bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protecting the Swiss milk market from foreign price shocks: Public border protection vs. quality differentiation
Authors: Hillen Judith , von Cramon‐Taubadel Stephan
Published: March 2019

Switzerland applies a number of different border protection policies for milk products. While dairy products such as butter and milk powder are still subject to tariffs and tariff‐rate quotas, cheese trade with the European Union (EU) is fully liberalized. To understand how such different levels of protection affect spatial price transmission, we analyze price transmission between Germany and Switzerland for several products at the wholesale level, and for raw milk producer prices. We find that not the level of border protection determines the degree and speed of price transmission, but rather the qualitative differentiation of the Swiss products. While prices of tariff‐protected dairy products are influenced by German price developments, cheese prices are not. Also, at the producer level, milk prices for cheese processing are less strongly linked to foreign prices than milk prices for industrial dairy production. Our results suggest that for small high‐income countries such as Switzerland, promoting high‐quality products and hence reducing international substitutability alleviates international price pressure more than protection via tariffs. [EconLit classifications: Q11, Q13, Q18].
Managing the need to tell: Triggers and strategic disclosure of thalassemia major in Singapore
Authors: Kumar Neha , Turbitt Erin , Biesecker Barbara B. , Miller Ilana M. , Cham Breana , Smith Katherine C. , Rimal Rajiv N.
Published: March 2019

This study explored patients' experiences and perceptions of living with thalassemia (an inherited hematologic disorder), perceptions of social stigma, and impact on disclosure decision‐making. Semistructured, in‐person interviews were conducted in Singapore with 30 individuals: 16 thalassemia major patients and 14 parents of children with thalassemia. Findings were indicative of felt or enacted stigma that may have influenced disclosure decisions. Although affected individuals commonly disclosed their thalassemia diagnosis to family members, they either downplayed the condition with or avoided disclosure to unrelated individuals. Disclosure outside the family occurred only in response to triggers, such as questions about absences due to medical care. Health professionals should provide anticipatory guidance about disclosure strategies when managing individuals with thalassemia.
Parent‐offspring transmission of drug abuse and alcohol use disorder: Application of the multiple parenting relationships design
Authors: Kendler Kenneth S. , Ohlsson Henrik , Sundquist Jan , Sundquist Kristina
Published: March 2019

With complete genealogical and cohabitation information, new genetic‐epidemiological designs can be developed to clarify causes of parent‐offspring transmission. We propose the Multiple Parenting Relationships (MPR) Design and apply it to drug abuse (DA) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Using national Swedish registries, we identified four kinds of informative parents with multiple children with whom they had different genetic and/or rearing relationships. These types had children for whom they provided: (a) genes (G) plus rearing (R), G only and R only; (b) G + R and G only; (c) G only and R only; and (d) G + R and R only. We identified DA and AUD cases from national registries in over 475,000 informative parent‐offspring pairs. Controlling for parental resemblance for DA or AUD, all estimates were statistically homogeneous across family types. The weighted average tetrachoric correlation (SE) for DA for G + R, R only and G only relationships were, respectively, +0.21 (0.01), +0.10 (0.02), and +0.16 (0.02). Parallel results for AUD were +0.16 (0.01), +0.04 (0.02), and +0.14 (0.01). Analyses within families with affected parents showed significantly higher disorder risks in offspring with a G + R versus an R only relationship. The MPR design is complementary to other methods, especially adoption and triparental designs, in clarifying the sources of cross‐generational transmission. Consistent with results from these other designs applied to the Swedish population, we find that for DA and AUD, parent‐offspring resemblance was strongest for G + R relationships, intermediate for G only relationships and weakest but significant for R only relationships.
Dust affects chewing efficiency and tooth wear in forest dwelling Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytesverus)
Authors: Schulz‐Kornas Ellen , Stuhlträger Julia , Clauss Marcus , Wittig Roman M. , Kupczik Kornelius
Published: March 2019

Objectives

In humans it has been shown that abrasive particles in the diet result in increased tooth wear and less intense chewing behavior, both of which decrease chewing efficiency. This behavioral response may also exist in non‐human primates as a means to reduce the wear effect of dust‐laden food. Here we tested whether the periodical occurrence of abrasive dust particles in the diet of Western chimpanzees affects tooth wear and reduces chewing efficiency.

Materials and methods

We measured fecal particle size of undigested food matter as an indicator of chewing efficiency in 13 Western chimpanzees of the Taï National Park (Ivory Coast) before (wet), after (wet) and during a dust‐rich (dry) period. Moreover, feeding data were compiled for a further 12 chimpanzees and matched to three‐dimensional surface texture data measured on two molar facets of 26 skulls of the same population.

Results

Fecal particles were larger during the dry period, indicating a reduced chewing efficiency compared to wet periods; age and sex did not have an effect. Concomitantly, dust led to an increase of abrasive wear evidenced by smaller texture features and higher density of fine furrows on wear facets.

