bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
What drives Alpine Tethys opening? Clues from the review of geological data and model predictions
Authors: Roda Manuel , Regorda Alessandro , Spalla Maria Iole , Marotta Anna Maria 
Published: August 2018

Permo‐Triassic remnants (300–220 Ma) of high‐temperature metamorphism associated with large gabbro bodies occur in the Alps and indicate a high thermal regime compatible with lithospheric thinning. During the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic, an extensional tectonics leads to the break‐up of Pangea continental lithosphere and the opening of Alpine Tethys Ocean (170–160 Ma), as testified by the ophiolites outcropping in the Central–Western Alps and Apennines. We revise geological data from the Permian to Jurassic of the Alps and Northern Apennines, focusing on continental and oceanic basement rocks, and predictions of existing numerical models of post‐collisional extension of continental lithosphere and successive rifting and oceanization. The aim is to test whether the transition from the Permo‐Triassic extensional tectonics to the Jurassic opening of Alpine Tethys occurred. We enforce the interpretation that a forced extension of 2 cm/year of the post‐collisional lithosphere results in a thermal state compatible with the Permo‐Triassic high‐temperature event suggested by pressure and temperature conditions of metamorphic rocks and widespread igneous activity. Extensional or transtensional tectonics is also in agreement with the generalized subsidence indicated by the deposition of sedimentary successions with deepening upward facies occurred in the Alps from the Permian to Jurassic. Furthermore, a rifting developed on a thermally perturbed lithosphere agrees with a hyperextended configuration of the Alpine Tethys rifting and with the duration of the extension necessary to the oceanization. The review supports the interpretation of Alpine Tethys opening developed on a lithosphere characterized by a thermo‐mechanical configuration inherited by the post‐Variscan extension which affected Pangea during the Permian and Triassic. Therefore, a long‐lasting period of active extension can be envisaged for the breaking of Pangea supercontinent, starting from the unrooting of the Variscan belts, followed by the Permo‐Triassic thermal high, and ending with the crustal break‐up and the formation of the Alpine Tethys Ocean.
Genetic influences on neonatal cortical thickness and surface area
Authors: Jha Shaili C. , Xia Kai , Schmitt James Eric , Ahn Mihye , Girault Jessica B. , Murphy Veronica A. , Li Gang , Wang Li , Shen Dinggang , Zou Fei , Zhu Hongtu , Styner Martin , Knickmeyer Rebecca C. , Gilmore John H. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractGenetic and environmental influences on cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) are thought to vary in a complex and dynamic way across the lifespan. It has been established that CT and SA are genetically distinct in older children, adolescents, and adults, and that heritability varies across cortical regions. Very little, however, is known about how genetic and environmental factors influence infant CT and SA. Using structural MRI, we performed the first assessment of genetic and environmental influences on normal variation of SA and CT in 360 twin neonates. We observed strong and significant additive genetic influences on total SA (a2 = 0.78) and small and nonsignificant genetic influences on average CT (a2 = 0.29). Moreover, we found significant genetic overlap (genetic correlation = 0.65) between these global cortical measures. Regionally, there were minimal genetic influences across the cortex for both CT and SA measures and no distinct patterns of genetic regionalization. Overall, outcomes from this study suggest a dynamic relationship between CT and SA during the neonatal period and provide novel insights into how genetic influences shape cortical structure during early development.
Does retirement improve health and life satisfaction?
Authors: Gorry Aspen , Gorry Devon , Slavov Sita Nataraj 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWe utilize panel data from the Health and Retirement Study to investigate the impact of retirement on physical and mental health, life satisfaction, and health care utilization. Because poor health can induce retirement, we instrument for retirement using eligibility for Social Security and employer‐sponsored pensions and coverage by the Social Security earnings test. We find strong evidence that retirement improves reported health, mental health, and life satisfaction. In addition, we find evidence of improvements in functional limitations in the long run. Although the impact on life satisfaction occurs within the first 4 years of retirement, many of the improvements in health show up four or more years later, consistent with the view that health is a stock that evolves slowly. We find no evidence that the health improvements are driven by increased health care utilization. In fact, results suggest decreased utilization in some categories.
Circulating exosomal long noncoding RNA PRINS—First findings in monoclonal gammopathies
Authors: Sedlarikova Lenka , Bollova Bozena , Radova Lenka , Brozova Lucie , Jarkovsky Jiri , Almasi Martina , Penka Miroslav , Kuglík Petr , Sandecká Viera , Stork Martin , Pour Ludek , Sevcikova Sabina 
Published: August 2018

AbstractMultiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy characterized by focal lesions of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. These lesions contain subclones that directly influence survival of patients. Bone marrow biopsies are single‐site biopsies and thus cannot contain all information about the tumor. In contrast, liquid biopsies analyze circulating cells and molecules that are secreted from all sites of the tumor. Long noncoding RNA molecules are one class of these molecules. We performed a two‐phase biomarker study investigating lncRNA expression profiles in exosomes of peripheral blood serum of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) patients in comparison with healthy donors (HD). Surprisingly, this analysis revealed dysregulation of only one exosomal lncRNA PRINS in MM vs HD. Overall, MM and MGUS patients were distinguished from HD with sensitivity of 84.9% and specificity of 83.3%. Our study suggests a possible diagnostic role for exosomal lncRNA PRINS in monoclonal gammopathies patients.
Female genital mutilation and noninvasive cervical abnormalities and invasive cervical cancer in Senegal, West Africa: A retrospective study
Authors: Osterman Allison L. , Winer Rachel L. , Gottlieb Geoffrey S. , Sy Marie‐Pierre , Ba Selly , Dembele Birama , Toure Papa , Dem Ahmadou , Seydi Moussa , Sall Fatima , Sow Papa Salif , Kiviat Nancy B. , Hawes Stephen E. 
Published: August 2018

Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is a traditional practice that affects a significant portion of women in sub‐Saharan Africa, Egypt, areas of the Middle East and some countries in Asia. While clinical and epidemiological studies have established a close association between inflammation and carcinogenesis, particularly in epithelial cancers, the relationship between FGM/C and cervical cancer is not well known.We performed a secondary analysis using combined data from six research studies conducted in and around Dakar, Senegal from 1994 to 2012. Study subjects included both asymptomatic women who presented to outpatient clinics but were screened for cervical cancer, and women with cancer symptoms who were referred for cervical cancer treatment. We used unconditional logistic regression to estimate adjusted pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between FGM/C and (1) Invasive cervical cancer (ICC) and (2) noninvasive cervical abnormalities. After adjusting for confounding, women with ICC were 2.50 times more likely to have undergone FGM/C than women without cervical abnormalities (95% CI, 1.28–4.91). Restricting to HPV‐positive women increased the strength of the association (OR = 4.23; 95% CI 1.73–10.32). No significant associations between FGM/C and noninvasive cervical abnormalities were observed, except in commercial sex workers with FGM/C (OR = 2.01; 95% CI 1.19–3.40). The potential increased risk for ICC suggested by our study warrants further examination. Study results may impact cancer prevention efforts in populations where FGM/C is practiced and draw awareness to the additional health risks associated with FGM/C.
Flexible Estimation of Demand Systems: A Copula Approach
Authors: Velásquez‐Giraldo Mateo , Canavire‐Bacarreza Gustavo , Huynh Kim P. , Jacho‐Chavez David T. 
Published: August 2018

SummaryIn this paper we study the own‐price elasticity for gasoline in demand systems involving three expenditure categories in the transportation sector in Canada: gasoline, local transportation, and intercity transportation for Canadian households from 1997 to 2009. In particular, we conduct a replication of Chang and Serletis, (The demand for gasoline: Evidence from household survey data, Journal of Applied Econometrics, 2014, 29, 291–343) hereafter CS, who—using TSP version 5.1—estimated Deaton and Muellbauer, 's Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) (American Economic Review, 1980, 70, 312–326), Banks et al., 's Quadratic AIDS (Review of Economics and Statistics, 1997, 79, 527–539), and Barnett, 's Minflex Laurent (ML) (Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 1983, 1, 7–23) models to demand systems consisting of these three goods, analyzing and enforcing theoretical economic regularity—that is, the compliance of estimates with positivity, monotonicity, and curvature. Using the R statistical language instead, we found that our estimates are similar to those of CS using data for single‐member households and married couples without children, but differ for households with one child. (All replicated estimation tables in CS, as well as our full implementation, are available as supplementary material in the online version of this paper.) However, using a more flexible copula model, a total of 168 possible specifications for each type of household and their resulting gasoline own‐price elasticities are also estimated. We find that allowing for skewness in the marginal distributions of local transportation budget shares greatly improves the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) of our models.
Milk Fat Globule Membrane Inhibits NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Enhances Intestinal Barrier Function in a Rat Model of Short Bowel
Authors: Li Ying , Wu Jiang , Niu Yang , Chen Honghao , Tang Qingya , Zhong Yan , Lambers Tim T. , Cai Wei 
Published: August 2018

