bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Size Matters: Radiocarbon Dates of <200 µg Ancient Collagen Samples with AixMICADAS and Its Gas Ion Source
Authors: Fewlass Helen , Talamo Sahra , Tuna Thibaut , Fagault Yoann , Kromer Bernd , Hoffmann Helene , Pangrazzi Caterina , Hublin Jean-Jacques , Bard Edouard 
Published: November 2017

AbstractFor many of archaeology’s rarest and most enigmatic bone artifacts (e.g. human remains, bone ornaments, worked bone), the destruction of the 500 mg material necessary for direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating on graphite targets would cause irreparable damage; therefore many have not been directly dated. The recently improved gas ion source of the MICADAS (MIni CArbon DAting System) offers a solution to this problem by measuring gaseous samples of 5–100 µg carbon at a level of precision not previously achieved with an AMS gas ion source. We present the results of the first comparison between “routine” graphite dates of ca. 1000 µg C (2–3 mg bone collagen) and dates from aliquots of gaseous samples of <100 µg C (<0.2 mg bone collagen), undertaken with the highest possible precision in mind. The experiment demonstrates the performance of the AixMICADAS in achieving reliable radiocarbon measurements from <0.2 mg collagen samples back to 40,000 14C BP. The technique has great implications for resolving chronological questions for key archaeological artifacts.
Development and validation of anthropometric prediction equations for lean body mass, fat mass and percent fat in adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2006
Authors: Lee Dong Hoon , Keum NaNa , Hu Frank B. , Orav E. John , Rimm Eric B. , Sun Qi , Willett Walter C. , Giovannucci Edward L. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractQuantification of lean body mass and fat mass can provide important insight into epidemiological research. However, there is no consensus on generalisable anthropometric prediction equations to validly estimate body composition. We aimed to develop and validate practical anthropometric prediction equations for lean body mass, fat mass and percent fat in adults (men, n 7531; women, n 6534) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2006. Using a prediction sample, we predicted each of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-measured lean body mass, fat mass and percent fat based on different combinations of anthropometric measures. The proposed equations were validated using a validation sample and obesity-related biomarkers. The practical equation including age, race, height, weight and waist circumference had high predictive ability for lean body mass (men: R2=0·91, standard error of estimate (SEE)=2·6 kg; women: R2=0·85, SEE=2·4 kg) and fat mass (men: R2=0·90, SEE=2·6 kg; women: R2=0·93, SEE=2·4 kg). Waist circumference was a strong predictor in men only. Addition of other circumference and skinfold measures slightly improved the prediction model. For percent fat, R2 were generally lower but the trend in variation explained was similar. Our validation tests showed robust and consistent results with no evidence of substantial bias. Additional validation using biomarkers demonstrated comparable abilities to predict obesity-related biomarkers between direct DXA measurements and predicted scores. Moreover, predicted fat mass and percent fat had significantly stronger associations with obesity-related biomarkers than BMI did. Our findings suggest the potential application of the proposed equations in various epidemiological settings.
Losing time for the tigerPanthera tigris: delayed action puts a globally threatened species at risk of local extinction
Authors: Harihar Abishek , Ghosh-Harihar Mousumi , MacMillan Douglas C. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractMeeting global and regional environmental targets is challenging, given the multiplicity of stakeholders and their diverse and often competing policy agendas and objectives. Relatively few studies have sought to systematically analyse the progress, or lack thereof, of institutionally complex and diffuse projects. Here we analyse one such project, which aims to protect and restore a critical landscape corridor for tigersPanthera tigrisin north-western India, using a temporal–analytic framework that integrates ecological information on species population status and spatial connectivity modelling with a systematic examination of the decision-making process. We find that even with adequate ecological knowledge the tiger population is on the verge of local extinction because of weak institutional support, poor adaptive planning and ineffective leadership in a complex political arena, which has led to delays in conservation action. From the outset the conservation agencies and NGOs that were the primary drivers of the project lacked awareness of the political idiosyncrasies of coordinating the actions of disparate agencies within the decision-making process. To secure better future environmental outcomes we recommend the adoption of an improved project appraisal methodology that explicitly encompasses an evaluation of organizational incentives, to determine political buy-in, including alignment with organizational objectives and funding availability.
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein and cognitive decline: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Authors: Zheng Fanfan , Xie Wuxiang 
Published: November 2017

