bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hydrological influences on aquatic communities at the mesohabitat scale in high Andean streams of southern Ecuador
Authors: Vimos‐Lojano Diego J. , Martínez‐Capel Francisco , Hampel Henrietta , Vázquez Raúl F. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThis study assessed the effects of hydrological events on aquatic communities at the mesohabitat scale (pool, run, and riffle) in the high Andean region. Four headwater sites located in the Zhurucay microcatchment (southern Ecuador), with elevations higher than 3,500 m, were selected and monitored considering in each site a 50‐m‐long reach and within each reach five cross sections. In each of these reaches, 19 sampling campaigns were conducted in the period December 2011–October 2013, collecting macroinvertebrates and physical characteristics. A total of 27 hydrological indices were calculated using the daily flow rate as input. Large peak flow, small peak flow, and low flow (LF) events were defined based on discharge thresholds. Multivariate statistics showed that 14 hydrological indices were significantly related to the aquatic community. Further, the study revealed that (a) peak events produced stronger effects on communities than LF events, (b) the observed effects of LF events were weaker than those encountered in other latitudes, and (c) local benthic communities have more resilience than similar communities studied in other latitudes.
Effectiveness evaluation and optimal design of nonlinear viscous dampers for inelastic structures under pulse‐type ground motions
Authors: Xie Yazhou , Zhang Jian , Xi Wang 
Published: August 2018

SummaryThis paper addresses the effectiveness and optimal design of nonlinear viscous dampers for inelastic structures. First, a nonlinear damping index is derived by using the dimensional analysis to estimate the damping induced by supplemental nonlinear dampers on inelastic single degree of freedom (SDOF) structures. Subsequently, the effects of the added nonlinear damping on the seismic responses of inelastic SDOF systems are analyzed in dimensionless forms when subject to various near‐fault ground motions. The structure‐to‐motion frequency ratio, the motion characteristics, and the structural nonlinearity are the main factors that will affect the damping effectiveness. Especially, it is shown that adding nonlinear viscous dampers will decrease displacement demands yet sometimes lead to amplified acceleration responses. Furthermore, an equivalency procedure is developed to match the inelastic multi‐degree of freedom (MDOF) structure that is equipped with multiple nonlinear viscous dampers to its corresponding SDOF system. Such equivalency justifies that the analysis results for the viscous damping efficiency on SDOF systems can be congruously applied to realistic multi‐story structures. Finally, the optimal designs of nonlinear dampers for MDOF inelastic structures are identified by implementing a hybrid genetic optimization framework along with a robust performance index.
Route of exposure has a major impact on uptake of silver nanoparticles in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Authors: Kleiven Merethe , Rosseland Bjørn Olav , Teien Hans-Christian , Joner Erik J. , Helen Oughton Deborah 
Published: August 2018

Abstract

The potential impact of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on aquatic organisms is to a large extent determined by their bioavailability through different routes of exposure. In the present study juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were exposed to different sources of radiolabeled Ag (radiolabeled 110mAg NPs and 110mAgNO3). After 48 h of waterborne exposure to 3 μg/L citrate stabilized 110mAg NPs or 110mAgNO3, or a dietary exposure to 0.6 mg Ag/kg fish (given as citrate stabilized or uncoated 110mAg NPs, or 110mAgNO3), Ag had been taken up in fish regardless of route of exposure or source of Ag (Ag NPs or AgNO3). Waterborne exposure led to high Ag concentrations on the gills, and dietary exposure led to high concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract. Silver distribution to the target organs was similar for both dietary and waterborne exposure, with the liver as the main target organ. The accumulation level of Ag was 2 to 3 times higher for AgNO3 than for Ag NPs when exposure was through water, whereas no significant differences were seen after dietary exposure. The transfer (Bq/g liver/g food or water) from exposure through water was 4 orders of magnitude higher than from feed using the smallest, citrate-stabilized Ag NPs (4 nm). The smallest NPs had a 5 times higher bioavailability in food compared with the larger and uncoated Ag NPs (20 nm). Despite the relatively low transfer of Ag from diet to fish, the short lifetime of Ag NPs in water and their transfer to sediment, feed, or sediment-dwelling food sources such as larvae and worms could make diet a significant long-term exposure route. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2895–2903. © 2018 SETAC.
Preoperative diagnosis of clear cell sarcoma of the kidney by detection of BCOR internal tandem duplication in circulating tumor DNA
Authors: Ueno‐Yokohata Hitomi , Okita Hajime , Nakasato Keiko , Hishiki Tomoro , Shirai Ryota , Tsujimoto Shinichi , Osumi Tomoo , Yoshimura Satoshi , Yamada Yuji , Shioda Yoko , Kiyotani Chikako , Terashima Keita , Miyazaki Osamu , Matsumoto Kimikazu , Kiyokawa Nobutaka , Yoshioka Takako , Kato Motohiro 
Published: August 2018

