bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Testing for top‐down cascading effects in a biomass‐driven ecological network of soil invertebrates
Authors: Conti Erminia , Di Mauro Letizia Stella , Pluchino Alessandro , Mulder Christian 
Published: June 2020

AbstractTo investigate the structural changes of a food‐web architecture, we considered real data coming from a soil food web in one abandoned pasture with former low‐pressure agriculture management and we reproduced the corresponding ecological network within a multi‐agent fully programmable modeling environment in order to simulate dynamically the cascading effects due to the removal of entire functional guilds.We performed several simulations differing from each other for the functional implications. At the first trophic level, we simulated a removal of the prey, that is, herbivores and microbivores, while at the second trophic level, we simulated a removal of the predators, that is, omnivores and carnivores. The five main guilds were removed either separately or in combination.The alteration in the food‐web architecture induced by the removal of entire functional guilds was the highest when the entire second trophic level was removed, while the removal of all microbivores caused an alteration in the food‐web structure of less than 5% of the total changes due to the removal of opportunistic and predatory species.Omnivores alone account for the highest shifts in time of the numerical abundances of the remaining species, providing computational evidence of the importance of the degree of omnivory in the stabilization of soil biota.
Orofacial quantitative sensory testing: Current evidence and future perspectives
Authors: Van der Cruyssen Fréderic , Van Tieghem Loes , Croonenborghs Tomas‐Marijn , Baad‐Hansen Lene , Svensson Peter , Renton Tara , Jacobs Reinhilde , Politis Constantinus , De Laat Antoon 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackground and objectiveOrofacial quantitative sensory testing (QST) is an increasingly valuable psychophysical tool for evaluating neurosensory disorders of the orofacial region. Here, we aimed to evaluate the current evidence regarding this testing method and to discuss its future clinical potential.Data treatmentWe conducted a literature search in Medline, Embase and Scopus for English‐language articles published between 1990 and 2019. The utilized search terms included QST, quantitative, sensory testing and neurosensory, which were combined using the AND operator with the terms facial, orofacial, trigeminal, intraoral and oral.ResultsOur findings highlighted many methods for conducting QST—including method of levels, method of limits and mapping. Potential stimuli also vary, and can include mechanical or thermal stimulation, vibration or pinprick stimuli. Orofacial QST may be helpful in revealing disease pathways and can be used for patient stratification to validate the use of neurosensory profile‐specific treatment options. QST is reportedly reliable in longitudinal studies and is thus a candidate for measuring changes over time. One disadvantage of QST is the substantial time required; however, further methodological refinements and the combination of partial aspects of the full QST battery with other tests and imaging methods should result in improvement.ConclusionsOverall, orofacial QST is a reliable testing method for diagnosing pathological neurosensory conditions and assessing normal neurosensory function. Despite the remaining challenges that hinder the use of QST for everyday clinical decisions and clinical trials, we expect that future improvements will allow its implementation in routine practice.
Digitization of the Nissen–Riesen chimpanzee radiological growth series
Authors: Thompson Nathan E. , Ahmed Lameesah , Celebi Taner B. , Coopee Zachary S. , Koll Nikki , Rubinstein Danielle , Saunders Megan A. , Anemone Robert L. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractLongitudinal morphological growth data of apes are incredibly difficult to obtain. Long life histories, combined with practical and ethical issues of obtaining such long‐term data have resulted in few longitudinal data sets in chimpanzees of known chronological ages. One classic, long‐term growth study of chimpanzees was that of Drs Nissen and Riesen initiated at the Yale Laboratories of Primate Biology in 1939. Through that study, whole‐body radiological images were taken on a regular basis from a “normative” group of chimpanzees from birth to adulthood. Here we have digitized the known remaining radiographs from that growth study, many of which are deteriorating, and uploaded the data set to the free, online database MorphoSource. The database comprises 3,568 X‐ray images of 15 of the 16 chimpanzee subjects in the normative group and 1 individual from an experimental group. Herein, we briefly review the historical context of this study and specific details of the data set.
