bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Global health inequalities and the need for solidarity: a view from the Global South
Authors: Tosam Mbih J. , Chi Primus Che , Munung Nchangwi Syntia , Oukem‐Boyer Odile Ouwe Missi , Tangwa Godfrey B. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAlthough the world has experienced remarkable progress in health care since the last half of the 20th century, global health inequalities still persist. In some poor countries life expectancy is between 37‐40 years lower than in rich countries; furthermore, maternal and infant mortality is high and there is lack of access to basic preventive and life‐saving medicines, as well a high prevalence of neglected diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Moreover, globalization has made the world more connected than before such that health challenges today are no longer limited within national or regional boundaries, making all persons equally vulnerable. Because of this, diseases in the most affluent countries are closely connected with diseases in the poorest countries. In this paper, we argue that, because of global health inequalities, in a situation of equal vulnerability, there is need for global solidarity not only as a means of reducing health inequalities, but also as a way of putting up a united force against global health challenges. We argue for an African approach to solidarity in which the humanity of a person is not determined by his/her being human or rational capacity, but by his/her capacity to live a virtuous life. According to this view of solidarity, because no one is self‐sufficient, no individual can survive alone. If we are to collectively flourish in a world where no individual, nation or region has all the health resources or protection needed for survival, we must engage in solidarity where we remain compassionate and available to one another at all times.
Evaluation of peer‐generated MCQs to assess and support learning in a problem‐based learning programme
Authors: Botelho MG , Lam OLT , Watt RM , Leung DYP , Kember D 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPurposeProblem‐based learning (PBL) students report uncertainty on the depth and breadth of learning required, and this is a significant stressor and challenge. Student‐generated MCQ questions were trialled and evaluated as a way to support depth and breadth of learning.MethodsStudents set MCQs relating to specified learning issues, and an analysis and evaluation of setting and answering the MCQs were performed. The Revised Study Process Questionnaire (R‐SPQ‐2F) and final written examination scores were correlated to question setting and answering. Students were asked to rate the impact of the MCQs on their learning in PBL.ResultsA total of 147 questions were created and 2373 answered. Students reported challenges with setting questions, although these made them think more deeply and helped their learning and affirming their learning progress. MCQs authored indicated significant associations with Understanding, and examination scores were associated with MCQs authored. Students reported a moderate response to how the MCQs supported their depth and breadth of learning.ConclusionsWhile MCQ setting was perceived as a useful learning exercise, students engaged to different levels and experienced challenges. Students were uncertain whether the MCQs helped clarify the depth and breadth of learning in PBL, as they were not clear whether the questions set by their peers were relevant to the required learning outcomes.
Interactive life‐history traits predict sensitivity of plants and animals to temporal autocorrelation
Authors: Paniw Maria , Ozgul Arpat , Salguero‐Gómez Roberto 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTemporal autocorrelation in demographic processes is an important aspect of population dynamics, but a comprehensive examination of its effects on different life‐history strategies is lacking. We use matrix population models from 454 plant and animal populations to simulate stochastic population growth rates (log λs) under different temporal autocorrelations in demographic rates, using simulated and observed covariation among rates. We then test for differences in sensitivities, or changes of log λs to changes in autocorrelation among two major axes of life‐history strategies, obtained from phylogenetically informed principal component analysis: the fast‐slow and reproductive‐strategy continua. Fast life histories exhibit highest sensitivities to simulated autocorrelation in demographic rates across reproductive strategies. Slow life histories are less sensitive to temporal autocorrelation, but their sensitivities increase among highly iteroparous species. We provide cross‐taxonomic evidence that changes in the autocorrelation of environmental variation may affect a wide range of species, depending on complex interactions of life‐history strategies.
Impact of an early respiratory care programme with non‐invasive ventilation adaptation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Vitacca M. , Montini A. , Lunetta C. , Banfi P. , Bertella E. , De Mattia E. , Lizio A. , Volpato E. , Lax A. , Morini R. , Paneroni M. ,   the ALS RESPILOM Study Group
Published: December 2017

Background and purposeForced vital capacity (FVC) <80% is one of the key indications for starting non‐invasive ventilation (NIV) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It was hypothesized that a very early start of NIV could lengthen the free interval before death compared to later‐start NIV; as a secondary outcome, the survival rate of patients on NIV without tracheotomy was also evaluated.MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted on 194 ALS patients, divided into a later group (LG) with FVC <80% at NIV prescription (n = 129) and a very early group (VEG) with FVC ≥80% at NIV prescription (n = 65). Clinical and respiratory functional data and time free to death between groups over a 3‐year follow‐up were compared.ResultAt 36 months from diagnosis, mortality was 35% for the VEG versus 52.7% for the LG (P = 0.022). Kaplan−Meier survival curves adjusted for tracheotomy showed a lower probability of death (P = 0.001) for the VEG as a whole (P = 0.001) and for the non‐bulbar (NB) subgroup (P = 0.007). Very early NIV was protective of survival for all patients [hazard ratio (HR) 0.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.28–0.74; P = 0.001] and for the NB subgroup (HR 0.43; 95% CI 0.23–0.79; P = 0.007), whilst a tracheotomy was protective for all patients (HR 0.27; 95% CI 0.15–0.50; P = 0.000) and both NB (HR 0.26; 95% CI 0.12–0.56; P = 0.001) and bulbar subgroups (HR 0.29; 95% CI 0.11–0.77; P = 0.013). Survival in VEG patients on NIV without tracheotomy was three times that for the LG (43.1% vs. 14.7%).ConclusionVery early NIV prescription prolongs the free time from diagnosis to death in NB ALS patients whilst tracheotomy reduces the mortality risk in all patients.
