bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ground squirrels (Rodentia, Sciuridae) of the late Cenozoic Meade Basin sequence: diversity and paleoecological implications
Authors: Goodwin H. Thomas , Martin Robert A. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe Meade Basin, SW Kansas, yields a rich vertebrate fossil record from the late Cenozoic. Here, we review fossil ground squirrels (Sciuridae) from the region as a contribution to the broader Meade Basin Rodent Project. We recognize 14 species in seven genera: two species of giant ground squirrels (PaenemarmotaHibbard and Schultz, 1948) from the early Pliocene, and at least 12 species in six extant genera (AmmospermophilusMerriam, 1892;OtospermophilusBrandt, 1844;IctidomysAllen, 1877;PoliocitellusHowell, 1938;UrocitellusObolenskij, 1927;CynomysRafinesque, 1817) from the Pliocene–Pleistocene sequence, including the first regional records ofAmmospermophilus. Based on dental morphology and the ecology of modern congeners, we interpret faunal change through the sequence as primarily reflecting a shift from a Pliocene assemblage of “southwestern” taxa with granivorous/omnivorous diets (relatively low-crowned, transversely narrow cheek teeth) in warm and at least occasionally dry shrub or shrub-steppe habitats (Ammospermophilus,Otospermophilus,Ictidomys meadensis[Hibbard, 1941a]), to a Pleistocene temperate assemblage of grazing taxa that either exhibited relatively high-crowned, transversely wider cheek teeth (Urocitellus,Cynomys,Ictidomys tridecemlineatus[Mitchill, 1821]) or were otherwise dependent on grassland habitats (Poliocitellus). The early Pleistocene Borchers assemblage was transitional in this regard, heralding a “revolution” observed as well with other clades in the Meade Basin rodent community. This interpretation is broadly congruent with evidence of Pliocene climatic change and the staged development of regional grasslands, with the modern proportion of C3/C4plants established in the Meade Basin during the early Pleistocene.
Evaluating the accuracy of biodiversity changes through geologic times: from simulation to solution
Authors: Gibert Corentin , Escarguel Gilles 
Published: August 2017

AbstractEstimating biodiversity and its variations through geologic time is a notoriously difficult task, due to several taphonomic and methodological effects that make the reconstructed signal potentially distinct from the unknown, original one. Through a simulation approach, we examine the effect of a major, surprisingly still understudied, source of potential disturbance: the effect of time discretization through biochronological construction, which generates spurious coexistences of taxa within discrete time intervals (i.e., biozones), and thus potentially makes continuous- and discrete-time biodiversity curves very different. Focusing on the taxonomic-richness dimension of biodiversity (including estimates of origination and extinction rates), our approach relies on generation of random continuous-time richness curves, which are then time-discretized to estimate the noise generated by this manipulation. A broad spectrum of data-set parameters (including average taxon longevity and biozone duration, total number of taxa, and simulated time interval) is evaluated through sensitivity analysis. We show that the deteriorating effect of time discretization on the richness signal depends highly on such parameters, most particularly on average biozone duration and taxonomic longevity because of their direct relationship with the number of false coexistences generated by time discretization. With several worst-case but realistic parameter combinations (e.g., when relatively short-lived taxa are analyzed in a long-ranging biozone framework), the original and time-discretized richness curves can ultimately show a very weak to zero correlation, making these two time series independent. Based on these simulation results, we propose a simple algorithm allowing the back-transformation of a discrete-time taxonomic-richness data set, as customarily constructed by paleontologists, into a continuous-time data set. We show that the reconstructed richness curve obtained this way fits the original signal much more closely, even when the parameter combination of the original data set is particularly adverse to an effective time-discretized reconstruction.
The Last Laugh: African Audience Responses to Colonial Health Propaganda Films
Authors: Newell Stephanie 
Published: August 2017

