bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anthropometric characteristics and body composition in Mexican older adults: age and sex differences
Authors: López-Ortega Mariana , Arroyo Pedro 
Published: November 2015

AbstractAnthropometric reference data for older adults, particularly for the oldest old, are still limited, especially in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to describe sex- and age-specific distributions of anthropometric measurements and body composition in Mexican older adults. The methods included in the present study were assessment of height, weight, BMI, calf circumference (CC), waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) as well as knee height in a sample of 8883 Mexican adults aged 60 years and above and the estimation of sex- and age-specific differences in these measures. Results of the study (n 7865, 54 % women) showed that men are taller, have higher BMI, and larger WC than women, whereas women presented higher prevalence of obesity and adiposity. Overall prevalence of underweight was 2·3 % in men and 4·0 % in women, with increasing prevalence with advancing age. Significant differences were found by age group for weight, height, WC, HC, CC, BMI and knee height (P<0·001), but no significant differences in waist–hip circumference were observed. Significant differences between men and women were found in height, weight, circumferences, BMI and knee height (P<0·001). These results, which are consistent with studies of older adults in other countries, can be used for comparison with other Mexican samples including populations living in the USA and other countries with similar developmental and socio-economic conditions. This information can also be used as reference in clinical settings as a tool for detection of individuals at risk of either underweight or overweight and obesity.
Marsyas the Satyr and Apuleius of Madauros
Authors: Finkelpearl Ellen 
Published: November 2015

memet professus sum…seminumidam et semigaetulum (‘I publicly described my self…as half Numidian, half Gaetulian’).ApuleiusApologyApuleius…qui nobis Afris Afer est notior (‘Apuleius…who as an African is better known to us Africans’).AugustineEpistle138I pass much time in the excellent company of a Moroccan writer of the second century AD, Lucius Apuleius, a colonial of the old Roman Empire.Salman RushdieTravels with a Golden AssApuleius of Madauros was a Romano-African, a provincial from Africa Proconsularis who, most of the time, conveys the impression of being fully assimilated, more steeped in Graeco-Roman culture than his contemporaries in the cultural centre, disdainful of his countrymen who know no Latin, and even an agent of Romanisation. Yet, given the new ways of thinking about provincial identity and centre vs periphery under the Roman Empire, it may be time to revisit the complicated hybrid and fluctuating identity of someone who, on the one hand, actively imparted Roman culture to his homeland and, on the other, pronounces his allegiance to Carthage (over Athens and Rome) and who, at least in certain contexts, refuses to be ashamed of his Numidian-Gaetulian roots. Weighing both Apuleius' few explicit statements about his allegiances to his homeland (and rejection thereof) and his fictionalised portraits of cultural outsiders, this essay argues that Apuleius expresses a dual and conflicted sense of Romano-African identity. ReadingFlorida3 (Marsyas and Apollo) against the grain of current scholarship, I argue that Apuleius is not simply an Apollo, but both a Marsyas and an Apollo, with implications for a reading of what might be provincial and African in his works.
Some Observations on the Persecution of Decius
Authors: Clarke G.W. 
Published: November 2015

In Rome, the only trials of Christians about which we have good evidence were before the Praefectus Urbi or a Praefectus Praetorio; none of the known cases was important enough to come directly before the emperor himself…G. E. M. de Ste Croix, ‘Why were the Early Christians Persecuted?’Past and Present26 (Nov. 1963), 6 ff. at 11This statement appears to overlook an informative epistle of Cyprian (Ep. 39), written before the termination of the persecution of Decius. Cyprian is still in his self-imposed exile (which ended shortly after Easter—March 23—A.D. 251) and he is writing about events that have taken place during this same Decian persecution. The letter is, therefore, a contemporary document, for the incidents described cannot have occurred—at the maximum—much more than twelve months previously.
A new method of applying differential kinematics through dual quaternions
Authors: de Oliveira Andre Schneider , De Pieri Edson Roberto , Moreno Ubirajara Franco 
Published: November 2015

