bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutrition and mycorrhizae affect interspecific patterns of seedling growth on coarse wood and mineral soil substrates
Authors: Willis John L. , Walters Michael B.
Published: July 2018

Smaller‐seeded tree species often require mineral soil and coarse woody debris (CWD) to establish. Limited data suggest that species‐based variation in tree seedling–CWDrelations exists; however, the generalizability of this pattern and its mechanistic basis remain unknown. We investigated interspecific substrate–seedling relations and the potential that differences in mycorrhizal status and substrate nutrition underlie these patterns with a potted plant experiment. Eight temperate tree species were grown in a lath shade house on six species ofCWDand mineral soil that had either been sterilized with gamma irradiation or left untreated to separate the effects of mycorrhizae from substrate nutrition. We assessed the impact of substrate identity on height growth and investigated possible mechanisms via relating growth to substrate inorganic N concentration, seedling foliar N (%), and mycorrhizal colonization. Seedling height varied across substrates consistently among species (i.e., substrate effects were strong, but seedling species x substrate interactions were weak). Seedlings were generally tallest on mineral soil followed byBetula papyriferaandThuja occidentalisCWD, and shortest onB. alleghaniensisorAcer saccharumCWD. Sterilization main effects on height were not significant; however, the response of species to sterilization varied, asAcer rubrumandT. occidentalisseedlings were significantly shorter on sterilized substrate. For all seedling species, growth correlated positively with substrate [N] and foliar N. Among the four species examined for mycorrhizae, root colonization density was highest on mineral soil and lowest onA. saccharumandB. alleghaniensisCWD). For these species, mean colonization density was more strongly associated with mean seedling height than substrate inorganic [N]. Beneficial mycorrhizal effects were suggested by positive height–mycorrhizal root density relationships forB. alleghaniensis,A. rubrum, andT. occidentalis. Collectively, for the group of northern hardwood tree species examined in this study, these results demonstrate that in a controlled environment, most species grow best on mineral soil,B. alleghaniensis and Picea glaucaattained maximum growth onCWD, species‐specific growth responses occur onCWD, and that substrate nutrient availability and mycorrhizal fungi contribute to the variation observed in seedling growth response across substrates.
Autoantibodies reactive to PEP08 are clinically related with morbidity and severity of interstitial lung disease in connective tissue diseases
Authors: Okumura Maiko , Ozawa Tatsuhiko , Hamana Hiroshi , Norimatsu Yu , Tsuda Reina , Kobayashi Eiji , Shinoda Koichiro , Taki Hirofumi , Tobe Kazuyuki , Imura Johji , Sugiyama Eiji , Kishi Hiroyuki , Muraguchi Atsushi
Published: July 2018

Anti‐Ro52 autoantibodies (Ro52‐autoAbs) appear in the sera of connective tissue disease (CTD) patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Studies using patient sera have shown a correlation between the generation of Ro52‐autoAbs and the clinical morbidity and severity of CTD with ILD. In this study, we used a single B‐cell manipulating technology and obtained 12 different monoclonal Ro52‐autoAbs (mRo52‐autoAbs) from the selected four patients suffering from severe ILD with a high titer of Ro52‐autoAbs in their sera. Western blot analysis revealed that 11 of 12 mRo52‐autoAbs bound to the coiled‐coil domain of Ro52. Competitive ELISA demonstrated that mRo52‐autoAbs competed with each other to bind to Ro52. Epitope mapping showed that two of them specifically bound to a peptide (PEP08) in the coiled‐coil domain. We then examined the titer of Ro52‐autoAbs in the sera of 192 CTD patients and assessed the relationship between the serum levels of Ro52‐autoAbs that were reactive to PEP08 peptide and the clinical morbidity and severity of ILD. Statistical analysis revealed that the production of PEP08‐reactive Ro52‐autoAbs correlated with the morbidity and severity of ILD in CTD. Assessment of the production of PEP08‐reactive Ro52‐autoAbs in autoimmune diseases is useful for predicting the clinical morbidity of ILD.
Synthesis, Structures, and Catalytic Activity of Homo‐ and Heteroleptic Ketoiminate Zinc Complexes in Lactide Polymerization
Authors: Steiniger Phillip , Schäfer Pascal M. , Wölper Christoph , Henkel Johanna , Ksiazkiewicz Agnieszka N. , Pich Andrij , Herres‐Pawlis Sonja , Schulz Stephan
Published: July 2018

The heteroleptic complex LZnEt [(1); L = MeNacac = MeNC(Me)CHC(Me)O] containing the sterically less demanding N,O‐chelating ketoiminate (MeNacac) ligand was synthesized by reaction of ZnEt2 with an equimolar amount of MeNacacH, whereas the reaction with two equivalents MeNacacH gave the homoleptic complex L2Zn 5. 1 reacts with ArOH (Ar = 2,6‐Me2‐Ph) with ethane elimination and formation of LZnOAr (2). Addition of the Lewis base dmap (dmap = 4‐dimethylamino pyridine) to 1 and 2 yielded the corresponding Lewis acid‐base adducts dmap‐Zn(L)Et 3 and dmap‐Zn(L)OAr 4. Compounds 1–5 were characterized by heteronuclear NMR (1H, 13C) and IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (1–3, 5). Their technical application as catalysts in ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of rac‐lactide in CD2Cl2 or CDCl3 solutions at ambient temperature was investigated. 2 and 3 show the highest activities, whereas those of 1 and 5 are substantially lower. 2 and 3 polymerize rac‐lactide (90 % conversion) within 140 (3) and 180 (2) minutes, respectively. In contrast, 4 could only be investigated in bulk polymerization reactions due to its very poor solubility in common organic solvents. These studies proved that 4 is active in bulk polymerization, converting 93 % lactide to polylactide at 140 °C within 20 minutes.
When Crystals Go Nano – The Role of Advanced X‐ray Total Scattering Methods in Nanotechnology
Authors: Bertolotti Federica , Moscheni Daniele , Guagliardi Antonietta , Masciocchi Norberto
Published: July 2018

