bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Initial results of a novel technique of clipped node localization in breast cancer patients postneoadjuvant chemotherapy: Skin Mark clipped Axillary nodes Removal Technique (SMART trial)
Authors: Lim Geok Hoon , Teo Sze Yiun , Gudi Mihir , Ng Ruey Pyng , Pang Jinnie , Tan Yia Swam , Lee Yien Sien , Allen John C. , Leong Lester Chee Hao 
Published: January 2020

AbstractPurposeRemoval of clipped nodes can improve sentinel node biopsy accuracy in breast cancer patients post neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). However, the current methods of clipped node localization have limitations. We evaluated the feasibility of a novel clipped node localization and removal technique by preoperative skin marking of clipped nodes and removal by the Skin Mark clipped Axillary nodes Removal Technique (SMART), with the secondary aim of assessing the ultrasound visibility of the various clips in the axillary nodes after NACT.MethodsInvasive breast cancer patients with histologically metastatic axillary nodes, going for NACT, and ≤3 sonographically abnormal axillary nodes were recruited. All abnormal nodes had clips inserted. Patients with M1 disease were excluded. Post‐NACT, patients underwent SMART and axillary lymph node dissection. Specimen radiography and pathological analyses were performed to confirm the clipped node presence. Success, complication rates of SMART, and ultrasound visibility of the various clips were assessed.ResultsTwenty‐five clipped nodes in 14 patients underwent SMART without complications. The UltraCor Twirl, hydroMARK, UltraClip Dual Trigger, and UltraClip were removed in 13/13 (100%), 7/9 (77.8%), 1/2 (50.0%), and 0/1 (0%), respectively (P = .0103) with UltraCor Twirl having the best ultrasound visibility and removal rate. Removal of three clipped nodes in the same patient (P = .0010) and deeply seated clipped nodes (P = .0167) were associated with SMART failure.ConclusionSkin Mark clipped Axillary nodes Removal Technique is feasible for removing clipped nodes post‐NACT, with 100% observed success rate, using the UltraCor Twirl marker in patients with <3 not deeply seated clipped nodes. Larger studies are needed for validation.
Relevance and prognostic ability of Twist, Slug and tumor spread through air spaces in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Liu Ao , Sun Xiao , Xu Jin , Xuan Yunpeng , Zhao Yandong , Qiu Tong , Hou Feng , Qin Yi , Wang Yuanyong , Lu Tong , Wo Yang , Li Yujun , Xing Xiaoming , Jiao Wenjie 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBackgroundTumor spread through air spaces (STAS) is a novel pathologic characteristic in lung adenocarcinomas that indicates invasive tumor behavior. We aimed to explore the relationship between Twist, Slug and STAS in lung adenocarcinoma and to investigate the potential relationship between epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and STAS.Materials and methodsOur study retrospectively analyzed 115 patients with resected lung adenocarcinomas to evaluate the relationship between Twist, Slug and STAS. STAS was diagnosed using hematoxylin‐eosin (H&E) staining. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expression levels of Slug and Twist.ResultsIn this study, 56 (48.7%) patients had STAS, 40 (34.8%) patients had Slug overexpression, and 28 (24.3%) patients had Twist overexpression. Patients with either STAS or Slug and Twist overexpression experienced poor recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). There were significant associations between Twist overexpression, Slug overexpression and the presence of STAS. The logistic model further revealed that pathological stage, Twist overexpression and Slug overexpression were independent risk factors for STAS. A multivariate analysis that contained Twist, Slug, pathologic stage and STAS, showed that pathologic stage and STAS were independent prognostic factors for poor RFS and OS. Another multivariate model that contained Twist, Slug and pathologic stage, showed that pathologic stage, Twist overexpression and Slug overexpression were independent risk factors for poor RFS and OS. In the cohort with STAS, the multivariate analysis showed that pathologic stage and Twist overexpression were independent risk factors for poor survival. The subgroup analysis showed that patients with both Slug overexpression and Twist overexpression with STAS received a poor prognosis.ConclusionsSTAS, Slug and Twist were correlated with poor RFS and OS in resected lung adenocarcinomas. Additionally, STAS was correlated with the overexpression of Twist and Slug, which could potentially provide information on the mechanism of STAS.