SUMMARYDifferential kinematics is a traditional approach to linearize the mapping between the workspace and joint space. However, a Jacobian matrix cannot be inverted directly in redundant systems or in configurations where kinematic singularities occur. This work presents a novel approach to the solution of differential kinematics through the use of dual quaternions. The main advantage of this approach is to reduce “drift” error in differential kinematics and to ignore the kinematic singularities. An analytical dual-quaternionic Jacobian is defined, which allows for the application of this approach in any robotic system.
Distributed model predictive coverage control for decoupled mobile robots
Authors: Mohseni F. , Doustmohammadi A. , Menhaj M. B. 
Published: November 2015

SUMMARYA distributed coverage control scheme based on the state space model predictive control, which is known as receding horizon control (RHC) for decoupled systems, is presented. An optimal control problem is formulated for a set of decoupled robotic systems where a cost function couples the dynamical behavior of the robots. The coupling is described through a connected graph using a Voronoi diagram, where each robot is a node and the cost and constraints of the optimization problem associated with each robot are a function of its state and of the states of its neighbors. The complexity of the problem is addressed by breaking a centralized receding horizon controller into distinct RHC controllers of smaller sizes. Each RHC controller is associated with a different node and it computes the local control inputs based only on the position of the robot and that of its neighbors. The stability of the distributed scheme is analyzed and its properties compared with the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) design which has been proposed in the literature. Moreover, the proposed coverage algorithm is also applied to deploy a group of mobile robots in a desired formation pattern. The simulation results are used to illustrate the good performance of the proposed coverage control scheme.
Sources of variability in language development of children with cochlear implants: age at implantation, parental language, and early features of children's language construction
Authors: SZAGUN GISELA , SCHRAMM SATYAM A. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to analyze the relative influence of age at implantation, parental expansions, and child language internal factors on grammatical progress in children with cochlear implants (CI). Data analyses used two longitudinal corpora of spontaneous speech samples, one with twenty-two and one with twenty-six children, implanted between 0;6 and 3;10. Analyses were performed on the combined and separate samples. Regression analyses indicate that early child MLU is the strongest predictor of child MLU two and two-and-a-half years later, followed by parental expansions and age at implantation. Associations between earliest MLU gains and MLU two years later point to stability of individual differences. Early type and token frequencies of determiners predict MLU two years later more strongly than early frequency of lexical words. We conclude that features of CI children's very early language have considerable predictive value for later language outcomes.
Food sources of free sugars in children’s diet and identification of lifestyle patterns associated with free sugars intake: the GRECO (Greek Childhood Obesity) study
Authors: Farajian Paul , Risvas Grigoris , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B , Zampelas Antonis 
Published: November 2015

AbstractObjectiveExcessive free sugars consumption has a possible role in health issues, diet quality and obesity development. The present cross-sectional study aimed to identify the major food sources of free sugars in Greek children’s diet and investigate possible associations of dietary patterns with free sugars intake.DesignAnthropometric measurements and information on dietary and physical activity habits were obtained. Energy and free sugars intake coming from foods were estimated and principal components analysis was applied to identify dietary patterns.SettingThe GRECO (Greek Childhood Obesity) study.SubjectsNationwide sample of 3089 children (aged 10–12 years).ResultsAdopting WHO criteria, 44·2 % of participants were categorized as having free sugars intake above 10 % of total energy intake. Mean contribution of free sugars to energy intake was 11·2 %, and the major food sources of free sugars differed from those of other childhood populations. Free sugars intake was not associated with overweight/obesity. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that two lifestyle and dietary patterns, characterized by higher consumption of sweets, fast foods, fries, sugared drinks, frequently ordering/eating outside home and having meals in front of a screen (pattern 1) and higher consumption of whole fruits, 100 % fruit juices, vegetables, legumes and honey/jam (pattern 2), were positively associated with free sugars intake.ConclusionsA large proportion of children exceeded the recommended cut-off and free sugars intake was associated with lifestyle patterns rather than single foods. Public health programmes aiming to reduce free sugars consumption should be tailored on promoting the correct dietary habits of specific childhood populations.
Comparison of ibuprofen, cyclobenzaprine or both in patients with acute cervical strain: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Khwaja S. Mustafah , Minnerop Max , Singer Adam J. 
Published: November 2015

ABSTRACT

Objective:
We compared pain severity and time to resumption of activities in patients with cervical strains treated with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), a centrally acting muscle relaxant or both.

