bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Three decades of annual growth, mortality, physical condition, and microsite for ten tropical rainforest tree species
Authors: Clark Deborah A. , Clark David B. , Letcher Susan G. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIn lowland tropical rainforest, hundreds of tree species typically occur within mesoscale landscapes (50–500 ha). There is no consensus ecological theory that accounts for the coexistence of so many species with similar morphologies and the same fundamental requirements of light, nutrients, water, and physical space. In part this is due to the limited understanding of post‐establishment ecology for the vast majority of tropical tree species. Of even more concern is the lack of understanding of how these trees are responding to on‐going atmospheric and climatic changes. Here we present long‐term data on the post‐establishment ecology of ten species of tropical rainforest trees that span a broad life‐history spectrum. The study site was upland (non‐swamp) old‐growth tropical wet forest at the La Selva Biological Station (N.E. Costa Rica). Focal individuals from established seedlings to mature trees were assessed annually, with an emphasis on accuracy and long‐term consistency of the observations. The annual time‐step, rare for longterm studies in tropical rainforest, captures the typically abrupt changes in forest structure and light environments, the frequent instances of major physical damage, and the trees’ responses to these events and to interannual and long‐term climatic variation. With the completion of the study in 2016, the data for survivorship, growth, and microsite conditions span 4,499 individuals and 34 yr. The first ten years of these data were published as an Ecology/Ecological Archives data paper in 2000 (Clark and Clark 2000), with two subsequent update publications (Clark and Clark 2006, 2012). This final update adds the final six years of observations, digitized field comments, and histories of points of measurement on the trees. The metadata now include the scanned original field data‐sheets for the entire study and a narrative detailing the annual qa/qc of the data. The data set is unique for its scope (years of continuous annual measurements, number of monitored individuals), the in‐depth documentation, and the unrestricted data access. The data have been used to study life history patterns, tree ecology through ontogeny, and effects on tree performance from interannual and long‐term climatic and atmospheric change. They have also contributed to numerous remote‐sensing studies. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set other than citation of the paper; the authors believe scientific data should be freely available for scientific use. The authors would appreciate notification of when and how data are used, but this is discretionary on the part of the data users and is in no sense mandatory.
Costs and benefits of alternative food handling tactics help explain facultative exploitation of pollination mutualisms
Authors: Lichtenberg Elinor M. , Irwin Rebecca E. , Bronstein Judith L. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractMany mutualisms are taken advantage of by organisms that take rewards from their partners but provide no benefit in return. In the absence of traits that limit exploitation, facultative exploiters (partners that can either exploit or cooperate) are widely predicted by mutualism theory to choose an exploitative strategy, potentially threatening mutualism stability. However, it is unknown whether facultative exploiters choose to exploit, and, if so, make this choice because it is the most beneficial strategy for them. We explored these questions in a subalpine plant‐insect community in which individuals of several bumble bee species visit flowers both “legitimately” (entering via the flower opening, picking up and depositing pollen, and hence behaving mutualistically) and via nectar robbing (creating holes through corollas or using an existing hole, bypassing stigmas and anthers). We applied foraging theory to (1) quantify handling costs, benefits and foraging efficiencies incurred by three bumble bee species as they visited flowers legitimately or robbed nectar in cage experiments, and (2) determine whether these efficiencies matched the food handling tactics these bee species employed in the field. Relative efficiencies of legitimate and robbing tactics depended on the combination of bee and plant species. In some cases (Bombus mixtusvisitingCorydalis caseanaorMertensia ciliata), the robbing tactic permitted more efficient nectar removal. As both mutualism and foraging theory would predict, in the field,B. mixtusvisitingC. caseanawere observed more frequently robbing than foraging legitimately. However, forBombus flavifronsvisitingM. ciliata, the expectation from mutualism theory did not hold: legitimate visitation was the more efficient tactic. Legitimate visitation toM. ciliatawas in fact more frequently observed in free‐flyingB. flavifrons. Free‐flyingB. mixtusalso frequently visitedM. ciliataflowers legitimately. This may reflect lower nectar volumes in robbed than unrobbed flowers in the field. These results suggest that a foraging ecology perspective is informative to the choice of tactics facultative exploiters make. In contrast, the simple expectation that exploiters should always have an advantage, and hence could threaten mutualism persistence unless they are deterred or punished, may not be broadly applicable.
