bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measuring neuroplasticity associated with cerebral palsy rehabilitation: An MRI based power analysis
Authors: Reid Lee B. , Pagnozzi Alex M. , Fiori Simona , Boyd Roslyn N. , Dowson Nicholas , Rose Stephen E. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractResearchers in the field of child neurology are increasingly looking to supplement clinical trials of motor rehabilitation with neuroimaging in order to better understand the relationship between behavioural training, brain changes, and clinical improvements. Randomised controlled trials are typically accompanied by sample size calculations to detect clinical improvements but, despite the large cost of neuroimaging, not equivalent calculations for concurrently acquired imaging neuroimaging measures of changes in response to intervention. To aid in this regard, a power analysis was conducted for two measures of brain changes that may be indexed in a trial of rehabilitative therapy for cerebral palsy: cortical thickness of the impaired primary sensorimotor cortex, and fractional anisotropy of the impaired, delineated corticospinal tract. Power for measuring fractional anisotropy was assessed for both region‐of‐interest‐seeded and fMRI‐seeded diffusion tractography. Taking into account practical limitations, as well as data loss due to behavioural and image‐processing issues, estimated required participant numbers were 101, 128 and 59 for cortical thickness, region‐of‐interest‐based tractography, and fMRI‐seeded tractography, respectively. These numbers are not adjusted for study attrition. Although these participant numbers may be out of reach of many trials, several options are available to improve statistical power, including careful preparation of participants for scanning using mock simulators, careful consideration of image processing options, and enrolment of as homogeneous a cohort as possible. This work suggests that smaller and moderate sized studies give genuine consideration to harmonising scanning protocols between groups to allow the pooling of data.
The Relationship Between Self-Reported Sexually Explicit Media Consumption and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China
Authors: Xu Yin , Zheng Yong , Rahman Qazi 
Published: January 2017

Abstract

Introduction
Previous studies have indicated that viewing sexually explicit media (SEM) might be associated with sexual risk behaviors in men who have sex with men (MSM). However, most prior research has not explored this association cross-culturally or the potential influence that important covariates might have on the association.

Aim
To explore the association between self-reports of viewing SEM depicting various sexual risk behaviors and engagement in sexual risk behaviors after controlling for relevant covariates in MSM in China.

Methods
Three hundred fourteen Chinese MSM participated in a web-based survey.

Main Outcome Measures
SEM consumption, sexual risk behavior, and measurements of covariates.

Results
SEM consumption was frequent in MSM in China. Viewing a larger proportion of SEM depicting sexual risk behaviors was associated with a larger number of regular partners with whom MSM reported engaging in sexual risk behaviors, but not with the number of casual partners, after controlling for covariates. HIV-related knowledge and seeking male sex partners were associated with the number of regular partners with whom MSM had engaged in sexual risk behaviors. Seeking sexual sensation, HIV-related knowledge, and seeking male sex partners were associated with the number of casual partners with whom MSM had engaged in sexual risk behaviors.

Conclusion
Future research exploring the relation between SEM use and sexual health risk behaviors should consider theoretically important psychological and behavioral covariates.
Geometry, mass balance and thinning at Eklutna Glacier, Alaska: an altitude-mass-balance feedback with implications for water resources
Authors: SASS LOUIS C. , LOSO MICHAEL G. , GECK JASON , THOMS EVAN E. , MCGRATH DANIEL 
Published: January 2017

