bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antiobesity Medication Use in 2.2 Million Adults Across Eight Large Health Care Organizations: 2009‐2015
Authors: Saxon David R. , Iwamoto Sean J. , Mettenbrink Christie J. , McCormick Emily , Arterburn David , Daley Matthew F. , Oshiro Caryn E. , Koebnick Corinna , Horberg Michael , Young Deborah R. , Bessesen Daniel H.
Published: October 2019

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine the prescribing patterns and use of antiobesity medications in a large cohort of patients using data from electronic health records.

Methods

Pharmacy‐ and patient‐level electronic health record data were obtained on 2,248,407 adults eligible for weight‐loss medications from eight geographically dispersed health care organizations.

Results

A total of 29,964 patients (1.3% of total cohort) filled at least one weight‐loss medication prescription. This cohort was 82.3% female, with median age 44.9 years and median BMI 37.2 kg/m2. Phentermine accounted for 76.6% of all prescriptions, with 51.7% of prescriptions being filled for ≥ 120 days and 33.8% filled for ≥ 360 days. There was an increase of 32.9% in medication days for all medications in 2015 compared with 2009. Higher prescription rates were observed in women, black patients, and patients in higher BMI classes. Of 3,919 providers who wrote at least one filled prescription, 23.8% (n = 863) were “frequent prescribers” who wrote 89.6% of all filled prescriptions.

Conclusions

Weight‐loss medications are rarely prescribed to eligible patients. Phentermine accounted for > 75% of all medication days, with a majority of patients filling it for more than 4 months. Less than one‐quarter of prescribing providers accounted for approximately 90% of all prescriptions.
Effect of trap level density on breakdown strength and space charge distribution of polypropylene/low‐density polyethylene composites
Authors: Yan Hong‐Da , Zhang Chong , Li Wei‐Kang , Zha Jun‐Wei
Published: October 2019

Polypropylene (PP) as an environmentally friendly insulation material has been paid more attention. It is considered as a potential insulating material to replace cross‐linked polyethylene (XLPE) for high voltage direct current (HVDC) applications. In this work, PP and PP/low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) composites with different LDPE loading were prepared by melt blending method and the corresponding electrical properties were investigated. Results showed that the addition of LDPE significantly changed the microstructure of PP and the trap density was increased in the composites compared with pure PP. The conduction current of PP/LDPE composites was greater than that of PP. The electrical breakdown strength decreased at low LDPE contents and increased at high contents. Space charge was remarkably suppressed in the blend with 40 wt% LDPE loading. This work indicates that the improvements in the electrical properties, especially the charge transport and space charge suppression in the composites are closely related to the trap level density.
Heat‐Resistant Trilayer Separators for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Feng Chao , Wang Xuchang , Zeng Guangfeng , Chen Dongjiang , Lv Weiqiang , Han Yupei , Jian Xian , Dou Shi Xue , Xiong Jie , He Weidong
Published: October 2019

High‐performance rechargeable lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) are central for electric vehicles and portable electronics. However, battery thermal runaway and explosion accidents in practical applications have aroused considerable debates on battery safety. The safety issues are directly associated with the flammable polyolefin separators and organic liquid electrolytes. Herein, a poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene)/Li6.75La3Zr1.75Ta0.25O12/poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP/LLZTO/PVDF‐HFP) trilayer separator with remarkable flammable retardancy and thermal stability is designed. The outer PVDF‐HFP layers lead to compatible interfaces with battery electrodes, and the inner LLZTO layer enhances the thermal stability with subtle deformation at 300 °C. LiFePO4 half batteries assembled with the trilayer separator own a discharge capacity up to 153 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C and capacity retention up to 95% over 200 cycles. This work provides a new avenue to safe and high‐performance LIBs.
Tropospheric jet variability in different flow regimes
Authors: Lachmy Orli , Harnik Nili
Published: October 2019

A transition in the variability properties of the jet stream is studied using a two‐layer quasi‐geostrophic model. The eddy energy is increased by controlling two parameters that affect baroclinic instability, causing the jet to shift poleward and leading to a stronger and less persistent annular mode. The transition in the jet variability properties as the eddy energy increases is associated with a transition from a merged (subtropical and eddy‐driven) jet regime to an eddy‐driven jet regime, and is accompanied by a transition in the eddy spectral properties. In the merged jet regime the spectrum is dominated by a single synoptic‐scale wave mode, whereas in the eddy‐driven jet regime the spectrum includes a wider range of planetary‐ and synoptic‐scale waves. An eddy–mean flow feedback mechanism explains the relation between the transition in the eddy spectrum and the jet variability properties. In the merged jet regime synoptic‐scale waves maintain the jet close to its climatological position at all times and act as a positive feedback on the weak annular mode, increasing its persistence. In the eddy‐driven jet regime the jet fluctuates between an equatorward‐shifted state, which is similar to the merged jet, and a poleward‐shifted state, where the eddy‐driven jet is separated from the subtropical jet. The low persistence of the annular mode in the eddy‐driven jet regime is due to a negative feedback by planetary‐scale waves, which grow barotropically on the poleward flank of the jet during the equatorward‐shifted jet state. The results of this study highlight the need to capture the dynamics of planetary‐scale waves correctly in general circulation models in order to prevent the emergence of an overly persistent annular mode.
YbMgGaO4: A Triangular‐Lattice Quantum Spin Liquid Candidate
Authors: Li Yuesheng
Published: October 2019

