bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Subjective well-being among young people in five Eastern European countries
Authors: Lim M. S. C. , Cappa C. , Patton G. C. 
Published: July 2017

Background.Subjective well-being incorporates elements of life satisfaction, happiness and optimism. It is increasingly relevant in the assessment of population health and economic development. There are strong continuities in well-being from youth into later life. Despite its significance, few global surveys capture subjective well-being. This paper describes patterns of well-being among young people in five Eastern European countries [Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine] and investigates association between demographic factors and well-being.Methods.Nationally representative household surveys, including large Roma population samples, were conducted as part of UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey programme. Young people aged 15–24 years (N = 11 944) indicated their satisfaction with life, happiness and expectations about the future. Multilevel logistic regressions were conducted to determine the impact of individual-level predictors while accounting for country- and cluster-level variability.Results.Around 40% of young people considered themselves very happy or very satisfied with their life overall. Three quarters reported optimism. Yet well-being varied greatly between countries, with youth in BiH and Ukraine reporting lowest levels of well-being. Current marriage, increasing wealth, higher education, rural residence and not having children were associated with greater well-being.Conclusions.Patterns of well-being in youth vary substantially between countries and are only partly accounted for by standard demographic characteristics. Despite higher rates of adolescent marriage and childbearing, and lower levels of educational attainment and employment, Roma youth had similar levels of well-being to the general population.
Reliability Based Design Optimization for Multiaxial Fatigue Damage Analysis Using Robust Hybrid Method
Authors: Yaich A. , Kharmanda G. , El Hami A. , Walha L. , Haddar M. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe purpose of the Reliability-Based Design Optimization (RBDO) is to find the best compromise between safety and cost. Therefore, several methods, such as the Hybrid Method (HM) and the Optimum Safety Factor (OSF) method, are developed to achieve this purpose. However, these methods have been applied only on static cases and some special dynamic ones. But, in real mechanical applications, structures are subject to random vibrations and these vibrations can cause a fatigue damage. So, in this paper, we propose an extension of these methods in the case of structures under random vibrations and then demonstrate their efficiency. Also, a Robust Hybrid Method (RHM) is then developed to overcome the difficulties of the classical one. A numerical application is then used to present the advantages of the modified hybrid method for treating problem of structures subject to random vibration considering fatigue damage.
Thinking around Genre: The Moral Narrative and Femininity in Kenyan Popular Media
Authors: Ligaga Dina 
Published: July 2017

AbstractIn this article, I revisit a familiar narrative format of the moral narrative that I argue is used to narrate stories of (especially) women in the public sphere in Kenya. Reading a range of media texts, I trace a pattern of representation that I identify as contained within a recognizable genre of the moral narrative and use this genre to identify a structure of narrative of issues around gender and sexuality in Kenya. The examples are drawn from a popular radio drama program as well as from popular press reports of wayward women. The article also engages counter-narratives created by women such Vera Sidika and Huddah Monroe who, by publicly displaying their near-naked bodies in public platforms, create room for a counter-reading of discourses of gender and sexuality in the Kenyan public imaginary. This article will push the boundaries for reading popular cultural forms caught within generic constraints and reflect on the value counter-readings have in complicating readings of gender and sexuality in Kenya more generally.
Cost analysis of injection laryngoplasty performed under local anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia: an Australian perspective
Authors: Chandran D , Woods C M , Schar M , Ma N , Ooi E H , Athanasiadis T 
Published: July 2017

AbstractObjective:To conduct a cost analysis of injection laryngoplasty performed in the operating theatre under local anaesthesia and general anaesthesia.Methods:The retrospective study included patients who had undergone injection laryngoplasty as day cases between July 2013 and March 2016. Cost data were obtained, along with patient demographics, anaesthetic details, type of injectant, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, length of stay, total operating theatre time and surgeon procedure time.Results:A total of 20 cases (general anaesthesia = 6, local anaesthesia = 14) were included in the cost analysis. The mean total cost under general anaesthesia (AU$2865.96 ± 756.29) was significantly higher than that under local anaesthesia (AU$1731.61 ± 290.29) (p < 0.001). The mean operating theatre time, surgeon procedure time and length of stay were all significantly lower under local anaesthesia compared to general anaesthesia. Time variables such as operating theatre time and length of stay were the most significant predictors of the total costs.Conclusion:Procedures performed under local anaesthesia in the operating theatre are associated with shorter operating theatre time and length of stay in the hospital, and provide significant cost savings. Further savings could be achieved if local anaesthesia procedures were performed in the office setting.
