bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of air temperature and discharge on Upper Mississippi River summer water temperatures
Authors: Gray B.R. , Robertson D.M. , Rogala J.T. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractRecent interest in the potential effects of climate change has prompted studies of air temperature and precipitation associations with water temperatures in rivers and streams. We examined associations between summer surface water temperatures and both air temperature and discharge for 5 reaches of the Upper Mississippi River during 1994–2011. Water–air temperature associations at a given reach approximated 1:1 when estimated under an assumption of reach independence but declined to approximately 1:2 when water temperatures were permitted to covary among reaches and were also adjusted for upstream air temperatures. Estimated water temperature–discharge associations were weak. An apparently novel feature of this study is that of addressing changes in associations between water and air temperatures when both are correlated among reaches.
Estimating long‐term treatment effects in observational data: A comparison of the performance of different methods under real‐world uncertainty
Authors: Newsome Simon J. , Keogh Ruth H. , Daniel Rhian M. 
Published: April 2018

In the presence of time‐dependent confounding, there are several methods available to estimate treatment effects. With correctly specified models and appropriate structural assumptions, any of these methods could provide consistent effect estimates, but with real‐world data, all models will be misspecified and it is difficult to know if assumptions are violated.In this paper, we investigate five methods: inverse probability weighting of marginal structural models, history‐adjusted marginal structural models, sequential conditional mean models, g‐computation formula, and g‐estimation of structural nested models. This work is motivated by an investigation of the effects of treatments in cystic fibrosis using the UK Cystic Fibrosis Registry data focussing on two outcomes: lung function (continuous outcome) and annual number of days receiving intravenous antibiotics (count outcome). We identified five features of this data that may affect the performance of the methods: misspecification of the causal null, long‐term treatment effects, effect modification by time‐varying covariates, misspecification of the direction of causal pathways, and censoring.In simulation studies, under ideal settings, all five methods provide consistent estimates of the treatment effect with little difference between methods. However, all methods performed poorly under some settings, highlighting the importance of using appropriate methods based on the data available. Furthermore, with the count outcome, the issue of non‐collapsibility makes comparison between methods delivering marginal and conditional effects difficult. In many situations, we would recommend using more than one of the available methods for analysis, as if the effect estimates are very different, this would indicate potential issues with the analyses.
On strong mutation and the theory of subsuming logic‐based mutants
Authors: Lindström Birgitta , Márki András 
Published: April 2018

SummaryRedundant mutants might cause problems when benchmarking since testing techniques can get high scores without detecting any nonredundant mutants. However, removing nonredundant mutants might cause similar problems. Subsumed mutants are per definition also redundant since no additional tests are required to detect them once all other mutants are detected. We focus on relational operator replacement (ROR) and conditional operator replacement mutants. Subsumption relations between ROR mutants are defined by fault hierarchies. The fault hierarchies are proven for weak mutation but have since they were published been used with strong mutation. We prove that ROR fault hierarchies do not hold for strong mutation and show why. We also show that the probability for a random test to experience the problem can be more than 30% and that 50% of the mutants might be affected in a real software system. Finally, we show that there is a similar problem with the theory on sufficient conditional operator replacement.
Carbon Nanomaterials in Direct Liquid Fuel Cells
Authors: Du Huayun , Zhao Cindy Xinxin , Lin Jing , Guo Jiang , Wang Bin , Hu Zhen , Shao Qian , Pan Duo , Wujcik Evan K. , Guo Zhanhu 
Published: April 2018

AbstractFuel cells have attracted more attentions due to many advantages they can provide, including high energy efficiency and low environmental burden. To form a stable, low cost and efficient catalyst, we presented here the state of the art of electrocatalyst fabrication approaches, involving carbon nanotubes and their multifunctional nanocomposites incorporated with noble metals, such as Pt, Pd, Au, their binary and ternary systems. Both fuel oxidation reactions and oxygen reduction reactions were emphasized with comprehensive examples and future prospects.
Impact of ozone on claudins and tight junctions in the lungs
Authors: Kim Byeong‐Gon , Lee Pureun‐Haneul , Lee Sun‐Hye , Park Choon‐Sik , Jang An‐Soo 
Published: April 2018

