bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The newer classifications of the chiari malformations with clarifications: An anatomical review
Authors: Azahraa Haddad Fatima , Qaisi Ibraheem , Joudeh Nagham , Dajani Hamada , Jumah Fareed , Elmashala Amjad , Adeeb Nimer , Chern Joshua J. , Tubbs R. Shane
Published: January 2018

In 1891, Hans Chiari described a group of congenital hindbrain anomalies, which were eventually named after him. He classified these malformations into three types (Chiari malformations I, II, and III), and four years later added the Chiari IV malformation. However, numerous reports across the literature do not seem to fit Chiari's original descriptions of these malformations, so researchers have been encouraged to propose new classifications to encompass these variants (e.g., Chiari 0, Chiari1.5, and Chiari 3.5 malformations). Moreover, there is a continued misunderstanding and misuse of the term “Chiari IV malformation.” Therefore, the current review intended to describe anatomical, pathophysiological, and clinical aspects of the newer classifications with clarifications of the Chiari malformations. We reviewed available literature about Chiari malformations and their variants using “PubMed” and “Google Scholar.” We also looked into the term Chiari IV, clarifying its original description and citing examples where the term has been used erroneously. References in the reviewed articles were searched manually. Variants of the originally described Chiari malformations are termed Chiari 0, Chiari 1.5, and Chiari 3.5. Each has distinct anatomical characteristics and some of these are extremely rare and incompatible with life (e.g. Chiari 3.5). Chiari IV malformation has been further clarified. Some physicians might be unfamiliar with the newer classifications of Chiari malformations because these conditions are rare or even unique. Furthermore, care is needed in using the term “Chiari IV malformation”, which must be consistent with Chiari's original description, i.e. an occipital encephalocele containing supratentorial contents. Clin. Anat. 31:314–322, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
WNT5A promotes migration and invasion of human osteosarcoma cells via SRC/ERK/MMP‐14 pathway
Authors: Wang Xingwen , Zhao Xin , Yi Zhigang , Ma Bing , Wang Hong , Pu Yanchuan , Wang Jing , Wang Shuanke
Published: January 2018

WNT5A, a representative ligand of activating several non‐canonical WNT signal pathways, plays significant roles in oncogenesis and tumor inhibition. It has been shown that the non‐receptor tyrosine kinase SRC is required for WNT5A‐induced invasion of osteosarcoma cells. However, the precise molecular mechanism underlying WNT5A/SRC‐mediated osteosarcoma cells invasion remains poorly defined. The study was designed to explore the role of ERK1/2 in WNT5A/SRC‐induced osteosarcoma cells invasion and the downstream target of the SRC/ERK1/2 signalings. We found that WNT5A (100 ng/mL) remarkably stimulated migration and invasion of human osteosarcoma MG‐63 cells, whereas inhibiting either SRC kinase activity by siRNA‐mediated SRC silence or ERK1/2 phosphorylation by PD98059 treatment suppressed these effects, which suggested that the activation of SRC and ERK1/2 is essential for WNT5A‐induced MG‐63 cells migration and invasion. Furthermore, ERK1/2 phosphorylation induced by WNT5A was dramatically blocked by SRC siRNA. Additionally, our study further demonstrated that MMP‐14 was upregulated after exposure to WNT5A in MG‐63 cells, and the increased expression was blocked by SRC siRNA or PD98059. Collectively, these results indicate that WNT5A activates SRC/ERK1/2 signal pathway, leading to the upregulation of MMP‐14 expression and MG‐63 cells migration and invasion.
Glycine improves the remodeling process of tenocytes in vitro
Authors: Vieira Cristiano Pedrozo , Viola Manuela , Carneiro Giane Daniela , D'Angelo Maria Luisa , Vicente Cristina Pontes , Passi Alberto , Pimentel Edson Rosa
Published: January 2018

Tendinitis changes the biochemical and morphological properties of the tendon, promoting an increase of activity of metalloproteinases and disorganization of collagen bundles. Tenocytes, the primary cells in tendon, are scattered throughout the collagenic fibers, and are responsible of tendon remodeling and tissue repair in pathological condition. In vivo, glycine, component of the typical Gly‐X‐Y collagen tripeptide, showed beneficial effects in biochemical and biomechanical properties of Achilles tendon with tendinitis. In this study, we analyzed the effect of glycine in tenocytes subjected to inflammation. Tenocytes from Achilles tendon of rats were treated with TNF‐α (10 ng/mL) with and without previous treatment with glycine (20 mM). Cell proliferation and migration were evaluated, as well as the expression of matrix molecules such as glycosaminoglycans, metalloproteinases (MMPs), TIMPs, and collagen I. Glycine can revert the inflammation due to the action of TNF‐α by controlling the MMPs quantity and activity. These data indicated that the molecules involved to remodeling process of extracellular matrix are modulated both by TNF‐α and the availability of collagen precursors; in fact, this study indicates the glycine can be useful for treatment of inflammation and for modulating tenocytes metabolism in tendons.
Primary growth hormone insensitivity and psychomotor delay
Authors: Castilla‐Cortazar Inma , De Ita Julieta Rodríguez , Aguirre Gabriel A. , Rodríguez‐Rivera Joel , García‐Magariño Mariano , Martín‐Estal Irene , Flores‐Caloca Óscar , Diaz‐Olachea Carlos
Published: January 2018

