bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Presidential Term Limits and the African Union
Authors: Wiebusch Micha , Murray Christina 
Published: May 2019

AbstractA growing number of states have modified constitutionally determined presidential term limits or adopted a flexible interpretation of relevant constitutional provisions to allow incumbent leaders additional terms in the highest office. This article investigates African Union (AU) responses to attempts to overturn or weaken term limits on executive power, one of the most tenacious constitutional trends in Africa. Inspired by the AU's well-established discourse on “unconstitutional changes of government” under the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the article frames the manipulation of presidential term limits as “undemocratic changes of the constitution”. From this perspective it argues for a more active role for the AU in monitoring and enforcing constitutionalism and respect for democratic standards by member states when they amend their constitution. It concludes with a tentative set of principles to guide processes of constitutional change in Africa.
Impact of the invasive plant Solidago gigantea on soil nematodes in a semi-natural grassland and a temperate broadleaved mixed forest
Authors: Čerevková A. , Miklisová D. , Bobuľská L. , Renčo M. 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
Relationships between alien plant species and their aboveground effects have been relatively well studied, but little is known about the effects of invasive plants on belowground faunal communities. Nematodes are abundant, ubiquitous and diverse soil biota, and alterations of their community compositions can illustrate changes in belowground ecosystems. In 2016 and 2017, we determined the response of species diversity, community composition and trophic composition of the soil nematode communities to invasion by the alien plant Solidago gigantea in two ecosystems, forest and grassland, where invasion takes place. Nematode abundance was higher and number of identified nematode species was lower at invaded than uninvaded sites, indicated by lower species diversity, regardless of ecosystem. Herbivorous nematodes were the most affected trophic group. Herbivore abundance was higher at invaded than uninvaded sites and in grassland than forest. The herbivorous species Boleodorus thylactus, Geocenamus sp., Helicotylenchus spp., Paratylenchus bukowinensis, Pratylenchoides crenicauda and Rotylenchus robustus were more abundant at the invaded sites. Abundances of nematodes in the other tropic groups were limited or not affected. The invasion did not significantly affect the ecological and functional indices, except for the Channel Index in 2016. Differences were observed in values of Enrichment Index (indicator of resource availability), Channel Index (indicator of ascendant bacterial/fungal decomposition channel) and Basal Index (indicator of depleted-perturbed soil food webs) between grassland and forests. We can thus conclude that invasion by S. gigantea significantly alters nematode community indicators (abundance, species diversity and specific trophic groups); however, this effect seems to be significantly influenced by the type of ecosystem where invasion takes place.
Embodying Maoism: The swimming craze, the Mao cult, and body politics in Communist China, 1950s–1970s
Authors: POON SHUK-WAH 
Published: May 2019

AbstractMao Zedong's historic swim in the Yangtze River on 16 July 1966, which heralded a new phase of the Cultural Revolution, was a carefully staged political performance and a notable example of body politics in Communist China. Beginning in the late 1950s, Mao began to broadcast the idea that he was a keen swimmer and to convince the masses to take up swimming. The swim was the climax of those efforts and an integral part of the Mao cult. Swimming in Mao's China offers a useful lens for understanding the close relationship between sports, the body, and politics. Swimming was a means for Mao to mobilize mass support for his political authority and a venue for the masses to practise and perform Maoism. This article examines the constructive process and meanings of Mao's swimming body, and the extent to which the bodies of the populace were regulated through the mass-swimming craze. Drawing on untapped archival materials related to mass swimming in Mao's China, this article argues that swimming both solidified and destabilized the Mao cult and became a venue through which political values were shaped, indoctrinated, contested, and repudiated.