AbstractBackgroundHigh-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has been suggested to be involved in the process of cognitive decline. However, the results from previous studies exploring the relationship between hs-CRP concentration and cognitive decline are inconsistent.MethodWe employed data from wave 2 (2004–2005) to wave 7 (2014–2015) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Cognitive function was assessed at baseline (wave 2) and reassessed biennially at waves 3–7.ResultsA total of 5257 participants (54.9% women, mean age 65.4 ± 9.4 years) with baseline hs-CRP levels ranged from 0.2 to 210.0 mg/L (median: 2.0 mg/L, interquartile range: 0.9–4.1 mg/L) were studied. The mean follow-up duration was 8.1 ± 2.8 years, and the mean number of cognitive assessment was 4.9 ± 1.5. Linear mixed models show that a one-unit increment in natural log-transformed hs-CRP was associated with faster declines in global cognitive scores [−0.048 points/year, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.072 to −0.023], memory scores (−0.022 points/year, 95% CI −0.031 to −0.013), and executive function scores (−0.025 points/year, 95% CI −0.043 to −0.006), after multivariable adjustment. Compared with the lowest quartile of hs-CRP, the multivariable-adjusted rate of global cognitive decline associated with the second, third, and highest quartile was faster by −0.043 points/year (95% CI −0.116 to 0.029), −0.090 points/year (95% CI −0.166 to −0.015), −0.145 (95% CI −0.221 to −0.069), respectively (pfor trend <0.001). Similarly, memory and executive function also declined faster with increasing quartiles of hs-CRP.ConclusionsA significant association between hs-CRP concentration and long-term cognitive decline was observed in this study. Hs-CRP might serve as a biomarker for cognitive decline.
Drops of Greek in a Multilingual Sea: The Egyptian Network and its Residential Presences in the Indian Ocean
Authors: Andrade Nathanael J. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThis article explores one of the remarkable legacies of the Hellenistic Greek world: the subsequent activity in the Indian Ocean of Greek-speaking Egyptians and certain people of India who called themselves Yavanas. But while doing so, it addresses certain vexing issues. One is whether merchants from Roman Egypt established stable residential communities in the ports of India during the first and second centuries AD. Another is how Yavanas living near the Gulf of Barygaza and the western Ghats in western India came to call themselves by a term borne centuries earlier by Greeks living in regions of northern India. By probing these issues, the article sheds light on how travellers and expatriates from Roman Egypt, and the Greek language and culture that they often carried with them, fit into the multilingual and multicultural web of a connected Indian Ocean. But it also formulates how a commercial network of Egyptians established residential settlements in the ports of India that generated and transmitted local knowledge to other members of the network. The author of the notable Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (Periplus Maris Erythraei) was arguably both a participant in the network and a recipient of its knowledge.
The ‘Treatment’ of a Box in Delphi: A Unique Use of the Word ἺΑΣΙΣ
Authors: Vanden Broeck-Parant Jean 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe inscription CID II.34 presents a unique use of the word ἴασις, which commonly means ‘treatment mode’ or ‘therapeutic method’ in medical terminology. It is applied here to an archive box and has been accordingly translated, until now, as ‘repair’. However, a comparison with a passage from Theophrastus suggests that the term may refer, in this particular context, to a preventive measure designed to protect the box and the documents it contained from humidity and decay.
The Figure of Mary Mother of God in Christus Patiens: Fragmenting Tragic Myth and Passion Narrative in a Byzantine Appropriation of Euripidean Tragedy
Authors: Bryant Davies Rachel 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe Byzantine passion play Christus Patiens (Christ Suffering) is a cento: composed of quotations and borrowings from other sources, it takes Euripides’ tragedies as its main source for reworking the passion narrative. The genre, popular with Christian authors who usually transformed classical epics, enacts cultural exchange between canonical pagan literature and biblical narrative. Traditionally transmitted as the work of Gregory of Nazianzus, this drama showcases the tensions inherent in this reuse of Greek tragedy which threaten to collapse the original texts under the weight of their new meaning – or vice versa. While the afterlives of Classical texts, especially Greek tragedy, have been increasingly well explored, the scant attention afforded Christus Patiens has largely consisted of debating the disputed date and authorship. At the same time, scrutiny lavished on Virgilian centonic technique provides a helpful spring-board. This article focuses on the four tragedies most plundered in Christus Patiens: Rhesus, Medea, Hippolytus and Bacchae. It concentrates on interpreting the protagonist, Mary the Mother of God, through key passages which borrow most heavily from these plays. These stretch centonic conventions by almost exclusively reworking contiguous lines featuring the tragic mothers Medea, Agave and Musa; yet Mary is otherwise created from multiple conflicting voices. Analysis of these passages as frames for the cento author's own compositions and in the context of the prologue's invitation to identify specific Euripidean reworkings suggests that the author playfully flirts with creating a narrative of fragmentation through clashes between centonic form, tragic sources and Christian subject.
Assessing the temporal transferability of raptor distribution models: Implications for conservation
Authors: TAPIA LUIS , REGOS ADRIÁN , GIL-CARRERA ALBERTO , DOMÍNGUEZ JESÚS 
Published: November 2017

