bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
INFORMAL TRADE ALONG THE CHINA–NORTH KOREA BORDER
Authors: Hastings Justin V. , Wang Yaohui 
Published: May 2018

AbstractWhy do Chinese traders along the China–North Korea border turn to informal trade, and what does it provide for them? Using a unique set of interviews with Chinese formal and informal traders operating in North Korea, we argue that the strategies of informal trade are a calculated response to certain types of risk. In doing so, we introduce a typology of risks and the mechanisms by which informal trade allows traders to mitigate those risks. Because informal traders bypass trade regulations and border checkpoints, they are able to mitigate risk more cheaply than formal traders in some cases and can overcome barriers that can cause failure in formal trade. Informal traders can thus maintain trade in many circumstances, including across North Korean personnel instability and policy reversals, Chinese sanctions enforcement, and delays and smuggling crackdowns on both sides of the border.
The Effect of Quantum Fluctuations in Compact Star Observables
Authors: Pósfay P. , Barnaföldi G. G. , Jakovác A. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAstrophysical measurements regarding compact stars are just ahead of a big evolution jump, since the NICER experiment deployed on ISS on 2017 June 14. This will provide soon data that would enable the determination of compact star radius with less than 10% error. This can be further constrained by the new observation of gravitational waves originated from merging neutron stars, GW170817. This poses new challenges to nuclear models aiming to explain the structure of super dense nuclear matter found in neutron stars. Detailed studies of the QCD phase diagram show the importance of bosonic quantum fluctuations in the cold dense matter equation of state. Here we used a demonstrative model with one bosonic and one fermionic degree of freedom coupled by Yukawa coupling, we show the effect of bosonic quantum fluctuations on compact star observables such as mass, radius, and compactness. We have also calculated the difference in the value of compressibility which is caused by quantum fluctuations. The above-mentioned quantities are calculated in the mean field, one-loop, and in high order many loop approximation. The results show that the magnitude of these effects is in the range of 4–5%, which place it into the region where modern measurements may detect it. This forms a base for further investigations that how these results carry over to more complicated models.
Can Flanders resist the measles outbreak? Assessing vaccination coverage in different age groups among Flemish residents
Authors: Braeckman T. , Theeten H. , Roelants M. , Blaizot S. , Hoppenbrouwers K. , Maertens K. , Van Damme P. , Vandermeulen C. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe Belgian strategic plan to eliminate measles contains several vaccination strategies including routine immunisation programmes and catch-up campaigns. A new expanded programme on immunisation-based survey (2016) assessed the uptake of the recommended measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine in three different cohorts: toddlers, adolescents and parents of toddlers. A two-stage cluster sampling technique was used to select 875 toddlers (age 18–24 months) and 1250 adolescents (born in 2000) from 107 municipalities in Flanders. After consent of the parent(s), 746 (85.2%) families of toddlers and 1012 (81.0%) families of adolescents were interviewed at home. Measles vaccination coverage was high at 18–24 months (96.2%) and 81.5% were vaccinated at recommended age. Toddlers who had two siblings or a non-working mother or changed vaccinator were more at risk for not being vaccinated. Coverage of the teenager dose reached 93.5% and was lower in adolescents with educational underachievement or whose mother was part-time working or with a non-Belgian background. Only 56.0% of mothers and 48.3% of fathers remembered having received at least one measles-containing vaccine. Although measles vaccination coverage in toddlers meets the required standards for elimination, administration of the teenager dose of MMR vaccine and parent compliance to the recent measles catch-up campaign in Flanders leave room for improvement.