Intermediate filaments in developing neurons: Beyond structure
Authors: Bott Christopher J. , Winckler Bettina 
Published: January 2020

AbstractNeuronal development relies on a highly choreographed progression of dynamic cellular processes by which newborn neurons migrate, extend axons and dendrites, innervate their targets, and make functional synapses. Many of these dynamic processes require coordinated changes in morphology, powered by the cell's cytoskeleton. Intermediate filaments (IFs) are the third major cytoskeletal elements in vertebrate cells, but are rarely considered when it comes to understanding axon and dendrite growth, pathfinding and synapse formation. In this review, we first introduce the many new and exciting concepts of IF function, discovered mostly in non‐neuronal cells. These roles include dynamic rearrangements, crosstalk with microtubules and actin filaments, mechano‐sensing and ‐transduction, and regulation of signaling cascades. We then discuss the understudied roles of neuronally expressed IFs, with a particular focus on IFs expressed during development, such as nestin, vimentin and α‐internexin. Lastly, we illustrate how signaling modulation by the unconventional IF nestin shapes neuronal morphogenesis in unexpected and novel ways. Even though the first IF knockout mice were made over 20 years ago, the study of the cell biological functions of IFs in the brain still has much room for exciting new discoveries.
Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Food Effects on TAC‐302 in Healthy Participants: Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled, Single‐Dose and Multiple‐Dose Studies
Authors: Sesoko Shogo , Huang Jinhong , Okayama Takashige , Nishida Erika , Miyoshi Kazuhisa 
Published: January 2020

AbstractTAC‐302 stimulates neurite outgrowth activity and is expected to restore urinary function in patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction. We conducted 2 phase 1, randomized, placebo‐controlled studies to confirm the safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) of TAC‐302 in healthy adult Japanese male volunteers. In the first‐in‐human single‐dose study (n = 60), TAC‐302 was administered at doses from 100 to 1200 mg after an overnight fast. The effects of a meal on the PK of TAC‐302 400 mg were also examined. A multiple‐dose study (n = 36) evaluated the effects of meal fat content on the PK of single doses of TAC‐302 (100, 200, or 400 mg) and multiple doses of TAC‐302 administered for 5 days (100, 200, and 400 mg twice daily). TAC‐302 showed linear PK up to doses of 1200 mg in the fasting state, and across the dose range of 100–400 mg in the fed state. No accumulation of TAC‐302 was observed. Food, particularly with high fat content, increased TAC‐302 plasma concentrations. No differences were observed in the adverse event incidence between the TAC‐302 and placebo groups in either study. TAC‐302 showed a wide safety margin.
Impact of donor QTL on grain yield and gray leaf spot of four recombinant inbred lines of maize
Authors: Jiang Fuyan , Li Zi Wei , Yin XingFu , Zhang Yudong , Guo Ruijia , Kang Manjit S. , Fan Xingming 
Published: January 2020

AbstractImproved maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids must possess both high grain yield (GY) and disease resistance for commercial production. Four recombinant inbred lines (RILs) with resistance to a gray leaf spot (GLS, caused by Cercospora zeae‐maydis Tehon & E. Y. Daniels) were developed from a cross between YML32 (resistant) and Q11 (susceptible). Three RILs (RL1_1, RL1_2, and RL2_1) contained a resistance‐carrying DNA segment (RDNAS); the fourth RIL (RL2_2) did not possess RDNAS. Five testers (four RILs and Q11, male) were crossed with 13 maize lines (female) of three known heterotic groups and tested in 2016 (2016 experiment; results published in 2018). In the current study, we crossed the 21 lines (female, 13 previous lines plus eight new lines, 2018 experiment) with the same five testers (male). The objectives were (a) to determine if GY of the testcrosses, especially with RIL2_2, and GY heterosis were improved over the testcrosses with Q11, and (b) to compare the results of the 2018 and 2016 experiments to know if different years and/or additional maize lines affected GY. The GY of the crosses with the four RILs and the GY heterosis of testcrosses were improved over the crosses with Q11 in the 2018 experiment, mainly because of low GLS score. RIL2_2, lacking the RDNAS, possessed GLS resistance genes different from those in the three RDNAS‐carrying RILs. We concluded that at least 20 lines representing different heterotic groups should be crossed with new RILs and that a second year of testing would be desirable to obtain reliable estimates of GY of the new RILs and to identify new high‐yielding hybrids.