Controlling the stoichiometry, structure, defects, size, and shape of engineered nanomaterials (in the forms of powders, colloids, and thin films) is a fundamental issue in designing new functionalities and providing reproducible and efficient synthetic methods, thus enabling the construction of high‐tech devices. Nanosized materials arecomplexsystems; therefore, to meet these goals, advanced physicochemical methods and dedicated and robust characterization tools, bearing a solid statistical value, are required. Here we present frontier techniques based on X‐ray total scattering (mainly, but not only, synchrotron‐based) and the Debye scattering equation modeling. The method has been developed in the field of crystalline nanomaterials and nanocomposites, from very small colloidal semiconductor quantum dots to halide perovskites, metals, oxides, nanodrugs, and bioceramics, and provides atomic‐ to nanometer‐scale characterization to an unbeatable level. Examples from the recent scientific literature are presented.
Redox‐Controlled Stabilization of an Open‐Shell Intermediate in a Bioinspired Enzyme Model
Authors: Hanauer Kristina , Förster Christoph , Heinze Katja
Published: July 2018

Bis(ferrocenyl)‐appended dioxido molybdenum(VI) complexes perform oxygen‐atom transfer (OAT) reactions similar to sulfite oxidases. Positively charged ferrocenium ions accelerate the nucleophilic attack of the substrate. The fate of the intermediate species formed after the OAT depends on the initial redox states of the iron centers. In the all‐iron(II) state of the ferrocenyl moieties, a simple OAT from the FeIIFeIIMoVIO2 unit to a PMe3 substrate occurs yielding FeIIFeIIMoIVO and OPMe3 without participation of the iron(II) centers. In the all‐iron(III) state, the ferrocenium intermediates are susceptible to decomposition initiated by the nucleophilic substrate. However, in the mixed FeII/FeIII state, OAT to PMe3 is rapidly followed by an intramolecular electron transfer (IET) within the initially formed FeIIFeIIIMoIVO(OPMe3) species to give the FeIIFeIIMoVO(OPMe3) electromer. The absence of ferrocenium species, the presence of molybdenum(V) and the coordinated OPMe3 in the quite persistent FeIIFeIIMoVO(OPMe3) electromer is demonstrated by EPR spectroscopy in combination with Density Functional Theory calculations. The IET‐coupled OAT reaction stabilizes this molybdenum(V) intermediate compared to the conventional molybdenum(IV) OAT reaction intermediate. This stabilization enables its characterization by spectroscopic means before the OPMe3 product dissociates. This study presents a concept for redox‐controlled stabilization of a catalytically relevant intermediate.
Synthesis of a GNRs@mSiO2‐ICG‐DOX@Se‐Se‐FA Nanocomposite for Controlled Chemo‐/Photothermal/Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: An Na , Lin Huiming , Qu Fengyu
Published: July 2018

A novel GNRs@mSiO2 core–shell nanocomposite has been synthesized to integrate sensitive chemotherapy with photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) for enhanced antitumor treatment by using gold nanorods (GNRs) as the core and mesoporous silica (mSiO2) as the shell. After modifying with ‐NH2, Indocyanine Green (ICG, negative charge) and doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX, positive charge) molecules could be stored in the mesopores by the layer‐by‐layer assembly method through electrostatic interactions. To inhibit leakage from the mesopores, a sensitive Se–Se linker was synthesized and adopted as a nanovalve coated on the outside of the nanoparticles (GNRs@mSiO2‐ICG‐DOX@Se‐Se). Under NIR (808 nm) irradiation, heat elevation (derived from GNR/ICG) and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS, derived from ICG) can also be detected in vitro. Owing to the redox sensitivity of Se–Se, GNRs@mSiO2‐ICG‐DOX@Se‐Se showed reduction (GSH)‐ as well as oxidation (ROS)‐triggered DOX release. To further ensure specific targeting, folic acid (FA) was grafted to the outside of the nanoparticles, because of the high expression of FA receptors on tumor cells. Detailed cell experiments performed with the nanoparticles and HepG2 as typical cancer cells showed enhanced cytotoxicity towards the cancer cells owing to the synergistic effect of chemotherapy, PTT, and PDT. On account of the different GSH concentrations in cancer and normal cells and the switch‐on/off application of NIR irradiation, the GNRs@mSiO2‐ICG‐DOX@Se‐Se‐FA nanoparticles show potential for applications in cancer therapy.
Design of a Photoactive Bimetallic Cu‐Au@g‐C3N4 Catalyst for Visible Light Driven Hydroxylation of the Benzene Reaction through C–H Activation
Authors: Bhuyan Bishal , Devi Meghali , Bora Debashree , Dhar Siddhartha Sankar , Newar Rajashree
Published: July 2018

