bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Radiation knowledge among radiographers and radiography students
Authors: Maharjan Surendra
Published: April 2017

Objective To evaluate the knowledge of radiation among radiographers and radiography students in NepalMethods A validated questionnaire was conducted among radiographers and radiography students in 24th annual meeting and workshop of Nepal Radiological Society (NRS) on 10th September, 2015. The survey included multiple choice questions (MCQs) related to demographic characteristics (age, gender), academic qualification, work experience and knowledge of radiation. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21.0.Results Of total 102 respondents, 68.6% (70) were students and 31.4% (32) were radiographers. There were 65 male and 37 female with age ranging from 18 to 45, mean 23.70±5.11 years. Out of 14 MCQs related to knowledge of radiation, maximum score was 14 and minimum 5 with mean 9.99±1.94 (mean percentage 71.35%) (radiographers 10.63±2.10, 75.89% and students 9.70±1.80, 69.28%) respectively. Most participants failed in questions related to radiation units, minimum safe distance during portable radiography, fluoroscopy, and cancer risk of chest radiograph.Conclusion Overall awareness and knowledge of radiation was satisfying with definite possibilities for further improvement through regular trainings, workshops and continuing medical education (CME) programs related to radiation protection and safety. Furthermore, it is an urgent requirement of national radiation protection act in Nepal
Non-native molluscan colonizers on deliberately placed shipwrecks in the Florida Keys, with description of a new species of potentially invasive worm-snail (Gastropoda: Vermetidae)
Authors: Bieler Rüdiger , Granados-Cifuentes Camila , Rawlings Timothy A. , Sierwald Petra , Collins Timothy M.
Published: April 2017

Artificial reefs created by deliberately sinking ships off the coast of the Florida Keys island chain are providing new habitat for marine invertebrates. This newly developing fouling community includes the previously reported invasive orange tube coralTubastraea coccineaand the non-native giant foam oysterHyotissa hyotis. New SCUBA-based surveys involving five shipwrecks spanning the upper, middle, and lower Florida Keys, showT. coccineanow also established in the lower Keys andH. hyotislikewise extending to new sites. Two additional mollusks found on the artificial reefs, the amathinid gastropodCyclothyca paceiand gryphaeid oysterHyotissa mcgintyi, the latter also common in the natural reef areas, are discussed as potentially non-native. A new species of sessile, suspension-feeding, worm-snail,Thylacodes vandyensis Bieler, Rawlings & Collins n. sp. (Vermetidae), is described from the wreck of theUSNS Vandenbergoff Key West and discussed as potentially invasive. This new species is compared morphologically and by DNA barcode markers to other known members of the genus, and may be a recent arrival from the Pacific Ocean.Thylacodes vandyensisis polychromatic, with individuals varying in both overall head-foot coloration and mantle margin color pattern. Females brood stalked egg capsules attached to their shell within the confines of their mantle cavity, and give rise to crawl-away juveniles. Such direct-developing species have the demonstrated capacity for colonizing habitats isolated far from their native ranges and establishing rapidly growing founder populations. Vermetid gastropods are common components of the marine fouling community in warm temperate and tropical waters and, as such, have been tagged as potentially invasive or with a high potential to be invasive in the Pacific Ocean. As vermetids can influence coral growth/composition in the Pacific and have been reported serving as intermediate hosts for blood flukes of loggerhead turtles, such new arrivals in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are of concern. Growing evidence indicates that artificial reefs can act as permanent way-stations for arriving non-natives, providing nurseries within which populations may grow in an environment with reduced competition compared to native habitats. Consequently, artificial reefs can act as sentinels for the appearance of new species. Ongoing monitoring of the developing molluscan fauna on the artificial reefs of the Florida Keys is necessary to recognize new invasions and identify potential eradication targets, thereby assuring the health of the nearby natural barrier reef.
Profiling transcriptomes of human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells exposed to maleic acid
Authors: Wang Chia-Chi , Lin Yin-Chi , Cheng Yin-Hua , Tung Chun-Wei
Published: April 2017

Background

Maleic acid is a multi-functional chemical widely used in the field of industrial chemistry for producing food additives and food contact materials. As maleic acid may contaminate food by the release from food packages or intentional addition, it raises the concern about the effects of excessive dietary exposure to maleic acid on human health. However, the influence of maleic acid on human health has not been thoroughly studied. In silico toxicogenomics approaches have found the association between maleic acid and nervous system disease in human. The aim of this study is to experimentally explore the effects of maleic acid on human neuronal cells.

Methods

A microarray-based transcriptome profiling was performed to offer a better understanding of the effects of maleic acid on human health. Gene expression profiles of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells exposed to three concentrations of maleic acid (10, 50, and 100 μM) for 24 h were analyzed. Genes which were differentially expressed in dose-dependent manners were identified and further analyzed with an enrichment analysis. The expression profile of selected genes related to the inferred functional changes was validated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Specific fluorescence probes were applied to observe the inferred functional changes in maleic acid-treated neuronal cells.

