bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Eurasian lactase persistence variant LCT-13910 C/T is associated with vitamin D levels in individuals living at high latitude, more so than exposure to sunlight
Authors: Moghaddam Amir 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Rapid selection of a genetic variant that confers continuous life-long lactase production in Europeans (LCT-13910 C/T) has been attributed to the advantages of acquiring nutrients from consuming milk without the disadvantages of lactose malabsorption. Individuals with this genetic lactase persistence (LP) variant generally consume more milk and have been shown to have higher levels of serum vitamin D. Vitamin D is the principal regulator of Ca absorption and its synthesis in skin is dependent on UVB exposure. The primary aim of the present study was to compare serum vitamin D concentrations with LP variant and to control for UVB exposure. Data from over 100 000 individuals living in Norway, a country with low UVB exposure, was retrospectively retrieved for comparison of genetic LP variant, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration and the time of year when serum samples were taken. For comparison, a similar analysis was performed with a natural dairy micronutrient, namely vitamin B12. It was found that individuals with the genetic LP variant had considerably higher levels of serum 25(OH)D (P < 2 × 10−16, Cohen's d = 0·73) but lower levels of vitamin B12 (P < 2 × 10−16, Cohen's d = 0·11), compared with genetic lactase non-persistent individuals, even when controlled for seasonality, age and sex. The difference in serum 25(OH)D levels did not diminish in summer months, showing the role of vitamin D in LP variant selection in areas of low UVB irradiation. LP variant selection advantage through acquiring another dairy micronutrient, vitamin B12, was not observed.
An Atypical Medieval Burial at theMonte Dei CappucciniMonastery in Torino (Italy): A Case Study With High-Precision Radiocarbon Dating
Authors: Rubinetti Sara , Hajdas Irka , Taricco Carla , Alessio Silvia , Isella Luca P G , Giustetto Roberto , Boano Rosa 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTIn 1989 an ancient burial consisting of a skeleton and a few objects was discovered at theMonte dei CappucciniMonastery, in Torino (Italy). Anthropological analysis of the skeleton revealed that it belonged to a young man, and the archaeometric characterization of the objects suggested that most of them are compatible with the Medieval period. As a proper archeological survey was not conducted at the time of the finding, due to the religious nature of the site, a high-precision radiocarbon (14C) dating has been performed. The samples were processed with three different methods: besides the ultrafiltration (UF) treatment, we applied the “collagen” (COL) and the Longin-base (LB) methods. While UF and COL treatments provided compatible results, LB method returned ages older with respect the UF one, with significant disagreements in some cases and this evidence is supported by several measurements on the same individual. Thanks to the reduction of the uncertainty with the high number of measured samples and the availability of historical evidence, the possible age of the burial has been limited to the time interval 1464–1515 cal AD.
Natural fractures at depth in the Lower Cretaceous Kuqa Depression tight sandstones: identification and characteristics
Authors: Nian Tao , Li Yanze , Hou Tao , Tan Chengqian , Liu Chao 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe Kuqa Depression in the northern Tarim Basin, NW China, is characterized by fault-controlled anticlines where natural fractures may influence production. Natural fractures in the Lower Cretaceous tight sandstones in the depression have been studied using seismic profiles, borehole images, cores and thin-sections. Results show that thrust faults, two types of opening-mode macrofractures and two types of microfractures are present. Thrust faults were generated during Cenozoic N–S-directed tectonic shortening and have hydraulically linked Jurassic source rocks and Cretaceous sandstones. Opening-mode fractures can be subdivided on the basis of sizes, filling characteristics and distribution patterns. Type 1 macrofractures are barren or mainly calcite-lined. They have straight traces with widths (opening displacements) that are of the order of magnitude of 10 μm, suggesting that their primary role is that of migration channels. Type 2 macrofractures are calcite-filled opening-mode fractures. They have an elliptical or tabular shape with sharply tapering tips. Transgranular microfractures are lens-shaped and open or filled mostly by calcite; maximum widths range between 0.01 mm and 0.1 mm. Intragranular microfractures are the most common microfracture type. They are filled by calcite, feldspar or quartz. The macrofractures and transgranular microfractures have regular distributions, while most intragranular microfractures are irregularly distributed owing to their inherited origin. The results imply that natural fractures in the tight sandstones were formed as tectonic, diagenetic and natural hydraulic origins. In situ stress and cementation analyses suggest that Type 1 macrofractures and their genesis-related microfractures have controlled the present flow system of the tight sandstones.
