bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Loss of constitutive functional γ‐aminobutyric acid type A‐B receptor crosstalk in layer 5 pyramidal neurons of human epileptic temporal cortex
Authors: Martinello Katiuscia , Sciaccaluga Miriam , Morace Roberta , Mascia Addolorata , Arcella Antonietta , Esposito Vincenzo , Fucile Sergio 
Published: December 2017

SummaryObjectiveγ‐Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in adult central nervous system, and profound alterations of GABA receptor functions are linked to temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Here we describe the functional relationships between GABA receptors type B (GABABR) and type A (GABAAR) in human temporal cortex and how TLE affects this aspect of GABAergic signaling.MethodsMiniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) were recorded by patch‐clamp techniques from human L5 pyramidal neurons in slices from temporal cortex tissue obtained from surgery.ResultsWe describe a constitutive functional crosstalk between GABABRs and GABAARs in human temporal layer 5 pyramidal neurons, which is lost in epileptic tissues. The activation of GABABRs by baclofen, in addition to the expected reduction of mIPSC frequency, produced, in cortex of nonepileptic patients, the prolongation of mIPSC rise and decay times, thus increasing the inhibitory net charge associated with a single synaptic event. Block of K+ channels did not prevent the increase of decay time and charge. Protein kinase A (PKA) blocker KT5720 and pertussis toxin inhibited the action of baclofen, whereas 8Br‐cAMP mimicked the GABABR action. The same GABABR‐mediated modulation of GABAARs was observed in pyramidal neurons of rat temporal cortex, with both PKA and PKC involved in the process. In cortices from TLE patients and epileptic rats, baclofen lost its ability to modulate mIPSCs.SignificanceOur results highlight the association of TLE with functional changes of GABAergic signaling that may be related to seizure propagation, and suggest that the selective activation of a definite subset of nonpresynaptic GABABRs may be therapeutically useful in TLE.
Asymmetric behaviour of current account sustainability in Latin America
Authors: Ordoñez‐Callamand Daniel , Melo‐Velandia Luis F. , Valencia‐Arana Oscar M. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper studies current account sustainability in four major Latin American countries from 1996 to 2016. We use an empirical model that allows for the presence of several regimes. We find that there is a long‐run relationship between the income and expenditure of the current account for Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. However, the results imply that while long‐run stable surpluses are expected in the first two countries, long‐run deficits are expected for the other two. This result provides valuable insights for macroeconomic authorities in developing economies for quantifying their external balance vulnerabilities and designing policies to effectively counteract the negative effects of external shocks.
GDP growth forecasts and information flows: Is there evidence of overreactions?
Authors: Aromí J. Daniel 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe association between GDP growth forecasts and past information flows is evaluated for a sample of 49 countries during the period 1990–2014. The analysis exploits an extensive collection of forecasts available through IMF's historical database. The empirical results indicate a robust association between information arrival and subsequent mean forecast errors (the average difference between forecast and realization). Consistent with the overreaction hypothesis, more positive information is followed by higher mean forecast errors. The association is documented for multiple metrics of past information flows: growth performance, a novel metric of press sentiment, and lagged forecast errors. When advanced and emerging economies are differentiated, the regularity is detected for both groups but is stronger in the case of emerging economies.
