bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Induction, consolidation, and maintenance therapies with arsenic as a single agent for acute promyelocytic leukaemia in a 11‐year follow‐up
Authors: Aznab Mozaffar , Rezaei Mansour
Published: August 2015

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of arsenic trioxide as a single agent in acute promyelocytic leukaemia cases for induction, consolidation, and maintenance therapy in a long‐term, 11‐year follow‐up. We studied 60 patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia. Sixty percent of the patients were aged between 12 and 24 years. Arsenic trioxide was infused at a 0.15 mg/kg daily dose until complete remission was achieved. After 2 weeks of rest, arsenic trioxide was infused daily for 28 days as a consolidation therapy. Then, arsenic infusions were given every 3–4 months for 14 days for 2 years, and the patients were followed until relapse or death. The rates of complete remission, disease‐free survival, overall survival, and drug toxicity were evaluated. The morphologic complete remission was observed in 55 out of the 60 patients. The most common causes of a remission failure were early mortality because of the APL differentiation syndrome and the lack of response to arsenic treatment. The mean follow‐up was 90 months. The primary outcomes for males and females were a mean disease‐free survival of 101 and 97 months, respectively, and a mean overall survival of 103 and 101 months, respectively. From the 55 cases with remission, three patients died (late mortality). Of the 60 patients, 85% are still alive. Arsenic trioxide was generally well tolerated. The long‐term follow‐up of patients with APL, treated with arsenic alone as induction, consolidation, and maintenance therapy, shows high cure rates and excellent outcomes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heterogeneity of 18F‐FDG PET combined with expression of EGFR may improve the prognostic stratification of advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Wang Hung‐Ming , Cheng Nai‐Ming , Lee Li‐Yu , Fang Yu‐Hua Dean , Chang Joseph Tung‐Chieh , Tsan Din‐Li , Ng Shu‐Hang , Liao Chun‐Ta , Yang Lan‐Yan , Yen Tzu‐Chen
Published: August 2015

The Ang's risk profile (based on p16, smoking and cancer stage) is a well‐known prognostic factor in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Whether heterogeneity in 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomographic (PET) images and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression could provide additional information on clinical outcomes in advanced‐stage OPSCC was investigated. Patients with stage III–IV OPSCC who completed primary therapy were eligible. Zone‐size nonuniformity (ZSNU) extracted from pretreatment FDG PET scans was used as an index of image heterogeneity. EGFR and p16 expression were examined by immunohistochemistry. Disease‐specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) served as outcome measures. Kaplan–Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used for survival analysis. A bootstrap resampling technique was applied to investigate the stability of outcomes. Finally, a recursive partitioning analysis (RPA)‐based model was constructed. A total of 113 patients were included, of which 28 were p16‐positive. Multivariate analysis identified the Ang's profile, EGFR and ZSNU as independent predictors of both DSS and OS. Using RPA, the three risk factors were used to devise a prognostic scoring system that successfully predicted DSS in both p16‐positive and ‐negative cases. The c‐statistic of the prognostic index for DSS was 0.81, a value which was significantly superior to both AJCC stage (0.60) and the Ang's risk profile (0.68). In patients showing an Ang's high‐risk profile (N = 77), the use of our scoring system clearly identified three distinct prognostic subgroups. It was concluded that a novel index may improve the prognostic stratification of patients with advanced‐stage OPSCC.
Validation for histology‐driven diagnosis in non‐small cell lung cancer using hsa‐miR‐205 and hsa‐miR‐21 expression by two different normalization strategies
Authors: Charkiewicz Radoslaw , Pilz Lothar , Sulewska Anetta , Kozlowski Miroslaw , Niklinska Wieslawa , Moniuszko Marcin , Reszec Joanna , Manegold Christian , Niklinski Jacek
Published: August 2015

Targeted therapy of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) demands a more accurate tumor classification that is crucial for patient selection in personalized treatment. MicroRNAs constitute a promising class of biomarkers and a helpful tool for the distinction between lung adenocarcinoma (AC) and squamous cell lung carcinoma (SCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of two different normalization strategies, using U6 snRNA and hsa‐miR‐103 as reference genes, on hsa‐miR‐205 and hsa‐miR‐21 expression levels, in terms of the classification of subtypes of NSCLC. By means of a quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) microRNA expression levels were evaluated in a classification set of 98 surgically resected NSCLC fresh‐frozen samples, and validated findings in an independent set of 42 NSCLC samples. The microRNA expression levels were exploited to develop a diagnostic test using two data normalization strategies. The performance of microRNA profiling in different normalization methods was compared. We revealed the microRNA‐based qRT‐PCR tests to be appropriate measures for distinguishing between AC and SCC (the concordance of histologic diagnoses and molecular methods greater than 88%). Performance evaluation of microRNA tests, based on the two normalization strategies, showed that the procedure using hsa‐miR‐103 as reference target has a slight advantage (sensitivity 83.33 and 100% in classification and validation set, respectively) compared to U6 snRNA. Molecular tests based on microRNA expression allow a reliable classification of subtypes for NSCLC and can constitute a useful diagnostic strategy in patient selection for targeted therapy.
Menopausal estrogen therapy and non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma: A post‐hoc analysis of women's health initiative randomized clinical trial
Authors: Kato Ikuko , Chlebowski Rowan T. , Hou Lifang , Wactawski‐Wende Jean , Ray Roberta M. , Abrams Judith , Bock Cathryn , Desai Pinkal , Simon Michael S
Published: August 2015

