bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantification of shish–kebab and β‐crystal on the mechanical properties of polypropylene
Authors: Mi Dashan , Zhou Man , Zhang Jie 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTThe oriented “shish–kebab” structure and β‐crystal can enhance the mechanical properties of polypropylene products. In this regard, equipment and β‐nucleation agents have been developed or modified to form shish–kebab and β‐crystal. However, the effect of shish–kebab/β‐crystal proportion on the mechanical properties of polypropylene remains unclear. The answer is crucial but remains a challenge because of the difficulty in manipulating the shish–kebab proportion. In this work, we used a self‐made multiflow vibrate‐injection molding, which can provide a controllable shear flow, to produce samples with different shear‐layer thicknesses. The shish–kebab proportion was represented by R, which is the thickness ratio of the shear layer to that of the whole sample. Results showed that the tensile strength exponentially increased, whereas the elongation at break exponentially decreased, with R. The impact strength remained constant with R, indicating that the shish–kebab and β‐crystal possessed similar toughening effects. This work proposes a schematic to interpret the strengthening mechanism involved and presents a method of establishing and controlling the mechanical properties of polypropylene samples by using shish–kebab structures and β‐crystals. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45052.
Characterization of candidate odorant‐binding proteins and chemosensory proteins in the tea geometrid Ectropis obliqua Prout (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)
Authors: Sun Liang , Mao Teng‐Fei , Zhang Yu‐Xing , Wu Jian‐Jian , Bai Jia‐He , Zhang Ya‐Nan , Jiang Xing‐Chuan , Yin Kun‐Shan , Guo Yu‐Yuan , Zhang Yong‐Jun , Xiao Qiang 
Published: March 2017

AbstractInsects rely heavily on their sophisticated chemosensory systems to locate host plants and find conspecific mates. Although the molecular mechanisms of odorant recognition in many Lepidoptera species have been well explored, limited information has been reported on the geometrid moth Ectropis obliqua Prout, an economically important pest of tea plants. In the current study, we first attempted to identify and characterize the putative olfactory carrier proteins, including odorant‐binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs). By analyzing previously obtained transcriptomic data of third‐instar larvae, five OBPs and 14 CSPs in E. obliqua were identified. Sequence alignment, conserved motif identification, and phylogenetic analysis suggested that candidate proteins have typical characteristics of the insect OBP or CSP family. The expression patterns regarding life stages and different tissues were determined by quantitative real‐time PCR. The results revealed that four transcripts (OBP2, OBP4 and CSP8, CSP10) had larvae preferential expression profiles and nine candidate genes (PBP1, OBP1 and CSP2, CSP4, CSP5, CSP6, CSP7, CSP11, and CSP13) were adult‐biased expressed. Further specific tissue expression profile evaluation showed that OBP1, OBP2, OBP4, and PBP1 were highly expressed at olfactory organs, implying their potential involvement in chemical cue detection, whereas CSPs were ubiquitously detected among all of the tested tissues and could be associated with multiple physiological functions. This study provided a foundation for understanding the physiological functions of OBPs and CSPs in E. obliqua and will help pave the way for the development of a new environmental friendly pest management strategy against the tea geometrid moth.
Synthesis of a Pyridine–Zinc‐Based Porous Organic Polymer for the Co‐catalyst‐Free Cycloaddition of Epoxides
Authors: Li He , Li Chunzhi , Chen Jian , Liu Lina , Yang Qihua 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe synthesis of solid catalysts for the co‐catalyst‐free cycloaddition of CO2 has attracted much attention. Herein, we report a hierarchical porous organic polymer, Py‐Zn@MA, that is able to catalyze the cycloaddition reaction of epoxides and CO2 without using any additives or co‐catalyst to afford turnover frequency (TOF) values as high as 250 and 97 h−1 at 130 °C by using pure and diluted CO2 (simulating flue gas), respectively. These results are superior to those obtained from previously reported heterogeneous co‐catalyst‐free systems. The high activity of Py‐Zn@MA is mainly attributed to its bifunctional nature with ZnBr2 and pyridine activating the epoxide in a cooperative way. Notably, Py‐Zn@MA can be easily prepared on a large scale without using any catalyst and the chemicals are cost effective. Moreover, Py‐Zn@MA shows good substrate universality for the cycloaddition reactions of epoxides. Our designed porous organic polymer Py‐Zn@MA material has the potential to serve as an efficient catalyst for the direct conversion of flue gas with epoxides into value‐added cyclic carbonates.