Kansas Trends and Changes in Temperature, Precipitation, Drought, and Frost‐Free Days from the 1890s to 2015
Authors: Lin X. , Harrington J. , Ciampitti I. , Gowda P. , Brown D. , Kisekka I. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractKansas extends 660 km from the moderate elevations and semi‐humid conditions of the Lower Missouri Basin to the High Plains lying above the Ogallala Aquifer and along the Rockies’ eastern slope. Such characteristics result in significant climate variability across the state, making timely and accurate climate trend and change information valuable for water resources management and crop production. Here we used high‐quality daily and monthly climate observations spanning a long‐term period of 121 years (1895–2015) to assess trends and changes in air temperature, precipitation, drought, and frost‐free days across Kansas. We show that a statewide average warming rate of 0.06°C (0.11°F) per decade was mainly driven by trends in daily minimum temperatures. However, there were no statistically significant trends in precipitation in either western, central, or eastern Kansas. Western Kansas tended toward increasing dryness, but central and eastern Kansas trended wetter as indicated by changes in the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), a trend that was consistent with a weak wetting signal in eastern Kansas. The length of frost‐free season increased by 5.2 days in western, 7.2 days in central, and 12.6 days in eastern Kansas, which reflected more warming in the east and less in the west, especially for changing magnitudes of nighttime temperatures. Such increases of frost‐free days, especially in moisture‐limited areas (e.g., western Kansas), might increase seasonal evapotranspiration loss, thus exacerbating soil moisture stress and associated management challenges.
Crop Water Production Functions of Grain Sorghum and Winter Wheat in Kansas and Texas
Authors: Moberly Joseph T. , Aiken Robert M. , Lin Xiaomao , Schlegel Alan J. , Baumhardt R. Louis , Schwartz Robert C. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractProductivity of water‐limited cropping systems can be reduced by untimely distribution of water as well as cold and heat stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the Kansas Water Budget (KSWB) model for crop water use and grain productivity of grain sorghum and winter wheat grown in a range of crop sequences. The relationship of grain yield to crop water use, reported in several crop sequence studies conducted in Bushland, TX, and Colby and Tribune, KS, was compared against the KSWB modeling results. Field studies showed that the yield responses of grain sorghum to an increment of water use was generally 75% greater than that of winter wheat, as expected for crops with C4 and C3 physiology, respectively. The relationship of winter wheat yield to crop water use, simulated by the KSWB model, was comparable to relationships developed in four of five studies, with the exception of one study conducted in Bushland that suggested less crop water productivity. For grain sorghum, experimental yield response to an increment of water use was less than that calculated for three of five cases; for one study at Colby and Tribune, simulated and experimental yield response to water use were similar. Simulated yield thresholds were consistent with observed yield thresholds for both wheat and sorghum in all but one case. The KSWB model provides a useful analytic framework for distinguishing water supply constraints to grain productivity.
Neck rejuvenation by direct anterior medial cervicoplasty: the modified zigzag‐plasty according to Tschopp
Authors: Konstantinow A. , Fischer T. , Zink A. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundConventional cervicofacial rhytidectomy has become the standard treatment of skin excess of the ageing neck. However, some patients want to avoid an extensive surgical procedure, especially if the anterior neck is the predominant problem zone.ObjectiveTo report on the efficacy and safety of a zigzag‐shaped skin excision combined with platysma plication.Methods and materialsWe present a retrospective case review series of six female patients. Skin excess was marked preoperatively using the skin pinching technique, then transferred to a zigzag‐shaped area and finally excised using the method according to Tschopp, which is described. Patients were followed up for at least 1 year.ResultsAll patients (age: 55–82 years, median: 65 years) were very satisfied with the results. On an overall patient satisfaction scale of 1–10 (1 being the best), the scars were graded on average 1.85 (median: 2) 1 year after surgery. No scar hypertrophy, functional impairment, nerve damage or other serious complications were observed.ConclusionIn selected patients, the direct anterior zigzag‐shaped excision poses an effective, safe and easy surgical option for both skin excess and fat excess and platysma banding. The technique is easily reproducible, with low morbidity and high patient satisfaction.
