bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of aortic stiffness with cognitive decline: Whitehall II longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Araghi Marzieh , Shipley Martin J. , Wilkinson Ian B. , McEniery Carmel M. , Valencia-Hernández Carlos A. , Kivimaki Mika , Sabia Séverine , Singh-Manoux Archana , Brunner Eric J. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractAortic stiffness is associated with an increased risk of cardio- and cerebrovascular disease and mortality and may increase risk of dementia. The aim of the present study is to examine the association between arterial stiffness and cognitive decline in a large prospective cohort study with three repeated cognitive assessment over 7 years of follow-up. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured among 4300 participants (mean ± standard deviation age 65.1 ± 5.2 years) in 2007–2009 and categorized based on the tertiles: (lowest third: < 7.41 m/s), (middle third: 7.41–8.91 m/s), and (highest third: > 8.91 m/s). A global cognitive score was calculated in 2007–2009, 2012–2013, and 2015–2016 based on responses to memory, reasoning and fluency tests. Standardized global cognitive score (mean = 0, SD = 1) in highest third versus lowest third of PWV category was lower at baseline (− 0.12, 95% CI − 0.18, − 0.06). Accelerated 7-year cognitive decline was observed among individuals with the highest PWV [difference in 7-year cognitive change for highest third versus lowest third PWV: − 0.06, 95% CI − 0.11, − 0.01, P < 0.01]. Higher aortic stiffness was associated with faster cognitive decline. Clinicians may be able to use arterial stiffness severity as an indicator to administer prompt treatments to prevent or delay the onset of cognitive decline or dementia. Future studies need to determine whether early intervention of vascular stiffness is effective in delaying these outcomes.
Quantifying the effects of road width on roadside vegetation and soil conditions in forests
Authors: Zhou Ting , Luo Xiaoying , Hou Yuping , Xiang Yanci , Peng Shaolin 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Context
The majority of ecological studies of roads have focused on their deleterious effects, and these preconceptions have hampered a full evaluation of the ecological functions of roads. As an integrated indicator, road width represents comprehensive effects, including anthropogenic and natural disturbances.

Objectives
We try to explore the different effects produced by various road widths by considering changes in forest vegetation and soil.

Methods
We selected six study forests spanning from Shandong Province in the north to Guangdong Province in the south of China, and we assessed the influences of wide and narrow roads on plant species diversity, biomass, and soil properties along transects running from the forest edges and adjacent forest interior. We used a “shape-dependent model” to explain the factors that determine the magnitude of road effects on forests.

Results
Three variables measured in this study changed significantly with increasing distance from the road to the forest interior along wide roads: tree biomass, herbaceous plant biomass, and soil pH. However, no measurable biological or environmental effects were found from narrow roads. The different shapes of glades in a forest may be one reason for the various effects caused by roads of different widths.

Conclusions
Forest roads of different widths may have quite different ecological effects. While wider roads with large glades tend to have substantial negative impacts, small-enough roads may cause little disturbance to the forest. This suggests that not all forest roads should be perceived as the same, and narrow roads may be compatible with forest conservation.
Robust principal component analysis using facial reduction
Authors: Ma Shiqian , Wang Fei , Wei Linchuan , Wolkowicz Henry 
Published: November 2019

AbstractWe introduce a novel approach for robust principal component analysis (RPCA) for a partially observed data matrix. The aim is to recover the data matrix as a sum of a low-rank matrix and a sparse matrix so as to eliminate erratic noise (outliers). This problem is known to be NP-hard in general. A classical approach to solving RPCA is to consider convex relaxations. One such heuristic involves the minimization of the (weighted) sum of a nuclear norm part, that promotes a low-rank component, with an $$\ell _1$$