AbstractClear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) is the second most common renal malignancy in children. The prognosis is poorer in CCSK than in Wilms’ tumor, and multimodal treatment including surgery, intensive chemotherapy, and radiation is required to improve the outcome for children with CCSK. Histological evaluation is required for the diagnosis. However, biopsies of tumors to obtain diagnostic specimens are not routinely performed because of the risk of spreading tumor cells during the procedure. Recently, internal tandem duplication (ITD) of BCOR has been recognized as a genetic hallmark of CCSK. We herein established a novel BCOR‐ITD‐specific polymerase chain reaction method with well‐designed primers, and then performed a liquid biopsy for cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) obtained from plasma of three children with nonmetastatic renal tumors (stage II) and from one control. BCOR‐ITD was positively detected in the cfDNA of two cases, both of which were later diagnosed as CCSK based on histological feature of the resected tumor specimen, while it was not detected for a normal control and a patient diagnosed with Wilms’ tumor. Our study is the first one of preoperative circulating tumor DNA assay in pediatric renal tumors. The liquid biopsy method enables less invasive, preoperative diagnosis of CCSK with no risk of tumor spillage, which can avoid iatrogenic upstaging.
Affordable care encourages healthy living: Theory and evidence from China's new cooperative medical scheme
Authors: Yu Ning Neil , Zhu Xi 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn developing a theory of medical insurance and health behavior with bequest motive, we discover that whether ex ante moral hazard or the opposite occurs hinges upon the differential effects of health behavior on morbidity and mortality. Providing insurance can encourage healthy living by making longevity more affordable. We test the theory utilizing a unique experiment of China introducing the new cooperative medical scheme, unique in its long‐term credibility necessary for our proposed channel. This scheme reduced cigarette use by around 9%. Further empirical analysis failed to falsify our theory or the alternative mechanism of health insurance reducing stress and thus the demand for cigarettes and hard liquor. Both newly proposed mechanisms alleviate concerns over ex ante moral hazard caused by providing affordable care for the poor.
Identification of pathway‐based recurrence‐associated signatures in optimally debulked patients with serous ovarian cancer
Authors: Deng Kui , Zhang Fan , Song Wei , Zhao Weiwei , Rong Zhiwei , Cai Yuqing , Xu Huan , Lu Mingliang , Wang Wenjie , Li Ang , Hou Yan , Li Zhenzi , Li Kang 
Published: August 2018