Two different strategies of host manipulation allow parasites to persist in intermediate–definitive host systems
Authors: de Vries L. J. , van Langevelde F. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTrophically transmitted parasites start their development in an intermediate host, before they finish the development in their definitive host when the definitive host preys on the intermediate host. In intermediate–definitive host systems, two strategies of host manipulation have been evolved: increasing the rate of transmission to the definitive host by increasing the chance that the definitive host will prey on the intermediate host, or increasing the lifespan of the parasite in the intermediate host by decreasing the predation chance when the intermediate host is not yet infectious. As the second strategy is less well studied than the first, it is unknown under what conditions each of these strategies is prevailed and evolved. We analysed the effect of both strategies on the presence of parasites in intermediate–definitive host systems with a structured population model. We show that the parasite can increase the parameter space where it can persist in the intermediate–definitive host system using one of these two strategies of host manipulation. We found that when the intermediate host or the definitive host has life‐history traits that allow the definitive host to reach large population densities, that is high reproduction rate of the intermediate host or high conversion efficiency of the definitive host (efficiency at which the uninfected definitive host converts caught intermediate hosts into offspring), respectively, evolving manipulation to decrease the predation chance of the intermediate host will be more beneficial than manipulation to increase the predation chance to enhance transmission. Furthermore, manipulation to decrease the predation chance of the intermediate host results in higher population densities of infected intermediate hosts than manipulation that increases the predation chance to enhance transmission. Our study shows that host manipulation in early stages of the parasite development to decrease predation might be a more frequently evolved way of host manipulation than is currently assumed.
Kinetics of the inactivation of polyphenol oxidase and formation of reducing sugars in sugarcane juice during Ohmic and conventional heating
Authors: Saxena Juhi , Makroo Hilal Ahmad , Bhattacharya Suvendu , Srivastava Brijesh 
Published: December 2017

AbstractEnzymatic browning and jaggery formation are the major issues that limit the applications of thermal treatment to sugarcane juice. Kinetics of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) inactivation and formation of reducing sugar (RS) during conventional heating (CH) and Ohmic heating (OH) of sugarcane juice were investigated. The CH treatment was varied from 60 to 90 °C for 300–1,200 s and OH treatment from 24 to 48 V/cm electric field strength (EFS) for 15–75 s at 80 ± 1 °C. PPO inactivation kinetics followed the nth‐order (n = 1.6) for CH while the two‐fraction model was suitable during OH treatment. The inactivation constant k showed a reciprocal quadratic dependency on EFS and temperature. The D‐value for CH varied between 2,635 and 359 s, and for OH, it was between 42 and 96 s for labile and between 0.007 and 0.30 s for stable PPO fractions. The temperature sensitivity (ZT) of PPO was 32.6 °C for CH system; the electric field sensitivities for OH treatment for labile (ZV,L) and stable (ZV,S) fractions of PPO were 69.8 and 15.6 V/cm, respectively. The calculated temperature coefficient (Q10,T) was 2.12, and its analogous electric field coefficients (Q8,V) for labile and stable PPO fractions were 1.28 and 3.00, respectively. The RS formation was low in the range of temperature used during CH treatment but followed the second‐order kinetics during OH system, while the formation rate followed the quadratic dependence.Practical applicationsSugarcane juice is one of the natural refreshing summer drinks in several tropical countries. The processing of sugarcane juice by Ohmic heating (OH) may be a pragmatic alternative method to preserve the fresh juice. The use of Ohmic heating can reduce the treatment temperature of the juice leading to improved quality attributes in the finished product. The inactivations of polyphenol oxidase and sugar inversion due to processing treatments is the two important criteria in such products.
Differentiating Research, Quality Improvement, and Case Studies to Ethically Incorporate Pregnant Women
Authors: Phillippi Julia C. , Hartmann Katherine E. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPregnant women have been called therapeutic orphans because data supporting common interventions, medications, health teaching, and models of care are meager. The generation of quality evidence benefits from proactive approaches that ensure ethical standards are met to protect participants. The purpose of this article is to differentiate among health care, quality improvement, and research and to discuss ethical involvement of women who are pregnant and potentially childbearing in these initiatives. Health care is provided to protect and improve individual health. Quality improvement aims to enhance delivery of care for all those receiving care in particular settings. Research, whether retrospective or prospective, is designed to contribute to generalizable knowledge. This review includes vignettes to distinguish between research, quality improvement, and case study dissemination and to highlight the value of publication of information with applicability beyond a single site. As a community, perinatal care providers will be able to contribute more evidence to guide care if they err on the side of seeking institutional review board approval for activities that examine the care and outcomes of pregnant women and the fetus. Traditional research activities, including clinical trials, remain crucial. However, to fill gaps in knowledge, we must expedite our ability to report informative cases, examine clinical data, share lessons learned during quality improvement campaigns, and publish and disseminate these findings. Accelerating improvements in care demands expansion of the evidence base.