Results

A total of 316 differentially expressed genes (141 upregulated and 175 downregulated) were identified in response to the treatment of maleic acid. The enrichment analysis showed that DNA binding and metal ion binding were the significant molecular functions (MFs) of the neuronal cells affected by maleic acid. Maleic acid exposure decreased the expression of genes associated with calcium and thiol levels of the cells in a dose-dependent manner. The levels of intracellular calcium and thiol levels were also affected by maleic acid dose-dependent.

Discussion

The exposure to maleic acid is found to decrease the cellular calcium and thiol levels in human neuronal cells at both transcriptional and functional levels. This study reported the first transcriptomic profiling of human neuronal cells treated with maleic acid. It is also the first experimental validation of chemical effects predicted by in silico toxicogenomics approaches. The proposed approach may be useful in understanding the potential effects of other poorly characterized chemicals on human health.
Reproducibility of 2‐Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography Assessment of the Liver: A Direct Comparison With Point Shear Wave Elastography in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Fang Cheng , Konstantatou Eleni , Romanos Odyssefs , Yusuf Gibran T. , Quinlan Daniel J. , Sidhu Paul S.
Published: April 2017

Objectives

Two‐dimensional shear wave elastography (2D‐SWE) imaging for the noninvasive assessment of tissue stiffness was assessed for reproducibility in healthy volunteers in quantifying liver elasticity, compared with an established point shear wave elastography (p‐SWE) technique also known as virtual touch quantification (VTQ) (SIEMENS).

Methods

Eleven healthy volunteers were examined by four experienced operators on two occasions, separated by two weeks (sessions A and B). Ten 2D‐SWE using LOGIQ E9 and p‐SWE measurements using VTQ (in meters per second) were consecutively taken from deep portions of liver segments 5 or 6 away from vascular structures, using standard techniques. Inter‐ and intra‐observer agreement was assessed by intraclass coefficient (ICC).

Results

A total of 880 2D‐SWE and p‐SWE velocities were recorded. Mean values from the four operators ranged between 1.188 and 1.196 m/s for 2D‐SWE and 1.170 to 1.207 m/s for p‐SWE. Interobserver reproducibility was good for both sessions with ICCs of 0.88 and 0.93 (2D‐SWE) and 0.87 and 0.93 (p‐SWE). The overall intra‐operator reproducibility between sessions A and B was good for both p‐SWE and 2D‐SWE with ICC of 0.87 and 0.83, respectively. For inter‐ and intra‐observer variability, the ICC was more than or equal to 0.71, indicating that the results were reliable. There was a strong and significant correlation between the 2D‐SWE and p‐SWE measurements (r = 0.87, P = .0006), but their velocities did not agree equally across different velocities.

Conclusions

Two‐dimensional SWE using LOGIQ E9 is a reliable and reproducible method for measuring elasticity in healthy volunteers and has a similar degree of reliability as p‐SWE using VTQ, but absolute measurements from the two techniques should not be used interchangeably.
The Serial Duplex Index Improves Differential Diagnosis of Acute Renal Transplant Dysfunction
Authors: Meier Markus , Fricke Lutz , Eikenbusch Katrin , Smith Emma , Kramer Jan , Lehnert Hendrik , Nitschke Martin
Published: April 2017

Objectives

Renal duplex sonography represents a standard noninvasive diagnostic procedure to demonstrate morphologic changes in acute kidney transplant dysfunction. We investigated whether a newly developed serial duplex index (SDI) can differentiate between acute cellular rejection and acute vascular rejection more effectively than the established Doppler parameters of the resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) in recently transplanted patients.

Methods

Serial duplex scans of patients with histologically proven acute tubular necrosis (n = 25), acute cellular rejection (n = 28), acute vascular rejection (n = 18), and normal graft function (n = 50, partially protocol biopsied) were retrospectively analyzed. For each patient, the RI, PI, and cortex‐pelvis proportion (CPP) were included from the day of biopsy (t0) and 3 to 7 days before biopsy (t–1). The sequential CPP ratio (CPPt0/CPPt–1), RI ratio (RIt0/RIt–1), and PI ratio (PIt0/Pit–1) were determined. The SDI was calculated as: RI ratio × PI ratio/CPP ratio. The diagnostic accuracy of the SDI was compared with that of the RI and PI ratios.

Results

Selected groups were statistically comparable in all routinely determined transplant parameters. The SDI was significantly different between patients with normal graft function, acute cellular rejection, and acute vascular rejection (P < .01, analysis of variance on ranks), whereas the RI and PI ratios were only significantly different between patients with normal graft function and acute vascular rejection (P < .05, analysis of variance on ranks). The indices' ranges were defined by the 95% confidence intervals between the allograft functions.