In the present study, a new photoactive bimetallic Cu‐Au@g‐C3N4 catalytic system was designed by impregnating Cu and Au NPs over the graphitic carbon nitrite (g‐C3N4) surface. Characterization of the catalyst using multiple techniques illustrated that very small‐sized Cu and Au NPs were monodispersed on the g‐C3N4 surface, which were obtained by the in situ reduction of the metal salts using sodium borohydride. The as‐synthesized bimetallic Cu‐Au@g‐C3N4 catalyst efficiently catalyzed the hydroxylation of benzene (HOB) via C–H activation under visible light irradiation at room temperature. The dominant role of the synergistic interaction between Cu and Au NPs were further elucidated by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR‐TEM) studies and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. This study may provide a new avenue for the preparation of photoactive bimetallic catalysts and offers insight into the synergistic interaction of bimetallic catalytic HOB reactions.
Deoxyalkoxyamination of Alcohols for the Synthesis of N‐Alkoxy‐N‐alkylbenzenesulfonamides
Authors: Sun Qi‐An , Lu Ze‐Hai , Pu Xiao‐Qiu , Hu Hui‐Lian , Zhang Jia‐heng , Yang Xian‐Jin
Published: July 2018

A novel protocol for the deoxyalkoxyamination of alcohols has been developed, using N‐alkoxybenzenesulfonimide (NOSI) as both a sulfonyl transfer reagent and an alkoxyamine source, accessing a diverse range of N‐alkoxy‐N‐alkylbenzenesulfonamides with excellent isolated yields. This method is characterized by metal‐free reaction, scalability, and waste‐balance. Chiral substrates are converted with excellent levels of stereochemical inversion. NOSI could be generated in situ during the reaction as a stable reagent if a three‐component one‐pot reaction was designed. Exploiting this approach to run intramolecular reactions offered various N‐protected isoxazolidines. In addition, valuable O‐alkyl hydroxylamines (or isoxazolidines) were obtained through a neutral strategy of desulfonylation of the products.
Systematic Evaluation of Sulfoxides as Catalysts in Nucleophilic Substitutions of Alcohols
Authors: Motsch Sebastian , Schütz Christian , Huy Peter H.
Published: July 2018

Herein, a method for the nucleophilic substitution (SN) of benzyl alcohols yielding chloro alkanes is introduced that relies on aromatic sulfoxides as Lewis base catalysts (down to 1.5 mol‐%) and benzoyl chloride (BzCl) as reagent. A systematic screening of various sulfoxides and other sulfinyl containing Lewis bases afforded (2‐methoxyphenyl)methyl sulfoxide as optimal catalyst. In contrast to reported formamide catalysts, sulfoxides also enable the application of plain acetyl chloride (AcCl) as reagent. In addition, it was demonstrated that weakly electrophilic carboxylic acid chlorides like BzCl promote Pummerer rearrangement of sulfoxides already at room temperature. This side‐reaction also provided the explanation, why sulfoxide catalyzed SN‐reactions of alcohols do not allow the effective production of aliphatic and electron deficient chloro alkanes. Comparison experiments provided further insight into the reaction mechanism.
Characterizing the power cost of virtualization environments
Authors: Tadesse Senay Semu , Chiasserini Carla Fabiana , Malandrino Francesco
Published: July 2018

Virtualization is a key building block of next‐generation mobile networks. It can be implemented through two main approaches: traditional virtual machines (VMs) and lighter‐weight containers. Our objective in this paper is to compare these approaches and study the power consumption they are associated with. To this end, we perform a large set of real‐world measurements, using both synthetic workloads and real‐world applications, and use them to model the relationship between the resource usage of the hosted application and the power consumption of both VMs and containers hosting it. We find that containers incur substantially lower power consumption than VMs and that such consumption increases more slowly with the application load.
Numerical study of supercritical CO2 and proppant transport in different geometrical fractures
Authors: Wang Haizhu , Wang Meng , Yang Bing , Lu Qun , Zheng Yong , Zhao Heqian
Published: July 2018

Supercritical CO2 (SC‐CO2) fracturing, as a kind of waterless fracturing method, is an effective treatment in the unconventional oil and gas industry. Due to its characteristic lower viscosity, supercritical CO2 fracturing is likely to create thin and long fractures that connect pre‐existing natural fractures and generate complex fractures. It is therefore very challenging to predict how far supercritical CO2 carrying proppant can go and how proppant will be transported in natural fractures, when natural fractures are contacted or penetrated by induced fractures. In this paper, proppant transport with supercritical CO2 in fractures was analyzed using the computational fluid dynamics method. Three types of fractures – planar fractures, T‐shape fractures and crossing‐shape fractures – were modeled. Five parametrical cases were studied using the T‐shape and crossing‐shape models. Results show that, for T‐shape fracture cases, a turbulent flow regime might develop at a fracture junction, which can make proppant propagate to natural fractures. For crossing‐shape fractures, a turbulent flow takes place behind the fracture junction, which causes a little sand dune to form downstream of the induced fracture. With the reduction in the width of the natural fracture, the height of the sand bank at the thinner natural fracture is higher than that at the wider natural fracture. Using a proppant whose density and diameter are respectively less than 1540 kg/m3 and 0.25 mm, as well as a sand‐carrying fluid whose sand ratio ranges from 8% to 10% and injection rate exceeds 2 kg/s, is beneficial to prop natural fractures. Moreover, the larger the intersection angle of the crossing‐shape fracture is, the more difficult it is for proppant to enter natural fractures. This study reveals the influence of fracture geometry on proppant transport with SC‐CO2. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
“Reverse” pyridyl cryptands as hosts for viologens
Authors: Pederson Adam M.‐P. , Price Terry L. , Schoonover Daniel V. , Slebodnick Carla , Gibson Harry W.
Published: July 2018