Genetic diversity and evolutionary history of four closely related Aquilegia species revealed by 10 nuclear gene fragments
Authors: Huang Lei , Geng Fang‐Dong , Fan Jing‐Jing , Xue Cheng , Zhang Xiao‐Yan , Kang Ju‐Qing , Zhang Jian‐Qiang , Ren Yi 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe genus Aquilegia is emerging as the new model system for plant development, ecology, and evolution studies. Previous research showed that pollinator shift might drive the diversification of North American Aquilegia species, and natural selection on the length of petal nectar spur might play a crucial role. In this genus, A. ecalcarata Maxim. is the only taxon that has lost nectar spurs. Previous phylogenetic results indicated that A. ecalcarata, A. yabeana Kitag., A. oxysepala var. kansuensis Bruhl., and A. rockii Munz comprised a monophyletic group. However, their pattern of genetic diversity remains unknown. In addition, little is known about the evolutionary relationship among the four species on the population level. We carried out a population genetics study with 21 representative populations based on 10 single‐copy nuclear gene fragments and found that: (i) A. yabeana conserved the highest genetic diversity (both πsil and θsil) and A. oxysepala var. kansuensis had the lowest level; (ii) A. ecalcarata split into two groups, with one population clustered with A. rockii and the other five populations clustered with A. oxysepala var. kansuensis; and (iii) the allele frequency spectrum showed an excess of low frequency alleles in all four species, implying that they may undergo the mutation‐drift equilibrium. Our findings provide the first investigation of genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships in A. yabeana, A. oxysepala var. kansuensis, A. rockii, and A. ecalcarata. They lay the foundation for future evolutionary studies, such as speciation mediated by pollinators.
Effects of incorporating nonmodified sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) flour on wheat pasta functional characteristics
Authors: Saleh Mohammed , Lee Youngseung , Obeidat Hayat 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe effects of substituting wheat flour using fractions of blanched or nonblanched sweet potato flour on produced pasta functional characteristics were investigated. The use of sweet potato flour to replace fractions of wheat flour, regardless of blanching treatment, resulted in significant (p < .05) increase in water holding capacity (WHC), cooked pasta water uptake and solid leaching out and freeze‐thaw stability of produced pasta. For instance, treatment containing 40% of nonblanched sweet potato flour and held at 55C resulted in 27% point increase in WHC compared to the control. Sweet potato flour was also contributed to the decrease in treatments pasting viscosities and in cooked pasta hardness. Cooked pasta hardness was significantly (p < .05) decreased from 255.6 N to 187.5, and 152.6 N when using 15% blanched and 40% nonblanched sweet potato flour replacements, respectively. Flow behavior index of wheat flour treatments containing fractions of sweet potato flour were fitted in a shear thinning model. Quality indices of pasta made using fractions of sweet potato were equivalent to or sometimes superior to that of the control sample. Results indicated the possible enhancement of pasta nutritional quality including firmness, cooking loss, and water uptake without impairing consumer acceptability.Practical applicationsThe use of sweet potato flour in pasta would enhance the nutritional and physicochemical properties of developed pasta and pasta products. Furthermore, since sweet potato is not cultivated most of the year; sweet potato flour pasta would be better utilized in food processing and is expected to enhance sweet potato consumption year around.