Conclusions

The developed SDI was able to detect acute renal transplant rejection with greater sensitivity and specificity than the RI and PI ratios. Since the SDI distinguishes between acute tubular necrosis, acute cellular rejection, and acute vascular rejection, it might be a supportive tool to indicate renal biopsy.
Evaluation of modeled land‐atmosphere exchanges with a comprehensive water isotope fractionation scheme in version 4 of the Community Land Model
Authors: Wong Tony E. , Nusbaumer Jesse , Noone David C.
Published: April 2017

All physical process models and field observations are inherently imperfect, so there is a need to both (1) obtain measurements capable of constraining quantities of interest and (2) develop frameworks for assessment in which the desired processes and their uncertainties may be characterized. Incorporation of stable water isotopes into land surface schemes offers a complimentary approach to constrain hydrological processes such as evapotranspiration, and yields acute insight into the hydrological and biogeochemical behaviors of the domain. Here a stable water isotopic scheme in the National Center for Atmospheric Research's version 4 of the Community Land Model (CLM4) is presented. An overview of the isotopic methods is given. Isotopic model results are compared to available data sets on site‐level and global scales for validation. Comparisons of site‐level soil moisture and isotope ratios reveal that surface water does not percolate as deeply into the soil as observed in field measurements. The broad success of the new model provides confidence in its use for a range of climate and hydrological studies, while the sensitivity of simulation results to kinetic processes stands as a reminder that new theoretical development and refinement of kinetic effect parameterizations is needed to achieve further improvements.
Bayesian calibration of groundwater models with input data uncertainty
Authors: Xu Tianfang , Valocchi Albert J. , Ye Ming , Liang Feng , Lin Yu‐Feng
Published: April 2017

Effective water resources management typically relies on numerical models to analyze groundwater flow and solute transport processes. Groundwater models are often subject to input data uncertainty, as some inputs (such as recharge and well pumping rates) are estimated and subject to uncertainty. Current practices of groundwater model calibration often overlook uncertainties in input data; this can lead to biased parameter estimates and compromised predictions. Through a synthetic case study of surface‐ground water interaction under changing pumping conditions and land use, we investigate the impacts of uncertain pumping and recharge rates on model calibration and uncertainty analysis. We then present a Bayesian framework of model calibration to handle uncertain input of groundwater models. The framework implements a marginalizing step to account for input data uncertainty when evaluating likelihood. It was found that not accounting for input uncertainty may lead to biased, overconfident parameter estimates because parameters could be over‐adjusted to compensate for possible input data errors. Parameter compensation can have deleterious impacts when the calibrated model is used to make forecast under a scenario that is different from calibration conditions. By marginalizing input data uncertainty, the Bayesian calibration approach effectively alleviates parameter compensation and gives more accurate predictions in the synthetic case study. The marginalizing Bayesian method also decomposes prediction uncertainty into uncertainties contributed by parameters, input data, and measurements. The results underscore the need to account for input uncertainty to better inform postmodeling decision making.
Numerical simulation of backward erosion piping in heterogeneous fields
Authors: Liang Yue , Yeh Tian‐Chyi Jim , Wang Yu‐Li , Liu Mingwei , Wang Junjie , Hao Yonghong
Published: April 2017

Backward erosion piping (BEP) is one of the major causes of seepage failures in levees. Seepage fields dictate the BEP behaviors and are influenced by the heterogeneity of soil properties. To investigate the effects of the heterogeneity on the seepage failures, we develop a numerical algorithm and conduct simulations to study BEP progressions in geologic media with spatially stochastic parameters. Specifically, the void ratio e, the hydraulic conductivity k, and the ratio of the particle contents r of the media are represented as the stochastic variables. They are characterized by means and variances, the spatial correlation structures, and the cross correlation between variables. Results of the simulations reveal that the heterogeneity accelerates the development of preferential flow paths, which profoundly increase the likelihood of seepage failures. To account for unknown heterogeneity, we define the probability of the seepage instability (PI) to evaluate the failure potential of a given site. Using Monte‐Carlo simulation (MCS), we demonstrate that the PI value is significantly influenced by the mean and the variance of ln k and its spatial correlation scales. But the other parameters, such as means and variances of e and r, and their cross correlation, have minor impacts. Based on PI analyses, we introduce a risk rating system to classify the field into different regions according to risk levels. This rating system is useful for seepage failures prevention and assists decision making when BEP occurs.
Incorporation of Carbon Dioxide into Carbamate Directing Groups: Palladium‐Catalyzed meta‐C–H Olefination and Acetoxylation of Aniline Derivatives
Authors: Yang Long , Fu Lei , Li Gang
Published: April 2017

Carbon dioxide (CO2), a readily available, non‐toxic, and inexpensive greenhouse gas, is an ideal reagent for carbamate synthesis. For the first time, CO2 has been efficiently incorporated into a novel nitrile‐containing directing group (DG) for meta‐C–H activation of anilines under mild conditions. Thus, various aniline derivatives were meta‐olefinated with palladium(II) acetate. meta‐C–H acetoxylation was also feasible and the carbamate DG could be easily removed under basic conditions. The practicality of substrate preparation, functional group tolerance, and versatility of this method make it a valuable addition to the meta‐C–H functionalization of anilines.