Biomass potential analysis of aquatic biomass and challenges for its use as a nonconventional substrate in anaerobic digestion plants
Authors: Zehnsdorf Andreas , Moeller Lucie , Stabenau Nele , Bauer Aline , Wedwitschka Harald , Gallegos Daniela , Stinner Walter , Herbes Carsten 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAquatic macrophytes are important components of aquatic habitats. However, the overgrowth of aquatic plants can cause severe problems for the management of bodies of water. As a result, these plants must be removed and disposed of as waste. However, the usage of this biomass as a substrate in biogas plants would appear to be more beneficial. The present study shows the advantages and barriers to the use of harvested aquatic biomass for energy production in Germany. The results cover several aspects of this issue, such as the question of biomass potential, the quality of the harvested aquatic plants, and ensiling for the purpose of conservation for anaerobic digestion. In addition, the social aspects of the de‐weeding in bodies of water are discussed.
Soil‐structure system frequency and damping: Estimation from eigenvalues and results for a 2D model in layered half‐space
Authors: Fu Jia , Liang Jianwen , Todorovska Maria I. , Trifunac Mihailo D. 
Published: May 2018

SummaryThis paper presents a formulation for estimation of the frequency and damping of a soil‐structure interaction system based on the classical modal analysis and solving the system eigenvalue problem. Without loss of generality, the structure is represented by a single degree of freedom oscillator, while the soil effects are included through impedance functions for in‐plane motion of a 2D rigid foundation. For the results presented in this paper, the impedance functions were computed by the indirect boundary element method for a rectangular foundation embedded in a soil layer over elastic bedrock. The study shows that the classical modal‐analysis approach works well, with the exception of squat, stiff structures, even though the impedance functions are frequency‐dependent and the soil‐structure interaction system does not possess normal modes. The study also shows that system frequency and damping are independent of the wave passage effects, contrary to findings of some previous studies, and that the site conditions, represented by the soil‐layer thickness and stiffness contrast between bedrock and soil layer, have significant influences on both system frequency and system damping. Finally, the paper examines the accuracy of some of the simple methods for estimation of these two system parameters and comments on some conflicting conclusions of previous studies about the effects of foundation embedment.
Differences in set‐shifting and central coherence across anorexia nervosa subtypes in children and adolescents
Authors: Herbrich Laura , Kappel Viola , van Noort Betteke Maria , Winter Sibylle 
Published: May 2018

AbstractObjectiveRegarding executive functioning in anorexia nervosa (AN), little is known about differences between the restricting (AN‐R) and binge eating/purging (AN‐BP) subtypes. Especially for adolescents, there is sparse data. Hence, the current aim is to investigate differences in set‐shifting, central coherence, and self‐reported executive functioning across adolescent AN subtypes.MethodsNinety AN‐R, 21 AN‐BP, and 63 controls completed an extensive assessment battery including neuropsychological tests for executive functioning and the self‐report questionnaire Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning.ResultsPatients with AN‐R and AN‐BP did not differ on neuropsychological measures, and both performed similarly to controls. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning scores fell within the normal range with AN subtypes showing mostly comparable ratings. AN‐BP patients scored higher on 2 composite indices and the “shift” subscale compared with AN‐R.ConclusionsThe results suggest similar cognitive functioning in adolescent AN subtypes as well as healthy controls. However, more research is needed to draw more general conclusions.