AbstractFocusing on the complexity of local spectators’ responses to the simple ideological formulae of colonial health and hygiene films, this article asks about the ways in which the presence of local aesthetic tastes and values represented a vital third space of mediation alongside film content and filmmakers’ “authorial” objectives in the much-studied media archives on public health and hygiene in colonial Africa. The article argues that a host of cognitive failures is encapsulated in colonial officials’ reports on the laughter of African audiences between the late 1920s and early 1950s. In attributing African laughter to unrefined “native” cruelty, colonial officials precluded the possibility of a politics of ridicule among audiences, among many other aesthetic and social practices affecting spectators’ reactions to films.
Colonial Legitimization-Legibility Linkages and the Politics of Identity in Algeria and Morocco
Authors: Wyrtzen Jonathan 
Published: August 2017

AbstractScholarship on the modern state’s symbolic and social infrastructural power typically correlates high state capacity to practices of standardization, homogenization, and integration. Less attention has focused on how this power can be directed towards differentiation and heterogenization, as amply demonstrated in the case of empire. This article develops a framework for analyzing how infrastructural power is employed by modern colonial states and how it impacts society. It argues that formal legitimization structures defined for colonial subunits influence legibility practices enacted within them—what is named and counted and how it is named and counted—and that these legitimization-legibility linkages are significant because they politicize particular boundaries of collective identity in lasting ways within the subjugated society. This model is used to analyze variation within French North Africa between a colony-type linkage in Algeria and a protectorate-type linkage in Morocco, and account for the divergent identity politics and claims-making strategies that emerged within these units. The conclusion considers the broader comparative implications of legitimization-legibility combinations in formerly colonized political units.
The Social Question and State Formation in British Africa
Authors: Veit Alex , Schlichte Klaus , Karadag Roy 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe paper explores governmental perceptions and reactions to “social questions” in British colonial Africa, c. 1880-1950. By comparing three different political entities, Egypt, South Africa and Uganda, we find that authorities across cases have been acutely aware of potentially destabilising social change. Some social problems actually resulted from colonial projects themselves, giving rise to rather contradictory interpretations and policies. However, the intensity of political reactions to social questions varied widely, ranging from a largely passive approach in Egypt to the introduction of modern welfare in South Africa. We argue that perceptions and responses to social dislocation had a long-term impact on patterns of state formation and social policy development.
Effects of different dietary protein levels and rumen-protected folic acid on ruminal fermentation, degradability, bacterial populations and urinary excretion of purine derivatives in beef steers
Authors: WANG C. , LIU Q. , GUO G. , HUO W. J. , LIANG Y. , PEI C. X. , ZHANG S. L. , YANG W. Z. , WANG H. 
Published: August 2017

SUMMARYThe current experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary protein levels and rumen-protected folic acid (RPFA) supplementation on ruminal fermentation, microbial enzyme activity, bacterial populations and urinary excretion of purine derivatives (PD) in growing beef steers. Low-protein (LP) or high-protein (HP) diets were fed to eight ruminally cannulated first-generation cross-bred (Blonde d'Aquitaine × Simmental) beef steers with or without RPFA supplementation. Steers were fed a total mixed ration, and dietary concentrate to maize silage ratio was 50 : 50 (dry matter (DM) basis). No interaction between dietary crude protein (CP) levels and RPFA supplementation was observed during the experiment. Ruminal pH was unaffected by RPFA supplementation, but decreased with increasing dietary CP levels. Ruminal total volatile fatty acid concentration increased with increasing dietary CP levels or RPFA supplementation. Molar proportion of acetate increased with RPFA supplementation, but tended to decrease with increasing dietary CP levels. The proportion of propionate decreased with RPFA supplementation, but was unaffected by dietary CP levels. As a result, the acetate to propionate ratio increased with RPFA supplementation, but tended to be lower for the HP diets than the LP diets. Ammonia-nitrogen content decreased with RPFA supplementation, but increased with increasing dietary CP levels.In situruminal degradability of maize straw and concentrate increased with increasing dietary CP levels or RPFA supplementation. Microbial enzyme (carboxymethyl-cellulase, cellobiase, xylanase, pectinase,α-amylase and protease) activity, bacterial populations (Ruminococcus albus,Ruminococcus flavefaciens,Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens,Prevotella ruminicola,Fibrobacter succinogenesandRuminobacter amylophilus) and urinary PD excretion increased with increasing dietary CP levels or RPFA supplementation. The current study showed that increasing dietary CP levels from 109·1 to 130·7 g/kg DM or supplementing 75 mg RPFA improved ruminal fermentation and microbial protein synthesis by increasing bacterial population and microbial enzyme activity.
Relationship between chronic otitis media with effusion and overweight or obesity in children
Authors: Kaya S , Selimoğlu E , Cureoğlu S , Selimoğlu M A 
Published: August 2017

