bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Testing language acquisition models: null and overt topics in Mandarin
Authors: ZHU Jingtao , GAVARRÓ Anna 
Published: April 2019

AbstractParameter setting is either precipitous (Gibson &amp; Wexler, 1994) or it is gradual in response to input frequency (Yang, 2002, 2004). In this study, we compare these models against the empirical domain of subject and (direct) object drop in Mandarin. We conducted a corpus-based study of the speech of 47 Mandarin-speaking children aged 1;2–6;5, and their caregivers, from the CHILDES database. The results show that before age 1;8 all the children used null subjects and null objects in a target-like fashion, which reveals that the parameter that governs null topics is set from very early on, even if the presence of disambiguating evidence for [+Null Topic] patterns is low. Besides, children'sbaconstructions, which require an overt object, reliably included this object from the first occurrence although its frequency was scarce in the input. Our results indicate that the setting of certain parameters occurred early independently of the input.
Thoracic sequels after thoracotomies in children with congenital cardiac disease
Authors: Bal Serpil , Elshershari Huda , Çeliker Reyhan , Çeliker Alpay 
Published: April 2019

The standard surgical approach for closed heart procedures in small infants and children is to use a posterolateral thoracotomy incision, which results in the division of the latissimus dorsi and serratus anterior muscles. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency and type of musculoskeletal deformities in children undergoing surgery with this approach for congenital cardiac disease.We included 49 children, 28 boys and 21 girls, in the study. Their mean age was 10.2 ± 4.8 years, the mean age at the time of surgery was 3.8 ± 4.0 years, and they were evaluated at an average of 6 years after the thoracotomy. Of the patients, 94% had various musculoskeletal deformities. Scoliosis was observed in 15 patients (31%) but only in two patients did the curves exceed 25 degrees. Of these patients, three-fifths had aortic coarctation. Elevation of the shoulder was seen in 61%, winged scapula in 77%; while 14% had asymmetry of the thoracic wall due to the atrophy of the serratus anterior muscle. Deformity of the thoracic cage was observed in 18%; and 63% had asymmetry of the nipples.Thus, we found that musculoskeletal deformities are frequent after thoracotomies in children with congenital cardiac disease. Patients who have undergone such procedures for cardiac or noncardiac surgery should be followed until their skeletal maturation is complete. Techniques sparing the serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi muscles should be preferred. These adverse effects of thoracotomy may be another reason for using interventional procedures in these cases.
In the Spotlight or the Shadow of Alzheimer? The Role of Cerebrovascular Disease in Dementia
Authors: Reed Bruce 
Published: April 2019

Vascular Dementia: Cerebrovascular Mechanisms and Clinical Management. Robert H. Paul, Ronald Cohen, Brian R. Ott, and Stephen Salloway (Eds.). 2004. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 356 pp., $145.00, £91.00 (HB).Interest in how vascular factors contribute to dementia is ascendant, propelled by a number of factors. One is the widespread use of MRI, which is a highly sensitive (if not always specific) test for cerebrovascular lesions. A second is a string of epidemiological reports revealing that Alzheimer's disease shares many of the well established risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (Skoog & Gustafson, 2003). Recent autopsy studies using cohorts obtained outside of the potentially winnowing influence of the Alzheimer's disease centers have reminded us that vascular lesions are common in patients with dementia (Neuropathology Group of the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study, 2001). The Nun study report suggesting that infarcts create an additive or greater effect on mental function in concert with AD pathology (Snowdon et al., 1997) received particularly wide exposure and helped revive interest in combined effects of AD and ischemic lesions. Finally, the discovery that polymorphisms of the apoE gene, long of interest in cardiovascular disease, strongly modify the risk of AD suggested the possibility of shared pathophysiological mechanisms between AD and vascular dementia (Panza et al., 2004; Strittmatter & Roses, 1995). The volumeVascular Dementia, edited by Paul, Cohen, Ott and Salloway, is thus a timely resource for those interested in the numerous issues surrounding the role of vascular factors in dementia.