Discussion

Our findings show that a periodical increase in dust loads on foods places a dietary‐physiological stress on the digestive system in chimpanzees. We suggest that the impact of extrinsic abrasive particles from globally acting periodical dust‐laden winds may affect evolutionary fitness. Further studies are required to elucidate this relationship in other non‐human primates and fossil hominins.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in the intensive care unit
Authors: Muratsu Arisa , Muroya Takashi , Kuwagata Yasuyuki
Published: March 2019

Aims

An angiographic examination is necessary for the diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). However, in the intensive care unit (ICU), intensivists often see patients in whom TTC cannot be diagnosed because they cannot undertake angiography due to the patient's poor general condition. We defined such cases as clinical TTC (cTTC) and investigated the incidence and background of cTTC in the ICU at Kansai Medical University Hospital (Osaka, Japan).

Methods

The study involved 5,084 patients who were admitted to the ICU of Kansai Medical University Hospital between January 2013 and December 2017. We retrospectively investigated the frequency and background of TTC and cTTC.

Results

Of the 5,084 patients, 5 (0.09%) patients admitted to the ICU were diagnosed as having TTC and 19 patients (0.37%) were diagnosed as having cTTC. The most common primary disease among the evaluated patients was sepsis (n = 10) followed by subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (n = 5). Ten of the 335 patients with sepsis (3.0%) were admitted to the ICU with complications due to cTTC. Their blood pressure and heart rate on admission tended to be high, and their Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores tended to be low. Five of the 172 patients with SAH (2.9%) were admitted to the ICU with complications due to cTTC. These patients were often classified as grade 5 on the Hunt and Hess scale.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that patients with sepsis or SAH are complicated with cTTC in the ICU. In addition, there might be no correlation between the severity of sepsis and the development of TTC.
Quantum Dot Assembly for Light‐Driven Multielectron Redox Reactions, such as Hydrogen Evolution and CO2 Reduction
Authors: Li Xu‐Bing , Tung Chen‐Ho , Wu Li‐Zhu
Published: March 2019

Light‐driven multielectron redox reactions (e.g., hydrogen (H2) evolution, CO2 reduction) have recently appeared at the front of solar‐to‐fuel conversion. In this Minireview, we focus on the recent advances in establishing semiconductor quantum dot (QD) assemblies to enhance the efficiencies of these light‐driven multielectron reduction reactions. Four models of QD assembly are established to promote the sluggish kinetics of multielectron transfer from QDs to cocatalysts, thus leading to an enhanced activity of solar H2 evolution or CO2 reduction. We also forecast the potential applications of QD assemblies in other multielectron redox reactions, such as nitrogen (N2) fixation and oxygen (O2) evolution from H2O.
Confinement Effects in Zeolite‐Confined Noble Metals
Authors: Wu Si‐Ming , Yang Xiao‐Yu , Janiak Christoph
Published: March 2019

Confinement of noble nanometals in a zeolite matrix is a promising way to special types of catalysts that show significant advantages in size control, site adjustment, and nano‐architecture design. The beauty of zeolite‐confined noble metals lies in their unique confinement effects on a molecular scale, and thus enables spatially confined catalysis akin to enzyme catalysis. In this Minireview, the confined synthesis strategies of zeolite‐confined noble metals will be briefly discussed, showing the processes, advantages, features, and mechanisms. The confined catalysis carried on zeolite‐confined noble metals will be summarized, and great emphasis will be paid to the confinement effects involving size, encapsulation, recognition, and synergy. Great progress of atomic sites in the size effect, supercage stabilization in the encapsulation effect, site adsorption in the recognition effect, and cascade reaction in the synergy effect are highlighted. This Minireview is concluded with challenges and opportunities in terms of the synthesis of zeolite‐confined noble metals and their applications to design multifunctional catalysts with high catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability.
Iterative Arylation of Amino Acids and Aliphatic Amines via δ‐C(sp3)−H Activation: Experimental and Computational Exploration
Authors: Guin Srimanta , Dolui Pravas , Zhang Xinglong , Paul Satyadip , Singh Vikas Kumar , Pradhan Sukumar , Chandrashekar Hediyala B. , Anjana S. S. , Paton Robert S. , Maiti Debabrata
Published: March 2019

Directed C−H functionalization has been realized as a complementary tool to the traditional approaches for a straightforward access of non‐proteinogenic amino acids; albeit such a process is restricted mostly up to the γ‐position. In the present work, we demonstrate the diverse (hetero)arylation of amino acids and analogous aliphatic amines selectively at the remote δ‐position by tuning the reactivity controlled by ligands. An organopalladium δ‐C(sp3)−H activated intermediate has been isolated and crystallographically characterized. Mechanistic investigations carried out experimentally in conjunction with computational studies shed light on the difference in the mechanistic picture depending on the substrate structure.
Ethanol‐Assisted Aqueous Enzymatic Extraction of Peony Seed Oil
Authors: Song Yuanyuan , Zhang Wenbin , Wu Jing , Admassu Habtamu , Liu Junjun , Zhao Wei , Yang Ruijin
Published: March 2019

