bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Surface infiltration study of palmitic acid modification for oil-water separation
Authors: Li Ting , Wang Peiyu , Shen Yang , Su Danting , Fu Jinxiang 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
Removal of oil and organic pollutants from water is desired due to the frequent oil spill accidents and increase of industrial oily wastewater. The development of absorbent materials with high absorption capacity for separation and removal of oils from water should be of great importance to address environmental issues. In this paper, we reported a simple method to hydrophobic surface modification, which fabricated by palmitic acid solution-immersion processes, as well as their excellent adsorption performance for oils and organic solvents. The hydrophobicity, oil-absorption capacity and selectivity of the as-prepared sponges were evaluated. The results show that the sponges fast and selectively absorbed various kinds of oils up to above 33 times their weight. These sponges have great potentials for large-scale removal of oil or organic solvents spills from water.
Challenge and Advantage of Materials in Design and Fabrication of Composite UAV
Authors: verma Anand kishor , Pradhan Neeraj Kumar , Nehra Rajesh , Prateek  
Published: December 2018

Abstract
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is constructed with composite materials, including its aerodynamic surfaces wings, horizontal stabilizer, and rudder. Three main constituents of our model is Kevlar 49, carbon fibre, glass fibre. KALPANA-1 is a pusher type, tail dragger, fixed wing radio controlled medium range remotely operated composite aircraft. This is designed for Aerial surveillance & reconnaissance. It is a kind of drone which has capability of carrying 2kg of operational payload as surveillance camera and its gimbal mount unit. It can be equipped with on-board sensors for weather monitoring as civilian use of UAV. It has a carbon frame body which makes it hassle to work in all-weather environment, protecting its electronics and payload from external entities. KEVLAR-49 is reinforced at the bottom part of the fuselage to overcome hard landing & impacts. The main disadvantage of using carbon fibre is that it partially shelled the RC signals so we fixed our receiver outside of the fuselage. For camera mounting purpose a duct made in front side of fuselage. It can use as other diplomatic mission as mounting camera and robotic arm for weight lifting mechanism. Some further upgrading two semi ducts at two side of the front face of the fuselage for steerable camera mounting. Aircraft using single electrical propulsive system and large wings which helps it for a long range, good endurance and smooth steady flight. Composite materials don’t break easily, but that makes it hard to analyses if the interior structure has been damaged at all. In contrast, aluminum bends and dents easily, making it easy to detect structural damage; the same damage is much harder to detect with composite structures. Repairs can also be more difficult when a composite surface is damaged. Finally, composite materials can be expensive, but the high initial costs are typically offset by long-term cost savings and life cycle more compare to cost of material.
Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Hemp Nanofibre Reinforced Epoxy Composite
Authors: Rana S. S. , Gupta M. K. 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
In present study, dynamic mechanical properties of hemp nanofibre reinforced epoxy composite were carried out. The hemp nano composites were fabricated by hand lay-up technique followed by static compression using varying wt. % (1 to 5 wt. %) of nanofibres. Dynamic mechanical properties were studied in terms of storage modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″), damping (Tanδ) and glass transition temperature (Tg
). In addition, thermal stability of prepared nano composites was also analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results suggested that composite with 2 wt. % nanofibres had overall better thermal and dynamic mechanical properties than other all composites.
Mechanical, Thermal and Morphological Properties of Sisal Fibres
Authors: Sahu Parul , Gupta M. K. 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
Natural fibres are gaining attention day by day in industrial applications. The aim of current investigation is to enhance the performance of sisal fibre by its surface modifications. The surface modifications include alkali treatment with varying concentrations (2, 5, 10, 15 & 20 %) and coating of PLA with varying concentrations (2, 4, 6, 8 & 10 %). Treated and untreated sisal fibres were subjected to tensile test and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition to this, sisal fibres were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and its structural morphology was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Moreover, FTIR spectroscope analysis was also carried out to see the removal of hemicelluloses and lignin from sisal fibre by alkali treatment. It was observed that surface modifications had much influenced the performance of sisal fibre. On other hand, PLA coated fibre had a better performance than alkali treated fibre.
The Implications of Using Lagged and Baseline Exposure Terms in Longitudinal Causal and Regression Models
Authors: Mansournia Mohammad Ali , Naimi Ashley I , Greenland Sander 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
There are now many published applications of causal (structural) models for estimating effects of time-varying exposures in the presence of confounding by earlier exposures and confounders affected by earlier exposures. Results from these models can be highly sensitive to inclusion of lagged and baseline exposure terms for different visits. This sensitivity is often overlooked in practice; moreover, results from these models are not directly comparable to results from conventional time-dependent regression models, because the latter do not estimate the same causal parameter even when no bias is present. We thus explore the implications of including lagged and baseline exposure terms in causal and regression models, using a public data set (Caerphilly Heart Disease Study in the United Kingdom, 1979–1998) relating smoking to cardiovascular outcomes.
Point: Risk Ratio Equations for Natural Direct and Indirect Effects in Causal Mediation Analysis of a Binary Mediator and a Binary Outcome—A Fresh Look at the Formulas
Authors: Samoilenko Mariia , Lefebvre Geneviève 
Published: December 2018

