bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Microbial colonization of microplastics in the Caribbean Sea
Authors: Dudek Kassandra L. , Cruz Bianca N. , Polidoro Beth , Neuer Susanne 
Published: January 2020

AbstractMicroplastics in the ocean function as an artificial microbial reef, with diverse communities of eukaryotic and bacterial microbiota colonizing its surface. It is not well understood if these communities are specific for the type of microplastic on which they develop. Here, we carried out a 6‐week long incubation experiment of six common plastic polymers in Bocas del Toro, Panama. The community composition of prokaryotes based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing data, when judged under a null model analysis, shows that neither plastic polymer type nor time exposed to the environment plays a significant role in shaping biofilm communities. However, the null model analyses of eukaryotic communities based on 18S rRNA gene sequences reveal that they can be significantly influenced by plastic polymer type and time incubated. This was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, which allowed us to distinguish plastic‐specific diatom communities by the end of the incubation period.
Treating and preventing recurrence of recurrent genital acquired lymphangiectasia using lymphaticovenous anastomosis at genital area: A case report
Authors: Hara Hisako , Mihara Makoto 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAfter the simple resection of genital acquired lymphangiectasia, a high recurrence rate is reported, as lymphatic fluid from the legs to the genital region continues. Here we report a case in which we treated and prevented recurrence of recurrent genital acquired lymphangiectasia with genital lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA). A 48‐year‐old woman underwent hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection for uterine cervical cancer at 30 years of age. The patient consulted our department for lymphedema in bilateral legs and acquired lymphangiectasia in the major labia. Despite nine attempted genital acquired lymphangiectasia resections and LVA in the lower limbs, which was aimed to prevent the recurrence, it recurred within 1–2 months postoperatively. Then we injected indocyanine green (ICG) to the bilateral edge of the anus before 10th LVA. ICG flowed from the anus to the genital area and we performed acquired lymphangiectasia resection and genital LVA on this lymphatic vessel (one anastomosis). After 6 months postoperatively, no recurrence of acquired lymphangiectasia, lymphatic leakage, or cellulitis had occurred. We found that a lymphatic flow from the anus into genital acquired lymphangiectasia occurred in one of the patients and the genital LVA, anastomosis of that responsible lymphatic vessel to the vein, might prevent genital acquired lymphangiectasia recurrence after resectional treatment.
DOF‐gathering stable generalized finite element methods for crack problems
Authors: Zhang Qinghui 
Published: January 2020

