bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A tale of two countries: progress towards UNAIDS 90‐90‐90 targets in Botswana and Australia
Authors: Marukutira Tafireyi , Stoové Mark , Lockman Shahin , Mills Lisa A , Gaolathe Tendani , Lebelonyane Refeletswe , Jarvis Joseph N , Kelly Sherrie L , Wilson David P , Luchters Stanley , Crowe Suzanne M , Hellard Margaret 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIntroductionUNAIDS 90‐90‐90 targets and Fast‐Track commitments are presented as precursors to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, through effecting a 90% reduction in new HIV infections and AIDS‐related deaths from 2010 levels (HIV epidemic control). Botswana, a low to middle‐income country with the third‐highest HIV prevalence, and Australia, a low‐prevalence high‐income country with an epidemic concentrated among men who have sex with men (MSM), have made significant strides towards achieving the UNAIDS 90‐90‐90 targets. These two countries provide lessons for different epidemic settings. This paper discusses the lessons that can be drawn from Botswana and Australia with respect to their success in HIV testing, treatment, viral suppression and other HIV prevention strategies for HIV epidemic control.DiscussionBotswana and Australia are on target to achieving the 90‐90‐90 targets for HIV epidemic control, made possible by comprehensive HIV testing and treatment programmes in the two countries. As of 2015, 70% of all people assumed to be living with HIV had viral suppression in Botswana and Australia. However, HIV incidence remains above one per cent in the general population in Botswana and in MSM in Australia. The two countries have demonstrated that rapid HIV testing that is accessible and targeted at key and vulnerable populations is required in order to continue identifying new HIV infections. All citizens living with HIV in both countries are eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART) and viral load monitoring through government‐funded programmes. Notwithstanding their success in reducing HIV transmission to date, programmes in both countries must continue to be supported at current levels to maintain epidemic suppression. Scaled HIV testing, linkage to care, universal ART, monitoring patients on treatment over and above strengthened HIV prevention strategies (e.g. male circumcision and pre‐exposure prophylaxis) will all continue to require funding.ConclusionsThe progress that Botswana and Australia have made towards meeting the 90‐90‐90 targets is commendable. However, in order to reduce HIV incidence significantly towards 2030, there is a need for sustained HIV testing, linkage to care and high treatment coverage. Botswana and Australia provide useful lessons for developing countries with generalized epidemics and high‐income countries with concentrated epidemics.
Comparison of statistical downscaling methods with respect to extreme events over Europe: Validation results from the perfect predictor experiment of the COST Action VALUE
Authors: Hertig Elke , Maraun Douglas , Bartholy Judit , Pongracz Rita , Vrac Mathieu , Mares Ileana , Gutiérrez José M. , Wibig Joanna , Casanueva Ana , Soares Pedro M. M. 
Published: March 2018

Credible information about the properties and changes of extreme events on the regional and local scales is of prime importance in the context of future climate change. Within the EU‐COST Action VALUE a comprehensive validation framework for downscaling methods has been developed. Here we present validation results for extremes of temperature and precipitation from the perfect predictor experiment that uses reanalysis‐based predictors to isolate downscaling skill.The raw reanalysis output reveals that there is mostly a large bias with respect to the extreme index values at the considered stations across Europe, clearly pointing to the necessity of downscaling. The performance of the downscaling methods is closely linked to their specific structure and setup. All methods using parametric distributions require non‐standard distributions to correctly represent marginal aspects of extremes. Also, the performance is much improved by explicitly including a seasonal component, particularly in case of precipitation.With respect to the marginal aspects of extremes the best performance is found for model output statistics (MOS), weather generators (WGs) as well as perfect prognosis (PP) methods using analogues. Spell‐length‐related extremes of temperature are best assessed by MOS and WGs, spell‐length‐related extremes of precipitation by MOS and PP methods using analogues. The skill of PP methods with transfer functions varies strongly across the methods and depends on the extreme index, region and season considered.
Vitamin B12 and Homocysteine Levels Predict Different Outcomes in Early Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Christine Chadwick W. , Auinger Peggy , Joslin Amelia , Yelpaala Yuora , Green Ralph ,   on behalf of the Parkinson Study Group—DATATOP Investigators
Published: March 2018

