bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fragmentation, forest structure, and topography modulate impacts of drought in a tropical forest landscape
Authors: Schwartz Naomi B. , Budsock Andrew M. , Uriarte María 
Published: March 2019

AbstractClimate models predict increases in drought conditions in many parts of the tropics. Yet the response of tropical forests to drought remains highly uncertain, especially with regards to the factors that generate spatial heterogeneity in drought response across landscapes. In this study, we used Landsat imagery to assess the impacts of a severe drought in 2015 across an ~80,000‐ha landscape in Puerto Rico. Specifically, we asked whether drought effects varied systematically with topography and with forest age, height, and fragmentation. We quantified drought impacts using anomalies of two vegetation indices, the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI), and fit random forest models of these metrics including slope, aspect, forest age, canopy height, and two indices of fragmentation as predictors. Drought effects were more severe on drier topographic positions, that is, steeper slopes and southwest‐facing aspects, and in second‐growth forests. Shorter and more fragmented forests were also more strongly affected by drought. We also assessed which factors were associated with stronger recovery from drought. Factors associated with more negative drought anomalies were also associated with more positive postdrought anomalies, suggesting that increased light availability as a result of drought led to high rates of recovery in forests more severely affected by drought. In general, recovery from drought was rapid across the landscape, with postdrought anomalies at or above average across the study area. This suggests that forests in Puerto Rico might be resilient to a single‐year drought, though vulnerability to drought varies depending on forest characteristics and landscape position.
Effects of artificial light on flowering of foredune vegetation
Authors: Viera‐Pérez M. , Hernández‐Calvento L. , Hesp P. A. , Santana‐del Pino A. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe impact of ecological light pollution involves alteration of periods of natural light, a fact that has proven effects on ecosystems. Few studies have focused on the impact of this pollution on wild plant species, and none on coastal dune plants. Many coastal dunes and their plants are adjacent to tourist areas, and these might be affected by light pollution. Such is the case of the Natural Reserve Dunas de Maspalomas (Gran Canaria), where some individuals of the plant species Traganum moquinii, located in the El Inglés beach foredune zone, are affected by light pollution. This study examines the effect of light pollution on the flowering process and, by extension, the reproductive cycle of these plants. Plants located closer to high artificial illumination sources receive ~2,120 h/yr of intense light more than plants located furthest from those artificial lighting sources. Parts of the plants of Traganum moquinii exposed directly to the artificial light show a significant decrease in the production of flowers, compared to the parts in plants in shade, and to the plants more distant from artificial lights. In consequence, plants exposed more directly to artificial light have a lower potential for seed reproduction. The spectrum of artificial light also affects the plants, and light between 600 and 700 nm primarily affects the reproductive cycle of the Traganum moquinii species. The implications for the ecological and geomorphological functioning of the dune system are discussed, because this species plays a decisive role in the formation of foredune zones and nebkhas in arid dune systems.
Superconducting magnetic shield for MEG coupled with permalloy PC
Authors: Irisawa Daiichi , Imai Kumiko , Shintomi Koichi , Yahara Akihito , Matsubara Hironori 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe Biomagnetism measurement is required shielding effect 1/S≦1/10−7 for using SQUID magnetometer. The superconducting shield is possible to realize ideal low magnetic noise space. But it is required to attenuate every external field inside the superconducting hollow cylinder equally. Especially, radial external field decreases gently comparison to axial field. At this time the length of cylinder needs 4.4 m for diameter 1 m to realize shielding effect 1/S≦1/10−7. On the other hand, it is only 2.1 m for axial field. For that reason, we devised two methods to attenuate radial field rapidly coupled with permalloy.
Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity and Interaction with Radical Species Using the Vesicle Conjugated Autoxidizable Triene (VesiCAT) Assay
Authors: Durand Erwann , Zhao Yu , Ruesgas‐Ramón Mariana , Figueroa‐Espinoza Maria Cruz , Lamy Samantha , Coupland John N. , Elias Ryan J. , Villeneuve Pierre 
Published: March 2019

