bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Proton MRS of cervical cancer at 7 T
Authors: Arteaga de Castro C.S. , Hoogendam J.P. , van Kalleveen I.M.L. , Raaijmakers A.J.E. , Zweemer R.P. , Verheijen R.H.M. , Luijten P.R. , Veldhuis W.B. , Klomp D.W.J. 
Published: October 2018

The differentiation grade of cervical cancer is histologically assessed by examining biopsies or surgical specimens.MRS is a highly sensitive technique that images tissue metabolism and can be used to increase the specificity of tissue characterization in a non‐invasive manner. We aim to explore the feasibility of using in vivo 1H‐MRS at 7 T in women with cervical cancer to study tissue fatty acid composition.10 women with histologically proven Stage IB1‐IIB cervical cancer were scanned with a whole‐body 7 T MR system with a multi‐transmit system and an internal receive only monopole antenna. A STEAM sequence was used to obtain 1H‐MRS data. Fatty acid resonances were fitted with Lorentzian curves and the 2.1 ppm/1.3 ppm ratios were calculated.1H‐MRS data showed fatty acid signals resonating at 2.1 ppm, 1.9 ppm, 1.5 ppm, 1.3 ppm and 0.9 ppm. Mean 2.1/1.3 ppm ratios were 0.019 ± 0.01, 0.021 ± 0.006, 0.12 ± 0.089 and 0.39 ± 0.27 for normal, Grade I, Grade II and Grade III groups respectively. Poorly differentiated tumor tissue (Grade III) showed elevated fatty acid ratios when compared with the well differentiated tumor (Grade I) or normal tissue.1H‐MRS in cervical cancer at 7 T is feasible and individual fatty acid signals were detected. In addition, poorly differentiated tumors show more fatty acid unsaturation. The 2.1 ppm/1.3 ppm ratio has potential for tumor characterization in a non‐invasive manner for uterine cervical cancer.
A POD‐selective inverse distance weighting method for fast parametrized shape morphing
Authors: Ballarin Francesco , D'Amario Alessandro , Perotto Simona , Rozza Gianluigi 
Published: October 2018

SummaryEfficient shape morphing techniques play a crucial role in the approximation of partial differential equations defined in parametrized domains, such as for fluid‐structure interaction or shape optimization problems. In this paper, we focus on inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation techniques, where a reference domain is morphed into a deformed one via the displacement of a set of control points. We aim at reducing the computational burden characterizing a standard IDW approach without significantly compromising the accuracy. To this aim, first we propose an improvement of IDW based on a geometric criterion that automatically selects a subset of the original set of control points. Then, we combine this new approach with a dimensionality reduction technique based on a proper orthogonal decomposition of the set of admissible displacements. This choice further reduces computational costs. We verify the performances of the new IDW techniques on several tests by investigating the trade‐off reached in terms of accuracy and efficiency.
Histone acetylation increases in response to ferulic, gallic, and sinapic acids acting synergistically in vitro to inhibit Candida albicans yeast‐to‐hyphae transition
Authors: Câmara Cristiane Rodrigues S. , Shi Qinyin , Pedersen Matthew , Zbasnik Richard , Nickerson Kenneth W. , Schlegel Vicki 
Published: October 2018

Novel treatments are needed to prevent candidiasis/candidemia infection due to the emergence of Candida species resistant to current antifungals. Considering the yeast‐to‐hyphae switch is a critical factor to Candida albicans virulence, phenols common in plant sources have been reported to demonstrating their ability to prevent dimorphism. Therefore, phenols present in many agricultural waste stress (ferulic (FA) and gallic (GA) acid) were initially screened in isolation for their yeast‐to‐hyphae inhibitory properties at times 3, 6, and 24 hr. Both FA and GA inhibited 50% of hyphae formation inhibitory concentration (IC50) but at a concentration of 8.0 ± 0.09 and 90.6 ± 1.05 mM, respectively, at 24 hr. However, the inhibitory effect of FA increased by 1.9–2.6 fold when combined with different GA concentrations. GA and FA values decreased even lower when sinapic acid (SA) was added as a third component. As evidenced by concave isobolograms and combination indexes less than 1, both GA:F A and GA:FA:SA combinations acted synergistically to inhibit 50% hyphae formation at 24 hr. Lastly, acetylation of histone H3 lysine 56 acetylation (H3K56) was higher in response to the triple phenolic cocktail (using the IC50 24 hr inhibitory concentration level) comparable with the nontreated samples, indicating that the phenols inhibited hyphal growth in part by targeting H3K56 acetylation.