Modeling wet headwater stream networks across multiple flow conditions in the Appalachian Highlands
Authors: Jensen Carrie K. , McGuire Kevin J. , Shao Yang , Andrew Dolloff C. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractDespite the advancement of remote sensing and geospatial technology in recent decades, maps of headwater streams continue to have high uncertainty and fail to adequately characterize temporary streams that expand and contract in the wet length. However, watershed management and policy increasingly require information regarding the spatial and temporal variability of flow along streams. We used extensive field data on wet stream length at different flows to create logistic regression models of stream network dynamics for four physiographic provinces of the Appalachian Highlands: New England, Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge, and Blue Ridge. The topographic wetness index (TWI) was the most important parameter in all four models, and the topographic position index (TPI) further improved model performance in the Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge, and Blue Ridge. We included stream runoff at the catchment outlet as a model predictor to represent the wetness state of the catchment, but adjustment of the probability threshold defining wet stream presence/absence to high values for low flows was the primary mechanism for approximating network extent at multiple flow conditions. Classification accuracy was high overall (> 0.90), and McFadden's pseudo R2 values ranged from 0.69 for the New England model to 0.79 in the Appalachian Plateau. More notable errors included an overestimation of wet stream length in wide valleys and inaccurate reach locations amid boulder deposits and along headwardly eroding tributaries. Logistic regression was generally successful for modeling headwater streams at high and low flows with only a few simple terrain metrics. Modification and application of this modeling approach to other regions or larger areas would be relatively easy and provide a more accurate portrayal of temporary headwaters than existing datasets. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A 2‐stage biased‐randomized iterated local search for the uncapacitated single allocation p‐hub median problem
Authors: Alvarez Fernandez Stephanie , Ferone Daniele , Juan Angel A. , Silva Daniel G. , de Armas Jesica 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe hub location problem has gained attention over the last decades. In telecommunications network, a hub is a place of concurrence in where the work of the network is centralized with the purpose of delivering out the data that arrives from one or more directions to other destinations. There are different versions of the hub location problem depending upon (1) the existence or not of restrictions on the capacity related to the volume of flow a hub is allowed to support, (2) the existence or not of a set‐up cost associated with selecting any node as a hub, etc. In these types of configurations, the hubs serve as connection point between 2 installations, allowing, in this way, to replace a large amount of direct connections between all pair of the nodes, therefore, minimizing the total transportation cost of the network. Thus, this work proposes a 2‐stage metaheuristic based on the combination of biased‐randomized technique with an iterated local search framework for solving the uncapacitated single allocation p‐hub median problem, with computational results that validate the methodology for large‐size instances from the literature.
Gating by induced Α–Γ asynchrony in selective attention
Authors: Pascucci David , Hervais‐Adelman Alexis , Plomp Gijs 
Published: May 2018

AbstractVisual selective attention operates through top–down mechanisms of signal enhancement and suppression, mediated by α‐band oscillations. The effects of such top–down signals on local processing in primary visual cortex (V1) remain poorly understood. In this work, we characterize the interplay between large‐scale interactions and local activity changes in V1 that orchestrates selective attention, using Granger‐causality and phase‐amplitude coupling (PAC) analysis of EEG source signals. The task required participants to either attend to or ignore oriented gratings. Results from time‐varying, directed connectivity analysis revealed frequency‐specific effects of attentional selection: bottom–up γ‐band influences from visual areas increased rapidly in response to attended stimuli while distributed top–down α‐band influences originated from parietal cortex in response to ignored stimuli. Importantly, the results revealed a critical interplay between top–down parietal signals and α–γ PAC in visual areas. Parietal α‐band influences disrupted the α–γ coupling in visual cortex, which in turn reduced the amount of γ‐band outflow from visual areas. Our results are a first demonstration of how directed interactions affect cross‐frequency coupling in downstream areas depending on task demands. These findings suggest that parietal cortex realizes selective attention by disrupting cross‐frequency coupling at target regions, which prevents them from propagating task‐irrelevant information.
