bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatial–temporal trend for mother-to-child transmission of HIV up to infancy and during pre-Option B+ in western Kenya, 2007–13
Authors: Waruru Anthony , Achia Thomas N.O. , Muttai Hellen , Ng’ang’a Lucy , Zielinski-Gutierrez Emily , Ochanda Boniface , Katana Abraham , Young Peter W. , Tobias James L. , Juma Peter , De Cock Kevin M. , Tylleskär Thorkild 
Published: March 2018

Introduction
Using spatial–temporal analyses to understand coverage and trends in elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (e-MTCT) efforts may be helpful in ensuring timely services are delivered to the right place. We present spatial–temporal analysis of seven years of HIV early infant diagnosis (EID) data collected from 12 districts in western Kenya from January 2007 to November 2013, during pre-Option B+ use.

Methods
We included in the analysis infants up to one year old. We performed trend analysis using extended Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel stratified test and logistic regression models to examine trends and associations of infant HIV status at first diagnosis with: early diagnosis (<8 weeks after birth), age at specimen collection, infant ever having breastfed, use of single dose nevirapine, and maternal antiretroviral therapy status. We examined these covariates and fitted spatial and spatial–temporal semiparametric Poisson regression models to explain HIV-infection rates using R-integrated nested Laplace approximation package. We calculated new infections per 100,000 live births and used Quantum GIS to map fitted MTCT estimates for each district in Nyanza region.

Results
Median age was two months, interquartile range 1.5–5.8 months. Unadjusted pooled positive rate was 11.8% in the seven-years period and declined from 19.7% in 2007 to 7.0% in 2013, p < 0.01. Uptake of testing ≤8 weeks after birth was under 50% in 2007 and increased to 64.1% by 2013, p < 0.01. By 2013, the overall standardized MTCT rate was 447 infections per 100,000 live births. Based on Bayesian deviance information criterion comparisons, the spatial–temporal model with maternal and infant covariates was best in explaining geographical variation in MTCT.

Discussion
Improved EID uptake and reduced MTCT rates are indicators of progress towards e-MTCT. Cojoined analysis of time and covariates in a spatial context provides a robust approach for explaining differences in programmatic impact over time.

Conclusion
During this pre-Option B+ period, the prevention of mother to child transmission program in this region has not achieved e-MTCT target of ≤50 infections per 100,000 live births. Geographical disparities in program achievements may signify gaps in spatial distribution of e-MTCT efforts and could indicate areas needing further resources and interventions.
An overview on the interplay between nutraceuticals and gut microbiota
Authors: Catinean Adrian , Neag Maria Adriana , Muntean Dana Maria , Bocsan Ioana Corina , Buzoianu Anca Dana 
Published: March 2018

BackgroundNowadays, growing attention was being given to the alternative ways to prevent or treat diseases. Nutraceuticals are used increasingly for this purpose. Many of these are being used as alternative therapy. Classic therapy with synthetic drugs, although very effective, has many side effects. The term “nutraceuticals” refers to the link between the nutritional and pharmaceutical domains. Also, lately, many studies have been done to investigate the role of microbiota in maintaining health. There is the hypothesis that some of the health benefits of nutraceuticals are due to their ability to change the microbiota. The aim of this review was to emphasize the link between the most commonly used nutraceuticals, the microbiota and the health benefits.MethodsWe selected the articles in PubMed, published up to July 2017, that provided information about most used nutraceuticals, microbiota and health benefits. In this review, we incorporate evidence from various types of studies, including observational,in vitroandin vivo, clinical studies or animal experiments.ResultsThe results demonstrate that many nutraceuticals change the composition of microbiota and can interfere with health status of the patients.DiscussionThere is evidence which sustains the importance of nutraceuticals in people’s health through microbiota but further studies are needed to complete the assessment of nutraceuticals in health benefit as a consequence of microbiota’s changing.
Ecosystem functional response across precipitation extremes in a sagebrush steppe
Authors: Tredennick Andrew T. , Kleinhesselink Andrew R. , Taylor J. Bret , Adler Peter B. 
Published: March 2018

Background
Precipitation is predicted to become more variable in the western United States, meaning years of above and below average precipitation will become more common. Periods of extreme precipitation are major drivers of interannual variability in ecosystem functioning in water limited communities, but how ecosystems respond to these extremes over the long-term may shift with precipitation means and variances. Long-term changes in ecosystem functional response could reflect compensatory changes in species composition or species reaching physiological thresholds at extreme precipitation levels.