A combination of max‐type and distance based schemes for simultaneous monitoring of time between events and event magnitudes
Authors: Sanusi Ridwan A. , Mukherjee Amitava 
Published: October 2018

AbstractTraditionally, two isolated sequential stopping rules are employed for monitoring the time of occurrence of an event (T) and the magnitude of an event (X). Recently, several researchers recommend monitoring T and X together using some unified approach. A unified approach based on combinations of two statistics, one for monitoring T and the other for X, is often more efficient. Likewise, a new approach of simultaneous monitoring of location and scale parameters of a process, combining a max and a distance based statistics, is recently introduced in literature. Motivated by such emerging concepts, we design a new scheme combining a Max‐type and a Distance‐type schemes, referred to as the MT scheme, to monitor T and X simultaneously and efficiently. It retains the advantages of both the Max‐type and the Distance‐type schemes for joint inference. The proposed scheme is very competent in detecting a shift in the process distribution of T or X or both. Moreover, it is computationally simpler. It has nice exact expressions for design parameters. Therefore, it is easier to implement. It has a distinct advantage over its traditional counterparts in detecting moderate to large shifts. Finally, we illustrate the implementation of the proposed scheme with a real dataset of damage caused by outbreak of fire disaster.
Mass spectrometric discrimination of phospholipid patterns in cisplatin‐resistant and ‐sensitive cancer cells
Authors: Cadoni Enzo , Vanhara Petr , Valletta Elisa , Pinna Elisabetta , Vascellari Sarah , Caddeo Graziano , Isaia Francesco , Pani Alessandra , Havel Josef , Pivetta Tiziana 
Published: October 2018

RationaleDevelopment of therapy‐resistant cancer is a major problem in clinical oncology, and there is an urgent need for novel markers identifying development of the resistant phenotype. Lipidomics represents a promising approach to discriminate lipid profiles of malignant phenotype cells. Alterations in phospholipid distribution or chemical composition have been reported in various pathologies including cancer. Here we were curious whether quantitative differences in phospholipid composition between cisplatin‐resistant and ‐sensitive model cancer cell lines could be revealed by mass spectrometric means.MethodsThe phospholipid contents of cell membranes of the cancer cell lines CCRF‐CEM and A2780, both responsive and resistant to cisplatin, were analyzed by solid‐phase extraction (SPE) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)). Extracts were obtained by disruption of cells with a dounce tissue grinder set followed by centrifugation. To minimize the enzymatic activity, phospholipids were extracted from cell extracts by SPE immediately after the cell lysis and analyzed by MS. Both supernatant and pellet fractions of cell extracts were analyzed.ResultsA phospholipid profile specific for cell lines and their phenotypes was revealed. We have documented by quantitative analysis that phosphocholines PC P‐34:0, PC 34:1, PC 20:2_16:0, LPC 18:1 and LPC 16:0 PLs were present in the 200–400 μM concentration range in CCRF‐CEM cisplatin‐responsive cells, but absent in their cisplatin‐resistant cells. Similarly, PC 34:1, LPC 18:1 and LPC 16:0 were increased in cisplatin‐responsive A2780 cells, and PC 20:2_16:0 was downregulated in cisplatin‐resistant A2780 cells.ConclusionsIn this work we showed that the ESI‐MS analysis of the lipid content of the therapy‐resistant and ‐sensitive cells can clearly distinguish the phenotypic pattern and determine the potential tumor response to cytotoxic therapy. Lipid entities revealed by mass spectrometry and associated with development of therapy resistance can thus support molecular diagnosis and provide a potential complementary cancer biomarker.