Women, Land and Empowerment in Rwanda
Authors: Abbott Pamela , Mugisha Roger , Sapsford Roger 
Published: May 2018

AbstractRwanda has recently registered all legal owners of land and has required spouses to be registered as co‐owners of joint property; this is aimed at contributing to the empowerment of women, among many other things. A 2015 survey explored the impact of law and official practice on women's empowerment—whether they knew their rights and whether they could claim them. The conclusion is that there has indeed been some impact. The problems of women's subordination remain, however, given patriarchal attitudes, unequally shared decision‐making and a tension between Rwanda's espousal of the rule of law on the one hand and the principle of dialogue and consensus on the other. Moreover, the position of a substantial proportion of women in unregistered domestic partnerships has not changed. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fabrication of polymer‐modified magnetic nanoparticle based adsorbents for the capture and release of quinolones by manipulating the metal–coordination interaction
Authors: Zhang Mingming , Qiao Juan , Zhao Zhenwen , Zhang Shufeng , Qi Li 
Published: May 2018

AbstractFunctional polymers with a metal–coordination interaction have been fabricated for sample pretreatment. Poly(N‐4‐vinyl‐benzyl iminodiacetic acid‐co‐methacrylic acid‐co‐styrene)‐modified magnetic nanoparticles were prepared and used as solid‐phase extraction adsorbents for the analysis of quinolones by tuning the metal–coordination interaction. In the construction of the polymer‐based adsorbents, functional monomer (N‐(4‐vinyl)‐benzyl iminodiacetic acid) and comonomers (methacrylic acid and styrene) were fabricated onto the magnetic nanoparticles by free radical polymerization. Factors affecting the performance of the adsorbents were investigated, and the results revealed that Fe3+ played a vital role in the formation of metal–coordination adsorbents. Compared with other compounds, the resultant adsorbents displayed good selectivity to quinolones due to the metal–coordination complex (N‐4‐vinyl‐benzyl iminodiacetic acid‐Fe3+‐quinolones). Interestingly, the captured quinolones could be rapidly released by manipulating the metal–coordination interaction with Cu2+. The linearity range for analysis of the test quinolones was 0.025–2.0 μg/mL (R2 > 0.999), and the recovery varied from 80.0 to 100.7%. Further, the proposed adsorbents were combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of quinolones in real urine samples. The results demonstrated that the prepared adsorbents have good selectivity and sensitivity for quinolones, showing great potential for drug analysis in real samples.
European rural entrepreneur and tourism‐based diversification: Does national culture matter?
Authors: Calza Francesco , Go Frank M. , Parmentola Adele , Trunfio Mariapina 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIntegrated rural tourism assumes a pivotal role in the regeneration of rural areas. The farmer's transition towards rural tourism is influenced by diverse macroeconomic and microeconomic factors. This paper contributes to the debate on tourism‐based farm diversification by cross‐fertilizing 3 theoretical domains—integrated rural tourism, cultural contexts, and rural entrepreneurship—in order to investigate how national cultural dimensions can influence European rural entrepreneur diversification into the tourism sector. To address our research question, we analyse the tourism‐based diversification of farmers in 17 European countries that have instituted the European Rural Development Policy of 2007–2013.
The process of outpatient care of children and adolescents in a tertiary‐level hospital specializing in pediatrics: A case study focused on identifying opportunities for improvement with the aid of modeling using BPMN
Authors: Vinci André Luiz Teixeira , Barbosa Francisco , de Pádua Silvia Inês Dallavalle , Rijo Rui , Alves Domingos 
Published: May 2018

IntroductionBusiness process management has gained importance in organizations for providing improved productivity and cost reduction, with process modeling being the central role. Usually, with reduced resources, the health area can benefit from good management of its processes.ObjectiveTo identify proposals for improvements in the process of outpatient care of children and adolescents in a tertiary‐level—the most specialized and complex—pediatric hospital.MethodsA bibliographic survey on the subject and a case study with in loco observation of the processes with semistructured interviews with the professionals involved were carried out. Alpha Hospital was chosen for this study, and the modeling of the process was performed using Business Process Model and Notation.ResultsTwelve relevant articles were identified. The “AS‐IS” model of the process was obtained as a result and presents the existing 4 subprocesses (patient reception, preconsultation, consultation, and postconsultation). Specifically, the following improvement opportunities were identified: (a) process monitoring through indicators; (b) adequacy of the information system; (c) creation of service evaluation mechanisms; and (d) definition and application of training sessions for whenever a new professional begins working in a specific sector. The problem with the waiting time for patient care was also identified, but with no obvious solution; further studies should be carried to solve the problem.ConclusionThe use of the business process modeling approach and process analysis allowed the hospital team awareness of the process and the identification of an improved set that can be helpful to Alpha Hospital or be used by other hospitals.
