bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of artichoke leaf extract in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease: A pilot double‐blind randomized controlled trial
Authors: Panahi Yunes , Kianpour Parisa , Mohtashami Reza , Atkin Stephen L. , Butler Alexandra E. , Jafari Ramezan , Badeli Roghayeh , Sahebkar Amirhossein 
Published: March 2018

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide and is potentially treatable, though there are few therapeutic agents available. Artichoke leaf extract (ALE) has shown potential as a hepatoprotective agent. This study sought to determine if ALE had therapeutic utility in patients with established NAFLD. In this randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled parallel‐group trial, 100 subjects with ultrasound‐diagnosed NAFLD were randomized to either ALE 600 mg daily or placebo for a 2‐month period. NAFLD response was assessed by liver ultrasound and serological markers including the aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio and AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) score. Ninety patients completed the study (49 ALE and 41 placebo) with no side effects reported. ALE treatment compared with placebo: Doppler sonography showed increased hepatic vein flow (p < .001), reduced portal vein diameter (p < .001) and liver size (p < .001), reduction in serum ALT (p < .001) and AST (p < .001) levels, improvement in AST/ALT ratio and APRI scores (p < .01), and reduction in total bilirubin. ALE supplementation reduced total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, non‐high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations (p = .01). This study has shown beneficial effects of ALE supplementation on both ultrasound liver parameters and liver serum parameters (ALT, AST, APRI ratio, and total bilirubin) in patients with NAFLD.
On the achievement of high fidelity and scalability for large‐scale diagonalizations in grid‐based DFT simulations
Authors: Choi Sunghwan , Kim Woo Youn , Yeom Min Sun , Ryu Hoon 
Published: March 2018