AbstractSerous ovarian cancer (SOC) is the most common form of the histological subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer, with the worst clinical outcome. Despite improvements in surgery and chemotherapy, most patients with SOC experience recurrence within 12‐18 months of first‐line treatment. Current studies are unable to robustly predict the recurrence of SOC, and more accurate predictive models are urgently required. We have, therefore, developed a novel pathway‐structured model to predict the recurrence of SOC. We trained the model on a set of 333 patients and validated it in 3 diversified validation datasets of 403 patients. Genes significantly associated with recurrence within each pathway were identified using a Cox proportional hazards model based on LASSO estimation in the training dataset. Next, a pathway‐structured scoring matrix was obtained after computation of the prognostic score for each pathway by fitting to the Cox proportional hazards model. With the pathway‐structure scoring matrix as an input, the pathway‐based recurrent signatures were identified using the Cox proportional hazards model based on LASSO estimation and the significant pathway‐based signatures were externally validated in 3 independent datasets. Meanwhile, our pathway‐structured model was compared with a commonly used gene‐based model. Our results revealed that our 12 pathway‐based signatures successfully predicted the recurrence of SOC with high accuracy in the training dataset and in the 3 validation datasets. Moreover, our pathway‐structured model was superior to the gene‐based model in 4 datasets. The pathways selected in our study will provide new insights into the pathogenesis and clinical treatments of SOC.
Assessment of the developmental neurotoxicity of silver nanoparticles and silver ions with mouse embryonic stem cells in vitro
Authors: Yin Nuoya , Hu Bowen , Yang Renjun , Liang Shaojun , Liang Shengxian , Faiola Francesco 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe wide applications of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have raised many concerns worldwide regarding their safety. The few previous studies on the developmental toxicity of AgNPs have been mostly dependent on animal experiments, which are time‐consuming and costly. The rapid development of stem cell biology provides a new in vitro alternative to live animal assays for developmental toxicity studies. Here, we assessed the developmental neurotoxicity of AgNPs and Ag ions using a mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) toxicology model. Our results showed that AgNP and Ag ion treatments did not affect mESC viability or cause accumulation of reactive oxygen species, at concentrations below 1 μg/mL. Conversely, AgNPs and Ag ions perturbed mESC global and neural progenitor cell‐specific differentiation processes. In fact, both AgNPs and Ag ions induced the anomalous expression of neural ectoderm marker genes, such as Sox1, Sox3, Map2, NeuroD, Nestin, and Pax6, at concentrations lower than 0.1 μg/mL. Interestingly, AgNP effects manifested at earlier time points as compared with Ag ions. In addition, treatment with Ag ions generated neural progenitor cell abnormal morphology. Overall, our data proved that both AgNPs and Ag ions are toxicants, and their toxic effects are somehow different.
Academic productivity in surgical oncology: Where is the bar set for those training the next generation?
Authors: LaRocca Christopher J. , Wong Paul , Eng Oliver S. , Raoof Mustafa , Warner Susanne G. , Melstrom Laleh G. 
Published: August 2018

