bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evolution of Saline Lakes in the Guanzhong Basin During the Past 2000 Years: Inferred from Historical Records
Authors: Fei Jie , He Hongming , Yang Liang Emlyn , Li Xiaoqiang , Yang Shuai , Zhou Jie
Published: February 2019

This study reconstructed the possible existence of saline lakes in the Guanzhong Basin during the past 2000 years. Using Chinese historical literature as well as stone inscriptions, a total of five historical saline lake bodies which had existed in this region were documented: Lakes Yanchize, Xiluchi, Dongluchi, Zhuyanze and Xiaoyanchi. Lakes Zhuyanze, Yanchize, Xiluchi, Dongluchi, and Xiaoyanchi desiccated respectively at some point during 1076–1701 AD, 1584–1735 AD, 1666–1791 AD, 1666–1791 AD, and 1712–1906 AD. The lakes in the west of this region possibly desiccated relatively early, and the lakes in the east desiccated relatively late. Most of the lakes desiccated during a cold climate period. It seems that the dry period of the 15th–17th centuries overlapped with the periods that some of the lakes desiccated. All the five lakes desiccated during periods of increased soil erosion. The main causes of the degradation and desiccation of Lakes Yanchize, Xiluchi and Dongluchi were flood irrigation and silt sedimentation. The degradation and desiccation of Lake Yanchize and Lakes Dongluchi and Xiluchi corresponded to periods of population explosion when land was heavily cultivated in Fuping and Pucheng Counties. The existence of historical saline lakes indicates that the remains of the Sanmen Paleo-Lake existed in the Guanzhong Basin during the past 2000 years.
The Ili River Delta: Holocene Hydrogeological Evolution and Human Colonization
Authors: Deom Jean-Marc , Sala Renato , Laudisoit Anne
Published: February 2019

Extensive survey of paleocourses of the Ili delta discovered archaeological findings that, chronologically attributed and systematized, allowed the historical reconstruction of the human occupation of the delta. Until recently the colonization was believed to have begun only during medieval times. We argue it began much earlier at the start of the Bronze Age of Kazakhstan (second half of the III millennium BC) under the impulse of new economical activities based on stockbreeding and bronze metallurgy. The basic method of research consisted in surveys, collection of surface finds and documentation of hydrogeological and climatic data. The correlation between the two types of information gives an idea of the factors that influenced the distribution of habitats, mostly represented by winter camps. Their number and concentration change by epoch, pointing to changes in both cultural proclivities and environmental factors. The understanding of the whole historical process requires background knowledge of the hydrological history of the Ili delta, a complex system involving active distributaries and intermittent or inactive paleo-courses, and showing the anticlockwise rotation of 5 successive deltas. Generally speaking, arid climate phases stabilize the delta, pluvial phases favor changes in various directions. Human colonization concerned the two Holocene deltas preceding the modern one: relict terraces of the Uzunaral delta (8–4 ka BP) and terraces of mild active distributaries of the Bakanas delta (4000–250 BP), subject during the last 4000 years to complex geomorphological and hydrological changes that, when reconstructed and correlated with the distribution of finds, explain the location of habitats and allow the mutual chronological attribution of geological and cultural deposits.
Exploring 2-group global symmetries
Authors: Córdova Clay , Dumitrescu Thomas T. , Intriligator Kenneth
Published: February 2019

Abstract

We analyze four-dimensional quantum field theories with continuous 2-group global symmetries. At the level of their charges, such symmetries are identical to a product of continuous flavor or spacetime symmetries with a 1-form global symmetry U(1)

B

(1)
, which arises from a conserved 2-form current J

B

(2)
. Rather, 2-group symmetries are characterized by deformed current algebras, with quantized structure constants, which allow two flavor currents or stress tensors to fuse into J

B

(2)
. This leads to unconventional Ward identities, which constrain the allowed patterns of spontaneous 2-group symmetry breaking and other aspects of the renormalization group flow. If J

B

(2)
is coupled to a 2-form background gauge field B
(2), the 2-group current algebra modifies the behavior of B
(2) under background gauge transformations. Its transformation rule takes the same form as in the Green-Schwarz mechanism, but only involves the background gauge or gravity fields that couple to the other 2-group currents. This makes it possible to partially cancel reducible ’t Hooft anomalies using Green-Schwarz counterterms for the 2-group background gauge fields. The parts that cannot be cancelled are reinterpreted as mixed, global anomalies involving U(1)

B

(1)
, which receive contributions from topological, as well as massless, degrees of freedom. Theories with 2-group symmetry are constructed by gauging an abelian flavor symmetry with suitable mixed ’t Hooft anomalies, which leads to many simple and explicit examples. Some of them have dynamical string excitations that carry U(1)

B

(1)
charge, and 2-group symmetry determines certain ’t Hooft anomalies on the world sheets of these strings. Finally, we point out that holographic theories with 2-group global symmetries have a bulk description in terms of dynamical gauge fields that participate in a conventional Green-Schwarz mechanism.
LHC-friendly minimal freeze-in models
Authors: Bélanger G. , Desai N. , Goudelis A. , Harz J. , Lessa A. , No J. M. , Pukhov A. , Sekmen S. , Sengupta D. , Zaldivar B. , Zurita J.
Published: February 2019