AbstractBackgroundThe milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) contains various bioactive components which have been shown to maintain gut barrier integrity. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of MFGM on intestinal barrier function and its possible mechanisms in a rat model of short bowel syndrome (SBS).Materials and MethodsFive‐week‐old male Sprague‐Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups (n = 8 per group), consisting of Sham group and rats submitted to massive small‐bowel resection then supplemented with either water (SBS) or 1.5g/kg/d MFGM (SBS+MFGM) by daily gavage. Rats were sacrificed on day 15 postoperation. Intestinal adaptation, gut permeability, bacterial translocation (BT), expression of tight junction proteins, mucin 1 (MUC1), and nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain leucine‐rich repeat and pyrin domain–containing protein 3 (NLRP3) pathway in the ileum were evaluated.ResultsBoth SBS+MFGM and SBS groups exhibited lower body weight and higher ileum villus height than Sham group, but no difference was detected between each other. SBS group had significantly higher intestinal permeability and BT rate than other groups (P < .05). Compared with SBS rats, SBS+MFGM group showed higher expression of tight junction proteins and MUC1, lower expression of NLRP3 and caspase‐1 in the ileum, as well as lower interleukin (IL)‐1β but higher IL‐18 levels in ileum tissue.ConclusionsSupplementation of MFGM helps to modulate NLRP3 inflammasome activation and enhances gut barrier integrity in rats after massive small‐bowel resection, which provides experimental support for potential applications of MGFM in intestinal barrier dysfunction, although further studies are needed
Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 after application of lactic acid bacteria
Authors: Laury‐Shaw Angela , Gragg Sara Elizabeth , Echeverry Alejandro , Brashears Mindy M 
Published: August 2018

ABSTRACTBackgroundEstablishing novel preharvest intervention strategies for leafy green growers is of critical need with the rise in foodborne outbreaks associated with these products. Recent studies have shown that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are able to reduce the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in various food matrices. Electrostatic application of organic acids has been shown to be effective as a postharvest safety intervention to reduce E.coli O157:H7 on leafy greens. The effect of LAB electrostatically applied and sprinkler irrigated once over a 4 week growth cycle was evaluated against E. coli O157:H7 on spinach.ResultsThe results indicated that E. coli O157:H7 when applied once during the 4 week growth cycle will survive in the soil and spinach leaves at harvest. LAB applied electrostatically and by sprinkler irrigation water on the soil and/or leaf surface within the first 4 weeks of the growing cycle resulted in a significant reduction (almost a 3 log10 reduction) of E. coli O157:H7 both on the leaf and in the soil at harvest, regardless of the application time (P < 0.01).ConclusionLAB surface treatments have the potential to improve the safety of leafy green plants as a preharvest food safety intervention when combined with good agricultural practices. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Historical and recent impacts on genetic structure of an island rabbit
Authors: Ando Haruko , Tsuda Yoshiaki , Kaneko Shingo , Kubo Takahiro 
Published: August 2018