ABSTRACTWe analyzed glacier surface elevations (1957, 2010 and 2015) and surface mass-balance measurements (2008–2015) on the 30 km2Eklutna Glacier, in the Chugach Mountains of southcentral Alaska. The geodetic mass balances from 1957 to 2010 and 2010 to 2015 are −0.52 ± 0.46 and −0.74 ± 0.10 m w.e. a−1, respectively. The glaciological mass balance of −0.73 m w.e. a−1from 2010 to 2015 is indistinguishable from the geodetic value. Even after accounting for loss of firn in the accumulation zone, we found most of the mass loss over both time periods was from a broad, low-slope basin that includes much of the accumulation zone of the main branch. Ice-equivalent surface elevation changes in the basin were −1.0 ± 0.8 m a−1from 1957 to 2010, and −0.6 ± 0.1 m a−1from 2010 to 2015, shifting the glacier hypsometry downward and resulting in more negative mass balances: an altitude-mass-balance feedback. Net mass loss from Eklutna Glacier accounts for 7 ± 1% of the average inflow to Eklutna Reservoir, which is entirely used for water and power by Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. If the altitude-mass-balance feedback continues, this ‘deglaciation discharge dividend’ is likely to increase over the short-term before it eventually decreases due to diminishing glacier area.
Dietary patterns by reduced rank regression are associated with obesity and hypertension in Australian adults
Authors: Livingstone Katherine M. , McNaughton Sarah A. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractEvidence linking dietary patterns (DP) and obesity and hypertension prevalence is inconsistent. We aimed to identify DP derived from energy density, fibre and sugar intakes, as well as Na, K, fibre, SFA and PUFA, and investigate associations with obesity and hypertension. Adults (n 4908) were included from the cross-sectional Australian Health Survey 2011–2013. Two 24-h dietary recalls estimated food and nutrient intakes. Reduced rank regression derived DP with dietary energy density (DED), fibre density and total sugar intake as response variables for obesity and Na:K, SFA:PUFA and fibre density as variables for hypertension. Poisson regression investigated relationships between DP and prevalence ratios (PR) of overweight/obesity (BMI≥25 kg/m2) and hypertension (blood pressure≥140/90 mmHg). Obesity-DP1 was positively correlated with fibre density and sugars and inversely with DED. Obesity-DP2 was positively correlated with sugars and inversely with fibre density. Individuals in the highest tertile of Obesity-DP1 and Obesity-DP2, compared with the lowest, had lower (PR 0·88; 95 % CI 0·81, 0·95) and higher (PR 1·09; 95 % CI 1·01, 1·18) prevalence of obesity, respectively. Na:K and SFA:PUFA were positively correlated with Hypertension-DP1 and inversely correlated with Hypertension-DP2, respectively. There was a trend towards higher hypertension prevalence in the highest tertile of Hypertension-DP1 compared with the lowest (PR 1·18; 95 % CI 0·99, 1·41). Hypertension-DP2 was not associated with hypertension. Obesity prevalence was inversely associated with low-DED, high-fibre and high-sugar (natural sugars) diets and positively associated with low-fibre and high-sugar (added sugars) diets. Hypertension prevalence was higher on low-fibre and high-Na and SFA diets.
“A valid electoral exercise”? Uganda's 1980 Elections and the Observers’ Dilemma
Authors: Willis Justin , Lynch Gabrielle , Cheeseman Nic 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe presence at Uganda's 1980 general elections of a Commonwealth Observer Group might be seen as a seminal moment. This was the first formal international observation of polls in a sovereign African state and the precursor of multiple similar missions that later became routine. Yet the 1980 mission sits uneasily in the history of election observation. The observers endorsed the results despite evidence of malpractice, and Uganda plunged into civil war within months. Internationally, the mission is now either forgotten or treated as an embarrassment. Within Uganda, it has been denounced as part of an outsider conspiracy to foist an unwanted president on an unwilling people. This article argues that the 1980 mission was neither entirely seminal nor an aberration, and that both the elections and observation were driven partly by actors within Uganda rather than simply imposed by outsiders. The availability of UK government records allows us to see the events of 1980 as a particularly clear example of a recurring “observers’ dilemma.” Ideally, elections combine democracy and state-building. They offer people a choice as to who will lead or represent them, and at the same time they assert through performance a crucial distinction between a capable, ordering state and a law-abiding citizenry. Yet these two aspects of elections may be in tension; a poll that offers little or no real choice may still perform “stateness” through substantial, orderly public participation. When that happens in what would now be called a “fragile state,” should international observers denounce the results?
Sources and Contextualizations: Comparing Eighteenth-Century North African and Western European Institutions
Authors: Cerutti Simona , Grangaud Isabelle 
Published: January 2017

