bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structure and mechanical behavior of Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) materials
Authors: Duty Chad E. , Kunc Vlastimil , Compton Brett , Post Brian , Erdman Donald , Smith Rachel , Lind Randall , Lloyd Peter , Love Lonnie 
Published: February 2017

Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the deposited structure and mechanical performance of printed materials obtained during initial development of the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Issues unique to large-scale polymer deposition are identified and presented to reduce the learning curve for the development of similar systems.

Design/methodology/approach
Although the BAAM’s individual extruded bead is 10-20× larger (∼9 mm) than the typical small-scale systems, the overall characteristics of the deposited material are very similar. This study relates the structure of BAAM materials to the material composition, deposition parameters and resulting mechanical performance.

Findings
Materials investigated during initial trials are suitable for stiffness-limited applications. The strength of printed materials can be significantly reduced by voids and imperfect fusion between layers. Deposited material was found to have voids between adjacent beads and micro-porosity within a given bead. Failure generally occurs at interfaces between adjacent beads and successive layers, indicating imperfect contact area and polymer fusion.

Practical implications
The incorporation of second-phase reinforcement in printed materials can significantly improve stiffness but can result in notable anisotropy that needs to be accounted for in the design of BAAM-printed structures.

Originality/value
This initial evaluation of BAAM-deposited structures and mechanical performance will guide the current research effort for improving interlaminar strength and process control.
Life‐history strategy determines constraints on immune function
Authors: Parker Benjamin J. , Barribeau Seth M. , Laughton Alice M. , Griffin Lynn H. , Gerardo Nicole M. 
Published: February 2017

Summary

Determining the factors governing investment in immunity is critical to understanding host–pathogen ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Studies often consider disease resistance in the context of life‐history theory, with the expectation that investment in immunity will be optimized in anticipation of disease risk. Immunity, however, is constrained by context‐dependent fitness costs. How the costs of immunity vary across life‐history strategies has yet to be considered.

Pea aphids are typically unwinged but produce winged offspring in response to high population densities and deteriorating conditions. This is an example of polyphenism, a strategy used by many organisms to adjust to environmental cues. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between the fitness costs of immunity, pathogen resistance and the strength of an immune response across aphid morphs that differ in life‐history strategy but are genetically identical.

We measured fecundity of winged and unwinged aphids challenged with a heat‐inactivated fungal pathogen, and found that immune costs are limited to winged aphids. We hypothesized that these costs reflect stronger investment in immunity in anticipation of higher disease risk, and that winged aphids would be more resistant due to a stronger immune response. However, producing wings is energetically expensive. This guided an alternative hypothesis – that investing resources into wings could lead to a reduced capacity to resist infection.

We measured survival and pathogen load after live fungal infection, and we characterized the aphid immune response to fungi by measuring immune cell concentration and gene expression. We found that winged aphids are less resistant and mount a weaker immune response than unwinged aphids, demonstrating that winged aphids pay higher costs for a less effective immune response.