Solar type III bursts with high‐frequency cut‐off
Authors: Stanislavsky A. A. 
Published: March 2017

BackgroundSolar activity often manifests in type III bursts. Some of them can have high‐frequency cut‐off. The origin of this phenomenon is unclear until now.Materials and MethodsNew results in the study of solar bursts with high‐frequency cut‐off observed with the UTR‐2 radio telescope are presented. The bursts were associated with the emergency of a new group of solar spots behind the solar limb relative to an observer on the Earth.ResultsWe have identified the radio events with type III by analyzing its frequency drift rate, duration and flux depending on frequency. The cut‐off feature is considered in the context of specific effects of radio wave propagation between the burst sources moving behind the solar limb and the ground‐based radio instruments.ConclusionsThe role of tunnel‐like cavities with low density in the solar corona can be crucial for the emergence of solar decameter bursts with high‐frequency cut‐off.
Boosting joint models for longitudinal and time‐to‐event data
Authors: Waldmann Elisabeth , Taylor‐Robinson David , Klein Nadja , Kneib Thomas , Pressler Tania , Schmid Matthias , Mayr Andreas 
Published: March 2017

AbstractJoint models for longitudinal and time‐to‐event data have gained a lot of attention in the last few years as they are a helpful technique clinical studies where longitudinal outcomes are recorded alongside event times. Those two processes are often linked and the two outcomes should thus be modeled jointly in order to prevent the potential bias introduced by independent modeling. Commonly, joint models are estimated in likelihood‐based expectation maximization or Bayesian approaches using frameworks where variable selection is problematic and that do not immediately work for high‐dimensional data. In this paper, we propose a boosting algorithm tackling these challenges by being able to simultaneously estimate predictors for joint models and automatically select the most influential variables even in high‐dimensional data situations. We analyze the performance of the new algorithm in a simulation study and apply it to the Danish cystic fibrosis registry that collects longitudinal lung function data on patients with cystic fibrosis together with data regarding the onset of pulmonary infections. This is the first approach to combine state‐of‐the art algorithms from the field of machine‐learning with the model class of joint models, providing a fully data‐driven mechanism to select variables and predictor effects in a unified framework of boosting joint models.
Carbohydrate intake during early pregnancy is inversely associated with abnormal glucose challenge test results in Japanese pregnant women
Authors: Tajima Ryoko , Yachi Yoko , Tanaka Yasuhiro , Kawasaki Yui Anasako , Nishibata Izumi , Hirose Ayumi Sugawara , Horikawa Chika , Kodama Satoru , Iida Kaoruko , Sone Hirohito 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBackgroundIn East Asian countries, which have a high prevalence of underweight individuals, there is little information about the association between dietary factors and abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy. We examined the association between carbohydrate intake and moderately abnormal glucose tolerance in Japanese pregnant women.MethodsWe conducted a prospective study on 325 Japanese pregnant women without a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus prior to pregnancy. Dietary carbohydrate intake (% of total energy intake) was assessed using a 3‐day dietary record during weeks 8‐15 of pregnancy. Glucose tolerance was assessed by the 50 g glucose challenge test (GCT) during weeks 24‐28 of pregnancy. A positive GCT result was defined by a 1‐hour plasma concentration ≥ 7.8 mmol/L. Odds ratios of a positive GCT were calculated for the top and middle tertile categories of carbohydrate intake using the bottom category as reference.ResultsMean (standard deviation) body mass index at the first prenatal visit was 19.7 (1.9) kg/m2, and 95 women were underweight. Seventy‐four women had positive GCT results. Carbohydrate intake was negatively associated with a positive GCT result after adjusting for age, parity, body mass index at first prenatal visit, family history of diabetes mellitus, rate of gestational weight gain, energy intake, and dietary fiber intake (odds ratio for top category: 0.46 [95% CI, 0.23‐0.93]).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that high carbohydrate intake was negatively associated with moderately abnormal glucose tolerance in a population with a high prevalence of underweight individuals.
