bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Indirect legacy effects of an extreme climatic event on a marine megafaunal community
Authors: Nowicki Robert , Heithaus Michael , Thomson Jordan , Burkholder Derek , Gastrich Kirk , Wirsing Aaron 
Published: April 2019

AbstractWhile extreme climatic events (ECEs) are predicted to become more frequent, reliably predicting their impacts on consumers remains challenging, particularly for large consumers in marine environments. Many studies that do evaluateECEeffects focus primarily on direct effects, though indirect effects can be equally or more important. Here, we investigate the indirect impacts of the 2011 “Ningaloo Niño” marine heatwaveECEon a diverse megafaunal community in Shark Bay, Western Australia. We use an 18‐year community‐level data set before (1998–2010) and after (2012–2015) the heatwave to assess the effects of seagrass loss on the abundance of seven consumer groups: sharks, sea snakes (multiple species), Indo‐pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), dugongs (Dugong dugon), green turtles (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), and Pied Cormorants (Phalacrocoraxspp.). We then assess whether seagrass loss influences patterns of habitat use by the latter five groups, which are under risk of shark predation. Sharks catch rates were dominated by the generalist tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) and changed little, resulting in constant apex predator density despite heavy seagrass degradation. Abundances of most other consumers declined markedly as food and refuge resources vanished, with the exception of generalist loggerhead turtles. Several consumer groups significantly modified their habitat use patterns in response to the die‐off, but only bottlenose dolphins did so in a manner suggestive of a change in risk‐taking behavior. We show thatECEs can have strong indirect effects on megafauna populations and habitat use patterns in the marine environment, even when direct effects are minimal. Our results also show that indirect impacts are not uniform across taxa or trophic levels and suggest that generalist marine consumers are less susceptible to indirect effects ofECEs than specialists. Such non‐uniform changes in populations and habitat use patterns have implications for community dynamics, such as the relative strength of direct predation and predation risk. Attempts to predict ecological impacts ofECEs should recognize that direct and indirect effects often operate through different pathways and that taxa can be strongly impacted by one even if resilient to the other.
Improving the sensitivity of traditional Western blotting via Streptavidin containing Poly‐horseradish peroxidase (PolyHRP)
Authors: Mishra Manish , Tiwari Shuchita , Gunaseelan Anita , Li Dongyang , Hammock Bruce D. , Gomes Aldrin V. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractImmunoassays such as ELISAs and Western blotting have been the common choice for protein validation studies for the past several decades. Technical advancements and modifications are continuously being developed to enhance the detection sensitivity of these procedures. Among them, Streptavidin‐containing poly‐horseradish peroxidase (PolyHRP) based detection strategies have been shown to improve signals in ELISA. The use of commercially available Streptavidin and antibodies conjugated with many HRPs (PolyHRPs) to potentially enhance the detection sensitivity in Western blotting has not been previously investigated in a comprehensive manner. The use of PolyHRP‐secondary antibody instead of HRP‐secondary antibody increased the Western blotting sensitivity up to 85% depending on the primary antibody used. The use of a biotinylated secondary antibody and commercially available Streptavidin‐conjugated with HRP or PolyHRP all resulted in increased sensitivity with respect to antigen detection. Utilizing a biotinylated secondary antibody and Streptavidin‐conjugated PolyHRP resulted in as much as a 110‐fold increase in Western blotting sensitivity over traditional Western blotting methods. Quantification of troponin I in rat heart lysates showed that the traditional Western blotting method only detected troponin I in ≥2 μg of lysate while Streptavidin‐conjugated PolyHRP20 detected troponin I in ≥50 ng of lysate. A modified blocking procedure is also described that eliminated the interference caused by the endogenous biotinylated proteins. These results suggest that Streptavidin‐conjugated PolyHRP and PolyHRP secondary antibodies are likely to be commonly utilized for Western blots in the future.
Experimental and numerical investigations of a novel chimney system for power generation using the combination of fossil fuel power plant exhaust gases and ambient air
Authors: Mokhtari Shahdost Bagher , Razi Astaraei Fatemeh , Ebrahimi‐Moghadam Amir , Ahmadi Mohammad Hossein 
Published: April 2019