Key Clinical Message

We report a case of short stature irresponsive to growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy. LowGHresponse to provocative tests and undetectableIGF‐1 levels had suggestedGHdeficiency, while response to therapy indicatedGHinsensitivity. Molecular evaluation of theGH/IGF‐1 axis should be performed in these cases to improve diagnosis and therapy.
Laboratory Simulation of an Agricultural Biogas Plant Start‐up
Authors: Kozłowski Kamil , Dach Jacek , Lewicki Andrzej , Cieślik Marta , Czekała Wojciech , Janczak Damian , Brzoski Michał
Published: January 2018

Due to the large energy potential of biofuel production, in the near future the construction of new biogas plants in Poland is expected. However, prior to any investment in the biogas market it is necessary to conduct performance tests of methane production from the used substrates and to perform simulation of the initial start‐up on a laboratory scale. The start‐up of agricultural biogas plants on a laboratory scale is simulated using pig slurry and maize silage. In this lab‐scale simulation, the same conditions of running are created as for real‐scale biogas installation. The research tests prove the suitability of advanced continuous stirring‐tank reactors (CSTRs) to optimize the operation of biogas installations on a real scale.
Exact Mapping from Many‐Spin Hamiltonians to Giant‐Spin Hamiltonians
Authors: Ghassemi Tabrizi Shadan , Arbuznikov Alexei V. , Kaupp Martin
Published: January 2018

Thermodynamic and spectroscopic data of exchange‐coupled molecular spin clusters (e.g. single‐molecule magnets) are routinely interpreted in terms of two different models: the many‐spin Hamiltonian (MSH) explicitly considers couplings between individual spin centers, while the giant‐spin Hamiltonian (GSH) treats the system as a single collective spin. When isotropic exchange coupling is weak, the physical compatibility between both spin Hamiltonian models becomes a serious concern, due to mixing of spin multiplets by local zero‐field splitting (ZFS) interactions (′S‐mixing′). Until now, this effect, which makes the mapping MSH→GSH (′spin projection′) non‐trivial, had only been treated perturbationally (up to third order), with obvious limitations. Here, based on exact diagonalization of the MSH, canonical effective Hamiltonian theory is applied to construct a GSH that exactly matches the energies of the relevant (2S+1) states comprising an effective spin multiplet. For comparison, a recently developed strategy for the unique derivation of effective (′pseudospin′) Hamiltonians, now routinely employed in ab initio calculations of mononuclear systems, is adapted to the problem of spin projection. Expansion of the zero‐field Hamiltonian and the magnetic moment in terms of irreducible tensor operators (or Stevens operators) yields terms of all ranks k (up to k=2S) in the effective spin. Calculations employing published MSH parameters illustrate exact spin projection for the well‐investigated [Ni(hmp)(dmb)Cl]4 (′Ni4′) single‐molecule magnet, which displays weak isotropic exchange (dmb=3,3‐dimethyl‐1‐butanol, hmp− is the anion of 2‐hydroxymethylpyridine). The performance of the resulting GSH in finite field is assessed in terms of EPR resonances and diabolical points. The large tunnel splitting in the M=
4 ground doublet of the S=4 multiplet, responsible for fast tunneling in Ni4, is attributed to a Stevens operator with eightfold rotational symmetry, marking the first quantification of a k=8 term in a spin cluster. The unique and exact mapping MSH→GSH should be of general importance for weakly‐coupled systems; it represents a mandatory ultimate step for comparing theoretical predictions (e.g. from quantum‐chemical calculations) to ZFS, hyperfine or g‐tensors from spectral fittings.
Production of Alternative Liquid Fuels in the Future Energy System
Authors: Dietrich Ralph‐Uwe , Albrecht Friedemann , Pregger Thomas
Published: January 2018

Der vorliegende Beitrag skizziert einen möglichen zukünftigen Bedarf an erneuerbaren flüssigen Kraftstoffen, bewertet mögliche Prozessrouten zu deren Erzeugung im großen Maßstab unter Einsatz von erneuerbarem Strom, Biomasse und anderen Kohlenstoffquellen und diskutiert systemische Effekte eines entsprechenden Infrastrukturausbaus. Die in einer Fallstudie erfolgte technische, ökonomische und ökologische Bewertung basiert auf detaillierten Prozesssimulationen verknüpft mit dem Kostenberechnungstool TEPET und ermöglicht so eine größtmögliche Transparenz aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht.
Analytical performance of the ThyroSeq v3 genomic classifier for cancer diagnosis in thyroid nodules
Authors: Nikiforova Marina N. , Mercurio Stephanie , Wald Abigail I. , Barbi de Moura Michelle , Callenberg Keith , Santana‐Santos Lucas , Gooding William E. , Yip Linwah , Ferris Robert L. , Nikiforov Yuri E.
Published: January 2018

BACKGROUND

Molecular tests have clinical utility for thyroid nodules with indeterminate fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) cytology, although their performance requires further improvement. This study evaluated the analytical performance of the newly created ThyroSeq v3 test.