Tolerance Versus Support: Perceptions of Residential Community Climate Among LGB Parents
Authors: Oswald Ramona Faith , Routon Jasmine M. , McGuire Jenifer K. , Holman Elizabeth Grace 
Published: December 2017

ObjectiveTo understand which aspects of residential communities are most salient for determining whether sexual minority parents classify their residential community climates as tolerant versus supportive.BackgroundMetropolitan hubs for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) parents are well established, but less is known about nonmetropolitan community climates for LGB parents. Residential community climate toward nonmetropolitan LGB persons may be particularly important to LGB parents because of the potential influences on child and family well‐being.MethodOpen‐ and closed‐ended survey data from a sample of 55 LGB parents were collected along with publically available data regarding their residential communities. Self‐reported residential community climate (tolerant vs. supportive) and community involvement, as well as objective county and municipal climate were analyzed.ResultsCompared with LGB parents who perceived their communities to be tolerant (n = 38), parents who considered their residential communities to be supportive (n = 17) were more likely to live in counties characterized by legal support and broad social acceptance, were personally more likely to participate in LGB‐focused social and political activities, had children with more exposure to other LGB families, and attended church less frequently.ConclusionHaving basic features of equity such as city ordinances and LGB organizations provides a foundation for tolerance in a community; however, individuals in a community must access personal and social supports and activities beyond work and church to feel truly supported.ImplicationsLGB parents' perceptions of climate reveal specific community features that need to be strengthened to promote family well‐being.
A unified damage factor model for ductile fracture of steels with different void growth and shrinkage rates
Authors: Li C. , Zhou Z. , Zhu Y. , Lu L. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMicromechanical fracture modelling is an effective method to predict ductile fracture in steel structures. This paper aims to establish a simplified and general fracture model for various loading conditions, which is convenient to calculate the instantaneous damage index. With the concept of the ductile damage factor, a unified ductile damage factor model considering the difference of rates between void growth and shrinkage has been proposed. Based on experiment results and finite element analysis, the model parameters for Q235B Chinese structural steel were calibrated. The ductile damage factor and equivalent plastic strain at fracture initiation were investigated. Comparison among the proposed model, experimental results, and the cyclic void growth model demonstrated the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed model. A parametric study was conducted to investigate the influence of cyclic constitutive parameters on the accuracy of fracture prediction. The predicted results are acceptable while reducing those calibrated cyclic constitutive parameters by 20%.
Productivity Risk and Industry Momentum
Authors: Misirli Efdal Ulas 
Published: December 2017

AbstractA productivity shock identified through a vector autoregression model is a priced risk factor for one‐month industry momentum portfolios and commands a positive risk premium. Stocks in winning industries have greater sensitivity to productivity news, thereby earning higher average returns than stocks in losing industries. This evidence lends support to an Intertemporal Capital Asset Pricing Model (ICAPM) with human wealth. In many specifications, exposure to productivity risk captures more than half of the observed industry momentum profits. This paper studies the sources of profits and attributes the risks of industry momentum portfolios to the behavior of their underlying cash flows.
Factors affecting grazing preference by sheep in a breeding population of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.)
Authors: Cougnon M. , Shahidi R. , Schoelynck J. , Van Der Beeten I. , Van Waes C. , De Frenne P. , Van Labeke M.‐C. , Reheul D. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractA disadvantage of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is its low voluntary intake, resulting in suboptimal performance under grazing. Ideally, selection for this trait is done using grazing animals, but their use in plant breeding programmes is costly and laborious. Repeatable, stable and quantifiable traits linked to animal preference could ease tall fescue breeding. We established a trial to find relationships between the grazing preference of sheep and sward‐ and plant‐related traits. Seventeen genotypes were studied in swards. Sheep grazing preference, pre‐grazing sward height (SH), leaf softness, leaf blade length, width, colour and shear strength, and concentration of fibre, silica, digestible organic matter (DOM) and water‐soluble carbohydrate (WSC) were quantified throughout the growing season. The traits with the strongest correlation with sheep preference were DOM, SH, leaf colour, leaf width and WSC. Leaf softness, silica content and leaf shear strength were not correlated with sheep preference. We conclude that DOM is the trait that offers the best prospects for contributing to progress in tall fescue plant breeding for both intake and feeding value.
