bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Contrasting intraspecific foliar trait responses to stressful conditions of two rhizomatous granite outcrop species at different scales in southwestern Australia
Authors: Ottaviani Gianluigi , Keppel Gunnar 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPlants respond to changing environmental conditions, and their ability to adjust intra‐specifically to such shifts represents an ecological and evolutionary advantage. We studied seven plant traits for two common, rhizomatous granite outcrop species (the fern Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia, and the herb Stypandra glauca) with seasonal foliage during the cooler, wetter winter months at seven sites across an aridity gradient in southwestern Australia. We investigated trait patterns at regional and habitat scale, by investigating changes in trait values along the aridity gradient, and by comparing two different habitats types (sun‐exposed and sheltered). We expected plants occurring in more arid sites and highly irradiated, shallow‐soil (sun‐exposed) habitats, to exhibit traits indicative of more conservative resource acquisition, retention and use strategies. At the habitat scale, we found support for our prediction, with plants in more stressful, sun‐exposed habitats showing traits’ values associated with more conservative strategies (especially for water), such as smaller plants, denser leaves, higher foliar δ13C and C/N. However, at the regional scale many traits displayed the opposite pattern, suggesting less conservative resource acquisition in more arid sites. This evidence was particularly pronounced for specific leaf area (SLA), which exhibited a significant, positive relationship with increasing aridity. We suggest that the unexpected regional trends in foliar traits relate to shorter lived, faster growing leaves linked to highly efficient resource acquisition and use strategies during the shorter growing season in the more arid regions. These highly exploitative strategies may enable plants to avoid climate extremes, that is, hot and dry periods in the more arid sites. Our findings of contrasting foliar traits responses at different scales support the importance of multi‐scale approaches to quantify the role of intraspecific trait variability.
Improved perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic distal pancreatosplenectomy: modified lasso technique
Authors: Kawasaki Yota , Hwang Ho Kyoung , Kang Chang Moo , Natsugoe Shoji , Lee Woo Jung 
Published: December 2017

BackgroundSimultaneous division of the splenic artery, splenic vein and pancreatic parenchyma during laparoscopic distal pancreatosplenectomy (LDPS) is known as the lasso technique, which is considered to be simple to perform. However, the original lasso technique carries a risk of post‐operative bleeding from the splenic artery. We modified the original lasso technique to improve its technical safety and compared the perioperative outcomes of LDPS performed with the modified lasso technique (ml‐LDPS) with those of conventional LDPS (c‐LDPS).MethodsFrom August 2006 to July 2016, 30 patients underwent c‐LDPS and 31 patients underwent ml‐LDPS for distal pancreatectomy involving <50% of the pancreas. The perioperative outcomes of the two groups were compared.ResultsThe ml‐LDPS technique resulted in a shorter operation time (201 min versus 162 min, P < 0.01), less intraoperative blood loss (20 mL versus 200 mL, P < 0.01), a shorter post‐operative hospital stay (8.0 days versus 12.5 days, P < 0.01), and a lower incidence of clinically relevant post‐operative pancreatic fistulas (6.5% versus 26.7%, P = 0.04) compared with c‐LDPS. The surgical approach (c‐LDPS or ml‐LDPS) was identified as an independent predictor of the development of clinically relevant post‐operative pancreatic fistulas via multivariate analysis.ConclusionThe ml‐LDPS method had beneficial effects on the operation time, intraoperative bleeding, the post‐operative morbidity rate and the length of the post‐operative hospital stay. The ml‐LDPS procedure is a simple, safe and effective way of performing planned LDPS.
