bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The salmeterol anomaly and the need for a urine threshold
Authors: Jacobson Glenn A. , Hostrup Morten 
Published: April 2020

AbstractSalmeterol is a long acting beta2‐agonist (LABA) used widely for the treatment of airways disease. There is evidence that beta2‐agonists, including salmeterol, have the potential for performance enhancing effects when delivered at supratherapeutic doses. For this reason, all beta2‐agonists are currently on the Prohibited List issued by the World Anti‐Doping Agency (WADA), regardless of dosing route with some exemptions for inhaled salbutamol, formoterol, and salmeterol when used at therapeutic inhaled doses. For 2020, salmeterol use is permitted up to a therapeutic dosing threshold of 200 μg daily, but unlike salbutamol and formoterol, there is an anomaly; currently there is no urine threshold to control for supratherapeutic dosing beyond this dosing threshold. Salmeterol, however, is reportable as an adverse analytical finding (AAF) at levels above 10 ng/mL. Complicating matters is that following inhalation, salmeterol parent drug is present at relatively low levels compared with other beta2‐agonists due to rapid metabolism to the metabolite, alpha‐hydroxysalmeterol, which is typically present at higher levels than the parent drug. Moreover, peak parent drug levels following permitted therapeutic dosing are below the minimum required performance level (MRPL) of 10 ng/mL for salmeterol (50% of the MRPL that analytical laboratories are required to meet for non‐threshold beta2‐agonists), hence the presence of salmeterol may be unreported. For consistency, a urine threshold should be introduced for salmeterol as a matter of priority, to balance the needs of athletes who use salmeterol therapeutically up to the agreed dosing threshold, with the need to control supratherapeutic dosing for doping intentions and athlete harm minimization.
Caterpillars on a phytochemical landscape: The case of alfalfa and the Melissa blue butterfly
Authors: Forister Matthew L. , Yoon Su'ad A. , Philbin Casey S. , Dodson Craig D. , Hart Bret , Harrison Joshua G. , Shelef Oren , Fordyce James A. , Marion Zachary H. , Nice Chris C. , Richards Lora A. , Buerkle C. Alex , Gompert Zach 
Published: April 2020

AbstractModern metabolomic approaches that generate more comprehensive phytochemical profiles than were previously available are providing new opportunities for understanding plant‐animal interactions. Specifically, we can characterize the phytochemical landscape by asking how a larger number of individual compounds affect herbivores and how compounds covary among plants. Here we use the recent colonization of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) by the Melissa blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa) to investigate the effects of indivdiual compounds and suites of covarying phytochemicals on caterpillar performance. We find that survival, development time, and adult weight are all associated with variation in nutrition and toxicity, including biomolecules associated with plant cell function as well as putative anti‐herbivore action. The plant‐insect interface is complex, with clusters of covarying compounds in many cases encompassing divergent effects on different aspects of caterpillar performance. Individual compounds with the strongest associations are largely specialized metabolites, including alkaloids, phenolic glycosides, and saponins. The saponins are represented in our data by more than 25 individual compounds with beneficial and detrimental effects on L. melissa caterpillars, which highlights the value of metabolomic data as opposed to approaches that rely on total concentrations within broad defensive classes.
