bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
“We make a direct impact on people's lives”: Youth empowerment in the context of a youth‐led participatory budgeting project
Authors: Augsberger Astraea , Gecker Whitney , Collins Mary Elizabeth 
Published: September 2018

AbstractParticipatory budgeting [PB] is a democratic process whereby community members determine how to spend governmental funds. Youth‐led PB is relatively new, occurring in select U.S. cities. During youth‐led PB, youth collect ideas, develop proposals, and advertise community improvement projects for which they, citywide, cast deciding votes. The study examined opportunities for the empowerment youth at each stage of a youth‐led PB project. Data collection included individual interviews with 31 youths and adult stakeholders, 3 focus groups with youths, and 7 observations of meetings. The data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods. Findings align well with the psychological empowerment literature and demonstrate several opportunities for empowerment throughout the PB project, including feeling in charge of the process, understanding and allocating resources, and influencing positive community change. Findings also demonstrate potential barriers to empowerment, including understanding bureaucratic decision making, and influencing policy. PB is relevant to furthering our understanding of the empowerment of youth. The youths who participated in the present study expressed feelings of competence, purpose, and an ability to use the skills learned to engage fellow youths in the PB process. Additional empirical research is needed to examine the dimensions of empowerment at each stage of the PB process.
The configuration of DMD and the maximum intensity projection method for improving contrast in DMD‐based confocal microscope
Authors: Chang Min , Zhang Zhiqiang , Zhang Xuedian , He Menghui , Qiu Zhijie , Xu Jian 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIn this article, an operation strategy of digital micromirror device (DMD) and the maximum intensity projection (MIP) image processing method are proposed to improve the contrast of images in confocal microscopy. First, the configuration of DMD is demonstrated and the effect of scanning unit size on image performance is analyzed. Then, the image processing method MIP is applied. According to the MIP method, only the maximum intensity projection point of the same pixel is chosen from every image, and the maximum intensity projection point exactly corresponds to the positon where mirror is at “on” position during the scanning process in DMD‐based confocal microscope system,. Thus, high contrast of images can be achieved by using MIP. Finally, experiments are conducted to verify imaging performance by changing the parameter of scanning unit size and applying a MIP image processing technique. The results show that DMD scanning unit size and MIP image processing techniques play important roles in improving image contrast. Smaller scanning unit size of DMD improves axial contrast but greatly decreases the signal to noise ratio, which thus leads to reduced image contrast. Larger scanning unit size produces a better signal to noise ratio, thus better image contrast. However, a large S will sacrifice the processing time. Therefore, DMD scanning unit size should be smaller on the premise that image contrast can be satisfied.Research Highlights

Effect of DMD scanning unit size setting on image contrast is analyzed and verified.
The maximum intensity projection (MIP) is investigated to improve the image contrast.
Experiments are conducted to verify the enhancement of the image contrast.
Microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of Meretrix lusoria shell
Authors: Zhao Qian , Lin Zhaohua , Liang Yunhong , Liu Chunbao , Zhang Zhihui , Yu Zhenglei , Ren Luquan 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe microstructure and mechanical properties of Meretrix lusoria shell were investigated. M. lusoria shell was comprised of three layers (outer layer, middle layer and inner layer). Outer layer with serried mastoid structure enhanced the connection strength with middle layer. The middle layer consisted of blocky pattern structure with porosity and crossed‐lamellar structure. The inner layer exhibited the typical crossed‐lamellar structure. Combined with structure characteristic, phase of aragonite confirmed the crossed‐lamellar structure further, building material base for mechanical properties including flexure strength (296.26 MPa), compression strength (6.71 MPa) and crack arrest ability. Microstructure of the shell was the function base of crack deflection phenomenon, which dispersed and defused the applied load via the change of crack extension direction. The investigation of M. lusoria shell provided bionic models for the design and fabrication of bioinspired composites in engineering fields.Research Highlights

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Meretrix lusoria shell were investigated.
Crossed‐lamellar structure was the microstructure characterization.