Resonating valence bond ground state, the prototype of a quantum spin liquid (QSL), had been first proposed by P. W. Anderson back in 1973 on the triangular lattice. In such a 2D QSL, spinons created as unpaired spins can propagate by locally rearranging the uncorrelated valence bonds. However, the corresponding candidate materials are still rare to date. YbMgGaO4, first proposed in 2015 may fill this gap: the magnetic rare‐earth Yb3+ ions arrange on the triangular lattice with the perfect R‐3m symmetries and with a large interlayer distance. No conventional spin freezing is observed down to 40 mK without residual magnetic entropy, despite the significant antiferromagnetic coupling of ≈2 K. This report reviews and classifies the relevant experimental and theoretical progress on some (effective) spin‐1/2 triangular antiferromagnets, especially on YbMgGaO4, followed by discussion and outlook on some of the pending issues.
CoralSeg: Learning coral segmentation from sparse annotations
Authors: Alonso Iñigo , Yuval Matan , Eyal Gal , Treibitz Tali , Murillo Ana C.
Published: October 2019

Robotic advances and developments in sensors and acquisition systems facilitate the collection of survey data in remote and challenging scenarios. Semantic segmentation, which attempts to provide per‐pixel semantic labels, is an essential task when processing such data. Recent advances in deep learning approaches have boosted this task's performance. Unfortunately, these methods need large amounts of labeled data, which is usually a challenge in many domains. In many environmental monitoring instances, such as the coral reef example studied here, data labeling demands expert knowledge and is costly. Therefore, many data sets often present scarce and sparse image annotations or remain untouched in image libraries. This study proposes and validates an effective approach for learning semantic segmentation models from sparsely labeled data. Based on augmenting sparse annotations with the proposed adaptive superpixel segmentation propagation, we obtain similar results as if training with dense annotations, significantly reducing the labeling effort. We perform an in‐depth analysis of our labeling augmentation method as well as of different neural network architectures and loss functions for semantic segmentation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on publicly available data sets of different real domains, with the emphasis on underwater scenarios—specifically, coral reef semantic segmentation. We release new labeled data as well as an encoder trained on half a million coral reef images, which is shown to facilitate the generalization to new coral scenarios.
Inhalable nanotherapeutics to improve treatment efficacy for common lung diseases
Authors: Anderson Caleb F. , Grimmett Maria E. , Domalewski Christopher J. , Cui Honggang
Published: October 2019

Respiratory illnesses are prevalent around the world, and inhalation‐based therapies provide an attractive, noninvasive means of directly delivering therapeutic agents to their site of action to improve treatment efficacy and limit adverse systemic side effects. Recent trends in medicine and nanoscience have prompted the development of inhalable nanomedicines to further enhance effectiveness, patient compliance, and quality of life for people suffering from lung cancer, chronic pulmonary diseases, and tuberculosis. Herein, we discuss recent advancements in the development of inhalable nanomaterial‐based drug delivery systems and analyze several representative systems to illustrate their key design principles that can translate to improved therapeutic efficacy for prevalent respiratory diseases.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Respiratory Disease
Negative specific heat from non-planar interactions and small black holes in AdS/CFT
Authors: Berenstein David
Published: October 2019

Abstract

The gravity side of the gauge/gravity duality predicts the existence of small black holes with negative specific heat. A free theory of strings has a Hagedorn behavior, but it does not lead to negative specific heat. To understand such states one needs to consider a theory of interacting strings. In the dual gauge theory, the string interactions are related to non-planar diagrams. In this paper the simplest gauged matrix model of two free matrices, that has Hagedorn behavior is analyzed in detail. A simple double trace deformation of the Hamiltonian, proportional to the square of the free Hamiltonian is studied. If the interaction has a negative sign, mimicking a gravitational attraction, one produces states with negative specific heat perturbatively and one can still compute the equation of state relating the entropy and the energy. A more general argument based on non-planar interactions that are random and that grow faster in strength than the planar diagrams as a function of the planar energy suggests that states with negative specific heat appear generically.
First-order relativistic hydrodynamics is stable
Authors: Kovtun Pavel
Published: October 2019

Abstract

We study linearized stability in first-order relativistic viscous hydrodynamics in the most general frame. There is a region in the parameter space of transport coefficients where the perturbations of the equilibrium state are stable. This defines a class of stable frames, with the Landau-Lifshitz frame falling outside the class. The existence of stable frames suggests that viscous relativistic fluids may admit a sensible hydrodynamic description in terms of temperature, fluid velocity, and the chemical potential only, i.e. in terms of the same hydrodynamic variables as non-relativistic fluids. Alternatively, it suggests that the Israel-Stewart and similar constructions may be unnecessary for a sensible relativistic hydrodynamic theory.
Dark energy without fine tuning
Authors: Camargo-Molina José Eliel , Markkanen Tommi , Scott Pat
Published: October 2019