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Graphene Nanoribbon Based Thermoelectrics: Controllable Self‐ Doping and Long‐Range Disorder
Authors: Li Huashan , Grossman Jeffrey C.
Published: April 2017

Control of both the regularity of a material ensemble and nanoscale architecture provides unique opportunities to develop novel thermoelectric applications based on 2D materials. As an example, the authors explore the electronic and thermal properties of functionalized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) in the single‐sheet and helical architectures using multiscale simulations. The results suggest that appropriate functionalization enables precise tuning of the doping density in a planar donor/acceptor GNR ensemble without the need to introduce an explicit dopant, which is critical to the optimization of power factor. In addition, the self‐interaction between turns of a GNR may induce long‐range disorder along the helical axis, which suppresses the thermal contribution from phonons with long wavelengths, leading to anomalous length independent phonon thermal transport in the quasi‐1D system.
An exploratory clinical trial of bortezomib in patients with lower risk myelodysplastic syndromes
Authors: Daher May , Hidalgo Lopez Juliana Elisa , Randhawa Jasleen K. , Jabbar Kausar Jabeen , Wei Yue , Pemmaraju Naveen , Borthakur Gautam , Kadia Tapan , Konopleva Marina , Kantarjian Hagop M. , Hearn Katherine , Estrov Zeev , Reyes Steven , Bueso‐Ramos Carlos E. , Garcia‐Manero Guillermo
Published: April 2017

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and an increased risk of transformation. Few effective therapies are available for lower risk MDS patients, especially after the failure of hypomethylating agents. MDS progenitor cells are dependent on the nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) for survival, which makes it an attractive therapeutic target. As a proteosomal inhibitor, bortezomib is thought to have inhibitory activity against NF‐κB. We designed a proof‐of‐principle study of subcutaneous (SC) bortezomib in lower risk MDS patients with evidence of NF‐κB activation in their bone marrow. Fifteen patients were treated, their median age was 71 (range 56–87), 33% were low and 67% int‐1 by IPSS, median number of prior therapies was 2, all patients were transfusion dependent. Baseline median pp65 percentage was 31% and 11 patients had evidence of ring sideroblasts (RS). SC bortezomib was safe, well tolerated with no excess toxicity. Three patients out of the 15 (20%) had evidence of response with hematologic improvement (HI‐E). Bortezomib caused a decrease in pp65 levels in 7 out of 13 evaluable patients (54%, P = .025). Of interest, unexpectedly, we observed a significant decrease in RS in 7 out of 10 (70%) evaluable patients during treatment. In conclusion, this study suggests that NF‐κB activation, measured by pp65 levels, may be a useful biomarker in MDS. Bortezomib is safe in this patient population but has modest clinical activity. The role of the proteasome in the genesis of RS needs further study.
Ammonium acid urate urolithiasis in anorexia nervosa: a case report and literature review
Authors: Fukai Mina , Hirosawa Tetsu , Nakatani Hideo , Muramatsu Tomoko , Kikuchi Mitsuru , Minabe Yoshio
Published: April 2017

Key Clinical Message

Ammonium acid urate urolithiasis is a quite rare condition. Our literature review of ammonium acid urate urolithiasis suggests that ammonium acid urate urolithiasis should be regarded as a general medical complication related to anorexia nervosa, and purging by laxative abuse might be a crucially important risk.
Lake nutrient stoichiometry is less predictable than nutrient concentrations at regional and sub‐continental scales
Authors: Collins Sarah M. , Oliver Samantha K. , Lapierre Jean‐Francois , Stanley Emily H. , Jones John R. , Wagner Tyler , Soranno Patricia A.
Published: April 2017

Production in many ecosystems is co‐limited by multiple elements. While a known suite of drivers associated with nutrient sources, nutrient transport, and internal processing controls concentrations of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) in lakes, much less is known about whether the drivers of single nutrient concentrations can also explain spatial or temporal variation in lake N:P stoichiometry. Predicting stoichiometry might be more complex than predicting concentrations of individual elements because some drivers have similar relationships with N and P, leading to a weak relationship with their ratio. Further, the dominant controls on elemental concentrations likely vary across regions, resulting in context dependent relationships between drivers, lake nutrients and their ratios. Here, we examine whether known drivers of N and P concentrations can explain variation in N:P stoichiometry, and whether explaining variation in stoichiometry differs across regions. We examined drivers of N:P in ~2,700 lakes at a sub‐continental scale and two large regions nested within the sub‐continental study area that have contrasting ecological context, including differences in the dominant type of land cover (agriculture vs. forest). At the sub‐continental scale, lake nutrient concentrations were correlated with nutrient loading and lake internal processing, but stoichiometry was only weakly correlated to drivers of lake nutrients. At the regional scale, drivers that explained variation in nutrients and stoichiometry differed between regions. In the MidwesternU.S.region, dominated by agricultural land use, lake depth and the percentage of row crop agriculture were strong predictors of stoichiometry because only phosphorus was related to lake depth and only nitrogen was related to the percentage of row crop agriculture. In contrast, all drivers were related to N and P in similar ways in the NortheasternU.S.region, leading to weak relationships between drivers and stoichiometry. Our results suggest ecological context mediates controls on lake nutrients and stoichiometry. Predicting stoichiometry was generally more difficult than predicting nutrient concentrations, but human activity may decouple N and P, leading to better prediction of N:P stoichiometry in regions with high anthropogenic activity.
The evolution of different maternal investment strategies in two closely related desert vertebrates
Authors: Ennen Joshua R. , Lovich Jeffrey E. , Averill‐Murray Roy C. , Yackulic Charles B. , Agha Mickey , Loughran Caleb , Tennant Laura , Sinervo Barry
Published: April 2017