AbstractOur collaborative project originates in an attempt to articulate the intrinsic specificity of cases and contexts within a resolutely comparative approach. We focus particularly on what we believe to be the major limitation of comparison, namely the supposed need to rigidify the objects of comparison, to detach them from their contingent specificities and reduce cases to a set of data homogeneous enough to be compared. Our intent is to start a critical discussion regarding the hypothetical need to let go of specificity as the condition of comparison. With this in mind, we propose a comparative approach focused on sources rather than objects, and we consider them in terms of actions endowed with intentionality. The present study compares two institutions: thedroit d'aubaine, and the Bayt al-mâl or Treasury, a traditional Islamic fiscal institution found in a number of Ottoman-era governments, whose prerogatives have typically been reduced to managing heirless estates and burying the poor. In theory, theaubaineand the Bayt al-mâl belong to distinct cultural and historical realms. Yet, as we demonstrate here, a careful analysis of the sources produced by each institution helps unpack these “cultural” constructions, produces new contexts in which both can be situated, and sheds light on the process of their construction and their amenability to comparison.
STRUCTURE ANALYSIS AND BIOMASS MODELS FOR PLUM TREE (PRUNUS DOMESTICA L.) IN ECUADOR
Authors: VELÁZQUEZ-MARTÍ B. , CAZCO-LOGROÑO C. 
Published: January 2017

SUMMARYThe development of dendrometric methodologies could allow accurate estimation of variables associated with the crown, such as primary production (fruit and timber) and tree vigor. The aim of this work was to develop a suitable method to estimate woody biomass in plum trees (Prunus domestica L.) in Imbabura, Ecuador by using an adapted dendrometry. Form factors and regression models were defined for branch volume calculation. From this, the distribution of woody biomass in the crown tree was characterized in every stratum. Occupation Factor and regression models were obtained in order to calculate the biomass in the crown tree, which can be used to estimate the CO2 captured in its structure during its development. Regression models for calculation of whole volume of the tree and pruned biomass were directly obtained from crown diameter and crown height with Rajustated2 of 0.74 and 0.81. The average moisture content of green material was 51%, and the average density of dry material was 0.66 ± 0.07 g cm−3. Proximate analysis of plum wood showed at 79.8 ± 9.2% volatiles and 2.1 ± 0.3% ash. Elemental analysis of the wood pointed to 46.5 ± 1.2% C, 6.1 ± 0.5% H, 46.3 ± 1.2% O, 0.6 ± 0.3% N, 0.06 ± 0.02% S and 0.02 ± 0.01% Cl. Cl, S and N contents are lower than the limits established by the standard EN 14691-part 4. With 46% of C, considering the relation 3.67 (44/12) between CO2 and C content, the CO2 sequestrated in the materials is 1.11 Mg m−3 wood material. Such method represents a tool to manage orchard resources and for assessing other parameters, such as raw materials for cultivation, fruit production, CO2 sink and waste materials (residual wood) used for energy or industry.
Growth of spike in relativistic Gaussian laser beam in a plasma and its effect on third-harmonic generation
Authors: Ahmad N. , Mahmoud S. T. , Purohit G. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractA paraxial ray formalism is developed to study the evolution of an on axis intensity spike on a Gaussian laser beam in a plasma dominated by relativistic and ponderomotive non-linearities. Ion motion is taken to be frozen. A single beam width parameter characterizes the evolution of the spike. The spike introduces two competing influences: diffraction divergence and self-convergence. The former grows with the reduction in spot size of the spike, while the latter depends on the gradient in non-linear permittivity. Parameter δ = (ωpr00/c) a00/(3.5 r00/r01) characterizes the relative importance of the two, where r01 and r00 are the spike and main beam radii, ωp is the plasma frequency, and a00 is the normalized laser amplitude. For δ > 1, the intensity ripple causes faster self-focusing of the beam; higher the ripple amplitude stronger the focusing. In the opposite limit, diffraction divergence increases more rapidly, slowing down the self-focusing of the beam. As the beam intensity rises due to self-focusing, it causes stronger generation of the third harmonic.
Are patients bypassing paediatric cardiology outreach clinics?
Authors: Fletcher Alexander , Samson Ray , McLeod Karen 
Published: January 2017