An ethanol‐assisted aqueous enzymatic extraction was performed for peony seed oil (content of 30%). This method included cooking pretreatment, pectinase hydrolysis, and aqueous ethanol extraction, and the corresponding variables in each step were investigated. The changes in viscosity and dextrose equivalent values of the reaction medium as a function of changing enzymatic hydrolysis time were compared to the oil yield. The microstructures of peony seeds were analyzed using confocal laser scanning microscopy to understand the process of oil release as a result of cooking and grinding. The highest oil yield of 92.06% was obtained when peony seeds were cooked in deionized water with a solid–liquid ratio of 1:5 (w/v) at 110°C for 1 hour, ground to 31.29 μm particle size, treated with 0.15% (w/w) pectinase (temperature 50°C, pH 4.5, time 1 hour), and then extracted with 30% (v/v) aqueous ethanol (temperature 60°C, pH 9.0, time 1 hour). After processing with pectinase followed by ethanol extraction, the residual oil content in water and sediment phase decreased to 5% and 3%, respectively. The quality of the oil obtained by ethanol‐assisted aqueous enzymatic extraction was good, complying with the Chinese standard.
Supramolecularly Bonded Layered Heterostructures Exhibiting HER Activity
Authors: Kaur Manjodh , Singh Navin Kumar , Gupta Uttam , Sarkar Aritra , George Subi J. , Rao C. N. R.
Published: March 2019

van der Waals heterostructures formed by 2D materials have attracted much attention in the last few years. Recently, 2D nanosheets linked by covalent bonds have been found to exhibit novel properties. In the present study we have investigated supramolecular layered heterostructures formed by nanosheets of MoS2 with BC7N, g‐C3N4 and graphene. These materials have been synthesized via a non‐covalent host–guest synthetic design using cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) hosts. In addition to offering reversible disassembly, these heterostructures show good visible‐light‐driven hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity as well as reasonable gas adsorption and other properties.
Prenatal diagnosis and management of congenital complete heart block
Authors: Pruetz Jay D. , Miller Jennifer C. , Loeb Gerald E. , Silka Michael J. , Bar‐Cohen Yaniv , Chmait Ramen H.
Published: March 2019

Congenital complete heart block (CCHB) is a life‐threatening medical condition in the unborn fetus with insufficiently validated prenatal interventions. Maternal administration of medications aimed at decreasing the immune response in the fetus and beta‐agonists intended to increase fetal cardiac output have shown only marginal benefits. Anti‐inflammatory therapies cannot reverse CCHB, but may decrease myocarditis and improve heart function. Advances in prenatal diagnosis and use of strict surveillance protocols for delivery timing have demonstrated small improvements in morbidity and mortality. Ambulatory surveillance programs and wearable fetal heart rate monitors may afford early identification of evolving fetal heart block allowing for emergent treatment. There is also preliminary data suggesting a roll for prevention of CCHB with hydroxychloroquine, but the efficacy and safety is still being studied. To date, intrauterine fetal pacing has not been successful due to the high‐risk invasive placement techniques and potential problems with lead dislodgement. The development of a fully implantable micropacemaker via a minimally invasive approach has the potential to pace fetal patients with CCHB and thus delay delivery and allow fetal hydrops to resolve. The challenge remains to establish accepted prenatal interventions capable of successfully managing CCHB in utero until postnatal pacemaker placement is successfully achieved.
Comprehensive analysis of age‐related somatic mutation profiles in Chinese young lung adenocarcinoma patients
Authors: Yang Bo , Li Jie , Li Fang , Zhou Hongxia , Shi Weiwei , Shi Huaiyin , Sun Shengjie , Sun Wending , Wang Jinliang , Ma Junxun , Yan Xiang , Hu Yi , Jiao Shunchang
Published: March 2019

Background

Lung adenocarcinoma in young adults is a rare entity with the oncogenic genetic alterations associated being poorly understood. In the present study, the effect of genetic alterations in lung adenocarcinoma patients diagnosed in young patients is reported.

Methods

Twenty young lung adenocarcinoma patients (age years: median: 33.5, range: 24‐36) were enrolled in the current study and 24 patients who were at common age of the disease onset (age years: median: 61.5, range: 52‐79) were selected for comparison. Paraffin sections of lung adenocarcinoma were analyzed using the whole‐exome sequencing platform.

Results

Similar number of somatic mutations per tumor were found in the young patients and their older counterparts. Although no age‐related differences were detected in the numbers of lung adenocarcinoma patients harboring well‐known gene variants, mutations in FRG1 and KMT2C were associated with a younger age especially after correcting for tobacco smoking and sex (FRG1: P = 0.027, KMT2C: P = 0.046). Five genetic variants showed higher alteration frequencies in young patients compared to the unclassified East Asian population, suggesting these mutations as disease‐related hereditary germline variants.

Conclusions

These results suggest different characteristics of lung adenocarcinoma between the young and the patients at common age of onset. Young patients with lung adenocarcinoma have a distinctly unique prevalence of oncogenic genetic alterations.
A systematic review of the HPV‐attributable fraction of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas in Germany
Authors: Reuschenbach Miriam , Tinhofer Ingeborg , Wittekindt Claus , Wagner Steffen , Klussmann Jens Peter
Published: March 2019