The cultural evolution of shamanism
Authors: Singh Manvir 
Published: July 2017

AbstractShamans, including medicine men, mediums, and the prophets of religious movements, recur across human societies. Shamanism also existed among nearly all documented hunter-gatherers, likely characterized the religious lives of many ancestral humans, and is often proposed by anthropologists to be the “first profession,” representing the first institutionalized division of labor beyond age and sex. In this article, I propose a cultural evolutionary theory to explain why shamanism consistently develops and, in particular, (1) why shamanic traditions exhibit recurrent features around the world; (2) why shamanism professionalizes early, often in the absence of other specialization; and (3) how shifting social conditions affect the form or existence of shamanism. According to this theory, shamanism is a set of traditions developed through cultural evolution that adapts to people's intuitions to convince observers that a practitioner can influence otherwise unpredictable, significant events. The shaman does this by ostensibly transforming during initiation and trance, violating folk intuitions of humanness to assure group members that he or she can interact with the invisible forces that control uncertain outcomes. Entry requirements for becoming a shaman persist because the practitioner's credibility depends on his or her “transforming.” This contrasts with dealing with problems that have identifiable solutions (such as building a canoe), in which credibility hinges on showing results and outsiders can invade the jurisdiction by producing the outcome. Shamanism is an ancient human institution that recurs because of the capacity of cultural evolution to produce practices adapted to innate psychological tendencies.
COMPARISON OF RECENTLY USED PHACOEMULSIFICATION SYSTEMS USING A HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT METHOD
Authors: Huang Jiannan , Wang Qi , Zhao Caimin , Ying Xiaohua , Zou Haidong 
Published: July 2017

Objectives: To compare the recently used phacoemulsification systems using a health technology assessment (HTA) model.Methods: A self-administered questionnaire, which included questions to gauge on the opinions of the recently used phacoemulsification systems, was distributed to the chief cataract surgeons in the departments of ophthalmology of eighteen tertiary hospitals in Shanghai, China. A series of senile cataract patients undergoing phacoemulsification surgery were enrolled in the study. The surgical results and the average costs related to their surgeries were all recorded and compared for the recently used phacoemulsification systems.Results: The four phacoemulsification systems currently used in Shanghai are the Infiniti Vision, Centurion Vision, WhiteStar Signature, and Stellaris Vision Enhancement systems. All of the doctors confirmed that the systems they used would help cataract patients recover vision. A total of 150 cataract patients who underwent phacoemulsification surgery were enrolled in the present study. A significant difference was found among the four groups in cumulative dissipated energy, with the lowest value found in the Centurion group. No serious complications were observed and a positive trend in visual acuity was found in all four groups after cataract surgery. The highest total cost of surgery was associated with procedures conducted using the Centurion Vision system, and significant differences between systems were mainly because of the cost of the consumables used in the different surgeries.Conclusions: This HTA comparison of four recently used phacoemulsification systems found that each of system offers a satisfactory vision recovery outcome, but differs in surgical efficacy and costs.
Is there a future for sharing? A comparison of traditional and new institutions
Authors: FREMSTAD ANDERS 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe sharing economy has raised hopes that online platforms will usher in a new era of sharing, even though economic theory suggests that income growth may reduce sharing in the long run. This paper presents evidence that that high-income people are less likely than low-income people to use traditional institutions for sharing goods, including carpools, multi-person households, and garage sales. While it first appears that high-income people are equally likely to use new institutions, such as Craigslist, Airbnb, and Zipcar, this partly reflects the fact that many low-income households in the US still lack an internet connection. Conditional on having internet access, this paper finds that online sharing platforms are also disproportionately used by the poor. The future of sharing likely depends on countervailing forces. Economic growth may continue to dampen incentives to share goods, but this effect could be offset by the proliferation of institutions, norms, and preferences that facilitate sharing.
