bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Key driving forces of desertification in the Mu Us Desert, China
Authors: Wang Xunming , Cheng Hong , Li Hui , Lou Junpeng , Hua Ting , Liu Wenbin , Jiao Linlin , Ma Wenyong , Li Danfeng , Zhu Bingqi 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe temporal trends and key driving forces of desertification in the Mu Us Desert are representatives of most arid regions of Asia with a high risk of desertification. We analyzed the significance of Aeolian transport on desertification in the Mu Us Desert by field investigations, sampling, wind tunnel experiments, particle size and nutrient measurements, and statistics on aeolian transport potentials. The results showed that high intensities of aeolian processes may result in low differences in aeolian transport despite differences in the underlying sediments. When high desertification occurred in the 1970s, the annual losses of the ammonium N, nitrate N, available K, and available P were approximately 116, 312, 46,436, and 1,251 kg km−2, respectively. After 2010, the losses were only 8, 20, 3,208, and 84 kg km−2, which were generally only 6.7% of those in the 1970s. The results showed that although human activity may trigger desertification, the dramatic decline of aeolian transport and low nutrient loss may be the key driving forces for the occurrence of rehabilitation in this region.
Wnt2b attenuates HSCs activation and liver fibrosis through negative regulating TLR4 signaling
Authors: Yuan Yi , Han Qiuju , Li Siyu , Tian Zhigang , Zhang Jian 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe Wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 2b (Wnt2b) has been found to be a principal mediator of liver development and regeneration. However, the significance of Wnt2b in the pathogenesis of fibrosis-related liver diseases remains undefined. Here, we report that Wnt2b was highly expressed in the fibrotic liver tissues, exhibiting protective effects against activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and fibrosis progression. We identified a negative regulation of Wnt2b on the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation-mediated pro-fibrogenic effects. Wnt2b was shown not only to directly suppress LPS-induced HSCs activation, but also to inhibit TLR4-enhanced the sensitivity of HSCs to transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). Mechanistic study showed that Wnt2b suppresses TLR4 signaling through inhibiting the expression of TLR4 as well as the activation of NF-κB and MAPKs. These findings provided new insights into the pathophysiology of liver fibrosis by characterizing Wnt2b as a novel endogenous suppressor of TLR4 signaling, maintaining tissue homeostasis during the early stage of hepatic fibrosis-associated liver diseases.
Epidural Dexmedetomidine Reduces the Requirement of Propofol during Total Intravenous Anaesthesia and Improves Analgesia after Surgery in Patients undergoing Open Thoracic Surgery
Authors: Zeng Xianzhang , Jiang Jingjing , Yang Lingling , Ding Wengang 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe aim of this study was to assess the systemic and analgesic effects of epidural dexmedetomidine in thoracic epidural anaesthesia (TEA) combined with total intravenous anaesthesia during thoracic surgery. Seventy-one patients undergoing open thoracotomy were included in this study and randomly divided into three groups: Control group (Group C): patients received TEA with levobupivacaine alone and were intravenously infused with saline; Epidural group (Group E): patients received TEA with levobupivacaine and dexmedetomidine, and were intravenously infused with saline; Intravenous group (group V): patients received TEA with levobupivacaine alone and were intravenously infused with dexmedetomidine. The doses of propofol used in the induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia, cardiovascular response, dose and first time of postoperative analgesia and verbal rating scale were recorded. The induction and maintenance were significantly lower in the Groups E and V. Verbal rating scale and postoperative analgesic requirements were significantly lower in Group E than in Groups C and V. Patients in Group C had more severe cardiovascular responses, as compared with Groups E and V. Epidural administration of dexmedetomidine reduced the induction and maintenance of propofol, and inhibited the cardiovascular response after intubation and extubation. Moreover, epidural dexmedetomidine provided better analgesia after open thoracotomy.
Microsaccades are sensitive to word structure: A novel approach to study language processing
Authors: Yablonski Maya , Polat Uri , Bonneh Yoram S. , Ben-Shachar Michal 
Published: June 2017