Estrogens are important immunomodulators, exerting significant effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, cytokine production and differentiation of hematopoietic cells. Estrogen receptors are expressed on normal B and T lymphocytes, bone marrow and in leukemia and lymphoma cell lines. Epidemiologic evidence for the association of menopausal hormone use with risk of non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has been mixed; however, all of the investigations have been observational. We analyzed the data from Women's Health Initiative hormone therapy trials where conjugated equine estrogens (CEE; 0.625 mg/d) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA; 2.5 mg/d) (n = 16,654) or CEE alone (women with prior hysterectomy) (n = 10,685) were tested against placebos and the intervention lasted a median of 5.6 years in the CEE + MPA trial and 7.2 years in the CEE alone trial. During 13 years of follow‐up through September 20, 2013 383 incident NHL cases were identified. We used the intent‐to‐treat approach to calculate incidence rates of NHL, hazards ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) by treatment group. Incidence of NHL was virtually the same in the treatment and placebo groups. The HR was 1.02 (95%CI 0.74–1.39) for CEE alone, 0.98 (95% CI 0.76–1.28) for CEE+MPA, and 1.00 (95% CI 0.82–1.22) for both combined. There were no specific NHL subtypes associated with either type of the treatment, except a marginally decreased risk of plasma cell neoplasms (HR= 0.53 95% CI 0.27–1.03) in the CEE‐alone group. These results do not support a role of estrogen alone or combined with progestin in the development of NHL among postmenopausal women.
New CuII and CdII Metal‐organic Coordination Polymers with 1,2,4‐triazolo[3,4‐b]‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole Ligands: Syntheses, Structures and Luminescent Properties
Authors: Fan Jian‐Zhong , Li Jin‐Ping , Zhang Li‐Peng , Zhang Liu‐Gen , Wang Duo‐Zhi
Published: August 2015

Three new complexes {[Cu(L1)2(NO3)2]⋅H2O}oo (1), {[Cu4(L2)2(OAc)8]‐CH3CH2OH}oo (2) and [Cd2(L3)3(NO3)4(H2O)2]oo (3) (L1=4‐phenyl‐7‐(pyridine‐3‐yl)‐1,2,4‐triazolo[3,4‐b]‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole, L2=4‐(pyridine‐3‐yl)‐7‐phenyl‐1,2,4‐triazolo[3,4‐b]‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole, and L3=4‐(pyridine‐4‐yl)‐7‐phenyl‐1,2,4‐triazolo[3,4‐b]‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra and single crystal X‐ray diffraction. The structural analyses reveal that complex 1 is a neutral 2‐D network structure with a 44 topology, 2 has a 1‐D neutral coordination chain with a [Cu2(CH3COO)4] dinuclear structural unit bridged by four acetate ions, and 3 is a neutral rhombohedral grid structure. All the

complexes are air stable at room temperature. Furthermore, the fluorescent properties of complex 3 and corresponding ligand L3 have been investigated and discussed.
A Simple Extraction Method for Determination of High Molecular Weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Chen Yan‐Fu , Kao Chang‐Long , Yang Jyun‐Fu , Huang Ping‐Chih , Hsu Ching‐Yun , Kuei Chun‐Hsiung
Published: August 2015

A simplified extraction method was developed for extracting high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from river sediments. The samples were extracted 3 times with 5 mL of solvent (toluene:methanol, 9 : 1, v/v) at 100 °C, 10 minutes for each extraction. After clean‐up and concentration, extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer (GC‐MS). The extraction efficiency and accuracy was evaluated by the standard reference material (SRM‐1941b). Comparing to certified values, the average recoveries of high molecular weight PAHs with 3, 4, 5 and 6 fused benzene rings were 72.9∼113.2 % (R.S.D. 2.3∼6.3 %) except those of dibenz[a,h]anthracene (206.2±4.6 %). The average recoveries for PAHs spiked sediment samples were comparable with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and Soxhlet methods. The simple extraction method consumes less solvent, fewer amount of sample than those of conventional methods. The lowest quantitation limit of PAHs is 1.1 μg/kg.
In‐situ Raman spectroscopy study of Ru/TiO2 catalyst in the selective methanation of CO
Authors: Martínez Tejada L. M. , Muñoz A. , Centeno M. A. , Odriozola J. A.
Published: August 2015