Direct evidence using a controlled greenhouse study for threshold effects of soil organic matter on crop growth
Authors: Oldfield Emily E. , Wood Stephen A. , Bradford Mark A. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractSoil organic matter (SOM) is a key indicator of soil fertility, and building SOM is assumed to decrease reliance on external inputs and ensure stable crop production. Recent syntheses of field data support this assumption with positive SOM–productivity relationships that asymptote at ~4% SOM. Teasing out the directionality of this relationship—the extent to which SOM increases crop growth vs. greater growth leading to higher SOM concentrations—requires controlled experimentation. To disentangle this causative pathway, we conducted a greenhouse experiment whereby we manipulated SOM concentrations from 1% to 9% and evaluated whether the SOM–productivity relationship differed for spring wheat (Triticum aestivum, L.) under nitrogen fertilization crossed with irrigation due to the expectation that SOM buffers the effects of reduced fertilization and/or irrigation. We found that higher concentrations of SOM led to greater productivity (measured as aboveground biomass) up to a threshold of 5% SOM, after which productivity declined across all treatments. These declines occurred despite the fact that indicators of soil health (water‐holding capacity, microbial biomass, and bulk density) improved linearly with increasing SOM concentrations. That is, improvements in soil properties did not translate to gains in productivity at the highest SOM levels. Nitrogen fertilization led to greater productivity across all treatments, but to a greater relative extent at lower SOM levels, where we found that productivity on unfertilized soils with 4% SOM matched that of fertilized soils with 2% SOM. Differences in productivity on unfertilized soils due to irrigation emerged at higher SOM levels (>5%), highlighting SOM's role in water retention. Our results demonstrate that building SOM leads to improved growth of a globally important crop; however, our results also indicated a pronounced SOM threshold, after which crop growth declined. This underscores the need to develop optimal SOM targets for desired agricultural and environmental outcomes.
Vegetation management for urban park visitors: a mixed methods approach in Portland, Oregon
Authors: Talal Michelle L. , Santelmann Mary V. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractUrban park managers are tasked with maintaining ecological function and quality of parks while also meeting visitor preferences. The purpose of this study was to better understand how managers currently manage vegetation in parks of Portland, Oregon. Twenty‐one urban park manager interviews were completed regarding 15 parks, which included natural‐passive use, recreational‐active use, and multi‐use park types. Responses were coded for themes and patterns of meaning. Mixed methods were used to evaluate the urban park manager interview data in the context of visitor interview and plant community composition data collected at the same parks. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordinations were used to identify urban park manager and visitor perspectives correlated with different park types and their vegetation. Across park types, managers discussed maintenance as a favorite aspect of plant management, while ecosystem management was often described by managers of natural‐passive use parks. Some managers indicated that they would make no changes to plant management, but the majority provided detailed recommendations such as enhancing maintenance, increasing staffing, adding plants, updating infrastructure, and improving plant species selection. There are opportunities to better meet the preferences of both managers and visitors by continuing to maintain large trees and trail/path vegetation for accessibility, removing invasive/harmful plants, and improving plant selection to include those that are heartier, more colorful, produce flowers, and are disease resistant, climate adapted, and provide habitat for a variety of species. While urban park managers discussed how they incorporated visitor preferences and accessibility in plant management, they also described limitations such as funding, staff resources, and undesirable visitor behaviors. Increased communication and collaboration among governmental agencies, non‐profit organizations, and community members, as well as continued investment in park management and interdisciplinary mixed methods research have the potential to enhance the many ecological and social benefits of urban parks.