Donor Treatment With a Hypoxia‐Inducible Factor‐1 Agonist Prevents Donation After Cardiac Death Liver Graft Injury in a Rat Isolated Perfusion Model
Authors: Zhang Xingjian , Liu Zhongzhong , Xiao Qi , Zeng Cheng , Lai Chin‐Hui , Fan Xiaoli , Ye Qifa , Wang Yanfeng , Xiong Yan 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe protective role of hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1 (HIF‐1) against liver ischemia‐reperfusion injury has been well proved. However its role in liver donation and preservation from donation after cardiac death (DCD) is still unknown. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that pharmaceutical stabilization of HIF‐1 in DCD donors would result in a better graft liver condition. Male SD rats (6 animals per group) were randomly given the synthetic prolyl hydroxylase domain inhibitor FG‐4592 (Selleck, 6 mg/kg of body weight) or its vehicle (dimethylsulfoxide). Six hours later, cardiac arrest was induced by bilateral pneumothorax. Rat livers were retrieved 30 min after cardiac arrest, and subsequently cold stored in University of Wisconsin solution for 24 h. They were reperfused for 60 min with Krebs‐Henseleit bicarbonate buffer in an isolated perfused liver model, after which the perfusate and liver tissues were investigated. Pretreatment with FG‐4592 in DCD donors significantly improved graft function with increased bile production and synthesis of adenosine triphosphate, decreased perfusate liver enzyme release, histology injury scores and oxidative stress‐induced cell injury and apoptosis after reperfusion with the isolated perfused liver model. The beneficial effects of FG‐4592 is attributed in part to the accumulation of HIF‐1 and ultimately increased PDK1 production. Pretreatment with FG‐4592 in DCD donors resulted in activation of the HIF‐1 pathway and subsequently protected liver grafts from warm ischemia and cold‐stored injury. These data suggest that the pharmacological HIF‐1 induction may provide a clinically applicable therapeutic intervention to prevent injury to DCD allografts.
Recognition of a Virtual Maze Scene Using Simulated Prosthetic Vision
Authors: Zhao Ying , Geng Xiulin , Li Qi , Jiang Guangqi , Gu Yu , Lv Xiaoqi 
Published: December 2017

AbstractA real‐time psychological physics experimental platform was built to aid in discovering the best real‐time image processing strategy for the limited number of electrodes, and in providing the most useful prosthetic implant visual information. A number of maze pathfinder tasks were performed at low resolution to simulate use by blind individuals in performing daily visual activities. In this study, simple (5 rows × 5 columns), medium (8 × 8), and complex (11 × 11) maze models were created in 3DMAX. The models were constructed by using Unity to build virtual scenes for real‐time pixel processing, including binarization, color inversion, and matching to templates with three different resolutions (16 × 16, 24 × 24, 32 × 32). Subjects completed maze pathfinding tasks using 45° and 60° views of the labyrinth at the 32 × 32 resolution to determine the optimal viewing angle. The time required to find the maze entrance and complete the maze were analyzed along with the rate of maze completion (accuracy) at various resolutions. In the first experiment, the average time required to find the entrance and the average maze pathfinding duration were significantly longer at 60°. Therefore, the 45° view provided the best perspective. In the second experiment, the angle was fixed to 45°. As the maze difficulty increased, the average time needed to find the maze entrance decreased, but the average time required to complete the maze increased. When the difficulty of the maze was fixed, the time required to find the maze entrance and solve the maze decreased when the resolution increased. The accuracy with which the maze path was identified increased as well. The average maze pathfinding time at 24 × 24 was significantly less than at 16 × 16. A similar trend was observed when the average maze pathfinding times at 32 × 32 and 24 × 24 were compared. At 32 × 32, the average pathfinding accuracy was 100%. This indicates that 32 × 32 is an effective resolution for maze pathfinding.
High interannual variation in the diet of a tropical forest frugivore (Hylobates lar)
Authors: Suwanvecho Udomlux , Brockelman Warren Y. , Nathalang Anuttara , Santon Jantima , Matmoon Umaporn , Somnuk Rathasart , Mahannop Narong 
Published: December 2017

AbstractFrugivores must deal with seasonal changes in fruit availability and changes from year to year, as most species of tropical forest fruiting trees have considerable interannual variation in phenology and many are mast fruiters. We quantified seasonal and interannual changes in the fruit diet in a frugivore and important seed disperser, the white‐handed gibbon, Hylobates lar, in Thailand. We used 40‐d following data during April and May replicated in six consecutive years to study interannual variability in the diet and compared it with seasonal changes measured in monthly samples of the same size collected in three successive years. The 40‐d periods of following also allowed us to measure the decline in dietary similarity with time over a finer scale. We measured fruit diet similarity between replicated 5‐d periods using the percentage overlap (Renkonen's) index and Jaccard's similarity index. Seasonally, average dietary overlap between adjacent months was low, and similarity approached zero after four months. Average rate of decline in similarity exceeded 20 percent per 5‐d period. Variation in fruit species in the diet between years was high and was correlated with interannual variation in fruiting phenology. The strongest correlation occurred in the case of Nephelium melliferum, a highly preferred species that dominated the diet in good fruiting years. It is difficult to separate changes in food species preference from changes in availability from year to year. We devised a relative measure of preference that depends on the degree to which the gibbons rely on prior knowledge to find sources.
