bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Can field trials improve the design of road‐crossing structures for gliding mammals?
Authors: Goldingay Ross L. , Taylor Brendan D. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractGliding mammals are sensitive to habitat fragmentation that produces canopy gaps beyond their gliding capability. Specific structures (canopy‐bridges and glide poles) are now commonly installed in large road construction projects to enable road crossing by threatened gliding mammals. However, these structures are being installed with limited understanding of how their design features influence their use. We conducted field testing of several design features (horizontal glide launch‐beams at the top of poles; rope size and complexity in rope‐bridges) using free‐ranging gliding mammals, and scaled‐down structures at two locations. Our aim was to identify preferred features to optimise structure use. This may confirm current designs or identify the need for refinement. We found that squirrel gliders (Petaurus norfolcensis) and sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) preferred a forward‐pointing over a sideways‐pointing glide beam. A single‐rope rope‐bridge was favoured over a mesh rope‐bridge by sugar gliders but not squirrel gliders. No preference was shown by either species between mesh or ladder‐style rope‐bridges that differed in rope strand spacing. Large, permanently installed ladder or mesh rope‐bridges commonly have single ropes connecting them to the adjacent forest. We investigated the use of a permanently installed 50‐m long single‐rope rope‐bridge. Infra‐red camera monitoring over 366 nights detected squirrel gliders on this bridge on 172 nights, common ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) on 144 nights and common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) on 120 nights. This confirms acceptance of the single rope by a range of species and provides confidence in installing rope‐bridges that may vary in rope size and complexity.
Ceramicines M–P from Chisocheton ceramicus: isolation and structure–activity relationship study
Authors: Nugroho Alfarius Eko , Hashimoto Akiyo , Wong Chin-Piow , Yokoe Hiromasa , Tsubuki Masayoshi , Kaneda Toshio , Hadi A. Hamid A. , Morita Hiroshi 
Published: August 2017

Abstract
Ceramicines are a series of limonoids which were isolated from the bark of Malaysian Chisocheton ceramicus (Meliaceae) and show various biological activities. Ceramicine B, in particular, has been reported to show a strong lipid droplet accumulation (LDA) inhibitory activity on a mouse pre-adipocyte cell line (MC3T3-G2/PA6). With the purpose of discovering compounds with stronger activity than ceramicine B, we further investigated the constituents of C. ceramicus. As a result, from the bark of C. ceramicus four new ceramicines (ceramicines M–P, 1–4) were isolated, and their structures were determined on the basis of NMR and mass spectroscopic analyses in combination with NMR chemical shift calculations. LDA inhibitory activity of 1–4 was evaluated. Compounds 1–3 showed LDA inhibitory activity, and 3 showed better selectivity than ceramicine B while showing activity at the same order of magnitude as ceramicine B. Since 3, which possess a carbonyl group at C-7, showed better selectivity than 5, which possess a 7α-OH group, while showing activity at the same order of magnitude as 5, we also investigated the effect of the substituent at C-7 by synthesizing several derivatives and evaluating their LDA inhibitory activity. Accordingly, we confirmed the importance of the presence of a 7α-OH group to the LDA inhibitory activity.
Similar Cost Savings of Bundled Payment Initiatives Applied to Lower Extremity Total Joint Arthroplasty Can Be Achieved Applying Both Models 2 and 3
Authors: Alfonso Allyson , Hutzler Lorraine , Robb Bill , Beste Chad , Blom André , Bosco Joseph 
Published: August 2017

Background In an effort to control cost and increase value, Medicare is transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based alternative payment models (APMs). The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative represents one such voluntary APM. BPCI offers four different bundling options: model 1 covers all Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) and Models 2–4 cover 48 clinical episodes, including 186 separate DRGs. Questions/Purposes The purpose of this investigation is to analyze and compare the cost savings achieved by two different BPCI program participants, provider A and provider B, enrolled in different models of BPCI (Models 2 and 3) for lower extremity joint replacements (LEJRs). Methods We analyzed the BPCI cost savings for Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRGs) 469 and 470 (lower extremity joint replacement) of two different BPCI program participants. One (provider A) participated in Model 2 while the other (provider B) participated in Model 3. Retrospective payments were based upon savings generated by decreased actual expenses reconciled against target pricing for the episode of care in Models 2 and 3. Results The Model 2 participant reduced the average cost of all episodes by 18.45%, with all of the savings occurring in the post acute phase. The Model 3 participant reduced episode costs by 16.73%. Conclusion Both BPCI providers achieved similar cost savings despite participating in different BPCI models. These cost savings all occurred in the post acute setting. The Model 2 provider achieved post acute savings through decreasing overall discharges to institutional post acute care (PAC) providers and decreasing readmissions, while the Model 3 provider decreased costs largely by decreasing the LOS for the institutional PAC providers and decreasing readmissions.