AbstractRecent advance in high performance computing (HPC) resources has opened the possibility to expand the scope of density functional theory (DFT) simulations toward large and complex molecular systems. This work proposes a numerically robust method that enables scalable diagonalizations of large DFT Hamiltonian matrices, particularly with thousands of computing CPUs (cores) that are usual these days in terms of sizes of HPC resources. The well‐known Lanczos method is extensively refactorized to overcome its weakness for evaluation of multiple degenerate eigenpairs that is the substance of DFT simulations, where a multilevel parallelization is adopted for scalable simulations in as many cores as possible. With solid benchmark tests for realistic molecular systems, the fidelity of our method are validated against the locally optimal block preconditioned conjugated gradient (LOBPCG) method that is widely used to simulate electronic structures. Our method may waste computing resources for simulations of molecules whose degeneracy cannot be reasonably estimated. But, compared to LOBPCG method, it is fairly excellent in perspectives of both speed and scalability, and particularly has remarkably less (< 10%) sensitivity of performance to the random nature of initial basis vectors. As a promising candidate for solving electronic structures of highly degenerate systems, the proposed method can make a meaningful contribution to migrating DFT simulations toward extremely large computing environments that normally have more than several tens of thousands of computing cores.
Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, Molecular Docking and DFT Study of Potent Antileishmanial Agents Based on the Thiazolo[3, 2‐a]pyrimidine Chemical Scaffold
Authors: Chaturvedi Radha N. , Arish Mohd , Kashif Mohammad , Kumar Varinder , Reenu  , Pendem Krishnaiah , Rub Abdur , Malhotra Sunita 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA series of 20 compounds having thiazolo[3, 2‐a]pyrimidine chemical scaffold were synthesized and evaluated for their antileishmanial activity against promastigotes of Leishmania donovani. Amongst all, two compounds showed promising antileishmanial activity in comparison to other compounds. Inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) was calculated as 42.1 μM and 25.1 μM with selectivity index of 8.3 and 6.05, respectively against Miltefosine (reference drug) 37.78 μM with selectivity index of 2.05. To confirm the target of the these molecules, we modelled Leishmania donovani Ca2+ ion channel (LdCC) protein and performed the docking analysis of the best antileishmanial activity exhibiting inhibitors. The free energy of binding was observed as −10.2 and −9.6 kcal mol−1 in comparison to reference drug −6.2 kcal mol−1. It also makes several hydrogen bonds with our conserved residue Ser1655, Tyr1598 and Asn927. Furthermore, several hydrophobic contacts were also observed within the pocket. Finally, computational work employing density functional theory (DFT) was also carried out to investigate the electronic properties of the synthesized compounds. The in vitro and in silico activities conclusively revealed that our lead compounds may be used as a novel therapeutics against leishmaniasis.
Web‐Like Interconnected Carbon Networks from NaCl‐Assisted Pyrolysis of ZIF‐8 for Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction Catalysis
Authors: Qian Yuhong , An Tao , Birgersson Karl Erik , Liu Zhaolin , Zhao Dan 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is under intense research due to its significance in energy storage and conversion processes. Recent studies show that interconnected and hierarchically porous structures can further enhance ORR kinetics as well as catalyst durability, but their preparation can be quite time and/or chemical consuming. Here, a simple approach is reported to prepare such complex structures by pyrolyzing composites containing NaCl and ZIF‐8. The templating effect of molten NaCl connects ZIF‐8 particles into web‐like carbon networks. During ORR activity measurements, it achieves a 0.964 V onset potential and a 38 mV dec−1 Tafel slope, which are comparable to those of the benchmark Pt/C (0.979 V and 40 mV dec−1). Due to the metal‐free feature, this catalyst exhibits a 16 mV shift in half‐wave potential after a 10 000‐cycle durability test, which is only 60% of that of Pt/C. The catalyst is also tested in Zn–air batteries and the assemblies are able to work at above 1.2 V for 140 h, which triples the life held by those with Pt/C. This study demonstrates a facile strategy to prepare metal‐free ORR catalysts with interconnectivity and hierarchical porosity, and proves their great potentials in ORR catalysis and Zn–air batteries.
Microfluidic Contact Lenses
Authors: Jiang Nan , Montelongo Yunuen , Butt Haider , Yetisen Ali K. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractContact lens is a ubiquitous technology used for vision correction and cosmetics. Sensing in contact lenses has emerged as a potential platform for minimally invasive point‐of‐care diagnostics. Here, a microlithography method is developed to fabricate microconcavities and microchannels in a hydrogel‐based contact lens via a combination of laser patterning and embedded templating. Optical microlithography parameters influencing the formation of microconcavities including ablation power (4.3 W) and beam speed (50 mm s−1) are optimized to control the microconcavity depth (100 µm) and diameter (1.5 mm). The fiber templating method allows the production of microchannels having a diameter range of 100–150 µm. Leak‐proof microchannel and microconcavity connections in contact lenses are validated through flow testing of artificial tear containing fluorescent microbeads (Ø = 1–2 µm). The microconcavities of contact lenses are functionalized with multiplexed fluorophores (2 µL) to demonstrate optical excitation and emission capability within the visible spectrum. The fabricated microfluidic contact lenses may have applications in ophthalmic monitoring of metabolic disorders at point‐of‐care settings and controlled drug release for therapeutics.
Supporting Preschoolers’ Writing Identities in the Scribbling Phase
Authors: Emerson Andrea M. , Hall Anna H. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe early emergent stage of writing consists of drawing and scribbling. This article provides a rationale for teachers to reframe their dispositions toward scribbling and reshape their interactions with writers in the early emergent stage. These teaching tips were derived from the authors’ study of teacher, parent, and young students’ perceptions of scribbling and highlight the importance of positive teacher interactions regarding the scribbling phase of early emergent writers to maintain students’ self‐efficacy, motivation, and writing identity in preschool classrooms. Practical strategies, positive verbal responses, and engaging questions are provided for teachers to acknowledge and encourage scribbling as early writing.
Global bifurcations of symmetric cross‐ply composite laminated plates with 1:2 internal resonance
Authors: Zhang Li , Chen Fangqi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThis paper investigates the global bifurcations and chaotic dynamics for nonlinear oscillations of symmetric cross‐ply composite laminated plates in case of 1:2 internal resonance. The higher‐dimensional Melnikov method and its extensions developed by Kovai and Wiggins is employed to analyze the global bifurcations for composite laminated plates. The explicitly sufficient conditions of the existence of Silnikov‐type homoclinic orbits in perturbed phase space are gained, which may lead to chaotic motions for composite laminated plates. Finally, numerical results obtained by fourth‐order Runge‐Kutta method also indicate that there exist the jumping phenomena and chaotic responses for the nonlinear composite laminated plates, which agree with theoretic predictions.
Progress test utopia
Authors: Van der Vleuten Cees , Freeman Adrian , Collares Carlos Fernando 
Published: March 2018