AbstractObjectives:Otitis media with effusion and obesity are both common in childhood and might share some immunological alterations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between chronic otitis media with effusion and childhood overweight or obesity, including the potential effects of adenoid or tonsillar hypertrophy on that relationship.Methods:This study included 60 children with chronic otitis media with effusion and 86 healthy children aged from 2 to 10 years. Measures of height and weight were used to calculate the body mass index, weight for height and weight z score.Results:The prevalence of overweight or obesity was higher in children with chronic otitis media with effusion, according to the weight for height percentiles (p = 0.012). However, neither the presence of adenoid or tonsillar hypertrophy nor the degree of adenoid hypertrophy was associated with overweight or obesity.Conclusion:Overweight and obesity might be risk factors for developing chronic otitis media with effusion, or vice versa.
Hearing status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Ahmadzadeh A , Daraei M , Jalessi M , Peyvandi A A , Amini E , Ranjbar L A , Daneshi A 
Published: August 2017

AbstractObjective:Rheumatoid arthritis is thought to induce conductive hearing loss and/or sensorineural hearing loss. This study evaluated the function of the middle ear and cochlea, and the related factors.Methods:Pure tone audiometry, speech reception thresholds, speech discrimination scores, tympanometry, acoustic reflexes, and distortion product otoacoustic emissions were assessed in rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy volunteers.Results:Pure tone audiometry results revealed a higher bone conduction threshold in the rheumatoid arthritis group, but there was no significant difference when evaluated according to the sensorineural hearing loss definition. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions related prevalence of conductive or mixed hearing loss, tympanometry values, acoustic reflexes, and speech discrimination scores were not significantly different between the two groups. Sensorineural hearing loss was significantly more prevalent in patients who used azathioprine, cyclosporine and etanercept.Conclusion:Higher bone conduction thresholds in some frequencies were detected in rheumatoid arthritis patients that were not clinically significant. Sensorineural hearing loss is significantly more prevalent in refractory rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Cochlear implantation in Malawi: report of the first four cases
Authors: Mulwafu W , Strachan D R , Bartlett R , Caron C 
Published: August 2017

AbstractObjective:This paper reports on the first four cochlear implant cases in Malawi.Case reports:Three patients were deafened from infectious diseases and one from an unknown cause. They all had post-lingual deafness. Six months after the last implant, they are all progressing well.Conclusion:Despite significant practical difficulties, it has proved possible, with the right support, to carry out cochlear implantation in one of the world's poorest countries. The project has also raised awareness of deafness in Malawi and highlighted significant public health issues relating to the aetiology of deafness in developing countries.
Clavicle fracture with osteomyelitis after neck dissection and post-operative radiotherapy: case report
Authors: Shodo R , Sato Y , Ota H , Horii A 
Published: August 2017