Effect of renin‐angiotensin system inhibitors on survival in kidney transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Jiang Ya‐Mei , Song Tu‐Run , Qiu Yang , Liu Jin‐Peng , Wang Xian‐Ding , Huang Zhong‐Li , Lin Tao 
Published: August 2017

AbstractRenin‐angiotensin system inhibitors, specifically angiotensin II converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB), have confirmed renoprotective benefits in patients with proteinuria and hypertension. However, it remains controversial whether these agents are beneficial to kidney recipients. We conducted this meta‐analysis to evaluate the effects of ACEI/ARB treatment on patient and allograft survival after kidney transplant. The PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were searched for eligible articles from before May 2016, and we included 24 articles (9 randomised controlled trials [RCTs] and 15 cohort studies with 54,096 patients), in which patient or graft survival was compared between an ACEI/ARB treatment arm and a control arm. Pooled results showed that ACEI/ARB was associated with decreased risks of patient death (relative risk [RR] = 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.49–0.84) and graft loss (RR = 0.59; 95%CI:0.47–0.74). Subgroup analysis of the cohorts revealed significantly reduced patient death (RR = 0.61; 95%CI:0.50–0.74) and graft loss (RR = 0.58; 95%CI:0.46–0.73), but this was not seen in RCTs (patient survival: RR = 0.84, 95%CI:0.39–1.81; graft survival: RR = 0.70, 95%CI:0.17–2.79). Significantly less graft loss was noted among patients with biopsy‐proved chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) (RR = 0.26, 95%CI:0.16–0.44). Furthermore, the benefit of ACEI/ARB on patient survival (RR = 0.62; 95%CI:0.47–0.83) and graft survival (RR = 0.58, 95%CI:0.47–0.71) was limited to those with ≥3years' follow‐up. ACEI/ARB decreased proteinuria (P < 0.001) and lowered haemoglobin (P = 0.002), but the haemoglobin change requires no additional treatment (from 119–131 g/L to 107–123 g/L). We therefore concluded that ACEI/ARB treatment may reduce patient death and graft loss, but additional well‐designed prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.