AbstractClaudins (CLDNs) are a major transmembrane protein component of tight junctions (TJs) in endothelia and epithelia. CLDNs are not only essential for sustaining the role of TJs in cell permeability but are also vital for cell signaling through protein‐protein interactions. Ozone induces oxidative stress and lung inflammation in humans and experimental models, but the impact of ozone on claudins remains poorly understood. This study was to determine the expression of TJ proteins, such as claudin 3, 4, 5, and 14 following ozone exposure. Mice were exposed to 0.1, 1, or 2 ppm of ozone or ambient air for 6 h for 3 days. The impact of ozone on CLDNs, Nrf2, Keap1, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were estimated using immunoblotting, immunohistochemical staining, confocal imaging, and ELISA analysis in mice and bronchial epithelial cells. Mice exposed to ozone experienced increased airway inflammatory cell infiltration and bronchial hyper‐responsiveness compared to control mice. Additionally, CLDN3, CLDN4, ROS, Nrf2, and Keap1 protein expression increased, and lung CLDN14 protein expression decreased, in mice exposed to ozone compared with control mice. These results indicate that CLDNs are involved in airway inflammation following ozone exposure, suggesting that ozone affects TJ proteins through oxidative mechanisms.
A modular approach for high-flux lactic acid production from methane in an industrial medium using engineered Methylomicrobium buryatense 5GB1
Authors: Garg Shivani , Clomburg James M , Gonzalez Ramon 
Published: April 2018

Abstract
Convergence of market drivers such as abundant availability of inexpensive natural gas and increasing awareness of its global warming effects have created new opportunities for the development of small-scale gas-to-liquid (GTL) conversion technologies that can efficiently utilize methane, the primary component of natural gas. Leveraging the unique ability of methanotrophs that use methane as carbon and energy source, biological GTL platforms can be envisioned that are readily deployable at remote petroleum drilling sites where large chemical GTL infrastructure is uneconomical to set-up. Methylomicrobium buryatense, an obligate methanotroph, has gained traction as a potential industrial methanotrophic host because of availability of genetic tools and recent advances in its metabolic engineering. However, progress is impeded by low strain performance and lack of an industrial medium. In this study, we first established a small-scale cultivation platform using Hungate tubes for growth of M. buryatense at medium-to-high-throughput that also enabled 2X faster growth compared to that obtained in traditional glass serum bottles. Then, employing a synthetic biology approach we engineered M. buryatense with varying promoter (inducible and constitutive) and ribosome-binding site combinations, and obtained a strain capable of producing l-lactate from methane at a flux 14-fold higher than previously reported. Finally, we demonstrated l-lactate production in an industrial medium by replacing nitrate with less-expensive ammonium as the nitrogen source. Under these conditions, l-lactate was synthesized at a flux approximately 50-fold higher than that reported previously in a bioreactor system while achieving a titer of 0.6 g/L. These findings position M. buryatense closer to becoming an industrial host strain of choice, and pave new avenues for accelerating methane-to-chemical conversion using synthetic biology.
What to Do with a Second Chance in Life? Long‐Term Experiences of Non‐carriers of Huntington's Disease
Authors: Winnberg Elisabeth , Winnberg Ulrika , Pohlkamp Lilian , Hagberg Anette 
Published: April 2018