Methods
We conducted a five year precipitation manipulation experiment in a sagebrush steppe ecosystem in Idaho, United States. We used drought and irrigation treatments (approximately 50% decrease/increase) to investigate whether ecosystem functional response remains consistent under sustained high or low precipitation. We recorded data on aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), species abundance, and soil moisture. We fit a generalized linear mixed effects model to determine if the relationship between ANPP and soil moisture differed among treatments. We used nonmetric multidimensional scaling to quantify community composition over the five years.

Results
Ecosystem functional response, defined as the relationship between soil moisture and ANPP, was similar among irrigation and control treatments, but the drought treatment had a greater slope than the control treatment. However, all estimates for the effect of soil moisture on ANPP overlapped zero, indicating the relationship is weak and uncertain regardless of treatment. There was also large spatial variation in ANPP within-years, which contributes to the uncertainty of the soil moisture effect. Plant community composition was remarkably stable over the course of the experiment and did not differ among treatments.

Discussion
Despite some evidence that ecosystem functional response became more sensitive under sustained drought conditions, the response of ANPP to soil moisture was consistently weak and community composition was stable. The similarity of ecosystem functional responses across treatments was not related to compensatory shifts at the plant community level, but instead may reflect the insensitivity of the dominant species to soil moisture. These species may be successful precisely because they have evolved life history strategies that buffer them against precipitation variability.
Plant community change in three Mongolian steppe ecosystems 1994–2013: applications to state‐and‐transition models
Authors: Jamiyansharav Khishigbayar , Fernández‐Giménez María E. , Angerer Jay P. , Yadamsuren Baasandorj , Dash Zumberelmaa 
Published: March 2018

AbstractInteracting effects of climate change and livestock grazing on semi‐arid grassland ecosystems have not been well studied, especially on a long‐term basis. This paper analyzes changes in plant community composition in relation to grazing intensity and climate change based on repeated monitoring along long‐term grazing intensity gradients in three Mongolian ecological zones over 20 yr. We synthesized our findings into state‐and‐transition models of vegetation change, contributing to our understanding of ecological dynamics in relation to management and environmental change, and to the development of tools for resilience‐based rangeland management. In the mountain steppe (MS), community composition was driven largely by climate, and transitions from one community to another were associated with climate change or combined climate and grazing effects. The MS experienced the largest number of long‐term transitions (14 of 15 plots) over 20 yr. In the steppe (ST), grazing intensity was the strongest influence on community composition, but transitions between communities from the early 1990s to 2013 were most strongly correlated with climate change. Ten of the 15 ST plots transitioned to other communities over 20 yr. Community composition in the desert steppe (DS) was unrelated to either grazing intensity or climate change and only six of 15 plots transitioned permanently over 20 yr. The MS appears most vulnerable to climate‐induced community change, as others have suggested. Some degraded ST communities are resilient to climate change, while ST communities on drier sites are vulnerable to grazing‐induced community changes. Our findings illustrate the utility of state‐and‐transition models as a means to synthesize and depict plant community dynamics in relation to climate and management factors. These models identify communities that may be growing rarer or more common under the combined effects of climate change and grazing, and highlight species and communities that may be useful conservation targets or indicators of climate‐ or grazing‐induced change.
Party System Institutionalization and Reliance on Personal Income Taxation in Developing Countries
Authors: von Schiller Armin 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThis paper explores the effect of party system institutionalization on the relevance of personal income taxation in the tax composition. Based on a fiscal contractualism approach, I argue that institutionalized political party systems increase the capacity of political actors to commit credibly to fiscal contracts agreed with wealthy taxpayers. Consequently, especially where bureaucratic capacity is low, institutionalized political party systems should have a strong effect on the share of the tax burden that wealthy taxpayers are willing to accept. The analysis of panel data between 1990 and 2010 for a sample of over 90 countries supports this hypothesis. Party system institutionalization has a significant and strong positive effect on the relevance of the personal income taxation where bureaucratic capacity is low. At high levels of bureaucratic capacity, the effect disappears. The findings strongly support the claim that, particularly in developing countries, where bureaucratic capacity tends to be limited, taxation is best understood as a problem of credible commitment. © 2018 UNU‐WIDER. Journal of International Development published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tax Revenue Mobilization in Conflict‐affected Developing Countries
Authors: van den Boogaard Vanessa , Prichard Wilson , Benson Matthew S. , Milicic Nikola 
Published: March 2018