We compared egg size phenotypes and tested several predictions from the optimal egg size (OES) and bet‐hedging theories in two North American desert‐dwelling sister tortoise taxa, Gopherus agassizii and G. morafkai, that inhabit different climate spaces: relatively unpredictable and more predictable climate spaces, respectively. Observed patterns in both species differed from the predictions of OES in several ways. Mean egg size increased with maternal body size in both species. Mean egg size was inversely related to clutch order in G. agassizii, a strategy more consistent with the within‐generation hypothesis arising out of bet‐hedging theory or a constraint in egg investment due to resource availability, and contrary to theories of density dependence, which posit that increasing hatchling competition from later season clutches should drive selection for larger eggs. We provide empirical evidence that one species, G. agassizii, employs a bet‐hedging strategy that is a combination of two different bet‐hedging hypotheses. Additionally, we found some evidence for G. morafkai employing a conservative bet‐hedging strategy. (e.g., lack of intra‐ and interclutch variation in egg size relative to body size). Our novel adaptive hypothesis suggests the possibility that natural selection favors smaller offspring in late‐season clutches because they experience a more benign environment or less energetically challenging environmental conditions (i.e., winter) than early clutch progeny, that emerge under harsher and more energetically challenging environmental conditions (i.e., summer). We also discuss alternative hypotheses of sexually antagonistic selection, which arise from the trade‐offs of son versus daughter production that might have different optima depending on clutch order and variation in temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) among clutches. Resolution of these hypotheses will require long‐term data on fitness of sons versus daughters as a function of incubation environment, data as yet unavailable for any species with TSD.
Elements of metacommunity structure in Amazonian Zygoptera among streams under different spatial scales and environmental conditions
Authors: Brasil Leandro Schlemmer , Vieira Thiago Bernardi , de Oliveira‐Junior José Max Barbosa , Dias‐Silva Karina , Juen Leandro
Published: April 2017

An important aspect of conservation is to understand the founding elements and characteristics of metacommunities in natural environments, and the consequences of anthropogenic disturbance on these patterns. In natural Amazonian environments, the interfluves of the major rivers play an important role in the formation of areas of endemism through the historical isolation of species and the speciation process. We evaluated elements of metacommunity structure for Zygoptera (Insecta: Odonata) sampled in 93 Amazonian streams distributed in two distinct biogeographic regions (areas of endemism). Of sampled streams, 43 were considered to have experienced negligible anthropogenic impacts, and 50 were considered impacted by anthropogenic activities. Our hypothesis was that preserved (“negligible impact”) streams would present a Clementsian pattern, forming clusters of distinct species, reflecting the biogeographic pattern of the two regions, and that anthropogenic streams would present random patterns of metacommunity, due to the loss of more sensitive species and dominance of more tolerant species, which have higher dispersal ability and environmental tolerance. In negligible impact streams, the Clementsian pattern reflected a strong biogeographic pattern, which we discuss considering the areas of endemism of Amazonian rivers. As for communities in human‐impacted streams, a biotic homogenization was evident, in which rare species were suppressed and the most common species had become hyper‐dominant. Understanding the mechanisms that trigger changes in metacommunities is an important issue for conservation, because they can help create mitigation measures for the impacts of anthropogenic activities on biological communities, and so should be expanded to studies using other taxonomic groups in both tropical and temperate systems, and, wherever possible, at multiple spatial scales.
Piping dynamics in mid‐altitude mountains under a temperate climate: Bieszczady Mountains, eastern Carpathians
Authors: Bernatek‐Jakiel Anita , Jakiel Michał , Krzemień Kazimierz
Published: April 2017

Piping has been recognized as an important geomorphic, soil erosion and hydrologic process. It seems that it is far more widespread than it has often been supposed. However, our knowledge about piping dynamics and its quantification currently relies on a limited number of data for mainly loess‐derived areas and marl badlands. Therefore, this research aimed to recognize piping dynamics in mid‐altitude mountains under a temperate climate, where piping occurs in Cambisols, not previously considered as piping‐prone soils. It has been expressed by the estimation of erosion rates due to piping and elongation of pipes in the Bereźnica Wyżna catchment in the Bieszczady Mountains, eastern Carpathians (305 ha, 188 collapsed pipes). The research was based on the monitoring of selected piping systems (1971–1974, 2013–2016). Changes in soil loss vary significantly between different years (up to 27.36 t ha−1 yr−1), as well as between the mean short‐term erosion rate (up to 13.10 t ha−1 yr−1), and the long‐term (45 years) mean of 1.34 t ha−1 yr−1. The elongation of pipes also differs, from no changes to 36 m during one year. The mean total soil loss is 48.8 t ha−1 in plots, whereas in the whole studied catchment it is 2.0 t ha−1. Hence, piping is both spatially and temporally dependent. The magnitude of piping in the study area is at least three orders of magnitude higher than surface erosion rates (i.e. sheet and rill erosion) under similar land use (grasslands), and it is comparable to the magnitude of surface soil erosion on arable lands. It means that piping constitutes a significant environmental problem and, wherever it occurs, it is an important, or even the main, sediment source. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Monitoring gravel augmentation in a large regulated river and implications for process‐based restoration
Authors: Arnaud Fanny , Piégay Hervé , Béal David , Collery Pierre , Vaudor Lise , Rollet Anne‐Julia
Published: April 2017