Background and ObjectivesPromotion and tenure are important milestones for academic surgical oncologists. The aim of this study was to quantify academic metrics associated with rank in surgical oncologists training the next generation.MethodsFaculty were identified from accredited surgical oncology fellowships in the United States. Scopus was used to obtain the number of publications/citations and h‐index values. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) RePORT website was used to identify funding history.ResultsOf the 319 surgeons identified, complete rank information was obtained for 308. The majority of faculty were men (70%) and only 11% of full professors were women. The median h‐index values were 7, 17, and 39 for assistant, associate, and full professors, respectively. While 50% of full professors had a history of NIH funding, only 26% had RO1s and 20% had current NIH funding. Using multivariate analysis, years in practice, h‐index, and a history of NIH funding were associated with academic rank (P < .05).ConclusionObjective benchmarks, such as the median h‐index and NIH funding, provide additional insights for both junior faculty and leadership into the productivity needed to attain promotion to the next academic rank for surgical oncologists.
Parental concerns of allergy or hypersensitivity and the infant’s diet
Authors: Holmberg Fagerlund Bettina , Helseth Sølvi , Andersen Lene Frost , Småstuen Milada Cvancarova , Glavin Kari 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAimTo investigate a possible association between children's current diet and parents’ reported avoidance of appropriate foods in the child's diet at the age of 10 months, due to fears of allergic or hypersensitivity reactions.DesignA cross‐sectional study.MethodsIn 10 randomly selected municipalities willing to participate, 686 children represented by their parents visiting the child health centre were enrolled in the study. From January 2015–January 2017, 440 (64%) parents completed a semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaire concerning their child.ResultsThirty‐four percent of parents reported that they avoided introducing some food items due to fears of allergy or hypersensitivity in their child. A statistically significant relationship emerged between this reporting and parents wanting more information about food for infants and toddlers. However, the reported fear was not associated with dietary restrictions regarding actual feeding of the child.
Developmental dynamics of stem starch accumulation in Sorghum bicolor
Authors: McKinley Brian A. , Casto Anna L. , Rooney William L. , Mullet John E. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractSweet sorghums were identified that accumulate up to ~9% of their total stem dry weight as starch. Starch accumulated preferentially in stem pith parenchyma in close proximity to vascular bundles. Stem starch accumulated slowly between floral initiation and anthesis and more rapidly between anthesis and 43 days post‐anthesis before declining in parallel with tiller outgrowth. Genes involved in stem starch metabolism were identified through phylogenetic approaches and RNA‐seq analysis of Della stem gene expression during the starch accumulation phase of development. Genes differentially expressed in stems were identified that are involved in starch biosynthesis (i.e., AGPase SS/LS, starch synthases, starch‐branching enzymes), degradation (i.e., glucan‐water dikinase, β‐amylase, disproportionating enzyme, alpha‐glucan phosphorylase) and amyloplast sugar transport (glucose‐6‐P translocator). Transcripts encoding AGPase SS and LS subunits with plastid localization were differentially induced during stem starch accumulation indicating that ADP‐glucose for starch biosynthesis is primarily generated in stem plastids. Cytosolic heteroglucan metabolism may play a role in stem sucrose/starch accumulation because genes encoding cytosolic forms of the disproportionating enzyme and alpha‐glucan phosphorylase were induced in parallel with stem sucrose/starch accumulation. Information on the stem starch pathway obtained in this study will be useful for engineering sorghum stems with elevated starch thereby improving forage quality and the efficiency of biomass conversion to biofuels and bio‐products.
The excited state hydrogen bond and proton transfer mechanism of a novel dye CS‐Azine
Authors: Jia Min , Yang Guang , Song Xiaoyan , Zhang Qiaoli , Yang Dapeng 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn this work, based on density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT (TDDFT) methods, we theoretically explore the excited state behavior for a novel dye molecule 3,3′‐(5,5′‐((1E,1E′)‐hydrazine‐1,2‐diylidenebis (methanylylidene))bis(2‐morpholinothiazole‐5,4‐diyl))bis(4‐hydroxy‐2H‐chromen‐2‐one) (CS‐Azine). Coupling with atoms in molecules, we investigate the intramolecular dual hydrogen bonds of CS‐Azine system and verify the formation of them. Via study the primary bond distances, bond angle, and infrared vibrational spectra involved in hydrogen bonding moieties, we find O1‐H2···N3 and O4‐H5···N6 of CS‐Azine should be strengthened in the S1 state. When exploring the photo‐excitation process, we confirm that the charge redistribution around hydrogen bonding moieties reveals the tendency of ESIPT reaction. To further investigate whether single or double proton transfer occurs in the S1 state, we consider two kinds of reaction paths (ie, the stepwise and synergetic ESIPT reactions). And the constructed potential energy curves demonstrate that only the single proton transfer reaction should be the most supported in the S1 state from CS‐Azine to CS‐Azine‐SPT form due to the low potential energy barrier. This work not only clarifies the excited state behavior and mechanism about CS‐Azine system but also paves the way for further applying CS‐Azine dye in future.
g‐C3N4‐Modified Water‐Crystallized Mesoporous SnO2 for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Properties
Authors: Bian Haidong , Wang Aiwu , Li Zebiao , Li Zhe , Diao Yingxue , Lu Jian , Li Yang Yang 
Published: August 2018

AbstractA novel type of high‐performance photoelectrochemical (PEC) electrode is conveniently fabricated. Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) nanodots are homogeneously deposited inside an amorphous host of mesoporous 1D SnO2 via pulsed electrophoresis, followed by extremely facile water‐soaking treatment to crystallize the amorphous SnO2. The g‐C3N4/SnO2 nanocomposite thus obtained readily serves as a PEC electrode that is able to extend the light absorption to the visible region, delivering a photocurrent density of 1.8 mA cm−2 at 0.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl) under simulated solar light irradiation, which is ≈1.5 times higher than that of pristine SnO2 host. The facile and mild electrophoresis/water‐soaking method reported here can be extended to fabricate other high performance photoelectrode systems from various anodic mesoporous materials and nanoparticles.
Soluble tau aggregates, not large fibrils, are the toxic species that display seeding and cross‐seeding behavior
Authors: Ghag Gaurav , Bhatt Nemil , Cantu Daniel V. , Guerrero‐Munoz Marcos J. , Ellsworth Anna , Sengupta Urmi , Kayed Rakez 
Published: August 2018