Facilitation cascades create a predation refuge for biodiversity in a novel connected habitat
Authors: Lanham Brendan S. , Poore Alistair G. B. , Gribben Paul E. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCommunities structured via facilitation cascades whereby one habitat‐forming species promotes a secondary habitat‐forming species with synergistic effects on biodiversity are increasingly documented. Habitat‐formers can also extend the realized niche of other habitat‐forming species by facilitating their recruitment into novel environments across heterogeneous landscapes. However, further understanding of whether secondary habitat‐formers in these novel environments differ in their structure or support different communities from those settled in their natal habitat is required. Here, we investigated whether abiotic and biotic conditions in a novel connected habitat influence biodiversity within a secondary habitat‐former facilitated outside its natal habitat. We contrasted the morphology of the habitat‐forming alga, Sirophysalis trinodis, and its associated fish and epifaunal community occurring on rocky reef (natal habitat) and on nearby a biogenic hard substrate, live clam shells (novel habitat) in soft sediments. The algae on clams had a different morphology to those on the rocky shore and supported increased abundance of some epifaunal species. A reciprocal transplant experiment of S. trinodis individuals among habitats found that differences in the abundance of epifauna were explained by the increased abundance and consumption rates of predatory fish on the reef habitat compared to soft‐sediment habitats, and not by differences in algal morphology between habitats. We demonstrate that facilitation promotes a secondary habitat‐former into a novel habitat, which then enhances the abundance of associated epifauna by providing a predation refuge. This study contributes to a small but growing body of research demonstrating landscape‐scale effects of facilitation cascades, and that basal habitat‐formers can extend the realized niche of secondary habitat‐formers and their associated communities.
Estimating arthropod survival probability from field counts: a case study with monarch butterflies
Authors: Grant Tyler J. , Flockhart D. T. Tyler , Blader Teresa R. , Hellmich Richard L. , Pitman Grace M. , Tyner Sam , Norris D. Ryan , Bradbury Steven P. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractSurvival probability is fundamental for understanding population dynamics. Methods for estimating survival probability from field data typically require marking individuals, but marking methods are not possible for arthropod species that molt their exoskeleton between life stages. We developed a novel Bayesian state‐space model to estimate arthropod larval survival probability from stage‐structured count data. We performed simulation studies to evaluate estimation bias due to detection probability, individual variation in stage duration, and study design (sampling frequency and sample size). Estimation of cumulative survival probability from oviposition to pupation was robust to potential sources of bias. Our simulations also provide guidance for designing field studies with minimal bias. We applied the model to the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a declining species in North America for which conservation programs are being implemented. We estimated cumulative survival from egg to pupation from monarch counts conducted at 18 field sites in three landcover types in Iowa, USA, and Ontario, Canada: road right‐of‐ways, natural habitats (gardens and restored meadows), and agricultural field borders. Mean predicted survival probability across all landcover types was 0.014 (95% CI: 0.004–0.024), four times lower than previously published estimates using an ad hoc estimator. Estimated survival probability ranged from 0.002 (95% CI: 7.0E−7 to 0.034) to 0.058 (95% CI: 0.013–0.113) at individual sites. Among landcover types, agricultural field borders in Ontario had the highest estimated survival probability (0.025 with 95% CI: 0.008–0.043) and natural areas had the lowest estimated survival probability (0.008 with 95% CI: 0.009–0.024). Monarch production was estimated as adults produced per milkweed stem by multiplying survival probabilities by eggs per milkweed at these sites. Monarch production ranged from 1.0 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.68) adult in Ontario natural areas in 2016 to 29.0 (SD = 10.42) adults in Ontario agricultural borders in 2015 per 6809 milkweed stems. Survival estimates are critical to monarch population modeling and habitat restoration efforts. Our model is a significant advance in estimating survival probability for monarch butterflies and can be readily adapted to other arthropod species with stage‐structured life histories.
Loss of consumers constrains phenotypic evolution in the resulting food web
Authors: Barbour Matthew A. , Greyson-Gaito Christopher J. , Sotoodeh Arezoo , Locke Brendan , Bascompte Jordi 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe loss of biodiversity is altering the structure of ecological networks; however, we are currently in a poor position to predict how these altered communities will affect the evolution of remaining populations. Theory on fitness landscapes provides a framework for predicting how selection alters the evolutionary trajectory and adaptive potential of populations, but often treats the network of interacting populations as a “black box.” Here, we integrate ecological networks and fitness landscapes to examine how changes in food-web structure shape phenotypic evolution. We conducted a field experiment that removed a guild of larval parasitoids that imposed direct and indirect selection pressures on an insect herbivore. We then measured herbivore survival as a function of three key phenotypic traits to estimate directional, quadratic, and correlational selection gradients in each treatment. We used these selection gradients to characterize the slope and curvature of the fitness landscape to understand the direct and indirect effects of consumer loss on phenotypic evolution. We found that the number of traits under directional selection increased with the removal of larval parasitoids, indicating evolution was more constrained toward a specific combination of traits. Similarly, we found that the removal of larval parasitoids altered the curvature of the fitness landscape in such a way that tended to decrease the evolvability of the traits we measured in the next generation. Our results suggest that the loss of trophic interactions can impose greater constraints on phenotypic evolution. This indicates that the simplification of ecological communities may constrain the adaptive potential of remaining populations to future environmental change.