AbstractBackground:Non-traumatic bone fractures in cancer patients are usually pathological fractures due to bone metastases. In head and neck cancer patients, clavicle stress fractures may occur as a result of atrophy of the trapezius muscle after neck dissection in which the accessory nerve becomes structurally or functionally damaged.Case report:A 71-year-old man underwent modified radical neck dissection with accessory nerve preservation and post-operative radiotherapy for submandibular lymph node metastases of tongue cancer. Four weeks after the radiotherapy, a clavicle fracture, with osteomyelitis and abscess formation in the pectoralis major muscle, occurred. Unlike in simple stress fracture, long-term antibiotic administration and drainage surgery were required to suppress the inflammation.Conclusion:As seen in the present patient, clavicle stress fractures may occur even after neck dissection in which the accessory nerve is preserved, and may be complicated by osteomyelitis and abscess formation owing to risk factors such as radiotherapy, tracheostomy and contiguous infection.
THE “ECLIPSE GLYPH” IN MAYA TEXT AND ICONOGRAPHY: A CENTURY OF MISINTERPRETATION
Authors: Love Bruce 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe “eclipse glyph,” as it is called by most people in our field, is not referring to eclipses, but rather to the darkened sun and moon associated with heavy rainfall or darkened skies. This glyph is composed of the sun sign or moon sign (occasionally others) between two flanking fields, usually one light and one dark, and is found principally in the Postclassic divinatory almanacs of the Maya codices. Evidence for this proposal comes from iconography as well as texts. Rain pours from “eclipse glyphs” in pictures accompanied by hieroglyphic captions explicitly dealing with rain; they also appear in calendrical sequences that could not possibly be referring to eclipses. Even in the lunar or eclipse pages in theDresden Codexthat deal with solar eclipses, the texts that accompany the “eclipse glyphs” are about rain. A search of Classic-period antecedents suggests a linguistic valueyihk'in, meaning “darkened” or “darkening.”
Allergic Bronchopulmonary Mycosis due to Exposure toEurotium herbariorumafter the Great East Japan Earthquake
Authors: Oshikata Chiyako , Watanabe Maiko , Saito Akemi , Ishida Masatsugu , Kobayashi Seiichi , Konuma Rumi , Kamata Yoichi , Terajima Jun , Cho Junichi , Yanai Masaru , Tsurikisawa Naomi 
Published: August 2017