Plasma soluble podoplanin is a novel marker for the diagnosis of tumor occurrence and metastasis
Authors: Zhao Xingpeng , Pan Yanfang , Ren Weihua , Shen Fei , Xu Mengqiao , Yu Min , Fu Jianxin , Xia Lijun , Ruan Changgeng , Zhao Yiming 
Published: December 2017

Podoplanin (PDPN) is expressed on many tumors and is involved in tumor metastasis. The objective of the present study was to develop an ELISA for determining soluble PDPN (sPDPN) levels as a potential novel tumor marker in plasma of patients with cancers for detection of tumor occurrence and metastasis. Mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against human PDPN were developed and characterized. Two anti‐PDPN mAb, SZ‐163 and SZ‐168, were used in a sandwich ELISA to detect plasma sPDPN in patients with cancers and in normal individuals. The levels of sPDPN were detected in patients with adenocarcinoma (87 cases, 31.09 ± 5.48 ng/ml), squamous cell carcinoma (86 cases, 6.91 ± 0.59 ng/ml), lung cancer (45 cases, 26.10 ± 7.62 ng/ml), gastric cancer (38 cases, 23.71 ± 6.90 ng/ml) and rectal cancer (27 cases, 32.98 ± 9.88 ng/ml), which were significantly higher than those in normal individuals (99 cases, 1.31 ± 0.13 ng/ml) (P < .0001). Moreover, the sPDPN levels in patients with metastatic cancers were higher (192 cases, 30.35 ± 3.63 ng/ml) than those in non‐metastatic cancer patients (92 cases, 6.28 ± 0.77 ng/ml) (P < .0001). The post‐treatment sPDPN levels of cancer patients (n = 156) (4.47 ± 0.35 ng/ml) were significantly lower compared with those seen pre‐treatment (n = 128) (43.74 ± 4.97 ng/ml) (P < .0001). These results showed that an ELISA method was successfully established for quantitation of plasma sPDPN and plasma sPDPN levels correlate significantly with tumor occurrence and metastasis.
Potential risk for fatal drug overdose perceived by people using opioid drugs
Authors: Deering Daryle E. A. , Adamson Simon J. , Sellman John D. , Henderson Charles , Sheridan Janie , Pooley Sheridan , Robertson Rhonda Marie , Noller Geoff , Frampton Christopher M. A. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntroduction and AimsCombinations of drugs can increase the risk of overdose. Our aim was to examine perceptions of people dependent on opioid drugs on the potential risk of overdose from taking a prescribed dose of methadone in combination with various other recreational substances.Design and MethodsA peer‐interviewer survey was conducted in three New Zealand regions. Recruitment was via snowballing initiated at needle exchange and opioid substitution treatment (OST) services.ResultsParticipants were 56% male, with a mean age of 37.5 years, 75% were New Zealand European, 24% Māori and 51% were receiving OST. Methadone and alcohol or benzodiazepine combinations were perceived as being of higher potential risk than methadone and stimulant or cannabis combinations. However, methadone taken in combination with alcohol or benzodiazepines was perceived as low risk by over half (55%) the participants. Factors associated with higher risk potential were area of residence, use of methadone in the previous month and a non‐opioid drug injecting preference.Discussion and ConclusionsPeople who use opioid drugs continue to perceive taking opioids in combination with alcohol and benzodiazepines as low risk. Prevention efforts could be informed by greater exploration of barriers to understanding potential overdose risk and changing high‐risk behaviours, and accessible and relevant opioid‐related fatality data. OST must be able to attract and retain people who are dependent on opioid drugs.