METHODS

ThyroSeq v3 is a DNA‐ and RNA‐based next‐generation sequencing assay that analyzes 112 genes for a variety of genetic alterations, including point mutations, insertions/deletions, gene fusions, copy number alterations, and abnormal gene expression, and it uses a genomic classifier (GC) to separate malignant lesions from benign lesions. It was validated in 238 tissue samples and 175 FNA samples with known surgical follow‐up. Analytical performance studies were conducted.

RESULTS

In the training tissue set of samples, ThyroSeq GC detected more than 100 genetic alterations, including BRAF, RAS, TERT, and DICER1 mutations, NTRK1/3, BRAF, and RET fusions, 22q loss, and gene expression alterations. GC cutoffs were established to distinguish cancer from benign nodules with 93.9% sensitivity, 89.4% specificity, and 92.1% accuracy. This correctly classified most papillary, follicular, and Hurthle cell lesions, medullary thyroid carcinomas, and parathyroid lesions. In the FNA validation set, the GC sensitivity was 98.0%, the specificity was 81.8%, and the accuracy was 90.9%. Analytical accuracy studies demonstrated a minimal required nucleic acid input of 2.5 ng, a 12% minimal acceptable tumor content, and reproducible test results under variable stress conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

The ThyroSeq v3 GC analyzes 5 different classes of molecular alterations and provides high accuracy for detecting all common types of thyroid cancer and parathyroid lesions. The analytical sensitivity, specificity, and robustness of the test have been successfully validated and indicate its suitability for clinical use. Cancer 2018;124:1682‐90. © 2018 American Cancer Society
Live‐Animal Imaging of Renal Function by Multiphoton Microscopy
Authors: Dunn Kenneth W. , Sutton Timothy A. , Sandoval Ruben M.
Published: January 2018

Intravital microscopy, microscopy of living animals, is a powerful research technique that combines the resolution and sensitivity found in microscopic studies of cultured cells with the relevance and systemic influences of cells in the context of the intact animal. The power of intravital microscopy has recently been extended with the development of multiphoton fluorescence microscopy systems capable of collecting optical sections from deep within the kidney at subcellular resolution, supporting high‐resolution characterizations of the structure and function of glomeruli, tubules, and vasculature in the living kidney. Fluorescent probes are administered to an anesthetized, surgically prepared animal, followed by image acquisition for up to 3 hr. Images are transferred via a high‐speed network to specialized computer systems for digital image analysis. This general approach can be used with different combinations of fluorescent probes to evaluate processes such as glomerular permeability, proximal tubule endocytosis, microvascular flow, vascular permeability, mitochondrial function, and cellular apoptosis/necrosis. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Generating Quantitative Cell Identity Labels with Marker Enrichment Modeling (MEM)
Authors: Diggins Kirsten E. , Gandelman Jocelyn S. , Roe Caroline E. , Irish Jonathan M.
Published: January 2018

Multiplexed single‐cell experimental techniques like mass cytometry measure 40 or more features and enable deep characterization of well‐known and novel cell populations. However, traditional data analysis techniques rely extensively on human experts or prior knowledge, and novel machine learning algorithms may generate unexpected population groupings. Marker enrichment modeling (MEM) creates quantitative identity labels based on features enriched in a population relative to a reference. While developed for cell type analysis, MEM labels can be generated for a wide range of multidimensional data types, and MEM works effectively with output from expert analysis and diverse machine learning algorithms. MEM is implemented as an R package and includes three steps: (1) calculation of MEM values that quantify each feature's relative enrichment in the population, (2) reporting of MEM labels as a heatmap or as a text label, and (3) quantification of MEM label similarity between populations. The protocols here show MEM analysis using datasets from immunology and oncology. These MEM implementations provide a way to characterize population identity and novelty in the context of computational and expert analyses. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Landscape simplification reduces classical biological control and crop yield
Authors: Grab Heather , Danforth Bryan , Poveda Katja , Loeb Greg
Published: January 2018

Agricultural intensification resulting in the simplification of agricultural landscapes is known to negatively impact the delivery of key ecosystem services such as the biological control of crop pests. Both conservation and classical biological control may be influenced by the landscape context in which they are deployed; yet studies examining the role of landscape structure in the establishment and success of introduced natural enemies and their interactions with native communities are lacking. In this study, we investigated the relationship between landscape simplification, classical and conservation biological control services and importantly, the outcome of these interactions for crop yield. We showed that agricultural simplification at the landscape scale is associated with an overall reduction in parasitism rates of crop pests. Additionally, only introduced parasitoids were identified, and no native parasitoids were found in crop habitat, irrespective of agricultural landscape simplification. Pest densities in the crop were lower in landscapes with greater proportions of semi‐natural habitats. Furthermore, farms with less semi‐natural cover in the landscape and consequently, higher pest numbers, had lower yields than farms in less agriculturally dominated landscapes. Our study demonstrates the importance of landscape scale agricultural simplification in mediating the success of biological control programs and highlights the potential risks to native natural enemies in classical biological control programs against native insects. Our results represent an important contribution to an understanding of the landscape‐mediated impacts on crop yield that will be essential to implementing effective policies that simultaneously conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Refining mortality estimates in shark demographic analyses: a Bayesian inverse matrix approach
Authors: Smart Jonathan J. , Punt André E. , Espinoza Mario , White William T. , Simpfendorfer Colin A.
Published: January 2018