Flexible Fire‐Resistant Photothermal Paper Comprising Ultralong Hydroxyapatite Nanowires and Carbon Nanotubes for Solar Energy‐Driven Water Purification
Authors: Xiong Zhi‐Chao , Zhu Ying‐Jie , Qin Dong‐Dong , Chen Fei‐Fei , Yang Ri‐Long 
Published: October 2018

AbstractEfficient utilization of abundant solar energy for clean water generation is considered a sustainable and environment friendly approach to mitigate the global water crisis. For this purpose, this study reports a flexible fire‐resistant photothermal paper by combining carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and fire‐resistant inorganic paper based on ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires (HNs) for efficient solar energy‐driven water steam generation and water purification. Benefiting from the structural characteristics of the HN/CNT photothermal paper, the black CNT surface layer exhibits a high light absorbability and photothermal conversion capability, the HN‐based inorganic paper acts as a thermal insulator with a high temperature stability, low thermal conductivity, and interconnected porous structure. By combining these advantages, high water evaporation efficiencies of 83.2% at 1 kW m−2 and 92.8% at 10 kW m−2 are achieved. In addition, the HN/CNT photothermal paper has a stable water evaporation capability during recycling and long‐time usage. The promising potential of the HN/CNT photothermal paper for efficient production of drinkable water from both actual seawater and simulative wastewater samples containing heavy metal ions, dyes, and bacteria is also demonstrated. The highly flexible HN/CNT photothermal paper is promising for application in highly efficient solar energy‐driven seawater desalination and wastewater purification.
Framework for empirical examination and modeling structural dependencies among inhibitors that impact SPI implementation initiatives in software SMEs
Authors: Sharma Pooja , Sangal Amrit Lal 
Published: October 2018

AbstractContextSince last more than one‐decade software process improvement, widely known as SPI has received the attention of the software engineering community.ObjectiveThe objective of the paper is to empirically examine and develop a framework to model structural dependences among inhibitors that impact SPI initiatives in software SMEs.MethodsAuthors used mixed method approach (empirical analysis and interpretive structural modeling, ISM) to evaluate, model, and analyze the association between SPI inhibitors in software SMEs.ResultsThe results from empirical analysis and ISM show that lack of management commitment, lack of resources, and lack of communication and information sharing are the key SPI inhibitors. The association of various inhibitors with SPI implementation is found statistically significant with effect size (0.42 < Ø < 0.75, P < 0.05). Also, Spearman's coefficient of correlation for rankings of SPI inhibitors is found to be moderate to high, ie, 0.601 (P = 0.01 < 0.05) for SLR and interviews; 0.794 (P = 0.00) for SLR and empirical analysis; and 0.711 (P = 0.002 < 0.01) for interviews and empirical analysis.ConclusionsAnalysis of SPI inhibitors through the proposed triangulation approach and development of software process improvement inhibitors model highlights the importance of structural dependencies among the inhibitors.
A platform for P2P agent‐based collaborative applications
Authors: Briola Daniela , Micucci Daniela , Mariani Leonardo 
Published: October 2018

SummaryThe operational environment can be a valuable source of information about the behavior of software applications and their usage context. Although a single instance of an application has limited evidence of the range of the possible behaviors and situations that might be experienced in the field, the collective knowledge composed by the evidence gathered by the many instances of a same application running in several diverse user environments (eg, a browser) might be an invaluable source of information. This information can be exploited by applications able to autonomously analyze how they behave in the field and adjust their behavior accordingly. Augmenting applications with the capability to collaborate and directly share information about their behavior is challenging because it requires the definition of a fully decentralized and dependable networked infrastructure whose nodes are the user machines. The nodes of the infrastructure must be collaborative, to share information, and autonomous, to exploit the available information to change their behavior, for instance, to better accommodate the needs of the users to prevent known problems. This paper describes the initial results that we obtained with the design and the development of an infrastructure that can enable the execution of collaborative scenarios in a fully decentralized way. Our idea is to combine the agent‐based paradigm, which is well suited to design collaborative and autonomous nodes, and the peer‐to‐peer paradigm, which is well suited to design distributed and dynamic network infrastructures. To demonstrate our idea, we augmented the popular JADE agent‐based platform with a software layer that supports both the creation of a fully decentralized peer‐to‐peer network of JADE platforms and the execution of services within that network, thus enabling JADE multiagent systems (MASs) to behave as peer‐to‐peer networks. The resulting platform can be used to study the design of collaborative applications running in the field.