Exploring the use of residues from the invasive Acacia sp. for weed control
Authors: Souza-Alonso Pablo , Puig Carolina G. , Pedrol Nuria , Freitas Helena , Rodríguez-Echeverría Susana , Lorenzo Paula 
Published: May 2018

AbstractA sustainable practice for weed control and crop protection is the incorporation of green manures with phytotoxic potential. It is gaining attention as a way to reduce the use of synthetic herbicides in agriculture and so pot experiments and field trials were conducted to explore the possible use of residues of Acacia species to alleviate weed emergence. We assessed, under greenhouse conditions, the herbicidal effect of phytotoxic manures from Acacia dealbata and Acacia longifolia applied to soil at different doses (1.5 and 3% w/w) on maize growth, some accompanying weeds, and the physiological profile of soil microbes. Applied at a higher dose, A. dealbata residues reduced the emergence of dicotyledons in the short-term (P < 0.05) and, after 30 days, there was a decrease in total weed emergence (P < 0.005) and a mild effect on weed composition, while total weed biomass remained unaffected. Regardless of the inclusion of Acacia residues, the physiological profile of the soil bacterial community did not show significant alterations. Additionally, we tested A. dealbata residues as a mulch or a green manure at the field scale. Although the effects of manures were site-dependent and affected monocot and dicot weeds differentially, dicots were more sensitive. The herbicide potential of acacia residues was only evident for dicots at sites with low-weed density in the seed bank. Nevertheless, due to the absence of phytotoxic effects on maize and minor modifications in the functional profile of bacterial communities, residues of acacia could be used as a complementary tool used together with other practices to reduce the reliance on synthetic herbicides in maize-based cropping systems.
The problems, promise and pragmatism of community food growing
Authors: Maughan Chris , Laycock Pedersen Rebecca , Pitt Hannah 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAlongside associated forms of socially and politically conscious food production, community food growing is routinely connected to a wide range of social and environmental benefits. However, robust evidence in support of these associations remains scant, and while the conversation has shifted in recent years to take account of the sometimes unintended or negative aspects of these activities, no consensus has been reached about how such forms of food growing should adapt to new conditions, or be scaled up to maximize their positive impacts. A July 2016 conference was organized to address this strategic shortfall. This themed issue presents the papers resulting from the conference.
Parylene coated waterproof washable inkjet-printed dual-band antenna on paper substrate
Authors: Kim Sangkil , Tentzeris Manos M. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIn this paper, the first reported waterproof inkjet-printed dual-band monopole antenna on the flexible organic paper substrate is presented. The antenna, which operates at 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz, is inkjet-printed on commercially available photopaper using conductive silver nano-particle ink. To protect it from ambient humidity, a 1 µm thick Parylene-C layer was deposited on top of the antenna. To verify its waterproof capability, the Parylene-C coated antennas were submerged in distilled water for 48 days, and no significant performance degradation was observed in its performance.
Intergenerational and early life influences on the well-being of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: overview and selected findings fromFootprints in Time, the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children
Authors: Salmon M. , Skelton F. , Thurber K. A. , Bennetts Kneebone L. , Gosling J. , Lovett R. , Walter M. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractFootprints in Time: The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) is a national study of 1759 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living across urban, regional and remote areas of Australia. The study is in its 11th wave of annual data collection, having collected extensive data on topics including birth and early life influences, parental health and well-being, identity, cultural engagement, language use, housing, racism, school engagement and academic achievement, and social and emotional well-being. The current paper reviews a selection of major findings fromFootprints in Timerelating to the developmental origins of health and disease for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Opportunities for new researchers to conduct further research utilizing the LSIC data set are also presented.
Physiological Basis for Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) Tolerance to Florasulam
Authors: Yu Jialin , McCullough Patrick E. , Czarnota Mark A. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractTall fescue is susceptible to injury from many acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors used for broadleaf weed control in turfgrass. Florasulam is an ALS inhibitor that selectively controls broadleaf weeds in tall fescue, but the mechanisms for selectivity are not well understood. The objective of this research was to evaluate the physiological basis of tall fescue tolerance to florasulam. In greenhouse experiments, florasulam rates required to injure tall fescue 20% (I20) and white clover 80% (I80) measured 320 and 65 g ai ha–1, respectively. The I20and I80values of another ALS inhibitor, flucarbazone, on these species measured 33 and 275 g ai ha–1, respectively. In laboratory experiments, the time required to reach 50% foliar uptake for14C-florasulam and14C-flucarbazone measured 23 and 62 h for white clover, respectively, and >72 h for both herbicides in tall fescue. The half-lives of florasulam and flucarbazone in tall fescue were 15 and 40 h, respectively, whereas the half-life in white clover was >72 h for both herbicides. The concentrations of florasulam and flucarbazone required to inhibit ALS enzymes 50% in excised leaves of tall fescue measured >1,000 and 32 μM, respectively. The selectivity of florasulam for white clover control in tall fescue is associated with differential levels of absorption and metabolism between species. Tall fescue has faster metabolism and less ALS enzyme inhibition from florasulam as compared to a more injurious ALS inhibitor, flucarbazone, which contributes to the differential tolerance levels between these herbicides.