AAMKS—Integrated cloud‐based application for probabilistic fire risk assessment
Authors: Krasuski Adam , Hostikka Simo 
Published: June 2020

SummaryAvailable models of fire risk assessment can still hardly be used for practical engineering problems. They are mostly loosely integrated, complex, computationally demanding applications, and require additional pre‐ or post‐hand‐calculations. However, the latest achievements in computer science enable establishing an easy‐to‐use web‐application with access to enormous computing power in a cloud requiring minimal management effort. In this article, we present a new tool for probabilistic fire risk assessment called Aamks. Our goal is to build an easy‐to‐use, science‐based, practical engineering tool to support building design in day‐to‐day work. To meet the overall goal, we aim at working out an integrated, web‐based application with computational efficiency and scalability allowed by cloud computing. Aamks performs a stochastic analysis of life safety in building fires using deterministic models for fire and evacuation and stochastic sampling of the uncertain input parameters.
Local discontinuous Galerkin method for a nonlocal viscous conservation laws
Authors: Li Can , Liu Shuming 
Published: June 2020

SummaryThe purpose of this article is to investigate high‐order numerical approximations of scalar conservation laws with nonlocal viscous term. The viscous term is given in the form of convolution in space variable. With the help of the characteristic of viscous term, we design a semidiscrete local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) method to solve the nonlocal model. We prove stability and convergence of semidiscrete LDG method in L2 norm. The theoretical analysis reveals that the present numerical scheme is stable with optimal convergence order for the linear case, and it is stable with sub‐optimal convergence order for nonlinear case. To demonstrate the validity and accuracy of our scheme, we test the Burgers equation with two typical nonlocal fractional viscous terms. The numerical results show the convergence order accuracy in space for both linear and nonlinear cases. Some numerical simulations are provided to show the robustness and effectiveness of the present numerical scheme.
Guanidyl and imidazolyl integration group‐modified PAMAM for gastric adenocarcinoma gene therapy
Authors: Wang Dongli , Wang Jing , Song Jie , Shen Qing , Wang Ruifeng , Lu Weiyue , Pan Jun , Xie Cao , Liu Min 
Published: June 2020

AbstractBackgroundGene therapy has become a potential strategy for cancer treatment. However, the development of efficient gene vectors restricts the application for cancer gene treatment. Functionalization of polymers with functional groups can significantly improve their transfection efficacy.MethodsGuanidyl can form bidentate hydrogen with the phosphate groups and phosphate groups are present in DNA and cell membranes, thus increasing DNA condensation and cellular uptake. Imidazolyl has high buffering capacity in endosomal/lysosomal acidic environment, facilitating endosome/lysosome escape. We designed a structure‐integrated group of guanidyl and imidazolyl, 2‐aminoimidazole (AM), which was conjugated to PAMAM generation 2 (G2) for gene therapy of gastric adenocarcinoma.ResultsMolecular docking results illustrated that G2‐AM bound with DNA molecule effectively via multiple interactions. A quantitative luciferase assay showed that the transfection efficacy of G2‐AM/pGL3 was approximately 100‐fold greater than that of G2/pGL3, 90‐fold greater than that of imidazolyl‐modified G2 (G2‐M) /pGL3 and 100‐fold greater than that of G5/pGL3 without additional cytotoxicity. After introducing the pTRAIL gene into gastric adenocarcinoma cells, the apoptosis ratio of gastric adenocarcinoma cells treated with G2‐AM/pTRAIL was 36.95%, which is much larger than the corresponding ratio of G2/pTRAIL (7.45%), G2‐M/pTRAIL (11.33%) and G5/pTRAIL (23.2%). In a gastric adenocarcinoma xenograft model, the in vivo transfection efficacy of G2‐AM/pRFP was much greater than that of G2/pRFP and G2‐M/pRFP.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate that AM could be modified with cationic polymers for potential application in gene delivery and gastric adenocarcinoma gene therapy.