Methods:
We performed a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial of adults with cervical strains from motor vehicle collisions or from falls who presented to a suburban academic emergency department (ED). Patients were randomly assigned to receive ibuprofen 800 mg, cyclobenzaprine 5 mg or both, 3 times daily as needed for up to 7 days. Outcome measures included a pain score on a 100-mm visual analog scale, pain relief scores, the time to resumption of normal activities, the use of rescue medications, and adverse outcomes. We used repeated-measures analysis of variance to compare pain relief over time. Our sample size of 20 patients in each group had a power of 80% to detect a difference of 15 mm in pain relief scores between the highest and lowest groups.

Results:
We randomly assigned 61 patients to receive ibuprofen (n = 20), cyclobenzaprine (n = 21) or both (n = 20). Mean (standard deviation) age was 34 (11) years; 58% were women and 72% were white. Although pain scores improved over time in all groups, there were no significant differences between the groups in any of the outcome measures. The rate of adverse events was also similar between groups.

Conclusion:
Our study suggests that there is little benefit to routinely using or adding cyclobenzaprine to NSAIDs for ED patients with acute cervical strain.
Malaysia's Niche in International Higher Education: Targeting Muslim-majority, Commonwealth, and Less-developed Countries
Authors: Graf Arndt 
Published: November 2015

AbstractIn 2010, more than 87,000 international students were studying in Malaysia. The Malaysian government wants to increase the number of international students to more than 200,000 by 2020. The case of Malaysia as an emerging player in international education is particularly interesting as it is not only one of the first former colonies of a European country to achieve such high international attractiveness, but also one of the first Muslim-majority countries to become a hub of international education. This article analyses both the supply and demand side of this remarkable trend. The historical and political circumstances for the institutional buildup of Malaysian higher education are discussed, followed by an analysis of the religious, linguistic, and developmental background of the international students coming to Malaysia. Lastly, factors affecting other prominent destinations of international student migration, such as the implications of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are taken into account.
Gekko japonicus genome reveals evolution of adhesive toe pads and tail regeneration
Authors: Liu Yan , Zhou Qian , Wang Yongjun , Luo Longhai , Yang Jian , Yang Linfeng , Liu Mei , Li Yingrui , Qian Tianmei , Zheng Yuan , Li Meiyuan , Li Jiang , Gu Yun , Han Zujing , Xu Man , Wang Yingjie , Zhu Changlai , Yu Bin , Yang Yumin , Ding Fei , Jiang Jianping , Yang Huanming , Gu Xiaosong 
Published: November 2015