AbstractBackgroundIndoor mold levels typically increase after natural disasters, flooding, and water damage.Eurotium herbariorumis the sexual stage ofAspergillus glaucus.Case PresentationA 66-year-old, Japanese male, ex-smoker had been diagnosed with bronchial asthma when he was five years old; he achieved remission at the age of 13 years. He was displaced from his home during the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 and moved to temporary housing in Miyagi Prefecture in June 2011. He experienced the first episode of chest tightness, coughing, and wheezing in February 2012, when he again was diagnosed as having bronchial asthma. Mycofloral surveillance detected high counts ofEurotiumin the air of his bedroom, kitchen, and living room, with a maximal fungal count of 163,200 colony-forming units per cubic meter (CFU/m3). AlthoughCladosporiumandPenicilliumtypically predominate in the indoor air of residential dwellings, only low levels of these organisms were present in the patient’s home. Morphologic identification confirmed the isolates asE. herbariorum. The patient had positive reactions toE. herbariorumin skin prick testing and the presence of antigen-specific precipitating antibodies toE. herbariorum. Computed tomography of the chest in August 2013 revealed central bronchiectasis and bronchial wall thickening. The patient experienced late reactions after provocation testing withE. herbariorum.ConclusionThis report presents the rare case of a patient who developed allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) due to exposure toE. herbariorumduring temporary housing after the Great East Japan Earthquake.OshikataC,WatanabeM,SaitoA,IshidaM,KobayashiS,KonumaR,KamataY,TerajimaJ,ChoJ,YanaiM,TsurikisawaN.Allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis due to exposure toeurotium herbariorumafter the Great East Japan Earthquake.Prehosp Disaster Med.2017;32(6):688–690.
Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electron-Selective Titanium Oxide Contacts in Silicon Solar Cells
Authors: Ali Haider , Yang Xinbo , Weber Klaus , Schoenfeld Winston V. , Davis Kristopher O. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIn this study, the cross-section of electron-selective titanium oxide (TiO2) contacts for n-type crystalline silicon solar cells were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It was revealed that the excellent cell efficiency of 21.6% obtained on n-type cells, featuring SiO2/TiO2/Al rear contacts and after forming gas annealing (FGA) at 350°C, is due to strong surface passivation of SiO2/TiO2 stack as well as low contact resistivity at the Si/SiO2/TiO2 heterojunction. This can be attributed to the transformation of amorphous TiO2 to a conducting TiO2−x phase. Conversely, the low efficiency (9.8%) obtained on cells featuring an a-Si:H/TiO2/Al rear contact is due to severe degradation of passivation of the a-Si:H upon FGA.
Orientation Relationships in Al0.7CoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy
Authors: de Jeer Leo T.H. , Ocelík Václav , De Hosson Jeff T.M. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractA detailed microstructural evaluation was executed on the crystallographic texture as well as the mechanisms for nucleation, phase transformation, and grain growth in a Al0.7CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy. The microstructure and crystallographic orientations were characterized by electron backscatter diffraction, and the chemical composition variations by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The cast Al0.7CoCrFeNi alloy started in the BCC phase and partially transformed into the FCC phase. It was found that the Pitsch orientation relationship (OR) dominates the nucleation mechanism of the FCC phase; however, deviations with respect to the Pitsch OR are observed and are attributed to the differently sized atoms forming an ordered B2 phase in the alloy causing lattice distortions. The dual phase BCC–FCC microstructure contains FCC Widmanstätten plates oriented parallel to the {110}BCC planes of the parent grain. It was found that the crystal orientation distribution after the BCC–FCC phase transformation is confined and is explained as a product of the governing mechanisms.
Flow-induced elongation of von Willebrand factor precedes tension-dependent activation
Authors: Fu Hongxia , Jiang Yan , Yang Darren , Scheiflinger Friedrich , Wong Wesley P. , Springer Timothy A. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractVon Willebrand factor, an ultralarge concatemeric blood protein, must bind to platelet GPIbα during bleeding to mediate hemostasis, but not in the normal circulation to avoid thrombosis. Von Willebrand factor is proposed to be mechanically activated by flow, but the mechanism remains unclear. Using microfluidics with single-molecule imaging, we simultaneously monitored reversible Von Willebrand factor extension and binding to GPIbα under flow. We show that Von Willebrand factor is activated through a two-step conformational transition: first, elongation from compact to linear form, and subsequently, a tension-dependent local transition to a state with high affinity for GPIbα. High-affinity sites develop only in upstream regions of VWF where tension exceeds ~21 pN and depend upon electrostatic interactions. Re-compaction of Von Willebrand factor is accelerated by intramolecular interactions and increases GPIbα dissociation rate. This mechanism enables VWF to be locally activated by hydrodynamic force in hemorrhage and rapidly deactivated downstream, providing a paradigm for hierarchical mechano-regulation of receptor–ligand binding.
Breast cancer chemoprevention pharmacogenomics: Deep sequencing and functional genomics of the ZNF423 and CTSO genes
Authors: Liu Duan , Ho Ming-Fen , Schaid Daniel J. , Scherer Steven E. , Kalari Krishna , Liu Mohan , Biernacka Joanna , Yee Vivien , Evans Jared , Carlson Erin , Goetz Matthew P. , Kubo Michiaki , Wickerham D. Lawrence , Wang Liewei , Ingle James N. , Weinshilboum Richard M. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractOur previous GWAS using samples from the NSABP P-1 and P-2 selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) breast cancer prevention trials identified SNPs in ZNF423 and near CTSO that were associated with breast cancer risk during SERM chemoprevention. We have now performed Next Generation DNA sequencing to identify additional SNPs that might contribute to breast cancer risk and to extend our observation that SNPs located hundreds of bp from estrogen response elements (EREs) can alter estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) binding in a SERM-dependent fashion. Our study utilized a nested case-control cohort selected from patients enrolled in the original GWAS, with 199 cases who developed breast cancer during SERM therapy and 201 matched controls who did not. We resequenced approximately 500 kb across both ZNF423 and CTSO, followed by functional genomic studies. We identified 4079 SNPs across ZNF423 and 3876 across CTSO, with 9 SNPs in ZNF423 and 12 in CTSO with p < 1E-02 that were within 500 bp of an ERE motif. The rs746157 (p = 8.44E-04) and rs12918288 SNPs (p = 3.43E-03) in intron 5 of ZNF423, were in linkage equilibrium and were associated with alterations in ER-binding to an ERE motif distant from these SNPs. We also studied all nonsynonymous SNPs in both genes and observed that one nsSNP in ZNF423 displayed decreased protein expression. In conclusion, we identified additional functional SNPs in ZNF423 that were associated with SNP and SERM-dependent alternations in ER binding and transcriptional regulation for an ERE at a distance from the SNPs, thus providing novel insight into mechanisms of SERM effect.