M. lusoria shell owned high flexure strength and crack arrest property.
Facile synthesis of titanium(IV) ion‐immobilized poly‐glycidyl methacrylate microparticles functionalized with polyethylenimine and adenosine triphosphate for highly specific enrichment of intact phosphoproteins
Authors: Wang Hao , Tian Zhixin 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIn this study, a facile synthesis of the titanium(IV) ion‐immobilized poly‐glycidyl methacrylate microparticles functionalized with polyethylenimine and adenosine triphosphate was developed for efficient enrichment of intact phosphoproteins. The titanium(IV) ion‐immobilized microparticles had higher saturated adsorption capacity for phosphoproteins (1217.6 mg/g for β‐casein) than nonphosphoproteins (97.1 mg/g for bovine serum albumin) and the average particle diameter was about 1.4 μm with good dispersibility. In application, as demonstrated by SDS‐PAGE, titanium(IV) ion‐immobilized microparticles exhibited good performance in enriching intact phosphoproteins from standard protein mixtures of β‐casein and bovine serum albumin with high specificity and selectivity. In addition, titanium(IV) ion‐immobilized microparticles were also successfully applied in intact phosphoprotein enrichment from complex biological samples including nonfat milk, chicken egg white, and mouse heart tissue extract.
Coupling of CE‐MS for protein and peptide analysis
Authors: Mikšík Ivan 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe review is focused on the latest developments in the analysis of proteins and peptides by capillary electrophoresis techniques coupled to mass spectrometry. First, the methodology and instrumentation are overviewed. In this section, recent progress in capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry interfaces and capillary electrophoresis with matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization is mentioned, as well as separation tasks. The second part is devoted to applications—mainly bottom‐up and top‐down proteomics. It is obvious that capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry methods are well suited for peptide and protein analysis (proteomic research) and it is described how these techniques are complementary and not competitive with the often used liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry methods.
Stratifying Minimal Versus Severe Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis Using a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Protocol
Authors: Bernardo‐Bueno Mary Monica , Gonzalez‐Suarez Consuelo B. , Malvar Andrea Kristina , Cua Ronald , Feliciano Daniel , Tan‐Sales Bee Giok , Aycardo Svetlana Maris O. , Tan‐Ong Millicent , Chan Robert , De Los Reyes Francisco 
Published: September 2018