Mingling and Strategic Augmentation of International Legal Obligations
Authors: Putnam Tonya L. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractManaging foreign affairs is in no small measure about anticipating the actions (and non-actions) of others, and about taking steps to limit the unexpected—and the undesired. Law has long been recognized as important to these tasks. Nevertheless, standard IR treatments often overlook important properties of law, even when trying to account for international law's effects on behavior. Chief among these overlooked properties is the fact that legal rules are formulated for general use, which means their provisions lack determinate meaning in relation to the full range of facts they may be applied to. Selecting and using legal rules to guide or assess behavior thus requires interpretation. Self-interested actors may differ regarding the applicability, scope, or meaning of individual rules, and still more so where multiple legal rules are in play. In situations where political stakes are high, powerful actors may not be content to leave all options on the table. Instead they may use interpretative tactics to mingle obligations from different agreements and, where needed, to augment relevant legal obligations in efforts to prospectively ensure, in the mode of Riker's heresthetics, that interlocutors feel compelled by legal circumstances to enact the more powerful actor's preferences. I demonstrate how agreement mingling and augmentation function in complex legal environments by reexaming US efforts to insulate its citizens from unwanted exercises of jurisdiction by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Contraceptive use in Eswatini: do contextual influences matter?
Authors: Odimegwu Clifford , Chemhaka Garikayi B. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis study sought to investigate the determinants of current use of modern contraceptives beyond the individual level in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). Previous studies have overlooked the role of community characteristics such as socioeconomic development, women’s empowerment and fertility norms in shaping contraceptive use. Hierarchical structured subsample data of 4112 sexually experienced women from the 2007 Eswatini Demographic Health Survey were analysed using multilevel logistic regression to identify factors contributing to community/cluster variations in women’s current use of modern contraceptives. Less than half (44.2%) of the sexually active women were using modern contraceptive methods in 2007. At the community level, the odds of contraceptive use decreased for rural women (AOR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.68–0.98) and among women residing in communities with high-fertility norms (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.66–0.89). After adjusting for both individual- and community-level factors, no community-level variables considered for the study were significantly associated with contraceptive use. The findings highlight in all four models, from the empty to full model, that there is a small and decreasing significant variation in women’s contraceptive use across communities (MOR, 1.37–1.17). In 2007, the findings suggest individual rather than community factors account for some contextual variability in contraceptive use. The study proposes the use of ethnographic techniques to unravel community factors that promote modern contraceptive use in Eswatini.
Roll, right, repeat: short-term repeatability in the self-righting behaviour of a cold-water sea cucumber
Authors: Clements Jeff C. , Schagerström Ellen , Dupont Sam , Jutfelt Fredrik , Ramesh Kirti 
Published: January 2020

AbstractFor many benthic marine invertebrates, inversion (being turned upside-down) is a common event that can increase vulnerability to predation, desiccation and unwanted spatial transport, and requires behavioural ‘self-righting’ to correct. While self-righting behaviour has been studied for more than a century, the repeatability (R) – the portion of behavioural variance due to inter-individual differences – of this trait is not well understood. Heritability and the evolution of animal behaviour rely on behavioural repeatability. Here, we examined the self-righting technique of a cold-water holothurid, Parastichopus tremulus, and assessed the repeatability of this behaviour. Under laboratory conditions, P. tremulus consistently used muscle contractions to curl its body and roll itself back to an upright position, which provided for rapid (x̅ ± SD = 96.7 ± 49.8 s) and highly repeatable (R = 0.75) self-righting in the short term that varied between individuals (range of individual average righting times = 34.8–217.0 s). Righting time tended to increase with animal size; however, substantial variation was evident at comparable sizes, as average righting time ranged from 34.8–155.5 s for animals ~20 cm in body length. Contrary to previous studies on other echinoderms, we found no evidence of improved righting times for P. tremulus over time. This study ultimately provides the first detailed documentation of self-righting behaviour for P. tremulus and suggests that this species displays a high degree of repeatability for this trait in the short term.
SCHEMATIC DIAGRAMS IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING OF ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS
Authors: Zhao Helen , Huang Shuting , Zhou Yacong , Wang Ruiming 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn the current study of applied cognitive linguistics (CL), schematic diagrams that represent generalizations of physical-spatial experience were applied in a computer-based tutor that trained English prepositions for second language (L2) learners. Behavioral and electrophysiological (ERP) measures were used to examine whether schematic-diagram feedback provided by the tutor had an instructional advantage over the minimally informed correctness feedback. Behavioral results confirmed this prediction and further revealed that the treatment difference was more striking when the participants had a lower L2 proficiency. The ERP results also supported the prediction. Violation uses of prepositions yielded an N270 and an N400. Schematic-diagram feedback motivated significant changes in brain potentials, whereas correctness feedback failed to do so. Overall, our findings suggest that CL-inspired instruction of a relatively short duration led to significant improvements in learners’ behavioral productive performance and in their sensitivity to semantic violation of preposition use during online sentence processing. The study provided strong neurolinguistic evidence for CL-inspired pedagogy in supporting L2 learning.