AbstractFossil fuel power plants, one of the main sources of power generation, are the major emitters of exhaust gases into the environment at relatively high temperature and significant energy. One way to utilize these hot gases is to use wind turbines in the path of fluid flow that created by buoyancy (like a solar chimney). In this paper, the power generation from the gas of the power plant's chimney based on the buoyancy phenomenon using the combination of the power plant's hot output with ambient air is modeled and investigated at different discharge rates and temperatures of the power plant's hot output on a pilot scale. An experimental model, at the same scale of modeling, is constructed and used to validate the modeling results. The obtained results showed that due to the buoyancy phenomenon the combination of the power plant's exhaust gases with the ambient air creates a higher volume of the fluid with a good velocity inside the chimney compared with the exhaust gases of the power plant only. At the temperature of 350 K and velocity of 1 m/s for the hot inlet, the velocity of the fluid resulting from the buoyancy would be greater than 1 m/s for the air which enters the chimney's foot and its gas.
Individuals’ expected genetic contributions to future generations, reproductive value, and short-term metrics of fitness in free-living song sparrows (Melospiza melodia)
Authors: Reid Jane M. , Nietlisbach Pirmin , Wolak Matthew E. , Keller Lukas F. , Arcese Peter 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAppropriately defining and enumerating “fitness” is fundamental to explaining and predicting evolutionary dynamics. Yet, general theoretical concepts of fitness are often hard to translate into quantities that can be measured in wild populations experiencing complex environmental, demographic, genetic, and selective variation. Although the “fittest” entities might be widely understood to be those that ultimately leave most descendants at some future time, such long-term legacies can rarely be measured, impeding evaluation of the degree to which tractable short-term metrics of individual fitness could potentially serve as useful direct proxies. One opportunity for conceptual and empirical convergence stems from the principle of individual reproductive value (Vi), here defined as the number of copies of each of an individual's alleles that is expected to be present in future generations given the individual's realized pedigree of descendants. As Vi tightly predicts an individual's longer term genetic contribution, quantifying Vi provides a tractable route to quantifying what, to date, has been an abstract theoretical fitness concept. We used complete pedigree data from free-living song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) to demonstrate that individuals’ expected genetic contributions stabilize within an observed 20-year (i.e. approximately eight generation) time period, allowing estimation of individual Vi. Considerable among-individual variation in Vi was evident in both sexes. Standard metrics of individual lifetime fitness, comprising lifespan, lifetime reproductive success, and projected growth rate, typically explained less than half the variation. We thereby elucidate the degree to which fitness metrics observed on individuals concur with measures of longer term genetic contributions and consider the degree to which analyses of pedigree structure could provide useful complementary insights into evolutionary outcomes.
Baicalin attenuates gentamicin‐induced cochlear hair cell ototoxicity
Authors: Zhang Xianfen , Yu Jun 
Published: April 2019

AbstractGentamicin can lead to cochlear hair cells associated ototoxicity by inducing apoptosis and oxidative stress, which can be alleviated by baicalin, one flavonoid extracted from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis. The role of baicalin in protecting gentamicin‐induced hearing loss is unclear. Interference with oxidative stress was investigated in this study using House Ear Institute‐Organ of Corti1 (HEI‐OC1) cells, which were simultaneously treated with baicalin (0‐400 μm) and gentamicin (0.2 or 1 mm). MTT was used to assay cell viability and apoptosis was detected with Annexin V‐fluorescein isothiocyanate staining. The production of reactive oxygen species was indicated by 2,7‐dichlorofluorescein diacetate fluorescence intensity and mitochondrial depolarization was assayed by JC1‐mitochondrial membrane potential assay. Poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP), cleaved‐caspase 3 and cleaved‐PARP expression were analyzed with western blot. Baicalin improved the viability of HEI‐OC1 cells and significantly reduced the oxidative stress and mitochondrial depolarization compared with the gentamicin treatment group. Gentamicin treatment increased the activation of PARP and caspase‐3, while such an increase could be downregulated by baicalin. Baicalin attenuates gentamicin‐induced cochlear hair cells ototoxicity, and such inhibition may be mediated by the regulation of reactive oxygen species production, mitochondrial depolarization, and caspase‐3 and PARP activation.
Ex vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy: An innovative method for direct immunofluorescence of cutaneous vasculitis
Authors: Bağcı Işın S. , Aoki Rui , Krammer Sebastian , Ruzicka Thomas , Sárdy Miklós , Hartmann Daniela 
Published: April 2019