Effect of Reimpacting Debris on the Solidification of the Lunar Magma Ocean
Authors: Perera Viranga , Jackson Alan P. , Elkins‐Tanton Linda T. , Asphaug Erik 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAnorthosites that comprise the bulk of the lunar crust are believed to have formed during solidification of a lunar magma ocean (LMO) in which these rocks would have floated to the surface. This early flotation crust would have formed a thermal blanket over the remaining LMO, prolonging solidification. Geochronology of lunar anorthosites indicates a long timescale of LMO cooling, or remelting and recrystallization in one or more late events. To better interpret this geochronology, we model LMO solidification in a scenario where the Moon is being continuously bombarded by returning projectiles released from the Moon‐forming giant impact. More than one lunar mass of material escaped the Earth‐Moon system onto heliocentric orbits following the giant impact, much of it to come back on returning orbits for a period of 100 Myr. If large enough, these projectiles would have punctured holes in the nascent floatation crust of the Moon, exposing the LMO to space and causing more rapid cooling. We model these scenarios using a thermal evolution model of the Moon that allows for production (by cratering) and evolution (solidification and infill) of holes in the flotation crust that insulates the LMO. For effective hole production, solidification of the magma ocean can be significantly expedited, decreasing the cooling time by more than a factor of 5. If hole production is inefficient, but shock conversion of projectile kinetic energy to thermal energy is efficient, then LMO solidification can be somewhat prolonged, lengthening the cooling time by 50% or more.
Mimicking the surface and prebiotic chemistry of early Earth using flow chemistry
Authors: Ritson Dougal J. , Battilocchio Claudio , Ley Steven V. , Sutherland John D. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractWhen considering life’s aetiology, the first questions that must be addressed are “how?” and “where?” were ostensibly complex molecules, considered necessary for life’s beginning, constructed from simpler, more abundant feedstock molecules on primitive Earth. Previously, we have used multiple clues from the prebiotic synthetic requirements of (proto)biomolecules to pinpoint a set of closely related geochemical scenarios that are suggestive of flow and semi-batch chemistries. We now wish to report a multistep, uninterrupted synthesis of a key heterocycle (2-aminooxazole) en route to activated nucleotides starting from highly plausible, prebiotic feedstock molecules under conditions which mimic this scenario. Further consideration of the scenario has uncovered additional pertinent and novel aspects of prebiotic chemistry, which greatly enhance the efficiency and plausibility of the synthesis.
Supersonic propagation of lattice energy by phasons in fresnoite
Authors: Manley M. E. , Stonaha P. J. , Abernathy D. L. , Chi S. , Sahul R. , Hermann R. P. , Budai J. D. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractControlling the thermal energy of lattice vibrations separately from electrons is vital to many applications including electronic devices and thermoelectric energy conversion. To remove heat without shorting electrical connections, heat must be carried in the lattice of electrical insulators. Phonons are limited to the speed of sound, which, compared to the speed of electronic processes, puts a fundamental constraint on thermal management. Here we report a supersonic channel for the propagation of lattice energy in the technologically promising piezoelectric mineral fresnoite (Ba2TiSi2O8) using neutron scattering. Lattice energy propagates 2.8−4.3 times the speed of sound in the form of phasons, which are caused by an incommensurate modulation in the flexible framework structure of fresnoite. The phasons enhance the thermal conductivity by 20% at room temperature and carry lattice-energy signals at speeds beyond the limits of phonons.