The prevalence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is increasing globally while the prevalence of other head and neck cancers is decreasing. The most likely reasons for this are a decreasing influence of smoking and the growing relevance of infections with the human papilloma virus (HPV) as a risk factor. A rise in the HPV‐attributable fraction (HPV‐AF) of OPSCC has been observed in many countries, yet a comprehensive review of prevalence rates and trends in Germany is lacking. To determine the current HPV‐AF of OPSCC in Germany and to assess whether it has changed during the last decades, we performed a systematic literature review. We screened Medline and EMBASE for studies that reported the tumor HPV status of newly diagnosed OPSCC patients treated at medical centers in Germany by testing for both HPV DNA and p16INK4a overexpression to confirm involvement of HPV in tumorigenesis. Out of 287 screened studies, 14 studies with data from a total of 1819 OPSCC patients treated between 1988 and 2015 were included in the data synthesis. The reported average HPV‐AF varied considerably between the studies, ranging from 11.5% (1988‐2008) to 55.0% (2004‐2009). Two of the included studies did not only provide the HPV‐AF for the entire observed calendar period but also for separate years, allowing to more accurately assess changes over time. These studies reported increases in the HPV‐AF from 21% in 2000 to 53% in 2015 and from 38% in 2004 to 71% in 2013, respectively.
“They Told Me to Come Back Tomorrow; They Were Too Busy Today”: How Community College Leaders’ Decisions Impact Students
Authors: Anderson Jill A.
Published: March 2019

The ethical decision‐making style of community college leaders affect students. Therefore, it is important to understand how the resulting bureaucratic college procedures impact students’ college‐going decisions.
Implementing Ethical Decision‐Making: Strategies for Today's Community College Presidents
Authors: Trent Monica Parrish , Pollard DeRionne P.
Published: March 2019

Reform initiatives have challenged community college leaders to reconsider what is right and wrong while also challenging our organizational cultures, advancing a new understanding of our mission, and forcing us to reconsider how we engage in the work of educating a public that needs us now more than ever.
How Ethical Leadership Impacts Student Success
Authors: Neal Phillip , Justice Brooke , Barron Kyle
Published: March 2019

In a values‐based organization, ethical decision‐making can propel an institution by energizing a culture that keeps its focus on shared goals and effective leadership.
Grassroots Leadership: Organizing for Ethical Change
Authors: Borregard Andrea R.
Published: March 2019

This chapter acknowledges multiple forms of leadership and recognizes the role grassroots leaders play in affecting change and achieving positive organizational outcomes via ethical decision‐making models.
Time course of the survival advantage of transcatheter over surgical aortic valve replacement: Interplay between sex and patient risk profile
Authors: Ueshima Daisuke , Masiero Giulia , Schiavo Alessandro , Badawy Mostafa Rabea Abdelhaleem , Fraccaro Chiara , Napodano Massimo , Brener Sorin J. , Tarantini Giuseppe
Published: March 2019

Objectives

The aim of this study was to explore the time course of survival advantage of TAVR over SAVR as function of the patients' risk and sex.

Background

Women have been reported to have better survival than men undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, scant data on the sex‐based survival benefit of TAVR over surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) are available.

Methods

A systematic review of studies reporting clinical outcomes of men and women undergoing TAVR or SAVR was performed. Studies were divided into two groups according to average patient's risk score and the interplay of surgical risk and sex on outcomes were analyzed.

Results

Eight studies involving 6,596 women and 7,204 men patients were extracted. Unlike mens, women patients had survival advantage from TAVR over SAVR that became substantial at 1 year from index procedure and persisted at 2‐year of follow‐up. Moreover, this sex‐based TAVR survival advantage was mainly observed in higher surgical risk patients. Men showed a significantly lower rate of residual paravalvular leak after SAVR.

Conclusions

Women patients had a selective mortality benefit from TAVR compared to SAVR. This sex‐based TAVR benefit was mainly observed in high surgical risk patients beyond 1 year from procedure.
Damaged starch in pea versus wheat flours: Fragmentation behavior and contribution of fine and coarse fractions
Authors: Monnet Anne‐Flore , Eurieult Alexandre , Berland Sophie , Almeida Giana , Jeuffroy Marie‐Hélène , Michon Camille
Published: March 2019

Background and objectives

Particle size distribution and damaged starch content have a major impact on flour quality because they influence the behavior of flour during hydration in processing. Particle size distribution and starch damage of legume flours and their relationship during grinding have not been evaluated. The standard enzymatic method for the measurement of damaged starch content (AACC 76‐31) was used to find a new calibration equation for the rapid amperometric method (SDmatic, AACC 76‐33.01) for legume flours. Changes in particle size distribution and starch damage during regrinding in a commercial pea flour were compared with those in a commercial wheat flour.

Findings

Legume flours had a smaller damaged starch content (0.8–4.7 SD%) than wheat flours (2.2–7.0 SD%). The bimodal particle size distribution of flours was linked to structural elements as confirmed by environmental scanning electron microscopy and laser granulometry. Particle size distribution and starch damage varied concomitantly during regrinding in the commercial pea flour as in the commercial wheat flour. The main factor responsible for the increase in damaged starch content was an increase in the proportion of the fine fraction in the flour. Fine fractions contained higher damaged starch contents than coarse fractions.

Conclusions

Hypotheses concerning differences in fragmentation mechanisms in the two flours were formulated, suggesting that pea flour has a higher likelihood for fracture but less tendency to produce damaged starch than wheat flour.