AbstractEx vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy (ex vivo CLSM) offers an innovative diagnostic approach through vertical scanning of skin samples with a resolution close to conventional histology. In addition, it enables fluorescence detection in tissues. We aimed to assess the applicability of ex vivo CLSM in the detection of vascular immune complexes in cutaneous vasculitis and to compare its diagnostic accuracy with direct immunofluorescence (DIF) microscopy. Eighty‐two sections of 49 vasculitis patients with relevant DIF microscopy findings were examined using ex vivo CLSM following staining with fluorescent‐labeled IgG, IgM, IgA, C3 and fibrinogen antibodies. DIF microscopy showed immunoreactivity of vessels with IgG, IgM, IgA, C3 and Fibrinogen in 2.0%, 49.9%, 12.2%, 59.2% and 44.9% of the patients, respectively. Ex vivo CLSM detected positive vessels with the same antibodies in 2.0%, 38.8%, 8.2%, 42.9% and 36.7% of the patients, respectively. The detection rate of positive superficial dermal vessels was significantly higher in DIF microscopy as compared to ex vivo CLSM (P < .05). Whereas, ex vivo CLSM identified positive deep dermal vessels more frequently compared to DIF microscopy. In conclusion, ex vivo CLSM could identify specific binding of the antibodies in vessels and showed a comparable performance to conventional DIF microscopy in diagnosing vasculitis.
microRNA‐23a contributes to asthma by targeting BCL2 in airway epithelial cells and CXCL12 in fibroblasts
Authors: Jin Ai , Bao Rujuan , Roth Michael , Liu Li , Yang Xudong , Tang Xuemei , Yang Xiaojun , Sun Qingzhu , Lu Shemin 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe deregulated cross‐talk between airway epithelial cells with subepithelial fibroblasts during inflammation drives the pathogenesis of asthma. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase activity assay suggested that B cell lymphoma‐2 (BCL2) and CXC ligand 12 (CXCL12) are potential targets of miR‐23a. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of microRNA‐23a (miR‐23a) on BCL2, and CXCL12 in asthma. In E3 rats, miR‐23a was upregulated in lung tissues after antigen‐induced pulmonary inflammation during acute and chronic inflammation. Immunohistochemistry showed downregulation of BCL2 in the epithelium and of CXCL12 in subepithelial fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. Treatment of isolated cells with miR‐23a mimic or inhibitor modified the expression of BCL2 and of CXCL12 in the expected cell type‐specific manner. Moreover, in epithelial cells, interleukin‐4 upregulated miR‐23a expression and thereby decreased the expression of BCL2, while increasing the caspase‐3 expression, which was followed by apoptosis. In fibroblasts, the expression of miR‐23a was increased by thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). Consequently, the CXCL12 expression was abrogated. The phosphorylation of CREB was also downregulated by TSLP through the action of miR‐23a. This study describes a novel mechanism, where miR‐23a is an important cell type‐specific regulator for asthma‐associated airway wall remodeling parameter. Thus, miR‐23a may present a potential new target for the therapy of asthma.
Variation of macro‐circulation forms over the Atlantic‐Eurasian temperate zone according to the Vangengeim‐Girs classification
Authors: Degirmendžić Jan , Kożuchowski Krzysztof 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThis paper presents the results of an investigation of the variability in macro‐circulation forms at the mid‐tropospheric level distinguished in the Vangengeim‐Girs (V‐G) classification. The number of days and of uninterrupted periods of at least 2 days (so‐called episodes) with V‐G forms were analysed based on the daily atmospheric circulation catalogue for the period 1949–2010. The average number of circulation episodes per year (~51) and their average persistence (6–9 days) were determined. When analysing the short‐term variability, the frequency of transitions between macroforms: W ↔ E, E ↔ C and W ↔ C was calculated. It was found that these sequences were random in character. Changes in average frequencies of V‐G macroforms in an annual cycle were evaluated and the seasons of dominant zonal (W) and meridional (E, C) circulation patterns distinguished. In the years 1949–2010, four circulation epochs were separated, differing in the macroform frequency quotients—fW/fE, fW/fC and fE/fC. Three epochs were meridional (until 1988) and the last one is zonal. A growing trend was observed in the number of circulation episodes, indicating an increase in the frequency of changes of circulation forms. This rise was attributed to the growing frequency of the W episodes and the decreasing number and persistence of E episodes in the last two decades of the analysed period.
Knowledge sharing in a coopetition project team: An institutional logics perspective
Authors: d'Armagnac Sophie , Geraudel Mickaël , Salvetat David 
Published: April 2019