Raman spectroscopic technique has been used to characterize a Ru/TiO2 catalyst and to follow in situ their structural changes during the CO selective methanation reaction (S‐MET). For a better comprehension of the catalytic mechanism, the in‐situ Raman study of the catalysts activation (reduction) process, the isolated CO and CO2 methanation reactions and the effect of the composition of the reactive stream (H2O and CO2 presence) have been carried out. Raman spectroscopy evidences that the catalyst is composed by islands of TiO2–RuO2 solid solutions, constituting Ru–TiO2 interphases in the form of RuxTi1 − xO2 rutile type solid solutions. The activation procedure with H2 at 300 °C promotes the reduction of the RuO2–TiO2 islands generating Ruo–Ti3+ centers. The spectroscopic changes are in agreement with the strong increase in chemical reactivity as increasing the carbonaceous intermediates observed. The selective methanation of CO proceeds after their adsorption on these Ruo–Ti3+ active centers and subsequent C―O dissociation throughout the formation of CHx/CnHx/CnHxO/CHx―CO species. These intermediates are transformed into CH4 by a combination of hydrogenation reactions. The formation of carbonaceous species during the methanation of CO and CO2 suggests that the CO presence is required to promote the CO2 methanation. Similar carbonaceous species are detected when the selective CO methanation is carried out with water in the stream. However, the activation of the catalysts occurs at much lower temperatures, and the carbon oxidation is favored by the oxidative effect of water. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Raman spectra of natural carbonaceous materials from a black shale formation
Authors: Moroz Tatyana N. , Ponomarchuk Victor A. , Goryainov Sergei V. , Palchik Nadezhda A. , Edwards Howell G. M. , Zhmodik Sergei M.
Published: August 2015

Carbonaceous materials in black‐shale rock specimens from three gold‐ore deposits located in Russia and Kazakhstan have been investigated by micro‐Raman spectroscopy using near‐ultraviolet, visible, and near‐infrared wavelength excitation. Only the 325‐nm (3.8 eV) wavelength laser line excitation yielded the Raman spectra for all samples. The first‐order Raman spectra of these carbonaceous materials have facilitated the classification of all the samples obtained from the different deposits into two groups: the observed wavenumber of the G‐band around 1581 cm−1 with a band halfwidth from 23 to 40 cm−1 was observed in samples of the first type, and the observed wavenumber of the G‐band near 1600 cm−1 with a band halfwidth from 46 to 73 cm−1 was characteristic in samples of the second type. From these Raman spectra, it has been possible to estimate the graphitization temperature, which was found to range between 380 and 450°С for samples of the first type and from 250 to 400°С for samples of the second type. It has also been shown that the carbonaceous materials are substantially varied in their structural order both in samples obtained from the same deposit and, to a greater extent, in samples obtained from the black‐shale ore deposits of different types. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prospective study of patterns of surgical management in adults with primary cutaneous melanoma at high risk of spread, in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Smithers B. Mark , Hughes Maria Celia B. , Beesley Vanessa L. , Barbour Andrew P. , Malt Maryrose K. , Weedon David , Zonta Mark J. , Wood Dominic J. , Triscott Joseph A. , Bayley Gerard J. , Brown Lee J. , Allan Christopher P. , D'Arcy Justin , Williamson Richard , Khosrotehrani Kiarash , Green Adèle C.
Published: August 2015

Background

Knowledge of variation in diagnosis and surgery in high‐risk primary melanoma patients is limited. We assessed frequency and determinants of diagnostic procedures, wide local excision (WLE) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB).

Methods

People in Queensland newly diagnosed with melanoma, clinical stage 1b or 2, were recruited prospectively. Patient information was collected from questionnaires and pathology records. Differences in surgical procedures in relation to host and tumor characteristics were assessed.

Results

In 787 participants, primary melanoma was diagnosed by surgical excision (74%), shave (14%), punch (12%) or incisional (1%) biopsy. General practitioners (GPs) diagnosed 80%. Diagnostic procedure differed by remoteness of residence, health sector, treating doctor's specialty and melanoma site and thickness. 766 patients had WLE, 86% by surgeons. Of 134 residual melanomas, 13 (10%) were ≤ 1 mm at diagnosis but > 1 mm at WLE, mostly after shave biopsy. SLNB was performed in 261 (33%) patients. SLNB was more common in those under 50, in remoter locations or treated by GP initially, and less common with head and neck melanoma.

Conclusion

Diagnostic and surgical procedures for primary melanoma vary substantially and partial biopsy can influence initial tumor microstaging. Patient, tumor and doctor characteristics influence SLNB practice. J. Surg. Oncol. 2015; 112:359–365. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Identification of the chemical constituents of Chinese medicine Yi‐Xin‐Shu capsule by molecular feature orientated precursor ion selection and tandem mass spectrometry structure elucidation
Authors: Wang Hong‐ping , Chen Chang , Liu Yan , Hong‐jun Yang , Hong‐wei Wu , Hong‐bin Xiao
Published: August 2015