Sea level fall during glaciation stabilized atmospheric CO2 by enhanced volcanic degassing
Authors: Hasenclever Jörg , Knorr Gregor , Rüpke Lars H. , Köhler Peter , Morgan Jason , Garofalo Kristin , Barker Stephen , Lohmann Gerrit , Hall Ian R. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractPaleo-climate records and geodynamic modelling indicate the existence of complex interactions between glacial sea level changes, volcanic degassing and atmospheric CO2, which may have modulated the climate system’s descent into the last ice age. Between ∼85 and 70 kyr ago, during an interval of decreasing axial tilt, the orbital component in global temperature records gradually declined, while atmospheric CO2, instead of continuing its long-term correlation with Antarctic temperature, remained relatively stable. Here, based on novel global geodynamic models and the joint interpretation of paleo-proxy data as well as biogeochemical simulations, we show that a sea level fall in this interval caused enhanced pressure-release melting in the uppermost mantle, which may have induced a surge in magma and CO2 fluxes from mid-ocean ridges and oceanic hotspot volcanoes. Our results reveal a hitherto unrecognized negative feedback between glaciation and atmospheric CO2 predominantly controlled by marine volcanism on multi-millennial timescales of ∼5,000–15,000 years.
Transparent flexible thermoelectric material based on non-toxic earth-abundant p-type copper iodide thin film
Authors: Yang C. , Souchay D. , Kneiß M. , Bogner M. , Wei H. M. , Lorenz M. , Oeckler O. , Benstetter G. , Fu Y. Q. , Grundmann M. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThermoelectric devices that are flexible and optically transparent hold unique promise for future electronics. However, development of invisible thermoelectric elements is hindered by the lack of p-type transparent thermoelectric materials. Here we present the superior room-temperature thermoelectric performance of p-type transparent copper iodide (CuI) thin films. Large Seebeck coefficients and power factors of the obtained CuI thin films are analysed based on a single-band model. The low-thermal conductivity of the CuI films is attributed to a combined effect of the heavy element iodine and strong phonon scattering. Accordingly, we achieve a large thermoelectric figure of merit of ZT=0.21 at 300 K for the CuI films, which is three orders of magnitude higher compared with state-of-the-art p-type transparent materials. A transparent and flexible CuI-based thermoelectric element is demonstrated. Our findings open a path for multifunctional technologies combing transparent electronics, flexible electronics and thermoelectricity.
Quantitative interactome of a membrane Bcl-2 network identifies a hierarchy of complexes for apoptosis regulation
Authors: Bleicken Stephanie , Hantusch Annika , Das Kushal Kumar , Frickey Tancred , Garcia-Saez Ana J. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe Bcl-2 proteins form a complex interaction network that controls mitochondrial permeabilization and apoptosis. The relative importance of different Bcl-2 complexes and their spatio-temporal regulation is debated. Using fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy to quantify the interactions within a minimal Bcl-2 network, comprised by cBid, Bax, and Bcl-xL, we show that membrane insertion drastically alters the pattern of Bcl-2 complexes, and that the C-terminal helix of Bcl-xL determines its binding preferences. At physiological temperature, Bax can spontaneously activate in a self-amplifying process. Strikingly, Bax also recruits Bcl-xL to membranes, which is sufficient to retrotranslocate Bax back into solution to secure membrane integrity. Our study disentangles the hierarchy of Bcl-2 complex formation in relation to their environment: Bcl-xL association with cBid occurs in solution and in membranes, where the complex is stabilized, whereas Bcl-xL binding to Bax occurs only in membranes and with lower affinity than to cBid, leading instead to Bax retrotranslocation.