SummaryThe aim of this study was to assess the temporal transferability of species distribution models (SDMs) and their potential implications for bird conservation. We quantified the loss and fragmentation of Montagu’s HarrierCircus pygargusand Common KestrelFalco tinnunculushabitats over 13 years (2001–2014) in a highly dynamic landscape in north-western Spain. For this purpose, priority habitats for the target species were modelled at four different spatial scales using an ensemble forecasting framework. To explore the temporal transferability of our ensemble predictions, the models were back-projected to the land cover conditions in 2001 and evaluated using historical occurrence data. In addition, models calibrated with historical data were projected to the land cover conditions in 2014 and evaluated using updated occurrence data. Changes in availability and connectivity of suitable habitats between both years were estimated at four spatial scales from a set of widely-used indicators. SDMs showed a good predictive accuracy but with limited temporal transferability due to changes in the species-habitat relationships between 2001 and 2014. The results showed a decrease in the avaliability of suitable habitats of 33.4% and 47.7% for Montagu’s Harrier and Common Kestrel, respectively; with the subsequent increase in their fragmentation. However, our estimates were found to be strongly dependent on the scale of analysis and model transferability. Changes in habitat availability and connectivity ranged from -48% to +54% for Montagu’s Harrier, and from +116% to +5.6% for Common Kestrel. We call for caution when using SDMs beyond the model calibration time period to guide bird conservation. This is especially important for raptors, often characterised by low population sizes and large home ranges, and particularly sensitive to unstable, highly dynamic environmental conditions. In light of these results, specific, long-standing monitoring protocols remain essential to ensure accurate modelling performance and reliable future projections.
Urgent hybrid palliation for interrupted aortic arch in a preterm infant
Authors: Romans Ryan A. , Armstrong Aimee K. , Aiyagari Ranjit 
Published: November 2017

AbstractIn patients with ductal-dependent CHD, ductal restriction can be life-threatening. We present the use of urgent hybrid palliation involving placement of bilateral pulmonary artery bands and ductus arteriosus stent implantation in a 1.5 kg premature infant with interrupted aortic arch and ductal restriction.
Battle of plates: a pilot study of an approach–avoidance training for overweight children and adolescents
Authors: Warschburger Petra , Gmeiner Michaela , Morawietz Marisa , Rinck Mike 
Published: November 2017

AbstractObjectiveApproach–avoidance training (AAT) is a promising approach in obesity treatment. The present study examines whether an AAT is feasible and able to influence approach tendencies in children and adolescents, comparing implicit and explicit training approaches.Design/Setting/SubjectsFifty-nine overweight children and adolescents (aged 8–16 years; twenty-six boys) participated in an AAT for food cues, learning to reject snack items and approach vegetable items. Reaction times in the AAT and an implicit association test (IAT) were assessed pre- and post-intervention.ResultsA significant increase in the AAT compatibility scores with a large effect (η2=0·18) was found. No differences between the implicit and explicit training approaches and no change in the IAT scores were observed.ConclusionsAutomatic tendencies in children can be trained, too. The implementation of AAT in the treatment of obesity might support the modification of an unhealthy nutrition behaviour pattern. Further data from randomized controlled clinical trials are needed.
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae biofilms: Role in pathogenicity and potential impact for vaccination development
Authors: Hathroubi Skander , Loera-Muro Abraham , Guerrero-Barrera Alma L. , Tremblay Yannick D. N. , Jacques Mario 
Published: November 2017

AbstractActinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium that belongs to the family Pasteurellaceae. It is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a highly contagious respiratory disease that is responsible for major economic losses in the global pork industry. The disease may present itself as a chronic or an acute infection characterized by severe pathology, including hemorrhage, fibrinous and necrotic lung lesions, and, in the worst cases, rapid death. A. pleuropneumoniae is transmitted via aerosol route, direct contact with infected pigs, and by the farm environment. Many virulence factors associated with this bacterium are well characterized. However, much less is known about the role of biofilm, a sessile mode of growth that may have a critical impact on A. pleuropneumoniae pathogenicity. Here we review the current knowledge on A. pleuropneumoniae biofilm, factors associated with biofilm formation and dispersion, and the impact of biofilm on the pathogenesis A. pleuropneumoniae. We also provide an overview of current vaccination strategies against A. pleuropneumoniae and consider the possible role of biofilms vaccines for controlling the disease.
Taiwan's Foreign Aid in Transition: From ODA to Civil Society Approaches
Authors: LIN TEH-CHANG , LIN JEAN YEN-CHUN 
Published: November 2017