Social bodies and social justice
Authors: Lewis Sam , Thomson Michael 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThis paper identifies and engages with thesocial bodiesemerging by virtue of the social turn in the life sciences and recent embodied approaches to social justice. Across these diverse domains, bodies are being narrated as shaped by and dependent on their environments. To explore this potentially important and productive convergence, we bring Martha Fineman's vulnerability theory into conversation with neuroscience and environmental epigenetics. We foreground significant intersecting concerns and argue that vulnerability theory – and other embodied models of social justice – is strengthened by taking embodiment seriously, including attending to the social turn in the life sciences. This can enhance the potential traction of these progressive theories. These in turn provide an alternative theoretical framework to the neoliberal lens through which neuroscience and epigenetics have hitherto been translated into policy and practice. We nevertheless acknowledge the potential limitations and dangers of the current biopolitical landscape.
Effect of branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation on Muscle Soreness following Exercise: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Fedewa Michael V. , Spencer Steven O. , Williams Tyler D. , Becker Zachery E. , Fuqua Collin A. 
Published: April 2019

Abstract. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a symptom of exercise-induced muscle damage that occurs following exercise. Previous research has indicated that branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation may attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage that causes delayed onset muscle soreness, however the results are inconsistent. The primary aim of this study was to examine the previous literature assessing the effect of BCAA supplementation on DOMS following an acute bout of exercise in adults. This review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses), and identified peer-reviewed articles comparing a BCAA supplement to a placebo non-BCAA supplement following an acute bout of exercise. An electronic search of three databases (EbscoHost, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus) yielded 42 articles after duplicates were removed. All studies included in the current analyis were: 1) peer-reviewed publications; 2) available in English; 3) utilized a random control design that compared a BCAA group to a placebo control group following exercise; 4) and assessed soreness of muscle tissue during recovery. DOMS was assessed in 61 participants following ingestion of a BCAA supplement over the course of these interventions. The cumulative results of 37 effects gathered from 8 studies published between 2007 and 2017 indicated that BCAA supplementation reduced DOMS following exercise training (ES = 0.7286, 95% CI: 0.5017 to 0.9555, p < 0.001). A large decrease in DOMS occurs following BCAA supplementation after exercise compared to a placebo supplement.
Using Ambient Noise to Image the Northern East African Rift
Authors: Chambers Emma L. , Harmon Nicholas , Keir Derek , Rychert Catherine A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe northern East African Rift (EAR) is a unique location where we observe continental rifting in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) transitioning to incipient seafloor spreading in Afar. Here we present a 3‐D absolute shear wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle of the northern EAR generated from ambient noise tomography. We generate 4,820 station pair correlation functions, from 170 stations (present over 12 years), which were inverted for phase velocity from 8–33 s period and finally for 3‐D absolute shear velocity structure to 60‐km depth. Everywhere in the uppermost mantle, shear velocity is slower than expected for a mantle peridotite composition (<4.1 km/s). This suggests the presence of pervasive partial melt, with focused upwelling and melt storage beneath the MER, where the slowest velocities (3.20 km/s ± 0.03) are observed. Average crustal shear velocity is faster beneath Afar (3.83 km/s ± 0.04) than the MER (3.60 km/s ± 0.04), albeit Afar has localized slow velocities beneath active volcanic centers. We interpret these slow‐velocity regions (including the MER) as magmatic intrusions and heating of the crust. Beneath the northwestern plateau, crustal velocities are laterally heterogeneous (3.3–3.65 ± 0.05 km/s at 10 km), suggesting a complex geological history and inhomogeneous magma distribution during rift development. Comparison between the MER and Afar allows us to draw conclusions between different stages of rifting. In particular, the MER has the slowest crustal velocities, consistent with longer magma residence times in the crust, early during the breakup process.