AbstractMicrosaccades are miniature eye movements that occur involuntarily during fixation. They are typically inhibited following stimulus onset and are released from inhibition about 300 ms post-stimulus. Microsaccade-inhibition is modulated by low level features of visual stimuli, but it is currently unknown whether they are sensitive to higher level, abstract linguistic properties. To address this question, we measured the timing of microsaccades while subjects were presented with written Hebrew words and pronounceable nonwords (pseudowords). We manipulated the underlying structure of pseudowords such that half of them contained real roots while the other half contained invented roots. Importantly, orthographic similarity to real words was equated between the two conditions. Microsaccade onset was significantly slower following real-root compared to invented-root stimuli. Similar results were obtained when considering post-stimulus delay of eye blinks. Moreover, microsaccade-delay was positively and significantly correlated with measures of real-word similarity. These findings demonstrate, for the first time, sensitivity of microsaccades to linguistic structure. Because microsaccades are involuntary and can be measured in the absence of overt response, our results provide initial evidence that they can be used as a novel physiological measure in the study of language processes in healthy and clinical populations.
Single-molecule analysis reveals that DNA replication dynamics vary across the course of schizogony in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Stanojcic Slavica , Kuk Nada , Ullah Imran , Sterkers Yvon , Merrick Catherine J. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe mechanics of DNA replication and cell cycling are well-characterized in model organisms, but less is known about these basic aspects of cell biology in early-diverging Apicomplexan parasites, which do not divide by canonical binary fission but undergo unconventional cycles. Schizogony in the malaria parasite, Plasmodium, generates ~16–24 new nuclei via independent, asynchronous rounds of genome replication prior to cytokinesis and little is known about the control of DNA replication that facilitates this. We have characterised replication dynamics in P. falciparum throughout schizogony, using DNA fibre labelling and combing to visualise replication forks at a single-molecule level. We show that origins are very closely spaced in Plasmodium compared to most model systems, and that replication dynamics vary across the course of schizogony, from faster synthesis rates and more widely-spaced origins through to slower synthesis rates and closer-spaced origins. This is the opposite of the pattern usually seen across S-phase in human cells, when a single genome is replicated. Replication forks also appear to stall at an unusually high rate throughout schizogony. Our work explores Plasmodium DNA replication in unprecedented detail and opens up tremendous scope for analysing cell cycle dynamics and developing interventions targetting this unique aspect of malaria biology.
Integrated DFIG–SCIG‐based wind energy conversion system equipped with improved power generation capability
Authors: Parida Adikanda , Chatterjee Debashis 
Published: June 2017

