in the plane. In each step, choose a bounded face uniformly at random, add a vertex inside that face and join it to the vertices of the face. In this way, one face is destroyed and three new faces are created. After t steps, we obtain a random triangulated plane graph with t+3 vertices, which is called a random Apollonian network. We prove that there exists a fixed δ<1, such that eventually every path in this graph has length less than t𝛿, which verifies a conjecture of Cooper and Frieze (2015).
1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy evidence for occipital involvement in treatment-naive paediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder
Authors: Ljungberg Maria , Nilsson Marie K. L. , Melin Karin , Jönsson Lars , Carlsson Arvid , Carlsson Åsa , Forssell-Aronsson Eva , Ivarsson Tord , Carlsson Maria , Starck Göran 
Published: October 2016

ObjectiveObsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder leading to considerable distress and disability. Therapies are effective in a majority of paediatric patients, however, many only get partial response. It is therefore important to study the underlying pathophysiology of the disorder.Methods1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was used to study the concentration of brain metabolites in four different locations (cingulate gyrus and sulcus, occipital cortex, thalamus and right caudate nucleus). Treatment-naive children and adolescents with OCD (13 subjects) were compared with a group of healthy age- and gender-matched subjects (11 subjects). Multivariate analyses were performed on the concentration values.ResultsNo separation between controls and patients was found. However, a correlation between metabolite concentrations and symptom severity as measured with the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) was found. Strongest was the correlation with the CY-BOCS obsession subscore and aspartate and choline in the caudate nucleus (positively correlated with obsessions), lipids at 2 and 0.9 ppm in thalamus, and occipital glutamate+glutamine, N-acetylaspartate and myo-inosytol (negatively correlated with obsessions).ConclusionsThe observed correlations between 1H MRS and CY-BOCS in treatment-naive patients further supports an occipital involvement in OCD. The results are consistent with our previous study on adult OCD patients. The 1H MRS data were not supportive of a separation between the patient and control groups.
Glial cells as key elements in the pathophysiology and treatment of bipolar disorder
Authors: Keshavarz Mojtaba 
Published: October 2016

ObjectiveThe exact pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) is not yet fully understood, and there are many questions in this area which should be answered. This review aims to discuss the roles of glial cells in the pathophysiology of BD and their contribution to the mechanism of action of mood-stabilising drugs.MethodsWe critically reviewed the most recent advances regarding glial cell roles in the pathophysiology and treatment of BD and the neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects of these cells.ResultsPostmortem studies revealed a decrease in the glial cell number or density in the specific layers of prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex in the patients with BD, whereas there was no difference in other brain regions, such as entorhinal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus. Astrocytes and oligodendrocytes were the most important glial types that were responsible for the glial reduction, but microglia activation rather than loss may be implicated in BD. The decreased number or density of glial cells may contribute to the pathological changes observed in neurons in the patients with BD. Alteration of specific neurotrophic factors such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and S100B may be an important feature of BD. Glial cells mediate the therapeutic effects of mood-stabilising agents in the treatment of BD.ConclusionRecent studies provide important evidence on the impairment of glial cells in the pathophysiology and treatment of BD. However, future controlled studies are necessary to elucidate different aspects of glial cells contribution to BD, and the mechanism of action of mood-stabilising drugs.
Therapeutic effect of Castellani's paint in patients with an itchy ear canal
Authors: Babakurban S Turkoglu , Topal O , Aydin E , Hizal E , Copur S , Ekici M Demirbilek 
Published: October 2016

AbstractObjective:To examine the effects of Castellani's paint on symptomatic relief and skin flora in patients with an itchy external ear canal.Methods:Subjective pruritus scores, and erythema and desquamation scores, were noted in 61 patients with an itchy external ear canal. External ear canal skin swabs were taken for bacterial and fungal cultures. Patients were then randomly divided into three groups: either Castellani's paint (group one) or steroid ear drops (group two) were instilled, or non-impacted cerumen was removed (group three). Patients were re-assessed at one month after the initial visit.Results:After treatment, subjective pruritus scores were significantly lower in all groups, erythema scores were significantly decreased in group one, and desquamation scores were significantly reduced in groups one and two, when compared with pre-treatment scores. Reproduction density of bacteria including normal flora was decreased in group one. However, the types of bacteria that constitute the normal flora of the external ear canal were unchanged.Conclusion:Castellani's paint can be administered safely, effectively and easily, without affecting the type of external ear canal skin bacteria, in patients with an itchy external ear canal.
Clinical and histopathological prognostic factors in locoregional advanced laryngeal cancer
Authors: Santos T S , Estêvão R , Antunes L , Certal V , Silva J C , Monteiro E 
Published: October 2016