Comparing EGF Methods for Estimating Corner Frequency and Stress Drop From P Wave Spectra
Authors: Shearer Peter M. , Abercrombie Rachel E. , Trugman Daniel T. , Wang Wei 
Published: April 2019

AbstractEmpirical Green's functions (EGFs) are widely applied to correct earthquake spectra for attenuation and other path effects in order to estimate corner frequencies and stress drops, but these source parameter estimates often exhibit poor agreement between different studies. We examine this issue by analyzing a compact cluster of over 3,000 aftershocks of the 1992 Landers earthquake. We apply and compare two different analysis and modeling methods: (1) the spectral decomposition and global EGF fitting approach and (2) a more traditional EGF method of modeling spectral ratios. We find that spectral decomposition yields event terms that are consistent with stacks of spectral ratios for individual events, but source parameter estimates nonetheless vary between the methods. The main source of differences comes from the modeling approach used to estimate the EGF. The global EGF‐fitting approach suffers from parameter trade‐offs among the absolute stress drop, the stress drop scaling with moment, and the high‐frequency falloff rate but has the advantage that the relative spectral shapes and stress drops among the different events in the cluster are well resolved even if their absolute levels are not. The spectral ratio approach solves for a different EGF for each target event without imposing any constraint on the corner frequency, fc, of the smaller events, and so can produce biased results for target event fc. Placing constraints on the small‐event fc improves the performance of the spectral ratio method and enables the two methods to yield very similar results.
Accelerating and Parallelizing Lagrangian Simulations of Mixing‐Limited Reactive Transport
Authors: Engdahl Nicholas B. , Schmidt Michael J. , Benson David A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractRecent advances in random walk particle tracking have enabled direct simulation of mixing and reactions by allowing the particles to interact with each other using a multipoint mass transfer scheme. The mass transfer scheme allows separation of mixing and spreading processes, among other advantages, but it is computationally expensive because its speed depends on the number of interacting particle pairs. This note explores methods for relieving the computational bottleneck caused by the mass transfer step, and we use these algorithms to develop a new parallel, interacting particle model. The new model is a combination of a sparse search algorithm and a novel domain decomposition scheme, both of which offer significant speedup relative to the reference case—even when they are executed serially. We combine the strengths of these methods to create a parallel particle scheme that is highly accurate and efficient with run times that scale as 1/P for a fixed number of particles, where P is the number of computational cores (equivalently, subdomains, in this work) being used. The new parallel model is a significant advance because it enables efficient simulation of large particle ensembles that are needed for environmental simulations and also because it can naturally pair with parallel geochemical solvers to create a practical Lagrangian tool for simulating mixing and reactions in complex chemical systems.
Term birth weight and ambient air pollutant concentrations during pregnancy, among women living in Monroe County, New York
Authors: Li Rui , Hopke Philip K. , Dozier Ann , Thurston Sally W. , Thevenet-Morrison Kelly , Croft Daniel , Masiol Mauro , Squizzato Stefania , Chalupa David , Rich David Q. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIncreased ambient air pollutant concentrations during pregnancy have been associated with reduced birth weight, but the etiologically relevant pregnancy time window(s) is/are unclear. In 76,500 singleton births in Monroe County, NY (2005–2016), who were 37–42 gestational weeks at delivery, we used generalized linear models to regress term birth weight against mean gestational month pollutant concentrations, adjusting for mean temperature, and maternal, infant, and medical service use characteristics. Overall, there were no clear patterns of term birth weight change associated with increased concentrations of any pollutant across gestational months. However, among Hispanic women only, increases in all pollutants, except O3, in multiple gestational months, were associated with decreased term birth weight. Each 3.25 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration in the 6th gestational month was associated with a −20.4 g (95% CI = −34.0, −6.8) reduction in term birth weight among Hispanic women, but a 4.1 g (95% CI = −2.5, 10.8) increase among non-Hispanic mothers (p for interaction < 0.001). Although ambient air pollutant concentrations during pregnancy were not associated with reduced term birth weight among women of all ethnicities living in Monroe County, this observed association in Hispanic mothers may be a result of less exposure misclassification and bias (due to closer residential proximity to the monitoring site).