Dye extract of calyces of Hibiscus sabdariffa has photodynamic antibacterial activity: A prospect for sunlight‐driven fresh produce sanitation
Authors: Majiya Hussaini , Galstyan Anzhela 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPhotodynamic sanitation of fresh produce could help reduce spoilage and disease transmissions where conventional methods of sanitation are not available, and sunlight is available for free. In this study, we evaluated the photostability and photodynamic antibacterial activity of the dye extracts of calyces of Hibiscus sabdariffa. The dye extracts were very photostable in water but bleached in acetate‐HCl buffer (pH 4.6), phosphate buffer saline (pH 7.2), and tris base‐HCl buffer (pH 8.6). The photostability correlated with the photodynamic antibacterial activity of the dye extracts. Both the methanol and water dye extracts at the concentration of 0.0625 mg/ml caused complete inactivation of Bacillus subtilis (reductions of 8.5 log CFU/ml) within 2 min either with the visible light exposure at 10 mW/cm2 or in the dark without the light exposure. Reductions of 4.8 log CFU/ml and 2.2 log CFU/ml of Escherichia coli were observed when 1 mg/ml of methanol and water dye extracts were used, respectively, in water with the light exposure at 10 mW/cm2 for 20 min. Discussions are included about the ease of the dye extractions of the calyces of H. sabdariffa even in water without the need of energy for heating and the suitability of the dye extracts for the fresh produce sanitation. Dye extract of calyces of H. sabdariffa has photodynamic and nonphotodynamic antibacterial activity which could be exploited for the development of a low‐tech sunlight‐driven fresh produce sanitation system that is cheap, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.
Triple solutions of micropolar nanofluid in the presence of radiation over an exponentially preamble shrinking surface: Convective boundary condition
Authors: Lund Liaquat Ali , Omar Zurni , Raza Jawad , Khan Ilyas 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this study, we attempt to obtain all probable multiple solutions of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) steady flow of micropolar nanofluid on an exponentially shrinking surface by the consideration of concentration slip, thermal radiation, and convective boundary condition with help of the revised model of Buongiorno. The significance of the mass suction on the existence of multiple solutions is integrated. The suitable pseudo‐exponential similarity variables have been adopted to transfer the system of nonlinear partial differential equations into a system of nonlinear quasi‐ordinary ordinary differential equations. The resultant system has been solved by employing the Runge–Kutta fourth‐order method along with the shooting method. Three different ranges of solutions are noticed, namely triple solutions and single solution. When ranges of the suction parameter are and , then there exist triple solutions otherwise there exists only single solution. The effect of the numerous emerging parameters on the velocity profile, angular velocity profile, temperature profile, concentration profile, coefficient of skin friction, and local Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are demonstrated graphically. Results reveal that the velocity of the rotating fluid particles near the rigid surface declines regularly by the rise of the micropolar parameter in the second and first solutions.