Two new cryptands, 2 and 4, were prepared from bis(m‐phenylene)‐32‐crown‐10 (BMP32) 5,5'‐diacid chloride and dibenzo‐30‐crown‐10 (DB30) 4,4'‐diacid chloride, respectively, by reaction with pyridine‐2,6‐dimethanol. The resultant cryptands 2 and 4 have the ester moieties reversed from the previously reported isomers, 1 and 3. These “reverse” cryptands display lower association constants with viologen derivatives than the original cryptands; this is rationalized by the conjugation of the ester moieties with the aromatic rings, which reduces their electron‐donating properties and offsets the increased basicity of the pyridyl nitrogen atoms. The crystal structure of the BMP32‐based cryptand 2 indeed confirms the coplanarity of the ester and aromatic moieties and indicates that, as a result, the available cavity is quite small and that the pyridyl nitrogen atom points away from the cavity.
A retrospective and prospective assessment of the zero‐markup drug reform in China from the perspective of policy diffusion
Authors: Deng Jianwei , Tian Huilin , Guo Yilun , Ma Tengyang , Sun Yangjie , Zhang Shiyang , Yang Tianan , Tian Xu
Published: July 2018

The zero‐markup drug policy is an important component of the new round of Chinese health care reform that began in 2009 to promote the separation between medical and pharmaceutical services, reduce patients' medical burden, and improve the medical supply security system. Over the past 8 years, the zero‐markup drug reform policy has been carried out in 4 pilot rounds (a policy diffusion model with Chinese characteristics) and has been promoted throughout the mainland China. At this critical point, it is necessary to review this policy systematically. Therefore, based on the literature, government documents, and interview records, this study analyzed the characteristics, progress, achievements, challenges, and recommendations of zero‐markup drug reform by using the policy diffusion theory. The study found that zero‐markup drug reform has completed its initial diffusion by use of the “policy experiment” method and has reduced drug prices and patients' burden to a certain extent. However, in the next phase of policy diffusion, the reform still requires adjustment and innovative measures to respond to future challenges. Generally speaking, as China's unique health care reform practice, the experience of zero‐markup drug reform could be used as a reference for other countries to control drug prices, separate medical and pharmaceutical services, and establish a modern system of hospital operation.
Thermal optimization of tapered pin fin exposed to nonuniform surface heat transfer coefficient
Authors: Taamneh Yazan , Alrbai Mohammad , Sathyamurthy Ravishankar
Published: July 2018

In the present work, thermal analysis and design optimization of tapered pin fin subjected to variable surface heat transfer coefficient have been numerically carried out. It is well known that heat is transferred through the fin by conduction along its length and dissipated from the fin surface via natural convection to the ambient. The thermal analysis and the optimum dimension were carried out using finite element (FE) modeling software ANSYS‐17.2. The thermal performance of the tapered pin fin has been studied over a wide range of physical dimensions. In addition, the effect of base to tip surface heat transfer coefficient ratio (ε) on the fin performance is evaluated. It was found that the effect of variable heat transfer coefficient has a significant impact on the fin efficiency. The rate of increase of fin efficiency was lower in the low as well as in high range of ε, meanwhile, it was steeper in the intermediate range of ε. It was also observed that the optimal values of the heat dissipation were higher for lower values of ε at the same conditions.
Copy number variation analysis and targeted NGS in 77 families with suspected Lynch syndrome reveals novel potential causative genes
Authors: Kayser Katrin , Degenhardt Franziska , Holzapfel Stefanie , Horpaopan Sukanya , Peters Sophia , Spier Isabel , Morak Monika , Vangala Deepak , Rahner Nils , von Knebel‐Doeberitz Magnus , Schackert Hans K. , Engel Christoph , Büttner Reinhard , Wijnen Juul , Doerks Tobias , Bork Peer , Moebus Susanne , Herms Stefan , Fischer Sascha , Hoffmann Per , Aretz Stefan , Steinke‐Lange Verena
Published: July 2018

In many families with suspected Lynch syndrome (LS), no germline mutation in the causative mismatch repair (MMR) genes is detected during routine diagnostics. To identify novel causative genes for LS, the present study investigated 77 unrelated, mutation‐negative patients with clinically suspected LS and a loss of MSH2 in tumor tissue. An analysis for genomic copy number variants (CNV) was performed, with subsequent next generation sequencing (NGS) of selected candidate genes in a subgroup of the cohort. Genomic DNA was genotyped using Illumina's HumanOmniExpress Bead Array. After quality control and filtering, 25 deletions and 16 duplications encompassing 73 genes were identified in 28 patients. No recurrent CNV was detected, and none of the CNVs affected the regulatory regions of MSH2. A total of 49 candidate genes from genomic regions implicated by the present CNV analysis and 30 known or assumed risk genes for colorectal cancer (CRC) were then sequenced in a subset of 38 patients using a customized NGS gene panel and Sanger sequencing. Single nucleotide variants were identified in 14 candidate genes from the CNV analysis. The most promising of these candidate genes were: (i) PRKCA, PRKDC, and MCM4, as a functional relation to MSH2 is predicted by network analysis, and (ii) CSMD1, as this is commonly mutated in CRC. Furthermore, six patients harbored POLE variants outside the exonuclease domain, suggesting that these might be implicated in hereditary CRC. Analyses in larger cohorts of suspected LS patients recruited via international collaborations are warranted to verify the present findings.
Conservative management of placental invasion anomalies with an intracavitary suture technique
Authors: Acar Ali , Ercan Fedi , Pekin Aybike , Elci Atilgan Adeviye , Sayal Hasan Berkan , Balci Osman , Gorkemli Hüseyin
Published: July 2018