The incomplete identification of the chemical components of traditional Chinese medicinal formula has been one of the bottlenecks in the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. Tandem mass spectrometry has been widely used for the identification of chemical substances. Current automatic tandem mass spectrometry acquisition, where precursor ions were selected according to their signal intensity, encounters a drawback in chemical substances identification when samples contain many overlapping signals. Compounds in minor or trace amounts could not be identified because most tandem mass spectrometry information was lost. Herein, a molecular feature orientated precursor ion selection and tandem mass spectrometry structure elucidation method for complex Chinese medicine chemical constituent analysis was developed. The precursor ions were selected according to their two‐dimensional characteristics of retention times and mass‐to‐charge ratio ranges from herbal compounds, so that all precursor ions from herbal compounds were included and more minor chemical constituents in Chinese medicine were identified. Compared to the conventional automatic tandem mass spectrometry setups, the approach is novel and can overcome the drawback for chemical substances identification. As an example, 276 compounds from the Chinese Medicine of Yi‐Xin‐Shu capsule were identified.
Conditional Ultrasound Sensitivity of Poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(vinyl imidazole)] Microgels for Controlled Lipase Release
Authors: Vukićević Radovan , Neffe Axel T. , Luetzow Karola , Pierce Benjamin F. , Lendlein Andreas
Published: August 2015

Triggering the release of cargo from a polymer network by ultrasonication as an external, noninvasive stimulus can be an interesting concept for on‐demand release. Here, it is shown that, in pH‐ and thermosensitive microgels, the ultrasound sensitivity of the polymer network depends on the external conditions. Crosslinked poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(vinyl imidazole)] microgels showed a volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of 25–50 °C, which increases with decreasing pH. Above the VPTT the polymer chains are collapsed, while below VPTT they are extended. Only in the case of maximum observed swelling, where the polymer chains are expanded, the microgels are mechanically fragmented through ultrasonication. In contrast, when the polymer chains are partially collapsed it is not possible to manipulate the microgels by ultrasound. Additionally, the ultrasound‐induced on‐demand release of wheat germ lipase from the microgels could be demonstrated successfully. The principle of conditional ultrasound sensitivity is likely to be general and can be used for selection of matrix–cargo combinations.

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Preconditioned HSS method for large multilevel block Toeplitz linear systems via the notion of matrix‐valued symbol
Authors: Donatelli Marco , Garoni Carlo , Mazza Mariarosa , Serra‐Capizzano Stefano , Sesana Debora
Published: August 2015

We perform a spectral analysis of the preconditioned Hermitian/skew‐Hermitian splitting (PHSS) method applied to multilevel block Toeplitz linear systems in which the coefficient matrix Tn(f) is associated with a Lebesgue integrable matrix‐valued function f. When the preconditioner is chosen as a Hermitian positive definite multilevel block Toeplitz matrix Tn(g), the resulting sequence of PHSS iteration matrices Mn belongs to the generalized locally Toeplitz class. In this case, we are able to compute the symbol ϕ(f,g) describing the asymptotic eigenvalue distribution of Mnwhen n→∞ and the matrix size diverges. By minimizing the infinity norm of the spectral radius of the symbol ϕ(f,g), we are also able to identify effective PHSS preconditioners Tn(g) for the matrix Tn(f). A number of numerical experiments are presented and commented, showing that the theoretical results are confirmed and that the spectral analysis leads to efficient PHSS methods. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Metastatic Low‐Grade Gliomas in Children: 20 Years' Experience at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Authors: Chamdine Omar , Broniscer Alberto , Wu Shengjie , Gajjar Amar , Qaddoumi Ibrahim
Published: August 2015

Background

Patients with low‐grade gliomas (LGG), which are the most common childhood brain tumors, have excellent long‐term survival. Dissemination of LGG is rare. Robust data on the incidence, presentation, patterns of dissemination, disease behavior, outcome, and best‐management approaches do not exist. We describe 20 years of follow‐up of children with metastatic LGG.

Procedure

Data collected during the period 1990–2010 were retrospectively reviewed for the following inclusion criteria: diagnosis of metastatic LGG, age younger than 21 years at initial diagnosis, and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and/or spine at diagnosis and/or follow‐up. Patient demographics, pathology, treatment modalities, and outcome were reviewed.

Results

Of 599 patients with LGG, 38 (6%) had metastatic disease at either diagnosis or follow‐up. Most tumors (87%) were located in the brain, and half of the patients had metastatic disease at presentation. The most common diagnosis was pilocytic astrocytoma (55%). Chemotherapy was the most common initial treatment modality. Median survival of the group was 6.2 years (range, 0.1–16.9 years). Fifteen (40%) patients died at a median of 6 years from diagnosis (range, 0.8–15 years). Overall survival at 5, 10, and 15 years was 80.7 ± 6.6%, 63.0 ± 10.2%, and 50.9 ± 16.0%, respectively.