AbstractLittle is known about how people's lives are influenced when going from a 50% risk status of Huntington's disease (HD) to no risk after performing predictive testing. In this study, 20 interviews were conducted to explore the long‐term (> 5 years) experiences after receiving predictive test results as a non‐carrier of HD. The results showed a broad variety of both positive and negative reactions. The most prominent positive reaction reported was feelings of relief and gratitude, of not carrying the HD mutation for themselves and for their children. Also, the non‐carrier status promoted in some individuals’ significant life changes such as a wishing to have (more) children, pursuing a career or breaking up from an unhappy relationship. However, negative reactions on their psychological well‐being were also described. Some had experienced psychological pressure of needing to do something extraordinary in their lives; others expressed feelings of guilt towards affected or untested siblings, resulting in sadness or clinical depression. The new genetic risk status could generate a need of re‐orientation, a process that for some persons took several years to accomplish. The results of the present study show the importance of offering long‐term post‐result counselling for non‐carriers in order to deal with the psychological consequences that may follow predictive testing.
Love, Struggle, and Compromises: The Political Seriousness of Nairobi Underground Hip Hop
Authors: Peck RaShelle R. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract:This article explores the characteristics of Nairobi underground hip hop that fit under a common theme of what I term as the music’s “political seriousness,” which is the common notion that the music must be substantive, thought-provoking, socially critical, and never vacuous. This political seriousness is composed of four characteristics: Mau Mau gendered legacies, political love, a reliance on neoliberalism, and a critique of the state. Hip hop’s goal is to make a political space that both proves its worth and remedies Kenya’s flawed polity. This is an imperfect endeavor, as its dependence on late capitalism, normative gender constructions, and conventional understandings of the Mau Mau war contribute to rap’s troubling tendencies. Nonetheless, these artists regard hip hop as authentic or real music because it advocates for the economically disenfranchised, contributes to Kenyan social commentary, and participates in an imagined global hip hop culture.
The Impact of the Medicaid Healthcare-Associated Condition Program on Mediastinitis Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
Authors: Hsu Heather E. , Kawai Alison Tse , Wang Rui , Jentzsch Maximilian S. , Rhee Chanu , Horan Kelly , Jin Robert , Goldmann Donald , Lee Grace M. 
Published: April 2018