Prototype campaign assessment of disturbance‐induced tree loss effects on surface properties for atmospheric modeling
Authors: Villegas Juan Camilo , Law Darin J. , Stark Scott C. , Minor David M. , Breshears David D. , Saleska Scott R. , Swann Abigail L. S. , Garcia Elizabeth S. , Bella Elizabeth M. , Morton John M. , Cobb Neil S. , Barron‐Gafford Greg A. , Litvak Marcy E. , Kolb Thomas E. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractChanges in large‐scale vegetation structure triggered by processes such as deforestation, wildfires, and tree die‐off alter surface structure, energy balance, and associated albedo—all critical for land surface models. Characterizing these properties usually requires long‐term data, precluding characterization of rapid vegetation changes such as those increasingly occurring in the Anthropocene. Consequently, the characterization of rapid events is limited and only possible in a few specific areas. We use a campaign approach to characterize surface properties associated with vegetation structure. In our approach, a profiling LiDAR and hemispherical image analyses quantify vegetation structure and a portable mast instrumented with a net radiometer, wind–humidity–temperature stations in a vertical profile, and soil temperature–heat flux characterize surface properties. We illustrate the application of our approach in two forest types (boreal and semiarid) with disturbance‐induced tree loss. Our prototype characterizes major structural changes associated with tree loss, changes in vertical wind profiles, surface roughness energy balance partitioning, a proxy for NDVI (Normalized Differential Vegetation Index), and albedo. Multi‐day albedo estimates, which differed between control and disturbed areas, were similar to tower‐based multi‐year characterizations, highlighting the utility and potential of the campaign approach. Our prototype provides general characterization of surface and boundary‐layer properties relevant for land surface models, strategically enabling preliminary characterization of rapid vegetation disturbance events.
Mapping the brain network of the phonological loop
Authors: Papagno Costanza , Comi Alessandro , Riva Marco , Bizzi Alberto , Vernice Mirta , Casarotti Alessandra , Fava Enrica , Bello Lorenzo 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe cortical and subcortical neural correlates underlying item and order information in verbal short‐term memory (STM) were investigated by means of digit span in 29 patients with direct electrical stimulation during awake surgery for removal of a neoplastic lesion. Stimulation of left Broca's area interfered with span, producing significantly more item than order errors, as compared to the stimulation of the supramarginal/angular gyrus, which also interfered with span but, conversely, produced more order than item errors. Similarly, stimulation of the third segment of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF‐III), also known as anterior segment of the arcuate fascicle (AF), produced more order than item errors. Therefore, we obtained two crucial results: first, we were able to distinguish between content and order information storage. Second, we demonstrated that the SLF‐III is involved in transferring order information from Geschwind's area to Broca's area. In a few patients, we demonstrated that also order information of nonverbal material was disrupted by left supramarginal gyrus stimulation. Order information is thus likely stored in the supramarginal gyrus, possibly independently from the nature of the material. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3011–3024, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Robust presurgical functional MRI at 7 T using response consistency
Authors: Lima Cardoso Pedro , Fischmeister Florian Ph. S. , Dymerska Barbara , Geißler Alexander , Wurnig Moritz , Trattnig Siegfried , Beisteiner Roland , Robinson Simon Daniel 
Published: March 2017

