bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Position adjustment–based location error–resilient geo‐opportunistic routing for void hole avoidance in underwater sensor networks
Authors: Shah Mehreen , Wadud Zahid , Sher Arshad , Ashraf Mahmood , Khan Zahoor Ali , Javaid Nadeem 
Published: July 2018

SummaryThis paper presents four routing protocols for Underwater Sensor Networks (USNs): Location Error–resilient Transmission Range adjustment–based protocol (LETR), Mobile Sink–based GEographic and Opportunistic Routing (MSGER), Mobile Sink–based LETR (MSLETR), and Modified MSLETR (MMS‐LETR). LETR considers transmission range levels for finding neighbor nodes. If a node fails to find any neighbor node within its defined maximum transmission range level, it recovers from communication void regions using depth adjustment technology. MSGER and MSLETR avoid depth and transmission range adjustment and overcome the problem of communication void regions using MSs, whereas MMS‐LETR takes into account noise attenuation at various depth levels, elimination of retransmissions using multi‐path communication and load balancing. The performance of our proposed protocols is evaluated through simulations using different parameters. The simulation results show that MSS‐LETR supersedes all counterpart schemes in terms of packet loss ratio. LETR significantly improves network performance in terms of energy consumption, packet loss ratio, fraction of void nodes, and the total amount of depth adjustment.
Variation in context‐dependent foraging behavior across pollinators
Authors: Briggs Heather M. , Graham Stuart , Switzer Callin M. , Hopkins Robin 
Published: July 2018

AbstractPollinator foraging behavior has direct consequences for plant reproduction and has been implicated in driving floral trait evolution. Exploring the degree to which pollinators exhibit flexibility in foraging behavior will add to a mechanistic understanding of how pollinators can impose selection on plant traits. Although plants have evolved suites of floral traits to attract pollinators, flower color is a particularly important aspect of the floral display. Some pollinators show strong innate color preference, but many pollinators display flexibility in preference due to learning associations between rewards and color, or due to variable perception of color in different environments or plant communities. This study examines the flexibility in flower color preference of two groups of native butterfly pollinators under natural field conditions. We find that pipevine swallowtails (Battus philenor) and skippers (family Hesperiidae), the predominate pollinators of the two native Texas Phlox species, Phlox cuspidata and Phlox drummondii, display distinct patterns of color preferences across different contexts. Pipevine swallowtails exhibit highly flexible color preferences and likely utilize other floral traits to make foraging decisions. In contrast, skippers have consistent color preferences and likely use flower color as a primary cue for foraging. As a result of this variation in color preference flexibility, the two pollinator groups impose concordant selection on flower color in some contexts but discordant selection in other contexts. This variability could have profound implications for how flower traits respond to pollinator‐mediated selection. Our findings suggest that studying dynamics of behavior in natural field conditions is important for understanding plant–pollinator interactions.
Cattle selectivity by leopards suggests ways to mitigate human–leopard conflict
Authors: Khorozyan Igor , Ghoddousi Siavash , Soufi Mobin , Soofi Mahmood , Waltert Matthias 
Published: July 2018

AbstractAddressing widespread livestock losses to carnivores requires information on which livestock categories are preferentially selected. We analyzed an individual‐based database of cattle grazing in forest (n = 932) and having been killed (n = 70) by leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Hyrcanian forest, Iran. We calculated Jacobs’ selectivity index for cattle age, sex, and coloration across four scales: the study area as a whole, three sites, nine villages, and 60 cattle owners. Naturally colored cattle were significantly preferred by leopards at all scales in comparison with black and black‐and‐white cattle, and there was also a preference for males and juveniles at the study area level. More research is needed to see whether cattle losses would decrease if the share of naturally colored individuals in local holdings was reduced and males and juveniles had limited access to forest. We conclude that phenotypic and biologic characteristics of livestock can affect depredation and appeal for more research in this direction, particularly within the predator–prey framework.
Quantifying wind‐driven firebrand production from roofing assembly combustion
Authors: Manzello Samuel L. , Suzuki Sayaka , Naruse Tomohiro 
Published: July 2018