AbstractIn this article, we review the formulas for the natural direct and indirect effects’ risk ratios introduced by Ananth and VanderWeele (Am J Epidemiol. 2011;174(1):99–108) for causal mediation analysis of a binary mediator and a binary outcome. In particular, we show that the closed-form equations Ananth and VanderWeele provided do not correspond to the log-binomial model specified by these authors for the mediator variable, but rather to a logistic model. We then provide risk ratio equations for natural direct and indirect effects that truly pertain to a log-binomial model. We conclude with a discussion on the practical implications of the binary mediator model’s specification by analysts. The related impact can be negligible or not, depending on the rareness of the mediator.
Long non-coding RNA transcriptome of uncharacterized samples can be accurately imputed using protein-coding genes
Authors: Nath Aritro , Geeleher Paul , Huang R Stephanie 
Published: December 2018

AbstractLong non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in gene regulation and are increasingly being recognized as crucial mediators of disease pathogenesis. However, the vast majority of published transcriptome datasets lack high-quality lncRNA profiles compared to protein-coding genes (PCGs). Here we propose a framework to harnesses the correlative expression patterns between lncRNA and PCGs to impute unknown lncRNA profiles. The lncRNA expression imputation (LEXI) framework enables characterization of lncRNA transcriptome of samples lacking any lncRNA data using only their PCG profiles. We compare various machine learning and missing value imputation algorithms to implement LEXI and demonstrate the feasibility of this approach to impute lncRNA transcriptome of normal and cancer tissues. Additionally, we determine the factors that influence imputation accuracy and provide guidelines for implementing this approach.
MACPET: model-based analysis for ChIA-PET
Authors: Vardaxis Ioannis , Drabløs Finn , Rye Morten B , Lindqvist Bo Henry 
Published: December 2018