Glycoprotein M6B Interacts with TβRI to Activate TGF-β-Smad2/3 Signaling and Promote Smooth Muscle Cell Differentiation
Authors: Zhang Xiaomeng , Xie Huaning , Chang Pan , Zhao Huishou , Xia Yunlong , Zhang Ling , Guo Xiong , Huang Chong , Yan Feng , Hu Lang , Lin Chen , Li Yueyang , Xiong Zhenyu , Wang Xiong , Li Guohua , Deng Longxiang , Wang Shan , Tao Ling 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
Smooth muscle cells (SMCs), which form the walls of blood vessels, play an important role in vascular development and the pathogenic process of vascular remodeling. However, the molecular mechanisms governing SMC differentiation remain poorly understood. Glycoprotein M6B (GPM6B) is a four-transmembrane protein that belongs to the proteolipid protein family and is widely expressed in neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. Previous studies have revealed that GPM6B plays a role in neuronal differentiation, myelination, and osteoblast differentiation. In the present study, we found that the GPM6B gene and protein expression levels were significantly upregulated during transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced SMC differentiation. The knockdown of GPM6B resulted in the downregulation of SMC-specific marker expression and repressed the activation of Smad2/3 signaling. Moreover, GPM6B regulates SMC Differentiation by Controlling TGF-β-Smad2/3 Signaling. Furthermore, we demonstrated that similar to p-Smad2/3, GPM6B was profoundly expressed and coexpressed with SMC differentiation markers in embryonic SMCs. Moreover, GPM6B can regulate the tightness between TβRI, TβRII, or Smad2/3 by directly binding to TβRI to activate Smad2/3 signaling during SMC differentiation, and activation of TGF-β-Smad2/3 signaling also facilitate the expression of GPM6B. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that GPM6B plays a crucial role in SMC differentiation and regulates SMC differentiation through the activation of TGF-β-Smad2/3 signaling via direct interactions with TβRI. This finding indicates that GPM6B is a potential target for deriving SMCs from stem cells in cardiovascular regenerative medicine. Stem Cells 2018 Stem Cells 2019;37:190–201
Natural and anthropogenic factors affecting Allegheny woodrat occupancy
Authors: Lombardi Jason V. , Castleberry Steven B. , Mengak Michael T. , Terrell V. K. 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACTThe Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) is a habitat specialist closely associated with rock habitats throughout the Appalachian region. Although genetic studies have examined gene flow and connectivity among rock habitats, estimates of initial occupancy, colonization, and local extinction based on field studies are not available. Therefore, we used data from camera surveys to examine site and landscape characteristics with the potential to influence Allegheny woodrat initial occupancy, colonization, and local extinction at Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA, from May to September 2015. We modeled these parameters relative to covariates using a multiseason occupancy modeling approach. We found that colonization of rock outcrops by Allegheny woodrats occurs across a range of human impact levels, supporting previous research that Allegheny woodrats are relatively tolerant of human disturbance, including the type of disturbances (e.g., rock climbing, hiking) that occur at rock outcrops on our study area and other protected areas within the range. We also found lower localized extinction rates in oak (Quercus spp.)–hickory (Carya spp.) than oak–pine (Pinus spp.) forests, likely because the diversity of mast‐producing species and abundant understory vegetation in oak–hickory forests provide habitat conditions more conducive to woodrat persistence. Management efforts for Allegheny woodrats should focus on maintaining forests with a diversity of mast‐producing species, which could include use of prescribed fire and monitoring and treatment programs to reduce effects of invasive insects and pathogens. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.