Conclusion

This study describes the longest follow‐up of children with metastatic LGG. LGG is underestimated and entails major morbidity and mortality. Prospective studies are needed to learn the true incidence, study the biology, and determine the best approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and follow‐up. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015; 9999:1–9. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Thermal and mechanical properties of hybrid carbon/oxidized polyacrylonitrile fibers‐epoxy composites
Authors: Ebrahimnezhad‐Khaljiri Hossein , Eslami‐Farsani Reza
Published: August 2015

Nowadays, hybrid composites are one of the important materials in industry due to their special properties. In this research, hybrid oxidized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon fibers reinforcement were used in epoxy matrix. The hybrid composites were fabricated using the hand lay‐up technique by placing the reinforcements in different layering sequences. Thermal and mechanical properties of these hybrid composites were investigated by thermal analysis, horizontal burning, tensile and bending tests. The tensile test results indicated that increasing oxidized polyacrylonitrile fibers (OPFs) to carbon fibers ratio decreased tensile strength and elastic modulus but increased failure strain. Hybrid oxidized PAN and carbon fibers reinforcement in composites led to decreasing flexural stress and modulus, and increasing flame retardancy. Thermal analysis results also showed that the maximum rate of mass loss in all composites was 370.6°C. It was also found that the maximum and minimum amounts of char residue at 900°C were related to the composites with four layers of carbon and OPFs, respectively. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:1412–1417, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers
Radical polymerization behavior and molecular weight development of homologous monoacrylate monomers in lyotropic liquid crystal phases
Authors: DePierro Michael A. , Baguenard Céline , Allan Guymon C.
Published: August 2015

Polymerization in highly ordered lyotropic liquid‐crystalline (LLC) media enables controllable synthesis of polymers possessing interesting nanostructure and physical properties. This study investigates the radical polymerization rate and molecular weight (MW) development of monoacrylates of different aliphatic tail length in a range of LLC phases. Polymerization rate data were acquired using photodifferential scanning calorimetry, and linear polymer MW was determined with gel permeation chromatography. Polymerization occurs much more rapidly, and higher MW is attained in the ordered LLC phases relative to isotropic solutions and neat polymerization. These properties change significantly as a function of LLC phase and monomer structure. A direct relationship is observed between polymer MW formation and the polymerization rate. Definitive changes in rate and MW were observed at phase boundaries, indicating the important role of solvent order. This study demonstrates how solvent ordering effects can be used to control polymer MW and rate of polymerization. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016, 54, 144–154
Insights into electron leakage in the reaction cycle of cytochrome P450 BM3 revealed by kinetic modeling and mutagenesis
Authors: Lim Joseph B. , Barker Kimberly A. , Eller Kristen A. , Jiang Linda , Molina Veronica , Saifee Jessica F. , Sikes Hadley D.
Published: August 2015

As a single polypeptide, cytochrome P450 BM3 fuses oxidase and reductase domains and couples each domain's function to perform catalysis with exceptional activity upon binding of substrate for hydroxylation. Mutations introduced into the enzyme to change its substrate specificity often decrease coupling efficiency between the two domains, resulting in unproductive consumption of cofactors and formation of water and/or reactive species. This phenomenon can correlate with leakage, in which P450 BM3 uses electrons from NADPH to reduce oxygen to water and/or reactive species even without bound substrate. The physical basis for leakage is not yet well understood in this particular member of the cytochrome P450 family. To clarify the relationship between leakage and coupling, we used simulations to illustrate how different combinations of kinetic parameters related to substrate‐free consumption of NADPH and substrate hydroxylation can lead to either minimal effects on coupling or a dramatic decrease in coupling as a result of leakage. We explored leakage in P450 BM3 by introducing leakage‐enhancing mutations and combining these mutations to assess whether doing so increases leakage further. The variants in this study provide evidence that while a transition to high spin may be vital for coupled hydroxylation, it is not required for enhanced leakage; substrate binding and the consequent shift in spin state are not necessary as a redox switch for catalytic oxidation of NADPH. Additionally, the variants in this study suggest a tradeoff between leakage and stability and thus evolvability, as the mutations we investigated were far more deleterious than other mutations that have been used to change substrate specificity.
Electrostatic steering enhances the rate of cAMP binding to phosphodiesterase: Brownian dynamics modeling
Authors: Huang Yu‐ming M. , Huber Gary , Andrew McCammon J.
Published: August 2015

Signaling in cells often involves co‐localization of the signaling molecules. Most experimental evidence has shown that intracellular compartmentalization restricts the range of action of the second messenger, 3'‐5'‐cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which is degraded by phosphodiesterases (PDEs). The objective of this study is to understand the details of molecular encounter that may play a role in efficient operation of the cAMP signaling apparatus. The results from electrostatic potential calculations and Brownian dynamics simulations suggest that positive potential of the active site from PDE enhances capture of diffusing cAMP molecules. This electrostatic steering between cAMP and the active site of a PDE plays a major role in the enzyme‐substrate encounter, an effect that may be of significance in sequestering cAMP released from a nearby binding site or in attracting more freely diffusing cAMP molecules.
Examination of the dynamic assembly equilibrium for E. coli ClpB
Authors: Lin JiaBei , Lucius Aaron L.
Published: August 2015