Leslie matrix models are an important analysis tool in conservation biology that are applied to a diversity of taxa. The standard approach estimates the finite rate of population growth (λ) from a set of vital rates. In some instances, an estimate of λ is available, but the vital rates are poorly understood and can be solved for using an inverse matrix approach. However, these approaches are rarely attempted due to prerequisites of information on the structure of age or stage classes. This study addressed this issue by using a combination of Monte Carlo simulations and the sample‐importance‐resampling (SIR) algorithm to solve the inverse matrix problem without data on population structure. This approach was applied to the grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) from the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in Australia to determine the demography of this population. Additionally, these outputs were applied to another heavily fished population from Papua New Guinea (PNG) that requires estimates of λ for fisheries management. The SIR analysis determined that natural mortality (M) and total mortality (Z) based on indirect methods have previously been overestimated for C. amblyrhynchos, leading to an underestimated λ. Updated distributions of Z and λ were produced for the GBR population and corrected obvious error in the demographic parameters for the PNG population. This approach provides opportunity for the inverse matrix approach to be applied more broadly to situations where information on population structure is lacking.
Piezoelectric Moonie‐type Resonant Microactuator
Authors: FUJIMURA YASUHIRO , TSUKAMOTO TAKASHIRO , TANAKA SHUJI
Published: January 2018

This paper reports a piezoelectric in‐plane resonant actuator for a speckle dissolution device used in a laser‐type projector. An optical diffuser is oscillated by this actuator to reduce the coherency of a scanned laser beam. A PZT unimorph actuator combined with a Moonie‐type displacement amplifier and a resonant structure was used to obtain a large displacement. The L18 design of experiment method was used for the optimal design. Both 1‐axis and 2‐axis actuators were designed and fabricated. The maximum displacement as high as 239.5 μm at a resonance frequency of 325.2 Hz was obtained for the 1‐axis actuator, and the maximum displacements of 109.5 μm and 67 μm for l.5 Hz for both x‐ and y‐direction at resonance frequencies of 621.5 Hz and 288.5 Hz were obtained for the 2‐axis actuator (10 V). The actuator was also tested with a dummy optical diffuser to evaluate the influence of the additional mass.
Can sugar maple establish into the boreal forest? Insights from seedlings under various canopies in southern Quebec
Authors: Collin Alexandre , Messier Christian , Kembel Steven W. , Bélanger Nicolas
Published: January 2018

Understanding tree recruitment dynamics in various growth environments is essential for a better assessment of tree species’ adaptive capacity to climate change. We investigated the microsite factors influencing survival, growth, and foliar nutrition of natural and planted sugar maple seedlings (Acer saccharum) along a gradient of tree species that reflect the change in composition from temperate hardwoods to boreal forests of eastern Canada. We specifically tested whether the increasing abundance of conifers in the forest and its modifications on soil properties negatively affects foliar nutrition of natural seedlings as well as the survival and growth of seedlings planted directly in the natural soil and in pots filled with enriched soil. Results of natural seedlings indicate that under conifer‐dominated stands, lower soil pH, accelerated dissolution of some minerals, lower temperature and moisture, and higher levels of phenolic compounds have created microsites that are less suitable for sugar maple foliar nutrition and regeneration. These conditions were omnipresent under hemlock. The growth of seedlings planted in the natural soil was negatively impacted by the overall low soil quality under all forest types (as compared to seedlings planted in pots with enriched soil). However, survival and growth of the seedlings were not negatively affected by conifers, regardless of planting type, likely because of stored nutrients from the nursery. Also, lower survival was found under maple–birch stands for seedlings planted both in the natural soil and in pots with enriched soil due to higher shading. This study has identified key microsite factors created by specific conifers that may impede or benefit the potential of sugar maple to maintain its current range or expand its range northward under climate change.
Predicting aboveground forest biomass with topographic variables in human‐impacted tropical dry forest landscapes
Authors: Salinas‐Melgoza Miguel A. , Skutsch Margaret , Lovett Jon C.
Published: January 2018

Topographic variables such as slope and elevation partially explain spatial variations in aboveground biomass (AGB) within landscapes. Human activities that impact vegetation, such as cattle grazing and shifting cultivation, often follow topographic features and also play a key role in determining AGB patterns, although these effects may be moderated by accessibility. In this study, we evaluated the potential to predict AGB in a rural landscape, using a set of topographical variables in combination with indicators of accessibility. We modeled linear and non‐linear relationships between AGB, topographic variables within the territorial boundaries of six rural communities, and distance to roads. Linear models showed that elevation, slope, topographic wetness index, and tangential curvature could explain up to 21% of AGB. Non‐linear models found threshold values for the relationship between AGB and diffuse insolation, topographic position index at 19 × 19 pixels scale and differentiated between groups of communities, improving AGB predictions to 33%. We also found a continuous and positive effect on AGB with increased distance from roads, but also a piecewise relationship that improves the understanding of intensity of human activities. These findings could enable AGB baselines to be constructed at landscape level using freely available data from topographic maps. Such baselines may be of use in national programs under the international policy Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.
Saltmarsh plants, but not fertilizer, facilitate invertebrate recolonization after an oil spill
Authors: Johnson David Samuel , Fleeger John W. , Riggio Maria Rita , Mendelssohn Irving A. , Lin Qianxin , Graham Sean A. , Deis Donald R. , Hou Aixin
Published: January 2018

