bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Geographic and temporal variations in the incidence of vulvar and vaginal cancers
Authors: Bray Freddie , Laversanne Mathieu , Weiderpass Elisabete , Arbyn Marc 
Published: May 2020

AbstractVulvar and vaginal cancers are relatively rare cancers, together responsible for less than 1% of the global cancer incidence among women in 2018. The majority of vaginal cancers and a lesser proportion of vulvar cancers are associated with HPV, with rising incidence rates of vulvar cancer observed in younger women, possibly due to an increased prevalence of high‐risk HPV types. This report assesses recent international variations in the incidence rates of vulvar and vaginal cancer derived from high‐quality data from population‐based cancer registries in 68 countries, and further assesses time trends for selected longer‐term series in eight countries (Australia, China, Colombia, India, Norway, Slovakia, the U.S., and the U.K.) over the period 1983 to 2012. We observed a 30‐fold variation in the recorded incidence rates of vulvar cancer in contrast with the threefold variation for vaginal cancer. We also observed a rising incidence of vulvar cancer in Australia, Norway and the U.K., and Slovakia, with a more rapid rise in the rates seen in women aged < 60 years at diagnosis. The annual percentage change over the most recent decade varied from 1.7% in Norway to 4.1% in Slovakia. The increases are largely confined to younger women and are likely linked to generational changes in sexual behaviour (earlier age at sexual debut and increasing transmission of HPV among cohorts born 1940 to 1950 and thereafter. Vaginal cancer incidence rates, in contrast, were lower and more stable, despite the higher HPV‐attributable fraction relative to vulvar cancer. Irrespective of the trends, an increasing number of women are predicted to be diagnosed worldwide with both cancer types in future decades as population ageing and growth continues. The promise of high‐coverage HPV vaccination will likely counter this rising burden, but the impact may take a number of decades.
Captive breeding conditions decrease metabolic rates and alter morphological traits in the endangered Spanish toothcarp, Aphanius iberus
Authors: Latorre Dani , García‐Berthou Emili , Rubio‐Gracia Francesc , Galobart Cristina , Almeida David , Vila‐Gispert Anna 
Published: May 2020

AbstractPhysiological features of species can determine the resilience and adaptation of organisms to the environment. Swimming capacity and metabolic traits are key factors for fish survival, mating and predator–prey interactions. Individuals of the same species can display high phenotypic variation often in response to varying environmental conditions. We investigated the effects of captive breeding conditions on swimming capacity, metabolic traits and morphology by comparing a captive population with a wild population of the endangered Spanish toothcarp (Aphanius iberus). We measured swimming capabilities and oxygen‐uptake rates simultaneously, the latter as a proxy for metabolic rate, using a swim tunnel respirometer. Results showed significant differences in standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR) and absolute aerobic scope (AAS) between populations, as well as differences in morphological features between populations and sexes. In contrast, we did not find significant differences in critical swimming speed between populations or sexes. Differences in SMR between sexes were found in the captive population, and males showed nearly a twofold increase in SMR when compared with females. SMR, MMR and AAS were, on average, twofold lower for the captive population in comparison with the wild population. These differences in metabolic traits likely reflected captivity conditions, which were low food availability and the absence of predators, which in turn, may have influenced morphological traits, such as body and caudal peduncle shape and head size. At the same time, morphological traits also influenced metabolic traits of the populations. The lower SMR and MMR of captive individuals may be related to their deeper body shapes. Taken together, our results suggested that captive breeding conditions caused significant physiological and morphological changes in the endangered Spanish toothcarp. Reduced metabolic traits and changes in morphology may affect fitness‐related traits of the captive populations once reintroduced into the wild, thereby compromising conservation efforts. We therefore recommend to experimentally testing for the effects and consequences of captive breeding conditions before fish are released into the wild for successful conservation of them and other endangered species.
Evidence of colloids as important phosphorus carriers in natural soil and stream waters in an agricultural catchment
Authors: Gu Sen , Gruau Gérard , Dupas Rémi , Jeanneau Laurent 
Published: May 2020

AbstractColloids (1–1,000 nm) are important phosphorus (P) carriers in agricultural soils. However, most studies are based on colloids from soil waters extracted in the laboratory, thus limiting the understanding of the natural transfer of colloidal P along the soil‐to‐stream continuum. Here, we conducted a field study on the colloidal P in both natural soil waters and their adjacent stream waters in an agricultural catchment (Kervidy‐Naizin, western France). Soil waters (10–15 cm, Albeluvisol) of two riparian wetlands and the adjacent stream waters were sampled monthly during wet seasons of the 2015–2016 hydrological year (seven dates in total). Ultrafiltration at three pore sizes (5 kDa, 30 kDa, and 0.45 µm) was combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) to investigate variability in colloidal P concentration and its concomitant elemental composition. Results showed that colloidal P represented, on average, 45 and 30% of the total P (<0.45 µm) in the soil waters and stream waters, respectively. We found that colloidal P was preferentially associated with (a) organic carbon in the fine nanoparticle fraction (5–30 kDa) and (b) iron‐oxyhydroxides and organic carbon in the coarse colloidal fraction (30 kDa–0.45 µm). The results confirmed that colloidal P is an important component of total P in both soil waters and stream waters under field conditions, suggesting that riparian wetlands are hotspot zones for the production of colloidal P at the catchment scale, which has the potential to be transported to adjacent streams.