AbstractGeneralized or eXtended finite element methods (GFEM/XFEM) have been studied extensively for crack problems. Most of the studies were concentrated on localized enrichment schemes where nodes around the crack tip are enriched by products of singular and finite element shape functions. To attain the optimal convergence rate O(h) (h is the mesh‐size), nodes in a fixed domain containing the tip have to be enriched. This results in many extra degrees of freedom (DOF) and stability issues. A so‐called DOF‐gathering GFEM/XFEM can avoid the increase of DOF, by collecting the singular enriched DOF together. Various novel modifications were designed for the DOF‐gathering GFEM/XFEM to get the optimal convergence O(h). However, they could not improve the stability, namely, condition numbers of stiffness matrices of the DOF‐gathering GFEM/XFEM could be much larger than that of the standard FEM. Motivated from the idea of stable GFEM, we propose in this paper a DOF‐gathering stable GFEM (d.g.SGFEM) for the Poisson problem with crack singularities. The main idea is to modify the singular and Heaviside enrichments by subtracting their finite element interpolants. The optimal convergence O(h) of the proposed d.g.SGFEM is proven theoretically. Moreover, the condition number of stiffness matrices of d.g.SGFEM, utilizing a local orthgonalization technique, is shown to be of same order as that of the standard FEM. Two kinds of commonly used cut‐off functions used to gather the DOF are analyzed in a unified approach. Theoretical convergence and the conditioning results of d.g.SGFEM are verified by numerical experiments.
Dual‐direction high thermal conductivity polymer composites with outstanding electrical insulation and electromagnetic shielding performance
Authors: Zhang Yang , Tang Bing , Liu Yang , Feng Rui , Song Shaokun , Xiong Chuanxi , Dong Lijie 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe rapid dissipation of accumulated heat and efficient electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding attract considerable attention due to the gradual integration and miniaturization of electronic devices. In an attempt to simultaneously overcome these issues, dual‐direction high thermal conductivity (TC) materials with outstanding electrical insulation and EMI shielding performance are urgently demanded. Herein, a tailor‐made sandwich network structure with insulated outer layer and EMI shielding middle layer is constructed by compression molding. The sandwich network structure endows the composite (#AB0.7/AM0.7/AB0.7) with high TC values of 3.051 and 3.365 Wm−1 K−1 at through‐plane and in‐plane directions, respectively, excellent electrical insulation (6.61 × 1013 Ω cm, 3.25 kV/mm) and superior EMI shielding performance (>27.68 dB from 8.2 to 12.4 GHz). All these results demonstrate that the prepared composite with tailor‐made sandwich network structure is a promising candidate as ideal thermal management material for electronic devices.
VH‐VL interdomain dynamics observed by computer simulations and NMR
Authors: Fernández‐Quintero Monica L. , Hoerschinger Valentin J. , Lamp Leonida M. , Bujotzek Alexander , Georges Guy , Liedl Klaus R. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe relative orientation of the two variable domains, VH and VL, influences the shape of the antigen binding site, that is, the paratope, and is essential to understand antigen specificity. ABangle characterizes the VH‐VL orientation by using five angles and a distance and compares it to other known structures. Molecular dynamics simulations of antibody variable domains (Fvs) reveal fluctuations in the relative domain orientations. The observed dynamics between these domains are confirmed by NMR experiments on a single‐chain variable fragment antibody (scFv) in complex with IL‐1β and an antigen‐binding fragment (Fab). The variability of these relative domain orientations can be interpreted as a structural feature of antibodies, which increases the antibody repertoire significantly and can enlarge the number of possible binding partners substantially. The movements of the VH and VL domains are well sampled with molecular dynamics simulations and are in agreement with the NMR ensemble. Fast Fourier transformation of the ABangle metrics allows to assign timescales of 0.1‐10 GHz to the fastest collective interdomain movements. The results clearly show the necessity of dynamics to understand and characterize the favorable orientations of the VH and VL domains implying a considerable binding interface flexibility and reveal in all antibody fragments (Fab, scFv, and Fv) very similar VH‐VL interdomain variations comparable to the distributions observed for known X‐ray structures of antibodies.Significance StatementAntibodies have become key players as therapeutic agents. The binding ability of antibodies is determined by the antigen‐binding fragment (Fab), in particular the variable fragment region (Fv). Antigen‐binding is mediated by the complementarity‐determining regions consisting of six loops, each three of the heavy and light chain variable domain VH and VL. The relative orientation of the VH and VL domains influences the shape of the antigen‐binding site and is a major objective in antibody design. In agreement with NMR experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, we show a considerable binding site flexibility in the low nanosecond timescale. Thus we suggest that this flexibility and its implications for binding and specificity should be considered when designing and optimizing therapeutic antibodies.
Gender differences in speed of advancement: An empirical examination of top executives in the Fortune 100 firms
Authors: Bonet Rocio , Cappelli Peter , Hamori Monika 
Published: January 2020

AbstractResearch summaryWe examine the advancement of women in executive roles in the ranks of the 10 highest executive positions in the Fortune 100 companies in 2001 and 2011. We find that women executives secured top executive positions faster than men, controlling for relevant individual attributes, and that the advantage of women with respect to men grew with the number of years they spent in the organization. The female advantage disappeared once companies had more than one high‐ranking female executive. We make use of several tests to assess possible unobserved differences between men and women executives, including the case–control technique from epidemiology. Our results are consistent with institutional pressures accelerating women's advancement to top executive positions, but they also reveal the limited effectiveness of such pressures.Managerial summaryEmployers interested in increasing the diversity of their executive ranks should pay attention not only to who is in those jobs but also how long it took them to get there. In our study, women in top jobs got there faster not just because they were better but because they moved through previous positions faster and skipped steps in job ladders. This suggests how diversity at the top can be enhanced without having to wait for more diverse cohorts in lower‐level jobs to slowly advance. The fact that faster advancement slowed once there were a few women in top jobs suggests that support for advancement was indeed a company choice, unfortunately one driven by public appearances.
Effect of pessary cleaning and optimal time interval for follow-up: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Thys Susanne D. , Hakvoort Robert A. , Asseler Joyce , Milani Alfredo L. , Vollebregt Astrid , Roovers Jan Paul 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Introduction and hypothesis
The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of routine follow-up visits for pessary cleaning, the effect of extended time intervals between visits and the proportion of patients being able to self-manage their pessary for pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