Significance and novelty

The amperometric method (AACC 76‐33.01) can be used for a rapid estimation of the damaged starch content in legume flours. Furthermore, the results suggest a lower hardness of pea flour material compared to wheat flour material that would have a significant impact on milling strategies.
Integrating Biogas Plants into Microgrids for Bridging Temporary Power Supply Interruptions
Authors: Kirchner Dirk , Thrän Daniela
Published: March 2019

Renewable energies thus far have not become a part of a grid restoration process. By building small island grids after a blackout, renewable energies can be integrated into the grid restoration process. Bioenergy‐based power plants have some importance for the supply of such island grids because of their high degree of reliability and controllability. Modern bioenergy plants have electrical loads within a specific kW range, which can be partially used in demand‐side management. A concept for the control structure of off‐grid energy systems with a demand‐side management using a microgrid of a farm supplied by a biogas plant as an example is presented. For the integrability of electrical loads of the biogas plant into the energy management system of the microgrid, an off‐grid control procedure has been designed.
Experimental Study of Air Entrainment Rates due to Inclined Liquid Jets
Authors: Miwa Shuichiro , Xiao Yi Geng , Saito Yuya , Hibiki Takashi
Published: March 2019

The air entrainment rate due to inclined liquid jet plunging into a pool was investigated experimentally. Three types of fluids with varying physical properties in terms of viscosity and surface tension were utilized. For the impinging jet test section, nozzles with different inner diameters were selected. The inclination angles and liquid jet velocities at the nozzle outlet were varied and the entrained air rate was measured by the soap meniscus method. Taking the falling velocity of the liquid jet as a characteristic velocity, it was found that the air entrainment rate under the present experimental condition largely depended on the Weber number. From the obtained database, a new empirical model dependent on the Weber number and Laplace length scale is proposed which is capable of predicting the air entrainment flow rate at a mean absolute relative deviation of 21.7 %.
Decoupling control method of paper cross‐directional basis weight based on sparse decomposition
Authors: Zhou Qiang , Zhang Jing , Tuo Ling , Li Wei
Published: March 2019

With a focus on the coupling problems of multivariable control for the paper cross‐directional (CD) basis weight caused by a hydraulic headbox, a novel approach of multivariable decoupling control based on sparse decomposition is proposed. The model function of the CD basis weight control for a single dilution water branch valve is used as the basis of a sparse atomic library. Then, according to the deviation curve of the CD basis weight, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to obtain atoms corresponding to each control unit (the multiple dilution water branch valves) to form a sparse atomic library. As each atom in the atomic library contains the control information of the corresponding dilution water branch valve, the decoupling control of paper CD basis weight can be realized via mining control information. The essence of this method is to solve the coupling problems of multivariable control by using optimization theory. Experimental results demonstrate that this method achieves a remarkable decoupling control effect.
Experience of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a refractory cardiac arrest patient at the emergency department
Authors: Han Kap Su , Kim Su Jin , Lee Eui Jung , Jung Jae Seung , Park Jae Hyoung , Lee Sung Woo
Published: March 2019

Background

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is a method to improve survival outcomes in refractory cardiac arrest.

Hypothesis

This study aimed to determine the associated factors related to outcome and to analyze the post‐ECPR management in patients who received ECPR due to nonresponse to advanced cardiac life support (ACLS).

Methods

This was a retrospective analysis based on a prospective cohort. Cardiac arrest patients who received ECPR in our emergency department from May 2006 to December 2017 were selected from the prospective cohort. Patients who received ECPR for rearrest were excluded. The primary outcome was survival to discharge.

Results

ECPR was attempted in 100 patients who did not respond to ACLS. Fourteen patients survived to discharge, and 12 (85.7%) patients showed good neurologic outcomes. The rate of survival to discharge decreased according to increasing age and ACLS duration. Age, presence of any return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) during ACLS, and prolongation of ACLS were associated factors for survival discharge in ECPR patients. Fourteen patients required distal perfusion catheters, and 35 patients received continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). The proportion of death was the highest within 24 hours after ECPR as 57.0%.

Conclusions

The early transition from ACLS to ECPR may improve the ECPR outcomes. In addition, good outcomes are expected for ECPR performed after refractory arrest if the patient is young and experiences an ROSC event during ACLS. In post ECPR management, the majority of mortality events were occurred in the early period, and distal perfusion catheter and CRRT were frequently required.
Chiral Graphs: Reduced Representations of Ligand Scaffolds for Stereoselective Biomolecular Recognition, Drug Design, and Enhanced Exploration of Chemical Structure Space
Authors: Mikhael Simoun , Abrol Ravinder
Published: March 2019

Rational structure‐based drug design relies on a detailed, atomic‐level understanding of protein–ligand interactions. The chiral nature of drug binding sites in proteins has led to the discovery of predominantly chiral drugs. A mechanistic understanding of stereoselectivity (which governs how one stereoisomer of a drug might bind stronger than the others to a protein) depends on the topology of stereocenters in the chiral molecule. Chiral graphs and reduced chiral graphs, introduced here, are new topological representations of chiral ligands using graph theory, to facilitate a detailed understanding of chiral recognition of ligands/drugs by proteins. These representations are demonstrated by application to all ≈14 000+ chiral ligands in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), which will facilitate an understanding of protein–ligand stereoselectivity mechanisms. Ligand modifications during drug development can be easily incorporated into these chiral graphs. In addition, these chiral graphs present an efficient tool for a deep dive into the enormous chemical structure space to enable sampling of unexplored structural scaffolds.
Something’s lost, but something’s gained: On‐site evaluation, telecytology, and the cytopathologist
Authors: Gutmann Edward J.
Published: March 2019