This paper discusses the advantages of progress testing. A utopia is described where medical schools would work together to develop and administer progress testing. This would lead to a significant reduction of cost, an increase in the quality of measurement and phenomenal feedback to learner and school. Progress testing would also provide more freedom and resources for more creative in-school assessment. It would be an educationally attractive alternative for the creation of cognitive licensing exams. A utopia is always far away in the future, but by formulating a vision for that future we may engage in discussions on how to get there.
Parenting stress and DNA methylation among African Americans in the InterGEN Study
Authors: Wright Michelle L. , Huang Yunfeng , Hui Qin , Newhall Kevin , Crusto Cindy , Sun Yan V. , Taylor Jacquelyn Y. 
Published: March 2018

IntroductionGeneral life stress has been associated with altered DNA methylation in individuals of African Ancestry, although the relationship between parenting stress and DNA methylation has not been described. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between maternal parenting stress and DNA methylation among African Ancestry mother-child dyads.MethodsWe evaluated epigenome-wide DNA methylation relative to parenting stress in 74 mother-child dyads using linear mixed models.ResultsSignificant variation in maternal DNA methylation at 95 CpG sites was associated with level of parenting stress. Notably, we identified a change in DNA methylation associated with poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, which plays a key role in stress signaling. We did not identify any significant variation in child DNA methylation related to maternal parenting stress.ConclusionsHowever, DNA methylation patterns observed in children mirrored patterns observed in their mothers. The results suggest that differential maternal DNA methylation is associated with higher levels of parenting stress.
Where is My Name? – Contemporary Funeral Posters as an Arena of Contestation and (Re)negotiation of Chiefly Relations Among the Ewe of Ghana and Togo
Authors: Adotey Edem 
Published: March 2018

Abstract:In Ghana and other regions of West Africa a funeral poster is an important part of funerary ritual. Examining two funeral posters – one about omission and the other about inclusion of names – printed to commemorate two chiefs in two Ewe communities in Ghana and Togo, this article shows funeral posters as arenas of contestation, negotiation, affirmation, and elaboration of beliefs and conflicting views. The article argues that funeral posters are written with a local audience in mind, which means that they are a very useful source for historical enquiry about how people address the subjects of kinship and relationships among chiefs.
BRANCHING SYSTEMS FOR HIGHER-RANK GRAPH C*-ALGEBRAS
Authors: GONÇALVES DANIEL , LI HUI , ROYER DANILO 
Published: March 2018