AbstractFunctional MRI is valuable in presurgical planning due to its non‐invasive nature, repeatability, and broad availability. Using ultra‐high field MRI increases the specificity and sensitivity, increasing the localization reliability and reducing scan time. Ideally, fMRI analysis for this application should identify unreliable runs and work even if the patient deviates from the prescribed task timing or if there are changes to the hemodynamic response due to pathology. In this study, a model‐free analysis method—UNBIASED—based on the consistency of fMRI responses over runs was applied, to ultra‐high field fMRI localizations of the hand area. Ten patients with brain tumors and epilepsy underwent 7 Tesla fMRI with multiple runs of a hand motor task in a block design. FMRI data were analyzed with the proposed approach (UNBIASED) and the conventional General Linear Model (GLM) approach. UNBIASED correctly identified and excluded fMRI runs that contained little or no activation. Generally, less motion artifact contamination was present in UNBIASED than in GLM results. Some cortical regions were identified as activated in UNBIASED but not GLM results. These were confirmed to show reproducible delayed or transient activation, which was time‐locked to the task. UNBIASED is a robust approach to generating activation maps without the need for assumptions about response timing or shape. In presurgical planning, UNBIASED can complement model‐based methods to aid surgeons in making prudent choices about optimal surgical access and resection margins for each patient, even if the hemodynamic response is modified by pathology. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3163–3174, 2017. © 2017 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Impact of the Eligibility Threshold of a French Means‐Tested Health Insurance Programme on Doctor Visits: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis
Authors: Guthmuller Sophie , Wittwer Jérôme 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThis paper assesses the impact of eligibility for a free means‐tested complementary health insurance plan, called Couverture Maladie Universelle Complémentaire (CMUC), on doctor visits. We use information on the selection rule to qualify for the plan to identify the effect of eligibility and adopt a regression discontinuity approach. Our sample consists of low‐income individuals enrolled in the Health Insurance Fund and recipients of social benefits from the Family Allowance Fund of an urban area in Northern France. Our findings do not show significant impacts of the CMUC threshold on the number of doctor visits within the full sample. Among the subsample of adults under 30 years old, however, eligible individuals are more likely to see a specialist and have, on average, significantly more specialist visits than non‐eligible individuals. This specific impact of the CMUC cut‐off point among young adults may be explained by the fact that young adults are less likely to be covered by a complementary health insurance plan when they are not recipients of the CMUC plan. © 2017 The Authors. Health Economics Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aging affects spatial reconstruction more than spatial pattern separation performance even after extended practice
Authors: Clark Rachel , Tahan Asli C. , Watson Patrick D. , Severson Joan , Cohen Neal J. , Voss Michelle 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAlthough the hippocampus experiences age‐related anatomical and functional deterioration, the effects of aging vary across hippocampal‐dependent cognitive processes. In particular, whether or not the hippocampus is known to be required for a spatial memory process is not an accurate predictor on its own of whether aging will affect performance. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to compare the effects of healthy aging on a test of spatial pattern separation and a test of spatial relational processing, which are two aspects of spatial memory that uniquely emphasize the use of multiple hippocampal‐dependent processes. Spatial pattern separation supports spatial memory by preserving unique representations for distinct locations. Spatial relational processing forms relational representations of objects to locations or between objects and other objects in space. To test our primary objective, 30 young (18–30 years; 21F) and 30 older participants (60–80 years; 21F) all completed a spatial pattern separation task and a task designed to require spatial relational processing through spatial reconstruction. To ensure aging effects were not due to inadequate time to develop optimal strategies or become comfortable with the testing devices, a subset of participants had extended practice across three sessions on each task. Results showed that older adults performed more poorly than young on the spatial reconstruction task that emphasized the use of spatial relational processing, and that age effects persisted even after controlling for pattern separation performance. Further, older adults performed more poorly on spatial reconstruction than young adults even after three testing sessions each separated by 7–10 days, suggesting effects of aging are resistant to extended practice and likely reflect genuine decline in hippocampal memory abilities.