Fleet optimization considering overcapacity and load sharing restrictions using genetic algorithms and ant colony optimization
Authors: Kristjanpoller Fredy , Michell Kevin , Kristjanpoller Werner , Crespo Adolfo 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper presents a fleet model explained through a complex configuration of load sharing that considers overcapacity and is based on a life cycle cost (LCC) approach for cost-related decision-making. By analyzing the variables needed to optimize the fleet size, which must be evaluated in combination with the event space method (ESM), the solution to this problem would normally require high computing performance and long computing times. Considering this, the combined use of an integer genetic algorithm (GA) and the ant colony optimization (ACO) method was proposed in order to determine the optimal solution. In order to analyze and highlight the added value of this proposal, several empirical simulations were performed. The results showed the potential strengths of the proposal related to its flexibility and capacity in solving large problems with a near optimal solution for large fleet size and potential real-world applications. Even larger problems can be solved this way than by using the complete enumeration approach and a non-family fleet approach. Thus, this allows for a more real solution to fleet design that also considers overcapacity, availability, and an LCC approach. The simulations showed that the model can be solved in much less time compared with the base model and allows for the resolution of a fleet of at least 64 trucks using GA and 130 using ACO, respectively. Thus, the proposed framework can solve real-world problems, such as the fleet design of mining companies, by offering a more realistic approach.
Expert consensus on low-calorie sweeteners: facts, research gaps and suggested actions
Authors: Ashwell Margaret , Gibson Sigrid , Bellisle France , Buttriss Judith , Drewnowski Adam , Fantino Marc , Gallagher Alison M. , de Graaf Kees , Goscinny Séverine , Hardman Charlotte A. , Laviada-Molina Hugo , López-García Rebeca , Magnuson Berna , Mellor Duane , Rogers Peter J. , Rowland Ian , Russell Wendy , Sievenpiper John L. , la Vecchia Carlo 
Published: January 2020

AbstractA consensus workshop on low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) was held in November 2018 where seventeen experts (the panel) discussed three themes identified as key to the science and policy of LCS: (1) weight management and glucose control; (2) consumption, safety and perception; (3) nutrition policy. The aims were to identify the reliable facts on LCS, suggest research gaps and propose future actions. The panel agreed that the safety of LCS is demonstrated by a substantial body of evidence reviewed by regulatory experts and current levels of consumption, even for high users, are within agreed safety margins. However, better risk communication is needed. More emphasis is required on the role of LCS in helping individuals reduce their sugar and energy intake, which is a public health priority. Based on reviews of clinical evidence to date, the panel concluded that LCS can be beneficial for weight management when they are used to replace sugar in products consumed in the diet (without energy substitution). The available evidence suggests no grounds for concerns about adverse effects of LCS on sweet preference, appetite or glucose control; indeed, LCS may improve diabetic control and dietary compliance. Regarding effects on the human gut microbiota, data are limited and do not provide adequate evidence that LCS affect gut health at doses relevant to human use. The panel identified research priorities, including collation of the totality of evidence on LCS and body weight control, monitoring and modelling of LCS intakes, impacts on sugar reduction and diet quality and developing effective communication strategies to foster informed choice. There is also a need to reconcile policy discrepancies between organisations and reduce regulatory hurdles that impede low-energy product development and reformulation.
lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 affects trophoblast cell proliferation, invasion and migration through targeting miRNA
Authors: Zhang Yulei , Chen Xiaoqin 
Published: January 2020

SummaryThe abnormal expression of lncRNAs and miRNAs has been found in the placentas of patients with preeclampsia (PE). Therefore, we determined the role of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1/miR-3127 in trophoblast cells. The expression of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 was detected by qRT-PCR. The proliferation, migration and invasion ability of trophoblast cells were evaluated using CCK-8, wound healing and transwell assays. The target gene of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 was determined by StarBase and luciferase reporter assays. Western blotting was used to analyze the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9). The results showed that FOXD2-AS1 affected trophoblast cell viabilityin vitro, while the expression of miR-3127 was decreased. FOXD2-AS1 silencing decreased the promotion effects on trophoblast cell induced by miR-3127 inhibition. In addition, FOXD2-AS1 and miR-3127 presented the same effect on MMP2 and MMP9 levels. lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 modulated trophoblast cell proliferation, invasion and migration through downregulating miR-3127 expression. Therefore, lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 could act as a latent therapeutic marker in preeclampsia.