AbstractSeveral studies have proposed that fibrillary aggregates of tau and other amyloidogenic proteins are neurotoxic and result in numerous neurodegenerative diseases. However, these studies usually involve sonication or extrusion through needles before experimentation. As a consequence, these methods may fragment large aggregates producing a mixture of aggregated species rather than intact fibrils. Therefore, the results of these experiments may be reflective of other amyloidogenic species, such as oligomers and/or protofibrils/short fibrils. To investigate the effects of sonication on the aggregation of tau and other amyloidogenic proteins, fibrils were prepared and well characterized, then sonicated and evaluated by various biochemical and biophysical methods to identify the aggregated species present. We found that indeed a mixture of aggregated species was present along with short fibrils indicating that sonication leads to impure fibril samples and should be analyzed with caution. Our results corroborate the previous studies showing that sonication of prion and Aβ fibrils leads to the formation of toxic, soluble aggregates. We also show that the oligomeric forms are the most toxic species although it is unclear how sonication causes oligomer formation. Recent results suggest that these small toxic oligomers produced by sonication, rather than the stable fibrillar structures, are prion‐like in nature displaying seeding and cross‐seeding behavior.
Robust fault estimation based on zonotopic Kalman filter for discrete‐time descriptor systems
Authors: Wang Ye , Puig Vicenç , Cembrano Gabriela 
Published: August 2018

SummaryThis paper proposes a set‐based approach for robust fault estimation of discrete‐time descriptor systems. The considered descriptor systems are subject to unknown‐but‐bounded uncertainties (state disturbances and measurement noise) in predefined zonotopes and additive actuator faults. The zonotopic fault estimation filter for descriptor systems is built based on fault detectability indices and matrix to estimate fault magnitude in a deterministic set. The zonotopic fault estimation filter gain is designed in a parameterized form. Within a set‐based framework, following the zonotopic Kalman filter, the optimal filter gain is computed by minimizing the size of the corresponding zonotopes to achieve robustness against uncertainties and the identification of occurred actuator faults. Besides, boundedness of the proposed zonotopic fault estimation is analyzed, which proves that the size of obtained fault estimation bounds is not growing in time. Finally, the simulation results with two application examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
1,10‐Phenanthroline‐Based Molten Salt as a Bifunctional Sulfonic Acid Catalyst: Application to the Synthesis of N‐Heterocycle Compounds via Anomeric Based Oxidation
Authors: Babaee Saeed , Zolfigol Mohammad Ali , Zarei Mahmoud , Zamanian Javad 
Published: August 2018

Abstract1,10‐phenanthroline‐based molten salt as a bifunctional sulfonic acid [Phen(SO3H)2]Cl2 was designed and synthesized. The described nano molten salt has two SO3H acid groups and a rigid structure that allows the rotation of the molecule to have a unique catalytic ability. This catalyst was applied for the synthesis of N‐heterocyclic compounds such as quinazolines, quinazolinones, acridines and dihydropyridines via multi‐component condensation reactions. These compounds are highly regarded for their medicinal and biological properties. The effect of different functional groups at the corresponding products for developing the new mechanisem entitled “anomeric based oxidation” (ABO) were studied. The major advantages of the presented methodology are mild conditions, high efficiency, short reaction times and reusability of the catalyst.
New Five Coordinate Ru(II) Carbonyl Complexes Containing 2‐Aminofluorene Schiff Base Derivatives: Synthesis, Structure and Catalytic Activity
Authors: Ramesh Madhan , Venkatachalam Galmari 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe monometallic five coordinated ruthenium(II) Schiff base complexes of the general type [Ru(CO)(EPh3)2(L1−3)]Cl (E=P or As) have been synthesized and characterized by analytical and spectral (FT−IR, UV−Vis and1H NMR) methods. The electronic spectra of the complexes indicate the presence of intense MLCT transitions in the visible region. The molecular structure of the complex [Ru(CO)(PPh3)2(L3)]Cl5was characterized by single crystal X−ray diffraction studies, which revealed that the Schiff base ligands coordinated to the ruthenium(II) ion as mono anionic bidentate (O, N) donor forming six membered chelating rings. Further, the five coordinate [Ru(CO)(PPh3)2(L3)]Cl5complex was found efficiently to catalyze the formation of amides from various substituted aldehyde and showing higher catalytic activity in the presence of NH2OH.HCl and NaHCO3and the yield was up to 97%.