AbstractPrevious studies have identified that receiving specialist care close to home can positively influence patients’ experience. Despite this, a review of cardiology outpatient appointments at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow demonstrated that a large number of families are bypassing their local children’s cardiology centre to attend cardiac clinics at the specialist children’s surgical centre. We used patient questionnaire, audit of local facilities, and examined the relationship between diagnosis and bypass numbers to better understand factors influencing this trend. Our results suggest that patient preference, short travelling distance to specialist children’s cardiac centre, a more severe cardiac diagnosis, and inconsistent local facilities, expertise, and support are likely to influence a family’s decision to bypass their local children’s cardiology centre.
Prevalence of anaemia, deficiencies of iron and vitamin A and their determinants in rural women and young children: a cross-sectional study in Kalalé district of northern Benin
Authors: Alaofè Halimatou , Burney Jennifer , Naylor Rosamond , Taren Douglas 
Published: January 2017

AbstractObjectiveTo identify the magnitude of anaemia and deficiencies of Fe (ID) and vitamin A (VAD) and their associated factors among rural women and children.DesignCross-sectional, comprising a household, health and nutrition survey and determination of Hb, biochemical (serum concentrations of ferritin, retinol, C-reactive protein and α1-acid glycoprotein) and anthropometric parameters. Multivariate logistic regression examined associations of various factors with anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies.SettingKalalé district, northern Benin.SubjectsMother–child pairs (n 767): non-pregnant women of reproductive age (15–49 years) and children 6–59 months old.ResultsIn women, the overall prevalence of anaemia, ID, Fe-deficiency anaemia (IDA) and VAD was 47·7, 18·3, 11·3 and 17·7 %, respectively. A similar pattern for anaemia (82·4 %), ID (23·6 %) and IDA (21·2 %) was observed among children, while VAD was greater at 33·6 %. Greater risk of anaemia, ID and VAD was found for low maternal education, maternal farming activity, maternal health status, low food diversity, lack of fruits and vegetables consumption, low protein foods consumption, high infection, anthropometric deficits, large family size, poor sanitary conditions and low socio-economic status. Strong differences were also observed by ethnicity, women’s group participation and source of information. Finally, age had a significant effect in children, with those aged 6–23 months having the highest risk for anaemia and those aged 12–23 months at risk for ID and IDA.ConclusionsAnaemia, ID and VAD were high among rural women and their children in northern Benin, although ID accounted for a small proportion of anaemia. Multicentre studies in various parts of the country are needed to substantiate the present results, so that appropriate and beneficial strategies for micronutrient supplementation and interventions to improve food diversity and quality can be planned.
New Approaches to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Learning Disabilities in an International Context
Authors: Alahmadi Nsreen 
Published: January 2017

Abstract. Learning disability (LD) is a term frequently used to describe neurological disorders affecting academic and school performance. Although often applied, this term is not precisely defined. While the new DSM-V has substantially redefined LD, problems still remain, including the influence of different cultural experiences and the near absence of proposals for the application of biomarkers in LD diagnosis. This paper discusses these issues and calls for more emphasis to be placed on the identification and application of biomarkers for LD diagnosis. In addition, it proposes that these biomarkers should be incorporated into a more comprehensive bio-psycho-social diagnosis model of LD.
Lipidome determinants of maximal lifespan in mammals
Authors: Bozek Katarzyna , Khrameeva Ekaterina E. , Reznick Jane , Omerbašić Damir , Bennett Nigel C. , Lewin Gary R. , Azpurua Jorge , Gorbunova Vera , Seluanov Andrei , Regnard Pierrick , Wanert Fanelie , Marchal Julia , Pifferi Fabien , Aujard Fabienne , Liu Zhen , Shi Peng , Pääbo Svante , Schroeder Florian , Willmitzer Lothar , Giavalisco Patrick , Khaitovich Philipp 
Published: January 2017