The artificial gravel augmentation of river channels is increasingly being used to mitigate the adverse effects of river regulation and sediment starvation. A systematic framework for designing and assessing such gravel augmentations is still lacking, notably on large rivers. Monitoring is required to quantify the movement of augmented gravel, measure bedform changes, assess potential habitat enhancement, and reduce the uncertainty in sediment management. Here we present the results of an experiment conducted in the Rhine River (French and German border). In 2010, 23 000 m3 of sediments (approximately the mean annual bedload transport capacity) were supplied in a by‐passed reach downstream of the Kembs dam to test the feasibility of enhancing sediment transport and bedform changes. A 620‐m‐long and 12‐m‐wide gravel deposit was created 8 km downstream from the dam. Monitoring included topo‐bathymetric surveys, radio‐frequency particle tracking using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, bed grain size measurement, and airborne imagery. Six surveys performed since 2009 have been described (before and after gravel augmentation, and after Q2 and Q15 floods). The key findings are that (i) the augmented gravel was partially dispersed by the first flood event of December 2010 (Q1); (ii) PIT tags were found up to 3200 m downstream of the gravel augmentation site after four years, but the effects of gravel augmentation could not be clearly distinguished from the effects of floods and internal remobilization on more than 3500 m downstream; (iii) linear and log‐linear relationships linking bedload transport, particle mobility, and grain size were established; and (iv) combined bathymetry and PIT tag surveys were useful for evaluating potential environmental risks and the first morpho‐ecological responses. This confirmed the complementary nature of such techniques in the monitoring of gravel augmentation in large rivers. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Potential of a cure in patients with colorectal liver metastases and concomitant extrahepatic disease
Authors: Imai Katsunori , Castro Benitez Carlos , Allard Marc‐Antoine , Vibert Eric , Sa Cunha Antonio , Cherqui Daniel , Castaing Denis , Bismuth Henri , Baba Hideo , Adam René
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

We aimed to define the cure rate in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) and concomitant extrahepatic disease (EHD) on the 5‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) after surgery, and identify the factors for predicting a cure.

METHODS

Patients who underwent hepatectomy for CRLM with concomitant EHD were identified. Those followed for >5 years after surgery were enrolled. A cure was defined as DFS of >5 years after the last curative surgery.

RESULTS

A cure was achieved in 24/175 (13%) patients (intention‐to‐treat [ITT] cohort), and 22/109 (19%) patients who underwent complete resection for both hepatic and extrahepatic metastases (EHD resection cohort). A multivariate analysis identified primary T1‐2 (relative risk [RR] 47.4, P = 0.0001), metachronous metastasis (RR 4.9, P = 0.026), carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 (CA19‐9) ≤37 U/mL (RR 8.37, P = 0.015), number of liver and EHD tumors (RR 11.2, P = 0.0058), and non‐incidental EHD diagnosis (RR 8.41, P = 0.018) as independent factors that predicted a cure in the ITT cohort; and primary T1‐2 (RR 22.2, P = 0.013), primary N0 (RR 4.42, P = 0.031), metachronous metastasis (RR 6.48, P = 0.013), and CA19‐9 ≤37 U/mL (RR 27.4, P = 0.012) in the EHD resection cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

Even when concomitant EHD is present, a potential of cure could be achieved with aggressive oncosurgical approach.
Nocturia treatment outcomes: Analysis of contributory frequency volume chart parameters
Authors: Epstein Matthew , Blaivas Jerry , Wein Alan J. , Weiss Jeffrey P.
Published: April 2017

Aims

Our aim is to determine which changes in frequency volume chart (FVC) parameters are associated with nocturia improvement.

Methods

This is a real life retrospective analysis of FVC's of men who were treated for nocturia and completed at least two 24 h FVC's. Patients were divided into two groups—an improved cohort defined by a decrease of ≥1 nocturnal void from baseline and a non‐improved cohort.

Results

A total of 414 FVC's were analyzed (207 baseline and 207 post treatment) among a cohort of 105 men. Baseline nocturia severity (ANV, 3.5 vs. 2.3, respectively) and nocturnal urine volume (NUV, 880 mL vs. 650 mL) was greater in the improved cohort compared to the non‐improved cohort. The improved cohort had a decreased 24 h volume (−310 vs. +120 mL), and NUV (−290 vs. +170 mL) compared to the non‐improved cohort. At the followup visit, the improved cohort experienced a statistically significant decline in ANV (−1.8 vs. +1.0). No significant difference was seen in baseline 24 h volume or bladder capacity (MVV), though patients in the improved cohort experienced a small decrease in MVV. First uninterrupted sleep period (FUSP) increased significantly in the improved cohort (+1.8 h), and dropped (−0.6 h) in the non‐improved cohort.

Conclusions

Improvement in nocturia was associated with a decrease in both 24 h voided volume and NUV, but not MVV, suggesting that improved patients consumed less fluid. The increase in FUSP in the improved cohort demonstrates the potential for nocturia therapies to improve impaired sleep architecture.
Mind‐body medicine and lifestyle modification in supportive cancer care: A cohort study on a day care clinic program for cancer patients
Authors: Jeitler Michael , Jaspers Jessica , von Scheidt Christel , Koch Barbara , Michalsen Andreas , Steckhan Nico , Kessler Christian S.
Published: April 2017

Objective

We developed an integrative day care clinic program for cancer patients focusing on mind‐body techniques and health‐promoting lifestyle modification (7‐hour once‐per‐week group sessions over 12 weeks).