Foundation species contribute to the recovery of animal communities from disturbance by engineering, by improving habitat quality, and by regulating food availability. In a salt marsh impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we tested the hypothesis that nutrient subsidies would enhance the positive effects of the foundation species Spartina alterniflora on the initial recolonization of benthic invertebrate communities (e.g., copepods, annelids, nematodes) by augmenting food (i.e., microalgae) availability. After two months, plantings of S. alterniflora significantly elevated the densities of the polychaete Capitella capitata, meiofauna‐sized annelids, and total macroinfauna over unplanted plots. After 7 months, the significant effect of plantings persisted for meiofauna‐sized annelids, but not for C. capitata and total macroinfauna. Plantings had no effect on copepods (including Nannopus palustris, the dominant species), nematodes, or microalgal biomass for either month. Nutrient additions did not influence any taxon, despite initial increases in benthic microalgal biomass after 2 months. We hypothesize that the structural effects of plants were important to early colonization, possibly by facilitating larval settlement or ameliorating temperature and desiccation stress. Our results emphasize the importance of re‐establishing foundation species in oil‐impacted sites to enhance recolonization of saltmarsh annelids, but suggest that recolonization is not promoted by the addition of nutrients.
Experimental droughts with rainout shelters: a methodological review
Authors: Hoover David L. , Wilcox Kevin R. , Young Kristina E.
Published: January 2018

Forecast increases in the frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts with climate change may have extreme and extensive ecological consequences. There are currently hundreds of published, ongoing, and new drought experiments worldwide aimed to assess ecological sensitivity to drought and identify the mechanisms governing resistance and resilience. To date, the results from these experiments have varied widely, and thus, patterns of drought sensitivities and the underlying mechanisms have been difficult to discern. Here we examined 89 published drought experiments, along with their associated historical precipitation records to (1) identify where and how drought experiments have been imposed, (2) determine the extremity of drought treatments in the context of historical climate, and (3) assess the influence of ambient precipitation variability on the magnitude of drought experiments. In general, drought experiments were most common in water‐limited ecosystems, such as grasslands, and were often short‐term, as 80% were 1–4 yr in duration. When placed in a historical context, the majority of drought experiments imposed extreme drought, with 61% below the 5th, and 43% below the 1st percentile of the 50‐yr annual precipitation distribution. We also determined that interannual precipitation variability had a large and potentially underappreciated effect on the magnitude of drought treatments due to the co‐varying nature of control and drought precipitation inputs. Thus, detecting significant ecological effects in drought experiments is strongly influenced by the interaction between experimental drought magnitude, precipitation variability, and key ecological thresholds. The patterns that emerged from this study have important implications for the design and interpretation of drought experiments and also highlight critical gaps in our understanding of the ecological effects of drought.
Species‐specific spring and autumn leaf phenology captured by time‐lapse digital cameras
Authors: Xie Yingying , Civco Daniel L. , Silander John A.
Published: January 2018

Plant leaf phenology is typically observed either via ground‐based visual observations on individuals or via remote sensing of land surface vegetation. To integrate phenological information from both data sources, collected at different spatial scales using different observational protocols, digital cameras were deployed spanning canopy areas with enough spatial resolution to identify temporal changes in individual deciduous tree species with continuous observations. Comparisons of phenology between camera photography and in situ observations have been reported in prior studies; however, it is still unclear that how these camera images relate to field observations at individual and species levels, and how the metrics from those images provide comparable species‐specific phenological responses to environmental variation. We set a suite of digital time‐lapse cameras to acquire continuous photographs of deciduous tree canopies and conducted ground‐based visual observations in Connecticut,USA, from 2012 to 2014. Comparisons between image‐derived dates and observed phenological dates showed that both green and red color indices could be matched to ground observations, and red color indices showed good performance in matching autumn phenology across our group of eight tree species that dominate the southern New England forests. Linear mixed‐effects models were applied to investigate the relationships between climatic/weather conditions and the timing of peak and of intensity of red color in fall foliage for each species. Model results suggested that temperature, precipitation, drought stress in autumn, and heat stress in summer are all important factors to the timing of peak fall foliage color and that higher minimum temperatures (or lower cold degree‐day accumulation) in the autumn are linked to higher intensity of red coloration at least in sugar maples. This study improves our understanding of temporal and spatial variation in the phenology of deciduous trees captured by digital cameras. As well, this provides insights into relating species‐specific information on phenology from visual observations in the field to near‐surface remote sensing and points to the need for further research on autumn phenology using the change in redness of tree canopies.
Competitive ability, stress tolerance and plant interactions along stress gradients
Authors: Qi Man , Sun Tao , Xue SuFeng , Yang Wei , Shao DongDong , Martínez‐López Javier
Published: January 2018