Optimization of leaf morphology in relation to leaf water status: A theory
Authors: Ding Junyan , Johnson Edward A. , Martin Yvonne E. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe leaf economic traits such as leaf area, maximum carbon assimilation rate, and venation are all correlated and related to water availability. Furthermore, leaves are often broad and large in humid areas and narrower in arid/semiarid and hot and cold areas. We use optimization theory to explain these patterns. We have created a constrained optimization leaf model linking leaf shape to vein structure that is integrated into coupled transpiration and carbon assimilation processes. The model maximizes net leaf carbon gain (NPPleaf) over the loss of xylem water potential. Modeled relations between leaf traits are consistent with empirically observed patterns. As the results of the leaf shape–venation relation, our model further predicts that a broadleaf has overall higher NPPleaf compared to a narrowleaf. In addition, a broadleaf has a lower stomatal resistance compared to a narrowleaf under the same level of constraint. With the same leaf area, a broadleaf will have, on average, larger conduits and lower total leaf xylem resistance and thus be more efficient in water transportation but less resistant to cavitation. By linking venation structure to leaf shape and using water potential as the constraint, our model provides a physical explanation for the general pattern of the covariance of leaf traits through the safety–efficiency trade‐off of leaf hydraulic design.
A Cole‐Cole Dielectric Relaxation Analysis of Albumin and γ‐Globulins for Protein Quantification by Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy
Authors: Sifuna Martin Wekesa , Baidillah Marlin Ramadhan , Sapkota Achyut , Takei Masahiro 
Published: January 2020

AbstractOptimal serum protein concentrations are vital for normal body functioning. Affordable while accurate protein quantification methods with minimum processing requirements are needed for diagnosis of related diseases. The standard automated chemistry analyzer is limited by high installation and maintenance costs. This study proposes the use of electrical impedimetric spectroscopy (EIS) as an alternative to current methods. Its practical applicability was tested using albumin and γ‐globulin or their miscellanea in three different media; water, serum and tissue‐mimicking phantoms at 25 °C. Impedance measurements were taken between frequencyf=0.10 MHz to 300 MHz by an impedance analyzer. A Cole‐Cole analysis was used to elucidate the stepwise variations in the dielectric parameters of the protein medium so as to obtain empirical dielectric parameter‐protein concentration relationships and their correlation coefficientsR2. From the results, linear relationships between parameters and protein concentrations with high correlation coefficients overR2=0.90 were observed. Resistance to charge transferRctand characteristic frequencyfcwere significantly altered by changing protein concentrations as compared to bulk solution resistanceRs, relaxation time constantτand shape factorα. The relationships developed would aid in monitoring changes in body fluid protein concentrations by EIS.
Effect of winglet geometry on horizontal axis wind turbine performance
Authors: Mourad Mina G. , Shahin Ibrahim , Ayad Samir S. , Abdellatif Osama E. , Mekhail Tarek A. 
Published: January 2020

Winglets (WLs) have recently been used to improve the performance of horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). The WL geometry is a key parameter for diverging blade tip vortices away from turbine blades and reducing induced drag. The present study focuses on the effect of winglet height (H) and toe angle (αw) on the turbine performance. The performance of a three‐bladed rotor of 1 m diameter with SD8000 aerofoil is numerically investigated using ANSYS 17.2 CFD on a polyhedral mesh. The model is hence validated by comparing results for power coefficient (Cpw) with experimental values available in the literature. Four different values of H are considered while keeping αw constant at 0°. H of 0.8%R is proved to be the best height for performance enhancement. It increases Cpw by 2.4% at tip speed ratio λ = 7. The toe angle effect is studied for upwind and downwind WLs. The results show that Cpw increases as αw increases up to αw = +20° at all values of λ. Cpw increases by 6% at λ = 7. Downwind WL always reduces Cpw. The present results are well explained by the resulting vectors map near the blade tip. Using WL with the optimum H and αw, causes 6% increase in Cpw as compared to rotor without WL.