AbstractCooperation between firms is often addressed from the perspective of relationship organizing; however, we know little about people's working‐level engagement in collective action during interfirm projects. Focusing on cooperation between rival firms (coopetition), we explore how knowledge can be shared among participants. We offer insight into the management of interorganizational projects that are viewed as temporary organizations.
Identification of essential biofilm proteins in middle ear fluids of otitis media with effusion patients
Authors: Barron Christine L. , Kamel‐Abusalha Louie B. , Sethia Rishabh , Goodman Steven D. , Elmaraghy Charles A. , Bakaletz Lauren O. 
Published: April 2019

ObjectivesOtitis media with effusion (OME) is a common disease of childhood that is largely asymptomatic. However, middle ear fluid can persist for months and negatively impact a child's quality of life. Many cases of OME remain chronic and require surgical intervention. Because biofilms are known to contribute to the persistence of many diseases, this study examined effusions collected from children with chronic OME for the presence of essential biofilm structural components, members of the DNABII family of bacterial DNA‐binding proteins.MethodsMiddle ear effusions were recovered from 38 children with chronic OME at the time of tympanostomy tube insertion. A portion of each specimen was submitted for microbiology culture. The remaining material was assessed by immunoblot to quantitate individual DNABII proteins, integration host factor (IHF), and histone‐like protein (HU).ResultsSixty‐five percent of effusions (24 of 37) were culture‐positive for bacterial species or yeast, whereas 35% (13 of 37) were culture‐negative. IHF was detected in 95% (36 of 38) at concentrations from 2 to 481 ng/μL effusion. HU was detected in 95% (36 of 38) and quantitated from 13 to 5,264 ng/μL effusion (P ≤ 0.05 compared to IHF).ConclusionBecause DNABII proteins are essential structural components of bacterial biofilms, these data lend further support to our understanding that biofilms are present in the vast majority of chronic middle ear effusions, despite negative culture results. The presence and ubiquity of DNABII proteins in OME specimens indicated that these proteins can serve as an important clinical target for our novel DNABII‐directed strategy to treat biofilm diseases such as chronic OME.Level of EvidenceNALaryngoscope, 130:806–811, 2020
Flexible Sandwich Structural Strain Sensor Based on Silver Nanowires Decorated with Self‐Healing Substrate
Authors: Jiang Dawei , Wang Ying , Li Bin , Sun Caiying , Wu Zijian , Yan Hui , Xing Lixin , Qi Shuolin , Li Yingchun , Liu Hu , Xie Wei , Wang Xiaojing , Ding Tao , Guo Zhanhu 
Published: April 2019

AbstractFlexible and stretchable conducting composites that can sense stress or strain are needed for several emerging fields including human motion detection and personalized health monitoring. Silver nanowires (AgNWs) have already been used as conductive networks. However, once a traditional polymer is broken, the conductive network is subsequently destroyed. Integrating high pressure sensitivity and repeatable self‐healing capability into flexible strain sensors represents new advances for high performance strain sensing. Herein, superflexible 3D architectures are fabricated by sandwiching a layer of AgNWs decorated self‐healing polymer between two layers of polydimethylsiloxane, which exhibit good stability, self‐healability, and stretchability. For better mechanical properties, the self‐healing polymer is reinforced with carbon fibers (CFs). The sensors based on self‐healing polymer and AgNWs conductive network show high conductivity and excellent ability to repair both mechanical and electrical damage. They can detect different human motions accurately such as bending and recovering of the forearm and shank, the changes of palm, fist, and fingers. The fracture tensile stress of the reinforced self‐healing polymer (9 wt% CFs) is increased to 10.3 MPa with the elongation at break of 8%. The stretch/release responses under static and dynamic loads of the sensor have a high sensitivity, large sensing range, excellent reliability, and remarkable stability.
Donor–Acceptor Core–Shell Nanoparticles and Their Application in Non‐Volatile Transistor Memory Devices
Authors: Lo Chen‐Tsyr , Watanabe Yu , Murakami Daiki , Shih Chien‐Chung , Nakabayashi Kazuhiro , Mori Hideharu , Chen Wen‐Chang 
Published: April 2019