SummaryWe present model-based analysis for ChIA-PET (MACPET), which analyzes paired-end read sequences provided by ChIA-PET for finding binding sites of a protein of interest. MACPET uses information from both tags of each PET and searches for binding sites in a two-dimensional space, while taking into account different noise levels in different genomic regions. MACPET shows favorable results compared with MACS in terms of motif occurrence and spatial resolution. Furthermore, significant binding sites discovered by MACPET are involved in a higher number of significant three-dimensional interactions than those discovered by MACS. MACPET is freely available on Bioconductor. ChIA-PET; MACPET; Model-based clustering; Paired-end tags; Peak-calling algorithm.
Spontaneous Brain Activity Predicts Task-Evoked Activity During Animate Versus Inanimate Touch
Authors: Scalabrini Andrea , Ebisch Sjoerd J H , Huang Zirui , Di Plinio Simone , Perrucci Mauro Gianni , Romani Gian Luca , Mucci Clara , Northoff Georg 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThe spontaneous activity of the brain is characterized by an elaborate temporal structure with scale-free properties as indexed by the power law exponent (PLE). We test the hypothesis that spontaneous brain activity modulates task-evoked activity during interactions with animate versus inanimate stimuli. For this purpose, we developed a paradigm requiring participants to actively touch either animate (real hand) or inanimate (mannequin hand) stimuli. Behaviorally, participants perceived the animate target as closer in space, temporally more synchronous with their own self, and more personally relevant, compared with the inanimate. Neuronally, we observed a modulation of task-evoked activity by animate versus inanimate interactions in posterior insula, in medial prefrontal cortex, comprising anterior cingulate cortex, and in medial superior frontal gyrus. Among these regions, an increased functional connectivity was shown between posterior insula and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (PACC) during animate compared with inanimate interactions and during resting state. Importantly, PLE during spontaneous brain activity in PACC correlated positively with PACC task-evoked activity during animate versus inanimate stimuli. In conclusion, we demonstrate that brain spontaneous activity in PACC can be related to the distinction between animate and inanimate stimuli and thus might be specifically tuned to align our brain with its animate environment.
Biological Characteristics of Connection-Wise Resting-State Functional Connectivity Strength
Authors: Pijnenburg Rory , Scholtens Lianne H , Mantini Dante , Vanduffel Wim , Barrett Lisa Feldman , van den Heuvel Martijn P 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
Functional connectivity is defined as the statistical dependency of neurophysiological activity between 2 separate brain areas. To investigate the biological characteristics of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC)—and in particular the significance of connection-wise variation in time-series correlations—rsFC was compared with strychnine-based connectivity measured in the macaque. Strychnine neuronography is a historical technique that induces activity in cortical areas through means of local administration of the substance strychnine. Strychnine causes local disinhibition through GABA suppression and leads to subsequent activation of functional pathways. Multiple resting-state fMRI recordings were acquired in 4 macaques (examining in total 299 imaging runs) from which a group-averaged rsFC matrix was constructed. rsFC was observed to be higher (P &lt; 0.0001) between region-pairs with a strychnine-based connection as compared with region-pairs with no strychnine-based connection present. In particular, higher resting-state connectivity was observed in connections that were relatively stronger (weak &lt; moderate &lt; strong; P &lt; 0.01) and in connections that were bidirectional (P &lt; 0.0001) instead of unidirectional in strychnine-based connectivity. Our results imply that the level of correlation between brain areas as extracted from resting-state fMRI relates to the strength of underlying interregional functional pathways.
Monovalent Rotavirus Vaccine Effectiveness Against Rotavirus Hospitalizations Among Children in Zimbabwe
Authors: Mujuru Hilda A , Burnett Eleanor , Nathoo Kusum J , Ticklay Ismail , Gonah Nhamo A , Mukaratirwa Arnold , Berejena Chipo , Manangazira Portia , Rupfutse Maxwell , Weldegebriel Goitom G , Mwenda Jason M , Yen Catherine , Parashar Umesh D , Tate Jacqueline E 
Published: December 2018

Abstract

Background
Rotavirus is a leading cause of mortality among children <5 years old. We evaluated monovalent rotavirus vaccine effectiveness (VE) under conditions of routine use at 2 surveillance sites in Harare, Zimbabwe, after vaccine introduction in May 2014.

Methods
Children aged <5 years hospitalized or treated in the accident and emergency department (A&E) for acute watery diarrhea were enrolled for routine surveillance. Copies of vaccination cards were collected to document vaccination status. Among children age-eligible to receive rotavirus vaccine, we estimated VE, calculated as 1 – odds ratio, using a test-negative case-control design

Results
We included 903 rotavirus-positive cases and 2685 rotavirus-negative controls in the analysis; 99% had verified vaccination status. Rotavirus-positive children had more severe diarrhea than rotavirus-negative children; 61% of cases and 46% of controls had a Vesikari score ≥11 (P < .01). Among cases and controls, 31% and 37%, respectively, were stunted for their age (P < .01). Among children 6–11 months old, adjusted 2-dose VE against hospitalization or treatment in A&E due to rotavirus of any severity was 61% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21%–81%) and 68% (95% CI, 13%–88%) against severe rotavirus disease. Stratified by nutritional status, adjusted VE was 45% (95% CI, –148% to 88%) among stunted infants and 71% (95% CI, 29%–88%) among infants with a normal height for age