Methods
We conducted a prospective cohort study in patients with a stage ≥II POP without previous POP surgery. All patients received a pessary as primary treatment. Our main outcome measure was a difference ≥2 in median visual analogue scale (VAS) scores (for pain, discharge, irritation) 1 week before and 1 week after cleaning. Measurements were performed after 3- and 9-month cleaning intervals. For the evaluation of the effect of cleaning, 132 patients (3 months’ follow-up) and 87 patients (12 months’ follow-up) were available for analysis. For the evaluation of the effect of the lengthening interval, 123 patients were available.

Results
Self-management was performed in 45.2% of patients at 1 year. In 93.1% of patients, no differences were observed in pre-and post-cleaning VAS scores (effect of cleaning) on vaginal pain. Nor was there a difference in discharge (72.4%) or irritation 85.1% (p = 0.00). No differences were observed in pre-cleaning VAS scores for vaginal pain, discharge and irritation when the interval was lengthened from 3 to 9 months. No serious adverse events occurred.

Conclusions
There is no proven benefit of regular follow-up visits to clean a pessary. Also, the length of the cleaning interval does not seem to matter.
Buprenorphine–cannabis interaction in patients undergoing opioid maintenance therapy
Authors: Vierke Christopher , Marxen Brigitte , Boettcher Michael , Hiemke Christoph , Havemann-Reinecke Ursula 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBuprenorphine is a partial μ-opioid agonist widely used for opioid maintenance therapy (OMT). It is mainly metabolized to pharmacologically active norbuprenorphine by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isozyme 3A4. This may give rise to drug–drug interactions under combinations with inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A4. Cannabis is a potential inhibitor of CYP3A4, and there is a large degree of concomitant cannabis use among OMT patients. We performed a retrospective analysis on liver healthy OMT patients substituted with buprenorphine, either with (n = 15) or without (n = 17) concomitant use of cannabis. Patients with additional illicit drugs or medications affecting CYP3A were excluded. Measured blood concentrations of buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine were compared between the two groups. Cannabis users and non-users received similar doses, but users had 2.7-fold higher concentrations of buprenorphine (p < 0.01) and 1.4-fold for norbuprenorphine (1.4-fold, p = 0.07). Moreover, the metabolite-to-parent drug ratio was 0.98 in non-users and 0.38 in users (p = 0.02). Female gender did not produce significant effects. These findings indicate that cannabis use decreases the formation of norbuprenorphine and elevates buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine concentrations in blood most probably by inhibition of CYP3A4. The pharmacokinetic interaction may give rise to enhanced or altered opioid activity and risk of intoxications. Physicians should inform patients about this risk and supervise cannabis users by regular control of buprenorphine blood levels, i.e., by therapeutic drug monitoring.
Sodium dodecyl sulfate improves the treatment of waste paper with rumen fluid at lower concentration but decreases at higher condition
Authors: Takizawa Shuhei , Baba Yasunori , Tada Chika , Fukuda Yasuhiro , Nakai Yutaka 
Published: January 2020