Abstract

We propose simple freeze-in models where the observed dark matter abundance is explained via the decay of an electrically charged and/or coloured parent particle into Feebly Interacting Massive Particles (FIMP). The parent particle is long-lived and yields a wide variety of LHC signatures depending on its lifetime and quantum numbers. We assess the current constraints and future high luminosity reach of these scenarios at the LHC from searches for heavy stable charged particles, disappearing tracks, displaced vertices and displaced leptons. We show that the LHC constitutes a powerful probe of freeze-in dark matter and can further provide interesting insights on the validity of vanilla baryogenesis and leptogenesis scenarios.
Gluequark dark matter
Authors: Contino Roberto , Mitridate Andrea , Podo Alessandro , Redi Michele
Published: February 2019

Abstract

We introduce the gluequark Dark Matter candidate, an accidentally stable bound state made of adjoint fermions and gluons from a new confining gauge force. Such scenario displays an unusual cosmological history where perturbative freeze-out is followed by a non-perturbative re-annihilation period with possible entropy injection. When the gluequark has electroweak quantum numbers, the critical density is obtained for masses as large as PeV. Independently of its mass, the size of the gluequark is determined by the confinement scale of the theory, leading at low energies to annihilation rates and elastic cross sections which are large for particle physics standards and potentially observable in indirect detection experiments.
Stability and G × E analysis of zinc-biofortified rice genotypes evaluated in diverse environments
Authors: Inabangan-Asilo Mary Ann , Mallikarjuna Swamy B. P. , Amparado Amery F. , Descalsota-Empleo Gwen Iris L. , Arocena Emily C. , Reinke Russell
Published: February 2019

Rice is the major staple food and source of energy in Asia, particularly in the Philippines. Most of the popular, high-yielding rice varieties lack sufficient amount of micronutrients to meet daily human requirements. Micronutrient deficiencies are a major health burden globally and can cause severe health problems. In the Philippines, nearly one-third of the population is zinc (Zn) deficient. Breeding healthier rice varieties is one of the major sustainable interventions to tackle micronutrient deficiencies. However, genotype and environment interactions (G × E) are a major obstacle in breeding for high-Zn rice varieties, thus an understanding of G × E interactions and identifying stable genotypes through multi-location evaluation will help in identifying potential lines for varietal release. We evaluated eight high-Zn rice breeding lines along with checks in several locations across the Philippines during 2014 wet season (WS), 2015 dry season (DS) and 2015WS, and 2016DS. Individual and combined analysis of variance revealed significant genotypic effects and G × E interactions for all the traits studied. Significant positive correlations between grain iron (Fe) and Zn, days to maturity, and plant height were observed, whereas grain yield and Zn were negatively correlated. Stability analysis using Kang’s stability index, additive main effects and multiplicative interaction, and genotype main effects plus G × E (GGE) consistently identified IR10M300 as the most stable genotype across seasons in terms of yield and grain Zn. Over all IR10M300 has a yield of 4690.3 kg ha−1 and grain Zn of 18.3 ppm. It outperformed two rice variety checks (PSBRc82 and MS13) for grain Zn with comparable yield with the yield check (PSBRc82) and was successfully released as the first High-Zinc Rice 1 (NSICRc 460) in the Philippines.
The interpretation of uncertainty in ecological rationality
Authors: Kozyreva Anastasia , Hertwig Ralph
Published: February 2019

Despite the ubiquity of uncertainty, scientific attention has focused primarily on probabilistic approaches, which predominantly rely on the assumption that uncertainty can be measured and expressed numerically. At the same time, the increasing amount of research from a range of areas including psychology, economics, and sociology testify that in the real world, people’s understanding of risky and uncertain situations cannot be satisfactorily explained in probabilistic and decision-theoretical terms. In this article, we offer a theoretical overview of an alternative approach to uncertainty developed in the framework of the ecological rationality research program. We first trace the origins of the ecological approach to uncertainty in Simon’s bounded rationality and Brunswik’s lens model framework and then proceed by outlining a theoretical view of uncertainty that ensues from the ecological rationality approach. We argue that the ecological concept of uncertainty relies on a systemic view of uncertainty that features it as a property of the organism–environment system. We also show how simple heuristics can deal with unmeasurable uncertainty and in what cases ignoring probabilities emerges as a proper response to uncertainty.
In Patients with Early-Onset Scoliosis, Can Growing Rods Be Removed without Further Instrumentation? An Evidenced-Based Review
Authors: Shen Tony S. , Schairer William , Widmann Roger
Published: February 2019

Early-onset scoliosis (EOS) is defined by the presence of spinal deformity in children 10 years of age or younger. Left untreated, patients with EOS are at high risk for thoracic insufficiency and early demise. This article provides a critical review of a recent prospective cohort study of children with EOS: “Graduation Protocol After Growing-Rod Treatment: Removal of Implants without New Instrumentation Is Not a Realistic Approach,” by Kocyigit and colleagues ( J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2017;99(18):1554–1564). Treatment for EOS requires deformity correction while accommodating the growing spine. Dual growing rod implantation is a well-described technique that consists of the placement of two telescoping rods anchored to vertebrae proximal and distal to the apex of the curve. Multiple lengthening procedures are then performed as the child grows. Management of the endpoint of growing rod treatment remains controversial, with high complication rates associated with final fusion. As an alternative to final fusion or implant retention, Kocyigit and colleagues examined the removal of growing rods without spinal fusion and found that this procedure resulted in substantial worsening of the deformity in nine out of ten patients. This treatment group was terminated on ethical grounds. We believe this important result demonstrates that the removal of implants without fusion is an unacceptable treatment strategy that leads to poor outcomes.
Creating a Virtuous Leviathan: The Party, Law, and Socialist Core
Values
Authors: LIN Delia , TREVASKES Susan
Published: February 2019