Ontogeny of the Moorish gecko Tarentola mauritanica with emphasis on morphogenesis of the skin and its derivatives
Authors: Alturk Wafaa I. M. , Khannoon Eraqi R. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractStudying reptilian embryonic development provides answers to many questions related to the development of tetrapods. Reptilian skin has been recently considered in studies at the evo‐devo level. The lizard epidermis has to be shed periodically. At the embryonic level, contention exists regarding the first layers to appear, whether the oberhautchen or the clear layer, and whether the shedding complex develops before hatching. Geckos exhibit diverse morphologies independently evolved multiple times within the clade, such as subdigital pad lamellae. Here we investigate the embryonic development of Tarentola mauritanica and establishing its embryonic table. Primarily we follow the development of the integument. This is a closely related species to Tarentola annularis and it is crucial to investigate whether it has the same derived digital condition of claw regression. Eleven embryonic stages are described according to the external morphological characteristics of the embryos. Interestingly, the oviposition stage appears earlier than its close relative T. annularis, and the total incubation time is less. We also describe skin development, adding clear evidence to the debate on the development of the shedding complex, which we found is developed before hatching. We describe one layer of periderm and the clear layer as the first embryonic epidermal layers. Generally, our results show the genus Tarentola to have the advantage of being a unique taxon, easily breed at the laboratory, with multiple clutches per year, and with an earlier stage at oviposition. That could be a model animal for embryonic development and experimental embryology studies.
Japanese International Medical Graduates and entrance into US clinical training: Challenges and methods to overcome them
Authors: Heist Brian S. , Torok Haruka Matsubara 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIntroductionEntering US clinical training requires completing requirements and navigating an application process differing from the Japanese system. Additionally, increases to the number of US medical school graduates have increased competition for US residency positions. We examined profiles of Japanese International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who completed US clinical training, the timelines to securing US clinical positions, and the greatest challenges during this process and methods to overcome them.MethodsIndividual semistructured interviews were conducted with 35 purposively sampled Japanese IMGs. We performed exploratory thematic analysis using iterative data collection and constant comparison.ResultsTwenty percent of participants lived in a native English‐speaking country during childhood. The United States Medical Licensing Examinations were completed at ages 25‐40 years. Challenges were categorized as: (1) English communication, (2) understanding the application process, (3) motivation to persevere through the process, (4) time management to complete Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates requirements, (5) receiving letters of recommendation and overcoming competition for US residency positions, (6) financial cost of the process. Pragmatic generally self‐dependent methods helped overcome challenges 1‐4 and 6. Participants detailed personal or, more commonly, institutional connections to US training programs required to overcome challenge 5.ConclusionsJapanese IMGs pursue US clinical training from diverse backgrounds commonly without the advantage of prior English fluency. Amidst increased competition internationally to enter US residency coupled with cultural and linguistic differences making this challenge often greater for Japanese IMGs, the competition to participate in institutionalized connections to US training programs is anticipated to increase.
Soil quality and soil organic carbon storage in abandoned agricultural lands: Effects of revegetation processes in a Mediterranean mid‐mountain area
Authors: Lasanta Teodoro , Sánchez‐Navarrete Pedro , Medrano‐Moreno Luis Miguel , Khorchani Makki , Nadal‐Romero Estela 
Published: May 2020

AbstractLand abandonment followed by natural revegetation constitutes the main land‐use change in the Mediterranean mountains, affecting soil quality and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks; however, there are few studies analysing the effects of cropland abandonment on soils in mid‐mountains. In the Leza Valley (Spain), 43.2% of the area was cultivated but abandoned during the 20th‐century. Natural revegetation gave rise to five land uses (LULCs): pastures (5 years), shrubs (Cistus laurifolius, 20–35 years), bushes (Juniperus communis, 35–50 years), young forests (Quercus pyrenaica) and old forests (>70 years). The aim of this research was to study the effects of natural revegetation of abandoned fields on physico‐chemical soil quality and SOC in various LULCs. In each of the LULCs, soil samples were collected every 10 cm, down to 40 cm depth, at three points, with a total of 60 samples being analysed (12 per LULC). In addition, plant species inventories were carried out. The results indicated (a) significant differences in physico‐chemical soil quality between the first years of abandonment and forests; (b) the SOC content increased with revegetation duration and decreased with increase in soil depth; (c) the highest SOC and TN stocks were found in the first 10 cm; (d) the results of the principal component analysis with all the data differentiate forests from shrubs and pastures. This study confirms the need to be aware of the effects of land abandonment and natural revegetation processes on the soil, in order to promote management strategies to preserve ecosystem services that agricultural marginal lands can provide.