Abstract

We present a two-field model that realises inflation and the observed density of dark energy today, whilst solving the fine-tuning problems inherent in quintessence models. One field acts as the inflaton, generically driving the other to a saddle-point of the potential, from which it acts as a quintessence field following electroweak symmetry breaking. The model exhibits essentially no sensitivity to the initial value of the quintessence field, naturally suppresses its interactions with other fields, and automatically endows it with a small effective mass in the late Universe. The magnitude of dark energy today is fixed by the height of the saddle point in the potential, which is dictated entirely by the scale of electroweak symmetry breaking.
Regenesis and quantum traversable wormholes
Authors: Gao Ping , Liu Hong
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Recent gravity discussions of a traversable wormhole indicate that in holographic systems signals generated by a source could reappear long after they have dissipated, with the need of only performing some simple operations. In this paper we argue the phenomenon, to which we refer as “regenesis”, is universal in general quantum chaotic many-body systems, and elucidate its underlying physics. The essential elements behind the phenomenon are: (i) scrambling which in a chaotic system makes out-of-time-ordered correlation functions (OTOCs) vanish at large times; (ii) the entanglement structure of the state of the system. The latter aspect also implies that the regenesis phenomenon requires fine tuning of the initial state. Compared to other manifestations of quantum chaos such as the initial growth of OTOCs which deals with early times, and a random matrix-type energy spectrum which reflects very large time behavior, regenesis concerns with intermediate times, of order the scrambling time of a system. We also study the phenomenon in detail in general two-dimensional conformal field theories in the large central charge limit, and highlight some interesting features including a resonant enhancement of regenesis signals near the scrambling time and their oscillations in coupling. Finally, we discuss gravity implications of the phenomenon for systems with a gravity dual, arguing that there exist regimes for which traversability of a wormhole is quantum in nature, i.e. cannot be associated with a semi-classical spacetime causal structure.
Long-term phenology of two North American secondary cavity-nesters in response to changing climate conditions
Authors: Wysner Tyler E. , Bartlow Andrew W. , Hathcock Charles D. , Fair Jeanne M.
Published: October 2019

Wildlife populations can respond to changes in climate conditions by either adapting or moving to areas with preferred climate regimes. We studied nesting responses of two bird species, western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) and ash-throated flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens), to changing climate conditions (i.e., rising temperatures and increased drought stress) over 21 years in northern New Mexico. We used data from 1649 nests to assess whether the two species responded to changing climate conditions through phenological shifts in breeding time or shifts in nesting elevation. We also examined changes in reproductive output (i.e., clutch size). Our data show that western bluebirds significantly increased nesting elevation over a 19-year period by approximately 5 m per year. Mean spring temperature was the best predictor of western bluebird nesting elevation. Higher nesting elevations were not correlated with hatch dates or clutch sizes in western bluebirds, suggesting that nesting at higher elevations does not affect breeding time or reproductive output. We did not observe significant changes in nesting elevation or breeding dates in ash-throated flycatchers. Nesting higher in elevation may allow western bluebirds to cope with the increased temperatures and droughts. However, this climate niche conservatism may pose a risk for the conservation of the species if climate change and habitat loss continue to occur. The lack of significant changes detected in nesting elevation, breeding dates, and reproductive output in ash-throated flycatchers suggests a higher tolerance for changing environmental conditions in this species. This is consistent with the population increases reported for flycatchers in areas experiencing dramatic climate changes.
Prognostic Value of Extranodal Tumor Extension in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Proposal for Upstaging of Cases with Extranodal Tumor Extension
Authors: Ito Yasuhiro , Miyauchi Akira , Masuoka Hiroo , Higashiyama Takuya , Kihara Minoru , Miya Akihiro
Published: October 2019

Background

Recently, we have created a revised version of the eighth edition of the tumor–node–metastasis classification for papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) by subdividing the T4a (T4a1 [moderate] and T4a2 [significant]) and N (N1 [N ≤ 3 cm] and N2 [N > 3 cm]) classifications. This re‐staging better stratified patient outcomes. In this study, we investigated the prognostic significance of extranodal tumor extension (LNEx) in PTC.

Methods

Five thousand six hundred and eighty‐three patients with PTC surgically treated in Kuma Hospital were enrolled. We evaluated LNEx based on intraoperative findings.

Results

One hundred and twenty‐seven patients (2%) displayed LNEx. In contrast to what we observed for extrathyroid extension, the prognostic value of LNEx did not change based on the organ that had been invaded, and we therefore analyzed LNEx patients as a single group. In patients aged 55 or older, LNEx independently affected patients’ prognoses, as did T4a2 and N2. The cancer‐specific survival (CSS) of patients in Stage I but having LNEx demonstrated the similar prognosis to patients in Stage II. Further, in the subset analysis for Stage II patients aged 55 or older, LNEx had a significant prognostic value for CSS in both the univariate and multivariate analyses, as did N2. The CSS of Stage II patients aged 55 or older with LNEx did not differ from that of Stage III patients.