AbstractRumen fluid has been applied to lignocellulosic biomass digest for methane production, and various feed supplements have been shown to improve ruminant digestion of lignocellulosic biomass. Therefore, we investigated the effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass with rumen fluid and subsequent methane fermentation. SDS was mixed with rumen fluid at concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 g/L. After SDS addition, the waste paper was pretreated with rumen fluid at 37 °C for 6 h. SDS addition decreased the number of surviving rumen ciliates after pretreatment. SDS addition increased the dissolved chemical oxygen demand during pretreatment; however, SDS addition did not increase the volatile fatty acid concentration. After pretreatment, batch methane fermentation of pretreated waste paper was performed at 35 °C for 45 days. SDS addition at 0.1 and 0.2 g/L shortened the waste paper digestion time and enhanced methane gas production compared to the control. By contrast, SDS addition at 0.4 and 0.8 g/L remarkably inhibited methane production from waste paper. These findings suggest that low concentrations of SDS can improve the efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment with rumen fluid, and can enhance methane production from waste paper.
When is Sustainability a Liability, and When Is It an Asset? Quality Inferences for Core and Peripheral Attributes
Authors: Skard Siv , Jørgensen Sveinung , Pedersen Lars Jacob Tynes 
Published: January 2020

AbstractSustainable products offered in today’s marketplace are labelled with product-related green attributes (i.e. green core attributes) or non-product-related green attributes (i.e. green peripheral attributes). The current research investigates consumers’ inferences about a product’s functional quality when its core attributes are green (e.g. the ingredients) and when its peripheral attributes are green (e.g. the product packaging). Four experimental studies and an internal meta-analysis show that there is a sustainability liability effect in strength-dependent categories (for both core and peripheral attributes), and a sustainability asset effect in gentleness-dependent categories (for core attributes only). Our research contributes to the current understanding of how consumers make inferences about product quality when contemplating different types of green attributes. The findings have implications for how strength-dependent and gentleness-dependent products should be labelled as green.
Stripe rust resistance genes in a set of Ethiopian bread wheat cultivars and breeding lines
Authors: Gebreslasie Zeray Siyoum , Huang Shuo , Zhan Gangming , Badebo Ayele , Zeng Qingdong , Wu Jianhui , Wang Qilin , Liu Shengjie , Huang Lili , Wang Xiaojing , Kang Zhensheng , Han Dejun 
Published: January 2020

AbstractStripe rust caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) is one the most important diseases of wheat in Ethiopia and worldwide. To identify resistance genes, 90 bread wheat lines and 10 cultivars were tested at the seedling stage against one Pst race from Ethiopia and six races from China as well as evaluated for the stripe rust response in an inoculated field nursery at Yangling, Shaanxi province and in a naturally infected field in Jiangyou, Sichuan, China. Resistance genes were postulated using molecular assays for Yr9, Yr17, Yr18, Yr26, Yr29, Yr36, Yr44 and Yr62. Of the 100 entries tested, 16 had all stage resistance to all races. Molecular markers were positive for Yr9 in five genotypes, Yr17 in 21 genotypes, Yr18 in 27 genotypes, Yr26 in ten genotypes, Yr29 in 22 genotypes, Yr36 in 12 genotypes, Yr44 in 30 genotypes, and Yr62 in 51 genotypes. No line had Yr5, Yr8, Yr10 or Yr15. Complete or all stage resistance was observed in genotypes carrying gene combinations Yr9 + Yr18 + Yr44 + Yr62, Yr29 + Yr62 + Yr26 and Yr9 + Yr17 + Yr26 + Yr44 + Yr62. The results are helpful for developing wheat cultivars with effective and more durable resistance to stripe rust both in China and Ethiopia.
Factors associated with subchorionic hematoma formation in pregnancies achieved via assisted reproductive technologies
Authors: West Brady T. , Kavoussi Parviz K. , Odenwald Kate C. , London Krista , Hunn Caitlin L. , Chen Shu-Hung , Wininger John David , Gilkey Melissa S. , Kavoussi Keikhosrow M. , Kavoussi Shahryar K. 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Purpose
To determine if certain clinical and/or embryologic factors are independently associated with the increased prevalence of subchorionic hematoma (SCH) among pregnancies achieved via in vitro fertilization (IVF) with fresh embryo transfer (ET).

Design
Retrospective chart review.