Objective

To assess the efficacy and safety of a new surgical suture technique for uterine preservation among patients with placental invasion anomalies.

Methods

The present prospective case series included women diagnosed with placental invasion anomalies undergoing cesarean deliveries who desired future fertility at the obstetrics department of a Turkish university hospital between January 10, 2013, and April 20, 2017. Patients were diagnosed with ultrasonography and Doppler ultrasonography; the type of placental invasion anomaly (placenta accreta, increta, or percreta) was confirmed intraoperatively. Surgical management involved an intracavitary suture technique after the proximal branch of the uterine artery was clamped and utero–ovarian anastomoses had been blocked. Outcomes included units of blood transfused, intraoperative and postoperative adverse events, duration of hospital admission, and hysterectomy rate.

Results

There were 62 patients included. The mean operative blood loss was 1350 ± 750 mL (range 600–5000 mL). Blood transfusion required a mean of four units (range 2–15). Bleeding was controlled with the intracavitary sutures in 58 (94%) patients. Three patients experienced postoperative wound infections and two patients developed endometritis that required therapy with broad‐spectrum antibiotics. The mean length of hospital stay was 3.6 ± 1.6 days (range 2–11). None of the patients required reoperation after the initial surgery.

Conclusion

The novel uterus‐sparing suture technique was highly effective among patients with placental invasion anomalies.
Affordances and effects of introducing social media within eParticipation—Findings from government‐initiated Indonesian project
Authors: Dini Alfatika Aunuriella , Sæbo Øystein , Wahid Fathul
Published: July 2018

In this paper, we explore “LAPOR!,” a government‐developed social media project within a young democratic society. LAPOR! is a system for citizens to report various issues to the public and represents a novel example of a custom‐made tool by the Indonesian government. We examine the system's action potentials, constraining factors, and effects identified through the lenses of the technology affordances theory. LAPOR! introduces different affordances that influences citizens' level of engagement compared with mainstream social media. We contribute by fostering a better understanding of the development of custom‐made social media initiatives. Moreover, we contribute knowledge to the field by investigating eParticipation projects from emerging economies, such as Indonesia, a context that has not been thoroughly investigated.
Behavioral treatment of automatically reinforced SIB: 1982 – 2015
Authors: Rooker Griffin W. , Bonner Andrew C. , Dillon Christopher M. , Zarcone Jennifer R.
Published: July 2018

Some individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities engage in automatically reinforced self‐injurious behavior (SIB). For these individuals, identifying effective treatments may be difficult due to the nature of the reinforcement contingency. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on the treatment of automatically reinforced SIB to determine commonalities in procedures that produced effective and ineffective treatment outcomes, as well as historical trends in the treatment of this class of SIB. Results of this review indicated that there were many high‐quality studies on this topic, but also a wide range in the quality of studies. As for effective treatments, noncontingent reinforcement (the most common treatment component) was found to be more effective when informed by a competing stimulus assessment rather than a preference assessment. Suggestions to improve the quality of the published record and areas in which additional research is needed are discussed.
LncRNA FAL1 is a negative prognostic biomarker and exhibits pro‐oncogenic function in osteosarcoma
Authors: Wang Yanlong , Zhao Zhenyu , Zhang Shenqi , Li Zhaopeng , Li Dawei , Yang Sen , Zhang Hai , Zeng Xiangyu , Liu Jianyu
Published: July 2018

Long noncoding RNA focally amplified lncRNA on chromosome 1 (FAL1) plays an important role in the development of several human malignancy entities. However, the expression and function of FAL1 in the carcinogenesis and development of osteosarcoma remain unknown. In this study, we detected the FAL1 levels in human osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and investigated its role in osteosarcoma using in vitro assays. Our results showed that FAL1 expression was significantly upregulated in human osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines compared with their normal controls. FAL1 expression level was positively correlated with the distance metastasis (P = .008) and tumor stage (
P = .013). Higher expression of FAL1 conferred a significantly poorer survival, as determined by the Kaplan‐Meier method with the log‐rank test. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that FAL1 was probably an independent risk of overall survival. Additionally, the serum FAL1 expression level was associated with osteosarcoma status in patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that FAL1 expression was different between patients with osteosarcoma and healthy cohorts (area under the curve, 0.839; P < .001). Furthermore, knockdown of FAL1 by small interfering RNA significantly inhibited cell proliferation via inducing G2/M arrest in osteosarcoma cells. Depletion of FAL1 also suppressed osteosarcoma cell migration and invasion, which might be mediated by inhibiting the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) program. Taken together, our study showed that lncRNA FAL1 exhibits an important pro‐oncogenic effect on osteosarcoma progression by targeting EMT, which may serve as a potential therapeutic target for osteosarcoma.
Stable overexpression of p130/E2F4 affects the multipotential abilities of bone‐marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Zhang Xiwen , Chen Jianxiao , Liu Airan , Xu Xiuping , Xue Ming , Xu Jingyuan , Yang Yi , Qiu Haibo , Guo Fengmei
Published: July 2018