ObjectiveThe aim of this cross‐sectional correlational study was to determine the association of pain with morphologic and inflammatory sonographic findings in patients with knee osteoarthritis.MethodsA total of 113 participants with knee osteoarthritis were assessed using visual analog scale pain score and sonography. Ultrasound evaluation included morphologic changes (ie, articular cartilage degeneration, medial and lateral meniscal protrusion, and presence of osteophytes on the joint margins) and inflammatory changes (ie suprapatellar effusion and/or synovitis, Baker cyst, superficial and deep infrapatellar effusion, pes anserine tendinopathy, and Hoffa panniculitis).ResultsCluster analysis via Ward's method grouped patients with minimal pain (visual analog scale score, 0–4) and with substantial pain (visual analog scale score, 5–10). Stepwise logistic regression yielded 5 variables that significantly explained the variation in the probability of perceived substantial pain at 10% level of significance: lateral cartilage clarity (LCC; P = .025), medial cartilage clarity (MCC; P = .20), medial cartilage thickness (MCT; P = .041), medial meniscus protrusion (MMP) (P = .029), and osteophytes at medial femoral margin (P = .082), with 63% overall prediction accuracy. When age and sex were added, 4 variables remained significant at a 10% level of significance: LCC, MCC, MCT, and MMP, with 65% overall prediction accuracy. The receiver operating characteristic curve of this model was 0.667.ConclusionThe study was able to demonstrate that morphologic abnormalities in the ultrasound parameters for LCC, MCC, MCT, and MMP were able to predict significant joint pain in knee osteoarthritis. There were no inflammatory changes that contributed to significant joint pain in this study.
Association of moose parturition and post‐parturition habitat with calf survival
Authors: Severud William J. , DelGiudice Glenn D. , Obermoller Tyler R. 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACTHabitat use during calving and the energetically demanding post‐parturition period can be an important determinant of neonatal survival. The moose (Alces alces) population in northeastern Minnesota, USA declined 65% from 2006 to 2018. During 2013–2015, annual survival of calves was estimated as low as 28%. We remotely monitored global positioning system (GPS)‐collared adult female moose and their neonates during the calving and post‐parturition seasons to examine calving movements, birth‐sites, habitat use, survival, and cause‐specific mortality of neonates. Identifying the association of specific landscape characteristics with neonate survival should yield insight into mechanisms contributing to the declining moose population and serve as a basis for an ecologically sound management response. We compared habitat characteristics of pre‐calving, calving, peak‐lactation, and mortality sites at a fine and broad scale. We also compared calving sites of females that successfully reared a calf to winter to those that did not. In general, females tended to move to areas of more conifer cover to calve. During peak‐lactation, females and their calves used steeper areas with abundant forage and high concealment but less conifer cover. Mortalities occurred at sites that were more level than other site types. Females that successfully reared a calf to 1 February typically calved in areas with more deciduous forest and less forested wetland cover than females whose calves died before 9 months of age. Habitat improvement projects for moose should consider forage requirements and placement on the landscape in relation to cover and slope. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.
Sensitivity of Antibacterial Activity to Backbone Sequence in Constitutionally Isomeric OligoTEAs
Authors: Hoff Emily A. , Artim Christine M. , Brown Joseph S. , Alabi Christopher A. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractAntimicrobial peptides are promising alternatives to traditional antibiotics but their translational potential is limited due to rapid degradation by serum proteases. Recently, a number of peptidomimetics with backbones resistant to proteolysis have been synthesized and their antimicrobial potential evaluated as a function of their hydrophobic to cationic ratio. However, these mimetics also have a fixed backbone thus making it difficult to isolate the effect of backbone hydrophobic composition and sequence. In this work, advantage is taken of the oligothioetheramide (oligoTEA) synthetic strategy that allows for precise control over backbone and pendant group placement to systematically study the effect of backbone hydrophobic sequence while keeping pendant group constant. Biophysical data acquired with a set of constitutional oligoTEA isomers show that backbone hydrophobic sequence, that is, local hydrophobicity, affects the mode of oligoTEA interaction with lipid bilayers. This differential interaction among the constitutionally isomeric oligoTEAs is manifested in their antibacterial activities and points to the possibility of using backbone hydrophobic sequence to tune antibacterial potency and selectivity.
High‐Performance Polybenzoxazine Derived from Polyfunctional Benzoxazine Composed of an Oligonuclear Phenolic Compound Having a 4,4′‐Dimethylenebiphenyl Linker
Authors: Kawauchi Takehiro , Osawa Tsubasa , Matsumura Shunichiro , Mori Takuto , Furukawa Nobuyuki , Ishikawa Kazunori , Iwasaki Koju , Takeichi Tsutomu 
Published: September 2018

AbstractA novel polyfunctional benzoxazine monomer, OP‐a, is synthesized from aniline, formaldehyde, and an oligonuclear phenolic compound (OP) with a 4,4′‐dimethylenebiphenyl group as the phenol linker. After thermal curing of OP‐a up to 240 °C, a brown‐colored, transparent polybenzoxazine (POP‐a) film is obtained. The mechanical and thermal properties of the POP‐a film are investigated by tensile test, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The POP‐a film is extremely tough compared with a typical polybenzoxazine (PB‐a) film. The elongation at break of the POP‐a film is 7.6%, which is surprisingly large for the highly cross‐linked thermoset. The high cross‐link density is suggested from the very high storage modulus (over 1 GPa) above the glass transition temperature (T
g) observed by DMA. The T
g of POP‐a is also improved significantly to T
g = 223 °C, which is approximately 50 °C higher than that of PB‐a. Moreover, TGA reveals that the thermal stability of POP‐a is also enhanced.
Solution Processed Coating of Polyolefin on Melamine Foams to Fabricate Tough Oil Superabsorbents
Authors: Ren Qiang , Dai Tian , Jin Xuanyi , Wu Dun , Wang Chenyi , Li Jian , Zhu Shiping 
Published: September 2018