In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has declared that its governance
must dominate over all aspects of law-making and enforcement, declaring that its
leadership must be implemented across the entire process of governing the
country in accordance with the law. Contemporaneous to this new way of thinking
about the law-Party nexus is a propaganda push to integrate moral values into
the law. This paper is about moralizing governance in the Xi Jinping era. It
explores the ideology behind the promotion of this morals–law
integration, focusing on the Socialist Core Values in the legal realm under the
current Xi Jinping administration. We do so from two interrelated perspectives.
The first examines the relationship between law and morality. Here, we argue
that the Party’s calls for a law–morality amalgam can be
understood as a form of “pan-moralism.” The second looks at the
supremacy of Party rule, extending the theory of the “Leviathan”
proposed by Thomas Hobbes to take into account the Party’s morality push.
This two-pronged argument enables us to assert that the Xi Jinping
administration is creating a “virtuous Leviathan.”
Collapse of particle-laden buoyant plumes
Authors: Apsley D. D. , Lane-Serff G. F.
Published: February 2019

Particle loading affects the dynamics of buoyant plumes, since the difference between particle and fluid densities is much greater than that in the fluid alone. In stratified environments, plume rise is density limited; after initial overshoot, the plume reaches a terminal level and spreads radially. Particles dropping from this horizontal intrusion may be re-entrained. This recycling of dense matter reduces plume buoyancy and intrusion height and, for sufficient load, can lead to plume collapse. Entrainment-based formulae yield a steady-state plume rise. We identify a new conserved quantity for such plumes. Integrating paths of particles dropping from the intrusion yields the fraction re-entrained. A simple mathematical model predicts from buoyancy ratio at source ($P=$ negative particle buoyancy divided by positive fluid buoyancy) whether a particle-laden plume will collapse. Under this model, for small settling velocity, a particle-laden plume will not collapse if $P<0.368$. Above this, collapse depends also on the amount of particle-free ambient fluid entrained in the overshoot region. For pure plumes, experimental evidence suggests that this is small. For forced plumes, more substantial overshoot and entrainment is shown to increase the critical ratio. An extension, based on successive recycling, estimates time to collapse. To investigate further we develop a simple computational model, coupling a ‘top-hat’ plume model, an analytical formula for radially decaying concentrations in the intrusion and an axisymmetric finite-volume solution for time-dependent settling and entrainment. The model can predict the impact of particle load on final rise, as well as the occurrence and time scales of plume collapse.
The phylogeny of the Diploporita: a polyphyletic assemblage of blastozoan echinoderms
Authors: Sheffield Sarah L. , Sumrall Colin D.
Published: February 2019

The phylogenetic relationships of Paleozoic blastozoan echinoderms are poorly understood and many of the traditionally ascribed groups are likely polyphyletic. Diploporitans, those blastozoans with double pore (diplopore) respiratory structures, have never been placed within a rigorous phylogenetic framework, and their highly variable morphologies suggest that they do not represent a natural clade. A maximum parsimony phylogenetic analysis, spanning a wide range of diploporitan and related taxa, indicates that diplopore-bearing blastozoans are a polyphyletic grouping and, consequently, that diplopore respiratory structures have evolved more than once within the echinoderms. Constraint analyses indicate that a single diplopore-bearing clade bearing the traditionally defined Glyptosphaeritida, Sphaeronitida, Asteroblastida is less parsimonious than multiple diplopore-bearing clades inferred by the unconstrained analysis.
ΕΝ ΑΡΧΗΙ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ: THE LONG JOURNEY OF GRAMMATICAL ANALOGY
Authors: Schironi Francesca
Published: February 2019

Grammar as a discipline devoted to the study of language was greatly advanced by the Alexandrian philologists, and especially by Aristarchus, as demonstrated by Stephanos Matthaios. In order to edit Homer and other literary authors, whose texts were often written in archaic Greek and presented many linguistic problems, the Alexandrians had to recognize linguistic grammatical categories and declensional patterns. In particular, to determine the correct orthography or accentuation of debated morphological forms they often employed analogy, which is generally defined as the doctrine that grammatical forms must follow strict rules of declension. Modern scholars have often opposed the Alexandrian doctrine of analogy to the Pergamene doctrine of ‘anomaly’, which favoured spoken usage to determine debated forms. Detlev Fehling and David Blank, however, have shown that this strong opposition never really existed and it is mostly due to Varro. More correctly, ancient grammarians identified inflectional rules as well as forms derived from spoken usage or otherwise aberrant forms—however, respect for spoken usage in the latter case was not labelled ‘anomaly’, which was never a technical term of ancient grammar. Rather, and especially in the Roman period, grammarians used the term ‘pathology’ to account for and explain irregular forms.
FAO/WHO GIFT (Global Individual Food consumption data Tool): a global repository for harmonised individual quantitative food consumption studies
Authors: Leclercq C. , Allemand P. , Balcerzak A. , Branca F. , Sousa R. F. , Lartey A. , Lipp M. , Quadros V. P. , Verger P.
Published: February 2019