Bone‐marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great potential in transplantation medicine due to their multiple advantages. However, the controlled differentiation of MSCs is one of the key aspects of effective clinical transplantation. Growing evidence suggests that the cell cycle plays an important role in regulating differentiation, while p130 and E2F4 are key to cell cycle checkpoints. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effects and mechanism of p130/E2F4 on the multidifferentiation of MSCs. Our data showed that the transduction efficiencies of p130 or E2F4 mediated by lentiviral vectors were 80.3%–84.4%. p130 and E2F4 mRNA expression was significantly higher in MSC‐p130 and MSC‐E2F4 cells than in MSC normal control (NC) cells. Similar results were also observed for p130 and E2F4 protein expression. After osteogenic or adipogenic differentiation, the G1 phase was significantly delayed in the MSC‐p130 and MSC‐E2F4 groups compared with that in the MSC‐NC group. However, the G1 phase in the MSC‐p130 and MSC‐E2F4 groups did the opposite after chondrogenic differentiation. Moreover, overexpressing p130 or E2F4 significantly improved osteogenic differentiation while inhibiting adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of mouse MSCs (mMSCs). Moreover, overexpressing p130 or E2F4 significantly improved migration but not proliferation of mMSCs. Our data suggest that cell cycle regulation may be involved in p130/E2F4‐mediated changes in the multipotential abilities of bone‐marrow‐derived mMSCs.
Foliar epidermal micromorphology and its taxonomic implications in some selected species of Athyriaceae
Authors: Shah Syed Nasar , Ahmad Mushtaq , Zafar Muhammad , Razzaq Abdul , Malik Khafsa , Rashid Neelam , Ullah Fazal , Iqbal Majid , Zaman Wajid
Published: July 2018

For the robust identification of taxonomically complex fern family like Athyriaceae, light and scanning electron microscopy is significance implications. This article present first microscopic investigation of foliar micromorphology of 3 genera and 10 species belonging to Athyriaceae namely, Athyrium, Deparia, and Diplazium were collected from different localities in Malakand Division, Northern Pakistan. In present study we compare foliar micromorphology of all 10 species using standard protocols of light microcopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy. Qualitative micromorphological variations in shape of epidermal cells, anticlinal wall pattern, stomatal type and shape, stomatal pore shape, guard cells shape, and trichomes types were studied. In addition, some quantitative characters were also studied and data were statistically analyzed in epidermal cell size, stomatal size, stomatal pore size, stomatal density, and stomatal index. The pivotal result of study include; shape of epidermal cell in all species is irregular on both abaxial and adaxial surfaces. The anticlinal walls are sinuous in most of the species but some species have irregular lobed and broadly lobed wall. Leaves are hypostomatic in all studied species. Two main categories of stomatal type were found: polocytic and anomocytic. Unicellular nonglandular trichomes were observed in only one species Athyrium mackinnoni. The variation in foliar micromorphological characters between the genera and within the species was useful in identification and classification and have potential taxonomic significance for species differentiation. An identification key using micromorphological characters are provided to distinguish genera and species.
The evolution of sociality in termites from cockroaches: A taxonomic and phylogenetic perspective
Authors: Legendre Frédéric , Grandcolas Philippe
Published: July 2018

Despite multiple studies and advances, sociality still puzzles evolutionary biologists in numerous ways, which might be partly addressed with the advent of sociogenomics. In insects, the majority of sociogenomic studies deal with Hymenoptera, one of the two groups that evolved eusociality with termites. But, to fully grasp the evolution of sociality, studies must obviously not restrict to eusocial lineages. Multiple kinds of social system transitions have been recorded and they all bring complementary insights. For instance, cockroaches, the closest relatives to termites, display a wide range of social interactions and evolved convergently subsocial behaviors (i.e., brood care). In this context, we emphasize the need for natural history, taxonomic, and phylogenetic studies. Natural history studies provide the foundations on which building hypotheses, whereas taxonomy provides the taxa to sample to test these hypotheses, and phylogenetics brings the historical framework necessary to test evolutionary scenarios of sociality evolution.
Validating the data fusion‐based drought index across Queensland, Australia, and investigating interdependencies with remote drivers
Authors: Azmi Mohammad , Rüdiger Christoph
Published: July 2018