AbstractHow does conflict affect tax revenue mobilization? This paper uses a newly updated dataset to explore longitudinal trends of tax revenue mobilization prior to, during and after conflict periods in a selection of conflict‐affected states since 1980. This medium‐N trend analysis provides greater insight into the relationship between tax revenue performance over time and the characteristics of the conflicts in question. Offering detailed snapshots of tax experiences prior to, during and after conflict, this paper provides an empirical counterpoint to theories about the role of taxation in war making and state building. © 2018 UNU‐WIDER. Journal of International Development published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ag‐Nanoparticles‐Embedded Filter Paper: An Efficient Dip Catalyst for Aromatic Nitrophenol Reduction, Intramolecular Cascade Reaction, and Methyl Orange Degradation
Authors: Mourya Mohini , Choudhary Deepika , Basak Ashok Kumar , Tripathi Chandra Shekhar Pati , Guin Debanjan 
Published: March 2018

AbstractHere we report on the preparation of a simple, efficient, and recyclable Ag‐dip‐catalyst by dip‐coating process. The dip catalyst was synthesized by dipping the filter papers (Whatman‐40) into pre‐synthesized monodispersed Ag nanoparticles suspensions in toluene. To illustrate the general applicability, the prepared Ag NPs based dip catalyst was tested in different model reactions such as nitro to amine reduction, intramolecular cascade reduction, and degradation of Methyl orange. It displayed high efficiency and excellent reusability. With many remarkable properties, these nanoparticles loaded dip catalyst open new avenues for applications of heterogeneous catalysis in both basic and industrial research.
Formic Acid or Formate Derivatives as the In Situ Hydrogen Source in Au‐Catalyzed Reduction of para‐Chloronitrobenzene
Authors: Hu Zhun , Tan Shunquan , Mi Rongli , Li Xiang , Bai Jing , Guo Xiaoyan , Hu Guoyang , Hang Peng , Li Juan , Li Dan , Yang Yang , Yan Xianghui 
Published: March 2018

AbstractFormic acid and formate derivatives as hydrogen source on the hydrogenation of para‐chloronitrobenzene (p‐CNB) over supported gold catalysts were investigated. The hydrogenation activity in various formate derivatives followed the order: HCOOH < HCOONa < HCOOK < HCOONH4, which was in accordance with the decrement of electronegativity of cation species in formate derivatives. Moreover, in the case of HCOONH4 as hydrogen source, the p‐CNB conversion could enhance ten‐fold as the hydrogen source of H2 at 60 oC. This promotion effect was also found in other supported Au catalysts. These results provide a general alternative hydrogen source to replace conventional H2 as reducing agent for fine chemical processes.
Magnetically Reusable MnFe2O4 Nanoparticles Modified with Oxo‐Peroxo Mo (VI) Schiff‐Base Complexes: A High Efficiency Catalyst for Olefin Epoxidation under Solvent‐Free Conditions
Authors: Babaei Behnam , Bezaatpour Abolfazl , Amiri Mandana , Szunerits Sabine , Boukherroub Rabah 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn this research work, we report on the preparation of a new catalyst based on MnFe2O4 nanoparticles modified with an oxo‐peroxo molybdenum (VI) Schiff base complex. The catalyst was characterized by various techniques, including Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The epoxidation catalytic activity of the developed catalyst was tested on various alkenes by t‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant under solvent‐free condition. The catalyst showed excellent conversion (>99%), selectivity (100%), turn over frequency (9504 h−1), and a short reaction time (5 min). Moreover, the catalyst is recoverable up to five cycles with no significant loss in selectivity towards epoxide.
Abnormal Tetrel Bonds between Formamidine and TH3F: Substituent Effects
Authors: Xu Huili , Cheng Jianbo , Yu Xuefang , Li Qingzhong 
Published: March 2018