Empowering people to help speak up about safety in primary care: Using codesign to involve patients and professionals in developing new interventions for patients with multimorbidity
Authors: Knowles Sarah , Hays Rebecca , Senra Hugo , Bower Peter , Locock Louise , Protheroe Jo , Sanders Caroline , Daker‐White Gavin 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundMultimorbidity, defined as the presence of two or more long‐term conditions, is increasingly common in primary care, and patients with multimorbidity may face particular barriers to quality of care and increased safety risks due to the complexity of managing multiple conditions. Consistent with calls to directly involve service users in improving care, we aimed to use design materials to codesign new interventions to improve safety in primary care.DesignWe drew on two established methods—accelerated experience‐based codesign and the future workshop approach. We synthesized design materials based on research into the patient experience of safety and multimorbidity in primary care to enable both patients, service users and carers, and primary health‐care professionals to propose interventions to improve care.ResultsBoth patients and professionals prioritized polypharmacy as a threat to safety. Their recommendations for supportive interventions were consistent with Burden of Treatment theory, emphasizing the limited capacity of patients with multimorbidity and the need for services to proactively offer support to reduce the burden of managing complex treatment regimes.Discussion & ConclusionsThe process was feasible and acceptable to participants, who valued the opportunity to jointly propose new interventions. The iterative workshop approach enabled the research team to better explore and refine the suggestions of attendees. Final recommendations included the need for accessible reminders to support medication adherence and medication reviews for particularly vulnerable patients conducted with pharmacists within GP practices.
Submarine slope–fan sedimentation in an ancient forearc related to contemporaneous magmatism: The Upper Cretaceous Izumi Group, southwestern Japan
Authors: Noda Atsushi , Sato Daisuke 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe Izumi Group in southwestern Japan is considered to represent deposits in a forearc basin along an active volcanic arc during the late Late Cretaceous. The group consists mainly of felsic volcanic and plutonic detritus, and overlies a Lower to Upper Cretaceous plutono‐metamorphic complex (the Ryoke complex). In order to reconstruct the depositional environments and constrain the age of deposition, sedimentary facies and U–Pb dating of zircon grains in tuff were studied for a drilled core obtained from the basal part of the Izumi Group. On the basis of the lithofacies associations, the core was subdivided into six units from base to top, as follows: mudstone‐dominated unit nonconformably deposited on the Ryoke granodiorite; tuffaceous mudstone‐dominated unit; tuff unit; tuffaceous sandstone–mudstone unit; sandstone–mudstone unit; and sandstone‐dominated unit. This succession suggests that the depositional system changed from non‐volcanic muddy slope or basin floor, to volcaniclastic sandy submarine fan. Based on a review of published radiometric age data of the surrounding region of the Ryoke complex and the Sanyo Belt which was an active volcanic front during deposition of the Izumi Group, the U–Pb age (82.7 ±0.5 Ma) of zircon grains in the tuff unit corresponds to those of felsic volcanic and pyroclastic rocks in the Sanyo Belt.
Fundamental principles that govern the copper doping behavior in complex clinker system
Authors: Tao Yong , Zhang Wenqin , Li Neng , Shang Dechen , Xia Zhongsheng , Wang Fazhou 
Published: December 2017

AbstractUnderstanding the doping behavior of impurity ions in clinker phases is crucial for controlling the doping effect on clinker compounds, which, however, has not yet been fully demonstrated due to the composition complexity. Herein, we employ the state‐of‐the‐art ab initio calculation to uncover the substitution mechanism of Cu ions in 4 dominant clinker crystals. The defect formation energies indicate Cu ions energetically prefer to substitute Fe ions in ferrite, which is in accord with the experiments. The bond order difference is innovatively postulated to interpret the energy barriers of Cu substitution in comparison with the ionic radius criterion. The high potential barriers of Cu substituting Ca, Si, and Al ions are ascribed to their bond order mismatch, while the tendency of Cu replacing Fe is due to their bond order similarity. Namely, the Cu doping in clinker phases follows the “bond order conformity” principle. In‐depth electronic structure analysis reveals that the bond order is more effective than the ionic radius to estimate potential barriers of Cu substitution in complex clinker system mainly because the latter underestimates the influence of electronic structure differences while the bond order directly measures the bonding structure related to interatomic charge transfer.