Our results show that polyphenism is an understudied factor influencing the expression of immune costs. More generally, our work shows that in addition to disease resistance, the costs of immunity vary between individuals with different life‐history strategies. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding how organisms invest optimally in immunity in the light of context‐dependent constraints.
Development, histological observations and Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus‐3 localisation in in vitro grapevine micrografts
Authors: Hao X.‐Y. , Bi W.‐L. , Cui Z.‐H. , Pan C. , Xu Y. , Wang Q.‐C. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractDevelopment, histological process and Grapevine leafroll‐associated virus‐3 localisation were studied in micrografts of three scion/rootstock combinations: healthy/healthy, healthy/infected and infected/healthy. Earlier bud break and faster growth in scions of micrografts were obtained when the healthy shoot segments were used as scions, while earlier bud break in rootstocks and greater fresh weight of roots in micrografts were produced when the healthy shoot segments were used as rootstocks. All histological processes including callus initiation and formation in micrografting conjunctions, and initiation of new cambial cells followed by vascular bundle development connecting scions and rootstocks were similar in micrografts, regardless of the sanitary status of the scions and rootstocks used for micrografting. Virus infection in micrografting conjunctions and systematic infection in micrografts were much more efficient and faster in micrografting combination of the infected scions/healthy rootstocks than in the healthy scions/infected rootstocks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report addressing histological process of micrograft development and virus localisation in micrografts. In vitro culture system established in this study facilitates studies on the ‘pure’ impact of the viral infection on micrografting.
Oxytocin Reduces Ethanol Self‐Administration in Mice
Authors: King Courtney E. , Griffin William C. , Luderman Lauryn N. , Kates Malcolm M. , McGinty Jacqueline F. , Becker Howard C. 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundExcessive ethanol (EtOH) consumption remains an important health concern and effective treatments are lacking. The central oxytocin system has emerged as a potentially important therapeutic target for alcohol and drug addiction. These studies tested the hypothesis that oxytocin reduces EtOH consumption.MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice were given access to EtOH (20% v/v) using a model of binge‐like drinking (“drinking in the dark”) that also included the use of lickometer circuits to evaluate the temporal pattern of intake as well as 2‐bottle choice drinking in the home cage. In addition, EtOH (12% v/v) and sucrose (5% w/v) self‐administration on fixed‐ and progressive‐ratio schedules were also evaluated. A wide range of systemically administered oxytocin doses were tested (0 to 10 mg/kg) in these models.ResultsOxytocin (0, 0.3, 1, 3, or 10 mg/kg) dose dependently reduced EtOH consumption (maximal 45% reduction) in the binge drinking model, with lower effective doses having minimal effects on general locomotor activity. Oxytocin's effect was blocked by pretreatment with an oxytocin receptor antagonist, and the pattern of contacts (licks) at the EtOH bottle suggested a reduction in motivation to drink EtOH. Oxytocin decreased 2‐bottle choice drinking without altering general fluid intake. Oxytocin also reduced operant responding for EtOH and sucrose in a dose‐related manner. However, oxytocin decreased responding and motivation (breakpoint values) for EtOH at doses that did not alter responding for sucrose.ConclusionsThese results indicate that oxytocin reduces EtOH consumption in different models of self‐administration. The effects are not likely due to a general sedative effect of the neuropeptide. Further, oxytocin reduces motivation for EtOH at doses that do not alter responding for a natural reward (sucrose). While some evidence supports a role for oxytocin receptors in mediating these effects, additional studies are needed to further elucidate underlying mechanisms. Nevertheless, these results support the therapeutic potential of oxytocin as a treatment for alcohol use disorder.
Relationship between QT and JT peak interval variability in prepubertal children
Authors: Takeuchi Yuka , Omeki Yumi , Horio Kayo , Nishio Miki , Nagata Rina , Oikawa Shota , Mizutani Yuri , Nagatani Arisa , Funamoto Yuri , Uchida Hidetoshi , Fujino Masayuki , Eryu Yoshihiko , Boda Hiroko , Miyata Masafumi , Hata Tadayoshi 
Published: February 2017

BackgroundThe QT variability index (QTVI) is a noninvasive index of repolarization lability that has been applied to subjects with cardiovascular disease. QTVI provides a ratio of normalized QT variability to normalized heart rate variability, and therefore includes an assessment of autonomic nervous activity. However, measurement of QT time is particularly difficult in children, who exhibit physiologically high heart rates compared with adults. In this study, we developed a set of standard values of J‐point to Tpeak interval (JTp) for infants by age, and assessed the correlation of QTVI with the JTp variability index (JTpVI).MethodsSubjects included 623 infants and children (0–7 years of age) without heart disease and 57 healthy university students. All subjects were divided into three groups by age. QTVI and JTpVI were calculated based on an electrocardiogram, and age‐specific standard values, a gender‐specific classification, and a standard growth curve were constructed.ResultsJTpVI markedly decreased in infancy and slowly decreased thereafter, reaching adult values by school age. There was also a strong correlation of JTpVI with QTVI (r = .856).ConclusionsJTp can be used to evaluate the variability of the repolarization time in healthy infants, and may be useful for detection of early repolarization abnormalities.
The interrelation between hypothyroidism and glaucoma: a critical review and meta‐analyses
Authors: Thvilum Marianne , Brandt Frans , Brix Thomas Heiberg , Hegedüs Laszlo 
Published: February 2017