Quantum cascade lasers grown on silicon
Authors: Nguyen-Van Hoang , Baranov Alexei N. , Loghmari Zeineb , Cerutti Laurent , Rodriguez Jean-Baptiste , Tournet Julie , Narcy Gregoire , Boissier Guilhem , Patriarche Gilles , Bahriz Michael , Tournié Eric , Teissier Roland 
Published: May 2018

AbstractTechnological platforms offering efficient integration of III-V semiconductor lasers with silicon electronics are eagerly awaited by industry. The availability of optoelectronic circuits combining III-V light sources with Si-based photonic and electronic components in a single chip will enable, in particular, the development of ultra-compact spectroscopic systems for mass scale applications. The first circuits of such type were fabricated using heterogeneous integration of semiconductor lasers by bonding the III-V chips onto silicon substrates. Direct epitaxial growth of interband III-V laser diodes on silicon substrates has also been reported, whereas intersubband emitters grown on Si have not yet been demonstrated. We report the first quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) directly grown on a silicon substrate. These InAs/AlSb QCLs grown on Si exhibit high performances, comparable with those of the devices fabricated on their native InAs substrate. The lasers emit near 11 µm, the longest emission wavelength of any laser integrated on Si. Given the wavelength range reachable with InAs/AlSb QCLs, these results open the way to the development of a wide variety of integrated sensors.
Diversity time-period and diversity-time-area relationships exemplified by the human microbiome
Authors: Ma Zhanshan 
Published: May 2018

AbstractWe extend the ecological laws of species-time relationship (STR) and species-time-area relationship (STAR) to general diversity time-period relationship (DTR) and diversity-time-area relationship (DTAR), and test the extensions with the human vaginal microbiome datasets by building 1460 DTR/DTAR models. Our extensions were inspired by the observation that Hill numbers, well regarded as the most appropriate measure of alpha-diversity and also particularly suitable for multiplicative beta-diversity partitioning, are actually in the units of effective species, and therefore, should be able to substitute for species in the STR and STAR. We found that the traditional power law (PL) model is only applicable for DTR at diversity order zero (i.e., species richness); at higher diversity orders (q = 1–4), the power law with exponent cutoff (PLEC) and power law with inverse exponent cutoff (PLIEC) are more appropriate. In particular, PLEC has an advantage over PLIEC in predicting maximal accumulation diversity (MAD) over time. In fact, with the DTR extensions, we can construct DTR and MAD profiles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive investigation of the DTR/DTAR in human microbiome. Methodologically, our DTR/DTAR profiles can characterize general diversity scaling beyond species richness, covering both alpha- and beta-diversity regimes across different diversity orders.
AutoCellSeg: robust automatic colony forming unit (CFU)/cell analysis using adaptive image segmentation and easy-to-use post-editing techniques
Authors: Khan Arif ul Maula , Torelli Angelo , Wolf Ivo , Gretz Norbert 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIn biological assays, automated cell/colony segmentation and counting is imperative owing to huge image sets. Problems occurring due to drifting image acquisition conditions, background noise and high variation in colony features in experiments demand a user-friendly, adaptive and robust image processing/analysis method. We present AutoCellSeg (based on MATLAB) that implements a supervised automatic and robust image segmentation method. AutoCellSeg utilizes multi-thresholding aided by a feedback-based watershed algorithm taking segmentation plausibility criteria into account. It is usable in different operation modes and intuitively enables the user to select object features interactively for supervised image segmentation method. It allows the user to correct results with a graphical interface. This publicly available tool outperforms tools like OpenCFU and CellProfiler in terms of accuracy and provides many additional useful features for end-users.