DELAY OF GERMINATION1 requires PP2C phosphatases of the ABA signalling pathway to control seed dormancy
Authors: Née Guillaume , Kramer Katharina , Nakabayashi Kazumi , Yuan Bingjian , Xiang Yong , Miatton Emma , Finkemeier Iris , Soppe Wim J. J. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe time of seed germination is a major decision point in the life of plants determining future growth and development. This timing is controlled by seed dormancy, which prevents germination under favourable conditions. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and the protein DELAY OF GERMINATION 1 (DOG1) are essential regulators of dormancy. The function of ABA in dormancy is rather well understood, but the role of DOG1 is still unknown. Here, we describe four phosphatases that interact with DOG1 in seeds. Two of them belong to clade A of type 2C protein phosphatases: ABA-HYPERSENSITIVE GERMINATION 1 (AHG1) and AHG3. These phosphatases have redundant but essential roles in the release of seed dormancy epistatic to DOG1. We propose that the ABA and DOG1 dormancy pathways converge at clade A of type 2C protein phosphatases.
Genetic targeting and anatomical registration of neuronal populations in the zebrafish brain with a new set of BAC transgenic tools
Authors: Förster Dominique , Arnold-Ammer Irene , Laurell Eva , Barker Alison J. , Fernandes António M. , Finger-Baier Karin , Filosa Alessandro , Helmbrecht Thomas O. , Kölsch Yvonne , Kühn Enrico , Robles Estuardo , Slanchev Krasimir , Thiele Tod R. , Baier Herwig , Kubo Fumi 
Published: July 2017

AbstractGenetic access to small, reproducible sets of neurons is key to an understanding of the functional wiring of the brain. Here we report the generation of a new Gal4- and Cre-driver resource for zebrafish neurobiology. Candidate genes, including cell type-specific transcription factors, neurotransmitter-synthesizing enzymes and neuropeptides, were selected according to their expression patterns in small and unique subsets of neurons from diverse brain regions. BAC recombineering, followed by Tol2 transgenesis, was used to generate driver lines that label neuronal populations in patterns that, to a large but variable extent, recapitulate the endogenous gene expression. We used image registration to characterize, compare, and digitally superimpose the labeling patterns from our newly generated transgenic lines. This analysis revealed highly restricted and mutually exclusive tissue distributions, with striking resolution of layered brain regions such as the tectum or the rhombencephalon. We further show that a combination of Gal4 and Cre transgenes allows intersectional expression of a fluorescent reporter in regions where the expression of the two drivers overlaps. Taken together, our study offers new tools for functional studies of specific neural circuits in zebrafish.
Microstructural evolution during sintering of copper particles studied by laboratory diffraction contrast tomography (LabDCT)
Authors: McDonald S. A. , Holzner C. , Lauridsen E. M. , Reischig P. , Merkle A. P. , Withers P. J. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractPressureless sintering of loose or compacted granular bodies at elevated temperature occurs by a combination of particle rearrangement, rotation, local deformation and diffusion, and grain growth. Understanding of how each of these processes contributes to the densification of a powder body is still immature. Here we report a fundamental study coupling the crystallographic imaging capability of laboratory diffraction contrast tomography (LabDCT) with conventional computed tomography (CT) in a time-lapse study. We are able to follow and differentiate these processes non-destructively and in three-dimensions during the sintering of a simple copper powder sample at 1050 °C. LabDCT quantifies particle rotation (to <0.05° accuracy) and grain growth while absorption CT simultaneously records the diffusion and deformation-related morphological changes of the sintering particles. We find that the rate of particle rotation is lowest for the more highly coordinated particles and decreases during sintering. Consequently, rotations are greater for surface breaking particles than for more highly coordinated interior ones. Both rolling (cooperative) and sliding particle rotations are observed. By tracking individual grains the grain growth/shrinkage kinetics during sintering are quantified grain by grain for the first time. Rapid, abnormal grain growth is observed for one grain while others either grow or are consumed more gradually.