ABSTRACTBackground: In moderately advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), low serum vitamin B12 levels are common and are associated with neuropathy and cognitive impairment. However, little is known about B12 in early PD.Objective: To determine the prevalence of low vitamin B12 status in early PD and whether it is associated with clinical progression.Methods: We measured vitamin B12 and other B12 status determinants (methylmalonic acid, homocysteine, and holotranscobalamin) in 680 baseline and 456 follow‐up serum samples collected from DATATOP participants with early, untreated PD. Borderline low B12 status was defined as serum B12 <184 pmol/L (250 pg/mL), and elevated homocysteine was defined as >15 µmol/L. Outcomes included the UPDRS, ambulatory capacity score (sum of UPDRS items 13‐15, 29&30), and MMSE, calculated as annualized rates of change.Results: At baseline, 13% had borderline low B12 levels, 7% had elevated homocysteine, whereas 2% had both. Elevated homocysteine at baseline was associated with worse scores on the baseline MMSE. Analysis of study outcomes showed that compared with the other tertiles, participants in the low B12 tertile (<234 pmol/L; 317 pg/mL) developed greater morbidity as assessed by greater annualized worsening of the ambulatory capacity score. Elevated homocysteine was associated with greater annualized decline in MMSE (−1.96 vs. 0.06; P = 0001). Blood count indices were not associated with B12 or homocysteine status.Conclusions: In this study of early PD, low B12 status was common. Low B12 at baseline predicted greater worsening of mobility whereas elevated homocysteine predicted greater cognitive decline. Given that low B12 and elevated homocysteine can improve with vitamin supplementation, future studies should test whether prevention or early correction of these nutritionally modifiable conditions slows development of disability. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Sugary Kefir Strain Lactobacillus mali APS1 Ameliorated Hepatic Steatosis by Regulation of SIRT‐1/Nrf‐2 and Gut Microbiota in Rats
Authors: Chen Yung‐Tsung , Lin Yu‐Chun , Lin Jin‐Seng , Yang Ning‐Sun , Chen Ming‐Ju 
Published: March 2018

ScopeNon‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common disease that is concomitant with obesity, resulting in increased mortality. To date, the efficiency of NAFLD treatment still needs to be improved. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus mali APS1, which was isolated from sugary kefir, on hepatic steatosis in rats fed a high‐fat diet (HFD).Methods and resultsSprague Dawley rats were fed a control diet, a HFD with saline, and a HFD with APS1 intervention by gavage daily for 12 weeks. The results showed that APS1 significantly reduced body weight and body weight gain in HFD‐fed rats. APS1 reduced hepatic lipid accumulation by regulating SIRT‐1/PGC‐1α/SREBP‐1 expression. Moreover, APS1 increased hepatic antioxidant activity by modulating Nrf‐2/HO‐1 expression. Notably, APS1 manipulated the gut microbiota, resulting in increasing proportions of the phylum Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes and reducing the abundance of specific NAFLD‐associated bacteria.ConclusionThese results suggested that APS1 ameliorated hepatic steatosis by modulating lipid metabolism and antioxidant activity via manipulating specific NAFLD‐associated gut microbiota in vivo.
Needle electromyography practice patterns in patients taking novel oral anticoagulants: A survey‐based study
Authors: Lee Ikjae , Kushlaf Hani 
Published: March 2018

ABSTRACTIntroduction: This study sought to evaluate needle electromyography (EMG) practice patterns among electromyographers with patients taking novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC). Methods: A survey questionnaire was sent to members of the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) via email web link. Anonymous survey responses were collected through an online website. Results: Fifty‐eight AANEM members responded, 28 (48%) of whom worked at a teaching hospital and 30 (52%) of whom worked in a private setting. Fifty‐four (93%) responders perform needle EMG on patients taking NOACs. Twenty‐nine (50%) responders examine paraspinal muscles, and 20 (40%) responders examine facial muscles. Among 14 responders who perform single‐fiber EMG (SFEMG), 8 examine patients taking NOACs. Discussion: Although most of the electromyographers perform needle EMG on patients taking NOACs, they reported variable practice patterns in examination of the paraspinal and facial muscles and in performing SFEMG. A prospective risk–benefit study is required. Muscle Nerve 58: 307–309, 2018
SPIN2: Predicting sequence profiles from protein structures using deep neural networks
Authors: O'Connell James , Li Zhixiu , Hanson Jack , Heffernan Rhys , Lyons James , Paliwal Kuldip , Dehzangi Abdollah , Yang Yuedong , Zhou Yaoqi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDesigning protein sequences that can fold into a given structure is a well‐known inverse protein‐folding problem. One important characteristic to attain for a protein design program is the ability to recover wild‐type sequences given their native backbone structures. The highest average sequence identity accuracy achieved by current protein‐design programs in this problem is around 30%, achieved by our previous system, SPIN. SPIN is a program that predicts sequences compatible with a provided structure using a neural network with fragment‐based local and energy‐based nonlocal profiles. Our new model, SPIN2, uses a deep neural network and additional structural features to improve on SPIN. SPIN2 achieves over 34% in sequence recovery in 10‐fold cross‐validation and independent tests, a 4% improvement over the previous version. The sequence profiles generated from SPIN2 are expected to be useful for improving existing fold recognition and protein design techniques. SPIN2 is available at http://sparks-lab.org.
Beating‐heart registration for organ‐mounted robots
Authors: Wood Nathan A. , Schwartzman David , Passineau Michael J. , Moraca Robert J. , Zenati Marco A. , Riviere Cameron N. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBackgroundOrgan‐mounted robots address the problem of beating‐heart surgery by adhering to the heart, passively providing a platform that approaches zero relative motion. Because of the quasi‐periodic deformation of the heart due to heartbeat and respiration, registration must address not only spatial registration but also temporal registration.MethodsMotion data were collected in the porcine model in vivo (N = 6). Fourier series models of heart motion were developed. By comparing registrations generated using an iterative closest‐point approach at different phases of respiration, the phase corresponding to minimum registration distance is identified.ResultsThe spatiotemporal registration technique presented here reduces registration error by an average of 4.2 mm over the 6 trials, in comparison with a more simplistic static registration that merely averages out the physiological motion.ConclusionsAn empirical metric for spatiotemporal registration of organ‐mounted robots is defined and demonstrated using data from animal models in vivo.
Skills in demand for ICT and statistical occupations: Evidence from web‐based job vacancies
Authors: Lovaglio Pietro Giorgio , Cesarini Mirko , Mercorio Fabio , Mezzanzanica Mario 
Published: March 2018