AbstractDonor–acceptor crosslinked poly[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether‐methacrylate]‐block‐poly[1,1′‐bis(2‐ethylpentyl)‐6‐methyl‐6′‐(5‐methyl‐3‐vinylthiophen‐2‐yl)‐[3,3′‐biindoline]‐2,2′‐dione] (poly(PEGMA)m‐b‐poly(VTIID)n) nanoparticles with various vinylthiophene donor/isoindigo acceptor ratios are synthesized successfully. The prepared nanoparticles have uniform sizes and well‐defined core–shell nanostructures. The intramolecular charge transfer is effectively enhanced due to the incorporation of acceptor groups after the crosslinking reaction. A transistor memory device is assembled using the synthesized polymer and has nonvolatile flash‐type memory and amphiphilic trapping behavior. The optimized devices exhibit a significant memory window of approximately 38 V, a retention ability of over 104 s, and an endurance of at least 100 cycles. This study examines multiple applications of crosslinked core–shell nanoparticles, which demonstrates their promise as charge‐storage dielectric materials for use in organic memory devices.
Server scheduling on parallel dedicated machines with fixed job sequences
Authors: Cheng T.C.E. , Kravchenko Svetlana A. , Lin Bertrand M. T. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractWe consider server scheduling on parallel dedicated machines to minimize the makespan. Each job has a loading operation and a processing operation. The loading operation requires a server that serves all the jobs. Each machine has a given set of jobs to process, and the processing sequence is known and fixed. We design a polynomial‐time algorithm to solve the two‐machine case of the problem. When the number of machines is arbitrary, the problem becomes strongly NP‐hard even if all the jobs have the same processing length or all the loading operations require a unit time. We design two heuristic algorithms to treat the case where all the loading times are unit and analyze their performance.
Adipose Tissue Distribution and Survival Among Women with Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer
Authors: Bradshaw Patrick T. , Cespedes Feliciano Elizabeth M. , Prado Carla M. , Alexeeff Stacey , Albers Kathleen B. , Chen Wendy Y. , Caan Bette J. 
Published: April 2019

ObjectivePrevious studies of breast cancer survival have not considered specific depots of adipose tissue such as subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT).MethodsThis study assessed these relationships among 3,235 women with stage II and III breast cancer diagnosed between 2005 and 2013 at Kaiser Permanente Northern California and between 2000 and 2012 at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. SAT and VAT areas (in centimeters squared) were calculated from routine computed tomography scans within 6 (median: 1.2) months of diagnosis, covariates were collected from electronic health records, and vital status was assessed by death records. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were estimated using Cox regression.ResultsSAT and VAT ranged from 19.0 to 891 cm2 and from 0.484 to 454 cm2, respectively. SAT was related to increased risk of death (127‐cm2 increase; HR [95% CI]: 1.13 [1.02‐1.26]), but no relationship was found with VAT (78.18‐cm2 increase; HR [95% CI]: 1.02 [0.91‐1.14]). An association with VAT was noted among women with stage II cancer (stage II: HR: 1.17 [95% CI: 0.99‐1.39]; stage III: HR: 0.90 [95% CI: 0.76‐1.07]; P interaction < 0.01). Joint increases in SAT and VAT were associated with mortality above either alone (simultaneous 1‐SD increase: HR 1.19 [95% CI: 1.05‐1.34]).ConclusionsSAT may be an underappreciated risk factor for breast cancer‐related death.
A Cyanide‐Free Synthesis of Acylcyanides through Ru‐Catalyzed C(sp3)‐H‐Oxidation of Benzylic Nitriles
Authors: Eisele Pascal , Bauder Michael , Hsu Shih‐Fan , Plietker Bernd 
Published: April 2019

AbstractA practical method for generation of acylcyanides devoid of any external cyanide sources is presented that relies on a mild Ru‐catalyzed selective C−H‐oxidation of benzylic nitriles. The starting materials are smoothly generated through condensation of the corresponding carboxylic acid amides using silanes. The obtained acylcyanides can be employed in a plethora of transformation as exemplified to some larger extend in the sequence of C−H‐oxidation‐Tischenko‐rearrangement for the generation of structurally diverse benzoyloxycyanohydrines.