AbstractReptiles are the most morphologically and physiologically diverse tetrapods, and have undergone 300 million years of adaptive evolution. Within the reptilian tetrapods, geckos possess several interesting features, including the ability to regenerate autotomized tails and to climb on smooth surfaces. Here we sequence the genome of Gekko japonicus (Schlegel’s Japanese Gecko) and investigate genetic elements related to its physiology. We obtain a draft G. japonicus genome sequence of 2.55 Gb and annotated 22,487 genes. Comparative genomic analysis reveals specific gene family expansions or reductions that are associated with the formation of adhesive setae, nocturnal vision and tail regeneration, as well as the diversification of olfactory sensation. The obtained genomic data provide robust genetic evidence of adaptive evolution in reptiles.
Restoration of skilled locomotion by sprouting corticospinal axons induced by co-deletion of PTEN and SOCS3
Authors: Jin Duo , Liu Yuanyuan , Sun Fang , Wang Xuhua , Liu Xuefeng , He Zhigang 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe limited rewiring of the corticospinal tract (CST) only partially compensates the lost functions after stroke, brain trauma and spinal cord injury. Therefore it is important to develop new therapies to enhance the compensatory circuitry mediated by spared CST axons. Here by using a unilateral pyramidotomy model, we find that deletion of cortical suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), a negative regulator of cytokine-activated pathway, promotes sprouting of uninjured CST axons to the denervated spinal cord. A likely trigger of such sprouting is ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) expressed in local spinal neurons. Such sprouting can be further enhanced by deletion of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) negative regulator, resulting in significant recovery of skilled locomotion. Ablation of the corticospinal neurons with sprouting axons abolishes the improved behavioural performance. Furthermore, by optogenetics-based specific CST stimulation, we show a direct limb motor control by sprouting CST axons, providing direct evidence for the reformation of a functional circuit.
Carbon-depleted outer core revealed by sound velocity measurements of liquid iron–carbon alloy
Authors: Nakajima Yoichi , Imada Saori , Hirose Kei , Komabayashi Tetsuya , Ozawa Haruka , Tateno Shigehiko , Tsutsui Satoshi , Kuwayama Yasuhiro , Baron Alfred Q. R. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe relative abundance of light elements in the Earth’s core has long been controversial. Recently, the presence of carbon in the core has been emphasized, because the density and sound velocities of the inner core may be consistent with solid Fe7C3. Here we report the longitudinal wave velocity of liquid Fe84C16 up to 70 GPa based on inelastic X-ray scattering measurements. We find the velocity to be substantially slower than that of solid iron and Fe3C and to be faster than that of liquid iron. The thermodynamic equation of state for liquid Fe84C16 is also obtained from the velocity data combined with previous density measurements at 1 bar. The longitudinal velocity of the outer core, about 4% faster than that of liquid iron, is consistent with the presence of 4–5 at.% carbon. However, that amount of carbon is too small to account for the outer core density deficit, suggesting that carbon cannot be a predominant light element in the core.
Eukaryotic opportunists dominate the deep-subsurface biosphere in South Africa
Authors: Borgonie G. , Linage-Alvarez B. , Ojo A. O. , Mundle S.O.C. , Freese L B. , Van Rooyen C. , Kuloyo O. , Albertyn J. , Pohl C. , Cason E. D. , Vermeulen J. , Pienaar C. , Litthauer D. , Van Niekerk H. , Van Eeden J. , Lollar B. Sherwood. , Onstott T. C. , Van Heerden E. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractFollowing the discovery of the first Eukarya in the deep subsurface, intense interest has developed to understand the diversity of eukaryotes living in these extreme environments. We identified that Platyhelminthes, Rotifera, Annelida and Arthropoda are thriving at 1.4 km depths in palaeometeoric fissure water up to 12,300 yr old in South African mines. Protozoa and Fungi have also been identified; however, they are present in low numbers. Characterization of the different species reveals that many are opportunistic organisms with an origin due to recharge from surface waters rather than soil leaching. This is the first known study to demonstrate the in situ distribution of biofilms on fissure rock faces using video documentation. Calculations suggest that food, not dissolved oxygen is the limiting factor for eukaryal population growth. The discovery of a group of Eukarya underground has important implications for the search for life on other planets in our solar system.
Two-photon interference at telecom wavelengths for time-bin-encoded single photons from quantum-dot spin qubits
Authors: Yu Leo , Natarajan Chandra M. , Horikiri Tomoyuki , Langrock Carsten , Pelc Jason S. , Tanner Michael G. , Abe Eisuke , Maier Sebastian , Schneider Christian , Höfling Sven , Kamp Martin , Hadfield Robert H. , Fejer Martin M. , Yamamoto Yoshihisa 
Published: November 2015