Trans-provincial health impacts of atmospheric mercury emissions in China
Authors: Chen Long , Liang Sai , Liu Maodian , Yi Yujun , Mi Zhifu , Zhang Yanxu , Li Yumeng , Qi Jianchuan , Meng Jing , Tang Xi , Zhang Haoran , Tong Yindong , Zhang Wei , Wang Xuejun , Shu Jiong , Yang Zhifeng 
Published: April 2019

AbstractMercury (Hg) exposure poses substantial risks to human health. Investigating a longer chain from economic activities to human health can reveal the sources and critical processes of Hg-related health risks. Thus, we develop a more comprehensive assessment method which is applied to mainland China—the largest global Hg emitter. We present a map of Hg-related health risks in China and estimate that 0.14 points of per-foetus intelligence quotient (IQ) decrements and 7,360 deaths from fatal heart attacks are related to the intake of methylmercury in 2010. This study, for the first time, reveals the significant impacts of interprovincial trade on Hg-related health risks across the whole country. For instance, interprovincial trade induced by final consumption prevents 0.39 × 10−2 points for per-foetus IQ decrements and 194 deaths from fatal heart attacks. These findings highlight the importance of policy decisions in different stages of economic supply chains to reduce Hg-related health risks.
Extremes of summer climate trigger thousands of thermokarst landslides in a High Arctic environment
Authors: Lewkowicz Antoni G. , Way Robert G. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractRetrogressive thaw slumps (RTS) – landslides caused by the melt of ground ice in permafrost – have become more common in the Arctic, but the timing of this recent increase and its links to climate have not been fully established. Here we annually resolve RTS formation and longevity for Banks Island, Canada (70,000 km2) using the Google Earth Engine Timelapse dataset. We describe a 60-fold increase in numbers between 1984 and 2015 as more than 4000 RTS were initiated, primarily following four particularly warm summers. Colour change due to increased turbidity occurred in 288 lakes affected by RTS outflows and sediment accumulated in many valley floors. Modelled RTS initiation rates increased by an order of magnitude between 1906–1985 and 2006–2015, and are projected under RCP4.5 to rise to >10,000 decade−1 after 2075. These results provide additional evidence that ice-rich continuous permafrost terrain can be highly vulnerable to changing summer climate.
Plant-inspired adhesive and tough hydrogel based on Ag-Lignin nanoparticles-triggered dynamic redox catechol chemistry
Authors: Gan Donglin , Xing Wensi , Jiang Lili , Fang Ju , Zhao Cancan , Ren Fuzeng , Fang Liming , Wang Kefeng , Lu Xiong 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAdhesive hydrogels have gained popularity in biomedical applications, however, traditional adhesive hydrogels often exhibit short-term adhesiveness, poor mechanical properties and lack of antibacterial ability. Here, a plant-inspired adhesive hydrogel has been developed based on Ag-Lignin nanoparticles (NPs)triggered dynamic redox catechol chemistry. Ag-Lignin NPs construct the dynamic catechol redox system, which creates long-lasting reductive-oxidative environment inner hydrogel networks. This redox system, generating catechol groups continuously, endows the hydrogel with long-term and repeatable adhesiveness. Furthermore, Ag-Lignin NPs generate free radicals and trigger self-gelation of the hydrogel under ambient environment. This hydrogel presents high toughness for the existence of covalent and non-covalent interaction in the hydrogel networks. The hydrogel also possesses good cell affinity and high antibacterial activity due to the catechol groups and bactericidal ability of Ag-Lignin NPs. This study proposes a strategy to design tough and adhesive hydrogels based on dynamic plant catechol chemistry.
Successive modification of polydentate complexes gives access to planar carbon- and nitrogen-based ligands
Authors: Zhou Xiaoxi , Pang Xin , Nie Liming , Zhu Congqing , Zhuo Kaiyue , Zhuo Qingde , Chen Zhixin , Liu Gang , Zhang Hong , Lin Zhenyang , Xia Haiping 
Published: April 2019

AbstractPolydentate complexes containing combinations of nitrogen and carbon (N and C) ligating atoms are among the most fundamental and ubiquitous molecules in coordination chemistry, yet the formation of such complexes with planar high-coordinate N/C sites remains challenging. Herein, we demonstrate an efficient route to access related complexes with tetradentate CCCN and pentadentate CCCCN and NCCCN cores by successive modification of the coordinating atoms in complexes with a CCCC core. Combined experimental and computational studies reveal that the rich reactivity of metal-carbon bonds and the inherent aromaticity of the metallacyclic skeletons play key roles in these transformations. This strategy addresses the paucity of synthetic approaches to mixed N/C planar pentadentate chelating species and provides valuable insights into the synthesis of carbon-based high-coordinate complexes. Furthermore, the resulting complexes are the examples of organometallic species with combined photoacoustic, photothermal, and sonodynamic properties, which makes them promising for application in related areas.