Conventional and Unconventional Photon Statistics
Authors: Zubizarreta Casalengua Eduardo , López Carreño Juan Camilo , Laussy Fabrice P. , Valle Elena del 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe photon statistics emitted by a large variety of light‐matter systems under weak coherent driving can be understood, to lowest order in the driving, in the framework of an admixture of (or interference between) a squeezed state and a coherent state, with the resulting state accounting for all bunching and antibunching features. One can further identify two mechanisms that produce resonances for the photon correlations: i) conventional photon blockade describes cases that involve a particular quantum level or set of levels in the excitation/emission processes with interferences occurring to all orders in the photon numbers, while ii) unconventional photon blockade describes cases where the driving laser is far from resonance with any level and the interference occurs for a particular number of photons only, yielding stronger correlations but only for a definite number of photons. Such an understanding and classification allows for a comprehensive and transparent description of the photon statistics from a wide range of disparate systems, where optimum conditions for various types of photon correlations can be found and realized.
Predicting Graphene's Nonlinear‐Optical Refractive Response for Propagating Pulses
Authors: Castelló‐Lurbe David , Thienpont Hugo , Vermeulen Nathalie 
Published: May 2020

AbstractNonlinear‐optical refraction is typically described by means of perturbation theory near the material's equilibrium state. Graphene, however, can easily move far away from its equilibrium state upon optical pumping, yielding strong nonlinear responses that cannot be modeled as mere perturbations. So far, one is still lacking the required theoretical expressions to make predictions for these complex nonlinear effects and to account for their evolution in time and space. Here, this long‐standing issue is solved by the derivation of population‐recipe‐based expressions for graphene's nonperturbative nonlinearities. The presented framework successfully predicts and explains the various nonlinearity magnitudes and signs observed for graphene over the past decade, while also being compatible with the nonlinear pulse propagation formalism commonly used for waveguides.
Assessment of pitting corrosion in bare and passivated (wet scCO2‐induced patination and chemical passivation) hot‐dip galvanized steel samples with SVET, FTIR, and SEM (EDS)
Authors: Saarimaa Ville , Fuertes Nuria , Persson Dan , Zavalis Tommy , Kaleva Aaretti , Nikkanen Juha‐Pekka , Levänen Erkki , Heydari Golrokh 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIn this study, the local electrochemical activity of untreated and passivated (natural or chemical passivation) zinc specimens was observed during immersion in a 0.1‐M NaCl solution. The localized anodic activity during the exposure, measured with the scanning vibrating electrode technique, was linked to zinc dissolution by the pitting corrosion mechanism. It was correlated to specific corrosion products characterized by Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR) microscopy. FTIR molecule maps were produced from individual pitting corrosion sites (100–200 µm in width). With argon ion beam milling and latest energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) technology, element maps with a high spatial resolution (≪100 nm) were recorded from abrasion‐ and beam‐sensitive corrosion products, showing a residual layer structure. This study demonstrates the capability of FTIR mapping, cross‐section polishing, and state‐of‐the‐art scanning electron microscopy imaging, and EDS element mapping to produce high‐resolution elemental, molecular, and visual information about pitting corrosion mechanisms on a hot‐dip galvanized steel sample.
Optimization of nitrogen source supply for enhanced biosynthesis and quality of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) by extremely halophilic archaeon Haloferax mediterranei
Authors: Alsafadi Diya , Al‐Mashaqbeh Othman , Mansour Aya , Alsaad Majd 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe extreme halophilic archaeon, Haloferax mediterranei can accumulate polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from different renewable resources. To enhance the biosynthesis and quality of PHA, H. mediterranei cultivation media was optimized at different C/N ratios using glucose as the main carbon source. Three sets of media (yeast extract [YE], NH4Cl and combination of YE and NH4Cl) were prepared at different nitrogen concentrations to achieve C/N ratios of 9, 20, and 35, respectively. The media containing YE (organic nitrogen source) produced a higher growth rate of H. mediterranei than NH4Cl (inorganic source) at all tested C/N ratios. The highest PHA accumulation (18.4% PHA/cell dry mass) was achieved in a media that combined YE with NH4Cl at a C/N ratio of 20. Analysis of the produced polymers revealed the production of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBHV) with different 3‐hydroxyvalerate (3HV) content. The polymers produced from YE and the combined media have greater 3HV content (10 mol%) than those polymers recovered from NH4Cl (1.5 mol%). Resultingly, PHBHV from YE and the combined media displayed reduced melting points at 144°C. The nitrogen type/concentration was found to also have an impact on the molecular weights and polydispersity indices of the produced biopolymers. Furthermore, the tensile strengths were found to vary with the best tensile strength (14.4 MPa) being recorded for the polymer recovered from YE at C/N = 9. Interestingly, the tensile strength of PHBHV was significantly higher than petroleum‐based polyethylene (13.5 MPa), making it a much more suitable bioplastic for industrial application.