ABSTRACTPopulation fragmentation can reduce genetic diversity and increase the extinction risk of island endemic mammals, especially those with low dispersal ability. However, the intra‐island genetic structure and demographic history of mammals have not yet been well evaluated, especially on small geographic scales. We performed a genetic analysis of isolated island populations of the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) on Tokunoshima Island using mitochondrial D‐loop region sequences and 8 nuclear microsatellite markers. Using data from fecal samples, we detected 2 genetic groups that corresponded with the northern and southern forested areas of the island based on the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. We detected some admixture between the 2 groups in the nuclear genomes but did not detect gene flow between the 2 groups in the mitochondrial genomes. Although genetic diversity was higher in the southern population than in the northern population, the fixation index showed higher levels of inbreeding in the southern area with a signal of a recent bottleneck. We inferred the divergence time between the northern and southern groups (∼4,320 years ago) using approximate Bayesian computations. These genetic structure patterns may have been generated by a combination of the demographic history of the species in relation to the geology of the island, human activities in the stone age, deforestation due to sugar plantations (beginning approximately 300 years ago), and recent human activities. This study highlights the importance of considering genetic structure in relation to complex factors within a single‐island habitat for appropriate genetic management of endemic mammals on islands. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.
Synthesis of Comb‐Like Macromolecules via Semi‐Batch Miniemulsion RAFT Polymerizations
Authors: Li Lina , Huang Jiajia , Zhang Yanwu 
Published: August 2018

AbstractConstruction of macromolecule topology and control of chain sequence are foundations to endow macromolecules with complex functionalities. Comb‐like macromolecules have more designable freedom because their backbones and branched chains can be independently designed and synthesized. Herein, the rigid backbones of comb‐like macromolecules are synthesized by ring‐opening metathesis polymerizations of norbornene derivatives anchoring reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent. The gradient branched chains with controlled sequence structure are synthesized through a modified RAFT miniemulsion polymerization of 4‐vinylpyridine and t‐butyl acrylate in a semi‐batch manner. These comb‐like macromolecules self‐assemble into aggregates when a dilute solution of comb‐like macromolecules are brushed onto a silicon wafer. The self‐assembly behavior of comb‐like macromolecules is affected by grafting ratio and sequence structure of branched chains. The effect of these comb‐like macromolecules on water contact angle of silicon wafer is also studied.
Dental Restorative Resin Composites: Modification Technologies for the Matrix/Filler Interface
Authors: Chen Hongyan , Wang Ruili , Qian Li , Ren Qianyi , Jiang Xiaoze , Zhu Meifang 
Published: August 2018

AbstractDental restorative resin composites are a pivotal class of organic/inorganic hybrid materials. The main reasons for their failure are secondary caries and dental composite fractures, which prevent their long‐term service in posterior restorations. A remedy to these problems is improving the interfacial adhesion between the resin matrix and the fillers. Surface‐modified inorganic fillers show strong potential as more than just a bond between these two phases and can therefore be considered a medium to compensate for the deficits of dental composites. This paper mainly discusses strategies to improve the interfacial adhesion of dental composites, including surface treatments of fillers with coupling agents, polymers, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) coatings, as well as the selection of porous fillers capable of micromechanical resin matrix/filler interlocking. Additionally, the existing deficiencies of these strategies and the prospects for dental composites are discussed.
Fabrication and Thermal Insulation Properties of Bamboo‐Shaped Polymer Fibers by Selective Solvent Vapor Annealing
Authors: Chiu Yu‐Jing , Chiu Han‐Lun , Tseng Hsiao‐Fan , Wu Bo‐Hao , Li Jia‐Wei , Lu Tien‐Chang , Chen Jiun‐Tai 
Published: August 2018