Localized shock‐induced melting of sandstone at low shock pressures (<17.5 GPa): An experimental study
Authors: Ebert Matthias , Kowitz Astrid , Schmitt Ralf Thomas , Reimold Wolf Uwe , Mansfeld Ulrich , Langenhorst Falko 
Published: December 2017

AbstractShock‐induced recovery experiments were performed to investigate melt formation in porous sandstones in the low shock pressure regime between 2.5 and 17.5 GPa. The sandstone shocked at 2.5 and 5 GPa is characterized by pore closure, fracturing of quartz (Qtz), and compression and deformation of phyllosilicates; no melting was observed. At higher pressures, five different types of melts were generated around pores and alongside fractures in the sandstone. Melting of kaolinite (Kln), illite (Ill), and muscovite (Ms) starts at 7.5, 12, and 15 GPa, respectively. The larger the amount of water in these minerals (Kln ~14 wt%, Ill ~6–10 wt%, and Ms ~4 wt% H2O), the higher the shock compressibility and the lower the shock pressure required to induce melting. Vesicles in the almost dry silicate glasses attest to the loss of structural water during the short shock duration of the experiment. The compositions of the phyllosilicate‐based glasses are identical to the composition of the parental minerals or their mixtures. Thus, this study has demonstrated that phyllosilicates in shocked sandstone undergo congruent melting during shock loading. In experiments at 10 GPa and higher, iron melt from the driver plate was injected into the phyllosilicate melts. During this process, Fe is partitioned from the metal droplets into the surrounding silicate melts, which induced unmixing of silicate melts with different chemical properties (liquid immiscibility). At pressures between 7.5 and 15 GPa, a pure SiO2 glass was formed, which is located as short and thin bands within Qtz grains. These bands were shown to contain tiny crystals of experimentally generated stishovite.
Geologic constraints on the origin of red organic‐rich material on Ceres
Authors: Pieters C. M. , Nathues A. , Thangjam G. , Hoffmann M. , Platz T. , de Sanctis M. C. , Ammannito E. , Tosi F. , Zambon F. , Pasckert J. H. , Hiesinger H. , Schröder S. E. , Jaumann R. , Matz K.‐D. , Castillo‐Rogez J. C. , Ruesch O. , McFadden L. A. , P. O'Brien D. , Sykes M. , Raymond C. A. , Russell C. T. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe geologic context of red organic‐rich materials (ROR) found across an elongated 200 km region on Ceres is evaluated with spectral information from the multispectral framing camera (FC) and the visible and near‐infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR) of Dawn. Discrete areas of ROR materials are found to be associated with small fresh craters less than a few hundred meters in diameter. Regions with the highest concentration of discrete ROR areas exhibit a weaker diffuse background of ROR materials. The observed pattern could be consistent with a field of secondary impacts, but no appropriate primary crater has been found. Both endogenic and exogenic sources are being considered for these distinctive organic materials.
Historic preservation, the state and nationalism in Britain
Authors: Swenson Astrid 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe paper discusses the relationship between the state, historic buildings preservation and nationalism in Britain from the nineteenth century to the present. It argues against the idea that, because of comparatively continuous nation and state formation, state preservation in Britain until the mid twentieth was exceptionally weak. By suggesting a broader understanding of ‘the state’, the paper shows the variety of ways in which institutions within the state were, and remain, involved. Through spotlights on major turning points in the administrative framework, it further argues that nationalism has been more often mobilized to foster state preservation than the other way round and suggests to place nationalism alongside other motive forces to understand the rise and transformation of state involvement in preservation.
Preservation between empire, nation and nationalisms: the problem of history and heritage in India
Authors: Sengupta Indra 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis article looks at the problematic questions of heritage and history in a postcolonial nation‐state such as India. It looks at the colonial past of the preservation of historical buildings and relates this to the postcolonial history of the use of heritage and history for both nation‐building and also to assert the claims and counterclaims of postcolonial identity politics. The article shows how the state and its bureaucracy historically acquired the right to be the custodian of culture, history and heritage, and it also argues that the state nevertheless was and remains circumscribed by subnational and communitarian claims to heritage and the past.