AbstractPractical quantum communication between remote quantum memories rely on single photons at telecom wavelengths. Although spin-photon entanglement has been demonstrated in atomic and solid-state qubit systems, the produced single photons at short wavelengths and with polarization encoding are not suitable for long-distance communication, because they suffer from high propagation loss and depolarization in optical fibres. Establishing entanglement between remote quantum nodes would further require the photons generated from separate nodes to be indistinguishable. Here, we report the observation of correlations between a quantum-dot spin and a telecom single photon across a 2-km fibre channel based on time-bin encoding and background-free frequency downconversion. The downconverted photon at telecom wavelengths exhibits two-photon interference with another photon from an independent source, achieving a mean wavepacket overlap of greater than 0.89 despite their original wavelength mismatch (900 and 911 nm). The quantum-networking operations that we demonstrate will enable practical communication between solid-state spin qubits across long distances.
Giant elastic tunability in strained BiFeO3 near an electrically induced phase transition
Authors: Li Q , Cao Y. , Yu P. , Vasudevan R. K. , Laanait N. , Tselev A. , Xue F. , Chen L. Q. , Maksymovych P. , Kalinin S. V. , Balke N. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractElastic anomalies are signatures of phase transitions in condensed matters and have traditionally been studied using various techniques spanning from neutron scattering to static mechanical testing. Here, using band-excitation elastic/piezoresponse spectroscopy, we probed sub-MHz elastic dynamics of a tip bias-induced rhombohedral−tetragonal phase transition of strained (001)-BiFeO3 (rhombohedral) ferroelectric thin films from ∼103 nm3 sample volumes. Near this transition, we observed that the Young’s modulus intrinsically softens by over 30% coinciding with two- to three-fold enhancement of local piezoresponse. Coupled with phase-field modelling, we also addressed the influence of polarization switching and mesoscopic structural heterogeneities (for example, domain walls) on the kinetics of this phase transition, thereby providing fresh insights into the morphotropic phase boundary in ferroelectrics. Furthermore, the giant electrically tunable elastic stiffness and corresponding electromechanical properties observed here suggest potential applications of BiFeO3 in next-generation frequency-agile electroacoustic devices, based on the utilization of the soft modes underlying successive ferroelectric phase transitions.
Universal behavior of hydrogels confined to narrow capillaries
Authors: Li Yang , Sarıyer Ozan S. , Ramachandran Arun , Panyukov Sergey , Rubinstein Michael , Kumacheva Eugenia 
Published: November 2015

AbstractFlow of soft matter objects through one-dimensional environments is important in industrial, biological and biomedical systems. Establishing the underlying principles of the behavior of soft matter in confinement can shed light on its performance in many man-made and biological systems. Here, we report an experimental and theoretical study of translocation of micrometer-size hydrogels (microgels) through microfluidic channels with a diameter smaller than an unperturbed microgel size. For microgels with different dimensions and mechanical properties, under a range of applied pressures, we established the universal principles of microgel entrance and passage through microchannels with different geometries, as well as the reduction in microgel volume in confinement. We also show a non-monotonic change in the flow rate of liquid through the constrained microgel, governed by its progressive confinement. The experimental results were in agreement with the theory developed for non-linear biaxial deformation of unentangled polymer gels. Our work has implications for a broad range of phenomena, including occlusion of blood vessels by thrombi and needle-assisted hydrogel injection in tissue engineering.
Evolution of public cooperation in a monitored society with implicated punishment and within-group enforcement
Authors: Chen Xiaojie , Sasaki Tatsuya , Perc Matjaž 
Published: November 2015

AbstractMonitoring with implicated punishment is common in human societies to avert freeriding on common goods. But is it effective in promoting public cooperation? We show that the introduction of monitoring and implicated punishment is indeed effective, as it transforms the public goods game to a coordination game, thus rendering cooperation viable in infinite and finite well-mixed populations. We also show that the addition of within-group enforcement further promotes the evolution of public cooperation. However, although the group size in this context has nonlinear effects on collective action, an intermediate group size is least conductive to cooperative behaviour. This contradicts recent field observations, where an intermediate group size was declared optimal with the conjecture that group-size effects and within-group enforcement are responsible. Our theoretical research thus clarifies key aspects of monitoring with implicated punishment in human societies and additionally, it reveals fundamental group-size effects that facilitate prosocial collective action.