Exceptions to the generality of the stress‐gradient hypothesis (SGH) may be reconciled by considering species‐specific traits and stress tolerance strategies. Studies have tested stress tolerance and competitive ability in mediating interaction outcomes, but few have incorporated this to predict how species interactions shift between competition and facilitation along stress gradients. We used field surveys, salt tolerance and competition experiments to develop a predictive model interspecific interaction shifts across salinity stress gradients. Field survey and greenhouse tolerance tests revealed tradeoffs between stress tolerance and competitive ability. Modeling showed that along salinity gradients, (1) plant interactions shifted from competition to facilitation at high salinities within the physiological limits of salt‐intolerant plants, (2) facilitation collapsed when salinity stress exceeded the physiological tolerance of salt‐intolerant plants, and (3) neighbor removal experiments overestimate interspecific facilitation by including intraspecific effects. A community‐level field experiment, suggested that (1) species interactions are competitive in benign and, facilitative in harsh condition, but fuzzy under medium environmental stress due to niche differences of species and weak stress amelioration, and (2) the SGH works on strong but not weak stress gradients, so SGH confusion arises when it is applied across questionable stress gradients. Our study clarifies how species interactions vary along stress gradients. Moving forward, focusing on SGH applications rather than exceptions on weak or nonexistent gradients would be most productive.
Low NT‐proBNP levels in overweight and obese patients do not rule out a diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Authors: Buckley Leo F. , Canada Justin M. , Del Buono Marco G. , Carbone Salvatore , Trankle Cory R. , Billingsley Hayley , Kadariya Dinesh , Arena Ross , Van Tassell Benjamin W. , Abbate Antonio
Published: January 2018

Background

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous syndrome that presents clinicians with a diagnostic challenge. The use of natriuretic peptides to exclude a diagnosis of HFpEF has been proposed. We sought to compare HFpEF patients with N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) level above and below the proposed cut‐off.

Methods

Stable patients (n = 30) with left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction ≥ 50% were eligible if they had a diagnosis of HF according to the European Society of Cardiology diagnostic criteria. Characteristics of patients with NT‐proBNP below (≤125 pg/mL) and above (>125 pg/mL) the diagnostic criterion were compared.

Results

There were 19 (66%) women with median age 54 years. Half were African American (16, 53%), and most were obese. There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics or medication use between groups. LV end‐diastolic volume index was greater in high NT‐proBNP patients (P = 0.03). Left atrial volume index, E/e′ ratio, and E/e′ ratio at peak exercise were not significantly different between NT‐proBNP groups. Peak oxygen consumption (VO2), VO2 at ventilatory threshold, and ventilatory efficiency measures were impaired in all patients and were not significantly different between high and low NT‐proBNP patients.

Conclusions

NT‐proBNP was below the proposed diagnostic cut‐off point of 125 pg/mL in half of this obese study cohort. Cardiac diastolic dysfunction and cardiorespiratory fitness were not significantly different between high and low NT‐proBNP patients. These data indicate that excluding the diagnosis of HFpEF based solely on NT‐proBNP levels should be discouraged.
Eligibility of sacubitril–valsartan in a real‐world heart failure population: a community‐based single‐centre study
Authors: Norberg Helena , Bergdahl Ellinor , Lindmark Krister
Published: January 2018

Aims

This study aims to investigate the eligibility of the Prospective Comparison of Angiotensin Receptor–Neprilysin Inhibitor (ARNI) with ACE inhibitor to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure (PARADIGM‐HF) study to a real‐world heart failure population.

Methods and results

Medical records of all heart failure patients living within the catchment area of Umeå University Hospital were reviewed. This district consists of around 150 000 people. Out of 2029 patients with a diagnosis of heart failure, 1924 (95%) had at least one echocardiography performed, and 401 patients had an ejection fraction of ≤35% at their latest examination. The major PARADIGM‐HF criteria were applied, and 95 patients fulfilled all enrolment criteria and thus were eligible for sacubitril–valsartan. This corresponds to 5% of the overall heart failure population and 24% of the population with ejection fraction ≤ 35%. The eligible patients were significantly older (73.2 ± 10.3 vs. 63.8 ± 11.5 years), had higher blood pressure (128 ± 17 vs. 122 ± 15 mmHg), had higher heart rate (77 ± 17 vs. 72 ± 12 b.p.m.), and had more atrial fibrillation (51.6% vs. 36.2%) than did the PARADIGM‐HF population.