Spatiotemporal drought evaluation of Hyrcanian deciduous forests and semi‐steppe rangelands using moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer time series in Northeast Iran
Authors: Abdi Omid , Shirvani Zeinab , Buchroithner Manfred F. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAdvanced MODIS data have provided diverse products for assessing and monitoring natural vegetation affected by droughts. Between 2000 and 2016, we estimated monthly precipitation anomalies in the deciduous forests and semi‐steppe rangelands of northeastern Iran using kriging models, and analyzed 16‐day vegetation anomalies using vegetation greenness and water content indices—including the enhanced vegetation index, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and the normalized difference water index (NDWI). Vegetation anomalies showed high positive responses to interseasonal precipitation anomalies over the 17‐year period, and low positive responses to monthly precipitation deficits during critical droughts. Forest and rangeland anomalies recorded higher Moran's coefficients based on the NDVI (I = 0.253 ± 0.102) and NDWI (I = 0.284 ± 0.087) with interseasonal precipitation anomalies, respectively. Throughout critical droughts, the NDWI anomalies showed higher coefficients with monthly precipitation deficits for both forests (I = 0.0716 ± 0.059) and rangelands (I = 0.125 ± 0.0615). Nevertheless, there were only significant differences between the Moran's coefficients of the three vegetation indices for rangelands (F = 2.873; p < 0.05). BiLISA maps indicated that sparse forests show higher spatial associations with drought conditions (High‐high cluster), whereas dense forests experienced lower stresses by severe droughts (High‐low outlier) during drought periods. Meanwhile, some severe vegetation stresses occurred at locations with low droughts (Low‐high outlier), which indicate the impact of other significant climate‐induced disturbances on vegetation anomalies.
A Facile Strategy for Preparing PCL/PEG Block Copolymer Microspheres via Electrospraying as Coatings for Cotton Fabrics
Authors: Wang Haipeng , Li Wulong , Li Zhanxiong 
Published: May 2018

AbstractPolymeric microspheres can serve as microcarrier matrices and be used to prepare fabric coatings. After embedding spices or drugs in microspheres, and using them to coat fabrics, the coated fabrics can be applied to functional textiles. A facile one‐step, single‐solvent electrospray technology is utilized to produce polycaprolactone (PCL), PCL‐PEG400, and PCL‐PEG1000 microspheres with controlled sizes and tunable surface morphologies by adjusting parameters such as flow rate, voltage, and collection distance. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with an image analysis software (ImageJ) is employed to evaluate the size distribution and structures of the microspheres. Using PCL, PCL‐PEG400, and PCL‐PEG1000 as matrices, spherical particles with micro‐nanostructure surfaces are produced by adjusting the electrospraying parameters. According to observation and analysis results, PCL, PCL‐PEG400, and PCL‐PEG1000 form different microspheres with many porous pits, few pits, or nonporous wrinkles on a spherical surface, respectively. Increasing the flow rate or voltage produces larger or smaller microspheres, respectively. A slight increase in the average particle size is obtained by increasing the collection distance. Cotton fabrics pretreated with adhesive are directly coated by electrospraying to successfully enhance microsphere adhesion on fabric surfaces.