AbstractData on the association between hypothyroidism and glaucoma are conflicting. We sought to shed light on this by conducting a critical review and meta‐analyses. The meta‐analyses were conducted in adherence with the widely accepted MOOSE guidelines. Using the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms: hypothyroidism, myxoedema and glaucoma or intraocular pressure, case–control studies, cohort studies and cross‐sectional studies were identified (PubMed) and reviewed. Using meta‐analysis, the relative risk (RR) of coexistence of glaucoma and hypothyroidism was calculated. Based on the literature search, thirteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and could be categorized into two groups based on the exposure. The designs of the studies varied considerably, and there was heterogeneity related to lack of power, weak phenotype classifications and length of follow‐up. Eight studies had glaucoma (5757 patients) as exposure and hypothyroidism as outcome. Among these, we found a non‐significantly increased risk of hypothyroidism associated with glaucoma (RR 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.97–2.82). Based on five studies (168 006 patients) with hypothyroidism as exposure and glaucoma as outcome, we found the risk of glaucoma to be significantly increased (RR 1.33; 95% CI: 1.13–1.58). Based on these meta‐analyses, there seems to be an association between hypothyroidism and glaucoma, which does not seem to be the case between glaucoma and hypothyroidism. However, larger scale studies with better phenotype classification, longer follow‐up and taking comorbidity and other biases into consideration are needed to address a potential causal relationship.
Letter: refractory coeliac disease and coeliac‐specific serology status – authors’ reply
Authors: Eigner W. , Vogelsang H. 
Published: February 2017

Linked ContentThis article is linked to Eigner and Bashir et al and Matuchansky papers. To view these articles visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13867 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13941.
Higher infliximab trough levels are associated with perianal fistula healing in patients with Crohn's disease
Authors: Yarur A. J. , Kanagala V. , Stein D. J. , Czul F. , Quintero M. A. , Agrawal D. , Patel A. , Best K. , Fox C. , Idstein K. , Abreu M. T. 
Published: February 2017

SummaryBackgroundInfliximab has been found to be efficacious in the treatment of fistulas in the setting of Crohn's disease, even though some patients do not benefit from therapy.AimTo assess the correlation between perianal fistula healing and trough levels of infliximab.MethodsIn this cross‐sectional study, we identified patients with Crohn's disease who had perianal fistulas and were treated with infliximab for at least 24 weeks. We excluded patients who underwent a faecal diversion procedure or proctectomy. Predictive variables included demographics, disease phenotype, disease activity, infliximab levels, anti‐infliximab antibodies. The primary outcome was fistula healing defined as the absence of drainage. The secondary outcome was complete fistula closure and mucosal healing.Results117 patients were included. Patients with fistula healing had significantly higher median serum infliximab levels when compared to those with active fistulas [15.8 vs. 4.4 μg/mL, respectively (P < 0.0001)]. There was an incremental gain in fistula healing with higher infliximab levels. The AUC for the association between fistula healing and infliximab levels was 0.82 (P < 0.0001), while the AUC for the association of infliximab levels and fistula closure was 0.69 (P = 0.014). Patients with anti‐infliximab antibodies had a lower chance of achieving fistula healing (OR: 0.04 [95%CI: 0.005–0.3], P < 0.001).ConclusionsThere is a significant association between serum infliximab levels and rates of fistula healing. Achieving infliximab levels ≥10.1 mcg/mL in patients with Crohn's disease and perianal fistulas may improve outcomes as part of a treat‐to‐target strategy.
Differential effects of dominant and subordinate plant species on the establishment success of target species in a grassland restoration experiment
Authors: Torrez Vania , Mergeay Joachim , Meester Luc De , Honnay Olivier , Helsen Kenny 
Published: February 2017