Evaluation of closed gob methane sweet spots: A case study of the Tiefa mining area
Authors: Wang Bo , Huang Huazhou , Sang Shuxun , Zhou Xiaozhi , Jia Zhichao , Zhang Huajun 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe coal seam gas development in closed gob zone is still in the exploratory stage in China, and potential evaluation and sweet spots selection are the key issues. This paper establishes a complete evaluation system for selecting sweet spots for closed gob methane extraction with surface wells in the Tiefa mining area to reduce the blindness of area selection. The one‐vote veto system, the comprehensive evaluation index system, and the AHP‐entropy combined weight model are used to screen and evaluate the closed gob zones in the Tiefa mining area. A total of twenty evaluation units are evaluated and the development potential of which is classified as three levels by the optimal segmentation method. The relationship between the results of the assessment and the closed gob methane resource is also discussed, as well as the combined weight distribution coefficient. The results show that the development potential of the block cannot be estimated simply by the closed gob methane resource because the consistency between the comprehensive evaluation value and the closed gob methane resource is poor. The size of the combined weight distribution coefficient has little effect on the comprehensive evaluation values and only affects the ranking of evaluation units in a small range.
Smart firefighting construction in China: Status, problems, and reflections
Authors: Guowei Zhang , Su Yan , Guoqing Zhu , Pengyue Feng , Boyan Jia 
Published: January 2020

Summary“Smart firefighting” construction as a part of the “smart city” has been a concern of the public security and fire agencies at all levels. In this study, the status, problems, and reflections of “smart firefighting” construction in China are discussed. A recent survey indicates that China has launched its smart firefighting construction and initially created a new perspective on its regional smart firefighting work based on three main aspects: intelligent disaster perception by Internet of Things (IoT) construction, intelligent disaster prevention by big data construction, and intelligent disaster disposal by emergency rescue platform construction. However, the current smart firefighting construction in China still has some prominent problems such as the data interconnectivity and normalized management of various platforms, the extensibility of smart firefighting platforms, and the intelligent level of smart firefighting researches, which need to be solved urgently. Therefore, we argue that smart firefighting construction in China should establish data interconnectivity, industrial normalized management, 2D/3D geographic information interaction and extension, high‐integration fire protection theory, and many other aspects in the near future and truly realize firefighting visualization and efficient data applications for 4D time space. This study could provide valuable reference for smart firefighting and smart city construction.
Development of 1 kW‐class Ammonia‐fueled Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack
Authors: Kishimoto M. , Muroyama H. , Suzuki S. , Saito M. , Koide T. , Takahashi Y. , Horiuchi T. , Yamasaki H. , Matsumoto S. , Kubo H. , Takahashi N. , Okabe A. , Ueguchi S. , Jun M. , Tateno A. , Matsuo T. , Matsui T. , Iwai H. , Yoshida H. , Eguchi K. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractPower generation performance and long‐term durability of ammonia‐fueled solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems are investigated with SOFC stacks consisting of 30 planar anode‐supported cells. SOFC systems with three different operation modes are employed: direct ammonia, external decomposition and autothermal decomposition. A novel BaO/Ni/Sm2O3/MgO catalyst is newly developed for the external ammonia cracker, whereas a Co‐Ce‐Zr composite oxide catalyst is used for the autothermal ammonia cracker. Initial performance measurement and 1,000 h long‐term durability test of the stacks are conducted. The stack fueled with direct ammonia achieves 1 kW power output with 52% direct current (DC) electrical efficiency; a slight decrease in its performance compared with the stack with the mixture fuel of hydrogen and nitrogen is attributed to the decrease in the stack temperature caused by the endothermic ammonia decomposition reaction. The external ammonia cracker helps to maintain the stack temperature, improving the initial performance of the stack. The stack performance with the autothermal ammonia cracker is also comparable to those with the other operation modes. It is also demonstrated that the stacks fueled with ammonia have excellent stability during the long‐term tests and 57% energy conversion efficiency at ca. 700 W electrical output is achieved with the external ammonia cracker.
Family formation and the demand for health insurance
Authors: Doiron Denise , Kettlewell Nathan 
Published: January 2020

AbstractWe study how demand for health insurance responds to family formation using a unique panel of young Australian women. Our data allow us to simultaneously control for the influence of state dependence and unobserved heterogeneity and detailed information on children and child aspirations. We find evidence that women purchase insurance in preparation for pregnancy but then transition out of insurance once they have finished family building. Children have a large, negative impact on demand for insurance, although this effect is smaller for those on higher incomes. We also find that state dependence has a large impact on insurance demand. Our results are robust to a variety of alternative modelling strategies.