The grid‐connected doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)‐based wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) draws special attention as a potential renewable energy source in recent past. In this study, an integrated WECS equipped with improved active power generation capability has been proposed. The said generation scheme will harvest an enhanced power in the supersynchronous operating region which otherwise bypassed through pitch control process. The proposed hybrid generation scheme can be operated virtually much beyond the existing specified slip limit with the help of an integrated squirrel cage induction generator (SCIG). A solar photovoltaic generation system has also been augmented with the proposed scheme to utilise the facility available for WECS to further enhance the active power generation over subsynchronous operating region. The proposed scheme has been validated through proper simulations and experiments on a practical DFIG of 7.5 kW and an SCIG of 2.5 kW capacity which produced satisfactory results.
Dysarthria of Spinal Cord Injury and Its Management
Authors: Hoit Jeannette , Benditt Joshua , Britton Deanna 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe dysarthria associated with spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by speech impairments that reflect respiratory dysfunction and its downstream effects on phonation, articulation, and prosody. The exact nature of the dysarthria is determined in large part by the level of SCI and whether or not diaphragm function is spared. Individuals with insufficient diaphragm strength to breathe on their own must rely on ventilator support, which may help or hinder speech, depending on a variety of ventilator-related variables. This article provides a conceptual review of the underlying pathophysiology and effects of respiratory muscle weakness on speech produced with and without mechanical ventilation. Selected multidisciplinary interventions for the dysarthria of SCI are also reviewed.
Toward a Measure of Communicative Participation for Children with Developmental Speech Disorders
Authors: Darling-White Meghan 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe general lack of assessment tools that adequately measure communicative participation has been well documented in the adult literature. However, there has been no systematic attempt to document the availability of these assessment tools in pediatric populations. The purpose of this literature review was to investigate the availability of patient-reported outcome (PRO) tools that measure communicative participation in children. Results indicate that there are no such tools that measure communicative participation in children at this time. In an effort to inspire researchers to develop these tools, the following guidelines for the development of pediatric PRO tools are discussed: (1) consider age-based criteria for tool development and administration, (2) design and format the tool specifically for the target age group, (3) establish content validity, (4) determine whether a parent proxy-report tool is necessary, and (5) consider cross-cultural issues.
Longitudinal Changes in Speech Breathing in Older Adults with and without Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Darling-White Meghan , Huber Jessica 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis longitudinal study examines changes to speech production and speech breathing in older adults with Parkinson's disease (PD) and older adults without PD. Eight participants with PD and eight age- and sex-matched older adults participated in two data collection sessions, separated by 3.7 years on average. Speech severity and speech rate increased for people with PD. Vital capacity decreased for both groups. Older adult control participants displayed significant increases in lung volume initiation and excursion and percent vital capacity expended per syllable. These changes allow older adults to utilize higher recoil pressures to generate subglottal pressure for speech production, potentially reducing work of breathing. Participants with PD displayed significant decreases in lung volume initiation and termination. Thus, unlike older adults, people with PD exert more expiratory muscle pressure during speech production, leading to increased effort. Speech-language pathologists need to consider direct treatment of respiratory patterns for speech to reduce effort and fatigue.
Patient-Provider Communication for People with Severe Dysarthria: Referral Policies that Lead to Systems Change
Authors: Nordness Amy , Beukelman David 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to discuss policy and systems change for patient-provider communication (PPC) for dysarthric speakers in medical situations. Six groups of communication-vulnerable patients are described. The types of medical orders that can be employed to facilitate PPC systems change in medical settings are discussed. Finally, accountability checklists to document the patient experience and the medical facility PPC program are provided.
Anteromedializing Tibial Tubercle Osteotomy for Patellofemoral Instability: Occupational and Functional Outcomes in U.S. Military Service Members
Authors: Belmont Philip , Bader Julia , Lanzi Joseph , Owens Brett , Waterman Brian , Fisher Tuesday 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis article sought to determine rates for return to work, pain relief, and recurrent patellofemoral instability for military service members undergoing tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) for persistent lateral patellar subluxation or dislocation. Patient demographic and surgical variables were isolated from the medical records of active duty service members with at least 2 years of postoperative follow-up, and correlated with return to work, pain improvement, recurrent patellofemoral instability, and perioperative complications. There were 51 service members (58 primary TTOs) with an average follow-up of 3.3 (range, 2.0–6.7) years. Service members had an average of 2.8 (1–12) instability events preoperatively. At a minimum of 2 years postoperatively, 41 (80%) military service members returned to full active duty service. Among the 58 TTOs, there was a 46% improvement in the patient-reported visual analog score from 4.1 to 2.2 (p < 0001). The postoperative recurrent instability rates were patellar dislocation (5.1%) and patellar subluxation (15.5%). Concomitant proximal realignment was performed in 48% of cases, which did not affect return to service, postoperative patellar instability events, or pain improvement (p > 0.05). The overall complication rate was 10%. Postoperative tibial fractures occurred in 6.9% of TTOs. At short- to mid-term follow-up, 80% of service members undergoing TTO for patellofemoral instability returned to military duty with significant improvement in pain scores and a moderate perioperative complication and postoperative instability rate. This study is a level IV therapeutic case series.
Uncommon resemblance
Authors: Lempert Michael 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
Research on manual gesture has been preoccupied with unconventionalized and conventionalized extremes. Homesigns developed spontaneously by deaf children unexposed to standardized sign languages have been used as a window onto more general socio-cognitive processes of semiotic systemization. Spontaneous, idiosyncratic gesticulation has been contrasted with shared, highly regimented “emblematic” or “quotable” gestures to reveal a cline of conventionalization. I direct attention here to the vast and relatively understudied middle ground in which manual gesture shows evidence of only partial conventionalization. Using a corpus of televised political debate data from a US presidential campaign cycle, I note, first, that there is nothing as coherent and systematized as a “register” of political gesture here. Focusing on gesture variation in precision-grip and index-finger-extended gestures of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, I identify form-functional “pragmatic affinities” among gestures that have not crystallized into stable types or classes. Dwelling on the specificities of gesture variation, with its mercurial forms and incomplete conventionalization, may allow us to appreciate the processual complexities of gestural enregisterment in social and historical life.
The challenge of film to innovation and entrepreneurship studies
Authors: Wood Martin , Glisovic Smiljana , Berkeley Leo 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
This commentary supplements the work of a creative practice research project that generates new ways of thinking about innovation and entrepreneurial processes. Our creative method, underwritten by the logic of sensation and presented in film format, operates as an alternative form of research in these fields, where results are normally conveyed in book or journal paper. Film-based research has developed distinctive qualitative, empirical and theoretical vocabularies that can expand the nature and range of evidence, argument and expression across the broad range of innovation and entrepreneurship studies. 600 Mills, the film that accompanies this paper, is available at https://doi.org/10.1080/08109028.2017.1336011.
EDEN: evolutionary dynamics within environments
Authors: Münch Philipp C , Stecher Bärbel , McHardy Alice C 
Published: June 2017

Abstract

Summary
Metagenomics revolutionized the field of microbial ecology, giving access to Gb-sized datasets of microbial communities under natural conditions. This enables fine-grained analyses of the functions of community members, studies of their association with phenotypes and environments, as well as of their microevolution and adaptation to changing environmental conditions. However, phylogenetic methods for studying adaptation and evolutionary dynamics are not able to cope with big data. EDEN is the first software for the rapid detection of protein families and regions under positive selection, as well as their associated biological processes, from meta- and pangenome data. It provides an interactive result visualization for detailed comparative analyses.