Analysis of exergetic performance for a solar air heater with metal foam fins
Authors: Farhan Ammar A. , Obaid Zain Alabdeen H. , Hussien Sally Q. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this experimental study, an exergetic analysis is presented for solar air heaters (SAHs) that have absorber plates equipped with different fin arrangements. The following two types of fins were used: solid fins (conventional) and metal foam fins. Longitudinal, staggered, and corrugated fin arrangements in SAHs were investigated under the weather conditions experienced in Baghdad, Iraq in February to April 2018. The exergy efficiency and exergy loss of the SAHs were evaluated for five air mass flow rates ranging from 0.011 to 0.059 kg/s. Based on the exergy analysis, SAHs with metal foam fins are more efficient than those with solid fins. In addition, corrugated metal foam fins introduce more turbulent flow than the other fin configurations. It was found that the exergy loss and the exergy efficiency were directly proportional to the values of solar irradiance and air mass flow rates. At solar noon, the maximum values for exergy change were 127 and 89 W/m2 for air mass flow rates of 0.011 and 0.059 kg/s, respectively.
Evaluation of automated computed tomography segmentation to assess body composition and mortality associations in cancer patients
Authors: Cespedes Feliciano Elizabeth M. , Popuri Karteek , Cobzas Dana , Baracos Vickie E. , Beg Mirza Faisal , Khan Arafat Dad , Ma Cydney , Chow Vincent , Prado Carla M. , Xiao Jingjie , Liu Vincent , Chen Wendy Y. , Meyerhardt Jeffrey , Albers Kathleen B. , Caan Bette J. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundBody composition from computed tomography (CT) scans is associated with cancer outcomes including surgical complications, chemotoxicity, and survival. Most studies manually segment CT scans, but Automatic Body composition Analyser using Computed tomography image Segmentation (ABACS) software automatically segments muscle and adipose tissues to speed analysis. Here, we externally evaluate ABACS in an independent dataset.MethodsAmong patients with non‐metastatic colorectal (n = 3102) and breast (n = 2888) cancer diagnosed from 2005 to 2013 at Kaiser Permanente, expert raters annotated tissue areas at the third lumbar vertebra (L3). To compare ABACS segmentation results to manual analysis, we quantified the proportion of pixel‐level image overlap using Jaccard scores and agreement between methods using intra‐class correlation coefficients for continuous tissue areas. We examined performance overall and among subgroups defined by patient and imaging characteristics. To compare the strength of the mortality associations obtained from ABACS's segmentations to manual analysis, we computed Cox proportional hazards ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) by tertile of tissue area.ResultsMean ± SD age was 63 ± 11 years for colorectal cancer patients and 56 ± 12 for breast cancer patients. There was strong agreement between manual and automatic segmentations overall and within subgroups of age, sex, body mass index, and cancer stage: average Jaccard scores and intra‐class correlation coefficients exceeded 90% for all tissues. ABACS underestimated muscle and visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue areas by 1–2% versus manual analysis: mean differences were small at −2.35, −1.97 and −2.38 cm2, respectively. ABACS's performance was lowest for the <2% of patients who were underweight or had anatomic abnormalities. ABACS and manual analysis produced similar associations with mortality; comparing the lowest to highest tertile of skeletal muscle from ABACS versus manual analysis, the HRs were 1.23 (95% CI: 1.00–1.52) versus 1.38 (95% CI: 1.11–1.70) for colorectal cancer patients and 1.30 (95% CI: 1.01–1.66) versus 1.29 (95% CI: 1.00–1.65) for breast cancer patients.ConclusionsIn the first study to externally evaluate a commercially available software to assess body composition, automated segmentation of muscle and adipose tissues using ABACS was similar to manual analysis and associated with mortality after non‐metastatic cancer. Automated methods will accelerate body composition research and, eventually, facilitate integration of body composition measures into clinical care.