SummaryLarge outdoor fires present a risk to the built environment. Examples often in the international media reports are wildfires that spread into communities, referred to as wildland‐urban interface (WUI) fires. Other examples are large urban fires including those that have occurred after earthquakes. Firebrands are a key mechanism on how rapidly fires spread in urban fires and WUI fires. An experimental protocol has been developed to ignite full‐scale roofing assemblies and quantify the degree of firebrand production during the combustion process. As wind is an important factor in firebrand generation, the experiments were conducted under a range of wind speeds at the Building Research Institute's Fire Research Wind Tunnel Facility. A further unique aspect of this work is that the experimental results are compared to firebrand size and mass distributions collected from an actual large‐scale urban fire in Japan. Results of these experiments demonstrate that when only oriented strand board is applied as sheathing, a significant number of firebrands collected from roofing assemblies were less than 1 g and 10 cm2. It was also observed that experiments on individual building component firebrand generation provided useful insights into actual urban fire firebrand generation.
Dual Targeting of Histone Methyltransferase G9a and DNA‐Methyltransferase 1 for the Treatment of Experimental Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Bárcena‐Varela Marina , Caruso Stefano , Llerena Susana , Álvarez‐Sola Gloria , Uriarte Iker , Latasa M. Ujue , Urtasun Raquel , Rebouissou Sandra , Alvarez Laura , Jimenez Maddalen , Santamaría Eva , Rodriguez‐Ortigosa Carlos , Mazza Giuseppe , Rombouts Krista , San José‐Eneriz Edurne , Rabal Obdulia , Agirre Xabier , Iraburu Maria , Santos‐Laso Alvaro , Banales Jesus M. , Zucman‐Rossi Jessica , Prósper Felipe , Oyarzabal Julen , Berasain Carmen , Ávila Matías A. , Fernández‐Barrena Maite G. 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
Epigenetic modifications such as DNA and histone methylation functionally cooperate in fostering tumor growth, including that of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Pharmacological targeting of these mechanisms may open new therapeutic avenues. We aimed to determine the therapeutic efficacy and potential mechanism of action of our dual G9a histone‐methyltransferase and DNA‐methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) inhibitor in human HCC cells and their crosstalk with fibrogenic cells. The expression of G9a and DNMT1, along with that of their molecular adaptor ubiquitin‐like with PHD and RING finger domains‐1 (UHRF1), was measured in human HCCs (n = 268), peritumoral tissues (n = 154), and HCC cell lines (n = 32). We evaluated the effect of individual and combined inhibition of G9a and DNMT1 on HCC cell growth by pharmacological and genetic approaches. The activity of our lead compound, CM‐272, was examined in HCC cells under normoxia and hypoxia, human hepatic stellate cells and LX2 cells, and xenograft tumors formed by HCC or combined HCC+LX2 cells. We found a significant and correlative overexpression of G9a, DNMT1, and UHRF1 in HCCs in association with poor prognosis. Independent G9a and DNMT1 pharmacological targeting synergistically inhibited HCC cell growth. CM‐272 potently reduced HCC and LX2 cells proliferation and quelled tumor growth, particularly in HCC+LX2 xenografts. Mechanistically, CM‐272 inhibited the metabolic adaptation of HCC cells to hypoxia and induced a differentiated phenotype in HCC and fibrogenic cells. The expression of the metabolic tumor suppressor gene fructose‐1,6‐bisphosphatase (FBP1), epigenetically repressed in HCC, was restored by CM‐272. Conclusion: Combined targeting of G9a/DNMT1 with compounds such as CM‐272 is a promising strategy for HCC treatment. Our findings also underscore the potential of differentiation therapy in HCC.
What Drives Engineering Students To Be Entrepreneurs? Evidence of Validity for an Entrepreneurial Motivation Scale
Authors: Yi Soohyun , Duval‐Couetil Nathalie 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBackgroundEducators and policymakers are increasingly interested in making entrepreneurship education accessible to engineering students given engineers' potential contributions to innovation and the economy. However, what motivates engineering students to choose entrepreneurial careers and how this could be influenced through education have not been fully explored in the literature.PurposeThe study develops and tests an entrepreneurial motivation scale for engineering students. It required providing initial evidence of validity for the scale based on guidelines for developing educational and psychological tests.Design/MethodFollowing a comprehensive literature review, we chose to modify an existing scale and administer it to engineering students. Here we present two sources of evidence of validity for examining how entrepreneurial motivation relates to variables commonly used to measure the impact of entrepreneurship education. They were developed by examining factor structure and psychometric properties as well as conducting mediation analysis.ResultsData obtained from 460 engineering students supported three factors underlying the construct of entrepreneurial motivation:Motivation for Creation and Solution(MCS),Motivation for Personal Interests(MPS), andManagerial Motivation(MM). MCS and MM effectively explained intention to become an entrepreneur with mediation effects of venturing and technology self‐efficacy.ConclusionThese findings resulted in a more parsimonious categorization of factors underlying the construct of entrepreneurial motivation than identified in prior studies, providing a foundational understanding of entrepreneurial motivation among engineering students. The results can be useful in assessment, research, and/or policy decisions related to delivering entrepreneurship education to engineering students.
Antioxidant activity and phenolic composition in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes from south Italy by UHPLC–Orbitrap‐MS approach
Authors: Di Stefano Vita , Pitonzo Rosa , Novara Maria Eugenia , Bongiorno David , Indelicato Serena , Gentile Carla , Avellone Giuseppe , Bognanni Rosaria , Scandurra Salvatore , Melilli Maria Grazia 
Published: July 2018