Breakthrough concepts in immune-oncology: Cancer vaccines at the bedside
Authors: Roy Sohini , Sethi Tarsheen K , Taylor David , Kim Young J , Johnson Douglas B 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Clinical approval of the immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) agents for multiple cancer types has reinvigorated the long-standing work on cancer vaccines. In the pre-ICB era, clinical efforts focused on the Ag, the adjuvants, the formulation, and the mode of delivery. These translational efforts on therapeutic vaccines range from cell-based (e.g., dendritic cells vaccine Sipuleucel-T) to DNA/RNA-based platforms with various formulations (liposome), vectors (Listeria monocytogenes), or modes of delivery (intratumoral, gene gun, etc.). Despite promising preclinical results, cancer vaccine trials without ICB have historically shown little clinical activity. With the anticipation and expansion of combinatorial immunotherapeutic trials with ICB, the cancer vaccine field has entered the personalized medicine arena with recent advances in immunogenic neoantigen-based vaccines. In this article, we review the literature to organize the different cancer vaccines in the clinical space, and we will discuss their advantages, limits, and recent progress to overcome their challenges. Furthermore, we will also discuss recent preclinical advances and clinical strategies to combine vaccines with checkpoint blockade to improve therapeutic outcome and present a translational perspective on future directions.
The observed synoptic scale precipitation relationship between Western Equatorial Africa and Eastern Equatorial Africa
Authors: Ayesiga Godwin , Holloway Christopher E. , Williams Charles JR. , Yang Gui‐Ying , Ferrett Samantha 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAn improvement to subseasonal (i.e., days to weeks) rainfall prediction across Equatorial Africa is an important area of current research. This is because most countries in this region are highly dependent on rain‐fed agriculture, and so millions of livelihoods are at risk in the event of an unexpected poor harvest. This study examines 16 years of daily precipitation anomalies to investigate the relationship in precipitation between Western Equatorial Africa (WEA) and Eastern Equatorial Africa (EEA). Using lead/lag correlation and spatio‐temporal correlation patterns over various sub‐regions, a synoptic‐scale relationship in precipitation is presented between WEA and EEA, in which precipitation over EEA lags precipitation over WEA by 1–2 days. In addition, central WEA and sub‐regions in South Sudan display a synoptic‐timescale precipitation contrast, suggesting a weak precipitation dipole. Consistent with the known heterogeneity characteristic of Equatorial Africa's precipitation, our findings suggest that the 1–2 days precipitation relationship is dependent upon the sub‐region under investigation. Furthermore, our results indicate a coherent synoptic‐timescale eastward/northeastward propagating signal with a speed of approximately 12 m/s. Composite and correlation analyses of precipitation anomalies and a novel equatorial wave dataset show an apparent connection between eastward/northeastward propagating wet anomalies and Kelvin wave lower‐tropospheric convergence. This suggests that Convectively Coupled Kelvin Waves (CCKWs) play a role in modulating the 1–2 days convection and precipitation propagation between WEA and EEA. These results imply that monitoring the propagation characteristics of CCKWs may be important in synoptic‐timescale forecasting over Equatorial Africa.
Childhood Trauma Exposure Exacerbates the Impact of Concurrent Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence on Women's Posttraumatic Symptoms
Authors: Cintora Patricia , Laurent Heidemarie Kaiser 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAlthough it is well established that intimate partner violence (IPV) is detrimental to women's mental health, it remains unclear to what extent symptoms can be attributed to the proximal effects of IPV exposure itself as opposed to more stable scarring effects or co‐occurring risk factors. Heterogeneity in the magnitude of IPV effects further suggests that IPV‐exposed individuals are differentially susceptible to disorder, and an investigation of moderating factors that may make women more vulnerable is warranted. We used a prospective longitudinal study of low‐income mothers followed from 3 to 18 months postpartum to distinguish the concurrent mental health effects of IPV exposure from overall person‐level IPV‐mental health associations, as well as to test the moderating role of prior relational traumatic experiences in the form of childhood maltreatment. Multilevel modeling results demonstrated a unique concurrent association between increasing IPV and women's posttraumatic symptoms over time, even after controlling for an overall association between mean IPV and symptom levels. The effects of concurrent IPV were heightened in women who reported a history of childhood maltreatment. Model effects were medium to large,R2= .27–.35. The implications of these findings for the identification of and intervention with women at the highest risk for relational trauma‐related mental health difficulties are discussed.