Escherichia coli ClpB is a heat shock protein that belongs to the AAA+ protein superfamily. Studies have shown that ClpB and its homologue in yeast, Hsp104, can disrupt protein aggregates in vivo. It is thought that ClpB requires binding of nucleoside triphosphate to assemble into hexameric rings with protein binding activity. In addition, it is widely assumed that ClpB is uniformly hexameric in the presence of nucleotides. Here we report, in the absence of nucleotide, that increasing ClpB concentration leads to ClpB hexamer formation, decreasing NaCl concentration stabilizes ClpB hexamers, and the ClpB assembly reaction is best described by a monomer, dimer, tetramer, hexamer equilibrium under the three salt concentrations examined. Further, we found that ClpB oligomers exhibit relatively fast dissociation on the time scale of sedimentation. We anticipate our studies on ClpB assembly to be a starting point to understand how ClpB assembly is linked to the binding and disaggregation of denatured proteins. Proteins 2015; 83:2008–2024. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mangosenone F, A Furanoxanthone from Garciana mangostana, Induces Reactive Oxygen Species‐Mediated Apoptosis in Lung Cancer Cells and Decreases Xenograft Tumor Growth
Authors: Seo Kyung Hye , Ryu Hyung Won , Park Mi Jin , Park Ki Hun , Kim Jin Hyo , Lee Mi‐Ja , Kang Hyeon Jung , Kim Sun Lim , Lee Jin Hwan , Seo Woo Duck
Published: August 2015

Mangosenone F (MSF), a natural xanthone, was isolated form Carcinia mangotana, and a few studies have reported its glycosidase inhibitor effect. In this study we investigated the anti lung cancer effect of MSF both in vitro and in vivo. MSF inhibited cancer cell cytotoxicity and induced and induced apoptosis via reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in NCI‐H460. MSF treatment also showed in pronounced release of apoptogenic cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol, downregulation of Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐xL, and upregulation of Bax, suggesting that caspase‐mediated pathways were involved in MSF‐induced apoptosis. ROS activation of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling pathway was shown to play a predominant role in the apoptosis mechanism of MSF. Compared with cisplatin treatment, MSF treatment showed significantly increased inhibition of the growth of NCI‐H460 cells xenografted in nude mice. Together, these results indicate the potential of MSF as a candidate natural anticancer drug by promoting ROS production. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of an air‐flow‐assisted extractive electrospray ionization source for rapid analysis of phthalic acid esters in spirits
Authors: Sun Jiufeng , Wang Wentian , Xu Li , Dong Junguo , Gao Wei , Huang Zhengxu , Cheng Ping , Zhou Zhen
Published: August 2015

Rationale

Although traditional analytical techniques like gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (MS) offer satisfactory sensitivity and good reproducibility for the detection of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in a variety of matrices, they involve laborious sample pretreatment, are time‐consuming, and some are expensive and environmentally unfriendly. Furthermore, there are thousands of spirits on the market; therefore, rapid and high‐throughout methods suitable for the consistent detection and quantification of PAEs in spirits are urgently required.

Methods

A new atmospheric pressure ionization method, named air‐flow‐assisted extractive electrospray ionization (EESI), has been developed. It is a variant on EESI and possesses the advantages of both EESI and air‐flow‐assisted ionization for direct analysis of samples without pretreatment. Combined with a quadrupole time‐of‐flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer, the method was used to directly analyze four PAEs, i.e., dipentyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate and didecyl phthalate, in spirits.

Results

The method exhibits excellent sensitivity, stability and convenience. Four different brands of spirits have been successfully analyzed. The total analysis time for one sample was within 1 min, and the limits of detection and limits of quantification of the samples are located in the range 0.011–0.035 and 0.038–0.087 µg g–1, respectively. Very good linearities, with correlation coefficients of 0.9758–0.9990, are observed for the samples in the range of 0.035 to 10 µg g–1.

Conclusions

The results indicate that the air‐flow‐assisted EESI combined with tandem mass spectrometry is an effective method for rapid and direct determination of PAEs in spirits without sample pretreatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantification of the PR‐39 cathelicidin compound in porcine blood by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Smolira Anna , Hałas Stanisław , Wessely‐Szponder Joanna
Published: August 2015

Rationale

The PR‐39 porcine cathelicidin occurs naturally in animal neutrophils. Its main function is antimicrobial activity, which potentially can be used in antibiotic treatments in veterinary medicine. Investigations concerning such a use require the detection and quantification of PR‐39 in a given sample. The aim of this work is to determine the concentration of PR‐39 contained in porcine blood.

Methods

Prior to matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) analysis, the porcine blood sample was subjected to crude extraction in order to release the active form of PR‐39 from the neutrophil granules. Next, gel filtration chromatography was performed to separate PR‐39 from other cathelicidins present in porcine blood. Positive ion MALDI time‐of‐flight (TOF) mass spectra of the resulting portion of lyophilisate with unknown PR‐39 content were acquired in linear mode. To quantify PR‐39 in the lyophilisate sample, the standard addition method was applied. The PR‐39 concentration obtained in the lyophilisate sample was then converted into the peptide concentration in porcine blood.

Results

The linear fit function of the constructed calibration curve indicates an excellent correlation between the PR‐39 peak intensity and the added quantity of synthetic PR‐39 (R2 = 0.994) and a low relative standard deviation of the slope = 1.98%. From the x‐intercept of the straight line, we estimated the PR‐39 concentration in porcine blood to be 20.5 ± 4.6 ng/mL.