Methods
In this retrospective study, data were abstracted from 210 autologous oocyte IVF clinical pregnancies that resulted from fresh ET at a single fertility center from January 2012 through December 2016. Clinical and embryology laboratory variables were analyzed as possible factors associated with the presence or absence of SCH in IVF pregnancies via bivariate associations and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Independent variables included prior uterine surgery versus no uterine surgery, peak estradiol, and progesterone levels, day 3 (n = 92) versus day 5 (n = 118) ET, and assisted hatching versus no assisted hatching. Among the day 5 ET subgroup of 118 patients, 117 had data for the variables inner cell mass (ICM) grading and trophectoderm (TE) because one day 5 ET was at the morula stage.

Results
We found a significant bivariate association between TE grading and SCH, where cases with TE grade “A” were significantly less likely to have SCH compared with cases with grades “B” or “C.” This significant difference remained when adjusting for the other factors considered in a multivariable logistic regression model for the probability of SCH.

Conclusions
The data analyzed here suggest that a less-advanced trophectoderm grade may be a potential factor that is associated with the presence of SCH in pregnancies achieved via IVF.
Assessing the Spatial Concentration of Urban Crime: An Insight from Nigeria
Authors: Umar Faisal , Johnson Shane D. , Cheshire James A. 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Objective
Research demonstrates that crime is concentrated. This finding is so consistent that David Weisburd refers to this as the “law of crime concentration at place”. However, most research on crime concentration has been conducted in the US or European cities and has used secondary data sources. In this study, we examine whether the law of crime concentration applies in the context of sub-Saharan Africa using primary data.

Methods
A crime victimization survey was used to collect data in the city of Kaduna (Nigeria). Using these data, the concentration of crime (breaking-and-entering and domestic theft) was examined at the household, street segment, and neighborhood levels. Specifically, variants of a Lorenz curve and the Gini index (GI) were used to examine whether crime concentrates at these different spatial scales and if such concentration reflects anything beyond the spatial distribution of opportunity for these types of offenses.

Results
Crime was found to concentrate at all spatial scales, and having accounted for expectation, given the distribution of opportunity, crime was most concentrated at the household level, closely followed by street segments. It was relatively less concentrated at the neighborhood level.

Conclusion
The current study extends previous research in a number of ways. It shows that the law of crime concentration at place applies in a very different context to most previous work. Unlike previous studies, we use primary data collected specifically to test the law, avoiding problems associated with the dark figure of crime. Moreover, the findings persist after accounting for crime opportunity.
Isolation and characterization of kelch repeat-containing F-box proteins from colored wheat
Authors: Hong Min Jeong , Kim Dae Yeon , Choi Hong-Il , Seo Yong Weon , Kim Jin-Baek 
Published: January 2020

AbstractF-box proteins play important roles in the regulation of various developmental processes in plants. Approximately 1796 F-box genes have been identified in the wheat genome, but details of their functions remain unknown. Moreover, not much was known about the roles of kelch repeat domain-containing F-box genes (TaKFBs) in wheat. In the present study, we isolated five TaKFBs to investigate the roles of KFBs at different stages of colored wheat grain development. The cDNAs encoding TaKFB1, TaKFB2, TaKFB3, TaKFB4, and TaKFB5 contained 363, 449, 353, 382, and 456 bp open reading frames, respectively. All deduced TaKFBs contained an F-box domain (IPR001810) and a kelch repeat type 1 domain (IPR006652), except TaKFB2. Expression of TaKFBs was elevated during the pigmentation stages of grain development. To clarify how TaKFB and SKP interact in wheat, we investigated whether five TaKFB proteins showed specificity for six SKP proteins using a yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assay. An Y2H screen was performed to search for proteins capable of binding the TaKFBs and interaction was identified between TaKFB1 and aquaporin PIP1. To examine the subcellular localization of TaKFBs, we transiently expressed TaKFB-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions in tobacco leaves; the TaKFB-GFP fusions were detected in the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Y2H and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays revealed that TaKFB1 specifically interacts with aquaporin PIP1. These results will provide useful information for further functional studies on wheat F-box proteins and their possible roles.