Liposomes can be used as therapeutic vehicles and membrane models to mimic cells, therefore developing new efficient assays to assess membrane oxidation of liposomes is of great importance. Their bilayer structure serves as an interesting model to investigate the antioxidant potential of compounds, as well as drug–membrane interaction. In this context, a new and high‐throughput method called “Vesicle Conjugated Autoxidizable Triene (VesiCAT)” that is based on specific UV absorbance spectral properties of a phospholipid probe, is described. The membrane oxidation under constant free radical flux generated by azo initiators, either in membrane or in aqueous phase, offers the possibility of extracting different but complementary informations in addition to the antioxidants efficacy. Thus, the VesiCAT assay represents an excellent tool not only to evaluate antioxidant capacity of molecules or extracts, but also to gain knowledge on their membrane distribution and their interaction with hydrophilic or hydrophobic reactive oxygen species.Practical Applications: Several methods have been developed to measure antioxidant capacity of molecules or extracts. However, most of them neglect the complexity of real systems; especially how the coexisting phases may get involved in the antioxidant performance. Moreover, most of the assays use accelerated oxidation tests, and they do not consider the effect of free radicals location on the antioxidant response. The VesiCAT method is a fast and efficient testing assay, implemented with a microplate reader. In addition, the aforementioned testing defect are considered and evaluated, rendering a more reliable and accurate way to predict the antioxidant potential. Thus, the VesiCAT is worth to serve as new routine assay for large‐scale antioxidant analysis, for both academic and industrial purposes, in alternative to conventional ones.The VesiCAT assay may represent a routine test for antioxidant ranking, with additional information regarding the antioxidants distribution and the evaluation of their capacity to interact with oxidant species in different cell regions.
Trait self‐control and beliefs about the utility of emotions for initiatory and inhibitory self‐control
Authors: Tornquist Michelle , Miles Eleanor 
Published: March 2019

AbstractHow do people with high trait self‐control achieve their success? This research aimed to investigate beliefs about emotion utility as a potential mechanism. Specifically, because beliefs about the utility of emotions predict emotion regulation and successful performance, we investigate the hypothesis that trait self‐control influences beliefs about the utility of emotions for self‐control. Two preregistered studies examined whether beliefs about the utility of emotions in everyday self‐control situations varied depending on the person (trait self‐control) and the situation (initiatory or inhibitory self‐control). Our key finding was that people considered positive emotions more useful for self‐control than negative emotions. This effect was also moderated by situational and individual factors, such that positive emotions were considered especially useful by participants with high trait self‐control and in situations requiring initiatory self‐control (with the opposite effect for negative emotions). This research suggests a potential role for instrumental emotion regulation in self‐control success.
From subsurface to surface: a multidisciplinary approach to decoding uplift histories in tectonically‐active karst landscapes
Authors: Pennos Christos , Lauritzen Stein‐Erik , Vouvalidis Konstantinos , Cowie Patience , Pechlivanidou Sofia , Gkarlaouni Charikleia , Styllas Michael , Tsourlos Panagiotis , Mouratidis Antonios 
Published: March 2019

AbstractWe present an integrated study of subsurface and surficial karst landforms to unravel the uplift history of karst landscape in a tectonically‐active area. To this end, we apply a multidisciplinary approach by combining cave geomorphology and Th/U dating of speleothems with remote sensing plus geophysical imaging of surface landforms. We use as an example Mt. Menikio in northern Greece where four caves share well‐defined epiphreatic/shallow phreatic characteristics that are related to the distribution of surface and buried doline fields and provide evidence for three distinct water table stillstands (e.g. expressed as cave levels) now lying at ~130 m, ~800 m and ~1600 m a.m.s.l. Our dating constraints delimit the age of the lower water table stillstand prior to 77 ka ago and imply a maximum rate of relative base level drop of 0.45 mma‐1, which is consistent with relative tectonic uplift rate estimates along currently active normal faults. We interpret the elevation of the higher water table stillstands to reflect earlier phases of uplift related to the regional tectonic events associated with the development of the North Anatolian Fault and the Northern Aegean area. Our analysis shows that the combined study of epiphreatic/shallow phreatic caves and surficial karst landforms together, is a robust way to investigate the uplift history of a karst landscape in a tectonically‐active setting. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genomic selection on breeding time in a wild bird population
Authors: Gienapp Phillip , Calus Mario P. L. , Laine Veronika N. , Visser Marcel E. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractArtificial selection experiments are a powerful tool in evolutionary biology. Selecting individuals based on multimarker genotypes (genomic selection) has several advantages over phenotype-based selection but has, so far, seen very limited use outside animal and plant breeding. Genomic selection depends on the markers tagging the causal loci that underlie the selected trait. Because the number of necessary markers depends, among other factors, on effective population size, genomic selection may be in practice not feasible in wild populations as most wild populations have much higher effective population sizes than domesticated populations. However, the current possibilities of cost-effective high-throughput genotyping could overcome this limitation and thereby make it possible to apply genomic selection also in wild populations. Using a unique dataset of about 2000 wild great tits (Parus major), a small passerine bird, genotyped on a 650 k SNP chip we calculated genomic breeding values for egg-laying date using the so-called GBLUP approach. In this approach, the pedigree-based relatedness matrix of an “animal model,” a special form of the mixed model, is replaced by a marker-based relatedness matrix. Using the marker-based relatedness matrix, the model seemed better able to disentangle genetic and permanent environmental effects. We calculated the accuracy of genomic breeding values by correlating them to the phenotypes of individuals whose phenotypes were excluded from the analysis when estimating the genomic breeding values. The obtained accuracy was about 0.20, with very little effect of the used genomic relatedness estimator but a strong effect of the number of SNPs. The obtained accuracy is lower than typically seen in domesticated species but considerable for a trait with low heritability (∼0.2) as avian breeding time. Our results show that genomic selection is possible also in wild populations with potentially many applications, which we discuss here.
Protein beverages made of a mixture of egg white and chocolate milk: Microbiology, nutritional and sensory properties
Authors: Lotfian Fahimeh , Emam Djomeh Zahra , Karami Mostafa , Moeini Sohrab 
Published: March 2019