Survival of Sharp‐Tailed Grouse Under Variable Livestock Grazing Management
Authors: Milligan Megan C. , Berkeley Lorelle I. , McNew Lance B. 
Published: June 2020

ABSTRACTLivestock grazing is a predominant land use worldwide and can influence wildlife populations by altering grassland composition, structure, and productivity. Conceptually, rest‐rotation livestock grazing could increase pasture‐level heterogeneity that would allow wildlife to balance the need for resources with the risk of predation. Prairie‐grouse (Tympanuchus spp.) are recognized as important indicator species for grassland ecosystems, so identifying management approaches suitable for prairie‐grouse could have implications for other species. We monitored radio‐collared female sharp‐tailed grouse (T. phasianellus) to evaluate the effects of 3 systems of livestock grazing management on the breeding season survival and habitat‐associated mortality risk of adult grouse in the northern mixed‐grass prairie in eastern Montana and western North Dakota, USA, during 2016–2018. Cumulative breeding season survival was 0.65 ± 0.04 (SE) and annual survival varied from 0.28 ± 0.04 to 0.50 ± 0.05. Grazing management did not have a meaningful influence on any aspect of the cumulative breeding season survival of adult female sharp‐tailed grouse, although the seasonal timing of peaks in mortality risk differed among systems. A 10% increase in cropland increased mortality risk of adult female sharp‐tailed grouse by a factor of 1.27. Overall, our results suggest that strategies that preserve economically viable ranching systems in unfragmented grasslands may have greater benefits for sharp‐tailed grouse survival than prescriptive livestock grazing systems. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.
Validation of Stage N3 of the Eighth Edition AJCC Staging System for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Pan Xin‐Bin , Qu Song , Li Ling , Chen Long , Liang Shi‐Xiong , Zhu Xiao‐Dong 
Published: June 2020

ObjectivesTo validate stage nodal (N)3 of the 8th edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).MethodsThis retrospective cohort study extracted NPC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 2004 and 2016. Pathologically confirmed patients with complete data of level IV, N3a, and N3b lymph node metastasis were investigated. The included patients were divided into level IV, N3a, and N3b groups. Five‐year overall survival (OS) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS) were compared among the three groups.ResultsA total of 693 patients were included: 285 (41.13%) patients in the level IV group, 124 (17.89%) patients in the N3a group, and 284 (40.98%) patients in the N3b group. The 5‐year OS (57.1%, 55.0%, and 55.2%) and CSS (64.4%, 63.5%, and 64.4%) were not different among the level IV, N3a, and N3b groups. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that N stage was not an independent prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91–1.17; P = .65) or CSS (HR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.89–1.19; P = .70).ConclusionStage N3 of the 8th edition AJCC staging system for NPC is reasonable.Level of EvidenceIII Laryngoscope, 131:535–540, 2021
A New Cylindrical Structure from ABCBD Pentablock Quadpolymer Melt Studied by Monte Carlo Simulation
Authors: Suzuki Jiro , Takano Atsushi , Matsushita Yushu 
Published: June 2020

AbstractMorphology of AB0CB1D pentablock quadpolymers in melt is studied by Monte Carlo simulation, where B0 and B1 are the same polymer component. When the volume fractions of the two end‐blocks, φA, φD, and that of mid‐block, φC are all small, the B‐domain forms matrix phase, whereas the A‐, C‐, and D‐chains stay as cylindrical domains. A tetragonally packed cylindrical structure is observed in the composition range of 0.125 ≤ φC ≤ 0.188 at φA = φD = 0.125 and γ  = 1.0, wherein γ  is the volume fraction ratio of two B‐chains, that is, γ  = φB0/φB1, defined as a symmetric factor. Another complex but periodic cylindrical structure is found at φA = φD = 0.125 and φC = 0.188 with quite wider γ  range of 0.38 ≤ γ  ≤ 0.64. By connecting D‐domains, this structure can be classified as the 3.3.4.3.4 Archimedean tiling, which is composed of imaginary regular triangles and squares. It should be noted that γ  range of 3.3.4.3.4 phase is much wider for the present AB0CB1D pentablock quadpolymers than that for the AB0CB1 tetrablock terpolymers. In addition, the A‐domains have been found to display the periodic Cairo pentagonal tiling by drawing auxiliary connect lines.