The influence of different pH on the electrophoretic behaviour of Saccharomyces cerevisiae modified by calcium ions
Authors: Rogowska Agnieszka , Pomastowski Paweł , Złoch Michał , Railean-Plugaru Viorica , Król Anna , Rafińska Katarzyna , Szultka-Młyńska Małgorzata , Buszewski Bogusław 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe effect of a different pH on Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells modified with calcium ions was investigated by the capillary zone electrophoresis technique. For the identification of the wild strain of S. cerevisiae, the ribosomal nucleic acid sequencing and internal transcribed spacer sequencing as well as spectrometric approach were applied. The potentiometric titration and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy have shown the occurrence of active functional groups such as carboxyl, amine/hydroxyl, phosphate/hydrogen phosphate groups on the surface of native yeast cells. Moreover, the spectroscopy study in a medium infrared range was carried out to identify the functional groups of yeast cells that participate in calcium ions binding interaction. Furthermore, the microscopic and spectrometric analysis shows that the pH value of the calcium ions solution has a significant effect on the intensity yeast cells clumping. Additionally, the impact of yeast cell clumping on the electrophoretic behaviours was examined. The modification of surface functional groups by calcium ions significantly affected the efficiency of electrophoretic separation. However, these changes did not affect the accuracy of S. cerevisiae identification by MALDI equipment with BioTyper platform. These results form the analytical solution for coupling of electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF MS technique.
TASI: A software tool for spatial-temporal quantification of tumor spheroid dynamics
Authors: Hou Yue , Konen Jessica , Brat Daniel J. , Marcus Adam I. , Cooper Lee A. D. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractSpheroid cultures derived from explanted cancer specimens are an increasingly utilized resource for studying complex biological processes like tumor cell invasion and metastasis, representing an important bridge between the simplicity and practicality of 2-dimensional monolayer cultures and the complexity and realism of in vivo animal models. Temporal imaging of spheroids can capture the dynamics of cell behaviors and microenvironments, and when combined with quantitative image analysis methods, enables deep interrogation of biological mechanisms. This paper presents a comprehensive open-source software framework for Temporal Analysis of Spheroid Imaging (TASI) that allows investigators to objectively characterize spheroid growth and invasion dynamics. TASI performs spatiotemporal segmentation of spheroid cultures, extraction of features describing spheroid morpho-phenotypes, mathematical modeling of spheroid dynamics, and statistical comparisons of experimental conditions. We demonstrate the utility of this tool in an analysis of non-small cell lung cancer spheroids that exhibit variability in metastatic and proliferative behaviors.
Impact of 18F-FET PET on Target Volume Definition and Tumor Progression of Recurrent High Grade Glioma Treated with Carbon-Ion Radiotherapy
Authors: Debus Charlotte , Waltenberger Maria , Floca Ralf , Afshar-Oromieh Ali , Bougatf Nina , Adeberg Sebastian , Heiland Sabine , Bendszus Martin , Wick Wolfgang , Rieken Stefan , Haberkorn Uwe , Debus Jürgen , Knoll Maximilian , Abdollahi Amir 
Published: May 2018

AbstractHigh-precision radiotherapy (HPR) of recurrent high grade glioma (HGG) requires accurate spatial allocation of these infiltrative tumors. We investigated the impact of 18F-FET PET on tumor delineation and progression of recurrent HGG after HPR with carbon ions. T1 contrast enhanced MRI and 18F-FET-PET scans of 26 HGG patients were fused with radiotherapy planning volumes. PET-positive (PET+) tumor volumes using different isocontours (I%) were systematically investigated and compared with MRI-derived gross tumor volumes (GTV). Standardized uptake ratios (SUR) were further correlated with GTV and tumor progression patterns. In grade IV glioma, SUR > 2.92 significantly correlated with poor median overall survival (6.5 vs 13.1 months, p = 0.00016). We found no reliable SUR cut-off criteria for definition of PET+ volumes. Overall conformity between PET and MRI-based contours was low, with maximum conformities between 0.42–0.51 at I40%. The maximum sensitivity and specificity for PET+ volumes outside of GTV predicting tumor progression were 0.16 (I40%) and 0.52 (I50%), respectively. In 75% of cases, FLAIR hyperintense area covered over 80% of PET+ volumes. 18F-FET-PET derived SUR has a prognostic impact in grade IV glioma. The value of substantial mismatches between MRI-based GTV and PET+ volumes to improve tumor delineation in radiotherapy awaits further validation in randomized prospective trials.