OBJECTIVEIn 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expanded a 2008 program that eliminated additional Medicare payment for mediastinitis following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) to include Medicaid. We aimed to evaluate the impact of this Medicaid program on mediastinitis rates reported by the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) compared with the rates of a condition not targeted by the program, deep-space surgical site infection (SSI) after knee replacement.DESIGNInterrupted time series with comparison group.METHODSWe included surveillance data from nonfederal acute-care hospitals participating in the NHSN and reporting CABG or knee replacement outcomes from January 2009 through June 2017. We examined the Medicaid program’s impact on NHSN-reported infection rates, adjusting for secular trends. The data analysis used generalized estimating equations with robust sandwich variance estimators.RESULTSDuring the study period, 196 study hospitals reported 273,984 CABGs to the NHSN, resulting in 970 mediastinitis cases (0.35%), and 294 hospitals reported 555,395 knee replacements, with 1,751 resultant deep-space SSIs (0.32%). There was no significant change in incidence of either condition during the study. Mediastinitis models showed no effect of the 2012 Medicaid program on either secular trend during the postprogram versus preprogram periods (P=.70) or an immediate program effect (P=.83). Results were similar in sensitivity analyses when adjusting for hospital characteristics, restricting to hospitals with consistent NHSN reporting or incorporating a program implementation roll-in period. Knee replacement models also showed no program effect.CONCLUSIONSThe 2012 Medicaid program to eliminate additional payments for mediastinitis following CABG had no impact on reported mediastinitis rates.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:694–700
Meriones unguiculatus infected by Haemonchus contortus: evaluation of different experimental protocols
Authors: Gressler L.T. , Grando T.H. , Machado do Carmo G. , Vaucher R.A. , Stefani L.M. , Monteiro S.G. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractMany important studies on resistance reversion, anthelmintic efficacy and, especially, new molecules with antiparasitic effects are performed in laboratories using gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) as the experimental model. This study aimed to evaluate the use of corticosteroids (dexamethasone and methylprednisolone acetate) in gerbils experimentally infected with different doses of infective larvae (sheathed or exsheathed) of Haemonchus contortus. In the first experiment, 28 gerbils were divided into seven groups infected by 2–6 × 103 larvae, with or without immunosuppression using corticosteroids. In the second experiment, eight gerbils were divided into two groups infected by 2 × 103 sheathed or exsheathed larvae. For the third assay, seven immunosuppressed gerbils were infected with 2 × 103 sheathed larvae and were killed 15 days post infection (PI). The highest number of parasites was recovered from methylprednisolone-immunosuppressed animals. We observed red and white blood cell alterations and biochemical parameters in infected animals that had undergone immunosuppression with methylprednisolone. We highlight that in the first and second experiments a satisfactory number of worms was recovered using sheathed larvae and immunocompetent animals. When exsheathed larvae were used, the number of worms recovered was unsatisfactory. A considerable larval burden was recovered from immunosuppressed gerbils 15 days PI, and body weight did not influence establishment of larvae.
A Series of Footnotes to Plato's Philosophers
Authors: Cherry Kevin M. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractIn her magisterial Plato's Philosophers, Catherine Zuckert presents a radically new interpretation of Plato's dialogues. In doing so, she insists we must overcome reading them through the lens of Aristotle, whose influence has obscured the true nature of Plato's philosophy. However, in her works dealing with Aristotle's political science, Zuckert indicates several advantages of his approach to understanding politics. In this article, I explore the reasons why Zuckert finds Aristotle a problematic guide to Plato's philosophy as well as what she sees as the character and benefits of Aristotle's political theory. I conclude by suggesting a possible reconciliation between Zuckert's Aristotle and her Plato, insofar as both the Socrates whom Plato made his hero and Aristotle agree that political communities will rarely direct citizens toward virtue by means of law and that we must instead look to informal means of doing so.
On the typical size and cancellations among the coefficients of some modular forms
Authors: LUCA FLORIAN , RADZIWIŁŁ MAKSYM , SHPARLINSKI IGOR E. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractWe obtain a nontrivial upper bound for almost all elements of the sequences of real numbers which are multiplicative and at the prime indices are distributed according to the Sato–Tate density. Examples of such sequences come from coefficients of severalL-functions of elliptic curves and modular forms. In particular, we show that |τ(n)| ⩽n11/2(logn)−1/2+o(1)for a set ofnof asymptotic density 1, where τ(n) is the Ramanujan τ function while the standard argument yields log 2 instead of −1/2 in the power of the logarithm. Another consequence of our result is that in the number of representations ofnby a binary quadratic form one has slightly more than square-root cancellations for almost all integersn.In addition, we obtain a central limit theorem for such sequences, assuming a weak hypothesis on the rate of convergence to the Sato–Tate law. For Fourier coefficients of primitive holomorphic cusp forms such a hypothesis is known conditionally and might be within reach unconditionally using the currently established potential automorphy.
Comparison of Thermal Manikin Modeling and Human Subjects’ Response During Use of Cooling Devices Under Personal Protective Ensembles in the Heat
Authors: Quinn Tyler , Kim Jung-Hyun , Seo Yongsuk , Coca Aitor 
Published: April 2018