Drought monitoring and assessments are important tasks requiring comprehensive, validated indices. Exceptional circumstances (EC) data provided by the Queensland Government are used here as “ground truth” to validate the data fusion‐based drought index (DFDI) and to recalibrate the regional drought thresholds for the purpose of increasing the predictive accuracy. To achieve this, Queensland is regionalized into relatively homogeneous regions following existing climate and land use classifications, followed by a recalibration of the index's drought thresholds over each subregion. As a benchmark, the rainfall percentile ranking (RPR) and standardized precipitation index (SPI), currently employed for drought monitoring by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, have been compared with the EC maps and the DFDI, showing an underperformance in reliably detecting drought‐affected areas by the precipitation‐based indices. The results suggest that the DFDI's true‐positive detection rate of water stress conditions closely resembles the EC data in 84.48, 74.23, and 76.31% of the cases across desert, grassland, and tropical/subtropical regions. In addition, correlations along with copulas have been applied to reveal teleconnections and interdependencies between DFDI and effective remote drivers across the whole state, as well as each subregion. Here, comparisons of the 6‐month moving average of the DFDI and the equivalent average of the Southern Oscillation index (SOI) (2000–2016) showed that the SOI has the highest impact on drought conditions as SOI thresholds of <−4 associated with the whole state, while the climate subregions had thresholds of <−2.2, <−3.4, and <−4 related to desert, grassland, and tropical/subtropical regions, respectively.
Selective separation and determination of quercetin from red wine by molecularly imprinted nanoparticles coupled with HPLC and ultraviolet detection
Authors: Zengin Adem , Badak M. Utku , Aktas Nahit
Published: July 2018

In this study, a highly sensitive and selective sample pretreatment procedure using molecularly imprinted silica nanoparticles was developed for the extraction and determination of quercetin in red wine samples coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The imprinted silica nanoparticles were prepared in the presence of N‐acryoyl‐l‐aspartic acid (functional monomer), quercetin (template), azobisisobutyronitrile (initiator) and methylene bisacrylamide (cross‐linker) and methanol/water (porogen) via surface‐initiated reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. Surface characterization was performed and several imprinting parameters were investigated, and the results indicated that adsorption of quercetin on the imprinted silica nanoparticles followed a pseudo‐first‐order adsorption isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity at 26.4 mg/g within 60 min. The imprinted silica nanoparticles also showed satisfactory selectivity towards quercetin as compared with its structural analogues. Moreover, the imprinted nanoparticles preserved their recognition ability even after five adsorption–desorption cycles. Meanwhile, the nanoparticles were successfully applied to selective extraction of quercetin from red wine with a high recovery (99.7–100.4%). The limit of detection was calculated to be 0.058 μg/mL with a correlation coefficient 0.9996 in the range of 0.2–50 μg/mL. As a result, the developed selective extraction method using molecular imprinting technology simplifies the sample pretreatment procedure before determination of quercetin in real samples.
Using a marsh organ to predict future plant communities in a Chinese estuary invaded by an exotic grass and mangrove
Authors: Peng Dan , Chen Luzhen , Pennings Steven C. , Zhang Yihui
Published: July 2018

Exotic species vary in how harmful they are. The earlier we can predict the outcome of an invasion, the more time is available for management. We conducted a “marsh organ” experiment with six elevation treatments to evaluate how the exotic grass Spartina alterniflora, which has invaded almost the entire coastline of China, affects a native (Kandelia obovata) and an exotic (Sonneratia apetala) mangrove in Zhangjiang Estuary, southern China. Survival of transplants in monoculture over two growing seasons in the marsh organ was high except at extreme high and low elevations. All three plants displayed hump‐shaped patterns of biomass across elevation in monoculture, but K. obovata performed best at slightly higher and S. alterniflora at slightly lower elevations, whereas S. apetala performed well across all four intermediate elevations and grew larger than the other two plants. In mixtures, S. alterniflora suppressed growth of mangrove seedlings of both species by up to 90%. The competitive effect of S. alterniflora was greatest at intermediate elevations where its biomass was greatest. When transplanted into adjacent stands of S. alterniflora, K. obovata remained stunted, but S. apetala grew quickly and began to emerge from the canopy of S. alterniflora by the end of the second growing season. At this site, past and ongoing disturbances to mature stands of K. obovata are likely to allow both exotics to increase in abundance. Aggressive management intervention will be needed to prevent estuaries in southern China from transitioning to near complete dominance by the exotic mangrove S. apetala.
Prevalence and characterization of carbapenem‐resistant bacteria in water bodies in the Los Angeles–Southern California area
Authors: Harmon Dana E. , Miranda Osvaldo A. , McCarley Ashley , Eshaghian Michelle , Carlson Natasha , Ruiz Cristian
Published: July 2018

Carbapenems are β‐lactam antibiotics used in healthcare settings as last resort drugs to treat infections caused by antibiotic‐resistant bacteria. Carbapenem‐resistant bacteria are increasingly being isolated from healthcare facilities; however, little is known about their distribution or prevalence in the environment, especially in the United States, where their distribution in water environments from the West Coast has not been studied before. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of carbapenem‐resistant bacteria and carbapenemase genes in water bodies from the Los Angeles area (California, USA). All samples that were analyzed contained carbapenem‐resistant bacteria with a frequency of between 0.1 and 324 carbapenem‐resistant cfu per 100 mls of water. We identified 76 carbapenem‐resistant or ‐intermediate isolates, most of which were also resistant to noncarbapenem antibiotics, as different strains of Enterobacter asburiae, Aeromonas veronii, Cupriavidus gilardii, Pseudomonas, and Stenotrophomonas species. Of them, 52 isolates were carbapenemase‐producers. Furthermore, PCR and sequence analysis to identify the carbapenemase gene of these carbapenemase‐producing isolates revealed that all Enterobacter asburiae isolates had a blaIMI‐2 gene 100% identical to the reference sequence, and all Stenotrophomonas maltophlia isolates had a blaL1 gene 83%–99% identical to the reference blaL1. Our findings indicate that water environments in Southern California are an important reservoir of bacteria‐resistant to carbapenems and other antibiotics, including bacteria carrying intrinsic and acquired carbapenemase genes.
PlaySharing: A group synchronization scheme for media streaming services in hierarchical WLANs
Authors: Kwon Dongwoo , Kim Hyeonwoo , Ju Hongtaek
Published: July 2018