Predicting saturation‐excess runoff distribution with a lumped hillslope model: SWAT‐HS
Authors: Hoang Linh , Schneiderman Elliot M. , Moore Karen E.B. , Mukundan Rajith , Owens Emmet M. , Steenhuis Tammo S. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractSaturation‐excess runoff is the major runoff mechanism in humid well‐vegetated areas where infiltration rates often exceed rainfall intensity. Although the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is one of the most widely used models, it predicts runoff based mainly on soil and land use characteristics, and is implicitly an infiltration‐excess runoff type of model. Previous attempts to incorporate the saturation‐excess runoff mechanism in SWAT fell short due to the inability to distribute water from one hydrological response unit to another. This paper introduces a modified version of SWAT, referred to as SWAT‐Hillslope (SWAT‐HS). This modification improves the simulation of saturation‐excess runoff by redefining hydrological response units based on wetness classes and by introducing a surface aquifer with the ability to route interflow from “drier” to “wetter” wetness classes. Mathematically, the surface aquifer is a nonlinear reservoir that generates rapid subsurface stormflow as the water table in the surface aquifer rises. The SWAT‐HS model was tested in the Town Brook watershed in the upper reaches of the West Branch Delaware River in the Catskill region of New York, USA. SWAT‐HS predicted discharge well with a Nash‐Sutcliffe Efficiency of 0.68 and 0.87 for daily and monthly time steps. Compared to the original SWAT model, SWAT‐HS predicted less surface runoff and groundwater flow and more lateral flow. The saturated areas predicted by SWAT‐HS were concentrated in locations with a high topographic index and were in agreement with field observations. With the incorporation of topographic characteristics and the addition of the surface aquifer, SWAT‐HS improved streamflow simulation and gave a good representation of saturated areas on the dates that measurements were available. SWAT‐HS is expected to improve water quality model predictions where the location of the surface runoff matters.
Self‐Dual Codes and the Nonexistence of a Quasi‐Symmetric 2‐(37,9,8) Design with Intersection Numbers 1 and 3
Authors: Harada Masaaki , Munemasa Akihiro , Tonchev Vladimir D. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWe prove that a certain binary linear code associated with the incidence matrix of a quasi‐symmetric 2‐(37, 9, 8) design with intersection numbers 1 and 3 must be contained in an extremal doubly even self‐dual code of length 40. Using the classification of extremal doubly even self‐dual codes of length 40, we show that a quasi‐symmetric 2‐(37, 9, 8) design with intersection numbers 1 and 3 does not exist.
Comparative morphology of the leaf epidermis in Lobelia (Lobelioideae) from China
Authors: Li Chunjiao , Lu Jingmei , Li Yan , Zhu Junyi , Zhang Lifan 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe leaf epidermal morphology of 38 samples, representing 22 Lobelia species from China, was studied using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The stomata and other epidermal features were largely consistent within species, and therefore represented good characters for taxonomic purposes. Diagnostic characters of the leaf epidermis were used to differentiate species of Lobelia. The species pairs L. clavata and L. pyramidalis, L. alsinoides and L. terminalis, and L. davidii and L. erectiuscula, were differentiated using leaf epidermal characters. Results at the micro‐structural level partly supported the current subdivisions of Lobelia. Previous taxonomic revisions of Lobelia in China were evaluated based on species epidermal characteristics. The results supported the recognition of Pratia merged with Lobelia, and of L. chevalieri as a distinct species. Lobelia brevisepala should not be included in L. montana. The status of Lobelia in the evolutionary history of Campanulaceae was assessed. The Lobelia species investigated retained many primitive leaf epidermal features.
Synthesis of Fused Oxazolocoumarins from o‐Hydroxynitrocoumarins and Benzyl Alcohol Under Gold Nanoparticles or FeCl3 Catalysis
Authors: Vlachou Evangelia‐Eirini N. , Armatas Gerasimos S. , Litinas Konstantinos E. 
Published: March 2017

Synthesis of fused oxazolocoumarins has been achieved from the one‐pot tandem reactions of o‐hydroxynitrocoumarins with benzyl alcohol in toluene under catalysis in a sealed tube at 150°C. The catalysis was performed by gold nanoparticles supported on TiO2 (0.4 mol% Au) or FeCl3 (5%) or silver nanoparticles supported on TiO2 (1.7 mol% Ag).