Relationship Between Gonadal Function and Cardiometabolic Risk in Young Men With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Sullivan Shannon D. , Nash Mark S. , Tefara Eshetu , Tinsley Emily , Groah Suzanne 
Published: August 2017

AbstractBackgroundWe reported previously that young men with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) have a greater prevalence of testosterone deficiency compared with an age‐matched, healthy control population. Young men with SCI also are at increased risk for developing cardiometabolic dysfunction after injury. It is unclear whether testosterone deficiency is associated with heightened cardiometabolic risk in men with SCI.ObjectiveTo investigate associations among levels of testosterone in young men with chronic SCI and surrogate markers of cardiometabolic risk.DesignSecondary cross‐sectional analysis.SettingRehabilitation research centers in Washington, DC, and Miami, Florida.ParticipantsMen (n = 58) aged 18‐45 years with chronic (≥1 year), motor complete SCI without comorbidities or use of testosterone therapy.MethodsPlasma concentrations of testosterone, lipids, inflammatory markers (C‐reactive protein and interleukin‐6), percent hemoglobin A1c, glucose, and insulin were measured in a fasting state using standard assays. A 2‐hour oral glucose tolerance test and Framingham Risk Score were assessed for each subject. Body composition was assessed by dual X‐ray absorptiometry scan.Main Outcome MeasurementsSurrogate markers of cardiometabolic risk among men based on the level of total testosterone (TT; ≤300, 301‐500, or >500 ng/dL) and free testosterone (fT; ≤9 or >9 ng/dL). Comparisons were made between men with normal and low TT or fT.ResultsFramingham Risk Score was significantly greater in men with low fT (P < .05). Percent body fat (P < .05) and waist‐to‐hip ratio (P < .05) but not body mass index (P > .08), were greater in men with low TT or low fT. Men with low TT or low fT had lower high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P < .05) without differences in fasting triglycerides (P > .1) or low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (P > .07). Men with low TT had greater levels of inflammatory markers C‐reactive protein (P < .05) and interleukin‐6 (P < .05). Men with low TT or low fT had greater fasting glucose (P < .05) and greater insulin resistance (P < .04), without differences in percent hemoglobin A1c (P > .8).ConclusionsIn young men with chronic SCI who undergo an accelerated aging process postinjury, hypogonadism is associated with an unfavorable cardiometabolic risk profile. Further research is needed to determine whether a causal relationship exists between hypogonadism and heightened cardiometabolic risk in men with SCI and whether routine screening for testosterone deficiency is warranted in this population.Level of EvidenceIV
An estimate of glacier mass balance for the Chandra basin, western Himalaya, for the period 1984–2012
Authors: Tawde Sayli Atul , Kulkarni Anil V. , Bala Govindasamy 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACTAn improved understanding of fresh water stored in the Himalaya is crucial for water resource management in South Asia and can be inferred from glacier mass-balance estimates. However, field investigations in the rugged Himalaya are limited to a few individual glaciers and short duration. Therefore, we have recently developed an approach that combines satellite-derived snowlines, a temperature-index melt model and the accumulation-area ratio method to estimate annual mass balance of glaciers at basin scale and for a long period. In this investigation, the mass balance of 146 glaciers in the Chandra basin, western Himalaya, is estimated from 1984 to 2012. We estimate the trend in equilibrium line altitude of the basin as +113 m decade−1and the mean mass balance as −0.61 ± 0.46 m w.e. a−1. Our basin-wide mass-balance estimates are in agreement with the geodetic method during 1999–2012. Sensitivity analysis suggests that a 20% increase in precipitation can offset changes in mass balance for a 1 °C temperature rise. A water loss of 18% of the total basin volume is estimated, and 67% for small and low-altitude glaciers during 1984–2012, indicating a looming water scarcity crisis for villages in this valley.
Palaxius floridanus n. isp., a new structured callianassid crustacean microcoprolite from the Pleistocene of south Florida
Authors: Gischler Eberhard , Blau Joachim , Peckmann Jörn 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe crustacean microcoprolite Palaxius floridanus n. isp. is described from shallow-water carbonate platform deposits of Pleistocene limestones of south Florida. Palaxius floridanus n. isp. occurs in moderate-energy packstones and grainstones of the oolite facies of the Miami Limestone, and in skeletal packstones of the Key Largo Limestone, ranging in age from marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 to MIS 5a (ca. 400–80 kyr BP). The new ichnospecies resembles P. decemlunulatus, which has been described previously from Oligocene deposits. Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous forms described as P. decemlunulatus belong to a new ichnogenus and new ichnospecies, respectively, yet to be described.
The Meursault Investigation: A Contrapuntal Reading
Authors: Radhakrishnan R. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractHow will the author teach Kamel Daoud’s The Meursault Investigation in an undergraduate class on postcolonial literature and theory? With this pedagogical perspective in mind, this essay attempts a contrapuntal appreciation of the intertextual relationship between Daoud’s The Meursault Investigation and Albert Camus’s L’Etranger. On the basis of Daoud’s novel, this intervention critically rehearses and reformulates the many crises and dilemmas that constitute postcolonial theory: postcolonial asymmetry and counter-memory, the predicament of secular nationalism, decolonization of the mind, humanism and the relationship of ontology to politics, and the future of third world literature.