The use of telecytology for rapid on‐site evaluation (ROSE) can have benefits, but may create losses as well. While acknowledging the potential benefits, this commentary outlines some of those losses and highlights gains that can be achieved when cytopathologists go into the field for ROSE.
Synthesis and Application of Ion‐Imprinted Nanoparticles in Electrochemical Sensors for Copper (II) Determination
Authors: Di Masi Sabrina , Garcia Cruz Alvaro , Canfarotta Francesco , Cowen Todd , Marote Pedro , Malitesta Cosimino , Piletsky Sergey A.
Published: March 2019

We report here the synthesis and characterisation of ion imprinted polymers nanoparticles (nanoIIPs) and their application as electrochemical sensors for Cu2+ ions determination. Imprinted nanoparticles were developed following a free radical polymerisation in water and subsequently immobilised on the surface of gold screen printed electrodes (SPAuE). Characterisation of nanoIIPs was performed using dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrochemical determination of Cu2+ was achieved in water samples using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Voltammetric responses demonstrate different current responses for copper(II)‐imprinted polymers nanoparticles (Cu‐nanoIIPs) and non‐imprinted polymer nanoparticles. The nanoIIPs sensor responds to copper (II) in a linear range between 1.9 and 61 nM, with a sensitivity of 0.0618 μA nM−1. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of the electrochemical sensor tested in buffer solution were 74 pM and 247 pM, respectively. Furthermore, the sensor presents high selectivity when tested against other ions such as Ni2+, Zn2+, NO3−, and CrO42−, and it is potentially suitable for environmental monitoring of heavy metals and food control. The sensor responses were also successfully evaluated in spiked commercialised drinking water.
Seriate cytology vs molecular analysis of peritoneal washing to improve gastric cancer cells detection
Authors: Taffon Chiara , Giovannoni Isabella , Mozetic Pamela , Capolupo Gabriella Teresa , La Vaccara Vincenzo , Cinque Cristina , Caricato Chiara , Rainer Alberto , Zelano Giovanni , Crescenzi Anna
Published: March 2019

Background

Intraperitoneal malignant cells detection in patients with gastric cancer is associated with a significant decrease in overall survival. The overall accuracy of cytological examination of peritoneal lavages, however, is quite low, and intraperitoneal recurrence has been observed even in patients with negative cytology. Immunocytochemistry and molecular techniques have been investigated to improve high‐risk patients' identification with variable results. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of different laboratory methods applied to peritoneal washing, to improve the cytological identification of malignant cells.

Methods

We prospectively evaluated 21 patients who underwent surgery and peritoneal lavage for gastric cancer. Among them, 18 had negative cytology and three were positive for malignant cells. For each patient, immunohistochemistry with BerEP4 antibody was performed on seriate sections of cellblock preparation at different levels, using the method reported for sentinel nodes in other types of cancer. Paired frozen quotes of washing fluids were evaluated by qRT‐PCR with primer for mRNA of Ceacam5.

Results

In 4 of 18 patients with previous negative routine cytology, isolated neoplastic cells in seriate sections of the cellblock inclusion have been found. Results showed to be coherent with molecular analysis for CEA mRNA.

Conclusion

The sensitivity and specificity of peritoneal washing analyses should be notably improved by immunohistochemistry applied to multilevel cellblock sectioning. The method is less expensive and more widely applicable than molecular analysis, in each laboratory setting. This approach allows detection of minimum peritoneal seeding in patients with gastric cancer.
Determination of DP‐VPA and its active metabolite, VPA, in human plasma, urine, and feces by UPLC–MS/MS: A clinical pharmacokinetics and excretion study
Authors: Li Yi , Zhan Huizhong , Fan Yaxin , Zhang Jing , Cao Guoying , Yu Jicheng , Chen Yuancheng , Guo Beining
Published: March 2019

DP‐VPA is a phospholipid prodrug of valproic acid (VPA) that is developed as a potential treatment for epilepsy. To characterize the pharmacokinetics and excretion of DP‐VPA, four reliable ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) methods were validated for quantitation of DP‐VPA and its metabolite, VPA, in human plasma, urine, and feces. Protein precipitation and solid‐phase extraction (SPE) were used for extraction of C16, C18 homologs of DP‐VPA and VPA, respectively, from plasma. Urine and fecal homogenate involving the three analytes were efficiently prepared by methanol precipitation. The determinations of C16 DP‐VPA, C18 DP‐VPA, and VPA were performed using the positive multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and the negative single ion monitoring (SIM) mode, respectively. The analytes were separated using gradient elution on C8 or phenyl column. Satisfactory results pertaining to selectivity, linearity, matrix effect, accuracy and precision, recovery, stability, dilution integrity, carryover, and incurred sample analysis (ISR) were obtained. The calibration ranges in human plasma were as follows: 0.00200–1.00 μg/mL for C16 DP‐VPA, 0.0100–5.00 μg/mL for C18 DP‐VPA, and 0.0500–20.0 μg/mL for VPA. The linear ranges in urine and fecal homogenate were 0.00500–2.00 μg/mL and 0.00200–0.800 μg/mL for C16 DP‐VPA, 0.00500–2.00 μg/mL and 0.0100–4.00 μg/mL for C18 DP‐VPA, and 0.200–80.0 μg/mL for VPA, respectively. The intra‐ and inter‐batch coefficients of variation in three matrices ranged from 1.7% to 12.4% while the accuracy values ranged from 85.4% to 111.7%. The developed methods were successfully applied to determine pharmacokinetics of DP‐VPA tablet after a single oral dose of 1200 mg in 12 healthy Chinese subjects under fed condition.
Importance of considering soils in seed transfer zone development: evidence from a study of the nativeBromus marginatus
Authors: Gibson Alexis , Nelson Cara R. , Rinehart Susan , Archer Vince , Eramian Aram
Published: March 2019