AbstractOil superabsorbent porous materials having rapid oil/water separation, high oil absorption capacity, good mechanical strength, superior recyclability, low costs, and manufacture scalability are still highly desired for oil spill cleanup applications. In this work, commercially available melamine foams are modified through dip‐coating by polyolefin/toluene solution. All characterizations confirm that polyolefin is successfully coated on surfaces of the melamine foam skeleton, giving a micro‐nano scale hierarchical architecture. The modified foams absorb oil and repel water with a water contact angle higher than 130°. The absorption capacities of the modified foams for various oil and solvents are in the range of 42.6–116.5 g g−1. The retention of sorption capacity remains above 95% after 100 cycles of sorption–squeezing. Mechanical testing reveals that the compressive‐recovery property is kept and the tensile strains at break of the modified foams are improved compared to their original counterparts. This method is facile, inexpensive, and can be easily scaled‐up.
Polymer Synthesis with More Than One Form of Living Polymerization Method
Authors: Guo Xiaofeng , Choi Bonnie , Feng Anchao , Thang San H. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractControlled radical polymerization (CRP) or controlled/living radical polymerization has revolutionized the polymer industry as a tool for the preparation of a wide variety of polymers. This process enables the preparation of polymers with good control of molecular weight, narrow polydispersity, and a range of architectures including block and graft copolymers, star polymers, and other functional polymers. The mechanistic transformation reaction provides a great opportunity to tune chemical and physical properties of copolymers. It can be applied to combine different homopolymers using post‐modification techniques or by the use of a dual initiator, allowing the combination of mechanistically distinct polymerization reactions. This review will cover CRP transformations including the synthesis of block copolymers with both linear structures (AB, ABA, (AB)
n
, multiblocks, etc.) and branched macromolecular architectures (graft, miktoarm star, and dendritic‐like), which are obtained by a combination of more than one form of living polymerization reaction.
Effects of temperature on bacterial microbiome composition in Ixodes scapularis ticks
Authors: Thapa Santosh , Zhang Yan , Allen Michael S. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIxodes scapularis, the blacklegged deer tick, is the principal vector of Lyme disease in North America. Environmental factors are known to influence regional and seasonal incidence of Lyme disease and possibly the endemicity of the disease to the northeastern and upper mid‐western regions of the United States. With a goal to understand the impact of environmental temperature on microbial communities within the tick, we investigated the bacterial microbiome of colony‐reared I. scapularis ticks statically incubated at different temperatures (4, 20, 30, and 37°C) at a constant humidity in a controlled laboratory setting by comparison of sequenced amplicons of the bacterial 16S V4 rRNA gene to that of the untreated baseline controls. The microbiomes of colony‐reared I. scapularis males were distinct than that of females, which were entirely dominated by Rickettsia. In silico removal of Rickettsia sequences from female data revealed the underlying bacterial community, which is consistent in complexity with those seen among male ticks. The bacterial community composition of these ticks changes upon incubation at 30°C for a week and 37°C for more than 5 days. Moreover, the male ticks incubated at 30 and 37°C exhibited significantly different bacterial diversity compared to the initial baseline microbiome, and the change in bacterial diversity was dependent upon duration of exposure. Rickettsia‐free data revealed a significantly different bacterial diversity in female ticks incubated at 37°C compared to that of 4 and 20°C treatments. These results provide experimental evidence that environmental temperature can impact the tick bacterial microbiome in a laboratory setting.
CT sinogram‐consistency learning for metal‐induced beam hardening correction
Authors: Park Hyoung Suk , Lee Sung Min , Kim Hwa Pyung , Seo Jin Keun , Chung Yong Eun 
Published: September 2018