Blastocyst collapse as an embryo marker of low implantation potential: a time-lapse multicentre study
Authors: Sciorio Romualdo , Herrer Saura Raquel , Thong K. Joo , Esbert Algam Marga , Pickering Susan Jane , Meseguer Marcos 
Published: January 2020

SummarySpontaneous blastocyst collapse during in vitro embryo development has been suggested as a novel marker of embryo quality. Therefore, the aim of this multicentre study was to carry out a retrospective multicentre analysis to investigate the correlation between blastocyst collapse and pregnancy outcome. Here, 1297 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)/in vitro fertilization (IVF) fresh cycles, with an elective single blastocyst transfer (eSET) were included in this study. Embryos were cultured individually in 6.0% CO2, 5.0% O2, 89.0% N2, using single step medium (GTLTM VitroLife, Sweden) or sequential medium (CookTM, Cook Medical, Australia) and selected for transfer using standard morphological criteria. With the use of time-lapse monitoring (TLM), blastocysts were analyzed by measuring the maximum volume reduction and defined as having collapsed, if there was ≥ 50% volume reduction from the expanded blastocyst and the collapse event. Following embryo replacement, each blastocyst was retrospectively allocated to one of two groups (collapsed or not collapsed). Here, 259 blastocysts collapsed once or more during development (19.9%) and the remaining 1038 either contracted minimally or not collapsed (80.1%). A significantly higher ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR) of 51.9% (95% CI 48.9–59.9%) was observed when blastocysts that had not collapsed were replaced compared with cycles in which collapsed blastocysts were transferred 37.5% (95% CI 31.6–43.4%). This study suggests that human blastocysts that collapse spontaneously during development are less likely to implant and generate a pregnancy compared with embryos that do not. Although this is a retrospective study, the results demonstrated the utility of collapse episodes as new marker of embryo selection following eSET at blastocyst stage.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children with surgically corrected Ventricular Septal Defect, Transposition of the Great Arteries, and Tetralogy of Fallot
Authors: Holst Line M. , Kronborg Jonas B. , Jepsen Jens R. M. , Christensen Jette Ø. , Vejlstrup Niels G. , Juul Klaus , Bjerre Jesper V. , Bilenberg Niels , Ravn Hanne B. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBackground:Children with complex CHD are at risk for psychopathology such as severe attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms after congenital heart surgery.Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate if children with Ventricular Septal Defect, Transposition of Great Arteries, or Tetralogy of Fallot have an increased occurrence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms compared with the background population and to investigate differences between the three CHDs in terms of occurrence and appearance of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms.Method:A national register-based survey was conducted, including children aged 10–16 years with surgically corrected CHDs without genetic abnormalities and syndromes. The Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-Rating Scale questionnaires were filled in by parents and school teachers.Results:In total, 159 out of 283 questionnaires were completed among children with CHDs and compared with age- and sex-matched controls. Children with CHDs had significantly increased inattention scores (p = 0.009) and total attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder scores (p = 0.008) compared with controls. Post hoc analyses revealed that children with Tetralogy of Fallot had significantly higher inattention scores compared with children both with Ventricular Septal Defect (p = 0.043) and controls (p = 0.004).Conclusion:Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and inattention symptoms were significantly more frequent among children aged 10–16 years with CHDs, in particular in children with corrected Tetralogy of Fallot.
Transcatheter closure of aortopulmonary window with Amplatzer duct occluder II: additional size
Authors: Uçar Tayfun , Karagözlü Selen , Ramoğlu Mehmet G. , Tutar Ercan 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAortopulmonary window is a rare cardiac defect, and early management with surgery or transcatheter closure is lifesaving. Here, a 9-month-old patient, who underwent a successful device closure with additional size-Amplatzer duct occlude, is presented to make emphasis that it may be considered as the device of choice for defects in close proximity to aortic valve and/or coronary ostium.
Battlefield Casualties and Ballot-Box Defeat: Did the Bush–Obama Wars Cost Clinton the White House?
Authors: Kriner Douglas L. , Shen Francis X. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTIn the 2016 election, foreign policy may have played a critically important role in swinging an important constituency to Donald Trump: voters in high-casualty communities that had abandoned Republican candidates in the mid-2000s. Trump’s iconoclastic campaign rhetoric promised a foreign policy that would simultaneously be more muscular and restrained. He promised to rebuild and refocus the military while avoiding the “stupid wars” and costly entanglements of his predecessors. At both the state and county levels, we find significant and substantively meaningful relationships between local casualty rates and support for Trump. Trump made significant electoral gains among constituencies that were exhausted and politically alienated by 18 years of fighting. Trump’s foreign policy shows a president beset by competing militaristic and isolationist impulses. Our results suggest that giving into the former may come at a significant electoral cost.