Conclusions

It is appropriate that, similar to T4a2 or N2 patients, LNEx‐positive patients younger than 55 years in Stage I and those aged 55 or older in Stage II are re‐staged to II and III, respectively.
Practical synthesis of N-(di-n-butylamino)methylene-protected 2-aminopurine riboside phosphoramidite for RNA solid-phase synthesis
Authors: Neuner Eva , Micura Ronald
Published: October 2019

2-Aminopurine (Ap) is a fluorescent nucleobase analog that is frequently used as structure-sensitive reporter to study the chemical and biophysical properties of nucleic acids. In particular, thermodynamics and kinetics of RNA folding and RNA–ligand binding, as well as RNA catalytic activity are addressable by pursuing the Ap fluorescence signal in response to external stimuli. Site-specific incorporation of Ap into RNA is usually achieved by RNA solid-phase synthesis and requires appropriately functionalized Ap riboside building blocks. Here, we introduce a robust synthetic path toward a 2-aminopurine riboside phosphoramidite whose N2 functionality is masked with the N-(di-n-butylamino)methylene group. This protection is considered advantageous over previously described N-(dimethylamino)methylene or acyl protection patterns needed for the fine-tuned deprotection conditions to achieve large synthetic RNAs.

Graphic abstract
Dependence of material properties and photovoltaic performance of triple cation tin perovskites on the iodide to bromide ratio
Authors: Weber Stefan , Rath Thomas , Kunert Birgit , Resel Roland , Dimopoulos Theodoros , Trimmel Gregor
Published: October 2019

In this work, the influence of a partial introduction of bromide (x = 0–0.33) into MA0.75FA0.15PEA0.1Sn(BrxI1−x)3 (MA: methylammonium, FA: formamidinium, PEA: phenylethylammonium) triple cation tin perovskite on the material properties and photovoltaic performance is investigated and characterized. The introduction of bromide shifts the optical band gap of the perovskite films from 1.29 eV for the iodide-based perovskite to 1.50 eV for the perovskite with a bromide content of x = 0.33. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that the size of the unit cell is also gradually reduced based on the incorporation of bromide. Regarding the photovoltaic performance of the perovskite films, it is shown that already small amounts of bromide (x = 0.08) in the perovskite system increase the open circuit voltage, short circuit current density and fill factor. The maximum power conversion efficiency of 4.63% was obtained with a bromide content of x = 0.25, which can be ascribed to the formation of homogeneous thin films in combination with higher values of the open circuit voltage. Upon introduction of a higher amount of bromide (x = 0.33), the perovskite absorber layers form pinholes, thus reducing the overall device performance.

Graphic abstract
Views on ageing: a lifespan perspective
Authors: Kornadt Anna E. , Kessler Eva-Marie , Wurm Susanne , Bowen Catherine E. , Gabrian Martina , Klusmann Verena
Published: October 2019

Views on ageing (VoA) have special relevance for the ageing process by influencing health, well-being, and longevity. Although VoA form early in life, so far, most research has concentrated on how VoA affect later middle-aged and older adults. In this theoretical article, we argue that a lifespan approach is needed in order to more fully understand the origins of VoA, how they change over ontogenetic time, and how they shape development across the full breadth of the lifespan. We begin by explicitly linking VoA to fundamental principles of lifespan development. We review existing theories of VoA and discuss their respective contributions and limitations. We then outline a lifespan approach to VoA that integrates existing theories and addresses some of their limitations. We elaborate on three core propositions of a lifespan approach to VoA: (1) VoAdevelopas the result of a dynamic, ongoing, and complex interaction between biological-evolutionary, psychological, and social-contextual factors; however, the relative importance of different sources changes across the lifespan; (2) VoAimpactdevelopment across the whole lifespan; however, different outcomes, mechanisms, and time frames need to be considered in order to describe and understand their effects; and (3) VoA aremultidimensional, multidirectional, and multifunctionalthroughout life, but their complexity, meaning, and adaptivity change across the lifespan. We conclude with recommendations for future lifespan research on VoA.
PP2Ac upregulates PI3K-Akt signaling and induces hepatocyte apoptosis in liver donor after brain death
Authors: Xiong Yan , Lan Jianan , Huang Kaixin , Zhang Yaruo , Zheng Lewei , Wang Yanfeng , Ye Qifa
Published: October 2019

Multiple research groups have demonstrated that the outcome of patients receiving liver grafts from brain death donors (DBD) is poorer when compared with patients receiving grafts from living donors. This might be due to an increased hepatocyte apoptosis induced after brain death (BD). In this work, we found that the activity of PP2A-Akt pathway is significantly increased in clinical donor ex vivo hepatocytes after BD by iTRAQ protein quantification analysis. The same results were confirmed in animal models. A time-dependent promotion of apoptosis was also found in DBD rabbit liver, as demonstrated by the increased levels of cleaved Caspase 3 and the decreased of Bcl-2. To further investigate the roles of PP2A and Akt in regulating apoptosis of hepatocytes after BD, we cultivated human liver cell line L02 with serum deprivation and hypoxia, to simulate the ischemic and hypoxic conditions of hepatocytes in DBD. Increased apoptosis and decreased viability were observed during the time in this model. Meanwhile PP2A activity and Akt activity were respectively increased and decreased. Notably, the proportion of Akt phosphorylation at Ser473 decreased, while other known targets of PP2A (p38, JNK and ERK) were not affected in terms of protein levels or phosphorylation. These results suggested that PP2A is involved in apoptotic induction of hepatocytes after brain death by specific suppression of Akt. This discovery was further confirmed with pharmaceutical and genetic methods. Our work implied potential targets for reducing liver cell apoptosis and improving organ donor quality after BD.
Self-Reported Quality of Life of Maltreated Children Who Have Been Reported to Advice and Reporting Centers On Child Abuse and Neglect
Authors: Hoefnagels Cees , Evers Sivia , Snoeren Froukje , Meesters Cor , Lamers-Winkelman Francien
Published: October 2019