Knowing who eats what, understanding the various eating habits of different population groups, according to the geographical area, is critical to develop evidence-based policies for nutrition and food safety. The FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (FAO/WHO GIFT) is a novel open-access online platform, hosted by FAO and supported by WHO, providing access to harmonised individual quantitative food consumption (IQFC) data, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). FAO/WHO GIFT is a growing repository, which will serve as the global FAO/WHO hub to disseminate IQFC microdata. Currently five datasets from LMIC are available for dissemination, and an additional fifty datasets will be made available by 2022. To facilitate the use of these data by policy makers, ready-to-use food-based indicators are provided for an overview of key data according to population segments and food groups. FAO/WHO GIFT also provides an inventory of existing IQFC data worldwide, which currently contains detailed information on 188 surveys conducted in seventy-two countries. In order for end-users to be able to aggregate the available data, all datasets are harmonised with the European Food Safety Authority's food classification and description system FoodEx2 (modified for global use). This harmonisation is aimed at enhancing the consistency and reliability of nutrient intake and dietary exposure assessments. FAO/WHO GIFT is developed in synergy with other global initiatives aimed at increasing the quality, availability and use of IQFC data in LMIC to enable evidence-based decision-making and policy development for better nutrition and food safety.
Protected areas and benthic characteristics influence the distribution of the Vulnerable bumphead parrotfish Bolbometopon muricatum in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
Authors: Patankar Vardhan , Wagh Tanmay , Marathe Aniruddha
Published: February 2019

The Vulnerable bumphead parrotfish Bolbometopon muricatum, a highly prized fishery resource worldwide, has experienced population declines throughout its geographical range. There is limited knowledge of the distribution and abundance of, and threats to, this fish in Indian waters, particularly for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. To assess the species’ distribution and conservation status we conducted underwater surveys across 75 sites around 51 islands and interviewed 99 fishers across the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. We recorded a total of 59 individual B. muricatum across nine sites from the northernmost island in the Andamans (Landfall Island) to the southernmost island in the Nicobars (Great Nicobar Island). Interviews revealed that most fishers (100% in Nicobar, 94% in Middle Andaman, 62% in South Andaman) had seen B. muricatum, and knowledge of the species is highest amongst spearfishers. Generalized linear models indicated that presence of marine protected areas and high live coral cover influenced the abundance and distribution of B. muricatum. The species' density seems to be naturally low in the archipelago. We discuss our findings in the light of protecting rare and threatened species, and recommend strengthening the existing marine protected areas in these islands.
Which values should be built into economic measures?
Authors: Schroeder S. Andrew
Published: February 2019

Many economic measures are structured to reflect ethical values. I describe three attitudes towards this: maximalism, according to which we should aim to build all relevant values into measures; minimalism, according to which we should aim to keep values out of measures; and an intermediate view. I argue the intermediate view is likely correct, but existing versions are inadequate. In particular, economists have strong reason to structure measures to reflect fixed, as opposed to user-assessable, values. This implies that, despite disagreement about precisely how to do so, economists should standardly adjust QALYs and DALYs to reflect egalitarian values.
The Case for Public Policy Expertise in Political Science
Authors: Herrera Veronica , Post Alison E.
Published: February 2019

The politics of public policy is a vibrant research area increasingly at the forefront of intellectual innovations in the discipline. We argue that political scientists are best positioned to undertake research on the politics of public policy when they possess expertise in particular policy areas. Policy expertise positions scholars to conduct theoretically innovative work and to ensure that empirical research reflects the reality they aim to analyze. It also confers important practical advantages, such as access to a significant number of academic positions and major sources of research funding not otherwise available to political scientists. Perhaps most importantly, scholars with policy expertise are equipped to defend the value of political science degrees and research in the public sphere.
ISOELASTIC ELASTICITY OF SUBSTITUTION PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS
Authors: Growiec Jakub , Mućk Jakub
Published: February 2019

We generalize the normalized constant elasticity of substitution (CES) production function by allowing the elasticity of substitution to vary isoelastically with (i) the relative factor share, (ii) the marginal rate of substitution, (iii) the capital–labor ratio, (iv) the capital share, (v) the capital’s rate of return, or (vi) the capital–output ratio. Ensuing isoelastic elasticity of substitution (IEES) functions have intuitively and analytically desirable properties, for example, self-duality. Empirically, for the post-war US economy we robustly reject the CES specification in favor of the IEES alternative. Assuming the IEES production structure we find that the capital–labor elasticity of substitution has remained around 0.8–0.9 from 1948 to the 1980s, followed by a period of secular decline.
Positioning food standards programmes to protect public health: current performance, future opportunities and necessary reforms
Authors: Lawrence Mark Andrew , Pollard Christina Mary , Weeramanthri Tarun Stephen
Published: February 2019

Objective

To assess current performance and identify opportunities and reforms necessary for positioning a food standards programme to help protect public health against dietary risk factors.