Seed transfer zones, which define the geographical relationship between adaptive traits and environmental factors, are increasingly used to determine the source populations that can be combined in restoration and revegetation. Climatic variables have been the most commonly used environmental data in transfer zone development, even though soils are also a primary selective force on plants. We assessed the importance of including soils in seed transfer zones usingBromus marginatus, a native grass used for restoration and revegetation in the western United States, as an example. Seeds were collected from 64 populations across Montana and Idaho and grown in a common garden for two years. We assessed among‐population variation based on 11 traits related to germination rate, plant size, vigor, inflorescence number, survival, and carbon isotope discrimination (∆13), and used this variation to develop seed transfer zone maps using two approaches: (1) a conventional approach, using only climatic variables (climate only) and (2) an expanded approach that included soils and climatic variables (soils + climate). The most influential drivers of trait variation were factors related to soil water availability: soil order, available water content (AWC), and organic carbon levels. Populations from areas with andic soils, which have high soil AWC and soil organic carbon, had low germination, limited first‐year survival, low ∆13, and small seeds. Growing season length and winter temperatures were also predictive of trait variation. In comparison to climate‐only models, soils + climate models explained 11% more variance (120% relative increase) for ∆13and an average of 4.5% more (27% relative increase) for growth traits and survival. The transfer zone map developed using soils + climate differed from the climate‐only map in both spatial pattern of ecotypic variation and number of transfer zones; the soils + climate map had more zones and a higher proportion of small (<4 km2) transfer zone patches, while the climate‐only map had more large patches >37 km2. Including soils in transfer zone development may identify adaptive trait variation that is obscured by large‐scale differences in climate and could improve plant materials used for ecosystem management.
EasyCodeML: A visual tool for analysis of selection using CodeML
Authors: Gao Fangluan , Chen Chengjie , Arab Daej A. , Du Zhenguo , He Yehua , Ho Simon Y. W.
Published: March 2019

The genomic signatures of positive selection and evolutionary constraints can be detected by analyses of nucleotide sequences. One of the most widely used programs for this purpose is CodeML, part of the PAML package. Although a number of bioinformatics tools have been developed to facilitate the use of CodeML, these have various limitations. Here, we present a wrapper tool named EasyCodeML that provides a user‐friendly graphical interface for using CodeML. EasyCodeML has a custom running mode in which parameters can be adjusted to meet different requirements. It also offers a preset running mode in which an evolutionary analysis pipeline and publication‐quality tables can be exported by a single click. EasyCodeML allows visualized, interactive tree labelling, which greatly simplifies the use of the branch, branch‐site, and clade models of selection. The program allows comparison of major codon‐based models for analyses of selection. EasyCodeML is a stand‐alone package that is supported in Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, and is freely available at https://github.com/BioEasy/EasyCodeML.
External oscillator‐less TDC‐based all‐digital temperature sensor
Authors: Shimada Hideto , Mizuno Kentaro
Published: March 2019

This paper presents a Time‐to‐Digital Converter (TDC)‐based all‐digital temperature sensor with small inaccuracy even at wide temperature range. The proposed sensor utilized CMOS inverters show different temperature characteristics to embed an oscillator that previous sensors have used as external component. Moreover, the temperature characteristic of a diode is used to improve the temperature inaccuracy. The sensor in 180‐nm CMOS process tested from −40°C to 200°C shows −2.56°C to +2.84°C inaccuracy.
Long‐term evidence for fire as an ecohydrologic threshold‐reversal mechanism on woodland‐encroached sagebrush shrublands
Authors: Williams C. Jason , Pierson Frederick B. , Nouwakpo Sayjro K. , Kormos Patrick R. , Al‐Hamdan Osama Z. , Weltz Mark A.
Published: March 2019