AbstractMaximal lifespan of mammalian species, even if closely related, may differ more than 10-fold, however the nature of the mechanisms that determine this variability is unresolved. Here, we assess the relationship between maximal lifespan duration and concentrations of more than 20,000 lipid compounds, measured in 669 tissue samples from 6 tissues of 35 species representing three mammalian clades: primates, rodents and bats. We identify lipids associated with species’ longevity across the three clades, uncoupled from other parameters, such as basal metabolic rate, body size, or body temperature. These lipids clustered in specific lipid classes and pathways, and enzymes linked to them display signatures of greater stabilizing selection in long-living species, and cluster in functional groups related to signaling and protein-modification processes. These findings point towards the existence of defined molecular mechanisms underlying variation in maximal lifespan among mammals.
Multiple measures could alleviate long-branch attraction in phylogenomic reconstruction of Cupressoideae (Cupressaceae)
Authors: Qu Xiao-Jian , Jin Jian-Jun , Chaw Shu-Miaw , Li De-Zhu , Yi Ting-Shuang 
Published: January 2017

AbstractLong-branch attraction (LBA) is a major obstacle in phylogenetic reconstruction. The phylogenetic relationships among Juniperus (J), Cupressus (C) and the Hesperocyparis-Callitropsis-Xanthocyparis (HCX) subclades of Cupressoideae are controversial. Our initial analyses of plastid protein-coding gene matrix revealed both J and C with much longer stem branches than those of HCX, so their sister relationships may be attributed to LBA. We used multiple measures including data filtering and modifying, evolutionary model selection and coalescent phylogenetic reconstruction to alleviate the LBA artifact. Data filtering by strictly removing unreliable aligned regions and removing substitution saturation genes and rapidly evolving sites could significantly reduce branch lengths of subclades J and C and recovered a relationship of J (C, HCX). In addition, using coalescent phylogenetic reconstruction could elucidate the LBA artifact and recovered J (C, HCX). However, some valid methods for other taxa were inefficient in alleviating the LBA artifact in J-C-HCX. Different strategies should be carefully considered and justified to reduce LBA in phylogenetic reconstruction of different groups. Three subclades of J-C-HCX were estimated to have experienced ancient rapid divergence within a short period, which could be another major obstacle in resolving relationships. Furthermore, our plastid phylogenomic analyses fully resolved the intergeneric relationships of Cupressoideae.
Associations of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain with birth outcomes in Shanghai, China
Authors: Xiao Lingli , Ding Guodong , Vinturache Angela , Xu Jian , Ding Yifang , Guo Jialin , Huang Liping , Yin Xuelei , Qiao Jing , Thureraja Inesh , Ben Xiaoming 
Published: January 2017

AbstractRecent data suggests that abnormal maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) or gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with unfavorable delivery outcomes. However, limited clinical evidence is available to support this correlation in China. Participating 510 mother-infant pairs were recruited from the Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, China, between January 1st and 30th 2016. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was categorized according to the China’s classification and GWG according to the 2009 Institute of Medicine recommendations (IOM). Linear regression tested the associations between pre-pregnancy BMI or GWG and length of gestation, birthweight, length, and head circumference. Logistic regression assessed the associations between pre-pregnancy BMI or GWG and macrosomic, small- (SGA) and large- (LGA) for-gestational-age infants. Overweight/obese women showed increased length of gestation and birthweight, but did not have a higher risk of macrosomic and LGA infants compared with normal weight women. Women with excessive GWG showed increased length of gestation, birthweight, length, and head circumference, and were more likely to deliver macrosomic and LGA infants compared with women with adequate GWG. Although a relatively low proportion of women from Shanghai area are overweight/obese or exhibit excessive GWG, both high pre-pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG influence perinatal outcomes.