ℓ
1

norm part, to promote a sparse component. This results in a well-structured convex problem that can be efficiently solved by modern first-order methods. However, first-order methods often yield low accuracy solutions. Moreover, the heuristic of using a norm consisting of a weighted sum of norms may lose some of the advantages that each norm had when used separately. In this paper, we propose a novel nonconvex and nonsmooth reformulation of the original NP-hard RPCA model. The new model adds a redundant semidefinite cone constraint and solves small subproblems using a PALM algorithm. Each subproblem results in an exposing vector for a facial reduction technique that is able to reduce the size significantly. This makes the problem amenable to efficient algorithms in order to obtain high-level accuracy. We include numerical results that confirm the efficacy of our approach.
Acclimation to a thermoneutral environment abolishes age-associated alterations in heart rate and heart rate variability in conscious, unrestrained mice
Authors: Axsom Jessie E. , Nanavati Alay P. , Rutishauser Carolyn A. , Bonin Janet E. , Moen Jack M. , Lakatta Edward G. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractMice are among the most widely used translational models of cardiovascular aging and offer a method to quickly assess lifespan changes in a controlled environment. The standard laboratory temperature (20–22 °C), however, imposes a cold stress on mice that causes an increase in sympathetic nervous system–mediated activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) to maintain a core body temperature of 36–37 °C. Thus, while physiologic data obtained recapitulate human physiology to a certain degree, interpretations of previous research in mice may have been contaminated by a cold stress, due to housing mice below their thermoneutral zone (30 °C). The purpose of this investigation was to examine how chronic sympathetic stimulation evoked by acclimation to 20 °C might obscure interpretation of changes in autonomic modulation of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) that accompany advancing age. HR and HRV before and after administration of a dual-autonomic blockade were measured via in-vivo ECG in young (3 months) and aged (30 months) male C57BL/6 telemetry-implanted mice following temperature acclimation for 3 days at 30 °C or 20 °C. Mean basal and intrinsic HR of both young and aged mice became markedly reduced at 30 °C compared to 20 °C. In both age groups, HRV parameters in time, frequency, and non-linear domains displayed increased variability at 30 °C compared to 20 °C under basal conditions. Importantly, age-associated declines in HRV observed at 20 °C were ameliorated when mice were studied at their thermoneutral ambient temperature of 30 °C. Thus, an accurate understanding of autonomic modulation of cardiovascular functions in mice of advanced age requires that they are housed in a metabolically neutral environment.
Spatial distribution and impacts of climate change on Milicia excelsa in Benin, West Africa
Authors: Kakpo Sunday Berlioz , Aoudji Augustin Kossi Nounangnon , Gnanguènon-Guéssè Denis , Gbètoho Alain Jaures , Koura Kourouma , Djotan Géoffroy Kévin , Ganglo Jean Cossi 
Published: November 2019

AbstractAfrican teak (Milicia excelsa (Welw.) C.C. Berg) is an endangered multi-use species. Understanding the impact of climate change on the distribution of this species may improve the ability to anticipate or recognize its decline or expansion and to take appropriate conservation measures if necessary. Ecological niche modeling was projected in geographical space to study the current and future distribution of M. excelsa in Bénin. MaxEnt was used to estimate the potential geographic distribution of the species under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP). Miroc 5 summaries and two RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios were used as predictor variables for projections of the geographic potential of this species. The performance of the model was assessed by the area under the curve (AUC), true skill statistics (TSS) and partial receiver operating characteristics (Partial ROC). From the results, M. excelsa was more a secondary species in the Guinean climatic zone and part of the Sudanian-Guinean and Sudanian climatic zone. The projections show a significant decrease in suitable habitats for the species from the two RCP scenarios. Only a part of the Guinean climatic zone remained suitable and few protected areas will conserve in situ M. excelsa. For the sustainable conservation of M. excelsa, it is essential to strengthen the protection of sacred forests located in the Guinean climatic zone.
Groundwater modeling of Musi basin Hyderabad, India: a case study
Authors: Sundararajan N. , Sankaran S. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractIn general, groundwater flow and transport models are being applied to investigate a wide variety of hydrogeological conditions besides to calculate the rate and direction of movement of groundwater through aquifers and confining units in the subsurface. Transport models estimate the concentration of a chemical in groundwater which requires the development of a calibrated groundwater flow model or, at a minimum, an accurate determination of the velocity and direction of groundwater flow that is based on field data. All the available hydrogeological, geophysical and water quality data in Musi basin, Hyderabad, India, were fed as input to the model to obtain the groundwater flow velocities and the interaction of surface water and groundwater and thereby seepage loss was estimated. This in turn paved the way to calculate the capacity of the storage treatment plants (STP) to be established at the inlets of six major lakes of the basin. The total dissolved solid was given as the pollutant load in the mass transport model, and through model simulation, its migration at present and futuristic scenarios was brought out by groundwater flow and mass transport modeling. The average groundwater velocity estimated through the flow model was 0.26 m/day. The capacities of STP of various lakes in the study area were estimated based on the lake seepage and evaporation loss. Based on the groundwater velocity and TDS as pollutant load in the lakes, the likely contamination from lakes at present and for the next 20 years was predicted.
Enhancing the cement quality using polypropylene fiber
Authors: Elkatatny Salaheldin , Gajbhiye Rahul , Ahmed Anas , Mahmoud Ahmed Abdulhamid 
Published: November 2019