Understanding evolution of SARS‐CoV‐2: A perspective from analysis of genetic diversity of RdRp gene
Authors: Kasibhatla Sunitha M. , Kinikar Meenal , Limaye Sanket , Kale Mohan M. , Kulkarni‐Kale Urmila 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 emerged as the first example of “Disease X”, a hypothetical disease of humans caused by an unknown infectious agent that was named as novel coronavirus and subsequently designated as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). The origin of the outbreak at the animal market in Wuhan, China implies it as a case of zoonotic spillover. The study was designed to understand evolution of Betacoronaviruses and in particular diversification of SARS‐CoV‐2 using RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene, a stable genetic marker. Phylogenetic and population stratification analyses were carried out using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, respectively. Molecular phylogeny using RdRp showed that SARS‐CoV‐2 isolates cluster together. Bat‐CoV isolate RaTG13 and Pangolin‐CoVs are observed to branch off prior to SARS‐CoV‐2 cluster. While SARS‐CoV form a single cluster, Bat‐CoVs form multiple clusters. Population‐based analyses revealed that both SARS‐CoV‐2 and SARS‐CoV form separate clusters with no admixture. Bat‐CoVs were found to have single and mixed ancestry and clustered as four sub‐populations. Population‐based analyses of Betacoronaviruses using RdRp revealed that SARS‐CoV‐2 is a homogeneous population. SARS‐CoV‐2 appears to have evolved from Bat‐CoV isolate RaTG13, which diversified from a common ancestor from which Pangolin‐CoVs have also evolved. The admixed Bat‐CoV sub‐populations indicate that bats serve as reservoirs harboring virus ensembles that are responsible for zoonotic spillovers such as SARS‐CoV and SARS‐CoV‐2. The extent of admixed isolates of Bat‐CoVs observed in population diversification studies underline the need for periodic surveillance of bats and other animal reservoirs for potential spillovers as a measure towards preparedness for emergence of zoonosis.
Central nervous system involvement by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)
Authors: Paniz‐Mondolfi Alberto , Bryce Clare , Grimes Zachary , Gordon Ronald E. , Reidy Jason , Lednicky John , Sordillo Emilia Mia , Fowkes Mary 
Published: April 2020

AbstractNeurologic sequelae can be devastating complications of respiratory viral infections. We report the presence of virus in neural and capillary endothelial cells in frontal lobe tissue obtained at postmortem examination from a patient infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). Our observations of virus in neural tissue, in conjunction with clinical correlates of worsening neurologic symptoms, pave the way to a closer understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying central nervous system involvement by SARS‐CoV‐2.
How institutional pressures and managerial incentives elicit carbon transparency in global supply chains
Authors: Villena Verónica H. , Dhanorkar Suvrat 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCarbon transparency, once a niche practice, is increasingly becoming institutionalized. Firms are now required to report not only their operations' carbon emissions but also their suppliers'. This research explores the institutional pressures emanating from buyers and industry peers driving supplier firms to disclose high‐quality carbon emission publicly—our concept of carbon transparency. Many firms are increasingly adopting incentives to engage their employees in corporate climate change programs. Thus, we study the impact of three institutional pressures—coercive, mimetic, and normative—and examine when these pressures are more (or less) effective for driving supplier carbon transparency depending on the presence of climate change incentives. We used Carbon Disclosure Project's supply chain program (CDP‐SCP) as our research context. To gain deeper insight into the CDP‐SCP as well as the drivers and challenges of suppliers' carbon transparency, we conducted interviews with three CDP officials, three CDP‐SCP members (i.e., buyers), and six CDP‐SCP participants (i.e., suppliers). To test our hypotheses, we used a unique dataset from CDP‐SCP and complemented it with four other archival datasets for a sample of 835 suppliers operating in 41 countries during the 2013–2015 period. The results show that suppliers without climate change incentives are more vulnerable to coercive and mimetic pressures, whereas suppliers with climate change incentives are more receptive to normative pressure in terms of how much carbon transparency they exhibit. Thus, our study proposes an extensive concept of supplier carbon transparency, provides a comprehensive analysis of its external/internal drivers, and reveals when institutional pressures are more/less effective in eliciting supplier carbon transparency. This research also provides strategies for how buyers, suppliers, and CDP can foster more carbon transparency in supply chains.