AbstractIntroductionPersonal protective equipment (PPE) recommended for use in West Africa during the Ebola outbreak increased risk for heat illness, and countermeasures addressing this issue would be valuable.Hypothesis/ProblemThe purpose of this study was to examine the physiological impact and heat perception of four different personal cooling devices (PCDs) under impermeable PPE during low-intensity exercise in a hot and humid environment using thermal manikin modeling and human testing.MethodsSix healthy male subjects walked on a treadmill in a hot/humid environment (32°C/92% relative humidity [RH]) at three metabolic equivalents (METs) for 60 minutes wearing PPE recommended for use in West Africa and one of four different personal cooling devices (PCDs; PCD1, PCD2, PCD3, and PCD4) or no PCD for control (CON). The same ensembles were tested with thermal manikin modeling software in the same conditions to compare the results.ResultsAll PCDs seemed to reduce physiological heat stress characteristics when worn under PPE compared to CON. Both the manikin and human testing provided similar results in core temperature (Tc) and heat sensation (HS) in both magnitude and relationship. While the manikin and human data provided similar skin temperature (Tsk) characterization, Tskestimation by the manikin seemed to be slightly over-estimated. Weight loss, as estimated by the manikin, was under-estimated compared to the human measurement.ConclusionPersonal cooling device use in conjunction with impermeable PPE may be advantageous in mitigating physiological and perceptual burdens of heat stress. Evaluation of PCDs worn under PPE can be done effectively via human or manikin testing; however, Tskmay be over-estimated and weight loss may be under-estimated. Thermal manikin testing of PCDs may provide fast and accurate information to persons recommending or using PCDs with PPE.QuinnT,KimJH,SeoY,CocaA.Comparison of thermal manikin modeling and human subjects’ response during use of cooling devices under personal protective ensembles in the heat.Prehosp Disaster Med.2018;33(3):279–287.
Eddy Covariance Measurements of Methane Flux at a Tropical Peat Forest in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
Authors: Tang Angela C. I. , Stoy Paul C. , Hirata Ryuichi , Musin Kevin K. , Aeries Edward B. , Wenceslaus Joseph , Melling Lulie 
Published: April 2018

AbstractTropical biogenic sources are a likely cause of the recent increase in global atmospheric methane concentration. To improve our understanding of tropical methane sources, we used the eddy covariance technique to measure CH4 flux (FCH4) between a tropical peat forest ecosystem and the atmosphere in Malaysian Borneo over a 2‐month period during the wet season. Mean daily FCH4 during the measurement period, on the order of 0.024 g C‐CH4·m−2·day−1, was similar to eddy covariance FCH4 measurements from tropical rice agroecosystems and boreal fen ecosystems. A linear modeling analysis demonstrated that air temperature (Tair) was critical for modeling FCH4 before the water table breached the surface and that water table alone explained some 20% of observed FCH4 variability once standing water emerged. Future research should measure FCH4 on an annual basis from multiple tropical ecosystems to better constrain tropical biogenic methane sources.
Prediction and Observation of Electron Instabilities and Phase Space Holes Concentrated in the Lunar Plasma Wake
Authors: Hutchinson Ian H. , Malaspina David M. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractRecent theory and numerical simulation predicts that the wake of the solar wind flow past the Moon should be the site of electrostatic instabilities that give rise to electron holes. These play an important role in the eventual merging of the wake with the background solar wind. Analysis of measurements from the ARTEMIS satellites, orbiting the Moon at distances from 1.2 to 11 RM, detects holes highly concentrated in the wake, in agreement with prediction. The theory also predicts that the hole flux density observed should be hollow, peaking away from the wake axis. Observation statistics qualitatively confirm this hollowness, lending extra supporting evidence for the identification of their generation mechanism.
Global Analysis of Climate Change Projection Effects on Atmospheric Rivers
Authors: Espinoza Vicky , Waliser Duane E. , Guan Bin , Lavers David A. , Ralph F. Martin 
Published: April 2018

AbstractA uniform, global approach is used to quantify how atmospheric rivers (ARs) change between Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 historical simulations and future projections under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP8.5 warming scenarios. The projections indicate that while there will be ~10% fewer ARs in the future, the ARs will be ~25% longer, ~25% wider, and exhibit stronger integrated water vapor transports (IVTs) under RCP8.5. These changes result in pronounced increases in the frequency (IVT strength) of AR conditions under RCP8.5: ~50% (25%) globally, ~50% (20%) in the northern midlatitudes, and ~60% (20%) in the southern midlatitudes. The models exhibit systematic low biases across the midlatitudes in replicating historical AR frequency (~10%), zonal IVT (~15%), and meridional IVT (~25%), with sizable intermodel differences. A more detailed examination of six regions strongly impacted by ARs suggests that the western United States, northwestern Europe, and southwestern South America exhibit considerable intermodel differences in projected changes in ARs.