Objectives

To examine the self-reported quality of life of maltreated children, shortly after submission of a report to an advice and reporting center on child abuse and neglect, and the extent to which child and maltreatment characteristics were associated with quality of life.

Methods

Participants were 228 maltreated children aged 5–16 years (M = 9.99; SD = 3.20) and their primary caregiver. Children completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. One-sample t-tests were used to compare the self-reported quality of life of the maltreated children with scores from normative populations. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to explore whether maltreated children’s age, gender and type of maltreatment were associated with their quality of life, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics.

Results

Significant differences were found between the study sample and three different normative populations regarding overall quality of life and the psychosocial health dimension of quality of life, indicating a poorer quality of life and psychosocial health for the maltreated children in this study. In addition, the socio-demographic characteristic of financial problems in the family as reported by the parent(s) was associated with children’s poorer self-reported quality of life.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that child maltreatment is negatively related to self-reported quality of life. Future research should further address the effects of child maltreatment on quality of life after child protection system interventions.
Stability conditions for a decentralised medium access algorithm: single- and multi-hop networks
Authors: Shneer Seva , Stolyar Alexander
Published: October 2019

We consider a decentralised multi-access algorithm, motivated primarily by the control of transmissions in a wireless network. For a finite single-hop network with arbitrary interference constraints, we prove stochastic stability under the natural conditions. For infinite and finite single-hop networks, we obtain broad rate-stability conditions. We also consider symmetric finite multi-hop networks and show that the natural condition is sufficient for stochastic stability.
A microsurgical robot research platform for robot-assisted microsurgery research and training
Authors: Zhang Dandan , Chen Junhong , Li Wei , Bautista Salinas Daniel , Yang Guang-Zhong
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Ocular surgery, ear, nose and throat surgery and neurosurgery are typical types of microsurgery. A versatile training platform can assist microsurgical skills development and accelerate the uptake of robot-assisted microsurgery (RAMS). However, the currently available platforms are mainly designed for macro-scale minimally invasive surgery. There is a need to develop a dedicated microsurgical robot research platform for both research and clinical training.

Methods

A microsurgical robot research platform (MRRP) is introduced in this paper. The hardware system includes a slave robot with bimanual manipulators, two master controllers and a vision system. It is flexible to support multiple microsurgical tools. The software architecture is developed based on the robot operating system, which is extensible at high-level control. The selection of master–slave mapping strategy was explored, while comparisons were made between different interfaces.

Results

Experimental verification was conducted based on two microsurgical tasks for training evaluation, i.e. trajectory following and targeting. User study results indicated that the proposed hybrid interface is more effective than the traditional approach in terms of frequency of clutching, task completion time and ease of control.

Conclusion

Results indicated that the MRRP can be utilized for microsurgical skills training, since motion kinematic data and vision data can provide objective means of verification and scoring. The proposed system can further be used for verifying high-level control algorithms and task automation for RAMS research.
Postprandial leptin and adiponectin in response to sugar and fat in obese and normal weight individuals
Authors: Larsen M. A. , Isaksen V. T. , Paulssen E. J. , Goll R. , Florholmen J. R.
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Adipokines produced by white adipose tissue are central in the development of lifestyle diseases. Individuals in industrialized countries spend a substantial part of life in the non-fasting, postprandial state, which is associated with increased oxidation and inflammation. The aim was to study postprandial adiponectin and leptin levels after an oral fat tolerance test (OFTT) and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in obese (OB) and healthy, normal weight individuals (NW).

Methods

Fifty adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30) and 17 healthy, NW were included. Postprandial triglyceride (TG), adiponectin, and leptin levels were measured every second hour during an 8 h OFTT, and every half hour during a 2 h OGTT.

Results

Compared with the basal level, postprandial levels of adiponectin following OFTT showed a slight initial peak, followed by a significant decrease at 8 h, in the NW. In the OB these changes were abolished. Postprandial levels of leptin decreased significantly from basal levels in the OFTT, in the NW, whereas in the OB, leptin was unchanged except for a slight increase from 2 to 8 h. During the OGTT both adiponectin and leptin levels remained unchanged in the NW, but decreased significantly in the OB. In addition, the OB had delayed TG clearance at 6 h.