AbstractQuestionsWe investigated how the establishment of sown target species for ecological restoration is affected by the early introduction of either dominant or subordinate species during the assembly of a restored topsoil‐stripped, nutrient‐poor grassland. Do dominant or subordinate species exert different priority effects on either wanted target species or unwanted pioneer species? If priority effects are detected, are these exerted via niche preemption or niche modification mechanisms? Are the resulting patterns of species establishment related to differences in functional trait composition?LocationMeerdaal forest, Oud‐Heverlee, Belgium.MethodsA 2‐yr field experiment on a topsoil‐stripped site of 8.5 ha was carried out. We manipulated the early arrival of dominant and subordinate species. The ‘dominant species’ set consisted of three generalist grass species, and the ‘subordinate species’ set consisted of nine species of forbs and graminoids that often occur in nutrient‐poor grasslands. After 4 wk, we sowed nine target species for ecological restoration. We recorded plant species cover during 2 yr. We used repeated measures ANOVA to test for effects of time (2013, 2014) and treatment (dominant, subordinate and control) on plant species richness, evenness, cover, functional diversity and species and trait composition dissimilarity.ResultsBoth dominant and subordinate species successfully suppressed undesirable early colonizing species. Dominants did not exert priority effects on target species. However, subordinate species exerted strong priority effects via niche preemption, and suppressed their establishment of target species.ConclusionsManipulating the arrival order of dominant species has potential as a restoration tool that can allow restoration practitioners to enhance the establishment success of target species for restoration. We suggest that seed mixtures for restoration should contain dominant species, because they will not affect the establishment of subordinate (target) species, but will impede the establishment of unwanted pioneer and ruderal species. We also demonstrate that implementing trait‐based measures in restoration projects can help to adequately predict assembly processes.
Neonatal Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Impairs Learning Behaviour by Disrupting Hippocampal Organization in Male Swiss Albino Mice
Authors: Bhaskar Rakesh , Mishra Ashish K. , Mohanty Banalata 
Published: February 2017

AbstractHippocampus is highly susceptible to endocrine disrupting chemicals exposure particularly during the critical phase of brain development. In this study, mice offspring were exposed to endocrine disruptors mancozeb (MCZ) and imidacloprid (IMI) individually (40 mg MCZ and 0.65 mg IMI/kg/day) as well as to their equimixture (40 mg MCZ + 0.65 mg IMI/kg/day) through the diet of lactating mothers from post‐natal day (PND) 1 to PND 28. Half of the randomly selected male offspring were killed at PND 29, and the rest half were left unexposed and killed at PND 63. Brain weight, histology, plasma hormone profile and working memory performance were the various end‐points studied. Brain weight was significantly decreased in the mixture‐exposed group at PND 29, which persisted to PND 63. Total thickness of pyramidal cell layers decreased significantly along with misalignment, shrinkage and degeneration of pyramidal neurons in CA1 and CA3 regions of the IMI and mixture‐exposed groups. The length and branch points of dendrites of pyramidal neurons were decreased significantly in mixture‐exposed group at both PND 29 and PND 63. Dendritic spine density was also reduced in mixture‐exposed group offspring. Testosterone level was significantly decreased only at PND 29, but corticosterone level was increased at both PND 29 and PND 63 in mixture‐exposed offspring. T‐maze task performance revealed significantly increased time duration and reduced path efficiency in mixture‐exposed group offspring. The results thus indicate that pesticide mixture exposure could lead to changes in learning behaviour even at doses that individually did not induce any adverse effect on hippocampal organization.
Semiparametric Regression Analysis of Interval-Censored Competing Risks Data
Authors: Mao Lu , Lin Dan-Yu , Zeng Donglin 
Published: February 2017