Evaluation of pest control efficiencies for different banker plant systems with a simple predator–prey model
Authors: Yano Eizi , Abe Junichiro , Hemerik Lia 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe banker plant system has been introduced for the biological control of various pest species in Japanese greenhouses. With the banker plant system, non‐crop plants infested with a host insect (a non‐commercial crop pest) are placed in the greenhouse to provide alternative resources for the parasitoids or predators. We want to evaluate the effectiveness for controlling pests on the crop in a quantitative way by immigrating predators from the banker plant. Therefore, we developed a simple model for the interaction of the pest and predator in the crop and included the banker plant only as a source for predators. For three different pest‐predator systems we parameterised the model and used these models to predict under what conditions biological control in a banker plant system is successful. We defined successful as keeping the pest below the economic injury level of the crop estimated from damage analysis. Because the crop is mostly grown during a period that lasts less than a year our analysis should not only focus on the equilibrium dynamics. In contrast, it should also focus on the transient dynamics. Our main analytical result, from the equilibrium analysis, is that for successful control the maximum lifetime consumption of immigrating predators should exceed the daily prey growth at half the value of the maximum consumption rate. For practical purpose this translates into the fact that the immigration of predators at a low initial pest density is crucial for successful control.
Gestalt structures in multi-person intersubjectivity
Authors: Pawlett Jackson Sarah 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIn this paper I argue that there are gestalt principles underlying intersubjective interactions and that this means that intersubjective ‘units’, can be recognised as unified gestalt wholes. The nub of the claim is that interactions within a ‘plural subject’ can be perceived by others outside this plural subject. Framed from the first-person perspective: I am able to recognise intersubjective interactions between multiple others who are not me. I argue that the terminology of gestalt structures is helpful in framing and understanding the non-reducible make-up of these relational units. I consequently defend the legitimacy of the claim that we can attend to more than one other person at once, holding multiple others as a single focus of attention insofar as we can attend to multiple others as a gestalt whole. I argue that it is therefore legitimate to talk about attending to, perceiving and addressing multiple others at the same time, in the second-person plural. I argue that this can be identified in the phenomenology of such interactions and in an analysis of the core underlying structures of these interactions.
Measurement of negative and depressive symptoms: Discriminatory relevance of affect and expression
Authors: Richter Janina , Hölz Lea , Hesse Klaus , Wildgruber Dirk , Klingberg Stefan 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThere is conceptual overlap between negative and depressive symptoms: Mainly the ‘avolition’ factor of negative symptoms also encompasses main symptoms of depression. However, whereas in depression mood is low, mainly anticipatory anhedonia can be found in negative symptoms. Moreover, patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) show greater expressive deficits than those with Major Depressive Episode (MDE). We investigated if measures of depressive and negative symptoms differentiate SCZ subjects, subjects with MDE, and healthy controls (HC). 21 SCZ, 22 MDE, and 25 HC subjects were examined with a rater assessment and a self-rating for negative symptoms (Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS); Motivation and Pleasure – Self-Report (MAP-SR)) and depressive symptoms (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17); Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)). All measures differentiated the psychiatric samples from HC (all p’s < 0.01). The ratings of depressive symptoms (HAMD-17, BDI) and rater assessment of negative symptoms (CAINS) – specifically its sub scale measuring expressive deficits – managed to discriminate between subjects with schizophrenia and those with MDE (SCZ > MDE > HC for negative, MDE > SCZ > HC for depressive symptoms, all p’s < 0.05). The self-rating of negative symptoms (MAP-SR) did not. To differentiate negative symptoms and depression clinicians might look for (self-)reported low mood and observer-rated reduction in speech as well as in gestures and facial expression. Reduced expression and moderate levels of depression point towards a negative syndrome, whereas mostly unimpaired expression and high scores of self-reported depressive symptoms are more likely to indicate a depressive syndrome.
Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus infections in patients admitted to freestanding pediatric hospitals, 2009–2016
Authors: Spaulding Alicen B. , Thurm Cary , Courter Joshua D. , Banerjee Ritu , Gerber Jeffrey S. , Newland Jason G. , Parker Sarah K. , Brogan Thomas V. , Kronman Matthew P. , Shah Samir S. , Smith Michael J. , Patel Sameer J. , Lee Brian R. , Hersh Adam L. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractWe observed pediatric S. aureus hospitalizations decreased 36% from 26.3 to 16.8 infections per 1,000 admissions from 2009 to 2016, with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) decreasing by 52% and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus decreasing by 17%, among 39 pediatric hospitals. Similar decreases were observed for days of therapy of anti-MRSA antibiotics.