Availability and implementation
EDEN is available as a Docker installation under the GPL 3.0 license, allowing its use on common operating systems, at http://www.github.com/hzi-bifo/eden.

Contact
alice.mchardy@helmholtz-hzi.de

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Logically-consistent hypothesis testing and the hexagon of oppositions
Authors: Stern Julio Michael , Izbicki Rafael , Esteves Luis Gustavo , Stern Rafael Bassi 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
Although logical consistency is desirable in scientific research, standard statistical hypothesis tests are typically logically inconsistent. To address this issue, previous work introduced agnostic hypothesis tests and proved that they can be logically consistent while retaining statistical optimality properties. This article characterizes the credal modalities in agnostic hypothesis tests and uses the hexagon of oppositions to explain the logical relations between these modalities. Geometric solids that are composed of hexagons of oppositions illustrate the conditions for these modalities to be logically consistent. Prisms composed of hexagons of oppositions show how the credal modalities obtained from two agnostic tests vary according to their threshold values. Nested hexagons of oppositions summarize logical relations between the credal modalities in these tests and prove new relations.
Discovery of H2O megamasers in obscured active galactic nuclei
Authors: Yamauchi Aya , Miyamoto Yusuke , Nakai Naomasa , Terashima Yuichi , Okumura Taishi , Zhou Bin , Taniguchi Kotomi , Kaneko Hiroyuki , Matsumoto Naoko , Salak Dragan , Nishimura Atsushi , Ueno Saeko 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
A new method to discover obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) by utilizing X-ray and infrared data has recently been developed. We carried out a survey of H2O maser emission toward 10 obscured AGNs with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope. We newly detected the maser emission with a signal-noise-ratio (SNR) of above 4 from two AGNs; NGC 1402 and NGC 7738. We also found a tentative detection with SNR &gt; 3 in NGC 5037. The detection rate of 20% is higher than those of previous surveys (usually several percent).
Reactions to cytostatic agents in children
Authors: Cernadas Josefina R. 
Published: June 2017

Purpose of review
The current review will focus on drug hypersensitivity reactions to chemotherapy specifically to those drugs most used in children. We know that potentially all chemotherapeutic agents can cause infusion reactions, generally defined as adverse drug reactions. Of these, some are Type A, defined as expected and described in the characteristics of the drug and others, and Type B, defined as unexpected reactions which cannot be explained by the known toxicity profile of the drug. When an unexpected reaction occurs, drugs we can refer as hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs). Some of these (HSRs) are allergic reactions as they have an underlying immunologic mechanism. In general, the cytotoxic agents most commonly associated with HSRs are the platinum salts derivatives, taxanes, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, l-asparaginase, procarbazine, etoposide, bleomycin, and cytarabin.

Recent findings
HSRs may also occur in children with cancer, during the treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs. The most used drugs of this group in children to cause HSRs are: carboplatin, l-asparaginase, and methothrexate. The aim of this review is to summarize the incidence and the clinical features of HSRs occurring with these drugs in children.

Summary
The aim of this review is to summarize the incidence and the clinical features of HSRs occurring with these drugs in children. The current review will focus on the most involved drugs in children, the type of reactions, the mechanisms involved, and the best way to manage them.
Operative Treatment of 2-Part Surgical Neck Fracture of the Humerus: Intramedullary Nail Versus Locking Compression Plate With Technical Consideration
Authors: Lee Wonyong , Park Jun-Young , Chun Yong-Min 
Published: June 2017

Objective:
To compare the outcomes of patients who underwent either open reduction internal fixation with a locking plate and screws or closed reduction internal fixation with an antegrade intramedullary nail (IMN) for displaced surgical neck fracture of the humerus.

Design:
Retrospective comparative study.

Setting:
Single institute, Level-I academic trauma center.

Patients and Intervention:
Sixty-nine patients with 2-part surgical neck fracture of the humerus underwent either an IMN (38 patients group A) or a locked plate fixation (31 patients group B).

Outcomes Measurement:
Pain on a visual analog scale, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Shoulder Score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and active range of motion (ROM).

Results:
At the 2-year follow-up, there were no significant differences in the visual analog scale pain score (1.3 in group A; 0.9 in group B), ASES score (90.2 in group A; 91.9 in group B), and UCLA Shoulder Score (30.7 in group A; 31.8 in group B) between groups. Active ROM did not differ significantly between groups. There were 3 complications in the IMN group, 1 nonunion requiring autogenous iliac crest bone graft, and 2 cases of screw loosening.

Conclusions:
For displaced surgical neck fractures of the humerus, both IM nailing and locked plate fixation in patients yielded satisfactory outcomes at the 2-year follow-up with no significant differences in pain or ROM between groups.

Level of Evidence:
Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.