Molecular characterization and haplotypes of sheep and goat isolates of Cysticercus tenuicollis in Turkey
Authors: Kilinc Seyma Gunyakti , Kesik Harun Kaya , Simsek Sami 
Published: May 2019

AbstractTaenia hydatigena, is a common parasite, lived mostly in dogs and wild carnivores in its mature stage, and the larvae, Cysticercus tenuicollis, is found on ruminants and pigs. The aim of the current study was to determine the genetic diversity in 20 isolates of the sheep and goats. After the isolation of total genomic DNA from C. tenuicollis isolates, genetic characterization of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 gene region was amplified using specific JB11–JB12 primers in PCR and the PCR products were sequenced and haplotype and genetic diversity analyses were utilized. As a result, multiple nucleotide changes were determined in the sequence analyses of the isolates leading to detection of 16 and 15 different haplotypes in sheep and goat samples, respectively. These findings are important in terms of showing the diversity of nucleotide variation in C. tenuicollis in Turkey.
Molecular characterization of Fasciola jacksoni from wild elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) of Sri Lanka: a taxonomic evaluation
Authors: Rajapakse R. P. V. J. , Lawton S. P. , Karunathilake K. J. K. , Perera B. V. P. , Nguyen N. T. B. , Le T. H. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractFasciola jacksoni is a significant contributor to the health and mortality of Asian elephants, particularly those in Sri Lanka. Despite the impact of fascioliasis on elephant populations, it is a neglected veterinary disease with limited taxonomic understanding. Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of F. jacksoni were carried out to evaluate its suggested basal position in the Fasciolidae. Adult worms were collected during post-mortem of elephants, and eggs were collected from living elephants in National parks across Sri Lanka. Using the mitochondrial genes nicotinamide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), and a partial 28S ribosomal DNA (28S rDNA), DNA sequences were generated from the F. jacksoni adult and egg material. Maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analyses did not resolve F. jacksoni to be basal to the Fasciolidae. Furthermore, the ML analyses showed that the genus Fasciola was not monophyletic and that F. jacksoni was a sister species to the deer liver fluke Fascioloides magna. A clear framework is required to determine the taxonomic status of F. jacksoni and this current study provides the first detailed application of molecular techniques from multiple hosts across Sri Lanka with the production of reference DNA sequences for this important parasite.
Investigating Reduced Path Planning Strategy for Differential Wheeled Mobile Robot
Authors: Fareh Raouf , Baziyad Mohammed , Rahman Mohammad H. , Rabie Tamer , Bettayeb Maamar 
Published: May 2019

SummaryThis paper presents a vision-based path planning strategy that aims to reduce the computational time required by a robot to find a feasible path from a starting point to the goal point. The proposed algorithm presents a novel strategy that can be implemented on any well-known path planning algorithm such as A*, D* and probabilistic roadmap (PRM), to improve the swiftness of these algorithms. This path planning algorithm is suitable for real-time scenarios since it reduces the computational time compared to the basis and traditional algorithms. To test the proposed path planning strategy, a tracking control strategy is implemented on a mobile platform. This control strategy consists of three major stages. The first stage deals with gathering information about the surrounding environment using vision techniques. In the second stage, a free-obstacle path is generated using the proposed reduced scheme. In the final stage, a Lyapunov kinematic tracking controller and two Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based-controllers are implemented to track the proposed path by adjusting the rotational and linear velocity of the robot. The proposed path planning strategy is tested on a Pioneer P3-DX differential wheeled mobile robot and an Xtion PRO depth camera. Experimental results prove the efficiency of the proposed path planning scheme, which was able to reduce the computational time by a large percentage which reached up to 88% of the time needed by the basis and traditional scheme, without significant adverse effect on the workability of the basis algorithm. Moreover, the proposed path planning algorithm has improved the path efficiency, in terms of the path length and trackability, challenging the traditional trade-off between swiftness and path efficiency.
The British contribution to the birth of the Finnish cotton industry (1820–1870)
Authors: Peltola Jarmo 
Published: May 2019

AbstractFinland urbanised and industrialised slowly. In 1820 Tampere was a tiny inland town in the Autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants. Although Finland was a latecomer to industrialisation, Tampere took the path of many other small towns in Europe. It grew around a relatively fast-growing cotton mill with the help of foreign, mainly British know-how. In this article I give an analysis of the policies and networks that made Finnish industrialisation possible from 1820 onwards, and of the roles the British industrialists, technicians and cotton industry specialists played in this process.
Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Bensimon Fabrice 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn the period 1815–1870, several thousand British workers and engineers went to the continent for work purposes, playing a decisive part in European industrialisation. Workers emigrated because they could market their skills at good value; or because their British employers sought to make the most of their technical lead by setting businesses up abroad, and by producing on the continent, they could avoid protective tariffs.Which social and cultural factors enabled British capital to flow to continental and indeed global enterprise, British skills to shape labour processes overseas, and British male and female labourers to seek and find overseas employment? This introduction to the Special Issue raises a series of questions on these flows. It asks what numbers went to the continent, in comparison with the large flows to the US and the British World. It addresses the legislative and economic aspects of these labour migrations and tries to relate these to the discussion on the supposed ‘high-wage economy’ of the British industrial revolution. It also focuses on the practicalities of migration. Last, it is also interested in the cultural, religious and associational life of the British migrants, as well as in the relations with the local populations.
THE OCCURRENCE AND PERCEPTION OF LISTENER VISUAL CUES DURING NONUNDERSTANDING EPISODES
Authors: McDonough Kim , Trofimovich Pavel , Lu Libing , Abashidze Dato 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThis research report examines the occurrence of listener visual cues during nonunderstanding episodes and investigates raters’ sensitivity to those cues. Nonunderstanding episodes (n = 21) and length-matched understanding episodes (n = 21) were taken from a larger dataset of video-recorded conversations between second language (L2) English speakers and a bilingual French-English interlocutor (McDonough, Trofimovich, Dao, & Abashidze, 2018). Episode videos were analyzed for the occurrence of listener visual cues, such as head nods, blinks, facial expressions, and holds. Videos of the listener’s face were manipulated to create three rating conditions: clear voice/clear face, distorted voice/clear face, and clear voice/blurred face. Raters in the same speech community (N = 66) were assigned to a video condition to assess the listener’s comprehension. Results revealed differences in the occurrence of listener visual cues between the understanding and nonunderstanding episodes. In addition, raters gave lower ratings of listener comprehension when they had access to the listener’s visual cues.
Malondialdehyde, Glutathione Peroxidase, and Superoxide Dismutase in Cerebrospinal Fluid During Cerebral Vasospasm in Monkeys
Authors: Loch Macdonald R. , Weir Bryce K.A. , Runzer Tim D. , Grace Michael G.A. 
Published: May 2019

ABSTRACT:Cerebral vasospasm may result from lipid peroxidation induced by oxyhemoglobin in the subarachnoid space after subarachnoid hemorrhage. To test this theory, vasospasm was induced in monkeys by intrathecal injections of oxyhemoglobin or supernatant fluid from autologous blood incubatedin vitro. Concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of lipid peroxidation, was elevated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in association with vasospasm caused by oxyhemoglobin and supernatant fluid. Intrathecal injections of methemoglobin or bilirubin did not cause vasospasm or increased CSF MDA. Activity of glutathione peroxidase in CSF increased significantly after injection of oxyhemoglobin and methemoglobin. There were no significant changes in CSF superoxide dismutase activity although there was a trend towards higher activities in animals treated with oxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin, bilirubin, and supernatant fluid. These results show oxyhemoglobin-induced vasospasm is associated with MDA and lipid peroxidation in the subarachnoid space. Furthermore, detection of peroxidation products after injection of oxyhemoglobin in the absence of erythrocyte membranes indicates that oxyhemoglobin may directly damage cerebral arteries and brain by inducing lipid peroxidation in these structures. Depletion of free-radical scavenging enzymes in CSF did not seem necessary for development of vasospasm. In fact, there was a tendency for vasospasm to elevate enzyme activities, as if production of scavengers was induced by excess free radicals in the subarachnoid space.