Methods

A cohort study design with a waiting group was implemented. Outcome parameters were assessed at the beginning, at the end of the active program, and at a 6‐month follow‐up. Patients waiting >4 and <12 weeks before treatment start were allocated to the waiting group and additionally assessed at the start of their day care program. Outcome measures included quality of life (FACT‐G, FACT‐B/C, WHO‐5), fatigue (FACIT‐F), depression/anxiety (HADS), and mood states (ASTS). A per protocol analysis using mixed linear models was performed.

Results

One hundred patients were screened on‐site for eligibility. Eighty‐six cancer survivors (83% female; mean age 53.7 ± 9.7 years; 49% breast cancer) were included into the study. Sixty‐two patients were allocated to the intervention group and 24 patients, to the waiting group (mean waiting time 5 ± 1 weeks). Sixty‐six data sets were included in the final analysis.

Significant improvements were observed in favor of the intervention group after 12 weeks compared with the waiting group at the end of the waiting period for quality of life, anxiety/depression, and fatigue. Results from the 6‐month follow‐up for the whole study population showed lasting improvement of quality of life.

Conclusions

The program can be considered as an effective means to improve quality of life, fatigue, and mental health of cancer patients. Moreover, it appears to have a sustainable effect, which has to be proved in randomized trials.
Cover Image, Volume 73, Issue 5
Authors: Liu Xing‐Hai , Wang Qiao , Sun Zhao‐Hui , Wedge David E , Becnel James J , Estep Alden S , Tan Cheng‐Xia , Weng Jian‐Quan
Published: April 2017

The cover image of a droplet containing active ingredient applied to the thorax of a female Aedes aegypti adult mosquito is based on the Research Article Synthesis and insecticidal activity of novel pyrimidine derivatives containing urea pharmacophore against Aedes aegypti, by Xing‐Hai Liu et al., DOI: 10.1002/ps.4370.

image
Metabolite mapping by consecutive nanostructure and silver‐assisted mass spectrometry imaging on tissue sections
Authors: Gustafsson O. J. R. , Guinan T. M. , Rudd D. , Kobus H. , Benkendorff K. , Voelcker N. H.
Published: April 2017

Rationale

Nanostructure‐based mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a promising technology for molecular imaging of small molecules, without the complex chemical background typically encountered in matrix‐assisted molecular imaging approaches. Here, we have enhanced these surfaces with silver (Ag) to provide a second tier of MSI data from a single sample.

Methods

MSI data was acquired through the application of laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry to biological samples imprinted onto desorption/ionization on silicon (DIOS) substrates. Following initial analysis, ultra‐thin Ag layers were overlaid onto the followed by MSI analysis (Ag‐DIOS MSI). This approach was first demonstrated for fingermark small molecules including environmental contaminants and sebum components. Subsequently, this bimodal method was translated to lipids and metabolites in fore‐stomach sections from a 6‐bromoisatin chemopreventative murine mouse model.

Results

DIOS MSI allowed mapping of common ions in fingermarks as well as 6‐bromoisatin metabolites and lipids in murine fore‐stomach. Furthermore, DIOS MSI was complemented by the Ag‐DIOS MSI of Ag‐adductable lipids such as wax esters in fingermarks and cholesterol in murine fore‐stomach. Gastrointestinal acid condensation products of 6‐bromoisatin, such as the 6,6'‐dibromoindirubin mapped herein, are very challenging to isolate and characterize. By re‐analyzing the same tissue imprints, this metabolite was readily detected by DIOS, placed in a tissue‐specific spatial context, and subsequently overlaid with additional lipid distributions acquired using Ag‐DIOS MSI.

Conclusions

The ability to place metabolite and lipid classes in a tissue‐specific context makes this novel method suited to MSI analyses where the collection of additional information from the same sample maximises resource use, and also maximises the number of annotated small molecules, in particular for metabolites that are typically undetectable with traditional platforms. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Operative Distal Humerus Fractures in Older Patients: Predictors for Early Complications Based on a National Database
Authors: Medvedev Gleb , Wang Charles , Amdur Richard , Neviaser Robert , Neviaser Andrew
Published: April 2017

Background

Open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) have both been utilized in the treatment of distal humerus fractures in patients over 65 years of age. Comparisons of early complications between these procedures have not been well described.

Questions/Purposes

The purpose of this study is to evaluate complication rates in the treatment of distal humerus fractures in elderly patients and to utilize prediction models to identify risk factors associated with postoperative complications. Additionally, to compare ORIF and TEA treatment.

Methods

A retrospective case series was performed by querying the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program for both ORIF and TEA performed for distal humerus fractures in patients over the age of 65 years between 2005 and 2014. We examined both preoperative risk factors and complications within 30 days in these three groups.