Role of silica nanoparticle in multi‐component epoxy composites for electrical insulation with high thermal conductivity
Authors: Lee Dae Ho , Lee Nakyung , Park Hoyyul 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMulticomponent epoxy micro/nano‐composites containing micro‐alumina, micro‐quartz, and nano‐silica were fabricated to develop electrical insulation materials with high thermal conductivity. Simply changing the ratio between the alumina and quartz microparticles caused a trade‐off relationship between the thermal conductivity and electrical insulation. Increasing the alumina content in the epoxy‐alumina/quartz micro‐composites enhanced the thermal conductivity but deteriorated the dielectric strength. An increase in the thermal conductivity without incurring a loss in the dielectric strength was achieved by incorporating silica nanoparticles in the epoxy micro‐composites. Adding silica nanoparticles to the epoxy micro‐composites was found to be more efficient in improving the thermal conductivity compared to increasing the alumina ratio, especially at low alumina/quartz ratios. This behavior corresponded to theoretical models. Therefore, we provide a useful insight, both practical and theoretical, into the more advanced optimization of designing multicomponent epoxy composites for electrical insulation with high thermal conductivity.
Geostatistical interpolation can reliably extend coverage of a very high‐resolution model of temperature‐dependent sex determination
Authors: Carter Anna L. , Kearney Michael R. , Hartley Stephen , Porter Warren P. , Nelson Nicola J. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAimRecognition that statistical models do not always reliably predict habitat suitability under future climate scenarios is leading increasingly to explicit incorporation of the physiological constraints that underlie species’ distributions into spatially explicit predictions. However, computational intensity constrains the use of high‐resolution, process‐explicit models. We examined whether geostatistical analysis can effectively interpolate a biophysical model, reducing the computational investment typically required for using mechanistic methods to inform physiological predictions.LocationNew Zealand [40°40′00″ S 174°00′00″ E].MethodsWe used a spatially explicit, mechanistic microclimate model to predict hourly temperatures at five soil depths under two scenarios of climate warming. Using the predicted soil temperatures as input to a biophysical model of temperature‐dependent embryonic development, we estimated incubation temperatures and corresponding hatchling sex ratios for tuatara, a reptile with temperature‐dependent sex determination, at a submetre horizontal spatial resolution. We then applied ordinary kriging, a robust method of geostatistical interpolation, to estimate predictions throughout the full extent of our study location, an additional 480,000+ microsites, and validated the interpolation against an independent set of predictions.ResultsOrdinary kriging accurately predicted spatial variability in incubation temperatures. Mean predictions were similar between methods, and error in the geospatial model generally decreased with increasing soil depth. Error was higher for the geospatial model of the ‘maximum warming’, compared with the ‘minimum warming’, scenario of climate change.Main conclusionsOur results show that ordinary kriging can be a reliable method for interpolating variability in high‐resolution predictions. However, the effects of error on the accuracy of interpolated predictions will become more severe as values approach a physiological threshold, such as the minimum and maximum incubation temperatures that result in extreme sex ratio bias. For distribution models, the widths of geographic areas predicted to be suitable for, in this case, maintaining balanced sex ratios, compared to those predicted to be unsuitable, may be narrower than in reality.
Gallic acid attenuates calcium calmodulin‐dependent kinase II‐induced apoptosis in spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Jin Li , Piao Zhe Hao , Liu Chun Ping , Sun Simei , Liu Bin , Kim Gwi Ran , Choi Sin Young , Ryu Yuhee , Kee Hae Jin , Jeong Myung Ho 
Published: December 2017

AbstractHypertension causes cardiac hypertrophy and leads to heart failure. Apoptotic cells are common in hypertensive hearts. Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is associated with apoptosis. We recently demonstrated that gallic acid reduces nitric oxide synthase inhibition‐induced hypertension. Gallic acid is a trihydroxybenzoic acid and has been shown to have beneficial effects, such as anti‐cancer, anti‐calcification and anti‐oxidant activity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether gallic acid regulates cardiac hypertrophy and apoptosis in essential hypertension. Gallic acid significantly lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and H&E staining revealed that gallic acid reduced cardiac enlargement in SHRs. Gallic acid treatment decreased cardiac hypertrophy marker genes, including atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), in SHRs. The four isoforms, α, β, δ and γ, of CaMKII were increased in SHRs and were significantly reduced by gallic acid administration. Gallic acid reduced cleaved caspase‐3 protein as well as bax, p53 and p300 mRNA levels in SHRs. CaMKII δ overexpression induced bax and p53 expression, which was attenuated by gallic acid treatment in H9c2 cells. Gallic acid treatment reduced DNA fragmentation and the TUNEL positive cells induced by angiotensin II. Taken together, gallic acid could be a novel therapeutic for the treatment of hypertension through suppression of CaMKII δ‐induced apoptosis.