Encroachment of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) shrublands by pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) conifers (woodland encroachment) induces a shift from biotic‐controlled resource retention to abiotic‐driven loss of soil resources. This shift is driven by a coarsening of the vegetation structure with increasing dominance of site resources by trees. Competition between the encroaching trees and understory vegetation for limited soil and water resources facilitates extensive bare intercanopy area between trees and concomitant increases in run‐off and erosion that, over time, propagate persistence of the shrubland‐to‐woodland conversion. We evaluated whether tree removal by burning can decrease late‐succession woodland ecohydrologic resilience by increasing vegetation and ground cover over a 9‐year period after fire and whether the soil erosion feedback on late‐succession woodlands is reversible by burning. To address these questions, we employed a suite of vegetation and soil measurements and rainfall simulation and concentrated overland flow experiments across multiple plot scales on unburned and burned areas at two sagebrush sites in the later stages of woodland succession. Prior to burning, tree cover was approximately 28% at the sites, and more than 70% of the area at the sites was intercanopy with depauperate understory vegetation and extensive bare ground (52–60% bare soil and rock). Burning initially increased bare ground across fine (<1 m2) to patch (tens of metres) scales, resulting in enhanced sediment availability at the fine scale, sustained high run‐off and erosion within degraded intercanopies, amplified run‐off and erosion from tree canopy areas, and amplified sediment delivery across fine to patch scales. However, fire‐induced increases in grass cover over nine growing seasons improved infiltration, limited run‐off and sediment delivery from the fine scale, and reduced intercanopy run‐off and erosion at the patch scale. These changes reflect a switch in vegetation structure, triggered by burning and subsequent vegetation re‐establishment, and a shift to biotic control on run‐off and erosion across spatial scales. The responses and persistence over the 9‐year period postfire at the two sites demonstrate that fire can decrease woodland ecohydrologic resilience by altering plant community physiognomy and thereby can reverse the soil erosion feedback on sagebrush shrublands in the later stages of woodland encroachment.
Neural Anti‐Inflammatory Natural Product Periconianone A: Total Synthesis and Biological Evaluation
Authors: Kalmode Hanuman P. , Patil Suhag S. , Handore Kishor L. , Athawale Paresh R. , Dandela Rambabu , Verma Abhishek Kumar , Basu Anirban , Reddy D. Srinivasa
Published: March 2019

Total synthesis of periconianone A, an eremophilane‐type sesquiterpenoid with impressive neural anti‐inflammatory potential, has been accomplished. Diels–Alder/aldol strategy to construct tetrahydro‐naphthalene‐2,6‐dione scaffold, allylic oxidation of dienone using DBU/O2 and postulated biomimetic aldol reaction to construct 6/6/6 tricyclic system are the highlights of the present synthesis. Furthermore, the synthesized (±)‐periconianone A and two close analogs were tested for their neural anti‐inflammatory activity using various assays. In the course of our study we found a structurally simplified analog is superior to (±)‐periconianone A.
Oxidative Alkenylation of Fused Bicyclic Heterocycles
Authors: Koubachi Jamal , El Brahmi Nabil , Guillaumet Gérald , El Kazzouli Saïd
Published: March 2019

The aim of this review is to highlight the advances made in the C–H/C–H functionalization of 5,5‐fused‐heterocyclic systems and 5,6‐fused‐heterocyclic systems such as indoles (C2, C3, C4, and C7 alkenylation), carbazoles, azaindoles, benzofurans, benzothiophenes, enzothiazoles, benzoxazoles, benzimidazoles, imidazopyridines, indolizines, indazoles (C3 and C7 alkenylation), and caffeine. The reports on oxidative alkenylation of 6,6‐fused‐heterocyclic systems including quinoxaline N‐oxides, quinoxalines, quinolones, isoquinolones, quinolines, 1,4‐benzoquinones, benzo[b][1,4]oxazines, benzo[b][1,4]thiazines, chromones, flavones, coumarins, 4H‐pyrido[1,2‐a]pyrimidin‐4‐ones, 1‐(2H)‐phthalazinones, phosphachromones, phosphacoumarins and sulfocoumarins will be also discussed.
Parallel genetic evolution and speciation from standing variation
Authors: Thompson Ken A. , Osmond Matthew M. , Schluter Dolph
Published: March 2019

Adaptation often proceeds from standing variation, and natural selection acting on pairs of populations is a quantitative continuum ranging from parallel to divergent. Yet, it is unclear how the extent of parallel genetic evolution during adaptation from standing variation is affected by the difference in the direction of selection between populations. Nor is it clear whether the availability of standing variation for adaptation affects progress toward speciation in a manner that depends on the difference in the direction of selection. We conducted a theoretical study investigating these questions and have two primary findings. First, the extent of parallel genetic evolution between two populations rapidly declines as selection changes from fully parallel toward divergent, and this decline is steeper in organisms with more traits (i.e., greater dimensionality). This rapid decline happens because small differences in the direction of selection greatly reduce the fraction of alleles that are beneficial in both populations. For example, populations adapting to optima separated by an angle of 33° might have only 50% of potentially beneficial alleles in common. Second, relative to when adaptation is from only new mutation, adaptation from standing variation improves hybrid fitness under parallel selection and reduces hybrid fitness under divergent selection. Under parallel selection, genetic parallelism from standing variation reduces the phenotypic segregation variance in hybrids, thereby increasing mean fitness in the parental environment. Under divergent selection, larger pleiotropic effects of alleles fixed from standing variation cause maladaptive transgressive phenotypes when combined in hybrids. Adaptation from standing genetic variation therefore slows progress toward speciation under parallel selection and facilitates progress toward speciation under divergent selection.