SummaryInterval-censored competing risks data arise when each study subject may experience an event or failure from one of several causes and the failure time is not observed directly but rather is known to lie in an interval between two examinations. We formulate the effects of possibly time-varying (external) covariates on the cumulative incidence or sub-distribution function of competing risks (i.e., the marginal probability of failure from a specific cause) through a broad class of semiparametric regression models that captures both proportional and non-proportional hazards structures for the sub-distribution. We allow each subject to have an arbitrary number of examinations and accommodate missing information on the cause of failure. We consider nonparametric maximum likelihood estimation and devise a fast and stable EM-type algorithm for its computation. We then establish the consistency, asymptotic normality, and semiparametric efficiency of the resulting estimators for the regression parameters by appealing to modern empirical process theory. In addition, we show through extensive simulation studies that the proposed methods perform well in realistic situations. Finally, we provide an application to a study on HIV-1 infection with different viral subtypes.
A General Statistical Framework for Subgroup Identification and Comparative Treatment Scoring
Authors: Chen Shuai , Tian Lu , Cai Tianxi , Yu Menggang 
Published: February 2017

Summary
Many statistical methods have recently been developed for identifying subgroups of patients who may benefit from different available treatments. Compared with the traditional outcome-modeling approaches, these methods focus on modeling interactions between the treatments and covariates while by-pass or minimize modeling the main effects of covariates because the subgroup identification only depends on the sign of the interaction. However, these methods are scattered and often narrow in scope. In this article, we propose a general framework, by weighting and A-learning, for subgroup identification in both randomized clinical trials and observational studies. Our framework involves minimum modeling for the relationship between the outcome and covariates pertinent to the subgroup identification. Under the proposed framework, we may also estimate the magnitude of the interaction, which leads to the construction of scoring system measuring the individualized treatment effect. The proposed methods are quite flexible and include many recently proposed estimators as special cases. As a result, some estimators originally proposed for randomized clinical trials can be extended to observational studies, and procedures based on the weighting method can be converted to an A-learning method and vice versa. Our approaches also allow straightforward incorporation of regularization methods for high-dimensional data, as well as possible efficiency augmentation and generalization to multiple treatments. We examine the empirical performance of several procedures belonging to the proposed framework through extensive numerical studies.
Utah obstetricians’ opinions of planned home birth and conflicting NICE/ACOG guidelines: A qualitative study
Authors: Rainey Emily , Simonsen Sara , Stanford Joseph , Shoaf Kimberley , Baayd Jami 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBackgroundThe United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently published recommendations that support planned home birth for low‐risk women. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) remains wary of planned home birth, asserting that hospitals and birthing centers are the safest birth settings. Our objective was to examine opinions of obstetricians in Salt Lake City, Utah about home birth in the context of rising home birth rates and conflicting guidelines.MethodsParticipants were recruited through online searches of Salt Lake City obstetricians and through snowball sampling. We conducted individual interviews exploring experiences with and attitudes toward planned home birth and the ACOG/NICE guidelines.ResultsFifteen obstetricians who varied according to years of experience, location of medical training, sex, and subspecialty (resident, OB/GYN, maternal‐fetal medicine specialist) were interviewed. Participants did not recommend home birth but supported a woman's right to choose her birth setting. Obstetrician opinions about planned home birth were shaped by misconceptions of home birth benefits, confusion surrounding the scope of care at home and among home birth providers, and negative transfer experiences. Participants were unfamiliar with the literature on planned home birth and/or viewed the evidence as unreliable. Support for ACOG guidelines was high, particularly in the context of the United States health care setting.ConclusionPhysician objectivity may be limited by biases against home birth, which stem from limited familiarity with published evidence, negative experiences with home‐to‐hospital transfers, and distrust of home birth providers in a health care system not designed to support home birth.
Changing priorities in physical geography: Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Tadaki Marc , Slaymaker Olav , Martin Yvonne 
Published: February 2017

Key MessagesThe disappearance of the sub‐discipline of physical geography is both notable and regrettable.This Special Issue provides a forum to describe changes across the environmental sciences, and Geography provides a set of values with which to evaluate these changes.For physical geography to continue to exist, we must produce physical geographers who identify as geographers and who engage in geographical discourse.