The effectiveness of healthy meals at work on reaction time, mood and dietary intake: a randomised cross-over study in daytime and shift workers at an university hospital
Authors: Leedo Eva , Beck Anne Marie , Astrup Arne , Lassen Anne D. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractOur dietary habits affect both cognitive performance and mood. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of increased availability of healthy meals and water at work on healthcare staff. The study used an 8-week randomised cross-over design. A total of sixty physicians, nurses and nursing assistants, including sixteen working on shifts, were recruited. The participants received a self-selected keyhole-labelled (Nordic nutrition label) lunch, snack and bottled water during each shift throughout the intervention period. Reaction time (Go/No-Go test), mood-related scores (POMS) and dietary intake were assessed at run-in, and at the end of the intervention and the control periods. The intake of fat (P=0·030) and PUFA (P=0·003) was lower, and the intake of carbohydrate (P=0·008), dietary fibre (P=0·031) and water (P<0·001) was greater in the intervention period than in the control period. The intervention had no effect on reaction time or any of the mood-related scores in the group as a whole. In shift-working participants, the intervention period resulted in a 31·1 % lower Fatigue-Inertia Score (P=0·003), a 15·3 % higher Vigour-Activity Score (P=0·041) and a 42·7 % lower Total Mood Disturbance Score (P=0·017), whereas the only dietary component that significantly improved was water intake (P=0·034), when compared with the control period. Providing healthy meals, snacks and water during working hours seems to be an effective way of improving employees’ dietary intake. Moreover, increased intake of water may be associated with beneficial effects on fatigue, vigour and total mood in shift-working healthcare staff.
High-dose B-vitamin supplements and risk for age-related cataract: a population-based prospective study of men and women
Authors: Selin Jinjin Z. , Lindblad Birgitta E. , Bottai Matteo , Morgenstern Ralf , Wolk Alicja 
Published: August 2017

AbstractPrevious studies that have investigated the association between B-vitamin supplement use and risk for cataract yield conflicting results. The aim of this study was to examine the association between use of high-dose B-vitamin supplements (approximately 10 times recommended daily intake) and risk for age-related cataract in a population-based prospective study of 13 757 women from the Swedish Mammography Cohort and 22 823 men from the Cohort of Swedish Men. Dietary supplement use and potential confounders were assessed using a questionnaire at baseline. Information on cataract diagnosis and extraction was obtained through linkage to registers. During the follow-up period between January 1998 and December 2011, we identified 8395 cataract cases (3851 for women and 4544 for men). The use of B vitamins plus other supplements and B vitamins only was associated with 9 % (95 % CI 2, 17) and 27 % (95 % CI 12, 43) increased risk for cataract, respectively. The hazard ratios for use of B vitamins only and risk for cataract stratified by different age groups were as follows: <60 years: 1·88 (95 % CI 1·47, 2·39); 60–69 years: 1·21 (95 % CI 0·96, 1·53); and ≥70 years: 1·09 (95 % CI 0·91, 1·31) (Pinteraction=0·002). Our results suggest that the use of high-dose B-vitamin supplements was associated with an increased risk for cataract. This association might be confined to younger participants.