Conclusions

A fatty meal gives postprandial changes in the secretion of adiponectin and leptin in NW, but not in OB. Our observations indicate that a potential postprandial regulatory role of adiponectin and leptin is impaired in OB, and of importance in a more comprehensive understanding of the delayed postprandial TG clearance in obese individuals.
Contact-Era Chronology Building in Iroquoia: Age Estimates for Arendarhonon Sites and Implications for Identifying Champlain's Cahiagué
Authors: Manning Sturt W. , Birch Jennifer , Conger Megan Anne , Dee Michael W. , Griggs Carol , Hadden Carla S.
Published: October 2019

Radiocarbon dating is rarely used in historical or contact-era North American archaeology because of idiosyncrasies of the calibration curve that result in ambiguous calendar dates for this period. We explore the potential and requirements for radiocarbon dating and Bayesian analysis to create a time frame for early contact-era sites in northeast North America independent of the assumptions and approximations involved in temporal constructs based on trade goods and other archaeological correlates. To illustrate, we use Bayesian chronological modeling to analyze radiocarbon dates on short-lived samples and a post from four Huron-Wendat Arendarhonon sites (Benson, Sopher, Ball, and Warminster) to establish an independent chronology. We find that Warminster was likely occupied in 1615–1616, and so is the most likely candidate for the site of Cahiagué visited by Samuel de Champlain in 1615–1616, versus the other main suggested alternative, Ball, which dates earlier, as do the Sopher and Benson sites. In fact, the Benson site seems likely to date ~50 years earlier than currently thought. We present the methods employed to arrive at these new, independent age estimates and argue that absolute redating of historic-era sites is necessary to accurately assess existing interpretations based on relative dating and associated regional narratives.
Young and Temporary: Youth Employment Insecurity and Support for Right-Wing Populist Parties in Europe
Authors: Zagórski Piotr , Rama Jose , Cordero Guillermo
Published: October 2019

The recent success of right-wing populist parties (RPPs) in Europe has given rise to different explanations. Economic factors have proven to be significant mainly at the aggregate level. As for the individual level, it has been argued that the so-called ‘losers of globalization’ – the less educated and less skilled, profiles with higher job insecurity – are more likely to support RPPs. Nevertheless, RPPs perform strikingly well in countries less affected by the Great Recession, gathering high levels of support among profiles not considered the losers of globalization. Moreover, the effect of age on support for RPPs is not clear, as, on the one hand, the young are better educated and skilled, but, on the other, they suffered the effects of the economic crisis more. To address this puzzle, we focus on the impact of unemployment and employment insecurity among the youth on voting for RPPs in 17 European countries. We find that youth support for RPPs can be explained by the precariousness of the youth labour market.
An Investigation into 14C offsets in Modern Mollusk Shell and Flesh from Irish Coasts shows no Significant differences in areas of Carbonate Geology
Authors: Allen K R , Reimer P J , Beilman D W , Crow S E
Published: October 2019

Our ability to reliably use radiocarbon (14C) dates of mollusk shells to estimate calendar ages may depend on the feeding preference and habitat of a particular species and the geology of the region. Gastropods that feed by scraping are prone to incorporation of carbon from the substrate into their shells as evidenced by studies comparing the radiocarbon dates of shells and flesh from different species on different substrates (Dye 1994; Hogg et al. 1998). Limpet shells (Patella sp.) are commonly found in prehistoric midden deposits in the British Isles and elsewhere, however these shells have largely been avoided for radiocarbon dating in regions of limestone outcrops. Results from limpets (Patella vulgata) collected alive on limestone and volcanic substrates on the coasts of Ireland indicate that the shells were formed in equilibrium with the seawater, with no significant 14C offsets. Limpets collected from the east coast of Northern Ireland have elevated 14C due to the output of Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. In all locations, the flesh was depleted in 14C compared to the shells. The results will have an important consequence for radiocarbon dating of midden deposits as well as the bone of humans and animals who fed on the limpets.
Impact of energy turnover on fat balance in healthy young men during energy balance, energetic restriction and overfeeding
Authors: Nas Alessa , Büsing Franziska , Hägele Franziska A. , Hasler Mario , Müller Manfred J. , Bosy-Westphal Anja
Published: October 2019

Body weight control is thought to be improved when physical activity and energy intake are both high (high energy turnover (ET)). The aim of the present study was to investigate the short-term impact of ET on fat balance during zero energy balance (EB), energetic restriction (ER) and overfeeding (OF). In a randomised crossover study, nine healthy men (BMI: 23·0 (SD 2·1) kg/m2, 26·6 (SD 3·5) years) passed 3 × 3 d in a metabolic chamber: three levels of ET (low, medium and high; physical activity level = 1·3−1·4, 1·5−1·6 and 1·7−1·8) were performed at zero EB, ER and OF (100, 75 and 125 % of individual energy requirement). Different levels of ET were obtained by walking (4 km/h) on a treadmill (0, 165 and 330 min). Twenty-four-hour macronutrient oxidation and relative macronutrient balance (oxidation relative to intake) was calculated, and NEFA, 24-h insulin and catecholamine secretion were analysed as determinants of fat oxidation. During EB and OF, 24-h fat oxidation increased with higher ET. This resulted in a higher relative fat balance at medium ET (EB: +17 %, OF: +14 %) and high ET (EB: +23 %, OF: +17 %) compared with low ET (all P < 0·05). In contrast, ER led to a stimulation of 24-h fat oxidation irrespective of ET (no differences in relative fat balance between ET levels, P > 0·05). In conclusion, under highly controlled conditions, a higher ET improved relative fat balance in young healthy men during OF and EB compared with a sedentary state.
Potential yield and nutrient requirements of direct-seeded, dry-season rice in Cambodia
Authors: Kong Kea , Hin Sarith , Seng Vang , Ismail Abdelbagi M. , Vergara Georgina , Choi Il-Ryong , Ehara Hiroshi , Kato Yoichiro
Published: October 2019