ABSTRACTBackgroundPomegranate fruits are a rich source of polyphenols with numerous health‐promoting effects. Pomegranate juices of five genotypes (‘Mollar’, ‘Kingdom’, ‘Dente di Cavallo’, and two old populations ‘Francofonte’ and ‘Santa Tecla’) were evaluated regarding anthocyanin and non‐anthocyanin phenolic contents using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)–Orbitrap‐mass spectrometry (MS). Moreover, total antioxidant activity (TAA) was evaluated using a 2,2′‐azinobis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) assay.ResultsTwenty‐three phenolic compounds were identified. Cyanidin‐3,5‐O‐diglucoside and pelargonidin‐3,5‐O‐diglucoside were the most representative anthocyanins in all genotypes; the Santa Tecla population had the highest content of these anthocyanins, 97.64 mg L−1 and 40.29 mg L−1 respectively. In the Francofonte population, ferulic acid hexoside was the most abundant compound (391.18 mg L−1). TAA values ranged between 221.5 and 36.73 µmol Trolox equivalents/100 mL of juice. A high TAA value was recorded for the Santa Tecla pomegranate population.ConclusionThe UHPLC–Orbitrap‐MS approach was employed for the first time to identify the phenolic compound profiling in five pomegranate genotypes. TAA was analysed using an ABTS assay, and the results showed a significant variability in nutraceutical potential of the pomegranate genotypes studied. The inclusion of phenolic information in the linear discriminant analysis allowed very good discriminations among genotypes to be obtained. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Dietary taurine supplementation improves breast meat quality in chronic heat‐stressed broilers via activating the Nrf2 pathway and protecting mitochondria from oxidative attack
Authors: Lu Zhuang , He Xiaofang , Ma Bingbing , Zhang Lin , Li Jiaolong , Jiang Yun , Zhou Guanghong , Gao Feng 
Published: July 2018