TSG-6 Secreted by Human Adipose Tissue-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Ameliorates DSS-induced colitis by Inducing M2 Macrophage Polarization in Mice
Authors: Song Woo-Jin , Li Qiang , Ryu Min-Ok , Ahn Jin-Ok , Ha Bhang Dong , Chan Jung Yun , Youn Hwa-Young 
Published: July 2017

AbstractPrevious studies have revealed that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) alleviate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by modulating inflammatory cytokines in the inflamed intestine. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not completely understood. We sought to investigate the therapeutic effects of human adipose tissue-derived (hAT)-MSCs in an IBD mouse model and to explore the mechanisms of the regulation of inflammation. Dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis mice were infused with hAT-MSCs intraperitoneally and colon tissues were collected on day 10. hAT-MSCs were shown to induce the expression of M2 macrophage markers and to regulate the expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the colon. Quantitative real time-PCR analyses demonstrated that less than 20 hAT-MSCs, 0.001% of all intraperitoneally injected hAT-MSCs, were detected in the inflamed colon. To investigate the effects of hAT-MSC-secreted factors in vitro, transwell co-culture system was used, demonstrating that tumour necrosis factor-α-induced gene/protein 6 (TSG-6) released by hAT-MSCs induces M2 macrophages. In vivo, hAT-MSCs transfected with TSG-6 small interfering RNA, administered intraperitoneally, were not able to induce M2 macrophage phenotype switch in the inflamed colon and had no significant effects on IBD severity. In conclusion, hAT-MSC-produced TSG-6 can ameliorate IBD by inducing M2 macrophage switch in mice.
Circulating miR-323-3p is a biomarker for cardiomyopathy and an indicator of phenotypic variability in Friedreich’s ataxia patients
Authors: Seco-Cervera M. , González-Rodríguez D. , Ibáñez-Cabellos J. S. , Peiró-Chova L. , González-Cabo P. , García-López E. , Vílchez J. J. , Sanz-Gallego I. , Pallardó F. V. , García-Giménez J. L. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that contribute to gene expression modulation by regulating important cellular pathways. In this study, we used small RNA sequencing to identify a series of circulating miRNAs in blood samples taken from Friedreich’s ataxia patients. We were thus able to develop a miRNA biomarker signature to differentiate Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) patients from healthy people. Most research on FDRA has focused on understanding the role of frataxin in the mitochondria, and a whole molecular view of pathological pathways underlying FRDA therefore remains to be elucidated. We found seven differentially expressed miRNAs, and we propose that these miRNAs represent key mechanisms in the modulation of several signalling pathways that regulate the physiopathology of FRDA. If this is the case, miRNAs can be used to characterize phenotypic variation in FRDA and stratify patients’ risk of cardiomyopathy. In this study, we identify miR-323-3p as a candidate marker for phenotypic differentiation in FRDA patients suffering from cardiomyopathy. We propose the use of dynamic miRNAs as biomarkers for phenotypic characterization and prognosis of FRDA.
Systematic discovery of genetic modulation by Jumonji histone demethylases in Drosophila
Authors: Shalaby Nevine A. , Sayed Raheel , Zhang Qiao , Scoggin Shane , Eliazer Susan , Rothenfluh Adrian , Buszczak Michael 
Published: July 2017

AbstractJumonji (JmjC) domain proteins influence gene expression and chromatin organization by way of histone demethylation, which provides a means to regulate the activity of genes across the genome. JmjC proteins have been associated with many human diseases including various cancers, developmental and neurological disorders, however, the shared biology and possible common contribution to organismal development and tissue homeostasis of all JmjC proteins remains unclear. Here, we systematically tested the function of all 13 Drosophila JmjC genes. Generation of molecularly defined null mutants revealed that loss of 8 out of 13 JmjC genes modify position effect variegation (PEV) phenotypes, consistent with their ascribed role in regulating chromatin organization. However, most JmjC genes do not critically regulate development, as 10 members are viable and fertile with no obvious developmental defects. Rather, we find that different JmjC mutants specifically alter the phenotypic outcomes in various sensitized genetic backgrounds. Our data demonstrate that, rather than controlling essential gene expression programs, Drosophila JmjC proteins generally act to “fine-tune” different biological processes.