Design

A case study design in which a food standards programme’s public health protection performance was analysed against an adapted Donabedian model for assessing health-care quality. The criteria were the food standards programme’s structure (governance arrangements and membership of its decision-making committees), process (decision-making tools, public engagement and transparency) and food standards outcomes, which provided the information base on which performance quality was inferred.

Setting

The Australia and New Zealand food standards programme.

Participants

The structure, process and outcomes of the Programme.

Results

The Programme’s structure and processes produce food standards outcomes that perform well in protecting public health from risks associated with nutrient intake excess or inadequacy. The Programme performs less well in protecting public health from the proliferation and marketing of ‘discretionary’ foods that can exacerbate dietary risks. Opportunities to set food standards to help protect public health against dietary risks are identified.

Conclusions

The structures and decision-making processes used in food standards programmes need to be reformed so they are fit for purpose for helping combat dietary risks caused by dietary excess and imbalances. Priorities include reforming the risk analysis framework, including the nutrient profiling scoring criterion, by extending their nutrition science orientation from a nutrient (reductionist) paradigm to be more inclusive of a food/diet (holistic) paradigm.
Unbanked status and use of alternative financial services among minority populations
Authors: Barcellos Silvia Helena , Zamarro Gema
Published: February 2019

A large number of Americans do not have bank accounts (the ‘unbanked’) or rely on costly alternative financial services (AFS) such as payday loans (the ‘underbanked’), with implications for wealth accumulation and retirement preparedness. Using primary data, we document large racial/ethnic differences in unbanked and in frequent AFS usage rates. We study the role of socio-economic status (SES), financial literacy, trust in financial institutions, networks, and time preferences in explaining these gaps. While these variables explain a large fraction of the white-minority gaps in unbanked status the same is not true for gaps in AFS use. A Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition confirms these patterns: gaps in unbanked status are mostly explained by differences in endowments across groups, for AFS gaps differences in returns to endowments have the largest explanatory power. Our findings suggest that, while related, unbanked and underbanked are distinct concepts with different underlying causes that may require different policy responses.
Paternal contributions to large-for-gestational-age term babies: findings from a multicenter prospective cohort study
Authors: Derraik J. G. B. , Pasupathy D. , McCowan L. M. E. , Poston L. , Taylor R. S. , Simpson N. A. B. , Dekker G. A. , Myers J. , Vieira M. C. , Cutfield W. S. , Ahlsson F.
Published: February 2019

We assessed whether paternal demographic, anthropometric and clinical factors influence the risk of an infant being born large-for-gestational-age (LGA). We examined the data on 3659 fathers of term offspring (including 662 LGA infants) born to primiparous women from Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE). LGA was defined as birth weight >90th centile as per INTERGROWTH 21st standards, with reference group being infants ⩽90th centile. Associations between paternal factors and likelihood of an LGA infant were examined using univariable and multivariable models. Men who fathered LGA babies were 180 g heavier at birth (P<0.001) and were more likely to have been born macrosomic (P<0.001) than those whose infants were not LGA. Fathers of LGA infants were 2.1 cm taller (P<0.001), 2.8 kg heavier (P<0.001) and had similar body mass index (BMI). In multivariable models, increasing paternal birth weight and height were independently associated with greater odds of having an LGA infant, irrespective of maternal factors. One unit increase in paternal BMI was associated with 2.9% greater odds of having an LGA boy but not girl; however, this association disappeared after adjustment for maternal BMI. There were no associations between paternal demographic factors or clinical history and infant LGA. In conclusion, fathers who were heavier at birth and were taller were more likely to have an LGA infant, but maternal BMI had a dominant influence on LGA.
The Effect of Zinc Deficiency and Supplementation on Elements in the Kidney Tissue of Ovariectomized Rats: Histopathologic Changes
Authors: Baltaci Abdulkerim Kasim , Sunar Fusun , Mogulkoc Rasim , Toy Hatice
Published: February 2019

Abstract. The objective of the present study is to determine the effects of zinc deficiency in and zinc supplementation to ovariectomized rats on some elements in kidney tissue. The study included 40 Sprague-Dawley type adult female rats. The experimental animals were randomized into four groups with equal numbers as follows: Group 1: Control (10). Group 2: Ovariectomized control (10). Group 3: Ovariectomized + zinc supplemented (10). Group 4: Ovariectomized + zinc deficient (10). After the animals were decapitated at the end of the experiment, element levels were determined by Atomic Emission (ICP-AES) as mg/g/wet tissue for calcium, phosphate, zinc, aluminum, copper, iron, lithium, and manganese and μg/g/wet tissue for magnesium in the kidney tissue. Additionally, the tissue samples were subjected to a histopathologic assessment. An examination of the study results showed that ovariectomy significantly reduced calcium, phosphorus, and zinc levels, while zinc supplementation to the rats following ovariectomy restored the reduced element levels to normal (0.10 ± 0.03, 0.85 ± 0.16, 0.11 ± 0.03 vs 0.19 ± 0.06, 1.86 ± 0.18, 0.52 ± 0.05). Group 4, which was both ovariectomized and fed on a zinc-deficient diet, had significantly lower aluminum, copper, and lithium values. Calcification, inflammation, and sclerotic changes in group 4, the group which was fed on a zinc-deficient diet, were greater in comparison to other groups (p < 0.05). Results of the study suggest that ovariectomy + zinc deficiency leads to calcification, inflammation, and sclerotic changes in renal tissue and significantly reduces element levels, whereas zinc supplementation after ovariectomy restores the lowered element levels to normal.
Mini-Depressions-Status-Test (MDST): Entwicklung eines grafisch basierten Screenings depressiver Verstimmungen
Authors: Christen Maike , Anapa Görkem , Brünecke Isabel , Seven Ümran S. , Kalbe Elke , Schuler Heike , Kessler Josef
Published: February 2019