Dynamics and oceanic response of the Madeira tip‐jets
Authors: Alves José M.R. , Caldeira Rui M.A. , Miranda Pedro M.A. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractMadeira island is a well‐known source of atmospheric and oceanic eddy activity, with relevant downstream impact in both media. Previous studies focused on the dynamics of the island wake environment, suggesting the relevance of different atmosphere–ocean interactions in its maintenance. Here, results from one summer (two months) of fully coupled atmosphere–ocean high‐resolution simulations are used to explore such interactions and to further understand the dynamics of Madeira's wake. Those results, validated against available in situ and remote‐sensing data, indicate that the atmospheric and ocean circulations near Madeira are dominated by the variability of two quasi‐permanent features, its tip‐jets, and more so by the variability of its eastern jet. While both jets are of comparable magnitude and present similar intraseasonal variability at the multi‐week time‐scale, they are associated with qualitatively different forcing. The jets dominate the atmosphere forcing over the upper ocean, leading to enhanced mixing and deeper mixed‐layer depth. Oceanic eddies are more frequent in the east jet region, as shedding anticyclones, confirming observational evidence. A comparison with a similar one‐way coupled atmospheric simulation indicates that atmosphere–ocean feedbacks are relevant to the coastal surface temperature.
Seed‐Assisted Growth for Low‐Temperature‐Processed All‐Inorganic CsPbIBr2 Solar Cells with Efficiency over 10%
Authors: Zhang Weihai , Xiong Juan , Li Jinhua , Daoud Walid A. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAll‐inorganic CsPbIBr2 perovskite has recently received growing attention due to its balanced band gap and excellent environmental stability. However, the requirement of high‐temperature processing limits its application in flexible devices. Herein, a low‐temperature seed‐assisted growth (SAG) method for high‐quality CsPbIBr2 perovskite films through reducing the crystallization temperature by introducing methylammonium halides (MAX, X = I, Br, Cl) is demonstrated. The mechanism is attributed to MA cation based perovskite seeds, which act as nuclei lowering the formation energy of CsPbIBr2 during the annealing treatment. It is found that methylammonium bromide treated perovskite (Pvsk‐Br) film fabricated at low temperature (150 °C) shows micrometer‐sized grains and superior charge dynamic properties, delivering a device with an efficiency of 10.47%. Furthermore, an efficiency of 11.1% is achieved for a device based on high‐temperature (250 °C) processed Pvsk‐Br film via the SAG method, which presents the highest reported efficiency for inorganic CsPbIBr2 solar cells thus far.
Surface Modifications for Improved Delivery and Function of Therapeutic Bacteria
Authors: Vargason Ava M. , Santhosh Shruti , Anselmo Aaron C. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractLive therapeutic bacteria (LTBs) hold promise to treat microbiome‐related diseases. However, few approaches to improve the colonization of LTBs in the gastrointestinal tract exist, despite colonization being a prerequisite for efficacy of many LTBs. Here, a modular platform to rapidly modify the surface of LTBs to enable receptor‐specific interactions with target surfaces is reported. Inspired by bacterial adhesins that facilitate colonization, synthetic adhesins (SAs) are developed for LTBs in the form of antibodies conjugated to their surface. The SA platform is nontoxic, does not alter LTB growth kinetics, and can be used with any antibody or bacterial strain combination. By improving adhesion, SA‐modified bacteria demonstrate enhanced in vitro pathogen exclusion from cell monolayers. In vivo kinetics of SA‐modified LTBs is tracked in the feces and intestines of treated mice, demonstrating that SA‐modified bacteria alter short‐term intestinal transit and improve LTB colonization and pharmacokinetics. This platform enables rapid formation of an intestinal niche, leading to an increased maximum concentration and a 20% improvement in total LTB exposure. This work is the first application of traditional pharmacokinetic analysis to design and evaluate LTB drug delivery systems and provides a platform toward controlling adhesion, colonization, and efficacy of LTBs.