ABSTRACTBackgroundChronic heat stress can induce oxidative impairment and decrease breast meat quality in broilers. Taurine is a β‐amino acid with antioxidant properties. To investigate the alleviative effects and molecular mechanisms of taurine supplementation on breast meat quality in broilers exposed to chronic heat stress, 144 28‐day‐old chickens (Arbor Acres) were randomly distributed to thermoneutral (TN, 22 °C, basal diet), heat stress (HS, consistent 32 °C, basal diet), or heat stress plus taurine (HS + T, consistent 32 °C, basal diet + 5.00 g kg−1 taurine) groups for a 14‐day trial.ResultsChronic heat stress did not affect the contents of moisture, crude protein and crude fat in breast muscle, but impaired breast meat quality in broilers. Taurine supplementation significantly alleviated the increase in lightness and drip loss and the decrease in pH45 min and shear force of breast meat in chronic heat‐stressed broilers. Compared with the HS group, taurine supplementation significantly decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species and malonaldehyde and increased the messenger RNA expressions of nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2), NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 and heme oxygenase 1 in the HS + T group. Meanwhile, taurine supplementation effectively alleviated mitochondrial damage caused by chronic heat exposure.ConclusionDietary taurine supplementation can effectively improve the quality of breast meat in chronic heat‐stressed broilers via activating the Nrf2 pathway and protecting mitochondria from oxidative attack. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Simultaneous high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometric confirmation of the ten bioactive compounds in Semen Sojae Preparatum
Authors: Qiu Feng , Shi Linyi , Wang Siqi , Wu Sha , Wang Manyuan 
Published: July 2018

AbstractSemen Sojae Preparatum is one of the most widely used traditional Chinese medicines. A reliable and accurate high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection method has been developed and validated for the quantitative determination of the ten bioactive compounds contained in Semen Sojae Preparatum. The samples were first extracted by pressurized liquid extraction using 80% ethanol at 100°C for 15 min and three static extraction cycles. Chromatographic separation was conducted on a C18 column using a mobile phase consisting of water and acetonitrile under gradient elution, and the detection wavelength was set at 210 nm. The samples were further analyzed on a high‐performance liquid chromatography with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry system to confirm the determination results. All the ten analytes were well separated, and the calibration curves showed good linearity. The intra‐ and interday precisions were evaluated in terms of relative standard deviation values within the ranges of 0.20–1.43% and 0.40–4.78%, respectively. The recoveries for the ten analytes were all in the ranges of 96.2–104.3%, with relative standard deviation values < 3.85%. The established high‐performance liquid chromatography method could serve as a reliable and accurate method for the quality evaluation of Semen Sojae Preparatum from different origins.
Distinct developmental trajectories of endometriotic epithelium and stroma: implications for the origins of endometriosis
Authors: Lac Vivian , Huntsman David G 
Published: July 2018

AbstractEndometriosis is a common gynecological disease characterized by the ectopic growth of endometrium‐like tissue. Despite the widespread prevalence of endometriosis, its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. A recent study by Noë et al provides evidence that the epithelium and stroma within the same endometriotic lesions follow distinct and independent developmental trajectories. They used droplet digital polymerase chain reaction analysis of laser‐captured epithelium‐enriched and stroma‐enriched endometriosis tissue, and found that all 19 somatic passenger mutations analyzed were enriched exclusively in the epithelial compartment. These findings are consistent with the clonal expansion of epithelial cells, whereas stromal cells may be continuously regenerated or recruited over the course of disease. Further findings of differing allelic frequencies among passenger mutations within the epithelium of the same endometriotic lesions are suggestive of subclonality or the existence of multiple clones in some cases. Overall, the authors' observations of clonally dominant somatic passenger mutations in the epithelium and not the stroma of endometriosis add to the recent description of cancer‐associated mutations in such lesions, and provide clues to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Further studies to determine where and when these mutations occur and whether they can be used to develop the first biologically informed classification system for endometriosis are warranted. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assimilation of semi‐qualitative observations with a stochastic ensemble Kalman filter
Authors: Shah Abhishek , Gharamti Mohamad El , Bertino Laurent 
Published: July 2018