AbstractDurability and long-term integrity of oil well cement are the most important parameters to be considered while designing the cement slurry, especially in the high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) environments. In this study, the effect of adding the polypropylene fiber (PPF) to Saudi Class G cement is evaluated under HPHT conditions. The effect of the PPF on the cement compressive and tensile strength, thickening time, density, free water, porosity, and permeability was studied. The effect of the PPF particles on the cement sheath microstructure was studied through powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope. The results obtained showed that PPF did not affect the cement rheology, density, and free water. The addition of PPF considerably decreased the thickening time and improved the tensile and compressive strength of the cement. 0.75% by weight of cement (BWOC) of PPF reduced the thickening time by 75%, from 317 to 78 min. The compressive strength of the cement increased by 17.8% after adding 0.5% BWOC of PPF, while the tensile strength increased by 18% when 0.75% of PPF is used which is attributed to the formation of stable forms of calcium silicate hydrates because of the ability of PPF to accelerate cement hydration process as indicated by the XRD results. The ability of the PPF to decrease the cement thickening time along with its ability to improve the cement strength suggests the use of PPF as an alternative for silica floor in shallow wells where a reduction in thickening time will decrease the wait on cement time. Porosity and permeability of the base cement were also decreased by incorporating PPF because of the pores filling effect of PPF particles as indicated by the microstructure analysis.
“What Do We Really Know about Local Peacekeeping Effects?”
Authors: Hultman Lisa , Tidblad-Lundholm Kajsa 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe article “Violence reduction or relocation? Effects of United Nations troops presence on local levels of violence” by Laura Peitz and Gregor Reisch is one of several recent articles that explore the local effects of peacekeeping deployments. We provide an overview of accumulated knowledge and conflicting findings, and identify a few remaining gaps in the literature. The finding that more peacekeepers are better at reducing violence has been replicated by several studies, although a few studies have identified conditional effects. Taken together, studies find that peacekeepers can reduce both violence between armed actors and violence against civilians. While Peitz and Reisch do not make a distinction between different perpetrators, previous work suggest that peacekeepers are better at reducing violence against civilians by non-state actors. Peitz and Reisch are thus far one of the few studies that explores the impact of the type of peacekeepers – although the findings are ambiguous. Lastly, there is a tension in the literature between Peitz and Reisch, who claim that peacekeepers diffuse violence to nearby location, and other studies that find no such relocation effect, or even the opposite. Future work should continue to explore the local effects of peacekeeping, directing attention to questions about types of peacekeepers, local conditions as enabling factors, the role of military capabilities (as opposed to capacity), and actions taken on the ground.
Comorbid amyloid‐β pathology affects clinical and imaging features in VCD
Authors: Leijenaar Jolien F. , Groot Colin , Sudre Carole H. , Bergeron David , Leeuwis Anna E. , Cardoso M. Jorge , Carrasco Ferran Prados , Laforce Robert , Barkhof Frederik , van der Flier Wiesje M. , Scheltens Philip , Prins Niels D. , Ossenkoppele Rik 
Published: November 2019