Characteristics of Australian adolescent females in residential treatment who report using methamphetamines
Authors: Dixson Georgina , Woolfenden Susan , Jayasinha Ranmalie , Rawstorne Patrick , Palmer Kieran , Nathan Sally 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntroduction and AimsTo investigate factors associated with methamphetamine use in adolescent females referred to an Australian residential treatment service.Design and MethodsA mixed‐methods explanatory sequential design was undertaken. Cross‐sectional analysis of existing pre‐treatment data for adolescent females aged 13–18 years (median 16.48 years) attending a treatment program between 2009 and 2015 (n = 267) was undertaken, followed by a focus group and in‐depth interviews of key staff.ResultsFemale methamphetamine‐users (n = 127, 47.6%) were significantly more likely than non‐methamphetamine‐users at pre‐treatment to be in unstable living arrangements, where they moved frequently (P = 0.025), lived in more unstable (not rented or privately owned) accommodation (P = 0.012) and had problematic family situations (P = 0.004). They were more likely than non‐methamphetamine‐users to be to be poly‐drug users (P < 0.001) and to have ever attempted suicide (P = 0.029). Cumulative trauma by someone known to the adolescent was the main predictor for female methamphetamine use (odds ratio 3.077). Qualitative data provided context and depth to quantitative findings, with an emphasis on trauma as a precursor to methamphetamine use. The qualitative interviews also highlighted changes made in service provision, given the increasing rates of methamphetamine use.Discussion and ConclusionsHigh levels of trauma and mental health problems in this population support the notion that traumatic childhood experiences are strongly associated with problematic alcohol and other drug use, particularly, methamphetamine use, at a young age. Increased attention to decreasing family violence, abuse and neglect is required and in clinical practice, a trauma‐informed model of care is recommended.
Support for alcohol policies among drinkers in Mongolia, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, St Kitts and Nevis, Thailand and Vietnam: Data from the International Alcohol Control Study
Authors: Parry Charles D. H. , Londani Mukhethwa , Enkhtuya Palam , Huckle Taisia , Piazza Marina , Gray‐Phillip Gaile , Chaiyasong Surasak , Viet Cuong Pham , Casswell Sally 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntroduction and AimsA 2010 World Health Assembly resolution called on member states to intensify efforts to address alcohol‐related harm. Progress has been slow. This study aims to determine the magnitude of public support for 12 alcohol policies and whether it differs by country, demographic factors and drinking risk (volume consumed).Design and MethodsData are drawn from seven countries participating in the International Alcohol Control Study which used country‐specific sampling methods designed to obtain random, representative samples. The weighted total sample comprised 11 494 drinkers aged 16–65 years.ResultsDrinking risk was substantial (24% ‘increased’ risk and 16% ‘high’ risk) and was particularly high in South Africa. Support varied by alcohol policy, ranging from 12% to 96%, but was above 50% for 79% of the possible country/policy combinations. Across countries, policy support was generally higher for policies addressing drink driving and increasing the alcohol purchase age. There was less support for policies increasing the price of alcohol, especially when funds were not earmarked. Policy support differed by country, and was generally higher in the five middle‐income countries than in New Zealand. It also differed by age, gender, education, quantity/frequency of drinking, risk category and country income level.Discussion and ConclusionsWe found a trend in policy support, generally being highest in the low–middle‐income countries, followed by high–middle‐income countries and then high‐income countries. Support from drinkers for a range of alcohol policies is extensive across all countries and could be used as a catalyst for further policy action.