Zusammenfassung. Eine depressive Verstimmung reduziert die Lebensqualität eines Patienten und kann das kognitive Leistungsvermögen beeinträchtigen. Daher ist es wünschenswert, innerhalb einer kognitiven Untersuchung ebenfalls den depressiven Status als Kovariate zu erheben. Bisherige Depressionsscreenings erfassen die Symptomausprägung i. d. R. durch satzbasierte Fragen und Antworten. Die Bearbeitung dieser Screeningverfahren erfordert somit ein ausreichendes Sprachverständnis und Reflexionsvermögen, um die Symptomabstufungen differenziert beurteilen zu können. Jedoch können diese Leistungen bei Patienten mit geringen Deutschkenntnissen, erworbenen Sprachstörungen oder kognitiven Einbußen nicht immer vorausgesetzt werden. Um diesem Patientenklientel gerecht zu werden, besteht die Notwendigkeit Screeningverfahren zu entwickeln, welche die sprachlichen Anforderungen minimieren. Mit dem Mini-Depressions-Status-Test wird daher ein Depressionsscreening vorgestellt, welches versucht, die relevanten Dimensionen einer Depression nach ICD-10 anhand von grafischen Mitteln abzubilden. Entsprechende Cut-off-Werte werden genannt.
Neurale Korrelate dynamischer und statischer Fatigue-Komponenten bei Patienten mit Multipler Sklerose
Authors: Spiteri Stefan , Hassa Thomas , Claros-Salinas Dolores , Dettmers Christian , Ariel Schönfeld Mircae
Published: February 2019

Zusammenfassung. Fatigue gilt als eines der am meisten beeinträchtigenden Symptome der Multiplen Sklerose (MS). Diese Studie untersuchte mittels funktioneller Magnetresonanztomografie (fMRT) die neuralen Korrelate dynamischer und statischer Aktivitätsveränderungen bei MS-Patienten und gesunden Kontrollen während einer ermüdungsinduzierenden N-Back-Aufgabe. Die Hirnaktivität wurde zu Beginn und am Ende der Aufgabe verglichen sowie mit der subjektiven Einschätzung der Fatigue korreliert. Es fand sich eine Zunahme der Reaktionszeiten ausschließlich bei Patienten und eine korrespondierende Zunahme der subjektiven Fatigue. Bei den MS-Patienten fand sich eine belastungsabhängige Aktivitätsabnahme in den salienz- und aufmerksamkeitsassoziierten Netzwerken und eine belastungsunabhängige Aktivitätszunahme in höheren Arealen der Aufmerksamkeitskontrolle. Die Ergebnisse sind mit aktuellen Modellen der Fatigue, die unterschiedliche Substrate für statische (krankheitsassoziierte) und dynamische (belastungsassoziierte) Fatigue-Komponenten postulieren, gut vereinbar.

Schlüsselwörter: Multiple Sklerose, Fatigue, Fatigability, State-/Trait-Fatigue, Aufmerksamkeit, fMRT
Changes in the Electroencephalographic Activity in Response to Odors Produced by Organic Compounds
Authors: Kim Minju , Song Jieun , Nishi Kosuke , Sowndhararajan Kandhasamy , Kim Songmun
Published: February 2019

Abstract. Volatile organic compounds are widely used to manufacture various products in addition to research purposes. They play an important role in the air quality of outdoor and indoor with a pleasant or unpleasant odor. It is well known that the odor of chemicals with different structures can affect brain functions differently. In general, organic compounds are mainly characterized by their functional groups. Acetic acid, acetaldehyde, acetone, and acetonitrile are widely used laboratory chemicals with the same methyl group, but different functional groups. Hence, the present study was aimed to investigate whether the exposure of these four chemicals (10%) exhibits the same electroencephalographic (EEG) activity or different. For this purpose, the EEG was recorded in 20 male healthy volunteers. The EEG was recorded from 32 electrodes located on the scalp, based on the International 10–20 system with modified combinatorial nomenclature. The results indicated that tested subjects are less sensitive to acetic acid odor than other three chemicals. The absolute theta activity significantly increased at Cp5 and F8 regions, and the relative mid-beta (RMB) significantly decreased at Fc1 region during the exposure of acetic acid. On the other hand, acetaldehyde, acetone, and acetonitrile produced EEG changes in many indices such as relative theta, relative gamma, relative high beta, relative beta, relative slow beta, the ratio of alpha to high beta, and spectral edge frequencies. However, there was no significant change in the absolute wave activity. Although acetaldehyde, acetone, and acetonitrile odors affected almost similar EEG indices, they exhibited changes in different brain regions. The variations in the EEG activity of these chemicals may be due to the activation of different olfactory receptors, odor characteristics, and structural arrangements.
Atmospheric Dynamics Footprint on the January 2016 Ice Sheet Melting in West Antarctica
Authors: Hu Xiaoming , Sejas Sergio A. , Cai Ming , Li Zhenning , Yang Song
Published: February 2019