AbstractObjective:To evaluate the clinical and histopathological factors affecting the prognosis of patients with squamous cell locoregional advanced laryngeal cancer.Methods:A retrospective chart review was conducted of 121 patients with locoregional advanced laryngeal cancer, primarily treated with surgery from 2007 to 2011. Disease-free survival and overall survival rates were analysed as oncological outcomes. Prognostic variables, namely gender, pharyngeal invasion, pathological assessment of tumour and nodal stage, adjuvant therapy, margin status, nodal extracapsular extension, tumour differentiation, lymphovascular and perineural invasion, and predominant growth pattern, were also analysed.Results:One-year and three-year disease-free survival rates were 81.3 per cent and 63.5 per cent, respectively. One-year and three-year overall survival rates were 88.3 per cent and 61.4 per cent, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that nodal extracapsular extension (p< 0.05) and an infiltrative growth pattern (p< 0.05) were associated with disease progression. Nodal extracapsular extension (p< 0.05) was associated with higher mortality.Conclusion:Nodal extracapsular extension and an infiltrative growth pattern were the main prognostic factors in locoregional advanced laryngeal cancer. The presence of pharyngeal invasion, pathologically confirmed node-positive stage 2–3 disease, close or microscopic positive margins, and lymphovascular and perineural invasion have a negative impact on prognosis.
Tracheal T-tube: a novel endoscopic insertion technique
Authors: Rahimah A Nor , Shahfi F I , Masaany M , Gazali N , Siti S H 
Published: October 2016

AbstractBackground:Laryngotracheal stenosis is a complex condition of airway compromise involving either the larynx or trachea, or both.Objectives:This paper describes a new method of endoscopically inserting a silicone tracheal T-tube as treatment for laryngotracheal stenosis. The advantages of this method over previously described methods are discussed.
Post-tonsillectomy dietary advice: systematic review
Authors: Millington A J F , Gaunt A C , Phillips J S 
Published: October 2016

AbstractObjective:To determine if there is evidence that post-tonsillectomy dietary advice affects post-operative morbidity.Method:A systematic review was conducted of Embase, Medline, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and PsycInfo, to November 2014.Results:Seventeen articles were included; their heterogeneous nature prevented meta-analysis. Of these, all three small, randomised studies showed no statistical difference in morbidity between restricted and non-restricted diets.Conclusion:Most post-tonsillectomy dietary advice is based on historical anecdotes and not rigorous scientific testing. The existing small-scale, randomised studies show no statistical difference in morbidity between non-restricted and restricted diets.
Critiquing the Bank: 60 Years of BNDES in the Academy
Authors: HANLEY ANNE G. , PIRES JULIO MANUEL , DE SOUZA MAURÍCIO JORGE PINTO , MARCONDES RENATO LEITE , DE FARIA ROSANE NUNES , SAKURAI SÉRGIO NARUHIKO 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThis article offers a critical analysis of scholarship produced about Brazil's Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) since its founding, in 1952, to 2013. BNDES has performed an important, if changing and sometimes controversial, role in Brazil's economic development over the past 60 years, especially as provider of long-term finance. This analysis of almost 1,000 texts highlights discussions about its initial organisation and mission and how the role and activities of the bank changed over time, guided by turbulent national political and economic contexts. In spite of the bank's institutional importance, however, the literature is more narrative than analytical and of limited scholarly impact, dominated as it is by the bank's authorship. We argue for independent, evidence-driven, critical analyses of the effectiveness of this important institution in promoting Brazil's economic and social development.
Interplay of hippocampal volume and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function as markers of stress vulnerability in men at ultra-high risk for psychosis
Authors: Pruessner M. , Bechard-Evans L. , Pira S. , Joober R. , Collins D. L. , Pruessner J. C. , Malla A. K. 
Published: October 2016

BackgroundAltered hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and reduced hippocampal volume (HV) are established correlates of stress vulnerability. We have previously shown an attenuated cortisol awakening response (CAR) and associations with HV specifically in male first-episode psychosis patients. Findings in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis regarding these neurobiological markers are inconsistent, and assessment of their interplay, accounting for sex differences, could explain incongruent results.MethodStudy participants were 42 antipsychotic-naive UHR subjects (24 men) and 46 healthy community controls (23 men). Saliva samples for the assessment of CAR were collected at 0, 30 and 60 min after awakening. HV was determined from high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging scans using a semi-automatic segmentation protocol.ResultsCortisol measures and HV were not significantly different between UHR subjects and controls in total, but repeated-measures multivariate regression analyses revealed reduced cortisol levels 60 min after awakening and smaller left HV in male UHR individuals. In UHR participants only, smaller left and right HV was significantly correlated with a smaller total CAR (ρ = 0.42, p = 0.036 and ρ = 0.44, p = 0.029, respectively), corresponding to 18% and 19% of shared variance (medium effect size).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that HV reduction in individuals at UHR for psychosis is specific to men and linked to reduced post-awakening cortisol concentrations. Abnormalities in the neuroendocrine circuitry modulating stress vulnerability specifically in male UHR subjects might explain increased psychosis risk and disadvantageous illness outcomes in men compared to women.
The adaptive calibration model of stress responsivity: An empirical test in the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey study
Authors: Ellis Bruce J. , Oldehinkel Albertine J. , Nederhof Esther 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe adaptive calibration model (ACM) is a theory of developmental programing focusing on calibration of stress response systems and associated life history strategies to local environmental conditions. In this article, we tested some key predictions of the ACM in a longitudinal study of Dutch adolescent males (11–16 years old;N= 351). Measures of sympathetic, parasympathetic, and adrenocortical activation, reactivity to, and recovery from social–evaluative stress validated the four-pattern taxonomy of the ACM via latent profile analysis, though with some deviations from expected patterns. The physiological profiles generally showed predicted associations with antecedent measures of familial and ecological conditions and life stress; as expected, high- and low-responsivity patterns were found under both low-stress and high-stress family conditions. The four patterns were also differentially associated with aggressive/rule-breaking behavior and withdrawn/depressed behavior. This study provides measured support for key predictions of the ACM and highlights important empirical issues and methodological challenges for future research.
The algebra of recursive graph transformation language UnCAL: complete axiomatisation and iteration categorical semantics
Authors: HAMANA MAKOTO , MATSUDA KAZUTAKA , ASADA KAZUYUKI 
Published: October 2016