Refining conservation strategies using distribution modelling: a case study of the Endangered Arabian tahrArabitragus jayakari
Authors: Ross Steven , Al Jahdhami Mansoor H. , Al Rawahi Haitham 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe Endangered Arabian tahrArabitragus jayakariis a rare and little known mountain ungulate, endemic to the 650 km mountain chain of northern Oman and the United Arab Emirates. To investigate the species’ status and distribution we conducted a systematic camera-trap survey across its entire range. We used occupancy modelling to quantify habitat associations and create a predictive distribution model for the species. We found that tahr preferred steep, rugged mountain habitats, and occupancy was much higher in protected areas. Arabian tahr were subject to anthropogenic threats, with occupancy decreasing with closer proximity to villages, and with increasing numbers of domestic goats. Tahr occupancy was also negatively associated with elevation and rainfall, with peak occupancy at 800–1,000 m. Although previous assessments have associated the entire Hajar Mountain range with the Arabian tahr, we found that only 23.9%, or 6,986 km2, of the mountain range was occupied. This reduction in area of occupancy reflects recent population declines, but also our improved methods of assessment. Based on our findings, future conservation efforts should focus on creating more protected areas, control measures to partition goats from core habitats of the Arabian tahr, and restoration and captive reinforcement within suitable habitats unoccupied by Arabian tahr. As infrastructure development is a threat to the Arabian tahr, our occurrence probability map provides a useful tool for spatial planning of developments to reduce impacts on the species.
Informing decisions on an extremely data poor species facing imminent extinction
Authors: Grainger Matthew J. , Ngoprasert Dusit , McGowan Philip J.K. , Savini Tommaso 
Published: August 2017

AbstractSome of the species that are believed to have the highest probability of extinction are also amongst the most poorly known, and this makes it extremely difficult to decide how to spend scarce resources. Assessments of conservation status made on the basis of loss or degradation of habitat and lack of records may provide compelling indications of a decline in geographical range and population size, but they do not help identify where conservation action might be best targeted. Methods for assessing the probability of extinction and for modelling species’ distributions exist, but their data requirements often exceed the information that is available for some of the most urgent conservation cases. Here we use all available information (localities, expert information, climate and landcover) about a high-priority Vietnamese bird species (Edwards's pheasant Lophura edwardsi) to assess objectively the probability of its persistence, and where surveys or other conservation action should be targeted. It is clear that the species is on the threshold of extinction and there is an urgent need to survey Bach Ma National Park (including the extension) and to consider surveying Ke Go Nature Reserve. This approach has potential to help identify where conservation action should be targeted for other Critically Endangered species for which there is an extreme scarcity of information.
Fresh Water in Roman Law: Rights and Policy
Authors: Bannon Cynthia 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACTFresh water came from a variety of sources, streams and springs as well as aqueducts. Much of the Roman law on fresh water concerns its supply, regulating rights to use it with a variety of legal institutions from public and private law (e.g. ownership, servitudes, interdicts). The study of fresh water has usually followed the legal categories, segregating the public water supply from water that was private property, and consequently segregating different types of evidence. In this paper varied evidence is analysed using the ‘bundle’ approach, an analytical framework from legal scholarship on rights in the environment, in which water rights are not monolithic but are represented by component rights, including rights of access, withdrawal, management, exclusion and alienation. Analysing component rights in fresh water reveals significant continuities in the Romans' regulation of it and the impact of this regulation. Although there was no centralized water administration in the early Empire, Romans took a systematic approach to regulating fresh water based on consistent working principles and policy priorities.
Understanding Blame Politics in China's Decentralized System of Environmental Governance: Actors, Strategies and Context
Authors: Ran Ran 
Published: August 2017

AbstractDecentralized environmental governance theory suggests that decentralization can produce better environmental performance mainly because lower-level governments are closer to the people and environmental issues and are considered more legitimate than the national government. However, China's decentralized system of environmental governance has been often regarded as a key factor in creating pollution problems rather than in solving them. To explain this puzzle, this article, using Blame Avoidance Behaviour in government theory as a theoretical framework, examines how blame avoidance behaviour shapes China's decentralized system of environmental governance from three perspectives: first, actors and the chain of blame shaped by the hierarchical power structure among environmental policymakers and implementers; second, the strategies of discursive domination and decentralization for blaming environmental problems on local officials; and lastly, the contextual factor of “hierarchical governmental trust.” Drawing on documentary discursive analysis and extensive fieldwork, this article suggests that the dysfunction of China's decentralized environmental governance structure may in fact be an outcome of a blame-shifting game between central and local governments.