In January of 2016, the Ross Sea sector of the West Antarctica ice sheet experienced a 3‐week‐long melting episode. Here we quantify the association of the large‐extent and long‐lasting melting event with the enhancement of the downward longwave (LW) radiative fluxes at surface due to water vapor, cloud, and atmospheric dynamic feedbacks using the ERA‐Interim data set. The abnormally long‐lasting temporal surges of atmospheric moisture, warm air, and low‐level clouds increase the downward LW radiative energy flux at the surface during the massive ice‐melting period. The concurrent timing and spatial overlap between poleward wind anomalies and positive downward LW radiative surface energy flux anomalies over West Antarctica due to warmer air temperature and increases in atmospheric water vapor and cloud coverage provide direct evidence that warm and moist air advection from lower latitudes to West Antarctica causes the rapid long‐lasting warming and vast ice mass loss in January of 2016.
Repeated Rhyolite Eruption From Heterogeneous Hot Zones Embedded Within a Cool, Shallow Magma Reservoir
Authors: Andersen Nathan L. , Singer Brad S. , Coble Matthew A.
Published: February 2019

Despite the hazard posed by explosive silicic eruptions, the magma storage conditions and dynamics that precede these events remain controversial. The Laguna del Maule volcanic field, central Chile, is an exceptional example of postglacial (younger than ca. 20,000 years) rhyolite volcanism and sustained unrest driven by a large, shallow, active silicic magma system. New zircon petrochronologic data reveal that compositionally distinct domains developed concurrently within the Laguna del Maule magma reservoir, which produced two episodes of concentrated rhyolitic eruptions at 23–19 and 8–2 ka. Zircon crystallization ages record 160 kyr of magma emplacement resulting in a several hundreds of cubic kilometers reservoir that has been imaged geophysically. The average magma emplacement rate inferred from the zircon geochronology and tomographically defined magma volume is consistent with those required by thermal models to maintain a shallow silicic system. Ti‐in‐zircon temperatures of crystal cores and rims and hiatuses in crystal growth indicates most of this volume persisted in a near‐solidus state. However, consistent patterns of trace element zoning in crystal interiors and crystallization rates derived from a model of diffusion‐limited zircon growth suggest the erupted rhyolite magma batches originated from long‐lived hot zones of extractable mush embedded within the larger, cool reservoir of rigid mush. These contrasting, coeval magma storage conditions obviate a simple hot versus cold storage dichotomy for large silicic magma systems.
Isotope Fractionation of Nitrate During Volatilization in Snow: A Field Investigation in Antarctica
Authors: Shi Guitao , Chai Jiajue , Zhu Zhuoyi , Hu Zhengyi , Chen Zhenlou , Yu Jinhai , Ma Tianming , Ma Hongmei , An Chunlei , Jiang Su , Tang Xueyuan , Hastings Meredith G.
Published: February 2019

Several postdepositional processes impact snow nitrate; however, only the isotopic effects of nitrate photolysis have been quantified. Here we discuss results from experiments in field Antarctic snow investigating isotopic fractionation of nitrate due to volatilization. At −35 °C, concentration and isotopic composition of nitrate remained constant during the 16‐day experiment. At −24 °C, 7.5% of nitrate was lost, synchronous with 1.5‰ decrease in δ18O and a constant δ15N. At −4 °C, 38% of nitrate was lost, and δ15N and δ18O decreased by 3.1 and 1.8‰, respectively. Results at −4 °C yield calculated fractionation constants close to theoretical estimates including equilibrium isotopic exchange between nitric acid and nitrate and the desorption of nitric acid from water in quasi‐liquid layers. This suggests that isotopic fractionation associated with nitrate volatilization across most of Antarctica, especially at sites with temperatures <−24 °C, should be minor, but the isotopic effects at warmer sites should be considered in interpreting archived nitrate records.
Author Correction: 22q13 deletion syndrome: communication disorder or autism? Evidence from a specific clinical and neurophysiological phenotype
Authors: Ponson Laura , Gomot Marie , Blanc Romuald , Barthelemy Catherine , Roux Sylvie , Munnich Arnold , Romana Serge , Aguillon-Hernandez Nadia , Malan Valérie , Bonnet-Brilhault Frédérique
Published: February 2019

Since the online publication of the above article, the authors have noted errors with the author list. The author names were listed as ‘(last name)(first name)’ instead of ‘(first name)(last name)’.
Biomarkers of vascular injury in relation to myocardial infarction risk: A population-based study
Authors: Pletsch-Borba Laura , Grafetstätter Mirja , Hüsing Anika , González Maldonado Sandra , Kloss Manja , Groß Marie-Luise , Johnson Theron , Sookthai Disorn , Bugert Peter , Kaaks Rudolf , Kühn Tilman
Published: February 2019