Assessing the relationship between water and nutrition knowledge and beverage consumption habits in children
Authors: Irwin Bridget R , Speechley Mark R , Gilliland Jason A 
Published: May 2019

AbstractObjective:To examine the relationship between knowledge and beverage consumption habits among children.Design:Cross-sectional analysis. Linear regression was used to identify sociodemographic, dietary and behavioural determinants of beverage consumption and knowledge, and to describe the relationships between children’s knowledge and water and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption.Settings:Seventeen elementary schools in London, Ontario, Canada.Participants:A total of 1049 children aged 8–14 years.Results:Knowledge scores were low overall. Children with higher knowledge scores consumed significantly fewer SSB (β= −0·33; 95 % CI −0·49, −0·18;P< 0·0001) and significantly more water (β= 0·34; 95 % CI 0·16, 0·52;P= 0·0002). More frequent refillable water bottle use, lower junk food consumption, lower fruit and vegetable consumption, female sex, higher parental education, two-parent households and not participating in a milk programme were associated with a higher water consumption. Male sex, higher junk food consumption, single-parent households, lower parental education, participating in a milk programme, less frequent refillable water bottle use and permission to leave school grounds at lunchtime were associated with a higher SSB consumption. Water was the most frequently consumed beverage; however, 79 % of respondents reported consuming an SSB at least once daily and 50 % reported consuming an SSB three or more times daily.Conclusions:Elementary-school children have relatively low nutrition and water knowledge and consume high proportions of SSB. Higher knowledge is associated with increased water consumption and reduced SSB consumption. Interventions to increase knowledge may be effective at improving children’s beverage consumption habits.
Fluorescence-Based Detection of Membrane Fusion State on a Cryo-EM Grid using Correlated Cryo-Fluorescence and Cryo-Electron Microscopy
Authors: Metskas Lauren Ann , Briggs John A. G. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractCorrelated light and electron microscopy (CLEM) has become a popular technique for combining the protein-specific labeling of fluorescence with electron microscopy, both at room and cryogenic temperatures. Fluorescence applications at cryo-temperatures have typically been limited to localization of tagged protein oligomers due to known issues of extended triplet state duration, spectral shifts, and reduced photon capture through cryo-CLEM objectives. Here, we consider fluorophore characteristics and behaviors that could enable more extended applications. We describe how dialkylcarbocanine DiD, and its autoquenching by resonant energy transfer (RET), can be used to distinguish the fusion state of a lipid bilayer at cryo-temperatures. By adapting an established fusion assay to work under cryo-CLEM conditions, we identified areas of fusion between influenza virus-like particles and fluorescently labeled lipid vesicles on a cryo-EM grid. This result demonstrates that cryo-CLEM can be used to localize functions in addition to tagged proteins, and that fluorescence autoquenching by RET can be incorporated successfully into cryo-CLEM approaches. In the case of membrane fusion applications, this method provides both an orthogonal confirmation of functional state independent of the morphological description from cryo-EM and a way to bridge room-temperature kinetic assays and the cryo-EM images.
Genetic analysis of brown planthopper biotypes using random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR)
Authors: Shufran K. A. , Whalon M. E. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractRandom amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to estimate the relatedness of three biotypes of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), from the Philippines. Each individual brown planthopper had a unique set of RAPD bands, but no bands were diagnostic for any one biotype. Brown planthopper types 1, 2 and 3 were genetically homogeneous. This supports results of other studies which conclude that brown planthopper biotypes are not sub-specific categories, but merely represent individual variation for virulence to rice cultivars.