This paper proposes a media sharing scheme for scalable media streaming and precise group synchronization services among adjacent mobile smart devices in wireless local area networks. For scalable media streaming, the structure of a hierarchical wireless media streaming network (HSN) is introduced to distribute streaming traffic to multiple wireless channels. It consists of a single IEEE 802.11 infrastructure network and multiple WiFi‐Direct networks. For group synchronization on a scale of milliseconds in the HSN, we propose PlaySharing, which combines event‐based synchronization, local adjustment of playback position errors, and rare and periodic synchronization. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate sustained precise synchronization by minimizing synchronization control packets during network congestion. Event‐based synchronization manages the synchronization between a media source device and client devices using event messages from the source device. To reduce the number of synchronization control packets, the local adjustment of playback position errors corrects those on the media client devices according to the expected playback position for the time elapsed since the last synchronization. Rare and periodic synchronization is applied in preparation for control packet loss, correcting the local adjustment errors when no event occurs. To evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme, the average synchronization errors between the source device and the client devices are measured using the user datagram protocol unicast and broadcast for control packet transmission in an IEEE 802.11 infrastructure network configuration and an HSN configuration. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme, with user datagram protocol unicast transmission of control messages in the HSN, has the lowest synchronization errors in the experiments.
Orchestrator conversation: Distributed management of cloud applications
Authors: Sebrechts Merlijn , Van Seghbroeck Gregory , Wauters Tim , Volckaert Bruno , De Turck Filip
Published: July 2018

Managing cloud applications is complex, and the current state of the art is not addressing this issue. The ever‐growing software ecosystem continues to increase the knowledge required to manage cloud applications at a time when there is already an IT skills shortage. Solving this issue requires capturing IT operation knowledge in software so that this knowledge can be reused by system administrators who do not have it. The presented research tackles this issue by introducing a new and fundamentally different way to approach cloud application management: a hierarchical collection of independent software agents, collectively managing the cloud application. Each agent encapsulates knowledge of how to manage specific parts of the cloud application, is driven by sending and receiving cloud models, and collaborates with other agents by communicating using conversations. The entirety of communication and collaboration in this collection is called the orchestrator conversation. A thorough evaluation shows the orchestrator conversation makes it possible to encapsulate IT operations knowledge that current solutions cannot, reduces the complexity of managing a cloud application, and happens inherently concurrent. The evaluation also shows that the conversation figures out how to deploy a single big data cluster in less than 100 milliseconds, which scales linearly to less than 10 seconds for 100 clusters, resulting in a minimal overhead compared with the deployment time of at least 20 minutes with the state of the art.
Computing minimum 2‐edge‐connected Steiner networks in the Euclidean plane
Authors: Brazil Marcus , Volz Marcus , Zachariasen Martin , Ras Charl , Thomas Doreen
Published: July 2018

We present a new exact algorithm for computing minimum 2‐edge‐connected Steiner networks in the Euclidean plane. The algorithm is based on the GeoSteiner framework for computing minimum Steiner trees in the plane. Several new geometric and topological properties of minimum 2‐edge‐connected Steiner networks are developed and incorporated into the new algorithm. Comprehensive experimental results are presented to document the performance of the algorithm which can reliably compute exact solutions to randomly generated instances with up to 50 terminals—doubling the range of existing exact algorithms. Finally, we discuss the appearance of Hamiltonian cycles as solutions to the minimum 2‐edge‐connected Steiner network problem.
The Steklov‐Poincaré technique for data completion: Preconditioning and filtering
Authors: Ferrier Renaud , Kadri Mohamed L. , Gosselet Pierre
Published: July 2018

This paper presents a study of primal and dual Steklov‐Poincaré approaches for the identification of unknown boundary conditions of elliptic problems. After giving elementary properties of the discretized operators, we investigate the numerical solution with Krylov solvers. Different preconditioning and acceleration strategies are evaluated. We show that costless filtering of the solution is possible by postprocessing Ritz elements. Assessments are provided on a 3D mechanical problem.
Responses of persons at risk of suicide: A critical interpretive synthesis
Authors: Talseth Anne‐Grethe , Gilje Fredricka L.
Published: July 2018

Aim

Several nursing studies focus on suicidal persons; yet, a synthesis of such research is unavailable. The aim of this review was to give an inclusive understanding of responses of persons at risk for suicide that guides clinical nursing practice and research.

Design

A reflexive and iterative study design was used in this study.

Method

A qualitative content analysis and a systematic review of literature guided the six‐phase Critical Interpretive Synthesis . A sample consisting of 24 nursing studies published during 1994–2017 were included in this study.

Results

Key concepts found were “Disengaged while fraught with affliction”; “Readiness to engage in life”; and “Engaging through caring and confirming humanity.” Contextually, there are gaps in global nursing knowledge. Conceptually, three key concepts can guide the nursing practice and give an impetus for the research. Methodologically, the Critical Interpretive Synthesis served as a helpful way to summarize and synthesize a small sample size into an aggregate body of knowledge. An evidenced‐based understanding of responses of persons at risk for suicide can guide nurses to ensure safety, promote hopeful recovery, and foster resilience.