Little is known about circulating biomarkers of vascular injury in relation to cardiovascular disease risk. Thus, we evaluated associations between six novel markers (E-Selectin, P-Selectin, thrombomodulin, thrombopoietin, intercellular adhesion molecule 3 and GPIIb/IIIa) and established cardiovascular risk factors as well as the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in a population-based study. Biomarkers were measured in pre-diagnostic plasma samples of a case-cohort subset of EPIC-Heidelberg (incident MI cases: n = 369, random sub-cohort: n = 2,418). Generalized Linear models were used to analyse cross-sectional associations between biomarkers and cardiovascular risk factors. Multivariable Cox Regression analyses were carried out to obtain Hazard Ratios (HRs) of MI across quartiles of biomarkers levels. Cross-sectional analyses showed that sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes and exogenous hormone use were associated with biomarker levels. However, while fibrinogen was associated with MI risk (HR per standard deviation: 2.97 [95% confidence interval: 1.61, 5.46]), none of the six novel biomarkers was associated with MI risk after multivariable adjustment. In a population-based cohort, biomarkers of vascular injury were associated with established cardiovascular risk factors, but not MI risk. The tested biomarkers may reflect pathophysiological alterations in cardiovascular disease development rather than constituting independent MI risk factors.
Postural instability in an immersive Virtual Reality adapts with repetition and includes directional and gender specific effects
Authors: Fransson Per-Anders , Patel Mitesh , Jensen Hanna , Lundberg Michèle , Tjernström Fredrik , Magnusson Måns , Ekvall Hansson Eva
Published: February 2019

The ability to handle sensory conflicts and use the most appropriate sensory information is vital for successful recovery of human postural control after injury. The objective was to determine if virtual reality (VR) could provide a vehicle for sensory training, and determine the temporal and spatial nature of such adaptive changes. Twenty healthy subjects participated in the study (10 females). The subjects watched a 90-second VR simulation of railroad (rollercoaster) motion in mountainous terrain during five repeated simulations, while standing on a force platform that recorded their stability. The immediate response to watching the VR movie was an increased level of postural instability. Repeatedly watching the same VR movie significantly reduced both the anteroposterior (62%, p < 0.001) and lateral (47%, p = 0.001) energy used. However, females adapted more slowly to the VR stimuli as reflected by higher use of total (p = 0.007), low frequency (p = 0.027) and high frequency (p = 0.026) energy. Healthy subjects can significantly adapt to a multidirectional, provocative, visual environment after 4–5 repeated sessions of VR. Consequently, VR technology might be an effective tool for rehabilitation involving visual desensitisation. However, some females may require more training sessions to achieve effects with VR.
Differential effects of a combination of Hibiscus sabdariffa and Lippia citriodora polyphenols in overweight/obese subjects: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Herranz-López María , Olivares-Vicente Mariló , Boix-Castejón Marina , Caturla Nuria , Roche Enrique , Micol Vicente
Published: February 2019

Plant-polyphenols have shown the capacity to ameliorate obesity-induced metabolic disturbances, both in cell and animal models, where most therapeutic approaches have failed. On the basis of previous research, a dietary supplement containing 500 mg of a combination of polyphenolic extracts from Lippia citriodora L. and Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (LC-HS), in the context of an equilibrated isocaloric diet, was evaluated in a double blind, placebo-controlled and randomized trial in 56 obese/overweight subjects for two months. Compared to controls, the consumption of the LC-HS polyphenols showed significant improvements in body weight, abdominal circumference of overweight subjects (−6.79 ± 0.80 cm in overweight LC-HS group vs −1.85 ± 0.83 cm in controls, p < 0.001) and body fat % (−1.33 ± 0.15% in overweight LC-HS group vs −0.66 ± 0.17% in controls, p < 0.05). Heart rate and systolic blood pressure also presented significant improvements in overweight LC-HS participants. However, changes were more modest in obese subjects. Further, LC-HS extract significantly reduced lipid content and increased AMPK activity in a hypertrophied adipocyte cell model. Therefore, consumption of 500 mg/day of LC-HS extracts enriched in polyphenols for two months in the context of an isocaloric diet by overweight subjects decreased symptoms associated to obesity-related diseases. Modulation of fat metabolism in adipose tissue, probably mediated by AMPK activation, is proposed as a molecular target to be explored in future research.
Viscoelastic Separation and Concentration of Fungi from Blood for Highly Sensitive Molecular Diagnostics
Authors: Nam Jeonghun , Jang Woong Sik , Hong Da Hye , Lim Chae Seung
Published: February 2019

Isolation and concentration of fungi in the blood improves sensitivity of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to detect fungi in blood. This study demonstrates a sheathless, continuous separation and concentration method of candida cells using a viscoelastic fluid that enables rapid detection of rare candida cells by PCR analysis. To validate device performance using a viscoelastic fluid, flow characteristics of 2 μm particles were estimated at different flow rates. Additionally, a mixture of 2 μm and 13 μm particles was successfully separated based on size difference at 100 μl/min. Candida cells were successfully separated from the white blood cells (WBCs) with a separation efficiency of 99.1% and concentrated approximately 9.9-fold at the center outlet compared to the initial concentration (~2.5 × 107 cells/ml). Sequential 1st and 2nd concentration processes were used to increase the final number of candida cells to ~2.3 × 109 cells/ml, which was concentrated ~92-fold. Finally, despite the undetectable initial concentration of 101 CFU/ml, removal of WBCs and the additional buffer solution enabled the quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR detection of candida cells after the 1st concentration (Ct = 31.43) and the 2nd concentration process (Ct = 29.30).