AbstractEgg white protein and chocolate milk were used for making protein beverage. Microbiological count, sensory attributes, and pH changes were investigated during 10 days of refrigerated storage. At the tenth day, the total numbers of bacteria were between 4.05 and 5.77 (Log CFU/ml). It was concluded that when the amount of egg white increases, the number of bacteria significantly decreases. No coliforms, E. coli, salmonella, mold, and yeast were observed. Also, pH levels were increased from 8.3 to 8.7 and acidic spoilage was reduced. The chocolate milk containing 14% egg white was the most preferred by the panelists in all of the evaluated items except texture. Protein, Ca, Na, and energy contents were increased, and fat, cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, total sugar, lactose, carbohydrate, Mg, Fe, and P contents of the treated samples were decreased.
Ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir plus ribavirin for 24 weeks in patients with HCV GT4 and compensated cirrhosis (AGATE‐I Part II)
Authors: Asselah Tarik , Alami Negar Niki , Moreno Christophe , Pol Stanislas , Karatapanis Stylianos , Gschwantler Michael , Horsmans Yves , Elefsiniotis Ioannis , Larrey Dominique , Ferrari Carlo , Rizzetto Mario , Orlandini Alessandra , Calleja Jose Luis , Bruno Savino , Schnell Gretja , Qaqish Roula , Redman Rebecca , Pilot‐Matias Tami , Kopecky‐Bromberg Sarah , Yu Yao , Mobashery Niloufar 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackground and AimsAGATE‐I Part I previously reported high sustained virologic response rates in hepatitis C genotype 4 patients with cirrhosis, with 12 and 16 weeks' treatment with a combination of two direct‐acting antivirals, ombitasvir and paritaprevir (codosed with ritonavir), plus ribavirin. Part II, reported here, extended the trial to include a 24‐week treatment arm to fully assess treatment duration in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 4 infection and compensated cirrhosis.MethodsEnrollment took place between June and November of 2015. Treatment‐naive and interferon‐experienced patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 4 infection and compensated cirrhosis were enrolled into Arm C; patients previously treated with a sofosbuvir‐based regimen were enrolled into Arm D. All patients received a 24‐week treatment with ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir plus ribavirin. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a sustained virologic response (hepatitis C virus RNA < 25 IU/mL) at posttreatment week 12 in the intention‐to‐treat population. The safety population included all patients who received at least one dose of study drug.ResultsIn total, 64 patients were enrolled into AGATE‐I Part II. Sustained virologic response at posttreatment week 12 was achieved in 57 of 61 patients (93.4%; 97.5% confidence interval, 92.6‐97.7) in Arm C and 3 of 3 patients (100%) in Arm D. Two patients were missing SVR12 data, and two prematurely discontinued treatment. The most common adverse events for Arm C were fatigue (16 [26%]) and asthenia (15 [25%]). Results were comparable with those reported in Part I.ConclusionsAGATE‐I Part II indicates that extending treatment beyond 12 weeks in genotype 4–infected patients with compensated cirrhosis does not offer additional benefit.
Retracted: Long noncoding RNA 00460 (LINC00460) promotes glioma progression by negatively regulating miR‐320a
Authors: Feng Li , Rao Min , Zhou Yinan , Zhang Yunxin , Zhu Yonggang 
Published: March 2019