Conclusions
Monovalent rotavirus vaccine is effective in preventing hospitalizations due to severe rotavirus diarrhea among infants in Zimbabwe, providing additional evidence for countries considering rotavirus vaccine introduction that live, oral rotavirus vaccines are effective in high-child-mortality settings.
2018 Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapya
Authors: Norris Anne H , Shrestha Nabin K , Allison Genève M , Keller Sara C , Bhavan Kavita P , Zurlo John J , Hersh Adam L , Gorski Lisa A , Bosso John A , Rathore Mobeen H , Arrieta Antonio , Petrak Russell M , Shah Akshay , Brown Richard B , Knight Shandra L , Umscheid Craig A 
Published: December 2018

AbstractA panel of experts was convened by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) to update the 2004 clinical practice guideline on outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) [1]. This guideline is intended to provide insight for healthcare professionals who prescribe and oversee the provision of OPAT. It considers various patient features, infusion catheter issues, monitoring questions, and antimicrobial stewardship concerns. It does not offer recommendations on the treatment of specific infections. The reader is referred to disease- or organism-specific guidelines for such support.
A new hope: from neglect of the health sector to aspirations for Universal Health Coverage in Myanmar
Authors: Ergo Alex , Htoo Thant Sin , Badiani-Magnusson Reena , Royono Rivandra 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
Myanmar’s health sector has received low levels of public spending since 1975. Combined with the country’s historic political and economic isolation, poor economic management and multiple internal armed conflicts, these limited resources have translated into low coverage of even the most basic services and into poor health outcomes with wide disparities. They have also resulted in out-of-pocket payments for health as a proportion of total health spending being among the highest in the world. The Government of Myanmar has now affirmed its commitment to moving toward Universal Health Coverage. This commitment is reflected in the National Health Plan 2017–2021. Drawing upon analysis of data from the Myanmar Poverty and Living Conditions Survey 2015 and using the country’s revised methodology to estimate poverty, this paper explores some of the consequences of Myanmar’s excessive reliance on out-of-pocket funding as the main source of health financing. Around 481 000 households in Myanmar experienced catastrophic health spending in 2015. Of this group, 185 000 households lived below the national poverty line. Households that experienced catastrophic health spending spent, on average, 54.7% of their total capacity to pay on health. Of all Myanmar households that went to a health facility in 2015, ∼28% took loans and ∼13% sold their assets to cover health spending. In that same year, ∼1.7 million people fell below the national poverty line due to health spending. The paper then discusses how ongoing reforms could help alleviate the financial hardship associated with care-seeking. With current political will to reform the health system, a conducive macro-economic environment, and the relatively limited vested interests, Myanmar has a window of opportunity to achieve significant progress towards UHC. Continued high-level political support and strong leadership will be needed to keep reforms on track.
Multivariate determination of Atlantic herring population health in a large marine ecosystem
Authors: Boyce Daniel G , Petrie Brian , Frank Kenneth T 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
Atlantic herring are among the most harvested marine fish species globally and are of extraordinary ecological and economic importance. Within the Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy management zone (NAFO Division 4WX), herring support one of the largest fisheries in Canada, yet the conservation status of the stock is currently unclear. We use field observations, stock assessments, and published studies to evaluate the long-term (1965–2016) status, or health, of 4WX Atlantic herring based on 33 indicators that serve as proxies for the ecological dynamics across the larval, juvenile, and adult stages. Sixteen indicators that showed evidence of significant and synchronous temporal changes were integrated to produce a standardized series of herring population health. This multivariate index exhibited a gradual, long-term decline punctuated by a more rapid decline between 1980 and 2005. Following normalization, future trajectories of herring spawning stock biomass (SSB) over this period were best forecast by the average weight of herring (r2 = 0.63; lag = 6 years) and indicated that SSB would remain low over the next 6 years. Our study suggests that integrating factors related to population health can provide deeper insight in situations where individual series are uncertain and can complement existing assessment approaches.