Online job portals collecting web vacancies have become important media for job demand and supply matching. They also represent a growing research area for the application of analytical methods to study the labour market using innovative data sources. This paper analyses Italian web job vacancies scraped from several types of Italian web job portals between June and September 2015. After describing how the occupations associated with each web vacancy (classification up to level 4) were identified and the related skills retrieved in texts using mixed supervised and unsupervised text mining approaches, we focused on job vacancies related to ICT and statistical positions.The principal aim of this paper is to describe these jobs in terms of the required skills that have emerged in the labour market from a demand perspective and to identify those skills that best distinguish statisticians from other ICT occupations. Hence, several machine learning techniques were used to assess those skills that best distinguish occupation codes from other job groups.After quality control and removal of duplications, the scraping collected more than 110,000 job advertisements: nearly 6,200 were classified as ICT or statistical positions (largely dominated by software developers). The data indicate that high‐level statisticians have superior and heterogeneous professional backgrounds, linked to theoretical statistics, where analytic skills are more relevant than computing skills. Many soft and management‐oriented skills were also called for, which are missing among lower level statisticians, who are restricted to more technical jobs oriented towards general computing and informatics.
Clinical characteristics and genetic backgrounds of Japanese patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome
Authors: Fujisawa Madoka , Kato Hideki , Yoshida Yoko , Usui Tomoko , Takata Munenori , Fujimoto Mika , Wada Hideo , Uchida Yumiko , Kokame Koichi , Matsumoto Masanori , Fujimura Yoshihiro , Miyata Toshiyuki , Nangaku Masaomi 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

Background
Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is caused by complement overactivation, and its presentation and prognosis differ according to the underlying molecular defects. The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic backgrounds of aHUS patients in Japan and to elucidate the associations between their genetic backgrounds, clinical findings, and outcomes.

Methods
We conducted a nationwide epidemiological survey of clinically diagnosed aHUS patients and examined 118 patients enrolled from 1998 to 2016 in Japan. We screened variants of seven genes related to complement and coagulation, as well as positivity for anti-CFH antibodies, and assessed clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and clinical course.

Results
The most frequent genetic abnormalities were in C3 (31%) and the frequency of CFH variants was relatively low (10%) compared to Western countries. The predominant variant in this cohort was C3 p.I1157T (23%), which was related to favorable outcomes despite frequent relapses. A total of 72% of patients received plasma therapy, while 42% were treated with eculizumab. The prognosis of Japanese aHUS patients was relatively favorable, with a total mortality rate of 5.4% and a renal mortality rate of 15%.

Conclusions
The common occurrence of genotype C3, especially the p.I1157T variant was the characteristic of the genetic backgrounds of Japanese aHUS patients that differed from those of Caucasian patients. In addition, the favorable prognosis of patients with the unique C3 p.I1157T variant indicates that understanding the clinical characteristics of individual gene alterations is important for predicting prognosis and determining therapeutic strategies in aHUS.
Crypsis hypothesis as an explanation for evolution of impermeable coats in seeds is anecdotal
Authors: Jaganathan Ganesh K. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractImpermeable seed/fruit coat, i.e. physical dormancy (PY) occurring in seeds of many genera of 19 angiosperm plant families has been traditionally viewed as a form of dormancy that regulates germination timing. However, this view was recently challenged by an alternative explanation claiming that the impermeable seed coat evolved as a coping mechanism to escape predators, i.e. crypsis hypothesis. Here, I wish to call for more careful attention on crypsis as an evolutionary factor because (1) information of volatile compounds is not known in PY families except Fabaceace; (2) impermeability is not induced until the moisture content of the seeds drops below species‐specific threshold suggesting that drying determines development of impermeable seed coats; (3) the crypsis hypothesis does not explain the year‐to‐year or between site variations in proportions of impermeable seeds produced by plants; and (4) dry seeds of species from non‐PY families also do not emit volatile compounds, and do not develop impermeable seed coats. For these reasons, it appears crypsis might be an exaptation, i.e., a trait that performs a function for which it was not originally evolved. Based on the available evidence, it is suggested that climate drying might have resulted in evolution of impermeable seed coats.
Rotor wake interactions with an obstacle on the ground
Authors: Pickles D.J. , Green R.B , Giuni M. 
Published: March 2018