AbstractObjectiveLong noncoding RNA 00460 (LINC00460) has been reported to contribute to tumorigenesis in multiple types of human malignancies. However, the biological role and the underlying molecular mechanism of LINC00460 in glioma remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical value, the biological function, and the potential mechanism of LINC00460 in glioma.MethodsThe expression level of LINC00460 in glioma tissues and cell lines was examined by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Cell Counting Kit‐8, flow cemetery, wound healing, and transwell invasion assays were used to explore the effect of LINC00460 on glioma cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. qRT‐PCR and reporter assays were used to further verify the regulatory mechanism of LINC00460 in glioma progression.ResultsLINC00460 expression was upregulated in glioma tissues and cell lines compared with non–tumor brain samples and astrocyte cell line (NHA), respectively. Moreover, increased LINC00460 expression was closely associated with glioma tumor grade. Loss‐of‐function assays revealed that knockdown of LINC00460 significantly inhibited glioma cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis, and suppressed migration and invasion. The mechanistic assays disclosed that LINC00460 binded to miR‐320a in a sequence‐specific manner and regulated its expression. Moreover, miR‐320 inhibition partially attenuated LINC00460 knockdown‐mediated suppressive effects on glioma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.ConclusionThese findings suggested that LINC00460 might function as an oncogenic lncRNA in glioma development and could be explored as a potential therapeutic target for glioma.
Upregulated miR‐154 promotes ECM degradation in intervertebral disc degeneration
Authors: Wang Jingjie , Liu Xiaoyan , Sun Bing , Du Wei , Zheng Yanping , Sun Yuanliang 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIntervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), a common global health issue, is a major cause for low back pain (LBP). Given the complex etiology of IDD, micro RNA (miRNA) recently has been demonstrated to play essential roles in the progression of IDD. Therefore, this study aims to investigate functions of the miR‐154, which is well‐documented in a series of cell activities, IDD, and other relevant mechanisms. Lumbar nucleus pulposus (NP) samples were collected from patients with IDD and the control group. After solexa sequencing and bioinformatical analysis, the results showed that miR‐154 was increased in NP cells of patients with IDD. Inhibition of miR‐154 increased type II collagen and aggrecan and decreased mRNA expressions of collagenase‐3 (MMP13) and aggrecanase‐1 (ADAMTS4), whereas overexpression of miR‐154 reversed such effects in NP cells. In addition, the luciferase reporter assay revealed that fibroblast growth factor 14 (FGF14) is a direct target of miR‐154 and that the overexpression of FGF14 leads to similar effects as inhibition of miR‐154 did. In conclusion, the results suggested that miR‐154 participates in the development of IDD and its effects are mediated via targeting FGF14. Thus, miR‐154 may be thought as a potential etiological factor for IDD and may provide insights into a therapeutic target to treat IDD.
Clinical significance of blood‐based miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic nucleic acid markers in breast cancer: Comparative to conventional tumor markers
Authors: Swellam Menha , Ramadan Amal , El‐Hussieny Enas A. , Bakr Noha M. , Hassan Naglaa M. , Sobeih Mohamed Emam , EzzElArab Lobna R. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractmicroRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in carcinogenesis and their expression in biological fluids offer great potential as nucleic acid markers for cancer detection and progression. Authors investigated the expression level of miRNAs (miRNA‐21, miRNA‐126, and miRNA‐155) to evaluate their role as diagnostic and prognostic markers for breast cancer compared with other commonly used protein‐based markers (CEA and CA15‐3). Serum samples from patients with breast cancer (n = 96), patients with benign breast lesion (n = 47), and healthy individuals (n = 39) were enrolled for detection of miRNA expression levels and protein‐based tumor markers using fluorescent real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Correlation among investigated markers with clinicopathological factors and clinical outcomes were determined. Expression of miRNA‐21 and miRNA‐155 revealed significant increases in patients with breast cancer compared with both benign and control groups, the same result was reported for tumor markers; on the other hand, miRNA‐126 was significantly decreased in breast cancer group as compared with the other two groups. miRNA frequencies were significantly related to clinical staging and histological grading as compared with tumor markers. Patients with breast cancer with increased miRNA‐21 and miRNA‐155 and decreased miRNA‐126 expressions had significantly worse disease‐free survival, while only miRNA‐21 and miRNA‐126 showed poor OS (P< 0.005). In conclusion, investigated miRNAs were superior over tumor markers for the early stage of breast cancer especially those with high‐risk factor and their assessment in blood facilitates their role as a potential prognostic molecular marker.
Promoter methylation and functional variants in arachidonate 5‐lipoxygenase and forkhead box protein O1 genes associated with coronary artery disease
Authors: Heidari Laleh , Ghaderian Sayyed Mohammad Hossein , Vakili Hossein , Salmani Tayyeb Ali 
Published: March 2019

AbstractCoronary artery disease (CAD) is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease, which is the most common form of heart disease. This is one of the main causes of death in the United States. Inflammation is one of the key drivers of atherosclerotic plaque development. Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1s) family and 5‐lipoxygenase make an important contribution to atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the methylation pattern and polymorphism analysis of FOXO1 and arachidonate 5‐lipoxygenase (ALOX5) promoter genes. We studied 50 patients with CAD and 50 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls by high resolution melt technique. Overall, we found significant differences between patients and controls in terms of the promoter methylation of ALOX5 (P > 0.05). But there was no significant difference in FOXO1 promoter methylation between patient and controls. Single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyping of rs12762303 and rs2297627, in ALOX5 and FOXO1 genes were demonstrated a significant correlation between mutant allele and the risk of CAD, respectively. Furthermore, there were significant associations between CT + CC genotype and ALOX5 expression. Our findings demonstrated functional effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and DNA methylation in ALOX5 on mentioned genes expression and they resulted in CAD progression.