Conclusions

Only 24% of our real‐world heart failure and reduced ejection fraction population was eligible for sacubitril–valsartan, and the real‐world heart failure and reduced ejection fraction patients were significantly older than the PARADIGM‐HF population. The lack of data on a majority of the patients that we see in clinical practice is a real problem, and we are limited to extrapolation of results on a slightly different population. This is difficult to address, but perhaps registry‐based randomized clinical trials will help to solve this issue.
Applying Co3O4@nanoporous Carbon to Nonenzymatic Glucose Biofuel Cell and Biosensor
Authors: Jiao Kailong , Kang Zepeng , Wang Bing , Jiao Shuqiang , Jiang Yu , Hu Zongqian
Published: January 2018

A novel hierarchically nanoporous carbon (NPC) derived from Al‐based porous coordination polymer is prepared by two‐step carbonization method for immobilization of the Co3O4 in the application of the nonenzymatic biofuel cells and biosensors. The structure and morphology are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) is to characterize the porous nature of the NPC, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is to characterize the composition of Co3O4@nanoporous carbon (Co3O4@NPC). Without collapse in the high carbonization temperature (above 1600 °C), the NPC maintains the nanoporous structure and high specific surface area of 1551.2 m2 g−1. In addition, the NPC is composited with Co3O4 by hydrothermal method to form the Co3O4@NPC. When tested as the nonenzymatic electrocatalyst for glucose oxidation reaction (GOR), the Co3O4@NPC exhibits higher response to glucose, in which the current shifts up by 64 %, than pure Co3O4 in 0.1 M KOH. The limit of detection is 0.005 mM (S/N=3) and response time is within 3 s. The detection range can be divided into two sections of 0.02–1.4 mM and 1.4–10.7 mM with the sensitivity of 249.1 μA mM−1 cm−2 and 66.6 μA mM−1 cm−2, respectively. A glucose fuel cell is constructed with the Co3O4@NPC as the anode and Pt/C catalyst as the cathode. The open‐circuit potential of the nonenzymatic glucose/O2 fuel cell was 0.68 V, with a maximum power density of 0.52 mW cm−2 at 0.27 V. This work may contribute to exploring other nanoporous carbons for application in glucose fuel cells and biosensors.
A microfluidic chip with a staircase pH gradient generator, a packed column and a fraction collector for chromatofocusing of proteins
Authors: Rho Hoon Suk , Hanke Alexander Thomas , Ottens Marcel , Gardeniers Han J.G.E.
Published: January 2018

A microfluidic device for pH gradient chromatofocusing is presented, which performs creation of a micro‐column, pH gradient generation, and fraction collection in a single device. Using a sieve micro‐valve, anion exchange particles were packed into a microchannel in order to realize a solid‐phase absorption column. To fractionate proteins according to their isoelectric points, elution buffer solutions with a stepwise pH gradient were prepared in 16 parallel mixing reactors and flowed through the micro‐column, wherein a protein mixture was previously loaded. The volume of the column is only 20 nL, hence it allows extremely low sample consumption and fast analysis compared with a conventional system. We demonstrated separation of two proteins, albumin–fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugate (FITC‐BSA) and R‐Phycoerythrin (R‐PE), by using a microcolumn of commercial charged polymeric particles (Source 15Q). The microfluidic device can be used as a rapid diagnostic tool to analyse crude mixtures of proteins or nucleic acids and determine adsorption/desorption characteristics of various biochemical products, which can be helpful for scientific fundamental understanding as well as instrumental in various industrial applications, especially in early stage screening and process development.
Joint optimal power allocation, cooperative beamforming, and jammer selection design to secure untrusted relaying network
Authors: Moradikia Majid , Mashdour Saeed , Jamshidi Ali
Published: January 2018

A half‐duplex relaying network provides 2 opportunities for passive eavesdroppers (Eves) and 1 opportunity for untrusted relays to intercept the information. In this paper, we aim to enhance the physical layer security of a cooperative network where a single‐antenna source intends to communicate with a single‐antenna destination in the presence of a group of untrusted relays and a passive eavesdropper. The objective is to protect the data confidentially while concurrently relying on the untrusted relays as potential Eves to improve both the security and reliability of the network. To realize this objective, we design a joint cooperative beamforming and cooperative jamming strategy. With the aim of maximizing the instantaneous secrecy rate, an optimal power allocation (OPA) scheme is proposed where the transmission powers of both jammer and source are optimized simultaneously under the total power budget constraint. To further improve the secrecy rate, a jammer selection strategy is also proposed where cooperative jamming is performed by the destination or one of the idle relays. For the proposed scheme, a closed‐form expression of beamformer vector is derived by solving a generalized eigenvalue problem. Finally, for the OPA problem, it is possible to be neither convex nor concave. In this regard, all possible cases are investigated to determine the OPA factor accurately. Numerical results illustrate that the proposed joint OPA–cooperative beamforming scheme, together with the most appropriate jammer selection strategy, significantly increases the secrecy rate.
Young children show more vigilance against individuals with poor knowledge than those with antisocial motives
Authors: Vanderbilt Kimberly E. , Heyman Gail D. , Liu David
Published: January 2018

In three experiments, the present research investigated whether children's distrust of unreliable informants was influenced by the type of mental state causing the informants' unreliability. Children (total N = 167) played a searching game with an informant who repeatedly provided incorrect information either due to poor knowledge or to intentional deception resulting from antisocial motives. Results of Experiment 1 showed that children initially distrusted the ignorant informant more than the deceptive informant, but that levels of distrust increased and converged after children received feedback on their responses. Experiment 2 replicated the findings of Experiment 1 and also extended them by showing that children consistently distrusted the ignorant informant more than the deceptive informant in the absence of feedback. Experiment 3 helped rule out the possibility that results could be explained by the wording of informant descriptions in Experiments 1 and 2. Taken together, our results contribute to a small body of findings suggesting that young children have the capacity to use mental state information to make selective trust judgments and suggest that young children show more vigilance against individuals with poor knowledge than those with antisocial motives.