Results

The sample included 216 ORIF and 65 TEA cases. No outcomes examined differed significantly between treatment groups. The most common outcome for both groups was bleeding requiring transfusion (8%). The observed effect size for the association between procedure and the composite morbidity outcome indicated little to no association (phi = 0.004). Furthermore, no presurgery variables were found to be significantly associated with procedure type. The only predictor with a significant independent association with the composite outcome, regardless of procedure type, was ASA class 3/4.

Conclusion

Clinical complications were low no matter the type of treatment. Low preoperative hematocrit was a risk factor in both ORIF and TEA.
Forest modelling: the gamma shape mixture model and simulation of tree diameter distributions
Authors: Podlaski Rafał
Published: April 2017

•Key message

New types of distribution functions are needed to model the dynamics of stands where important age classes are represented by few trees. In this study the gamma shape mixture model and two simulation methods were used for generating tree diameter data.

•Context

To analyse forest dynamics, it is necessary to know distribution of the characteristics (mainly tree diameters) of trees forming particular developmental phases. In many forest inventories, the measurement of large diameter at breast height (DBH) samples is practically impossible. In this case, DBH distributions can be generated using theoretical models.

•Aims

The aim of this study was to assess the precision of the approximation of empirical DBH data using the gamma shape mixture (GSM) model and kernel density estimation. The strengths and weaknesses of the two simulation methods were presented and discussed.

•Methods

The GSM model was adopted to approximate empirical DBH data collected in 20 near-natural stands. Two simulation methods were used: (a) the procedure based on a multimodal distribution and gamma random numbers (MDGR procedure) and (b) MCMC techniques with Metropolis–Hastings sampling (MH method).

•Results

The GSM model precisely fitted the investigated DBH distributions. The MDGR procedure was slightly more precise than the MH method, especially in the case of the samples of 250 DBHs. The level of homogeneity within the drawn DBH sets was similar for all samples.

•Conclusion

The GSM model is very flexible. The DBH random variates, generated with the use of analysed procedures, represented all tree generations being significant from a biological point of view.
Interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 gene polymorphisms and their plasma level after polytrauma
Authors: Sapan Heber B. , Paturusi Idrus , Jusuf Irawan , Patellongi Ilhamjaya , Massi Nasrum , Hatta Mochammad , Pusponegoro Aryono D. , Arief Syafrie K. , Labeda Ibrahim , Islam Andi A. , Rendy Leo
Published: April 2017

Highlights
Love's Enlightenment
Authors: Hanley Ryan Patrick
Published: April 2017

A number of prominent moral philosophers and political theorists have recently called for a recovery of love. But what do we mean when we speak of love today? Love's Enlightenment examines four key conceptions of other-directedness that transformed the meaning of love and helped to shape the way we understand love today: Hume's theory of humanity, Rousseau's theory of pity, Smith's theory of sympathy, and Kant's theory of love. It argues that these four Enlightenment theories are united by a shared effort to develop a moral psychology that can provide both justificatory and motivational grounds for concern for others in the absence of recourse to theological or transcendental categories. In this sense, each theory represents an effort to redefine the love of others that used to be known as caritas or agape - a redefinition that came with benefits and costs that have yet to be fully appreciated.
Inside Job
Authors: Zupan Mark A.
Published: April 2017

National decline is typically blamed on special interests from the demand side of politics corrupting a country's institutions. The usual demand-side suspects include crony capitalists, consumer activists, economic elites, and labor unions. Less attention is given to government insiders on the supply side of politics - rulers, elected officials, bureaucrats, and public employees. In autocracies and democracies, government insiders have the motive, means, and opportunity to co-opt political power for their benefit and at the expense of national well-being. Many storied empires have succumbed to such inside jobs. Today, they imperil countries as different as China and the United States. Democracy - government by the people - does not ensure government for the people. Understanding how government insiders use their power to subvert the public interest - and how these negative consequences can be mitigated - is the topic of this book by Mark A. Zupan.
The Politics of Sacrifice in Early Greek Myth and Poetry
Authors: Stocking Charles H.
Published: April 2017

This book offers a new interpretation of ancient Greek sacrifice from a cultural poetic perspective. Through close readings of the Theogony, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, and the Odyssey in conjunction with evidence from material culture, it demonstrates how sacrifice narratives in early Greek hexameter poetry are intimately connected to a mythic-poetic discourse referred to as the 'politics of the belly'. This mythic-poetic discourse presents sacrifice as a site of symbolic conflict between the male stomach and female womb for both mortals and immortals. Ultimately, the book argues that the ritual of sacrifice operates as a cultural mechanism for the perpetuation of patriarchal ideology not just in early Greek hexameter, but throughout Greek cultural history.
The Minimalist State and Donor Landscapes: Livelihood Security in Mali during and after the 2012–2013 Coup and Rebellion
Authors: Moseley William G.
Published: April 2017

Mali’s 2012 coup d’état and subsequent rebellion created much hardship for those living in the northern and southern parts of the country. This article explores the changes that occurred during the period of uncertainty in the country, the role of the minimalist state, and the implications of these conditions for future development initiatives. The way in which Mali muddled through the 2012–2013 period has left two distinct aid landscapes: a heavily militarized northern region where aid from donors is focused on antiterrorism, and a southern zone of free-market intervention facilitated by donors.