Injury and depression among 212 039 individuals in 40 low- and middle-income countries
Authors: Stickley A. , Oh H. , Sumiyoshi T. , McKee M. , Koyanagi A. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimsAlthough injuries have been linked to worse mental health, little is known about this association among the general population in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs). This study examined the association between injuries and depression in 40 LAMICs that participated in the World Health Survey.MethodsCross-sectional information was obtained from 212 039 community-based adults on the past 12-month experience of road traffic and other (non-traffic) injuries and depression, which was assessed using questions based on the World Mental Health Survey version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and meta-analysis were used to examine associations.ResultsThe overall prevalence (95% CI) of past 12-month traffic injury, other injury, and depression was 2.8% (2.6–3.0%), 4.8% (4.6–5.0%) and 7.4% (7.1–7.8%), respectively. The prevalence of traffic injuries [range 0.1% (Ethiopia) to 5.1% (Bangladesh)], and other (non-traffic) injuries [range 0.9% (Myanmar) to 12.1% (Kenya)] varied widely across countries. After adjusting for demographic variables, alcohol consumption and smoking, the pooled OR (95%CI) for depression among individuals experiencing traffic injury based on a meta-analysis was 1.72 (1.48–1.99), and 2.04 (1.85–2.24) for those with other injuries. There was little between-country heterogeneity in the association between either form of injury and depression, although for traffic injuries, significant heterogeneity was observed between groups by country-income level (p= 0.043) where the pooled association was strongest in upper middle-income countries (OR = 2.37) and weakest in low-income countries (OR = 1.46).ConclusionsAlerting health care providers in LAMICs to the increased risk of worse mental health among injury survivors and establishing effective trauma treatment systems to reduce the detrimental effects of injury should now be prioritised.
Nontarget site resistance in Palmer amaranth [Amaranthus palmeri(S.) Wats.] confers cross-resistance to protoporphyrinogen oxidase-inhibiting herbicides
Authors: Varanasi Vijay K. , Brabham Chad , Korres Nicholas E. , Norsworthy Jason K. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractPalmer amaranth is one of the most problematic weeds in cropping systems of North America, especially in midsouthern United States, because of its competitive ability and propensity to evolve resistance to several herbicide sites of action. Previously, we confirmed and characterized the first case of nontarget site resistance (NTSR) to fomesafen in a Palmer amaranth accession from Randolph County, AR (RCA). The primary basis of the present study was to evaluate the cross- and multiple-resistance profile of the RCA accession. The fomesafen dose-response assay in the presence of malathion revealed a lower level of RCA resistance when compared with fomesafen alone. The resistance index of the RCA accession, based on 50% biomass reduction, ranged from 63-fold (fomesafen alone) to 22-fold (malathion plus fomesafen), when compared with a 2007 susceptible, and 476-fold and 167-fold, respectively, relative to a 1986 susceptible check. The RCA accession was resistant to other protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitors (i.e., flumioxazin, acifluorfen, saflufenacil) as well as the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor tembotrione and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor pyrithiobac sodium. Sequencing of theALSgene revealed no point mutations, indicating that a target-site mechanism is not involved in conferring ALS-inhibitor resistance in the RCA accession. Of the three PPO-inhibiting herbicides tested in combination with the malathion, saflufenacil resulted in the greatest biomass reduction (80%;P< 0.05) and lowest survival rate (23%;P< 0.05) relative to nontreated plants. The application of cytochrome P450 or glutathioneS-transferase inhibitors with fomesafen did not lead to any adverse effects on soybean, suggesting a possible role for these compounds for management of NTSR under field conditions. These results shed light on the relative unpredictability of NTSR in conferring herbicide cross- and multiple resistance in Palmer amaranth.
Overseas Credit Claiming and Domestic Support for Foreign Aid
Authors: Dietrich Simone , Hyde Susan D. , Winters Matthew S. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractMany foreign aid donors brand development interventions. How do citizens in the donor country react to seeing this branding in action? We test the proposition that citizens will express higher levels of support for foreign aid when they see a branded foreign aid project relative to seeing the same project without branding. We present results from a survey-based laboratory experiment conducted in the United Kingdom where subjects learned about a typical foreign aid project and received a randomized UK branding treatment. Our results suggest that the branding treatments increase the likelihood that donor country respondents believe that aid recipients can identify the source of the foreign aid. Only among conservative respondents, however, does the evidence imply that branding increases support for foreign aid. “UK aid” branding increases conservative opinion that aid dollars are well spent and increases support among this group for the expansion of foreign aid.