AbstractSince the 1950s, Taiwan and China have utilized foreign aid as an instrument of foreign policy. After Taiwan's forced withdrawal from the United Nations in 1971, diplomatic and aid-giving competition with China became more intense. As a result, Taiwan's and China's struggles to gain supporters have been reflected in foreign aid strategies. Taiwan's bid for the UN and the WHO, and the issue of diplomatic recognition empirically demonstrate the utilization of aid to obtain diplomatic support from recipient countries, and, frequently, any decisions are heavily influenced by the competition it experiences with China. Theoretically, this highlights an importantrelationalframework for analyzing foreign aid decisions – particularly the management of foreign relations of small states or middle powers simultaneously influenced by greater powers and aid recipient states.Using data from ICDF and related reports, we observe geographically concentrated patterns in the distribution of Taiwan's aid recipients from 1988 to 1997 – mostly in Latin America and Southeast Asia. In contrast to China's foreign aid which emphasizes infrastructural development, the spirit of Taiwan's economic development aid programs often took the form of technical cooperation. However, a high percentage of aid went to countries with diplomatic ties to Taiwan. With civil society development and increased international activities of Taiwanese NGOs in humanitarian relief and development projects after 2000, we find a new emerging set of geographical aid distribution patterns that expand beyond countries that recognize Taiwan. In addition, while the process of incorporating civil society into foreign aid work was initiated by the ICDF the following decade, Taiwanese NGOs have increasingly demonstrated autonomous international agendas, funding, and direction, as well as the formation of civil society alliances that work on common international development issues.
Variance in Global Response to HIV/AIDS between the United States and Japan: Perception, Media, and Civil Society
Authors: KIM YOUNG SOO , SHIN JOONGBUM 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe US and Japan, despite their shared reputation as leading donors for international development, remarkably varied in their foreign aid policy for HIV/AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike the US, who initiated and increased global AIDS funding dramatically, Japan was lukewarm in its contributions. I claim that the distinctive pattern depends on how the pandemic was domestically framed and understood. The policy commitment was more likely when the internationally shared idea (international norms) of threats requiring immediate international cooperation was congruent with the domestic perception of the epidemic. The research undertakes a comparative examination of the determinants of the distinctive domestic perceptions of the two cases, including the number of individuals infected with HIV, the attitude and role of the media, and the civil society organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS. They played significant roles as intervening variables that conditioned domestic diffusion or internalization of the international norms for foreign aid policy development. The US had a favorable domestic condition based upon the relatively large number of those infected with HIV, a media that adopted a constructive approach, and active civil society organizations associated with the disease. In contrast, in Japan the number of HIV cases was lower, the media had a distorted view of the epidemic, and civil society organizations were not strong enough to offer much support until the early 1990s.
School districts and their local food supply chains
Authors: Christensen Libby O. , Jablonski Becca B. R. , O'Hara Jeffrey K. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe 2015 Farm to School Census reports that during the 2013–2014 school year there were over 5200 farm to school (FTS) programs in the USA that involved 39,000 schools and 24.1 million children. These FTS programs are intended, in part, to increase market access and therefore the viability of farms and ranches. Accordingly, the majority of FTS programs involve local food procurement directly from farmers, from non-traditional suppliers that market locally branded food products such as ‘food hubs’, or from traditional suppliers such distributors and food service management companies. Yet, there is reason to believe that transaction costs vary based on the supply chain that schools use to procure local food. Moreover, that the supply chain that schools use to procure local food has a relationship with school's expenditures on local food. We use the 2015 Farm to School Census to estimate the relationship between school district's local food expenditures per student and supply chain structure. We analyzed data using ordinary least squares regressions, controlling for the region of the USA, the type of local food products purchased, and other school-specific characteristics. Importantly, we find a negative and significant relationship between school district's non-milk local food expenditure per student, and purchases directly from the farm and from non-traditional suppliers. This implies that schools that purchase local food from traditional distributors are likely to have higher on average expenditures per student compared with schools that purchase local food directly from farmers or non-traditional distributors. Results point to the need for additional research in determining the efficacy of policies to support direct and non-traditional FTS marketing arrangements.
GENERALIZATIONS OF GÖDEL’S INCOMPLETENESS THEOREMS FOR ∑n-DEFINABLE THEORIES OF ARITHMETIC
Authors: KIKUCHI MAKOTO , KURAHASHI TAISHI 
Published: November 2017

AbstractIt is well known that Gödel’s incompleteness theorems hold for ∑1-definable theories containing Peano arithmetic. We generalize Gödel’s incompleteness theorems for arithmetically definable theories. First, we prove that every ∑n+1-definable ∑n-sound theory is incomplete. Secondly, we generalize and improve Jeroslow and Hájek’s results. That is, we prove that every consistent theory having ∏n+1set of theorems has a true but unprovable ∏nsentence. Lastly, we prove that no ∑n+1-definable ∑n-sound theory can prove its own ∑n-soundness. These three results are generalizations of Rosser’s improvement of the first incompleteness theorem, Gödel’s first incompleteness theorem, and the second incompleteness theorem, respectively.