The aim of this paper is to provide mathematical foundations of a graph transformation language, called UnCAL, using categorical semantics of type theory and fixed points. About 20 years ago, Bunemanet al. developed a graph database query language UnQL on the top of a functional meta-language UnCAL for describing and manipulating graphs. Recently, the functional programming community has shown renewed interest in UnCAL, because it provides an efficient graph transformation language which is useful for various applications, such as bidirectional computation.In order to make UnCAL more flexible and fruitful for further extensions and applications, in this paper, we give a more conceptual understanding of UnCAL using categorical semantics. Our general interest of this paper is to clarify what is the algebra of UnCAL. Thus, we give an equational axiomatisation and categorical semantics of UnCAL, both of which are new. We show that the axiomatisation is complete for the original bisimulation semantics of UnCAL. Moreover, we provide a clean characterisation of the computation mechanism of UnCAL called ‘structural recursion on graphs’ using our categorical semantics. We show a concrete model of UnCAL given by the λG-calculus, which shows an interesting connection to lazy functional programming.
Neuropsychological Functioning in Preterm-Born Twins and Singletons at Preschool Age
Authors: Raz Sarah , Piercy Jamie C. , Heitzer Andrew M. , Peters Brittany N. , Newman Julie Bapp , DeBastos Angela K. , Ofen Noa , Batton Beau , Batton Daniel G. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractObjectives: A limited body of research is available on the relationships between multiplicity of birth and neuropsychological functioning in preterm children who were conceived in the age of assisted reproductive technology and served by the modern neonatal intensive care unit. Our chief objective was to evaluate whether, after adjustment for sociodemographic factors and perinatal complications, twin birth accounted for a unique portion of developmental outcome variance in children born at-risk in the surfactant era. Methods: We compared the neuropsychological functioning of 77 twins and 144 singletons born preterm (<34 gestational weeks) and served by William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI. Children were evaluated at preschool age, using standardized tests of memory, language, perceptual, and motor abilities. Results: Multiple regression analyses, adjusting for sociodemographic and perinatal variables, revealed no differences on memory or motor indices between preterm twins and their singleton counterparts. In contrast, performance of language and visual processing tasks was significantly lower in twins despite reduced perinatal risk in comparison to singletons. Effect sizes ranged from .33 to .38 standard deviations for global language and visual processing ability indices, respectively. No significant group by sex interactions were observed, and comparison of first-, or second-born twins with singletons yielded medium effect sizes (Cohen’s d=.56 and .40, respectively). Conclusions: The modest twin disadvantage on language and visual processing tasks at preschool-age could not be readily attributable to socioeconomic or perinatal variables. The possibility of biological or social twinning-related phenomena as mechanisms underlying the observed performance gaps are discussed. (JINS, 2016, 22, 865–877)
Shifting Traction: Differential Treatment and Substantive and Procedural Regard in the International Climate Change Regime
Authors: Huggins Anna , Karim Md Saiful 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) signifies a shift in how the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) manifests in the international climate change regime. Unlike the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement does not enshrine differentiated substantive mitigation obligations for developed and developing countries. However, an increasingly proceduralized variant of the CBDR principle, which facilitates regard for the interests of developing countries with respect to treaty implementation yet does not guarantee favourable substantive outcomes for these states, is evident in the emerging regime. The experience of the International Maritime Organization’s climate change regime provides a cautionary tale with respect to procedurally oriented differentiation that is not reinforced by effective processes to ensure that developed states honour their finance and technology transfer commitments. Accordingly, this article posits that strong accountability mechanisms are required to transform opportunities for procedural differentiation in the Paris Agreement into a robust framework for procedural regard for the interests of developing states.