The area of dry-season rice (Oryza sativa L.) has rapidly increased in Cambodia owing to the large-scale development of irrigation infrastructure. But little is known of potential productivity and adaptive crop management. The objective of our study was to evaluate potential yield and nutrient requirements of dry-season rice in Cambodia, and the economic feasibility of soil-specific management recommended by the government. Field experiments were conducted on four soil types (Bakan, equivalent to Alfisol; Krakor, Inceptisol; Prateah Lang, Plinthustalfs; and Toul Samroung, Endoaqualfs) in four provinces (Battambang, Kampong Thom, Pursat, and Siem Reap) during the 2016 and 2017 dry seasons to compare 14 (2016) and 8 (2017) N-P-K combinations. Grain yield ranged from 1.0 to 5.5 t ha−1 in 2016 and from 1.3 to 6.7 t ha−1 in 2017. Potential yield from the experiments was 6–7 t ha−1 on Toul Samroung soil, 5–6 t ha−1 on Bakan soil, and 3–5 t ha−1 on Prateah Lang and Krakor soils. A rate of 140-60-60 kg ha−1 of N-P2O5-K2O was more than enough to achieve the best yields on any soil group. On the other hand, modest application rates in soil-specific management (44–78 kg ha−1 of N, 23–28 kg ha−1 of P2O5, 0–30 kg ha−1 of K2O) proved reasonable for resource-poor farmers in Cambodia, since the treatment always provided >75 % of the highest economic profit in high-input plots.
Columbus, Juana and the Politics of the Plaza: Battles over Monuments, Memory and Identity in Buenos Aires
Authors: Frei Cheryl Jiménez
Published: October 2019

In 2013, Argentina's then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner sparked controversy for her decision to replace a monument of Christopher Columbus in Buenos Aires with one of nineteenth-century mestiza revolutionary Juana Azurduy. This article examines the history and iconography of these monuments, exploring the intersections between public space, art, politics and memory. It argues that these monuments — one representing Argentina's previously maligned Italian immigrant heritage, the other its forgotten indigenous culture — demonstrate how fundamental struggles over national identity have been embedded and contested in the capital's urban landscape, in ways that remain influential. It highlights Argentina's 1910 centennial and 2010 bicentennial as key to these efforts, and examines the power/politics of place in the central plaza where various actors have fought for public commemorative representation.
Searching for ghosts: fluidity and temporal expansion in Joni Mitchell's first five albums (1968–1972)
Authors: Ford Charles
Published: October 2019

Having first raised questions of musical evaluation, and introduced my analytical approach, I proceed to an empirical, in the sense of more-or-less objective, analysis of the metric and melodic aspects of the songs on those five LPs that constitute Joni Mitchell's early style: Song to a Seagull (1968), Clouds (1969), Ladies of the Canyon (1970), Blue (1971) and For the Roses (1972). The results of this style analysis are then summarised. Next I proceed to a more phenomenologically inclined examination of ethereal, since evanescent or ‘ghostly’, ‘haunting’ characteristics of musical fluidity and expansion in Mitchell's music. Such passages of ‘stretched’ musical time arise from several properties: regulated yet ambiguous metric irregularity, swinging around the beat and melodic flow. The essay concludes with close examinations of the longest and most fluid musical properties of ‘Willy’ (Ladies of the Canyon) and ‘Case of You’ (Blue).
‘Shrieking soldiers … wiping clean the earth’: hearing apocalyptic environmentalism in the music of Botanist
Authors: Lucas Olivia R.
Published: October 2019

This article presents a case study of ecocritical black metal, delving into the apocalypticism of the California-based black metal band Botanist, who conjures a world in which plants have violently destroyed human civilisation. It first contextualises Botanist amidst the broader current of environmentalism in extreme metal as well as within wider cultural explorations of plants as subjective beings capable of violence. The article then examines how Botanist taps into the logic of apocalyptic environmentalism, as the music presents the essential narrative of apocalyptic bioterrorism: humanity, with wanton hubris, has sown the seeds of its own destruction, and earned whatever horrors befall it on the way to elimination. With its bleak outlook and strident sound world, Botanist's music threatens to destabilise listeners’ assumptions about their place in the world and offers an example of what apocalyptic ecological urgency in music could sound like.
‘Kollegah the Boss’: A case study of persona, types of capital, and virtuosity in German gangsta rap
Authors: Ahlers Michael
Published: October 2019