Counting the cold ones: A comparison of methods measuring total alcohol consumption of managed alcohol program participants
Authors: Chow Clifton , Wettlaufer Ashley , Zhao Jinhui , Stockwell Tim , Pauly Bernadette (Bernie) , Vallance Kate 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntroduction and AimsManaged alcohol programs (MAP) aim to reduce harms experienced by unstably housed individuals with alcohol use disorders by providing regulated access to beverage alcohol, usually alongside housing, meals and other supports. This study compares two methods of estimating participants’ outside alcohol consumption in order to inform program policies and practices around alcohol dosing and reducing risks of alcohol‐related illnesses.MethodsThe total alcohol consumption of 65 people participating in Canadian MAPs was assessed comparing daily MAP records (1903 client days) with researcher‐administered surveys over the same time period. A sub‐sample of more complete daily MAP records for 39 people (696 client days) was also compared with the equivalent survey data on drinking.ResultsSignificantly more standard drinks per day (SDs, one SD = 17.05 mL ethanol) were reported in research interviews than recorded by program staff, whether for program administered drinks alone (means 16.04 vs. 8.32 SDs, t = 5.79, P < 0.001) or including outside‐program drinks as reported to staff (16.04 vs. 8.89 SDs, t = 5.37, P < 0.001). Consistent results were found in the sub‐sample. The number of outside drinks estimated by comparing program records with the research interviews, varied between 2.71 and 9.94 mean drinks per day per site.Discussion and ConclusionsAt two sites, MAP participants reported consuming more than twice the amount of alcohol administered on the program. At most sites, there was significant under‐reporting of outside drinking. Addressing the problem of outside drinking and total daily consumption is critical for achieving program goals of both short and long‐term harm reduction.
An old poor law on the Continent? Agrarian capitalism, poor taxes, and village conflict in eighteenth‐century coastal Flanders
Authors: Lambrecht Thijs , Winter Anne 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPoor relief provisions in early modern Europe are often considered to have been characterized by a divide between a uniform, compulsory, tax‐based, and relatively secure and generous poor law ‘system’ in England, and the more haphazard, voluntary, relatively parsimonious, insecure, and predominantly urban relief practices on the Continent. In this article we challenge these assumptions by arguing that the spread of agrarian capitalism in coastal Flanders fostered a reorganization of poor relief that displayed many features considered unique to the English old poor law, including the levying of poor taxes. By exploring the introduction, diffusion, and effects of poor taxes in the rural district of Furnes in the second half of the eighteenth century, we demonstrate that poor taxes were not unique to England, and sharpen our comparative understanding of the causes, implications, and conflicts associated with this particular way of raising revenue for the poor. This supports our more general contention that the influence of the normative framework should not be overstated: more than differences in legislation, similarities in socio‐economic development can explain variations in relief practices in preindustrial Europe.
The London Stock Exchange, 1869–1929: new statistics for old?
Authors: Hannah Leslie 
Published: December 2017

AbstractNewly assembled datasets on the size and composition of the London Stock Exchange present some results contradicting conventional wisdom. A forensic examination of one study of corporate equities in the Investor's Monthly Manual between 1869 and 1929 suggests both idiosyncratic mistakes and generic biases that limit the usefulness of this source.
Destination unknown? Study choices and graduate destinations of Hungarian youth in Slovakia
Authors: Pásztor Adél 
Published: December 2017

AbstractFocusing on Hungarian minority youth in a rural Slovakian setting, this article analyses their higher education aspirations and choices amidst significant economic, political and educational reforms. Relying on mixed methods and a longitudinal design, the research follows a cohort of high school students from their last year of secondary school through university up to their graduate destinations several years onwards. The data reveal three main study‐work trajectories reflecting different trade‐offs in terms of higher education studies, graduate careers and ethnic identity maintenance that affect life‐chances and the future of the Hungarian community in Slovakia.
Improving the fatigue performance of airframe structures by combining geometrical modifications and laser heating
Authors: Lu J. , Huber N. , Kashaev N. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate an optimization method that can maximize fatigue crack retardation based on the concepts of crenellation and residual stress engineering. By applying both concepts, fatigue crack retardation was achieved by the systematic modulation of the panel thickness and by the superposition of a beneficial residual stress field induced by laser heating. To identify an optimized implementation of both concepts, an advanced finite element method‐genetic algorithm coupled approach was proposed, where each possible configuration in terms of the crenellation geometry and the positioning of the laser heating lines was encoded in a binary string. The inclusion of the residual stress field induced by the laser heating in the finite element method model was achieved by the inherent strain approach. It was found that the optimized configurations showed from 38% up to 77% fatigue life extensions, which were much larger than the linear superimposition of the fatigue life improvements by each individual technique.