Automated mitral valve vortex ring extraction from 4D‐flow MRI
Authors: Kräuter Corina , Reiter Ursula , Reiter Clemens , Nizhnikava Volha , Masana Marc , Schmidt Albrecht , Fuchsjäger Michael , Stollberger Rudolf , Reiter Gert 
Published: June 2020

AbstractPurposeTo present and validate a method for automated extraction and analysis of the temporal evolution of the mitral valve (MV) vortex ring from MR 4D‐flow data.MethodsThe proposed algorithm uses the divergence‐free part of the velocity vector field for Q criterion‐based identification and tracking of MV vortex ring core and region within the left ventricle (LV). The 4D‐flow data of 20 subjects (10 healthy controls, 10 patients with ischemic heart disease) were used to validate the algorithm against visual analysis as well as to assess the method’s sensitivity to manual LV segmentation. Quantitative MV vortex ring parameters were analyzed with respect to both their differences between healthy subjects and patients and their correlation with transmitral peak velocities.ResultsThe algorithm successfully extracted MV vortex rings throughout the entire cardiac cycle, which agreed substantially with visual analysis (Cohen’s kappa = 0.77). Furthermore, vortex cores and regions were robustly detected even if a static end‐diastolic LV segmentation mask was applied to all frames (Dice coefficients 0.82 ± 0.08 and 0.94 ± 0.02 for core and region, respectively). Early diastolic MV vortex ring vorticity, kinetic energy and circularity index differed significantly between healthy controls and patients. In contrast to vortex shape parameters, vorticity and kinetic energy correlated strongly with transmitral peak velocities.ConclusionAn automated method for temporal MV vortex ring extraction demonstrating robustness with respect to LV segmentation strategies is introduced. Quantitative vortex parameter analysis indicates importance of the MV vortex ring for LV diastolic (dys)function.
On refinements of some integral inequalities using improved power‐mean integral inequalities
Authors: Kadakal Huriye 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIn this study, using power‐mean inequality and improved power‐mean integral inequality better approach than power‐mean inequality and an identity for differentiable functions, we get inequalities for functions whose derivatives in absolute value at certain power are convex. Numerically, it is shown that improved power‐mean integral inequality gives better approach than power‐mean inequality. Some applications to special means of real numbers and some error estimates for the midpoint formula are also given.
Dimerization of Aβ40 inside dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer and its effect on bilayer integrity: Atomistic simulation at three temperatures
Authors: Kargar Faezeh , Emadi Saeed , Fazli Hossein 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAmyloid‐beta (Aβ) protein is related to Alzheimer disease (AD), and various experiments have shown that oligomers as small as dimers are cytotoxic. Recent studies have concluded that interactions of Aβ with neuronal cell membranes lead to disruption of membrane integrity and toxicity and they play a key role in the development of AD. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to investigate Aβ in aqueous solution and membranes. We have previously studied monomeric Aβ40 embedded in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) membrane using MD simulations. Here, we explore interactions of two Aβ40 peptides in DPPC bilayer and its consequences on dimer distribution in a lipid bilayer and on the secondary structure of the peptides. We explored that N‐terminals played an important role in dimeric Aβ peptide aggregations and Aβ‐bilayer interactions, while C‐terminals bound peptides to bilayer like anchors. We did not observe exiting of peptides in our simulations although we observed insertion of peptides into the core of bilayer in some of our simulations. So it seems that the presence of Aβ on membrane surface increases its aggregation rate, and as diffusion occurs in two dimensions, it can increase the probability of interpeptide interactions. We found that dimeric Aβ, like monomeric one, had the ability to cause structural destabilization of DPPC membrane, which in turn might ultimately lead to cell death in an in vivo system. This information could have important implications for understanding the affinity of Aβ oligomers (here dimer) for membranes and the mechanism of Aβ oligomer toxicity in AD.