AbstractWe define branching systems for finitely aligned higher-rank graphs. From these, we construct concrete representations of higher-rank graph C*-algebras on Hilbert spaces. We prove a generalized Cuntz–Krieger uniqueness theorem for periodic single-vertex 2-graphs. We use this result to give a sufficient condition under which representations of periodic single-vertex 2-graph C*-algebras arising from branching systems are faithful.
Improvement of plant performance under water deficit with the employment of biological and chemical priming agents
Authors: Balestrini R. , Chitarra W. , Antoniou C. , Ruocco M. , Fotopoulos V. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDrought represents one of the major constraints on agricultural productivity and food security and in future is destined to spread widely as a consequence of climate change. Research efforts are focused on developing strategies to make crops more resilient and to mitigate the effects of stress on crop production. In this context, the use of root-associated microbial communities and chemical priming strategies able to improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, including drought, have attracted increasing attention in recent years. The current review offers an overview of recent research aimed at verifying the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and chemical agents to improve plant tolerance to drought and to highlight the mechanisms involved in this improvement. Attention will be devoted mainly to current knowledge on the mechanisms involved in water transport.
Infection patterns and molecular data reveal host and tissue specificity ofPosthodiplostomumspecies in centrarchid hosts
Authors: Boone Evan C. , Laursen Jeffrey R. , Colombo Robert E. , Meiners Scott J. , Romani Michael F. , Keeney Devon B. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractPosthodiplostomum minimumutilizes a three-host life cycle with multiple developmental stages. The metacercarial stage, commonly known as ‘white grub’, infects the visceral organs of many freshwater fishes and was historically considered a host generalist due to its limited morphological variation among a wide range of hosts. In this study, infection data and molecular techniques were used to evaluate the host and tissue specificity ofPosthodiplostomummetacercariae in centrarchid fishes. Eleven centrarchid species from three genera were collected from the Illinois portion of the Ohio River drainage and necropsied.Posthodiplostomuminfection levels differed significantly by host age, host genera and infection locality. ThreePosthodiplostomumspp. were identified by DNA sequencing, two of which were relatively common within centrarchid hosts. Both common species were host specialists at the genus level, with one species restricted toMicropterushosts and the other preferentially infectingLepomis. Host specificity is likely dictated by physiological compatibility and deviations fromLepomishost specificity may be related to host hybridization.Posthodiplostomumspecies also differed in their utilization of host tissues. Neither common species displayed strong genetic structure over the scale of this study, likely due to their utilization of bird definitive hosts.
APTITUDE, EXPERIENCE, AND SECOND LANGUAGE PRONUNCIATION PROFICIENCY DEVELOPMENT IN CLASSROOM SETTINGS
Authors: Saito Kazuya , Suzukida Yui , Sun Hui 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe current study longitudinally examined the influence of aptitude on second language (L2) pronunciation development when 40 first-year Japanese university students engaged in practice activities inside and outside English-as-a-Foreign-Language classrooms over one academic year. Spontaneous speech samples were elicited at the beginning, middle, and end points of the project, analyzed for global, segmental, syllabic, prosodic, and temporal aspects of L2 pronunciation, and linked to their aptitude and experience profiles. Results indicated that the participants generally enhanced the global comprehensibility of their speech (through reducing vowel insertion errors in complex syllables) as a function of increased classroom experience during their first semester, and explicit learning aptitude (associative memory, phonemic coding) appeared to help certain learners further enhance their pronunciation proficiency through the development of fluency and prosody. In the second semester, incidental learning ability (sound sequence recognition) was shown to be a significant predictor of the extent to which certain learners continued to improve and ultimately attain advanced-level L2 comprehensibility, largely thanks to improved segmental accuracy.
La révolte haoussa de Bahia en 1807. Résistance et contrôle des esclaves au Brésil
Authors: Reis João José 
Published: March 2018

RésuméDéveloppé autour de la conspiration d’esclaves africains en 1807, à Bahia, cet article s’intéresse, d’une part, à la présence africaine en contexte brésilien, aux mentalités religieuses, aux symboles politiques, à l’organisation, aux objectifs et stratégies des rebelles ; d’autre part, il examine la politique de contrôle et de répression du gouvernement colonial. Dans la capitale et dans les régions contiguës aux plantations de canne à sucre, la chasse aux suspects mit à jour un monde complexe de relations sociales, économiques et rituelles, qui englobait les esclaves, les affranchis et les maîtres. On découvre que, à côté de la résistance plus ouverte de la révolte, fleurissait une résistance sourde, moléculaire, caractérisée par la lutte pour des espaces d’autonomie, par la formation de réseaux de solidarité et par la construction d’identités où, cependant, les conflits – tant verticaux qu’horizontaux – ne manquaient pas.
Une histoire pour la Padanie: La Ligue du Nord et l'usage politique du passé
Authors: Avanza Martina 
Published: March 2018

RésumésRevendiquant depuis 1995 l’indépendance de l’Italie septentrionale, rebaptisée Padanie, le parti italien de la Ligue du Nord s’est employé à réécrire l’histoire nationale : non seulement parce qu’il produit un récit nettement séparé pour le Nord et pour le Sud, mais aussi parce qu’il tire les conséquences politiques d’une histoire ainsi construite. S’il affirme que, au XIXesiècle, l’unité nationale n’a pas été le fruit de la volonté populaire, c’est pour démontrer qu’aujourd’hui l’Italie n’a pas de raisons d’être. Outil déconstructionniste concernant l’Italie, l’histoire devient, à propos de la Padanie, un instrument structurant. Il s’agit de souligner l’ancienneté de la communauté padane et d’affirmer sa différence structurelle avec le sud du pays. Dans un tel contexte, les historiens, considérés comme des « intellectuels de régime » parce qu’ils nient l’existence de la Padanie et confrontés à l’instrumentalisation possible de leur oeuvre, sont obligés de se repositionner. En effet, comment produire aujourd’hui une analyse critique de l’unité italienne, ce qui était le fait de l’historiographie liée à la gauche, sans pour autant légitimer l’indépendantisme padan ?
Juifs de Livourne, Italiens de Lisbonne, hindous de Goa: Réseaux marchands et échanges interculturels à l’époque moderne
Authors: Trivellato Francesca 
Published: March 2018