Highlights

How does the type of mental state causing unreliability (either ignorance or antisocial motives) influence children's vigilance against unreliable sources?

A direct comparison showed that children (3 ‐ 4 years old) distrusted ignorant sources more than antisocial sources.

Children use mental state information to make selective trust judgements.
Goldilocks versus Goldlöckchen: Visual speech preference for same‐rhythm‐class languages in 6‐month‐old infants
Authors: Kubicek Claudia , Gervain Judit , Lœvenbruck Hélène , Pascalis Olivier , Schwarzer Gudrun
Published: January 2018

The present study investigated German‐learning 6‐month‐old infants' preference for visual speech. Visual stimuli in the infants' native language (German) were contrasted with stimuli in a foreign language with similar rhythmical characteristics (English). In a visual preference task, infants were presented with 2 side‐by‐side silent video clips of the same speaker reciting a nursery rhyme simultaneously in German and English. To assess spontaneous preference for native or non‐native visual speech, we computed preference scores towards the English‐ and German‐speaking faces. The findings of the present study revealed a sex difference in visual speech preference. Only female infants exhibited a visual preference, by attending longer to the English‐speaking face. Notably, the present study provides the first evidence for sex differences in visual speech preference in infancy.

Highlights

Visual speech preference was tested in 6‐month‐old German‐learning infants.

Infants were tested with a preferential looking task contrasting German and English language.

Only female infants displayed a visual preference toward English visual speech suggesting a sex difference in infants' visual speech processing.
Front Cover: A theoretical‐experimental methodology for assessing the sensitivity of biomedical spectral imaging platforms, assays, and analysis methods (J. Biophotonics 1/2018)
Authors: Leavesley Silas J. , Sweat Brenner , Abbott Caitlyn , Favreau Peter , Rich Thomas C.
Published: January 2018

A hyperspectral image data cube acquired from HEK‐293 cells labeled with cytoplasmic and nuclear stains: Calcein Green and NucBlu. The top view (XY plane) displays three spectrally unmixed channels for cellular autofluorescence (red), Calcein Green (green), and NucBlue (blue). The Z axis shows spectral information, from low to high wavelength. The article by Leavesley and colleagues describes an approach for calculating the sensitivity of spectral imaging assays for detecting a fluorescence signature within a mix of other signatures or autofluorescence. Further details can be found in the article by Silas J. Leavesley et al. (e201600227).

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Cx43 Overexpression in Osteocytes Prevents Osteocyte Apoptosis and Preserves Cortical Bone Quality in Aging Mice
Authors: Davis Hannah M , Aref Mohammad W , Aguilar‐Perez Alexandra , Pacheco‐Costa Rafael , Allen Kimberly , Valdez Sinai , Herrera Carmen , Atkinson Emily G , Mohammad Arwa , Lopez David , Harris Marie A , Harris Stephen E , Allen Matthew , Bellido Teresita , Plotkin Lilian I
Published: January 2018

Young, skeletally mature mice lacking Cx43 in osteocytes exhibit increased osteocyte apoptosis and decreased bone strength, resembling the phenotype of old mice. Further, the expression of Cx43 in bone decreases with age, suggesting a contribution of reduced Cx43 levels to the age‐related changes in the skeleton. We report herein that Cx43 overexpression in osteocytes achieved by using the DMP1‐8kb promoter (Cx43OT mice) attenuates the skeletal cortical but not trabecular bone phenotype of aged, 14‐month‐old mice. The percentage of Cx43‐expressing osteocytes was higher in Cx43OT mice, whereas the percentage of Cx43‐positive osteoblasts remained similar to wild‐type (WT) littermate control mice. The percentage of apoptotic osteocytes and osteoblasts was increased in aged WT mice compared with skeletally mature, 6‐month‐old WT mice, and the percentage of apoptotic osteocytes, but not osteoblasts, was decreased in age‐matched Cx43OT mice. Aged WT mice exhibited decreased bone formation and increased bone resorption as quantified by histomorphometric analysis and circulating markers compared with skeletally mature mice. Further, aged WT mice exhibited the expected decrease in bone biomechanical structural and material properties compared with young mice. Cx43 overexpression prevented the increase in osteoclasts and decrease in bone formation on the endocortical surfaces and the changes in circulating markers in the aged mice. Moreover, the ability of bone to resist damage was preserved in aged Cx43OT mice both at the structural and material level. All together, these findings suggest that increased Cx43 expression in osteocytes ameliorates age‐induced cortical bone changes by preserving osteocyte viability and maintaining bone formation, leading to improved bone strength. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.