How Cross-Cutting News Exposure Relates to Candidate Issue Stance Knowledge, Political Polarization, and Participation: The Moderating Role of Political Sophistication
Authors: Kim Yonghwan 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThis article seeks to improve our understanding of the role of cross-cutting news exposure in a democratic process—that is, whether and how exposure to counter-attitudinal news information is associated with citizens’ political issue knowledge, attitudinal polarization, and engagement in political activities. The results provide 2 contrasting roles of exposure to dissonant media outlets. On the one hand, results offer some evidence that dissonant media use contributes to gaining issue knowledge and inspiring citizen participation. On the other hand, some findings suggest that it reinforces, rather than attenuates, citizens’ attitudinal polarization. Thus, the findings from this study indicate mixed effects of exposure to counter-attitudinal news information.
Biodiversity Pattern of Mosquitoes in Southeastern Senegal, Epidemiological Implication in Arbovirus and Malaria Transmission
Authors: Diallo Diawo , Diagne Cheikh T , Buenemann Michaela , Ba Yamar , Dia Ibrahima , Faye Oumar , Sall Amadou A , Faye Ousmane , Watts Douglas M , Weaver Scott C , Hanley Kathryn A , Diallo Mawlouth 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
The composition, density, diversity, and temporal distribution of mosquito species and the influence of temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall on these data were investigated in 50 sites across five land cover classes (forest, savannah, barren, village, and agriculture) in southeastern Senegal. Mosquitoes were collected monthly in each site between June 2009 and March 2011, with three people collecting mosquitoes landing on their legs for one to four consecutive days. In total, 81,219 specimens, belonging to 60 species and 7 genera, were collected. The most abundant species were Aedes furcifer (Edwards) (Diptera: Culicidae) (20.7%), Ae. vittatus (Bigot) (19.5%), Ae. dalzieli (Theobald) (14.7%), and Ae. luteocephalus (Newstead) (13.7%). Ae. dalzieli, Ae. furcifer, Ae. vittatus, Ae. luteocephalus, Ae. taylori Edwards, Ae. africanus (Theobald), Ae. minutus (Theobald), Anopheles coustani Laveran, Culex quinquefasciatus Say, and Mansonia uniformis (Theobald) comprised ≥10% of the total collection, in at least one land cover. The lowest species richness and Brillouin diversity index (HB = 1.55) were observed in the forest-canopy. The urban-indoor fauna showed the highest dissimilarity with other land covers and was most similar to the urban-outdoor fauna following Jaccard and Morisita index. Mosquito abundance peaked in June and October 2009 and July and October 2010. The highest species density was recorded in October. The maximum temperature was correlated positively with mean temperature and negatively with rainfall and relative humidity. Rainfall showed a positive correlation with mosquito abundance and species density. These data will be useful for understanding the transmission of arboviruses and human malaria in the region.
Attributing the Bixby Letter using n-gram tracing
Authors: Grieve Jack , Clarke Isobelle , Chiang Emily , Gideon Hannah , Heini Annina , Nini Andrea , Waibel Emily 
Published: December 2018

Abstract
There is a long-standing debate about the authorship of the Bixby Letter, one of the most famous pieces of correspondence in American history. Despite being signed by President Abraham Lincoln, some historians have claimed that its true author was John Hay, Lincoln’s personal secretary. Analyses of the letter have been inconclusive in part because the text totals only 139 words and is thus far too short to be attributed using standard methods. To test whether Lincoln or Hay wrote this letter, we therefore introduce and apply a new technique for attributing short texts called ‘n-gram tracing’. After demonstrating that our method can distinguish between the known writings of Lincoln and Hay with a very high degree of accuracy, we use it to attribute the Bixby Letter. We conclude that the text was authored by John Hay—rewriting this one episode in the history of the USA, while offering a solution to one of the most persistent problems in authorship attribution.