AbstractFibrillar materials have gained much attention recently because of their unique properties and potential applications. Although many methods have been developed to fabricate materials, it remains challenging to prepare fibrillar materials containing multicomponent materials or even with complex structures. Here, a facile strategy is developed to fabricate bamboo‐shaped fibers by treating electrospun polymer core‐shell fibers with solvent vapor annealing. Electrospun polystyrene (PS)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) core‐shell fibers are first prepared by electrospinning PS/PMMA blend solutions via a phase separation process. When the PS/PMMA core‐shell fibers are annealed with the vapor of cyclohexane, which swells and delocalizes the PS domains selectively, the fibers transform into bamboo‐shaped structures. The bamboo‐shaped structures can be further examined by swelling and delocalizing the PMMA domains selectively, revealing the undulated PS structures. The thermal insulation properties of the fibers with bamboo‐shaped structures are observed to be enhanced compared with the original polymer core‐shell fibers.
Weakening the Aggregations of Polymer Chains toward Efficient Non‐Fullerene Polymer Solar Cells
Authors: Zhang Kaili , Liu Deyu , Zhong Yaqian , Li Yonghai , Yu Liangmin , Li Feng , Sun Mingliang , Yang Renqiang 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe 2D asymmetric benzodithiophene (BDT) unit is used as a donor unit to construct one new polymer PBDTBDD‐Th with benzo[1,2‐c:4,5‐c′]dithiophene‐4,8‐dione (BDD) as acceptor building block. In comparison to the polymer PBDTsTh‐BDD with a side chain containing a sulfur atom, the devices based on PBDTBDD‐Th/ITIC show better performance due to the introduction of carbon atoms in the side chain, which could weaken the self‐aggregations of polymer chains. As a result, the devices based on PBDTBDD‐Th/ITIC blends yield power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) over 10%, much higher than those based on PBDTsTh‐BDD/ITIC blends (7.09%). The exciton dissociation probabilities (P
diss) of a device based on PBDTBDD‐Th/ITIC blends is 95.3%, which suggests that the device achieves good exciton dissociation and charge transfer. In general, the polymer PBDTBDD‐Th shows capability to increase the PCEs of polymer solar cells (PSCs) with a non‐fullerene acceptor.
Photoresponsive Chirality‐Tunable Supramolecular Metallacycles
Authors: Wang Yu‐Xuan , Zhou Qi‐Feng , Jiang Shu‐Ting , Zhang Ying , Yin Guang‐Qiang , Jiang Bo , Li Xiaopeng , Tan Hongwei , Yang Hai‐Bo 
Published: August 2018

AbstractChirality‐tunable supramolecular metallacycles containing two light‐responsive dithienylethene units and two chiral 1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthol (BINOL) units have been successfully constructed via coordination‐driven self‐assembly. These new metallacycles are well‐characterized with 1D multinuclear NMR (1H and 31P NMR), 2D 1H‐1H COSY and DOSY, ESI‐TOF‐MS, and PM6 semiempirical molecular orbital methods. Interestingly, upon irradiation with ultraviolet and visible light, the conformation of these metallacycles can undergo reversible transformation between ring‐open and ring‐closed forms accompanied with the obvious change of CD signals. Further investigation reveals that the photoisomerization of the dithienylethene moieties induces the change in the dihedral angle of the binaphthyl rings, thus leading to the chiral modulation of supramolecular metallacycles. Thus, this study provides very few examples of the light‐induced chirality‐tunable metallosupramolecular assemblies, which may find potential application in mimicking the function of natural systems in the future.
A comprehensive uncertainty analysis of the analytic hierarchy process methodology applied in the context of environmental decision making
Authors: Toth Werner , Vacik Harald 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAn overview of uncertainty issues associated with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is provided. Further, an explicit understanding of uncertainty (designation, categorization, and quantification) with respect to the methodological properties of the AHP is developed and used to analyse a hypothetical group decision problem located in the context of environmental decision making (EDM). To calculate the numerical impact of especially designed uncertainty scenarios (USs) on the final ranking given by the AHP, a simulation experiment is conducted using R. It evaluates the impact of uncertainty within three variants of a hypothetical decision‐making case by calculating an “overall uncertainty” measure. The consideration of uncertainty may lead to a rank reversal in comparison with that analysis neglecting uncertainty (best alternative given by the AHP). The results show that the absolute maximal impact caused by a US is approximately 0.03. With respect to a single US and the specific case characteristics, in about 50% of the simulated runs a rank reversal occurs. Similar shares of rank reversal over different USs within a single variant of the case raise the question to which uncertainty should be given prior attention in decision‐making practice. For decision analysts in EDM, this result implies that additional resources may be necessary to commonly negotiate with decision makers that uncertainties should be addressed. From a theoretical normative point of view, the effects of considering uncertainty issues in the AHP methodology cannot satisfy the ideal of a rational decision analysis. From a descriptive point of view, considering the practice of decision makers, the impacts of the considered uncertainties stay within reasonable limits, meaning that the maximal numerical impact stays on the hundredths decimal place.