Conclusions

The MALDI method was successfully applied for the quantitative analysis of PR‐39 found in porcine blood. Compared with other available methods, it is relatively easy, inexpensive and not time‐consuming. Despite the method having lower accuracy than the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the results obtained here, by a much simpler method, are in good agreement with the literature data. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Social Innovation and Chinese Overseas Hydropower Dams: The Nexus of National Social Policy and Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Nordensvard Johan , Urban Frauke , Mang Grace
Published: August 2015

The nexus between hydropower dams, social policy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a currently understudied topic. This paper aims to fill parts of this gap by discussing these issues in relation to the world's largest builder of hydropower dams, Chinese state‐owned enterprise Sinohydro. This paper draws on the analysis of firm strategy documents and CSR documents and gains additional insights from key informant interviews. The research finds that in 2011 Sinohydro developed its first comprehensive policy framework for social and environmental safeguards that was in line with international standards set by the World Bank/International Finance Corporation. These policies were however later replaced by weaker, vaguer policy. The paper suggests there is a need for Sinohydro and other dam‐builders to re‐engage with social innovation to mitigate some of the negative social and environmental implications of hydropower dams. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
An efficient biometric‐based privacy‐preserving three‐party authentication with key agreement protocol using smart cards
Authors: Odelu Vanga , Das Ashok Kumar , Goswami Adrijit
Published: August 2015

In communication systems, authentication protocols play an important role in protecting sensitive information against a malicious adversary by means of providing a variety of services such as mutual authentication, user credentials' privacy, and user revocation facility when the smart card of the user is lost/stolen or user's authentication parameters are revealed. Recently, several three‐party authentication with key agreement (3PAKA) schemes are proposed in the literature, but most of them do not provide the basic security requirements such as user anonymity as well as user revocation and re‐registration with the same identity. Thus, we feel that there is a great need to design a secure 3PAKA scheme with these security properties. In this paper, we propose a new secure biometric‐based privacy‐preserving 3PAKA scheme using the elliptic curve cryptography with efficient mechanism for the user revocation and re‐registration with the same identity. The formal security analysis using the widely accepted Burrows–Abadi–Needham logic shows that our scheme provides secure authentication. In addition, we simulate our scheme for the formal security verification using the widely accepted Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications tool. The simulation results show that our scheme is secure against passive and active attacks. Furthermore, our scheme is efficient as compared with other related schemes. Our scheme provides high security along with low computation and communication costs, and extra features as compared with other related existing schemes in the literature, and as a result, our scheme is suitable for battery‐limited mobile devices. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fully secure bandwidth‐efficient anonymous ciphertext‐policy attribute‐based encryption
Authors: Sreenivasa Rao Y. , Dutta Ratna
Published: August 2015

The functionality of ciphertext‐policy attribute‐based encryption (CP‐ABE) enables the encryptor to encrypt the data for a group of users of his choice by incorporating an access policy over target receivers' attributes into encryption algorithm itself. This makes CP‐ABE systems appealing in several applications where complex access control is at prime concern, but incurs high communication and computation overheads which could impede its practical usage. Another limitation of CP‐ABE is that the ciphertext includes the access policy explicitly and, hence, anyone who has access to the ciphertext can identify all legitimate recipients of that ciphertext. This is not desirable for certain mission‐critical applications such as military operations. In order to alleviate these problems, we add privacy‐preserving property efficiently to CP‐ABE scheme via concealing the access policy partially. The encryption in our construction exploits monotone access policies over receivers' attributes and makes ciphertext size constant. The construction is fully secure and can achieve recipient anonymity as the ciphertext terms do not leak any information about recipients. The full semantic security with anonymity relies on dual‐system encryption technique in composite order bilinear groups. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed scheme is the firstconstruction in the anonymous ABE literature with the stated functionality. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimating the population local wavelet spectrum with application to non‐stationary functional magnetic resonance imaging time series
Authors: Gott Aimee N. , Eckley Idris A. , Aston John A. D.
Published: August 2015

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a dynamic four‐dimensional imaging modality. However, in almost all fMRI analyses, the time series elements of this data are assumed to be second‐order stationary. In this paper, we examine, using time series spectral methods, whether such stationary assumptions can be made and whether estimates of non‐stationarity can be used to gain understanding into fMRI experiments. A non‐stationary version of replicated stationary time series analysis is proposed that takes into account the replicated time series that are available from nearby voxels in a region of interest (ROI). These are used to investigate non‐stationarities in both the ROI itself and the variations within the ROI. The proposed techniques are applied to simulated data and to an anxiety‐inducing fMRI experiment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Practical guidance for integrating data management into long‐term ecological monitoring projects
Authors: Sutter Robert D. , Wainscott Susan B. , Boetsch John R. , Palmer Craig J. , Rugg David J.
Published: August 2015