AbstractAb initio calculations have been performed for the complexes of formamidine (FA) with TH3F (T=C, Si, Ge, and Sn) as well as the complexes of FA derivatives including CH3, NH2, OH, OCH3, CH2CH3, CH2CH2CH3, CH(CH3)2, CF3, and F with SiH3F. In general, each complex is stabilized by both a main tetrel bond and a secondary interaction. The stability of the complex increases in the order T=C < Ge < Si < Sn, inconsistent with the magnitude of the σ‐hole on the tetrel atom. The (Z)‐FA complex is more stable than the (E)‐FA analogue. The imino nitrogen atom of FA is a better tetrel acceptor than most nitrogenated bases; it shows a particularly strong affinity for SiH3F with an interaction energy of ∼60 kJ/mol. Four electron‐donating groups give rise to the opposite effect on the strength of the tetrel bond: a weakening effect for OH and OCH3 but an enhancement for CH3 and NH2; the largest interaction energy occurs in CH3‐(Z)‐FA‐SiH3F, amounting to a magnitude of 80 kJ/mol. Two electron‐withdrawing groups have a larger weakening effect than OH and OCH3. The effect of the larger alkyl group is dependent on the type of complex. The weak complexes of CH3F are driven by electrostatic and dispersion interactions, while the strong complexes of TH3F (T=Si, Ge, and Sn) are dominated by electrostatic and polarization interactions, as well as orbital interactions.
Ni(II)‐Diphosphine‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Synthesis of Aromatic 1,5‐Diketones
Authors: Venkatesh Sadhana , Leninkumar Vardi , Reddy Manne Madhava , Desikan Rajagopal , Akella Sivaramakrishna 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA new synthetic route for the preparation of aromatic 1,5‐diketones was developed through Ni(II)‐diphosphine‐catalyzed one‐pot reactions of various aromatic ketones with aromatic aldehydes in presence of KOH and 1,4‐dioxane in moderate yields. This protocol provides expeditious access to aromatic 1,5‐diones with a single step through cross‐aldol reaction followed by Michael 1,4‐addition and does not require expensive metal complexes as catalysts. All the synthesized catalysts and the products derived from the carbonyl compounds were fully characterized by spectroscopic and analytical data. The factors influencing the rate of reaction were discussed.
R2 inflation to probe non-perturbative quantum gravity
Authors: Koshelev Alexey S. , Sravan Kumar K. , Starobinsky Alexei A. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIt is natural to expect a consistent inflationary model of the very early Universe to be an effective theory of quantum gravity, at least at energies much less than the Planck one. For the moment,R+R2, or shortlyR2, inflation is the most successful in accounting for the latest CMB data from the PLANCK satellite and other experiments. Moreover, recently it was shown to be ultra-violet (UV) complete via an embedding into an analytic infinite derivative (AID) non-local gravity. In this paper, we derive a most general theory of gravity that contributes to perturbed linear equations of motion around maximally symmetric space-times. We show that such a theory is quadratic in the Ricci scalar and the Weyl tensor with AID operators along with the Einstein-Hilbert term and possibly a cosmological constant. We explicitly demonstrate that introduction of the Ricci tensor squared term is redundant. Working in this quadratic AID gravity framework without a cosmological term we prove that for a specified class of space homogeneous space-times, a space of solutions to the equations of motion is identical to the space of backgrounds in a localR2model. We further compute the full second order perturbed action around any background belonging to that class. We proceed by extracting the key inflationary parameters of our model such as a spectral index (ns), a tensor-to-scalar ratio (r) and a tensor tilt (nt). It appears thatnsremains the same as in the localR2inflation in the leading slow-roll approximation, whilerandntget modified due to modification of the tensor power spectrum. This class of models allows for any value ofr< 0.07 with a modified consistency relation which can be fixed by future observations of primordialB-modes of the CMB polarization. This makes the UV completeR2gravity a natural target for future CMB probes.
Is Palliative Percutaneous Drainage for Malignant Biliary Obstruction Useful?