The ensemble Kalman filter assumes observations to be Gaussian random variables with a pre‐specified mean and variance. In practice, observations may also have detection limits, for instance when a gauge has a minimum or maximum value. In such cases, most data assimilation schemes discard out‐of‐range values, treating them as “not a number,” with the loss of possibly useful qualitative information.The current work focuses on the development of a data assimilation scheme that tackles observations with a detection limit. We present the Ensemble Kalman Filter Semi‐Qualitative (EnKF‐SQ) and test its performance against the Partial Deterministic Ensemble Kalman Filter (PDEnKF) of Borup et al.
Both are designed to assimilate out‐of‐range observations explicitly: the out‐of‐range values are qualitative by nature (inequalities), but one can postulate a probability distribution for them and then update the ensemble members accordingly. The EnKF‐SQ is tested within the framework of twin experiments, using both linear and nonlinear toy models. Different sensitivity experiments are conducted to assess the influence of the ensemble size, observation detection limit and number of observations on the performance of the filter. Our numerical results show that assimilating qualitative observations using the proposed scheme improves the overall forecast mean, making it viable for testing on more realistic applications such as sea‐ice models.
Fostering high school students’ conceptual understanding and argumentation performance in science through Quality Talk discussions
Authors: Murphy P. Karen , Greene Jeffrey A. , Allen Elizabeth , Baszczewski Sara , Swearingen Amanda , Wei Liwei , Butler Ana M. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractFlourishing in today's global society requires citizens that are both intelligent consumers and producers of scientific understanding. Indeed, the modern world is facing ever‐more complex problems that require innovative ways of thinking about, around, and with science. As numerous educational stakeholders have suggested, such skills and abilities are not innate and must, therefore, be taught (e.g., McNeill & Krajcik, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(1), 53–78. 2008). However, such instruction requires a fundamental shift in science pedagogy so as to foster knowledge and practices like deep, conceptual understanding, model‐based reasoning, and oral and written argumentation where scientific evidence is evaluated (National Research Council, Next Generation Science Standards: For States, by States, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2013). The purpose of our quasi‐experimental study was to examine the effectiveness of Quality Talk Science, a professional development model and intervention, in fostering changes in teachers’ and students’ discourse practices as well as their conceptual understanding and scientific argumentation. Findings revealed treatment teachers’ and students’ discourse practices better reflected critical‐analytic thinking and argumentation at posttest relative to comparison classrooms. Similarly, at posttest treatment students produced stronger written scientific arguments than comparison students. Students’ growth in conceptual understanding was nonsignificant. These findings suggest discourse interventions such as Quality Talk Science can improve high‐school students’ ability to engage in scientific argumentation.
Role of red blood cells “annexin V” and platelets “P-selectin” in patients with thalassemia
Authors: Mahdi Zahraa Najah , Al-Mudallal Subh S. , Hameed Bassam M. 
Published: July 2018

Objective/Background:
Certain hemostatic anomalies found in patients with thalassemia suggest the existence of a chronic hypercoagulable state. Several etiologic factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of the hypercoagulable state in those patients. One of these factors is abnormal thalassemic red blood cells (RBCs), which may provide a procoagulant. To substantiate these findings, we measured the ability of RBCs from thalassemia patients to bind annexin V with increased fraction of platelets carrying the activation marker CD62P (P-selectin). To study the expression of RBC annexin V and platelets P-selectin in study patients (those with thalassemia major, thalassemia intermedia, thalassemia minor) and control group, four-color flow cytometry was performed and the correlation between these two markers was evaluated.

Methods:
A case–control study was conducted on 50 β-thalassemia patients (10 patients with thalassemia minor, 30 patients with thalassemia major, and 10 patients with thalassemia intermedia, with 10 normal adult volunteers as a control) from June 2016 to March 2017. Flow cytometry was used to study the expression of anionic phospholipids (Annexin V) on the RBCs and CD62P (P-selectin) on the activated platelet.

Results:
The mean expression of annexin V in patients with thalassemia major and intermedia was significantly higher than that in the control group and patients with thalassemia minor. Although the mean expression was higher in patients with thalassemia intermedia than in those with thalassemia major, it was not statistically significant.

Conclusion:
The mean expression of platelets P-selectin in patients with thalassemia major and thalassemia intermedia was significantly higher than that in controls and patients with thalassemia minor. However, its expression was significantly higher in patients with thalassemia intermedia than in those with thalassemia major. Annexin V also showed a positive correlation with P-selectin, and both markers positively correlated with regularity of blood transfusion.