Whole genome sequencing of canids reveals genomic regions under selection and variants influencing morphology
Authors: Plassais Jocelyn , Kim Jaemin , Davis Brian W. , Karyadi Danielle M. , Hogan Andrew N. , Harris Alex C. , Decker Brennan , Parker Heidi G. , Ostrander Elaine A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractDomestic dog breeds are characterized by an unrivaled diversity of morphologic traits and breed-associated behaviors resulting from human selective pressures. To identify the genetic underpinnings of such traits, we analyze 722 canine whole genome sequences (WGS), documenting over 91 million single nucleotide and small indels, creating a large catalog of genomic variation for a companion animal species. We undertake both selective sweep analyses and genome wide association studies (GWAS) inclusive of over 144 modern breeds, 54 wild canids and a hundred village dogs. Our results identify variants of strong impact associated with 16 phenotypes, including body weight variation which, when combined with existing data, explain greater than 90% of body size variation in dogs. We thus demonstrate that GWAS and selection scans performed with WGS are powerful complementary methods for expanding the utility of companion animal systems for the study of mammalian growth and biology.
Synthetic ligands for PreQ1 riboswitches provide structural and mechanistic insights into targeting RNA tertiary structure
Authors: Connelly Colleen M. , Numata Tomoyuki , Boer Robert E. , Moon Michelle H. , Sinniah Ranu S. , Barchi Joseph J. , Ferré-D’Amaré Adrian R. , Schneekloth John S. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractRiboswitches are naturally occurring RNA aptamers that regulate gene expression by binding to specific small molecules. Riboswitches control the expression of essential bacterial genes and are important models for RNA-small molecule recognition. Here, we report the discovery of a class of synthetic small molecules that bind to PreQ1 riboswitch aptamers. These molecules bind specifically and reversibly to the aptamers with high affinity and induce a conformational change. Furthermore, the ligands modulate riboswitch activity through transcriptional termination despite no obvious chemical similarity to the cognate ligand. X-ray crystallographic studies reveal that the ligands share a binding site with the cognate ligand but make different contacts. Finally, alteration of the chemical structure of the ligand causes changes in the mode of RNA binding and affects regulatory function. Thus, target- and structure-based approaches can be used to identify and understand the mechanism of synthetic ligands that bind to and regulate complex, folded RNAs.
Co-regulated gene expression of splicing factors as drivers of cancer progression
Authors: Koedoot Esmee , Smid Marcel , Foekens John A. , Martens John W. M. , Le Dévédec Sylvia E. , van de Water Bob 
Published: April 2019

AbstractSplicing factors (SFs) act in dynamic macromolecular complexes to modulate RNA processing. To understand the complex role of SFs in cancer progression, we performed a systemic analysis of the co-regulation of SFs using primary tumor RNA sequencing data. Co-regulated SFs were associated with aggressive breast cancer phenotypes and enhanced metastasis formation, resulting in the classification of Enhancer- (21 genes) and Suppressor-SFs (64 genes). High Enhancer-SF levels were related to distinct splicing patterns and expression of known oncogenic pathways such as respiratory electron transport, DNA damage and cell cycle regulation. Importantly, largely identical SF co-regulation was observed in almost all major cancer types, including lung, pancreas and prostate cancer. In conclusion, we identified cancer-associated co-regulated expression of SFs that are associated with aggressive phenotypes. This study increases the global understanding of the role of the spliceosome in cancer progression and also contributes to the development of strategies to cure cancer patients.