AbstractIntroductionTo date, the clinical relevance of comorbid amyloid‐β (Aβ) pathology in patients with vascular cognitive disorders (VCD) is largely unknown.MethodsWe included 218 VCD patients with available cerebrospinal fluid Aβ42 levels. Patients were divided into Aβ+ mild‐VCD (n = 84), Aβ− mild‐VCD (n = 68), Aβ+ major‐VCD (n = 31), and Aβ− major‐VCD (n = 35). We measured depression with the Geriatric Depression Scale, cognition with a neuropsychological test battery and derived white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and gray matter atrophy from MRI.ResultsAβ− patients showed more depressive symptoms than Aβ+. In the major‐VCD group, Aβ− patients performed worse on attention (P = .02) and executive functioning (P = .008) than Aβ+. We found no cognitive differences in patients with mild VCD. In the mild‐VCD group, Aβ− patients had more WMH than Aβ+ patients, whereas conversely, in the major‐VCD group, Aβ+ patients had more WMH. Atrophy patterns did not differ between Aβ+ and Aβ− VCD group.DiscussionComorbid Aβ pathology affects the manifestation of VCD, but effects differ by severity of VCD.
Spanish Wine Cooperatives’ Business Performance: Innovation Capabilities and Miles and Snow Strategies
Authors: Ferrer Juan-Ramón , Abella-Garcés Silvia , Maza María-Teresa 
Published: November 2019

AbstractAgricultural cooperatives’ economic performance and efficiency today have great economic and social relevance. Consistent with the recent literature, this article examines wine cooperatives and compares them with wine investor-owned firms, studying their innovation capabilities, Miles and Snow strategies, and performance. A survey was conducted in all the wineries in Spain, with 339 responses. The interactions between the independent variables and the dependent variable were analyzed using the logit regression model. The study points out that cooperatives do not have fewer innovation capabilities, nor are they more inefficient, than investor-owned firms, although the factors that modulate their economic performance are different. (JEL Classifications: L66, M10, P13, Q13)
Japan’s Central Asia Policy Revisited: National Identity, Interests, and Foreign Policy Discourses
Authors: Insebayeva Sabina 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThis article focuses on the nature of Japan’s foreign policy formulation and legitimization through a study of its interaction with Central Asian countries. The article examines foreign policy discourse that constructs Japan’s “self” vis-à-vis Central Asian “other.” It reveals the textual mechanism through which reality, objects, and subjects are constructed, and it interprets the official statements contained in several foreign policy initiatives, in particular, the “Eurasian (Silk Road) Diplomacy,” the “Central Asia plus Japan,” and the “Arc of Freedom and Prosperity,” as an attempt to understand the intersubjective knowledge and analytical lens through which Japanese foreign policy makers conceive and interpret the constructed “reality,” produce foreign policy choices, and choose among identified alternatives.
“Orange Plague”: World War II and the Symbolic Politics of Pro-state Mobilization in Putin’s Russia
Authors: Luxmoore Matthew 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThis article examines the symbolic politics of three pro-state movements that emerged from the “preventive counterrevolution” launched by the Kremlin in response to Ukraine’s Orange Revolution. In 2005, youth movement Nashi played upon war memory at its rallies and branded the opposition “fascist”; in 2012, the Anti-Orange Committee countered opposition protests with mass gatherings at Moscow’s war commemoration sites; in 2015, Antimaidan brought thousands onto Russia’s streets to denounce US-backed regime change and alleged neo-Nazism in Kiev. I show how evocation of the enemy image, through reference to the war experience, played a key role in the symbolism of the preventive counterrevolution. Interviews with activists in these movements discussing their symbolic politics reveal an opposing victim/victor narrative based on an interplay of two World War II myths—the “Great Victory” and the “fascist threat.” Moving beyond approaches that view the Soviet and Russian World War II cult as a triumphalist narrative of the Great Victory over fascism, I conclude that its threat component is an understudied element.
In My Name: The Impact of Regional Identity on Civilian Attitudes in the Armed Conflict in Donbas
Authors: Kudelia Serhiy , van Zyl Johanna 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThis article examines the effect of shared group membership on civilian attitudes regarding insurgent forces during an armed conflict. We rely on the original survey conducted in eight towns of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in May–June 2015. Based on the bivariate and multivariate analysis of the survey results, this article finds that a sense of shared identity with rebel forces at the start of the armed conflict in Donbas had a strong independent effect on civilian views of insurgents. Those respondents who identified themselves as residents of the region were more likely to attribute ideational motives to insurgents, report no knowledge of civilian victimization caused by rebel forces, and feel secure in their presence. By contrast, respondents identifying themselves as Ukrainian citizens were more likely to attribute material motives to insurgents, indicate their responsibility for attacks against civilians, and feel intimidated during direct encounters with rebels. These findings point to broader significance of identity cleavages in explaining the Donbas conflict.
Circadian misalignment imposed by nocturnal feeding tends to increase fat deposition in pigs
Authors: van Erp Rik J. J. , de Vries Sonja , van Kempen Theo A. T. G. , Den Hartog Leo A. , Gerrits Walter J. J. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractMisalignment of day/night and feeding rhythms has been shown to increase fat deposition and the risk for metabolic disorders in humans and rodents. In most studies, however, food intake and intake patterns are not controlled. We studied the effects of circadian misalignment on energy expenditure in pigs while controlling for food intake as well as intake patterns. Twelve groups of five male pigs were housed in respiration chambers and fed either during the day (10.00–18.00 hours; DF) or night (22.00–06.00 hours; NF), bihourly the same sequential meals, representing 15, 10, 25, 30 and 20 % of the daily allowance. Paired feeding was applied to ensure equal gross energy intake between treatments. Apparent total tract digestibility, energy balances and heat partitioning were measured and analysed using a mixed linear model. Apparent total tract energy and DM digestibility tended to be lower for NF-pigs than DF-pigs (P < 0·10). Heat production was 3 % lower for NF-pigs than DF-pigs (P < 0·026), increasing fat retention by 7 % in NF-pigs (P = 0·050). NF-pigs were less active than DF-pigs during the feeding period, but more active during the fasting period. RMR was greater for DF-pigs than NF-pigs during the fasting period. Methane production was 30 % greater in NF-pigs than DF-pigs (P < 0·001). In conclusion, circadian misalignment has little effect on nutrient digestion, but alters nutrient partitioning, ultimately increasing fat deposition. The causality of the association between circadian misalignment and methane production rates remains to be investigated.
On the quotients of mapping class groups of surfaces by the Johnson subgroups
Authors: ZEMAN TOMÁŠ 
Published: November 2019