Long‐term monitoring and research projects are essential to understand ecological change and the effectiveness of management activities. An inherent characteristic of long‐term projects is the need for consistent data collection over time, requiring rigorous attention to data management and quality assurance. Recent papers have provided broad recommendations for data management; however, practitioners need more detailed guidance and examples. We present general yet detailed guidance for the development of comprehensive, concise, and effective data management for monitoring projects. The guidance is presented as a graded approach, matching the scale of data management to the needs of the organization and the complexity of the project. We address the following topics: roles and responsibilities; consistent and precise data collection; calibration of field crews and instrumentation; management of tabular, photographic, video, and sound data; data completeness and quality; development of metadata; archiving data; and evaluation of existing data from other sources. This guidance will help practitioners execute effective data management, thereby, improving the quality and usability of data for meeting project objectives as well as broader meta‐analysis and macrosystem ecology research. © 2015 The Authors. Wildlife Society Bulletin published by The Wildlife Society.
Value of information and natural resources decision‐making
Authors: Williams Byron K. , Johnson Fred A.
Published: August 2015

Though the potential for information to measurably improve management has been highlighted for several decades, in recent years the “value of information” has surfaced with increasing frequency in natural resources. However, the use of this phrase belies the fact that many in natural resources have only a limited understanding about what it actually means, how to measure it, and what to do with it. We introduce and describe several forms of the value of information in a context of the management of renewable natural resources. The value of information is discussed in terms of a potential gain in value with the addition of new information, as well as a loss in value associated with the absence of information. Value metrics are developed for uncertainty about resource status as well as resource processes and responses to management. We provide a common notation for the metrics of value, and discuss linkages of the value of information to strategic approaches such as adaptive resources management and partially observable decision processes. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Application of autonomous recording units to monitor gobbling activity by wild turkey
Authors: Colbert Derek S. , Ruttinger James A. , Streich Mary , Chamberlain Michael , Conner L. Mike , Warren Robert J.
Published: August 2015

Autonomous recording units (ARUs) allow simultaneous sampling at multiple locations and potentially offer an innovative way to improve assessments of gobbling chronology in male wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo spp.). We conducted research on 2 similar study sites in southwestern Georgia, USA, by deploying 14 ARUs across the 2 sites during 2011 and 2012. Autonomous recording units were useful at recording gobbling activity, allowing a single researcher to collect and analyze 19,957 hr of data in approximately 1,000 hr during 2 spring breeding seasons. Additionally, ARUs were capable of recording a gobble from a bird on the roost up to 207 m away; gobbles could be identified using autonomous call recognition (ACR) software. We used an abbreviated sampling regime to record gobbling activity, which displayed a similar pattern in gobbling activity when compared against continuous‐daytime sampling. We used ACR software to develop a recognizer file that autonomously searched recordings and provided a list of candidate vocalizations that may represent turkey gobbles. Although we were able to develop a recognizer file that detected between 70.1% and 78.2% of all gobbling activity recorded, it also had false positive rates of 99.8–99.9%. The software performed poorly on account of inability to discriminate between turkey gobbles and other sounds (i.e., crow calls [Corvus spp.] and background noise). This resulted in lengthy data processing due to the large number of false positives that had to be evaluated individually. We recommend that future studies examine the efficacy of a variety of ACR software in identifying turkey gobbles. If this approach is not viable, we recommend future studies consider altering study design by focusing sampling efforts to specific times of day, thus reducing the number of audio samples recorded and subsequent processing time. Alternatively, researchers could either listen to the data or visually search the data for gobbling activity with spectrogram‐viewing software. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.
Do capture and survey methods influence whether marked animals are representative of unmarked animals?
Authors: Fieberg John R. , Jenkins Kurt , McCorquodale Scott , Rice Clifford G. , White Gary C. , White Kevin
Published: August 2015

Radiocollared animals are frequently used to estimate detection probabilities in aerial surveys. The aircraft used to conduct these surveys may also have been used to aid in the capture of these animals, and recently captured animals may react to hearing or seeing the aircraft, changing their behavior in a way that calls into question the representativeness of estimated detection probabilities. We conducted a literature review and found 30 studies that used radiocollared animals to build sightability detection models; in ≥15 of these studies, the same aircraft was used to capture and survey animals. Although it is difficult to determine whether captured animals have different sighting probabilities than the rest of the target population, we used multiyear resighting data collected from moose (Alces alces) in Minnesota, elk (Cervus elaphus) in Washington, and mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in Washington and Alaska, to evaluate whether detection probabilities increased or decreased as a function of time since original capture. We did not detect statistically significant within‐individual time trends in detection probabilities, although we could not rule out the possibility of biologically significant results because confidence intervals on effect sizes were relatively wide. The lone exception to this rule was for the cohort of radiocollared moose in Minnesota, which exhibited a slight decrease in detection probabilities over time. Differences in detection probabilities for marked and unmarked animals may not be a significant problem for sightability models, provided that the source of the variability can be captured by model covariates (e.g., heterogeneity is tied to an individual's propensity to be in heavy cover). Nonetheless, capture‐related effects likely deserve greater consideration than currently afforded, and are critically important when applying simple mark–recapture abundance estimators (Lincoln–Petersen, mark–resight) that do not allow consideration of sighting covariates. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.