ABSTRACTAn investigation of the flow around an obstacle positioned within the wake of a rotor is described. A flow visualisation survey was performed using a smoke wand and particle image velocimetry, and surface pressure measurements on the obstacle were taken. The flow patterns were strongly dependent upon the rotor height above the ground and obstacle, and the relative position of the obstacle and rotor axis. High positive and suction pressures were measured on the obstacle surfaces, and these were unsteady in response to the passage of the vortex driven rotor wake over the surfaces. Integrated surface forces are of the order of the rotor thrust, and unsteady pressure information shows local unsteady loading of the same order as the mean loading. Rotor blade-tip vortex trajectories are responsible for the generation of these forces.
Vying for a Man Seat: Gender Quotas and Sustainable Representation in Africa
Authors: Edgell Amanda B. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract:This article explores the impact of gender quotas on sustainable representation in Africa. Sustainable representation is broadly defined as viable and substantial political representation secured for the long run. The research draws on evidence from cross-national election data and two case studies, Uganda and Kenya, which demonstrate that women rarely exceed the minimum thresholds set by gender quotas. This suggests that these quotas may have a ceiling effect on women’s representation. For gender quotas to generate long-term representational outcomes, they must be designed to account for other characteristics of the electoral context that affect women’s participation outside the quota mandate.
INTRAHOUSEHOLD DISTRIBUTION IN MIGRANT-SENDING FAMILIES
Authors: Mangiavacchi Lucia , Perali Federico , Piccoli Luca 
Published: March 2018

Abstract:This paper studies the distribution of resources within families with migrant member abroad. We derive a complete collective demand system with individual Engel effects for male and female adults and children, and the respective share of resources. The focus is on migrant-sending families in Albania, where gender and inter-generational inequalities are relevant social issues. The results show that the female share of resources is substantially lower with respect to an equal distribution and do not benefit from father’s migration. Children have a larger share of resources and benefit from their fathers migration, when women maintain control over family decisions and when the proportion of female children is larger (at the detriment of women).
MARRIAGE PAYMENTS AND WOMEN'S BARGAINING POWER IN RURAL BANGLADESH
Authors: Mansoor Nazia 
Published: March 2018

Abstract:This study examines the postmarriage bargaining power of women—specifically, their decision-making power with regard to fertility—vis-à-vis imbalances in matching in the marriage market. Applying a multinomial logit model to data on rural Bangladesh for 1998/99, the study gauges women's relative empowerment: (i) at the time of marriage (measured by the bride price as a share of total marriage payments) and (ii) postmarriage (measured by women's use of the contraceptive pill). The empirical findings reveal that a higher bride price (as a share of total household marriage payments) has three main outcomes: it increases the predicted probability of women (i) using the contraceptive pill, (ii) spacing births further apart, and (iii) choosing to have fewer children.
MOTHER SINGLEHOOD AT FIRST BIRTH AND MORTALITY RISKS OF FIRST- AND LATER-BORN CHILDREN: THE CASE OF SENEGAL
Authors: Guilbert Nathalie , Marazyan Karine 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThis paper investigates the extent to which being born to a single mother affects a child’s survival rate in Senegal, a context where girls’ premarital sexual relationships are still widely stigmatized. It also examines whether any negative effect persists up to affecting the survival rate of children of higher birth order born after the mother has married. Using data from Demographic and Health Survey, we find that the mortality rate is higher for first-born boys, but not for first-born daughters, whose mother was single at the time of their birth, and lower for second-born children whose sister, but not brother, was born out of wedlock. The latter effect is actually driven by children from older cohorts of women. Therefore, strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of the stigma associated with a premarital birth seem to exist but vary with the gender of the child born premarital in Senegal. In addition, persisting negative effects appear to have decreased over time. Potential channels through which boys born from a single mother are at a higher risk of death in the country are discussed. Overall, our findings indicate that social programs targeting single mothers, especially when they gave birth to a boy, would help avoiding dramatic events as the death of a child.