The article begins with a short history of German gangsta rap, followed by an overview of central theories and key concepts in hip-hop studies. It then focuses on a case study of a German gangsta rapper called Kollegah, who became one of Germany's most commercially successful artists of the past few years. The case study is divided into three parts: the first involves a deconstruction of both his artistic persona and his strategies of appropriating hip-hop cultures. This is followed by a closer look at two Kollegah productions, focusing on his rhyming and signifying skills. By adding a cursory qualitative media analysis of both Internet fan forums and print and television artefacts about Kollegah, very contradictory reactions can be depicted. The article is finally able to illustrate that this artist makes great use of a (typically German?) flavour of virtuosity and that he can draw from a very unique set of capital. Kollegah is viewed as representing a successful strategy of cultural appropriation and the use of different types of capital within the network of music business in its post-digital era.
Patterns of litter inputs, hyphomycetes and invertebrates in a Brazilian savanna stream: a process of degradative succession
Authors: Rezende Renan de Souza , Medeiros Adriana Oliveira , Gonçalves José Francisco , Feio Maria João , Pereira Gusmão Elves , de Andrade Gomes Victor Ângelo , Calor Adolfo , Almeida Juliana dos Santos Dahora
Published: October 2019

Litter breakdown is an important ecological process at the bottom of food webs in streams. Previous studies have been based only on a temporal interval of a single season, thus ignoring seasonal variation in litter input and community structure. We investigated organic matter input in a Brazilian savanna stream and the influence of its associated hyphomycetes on the invertebrate community. Organic matter input was sampled monthly and the leaves submitted to decomposition experiments. There were lower breakdown rates and higher invertebrate species richness and abundance during the dry season, which reached their maximum in July due to low stream discharge. Invertebrate composition was best explained by hyphomycetes (mainly byFlagellospora curvulaandAnguillospora filiformis). Hyphomycetes have the capacity to degrade complex compounds of litter and to rapidly absorb nutrients by growing branched filaments, thus making the leaves more favourable for consumption by invertebrates. Shredder abundance was negatively related to litter richness, indicating possible species-specific relationships. We observed a sequential process with increased leaf litter input promoting an increase in hyphomycetes biomass, which in turn favoured invertebrate density.
Learning to construct sentences in Spanish: a replication of the Weird Word Order technique
Authors: AGUADO-OREA Javier , WITHERSTONE Hannah , BOURGEOIS Lisa , BASELGA Ana
Published: October 2019

In the present study, children's early ability to organise words into sentences was investigated using the Weird Word Order procedure with Spanish-speaking children. Spanish is a language that allows for more flexibility in the positions of subjects and objects, with respect to verbs, than other previously studied languages (English, French, and Japanese). As in prior studies (Abbot-Smithet al., 2001; Changet al., 2009; Francket al., 2011; Matthewset al., 2005, 2007), we manipulated the relative frequency of verbs in training sessions with two age groups (three- and four-year-old children). Results supported earlier findings with regard to frequency: children produced atypical word orders significantly more often with infrequent verbs than with frequent verbs. The findings from the present study support probabilistic learning models which allow higher levels of flexibility and, in turn, oppose hypotheses that defend early access to advanced grammatical knowledge.
CROCODILES, SHARKS, AND SOME SPECULATIONS ON CENTRAL PETEN PRECLASSIC HISTORY
Authors: Rice Prudence M.
Published: October 2019

The first part of this two-part essay discusses the important roles crocodiles and sharks played in Preclassic (and later) political geography and myths of cosmogenesis in Mesoamerica. They are associated with sacrifices resulting in creation of the world and births of some major gods. Crocodiles are also associated with fertility, rebirth, and renewal of seasonal and temporal/calendrical cycles. Recent investigations at Nixtun-Ch'ich’ show that its gridded urban landscape, established in the Middle Preclassic period (ca. 800–400b.c.), was likely modeled on a crocodile's back. The second part of the essay presents some speculations on the early role of this site and crocodiles in central Peten. At Tikal, archaeology and retrospective texts indicate that crocodiles appeared in early versions of the site's emblem glyph and in the name of an early ruler. Nixtun-Ch'ich’ might be the legendarychiplace, important in the dynastic foundations of several lowland Maya centers.
PROBLEMATICAL DEPOSITS AT TIKAL, GUATEMALA: CONTENT, CONTEXT, AND INTENT
Authors: Moholy-Nagy Hattula
Published: October 2019

In the Mesoamerican archaeological literature, collections of material regarded as somehow anomalous according to the archaeologist's expectations are often referred to as problematical deposits (PDs). Their problematical aspect originates in the researcher's current state of knowledge of the particular site, not in past behavior. PDs are site-specific, provisional classifications, and need further study to determine the function or intent of the activity that created them. A sample of 223 features designated as PDs by the University of Pennsylvania Museum's Tikal Project is examined here in an approach to understand their intent. A typology of the sample, based upon content, date, and variables of recovery context, indicates three principal intents broadly summarized as ritual, political, and site maintenance, and a category of PDs without intent. The study of PDs demands a wide-ranging approach. It provides an opportunity to reevaluate inadequate ideas and gain new insights into past cultural behavior.