PurposeThis paper proposes a sinogram‐consistency learning method to deal with beam hardening‐related artifacts in polychromatic computerized tomography (CT). The presence of highly attenuating materials in the scan field causes an inconsistent sinogram that does not match the range space of the Radon transform. When the mismatched data are entered into the range space during CT reconstruction, streaking and shading artifacts are generated owing to the inherent nature of the inverse Radon transformMethodsThe proposed learning method aims to repair inconsistent sinogram by removing the primary metal‐induced beam hardening factors along the metal trace in the sinogram. Taking account of the fundamental difficulty in obtaining sufficient training data in a medical environment, the learning method is designed to use simulated training data and a patient’s implant type‐specific learning model is used to simplify the learning process.ResultsThe feasibility of the proposed method is investigated using a dataset, consisting of real CT scans of pelvises containing simulated hip prostheses. The anatomical areas in training and test data are different, in order to demonstrate that the proposed method extracts the beam hardening features, selectively. The results show that our method successfully corrects sinogram inconsistency by extracting beam hardening sources by means of deep learning.ConclusionThis paper proposed a deep learning method of sinogram correction for beam hardening reduction in CT for the first time. Conventional methods for beam hardening reduction are based on regularizations, and have the fundamental drawback of being not easily able to use manifold CT images, while a deep learning approach has the potential to do so.
Measurements of self‐efficacy in musculoskeletal rehabilitation: A systematic review
Authors: Picha Kelsey J. , Jochimsen Kate N. , Heebner Nicholas R. , Abt John P. , Usher Ellen L. , Capilouto Gilson , Uhl Tim L. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractObjectivesLow self‐efficacy is a barrier to rehabilitation adherence. Before an intervention can be implemented to improve self‐efficacy, assessment is required. It is currently unknown if a standard measure of self‐efficacy has been used to assess this in patients with musculoskeletal conditions, specifically for home exercise programmes (HEPs). The aim of the present study was to determine which self‐efficacy scales are being used in conjunction with exercise adherence, identify if any scale has been developed to evaluate self‐efficacy for HEPs and evaluate their psychometric properties.MethodsData sources included CINAHL, MEDLINE, Pubmed, PsycInfo, and Sport Discus. Studies had to include patients suffering from a musculoskeletal injury, pain or disorder; a measure of rehabilitation adherence; and patient's self‐efficacy. The study population, self‐efficacy measurement used, study quality as identified with the Modified Downs and Black checklist, results pertaining to self‐efficacy, and level of evidence were extracted. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed and 29 articles were included.ResultsA total of 14 scales assessing self‐efficacy were identified but no scale to assess self‐efficacy for HEPs was found. Many scales report internal consistency but lack test–retest reliability and validity.ConclusionsThe scales identified were specific to condition or tasks, and not applicable for all musculoskeletal patient populations. It is important, both for use in the clinic and for research, that outcome measures used are reliable and valid. Unfortunately, no scale was found to assess self‐efficacy for HEPs, which is problematic as self‐efficacy is task specific. As HEPs are essential to rehabilitation, there should be a scale designed specifically to assess self‐efficacy for this task.
Partial amniotic carbon dioxide insufflation for fetal surgery
Authors: Skinner Sasha , DeKoninck Philip , Crossley Kelly , Amberg Benjamin , Deprest Jan , Hooper Stuart , Hodges Ryan 
Published: September 2018

AbstractPartial amniotic carbon dioxide insufflation (PACI) involves insufflating the amniotic sac with carbon dioxide (CO2) and, in some cases, draining some of the amniotic fluid. The creation of a gaseous intra‐amniotic compartment improves visualization, even in the presence of limited bleeding, and creates the work space required for complex fetoscopic procedures. Clinically, PACI is mostly used to perform fetoscopic myelomeningocele (MMC) repair, enabling a minimally invasive alternative to open fetal surgery. However, evidence of the fetal safety of PACI is limited. Previous animal experiments in sheep demonstrate that PACI induces fetal hypercapnia and acidosis with largely unknown short and longer term implications. In this review, we examine the literature for the physiological effects of intrauterine insufflation pressure, duration, humidity, and the role of maternal hyperventilation on fetal physiology and well‐being.