Authors: Niemelä Jarmo , Kallio Raija , Ohtonen Pasi , Perälä Jukka , Saarnio Juha , Syrjälä Hannu 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBackgroundMalignant biliary obstruction is a challenging problem for cancer patients. Here we evaluate predictive factors for survival following percutaneous drainage for malignant biliary obstruction in patients in whom endoscopic drainage was unsuccessful or insufficient.MethodsA retrospective register study in a tertiary‐level university hospital.ResultsA total of 643 cancer patients (317 females and 326 males) with malignant biliary obstruction were treated with percutaneous drainage at our hospital between 1999 and 2016. Their median overall survival rate was 2.6 months, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 2.2–3.0. Independent factors predicting poor outcome were metastatic cancer, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.2 (95% CI 1.8–2.7); Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 2 (HR 2.3; 95% CI 1.8–2.8); ECOG PS of 3–4 (HR 3.5; 95% CI 2.8–4.4), American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification (ASA) of 4 (HR 2.1; 95% CI 1.5–2.9); and bilirubin of ≥60.0 µmol/L within 30 days post‐drainage (HR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1–1.6). During the time periods 1999–2004 and 2005–2010, patients had poorer outcomes (HR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1–1.7 and HR 1.4; 95% CI 1.2–1.8) than during the last period 2011–2016.ConclusionPatients with cancer who underwent percutaneous biliary drainage for biliary obstruction had a poor median overall survival. The usefulness of biliary drainage, especially in patients with metastatic cancer, poor ECOG PS, and high ASA class, should be critically considered.
Factors driving adaptive radiation in plants of oceanic islands: a case study from the Juan Fernández Archipelago
Authors: Takayama Koji , Crawford Daniel J. , López-Sepúlveda Patricio , Greimler Josef , Stuessy Tod F. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractAdaptive radiation is a common evolutionary phenomenon in oceanic islands. From one successful immigrant population, dispersal into different island environments and directional selection can rapidly yield a series of morphologically distinct species, each adapted to its own particular environment. Not all island immigrants, however, follow this evolutionary pathway. Others successfully arrive and establish viable populations, but they remain in the same ecological zone and only slowly diverge over millions of years. This transformational speciation, or anagenesis, is also common in oceanic archipelagos. The critical question is why do some groups radiate adaptively and others not? The Juan Fernández Islands contain 105 endemic taxa of angiosperms, 49% of which have originated by adaptive radiation (cladogenesis) and 51% by anagenesis, hence providing an opportunity to examine characteristics of taxa that have undergone both types of speciation in the same general island environment. Life form, dispersal mode, and total number of species in progenitors (genera) of endemic angiosperms in the archipelago were investigated from literature sources and compared with modes of speciation (cladogenesis vs. anagenesis). It is suggested that immigrants tending to undergo adaptive radiation are herbaceous perennial herbs, with leaky self-incompatible breeding systems, good intra-island dispersal capabilities, and flexible structural and physiological systems. Perhaps more importantly, the progenitors of adaptively radiated groups in islands are those that have already been successful in adaptations to different environments in source areas, and which have also undergone eco-geographic speciation. Evolutionary success via adaptive radiation in oceanic islands, therefore, is less a novel feature of island lineages but rather a continuation of tendency for successful adaptive speciation in lineages of continental source regions.
Characterization of Phase Chemistry and Partitioning in a Family of High-Strength Nickel-Based Superalloys
Authors: Lapington M. T. , Crudden D. J. , Reed R. C. , Moody M. P. , Bagot P. A. J. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
A family of novel polycrystalline Ni-based superalloys with varying Ti:Nb ratios has been created using computational alloy design techniques, and subsequently characterized using atom probe tomography and electron microscopy. Phase chemistry, elemental partitioning, and γ′ character have been analyzed and compared with thermodynamic predictions created using Thermo-Calc. Phase compositions and γ′ volume fraction were found to compare favorably with the thermodynamically predicted values, while predicted partitioning behavior for Ti, Nb, Cr, and Co tended to overestimate γ′ preference over the γ matrix, often with opposing trends vs Nb concentration.