RésuméCette étude entend mettre en oeuvre les outils de l’analyse réticulaire dans l’étude des échanges interculturels à l’époque moderne. Dans ce but, elle s’inspire (du point de vue analytique plutôt que mathématique) de la network analysis britannique et des travaux de Fredrik Barth. Face aux débats récents polarisés autour des diasporas négociantes et des réseaux marchands, le recours à l’analyse de réseau présente trois avantages : il oblige l’historien à analyser les relations entre les groupes – et non les relations internes aux groupes – et permet ainsi de surmonter un obstacle commun aux approches anthropologique et économique. Il réduit le fossé qui sépare les études anthropologiques (centrées sur l’organisation interne des diasporas négociantes et le rôle des normes culturelles) et la théorie du choix rationnel qui voit les réseaux marchands comme le produit des intérêts individuels. Enfin, parce qu’il s’agit d’une approche micro-analytique, l’analyse réticulaire permet aux historiens d’examiner la formation de réseaux informels spécifiques qui se déploient au croisement des aires géographique, politique et culturelle communément définies. La validité de ce type d’approche, basée sur leur correspondance d’affaires, est testée à partir d’une étude de cas portant sur la filière indo-portugaise du commerce du corail méditerranéen et des diamants indiens, associant Juifs de Livourne, d’Amsterdam et de Londres, marchands italiens de Lisbonne et une caste hindoue de Goa, réseau informel actif au moins jusqu’aux années 1730.
Les savoirs de Thalès et de Kadmos. Histoire et représentations religieuses en Grèce ancienne
Authors: Mackowiak Karin 
Published: March 2018

RésuméSelon une tradition grecque, le héros Kadmos était l’ancêtre de Thalès de Milet.étudier cette généalogie a pour finalité de dégager l’approche de leur passé culturel par les Grecs. Elle interroge les rapports problématiques entre mythe et histoire, dont on propose une nouvelle approche méthodologique.Si des souvenirs historiques transparaissent de quelque manière dans cette généalogie, celle-ci forme un discours historique qui réorganise les connaissances du passé et les met en forme dans le respect de croyances religieuses.La comparaison des portraits et des fonctions de Kadmos et de Thalès, passeurs de savoirs entre l’Orient et la Grèce, montre que la mémoire historique grecque se structure, ici, autour de représentations imaginaires précises.Transmise par le mythe, la conception grecque de l’histoire touche aux limites du logos cultuel et constitue un discours construit avec une logique incontestable.
Les représentations du passé en Palestine. Municipalités d’hier, municipalités d’aujourd’hui
Authors: Signoles Aude 
Published: March 2018

RésuméPerçues, dans les années 1970, comme les fondements du futur État, les municipalités palestiniennes se trouvent discréditées, immédiatement après la signature des accords d’Oslo, sur la base de leur ancien engagement partisan, quel qu’il ait pu être, et de leurs pratiques. Les rapports d’évaluation réalisés sur le sujet en 1993-1994 par les différents acteurs concernés – « élus» locaux, équipes ministérielles ou donateurs internationaux – partent tous d’un constat de vacance du pouvoir à l’échelle locale et formulent un diagnostic sévère sur l’« état de santé» des municipalités. Les prestations de services y sont montrées du doigt, ainsi que leurs modes de gestion. Nous avons ici, dans un premier temps, replacé le « vide de pouvoir» dans son contexte historique avant d’analyser, dans un second temps, la manière dont les différents protagonistes expliquent cette situation qu’ils ont diagnostiquée et de laquelle ils partent. Des représentations du passé distinctes, sinon concurrentes, émergent de leurs discours. Elles sont révélatrices des conflits de mémoire que l’histoire politique des municipalités engendre en ce « temps d’une métamorphose» que constitue l’ouverture du processus de paix.