AbstractWe study quotients of mapping class groups
${\Gamma _{g,1}}$
of oriented surfaces with one boundary component by the subgroups
${{\cal I}_{g,1}}(k)$
in the Johnson filtrations, and we show that the stable classifying spaces
${\mathbb {Z}} \times B{({\Gamma _\infty }/{{\cal I}_\infty }(k))^ + }$
after plus-construction are infinite loop spaces, fitting into a tower of infinite loop space maps that interpolates between the infinite loop spaces
${\mathbb {Z}} \times B\Gamma _\infty ^ + $
and
${\mathbb {Z}} \times B{({\Gamma _\infty }/{{\cal I}_\infty }(1))^ + } \simeq {\mathbb {Z}} \times B{\rm{Sp}}{({\mathbb {Z}})^ + }$
. We also show that for each level k of the Johnson filtration, the homology of these quotients with suitable systems of twisted coefficients stabilises as the genus of the surface goes to infinity.
A personalized requirement identifying model for design improvement based on user profiling
Authors: Li Jing , Zhang Xinwei , Wang Keqin , Zheng Chen , Tong Shurong , Eynard Benoit 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe personalization of products and services has become an inevitable trend in the manufacturing and service industry, but it is very difficult to identify users' personalized requirements accurately. This paper solves this problem by constructing an identifying model for personalized requirement based on user profiling. Firstly, the framework of the proposed model and the process of identifying the user's personalized requirements with this model are introduced, and then an experimental scheme for obtaining users' profiling data is designed. On this basis, an experiment is performed by investigating users' requirements for the computer to obtain the data, and the data are used for the analysis based on the proposed model. The analysis result shows that the model can reveal the difference among heterogeneous users well, find out the implicit requirements of users, and identify the gap between existing products and users' personalized requirements, which provides support to the subsequent improvement of product design.