bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interaction between glutathione S‐transferase M1‐null/present polymorphism and adjuvant chemotherapy influences the survival of breast cancer
Authors: Li Shuang , Lang Guan‐Tian , Zhang Ying‐Zhou , Yu Ke‐Da , Shao Zhi‐Ming , Zhang Qiang 
Published: July 2018

AbstractGlutathione S‐transferase M (GSTM) family is concerned with oxidative stress, which is associated with breast carcinogenesis and chemotherapy response. The null polymorphism of GSTM1 gene results in a thorough absence of the enzyme function. Our study was to evaluate the association between GSTM1 null/present polymorphism and chemotherapy treatment outcome in breast cancer patients. A total of unrelated 714 patients with a histologically confirmed breast cancer were randomly selected from two independent cancer centers. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to analyze null/present genotypes of GSTM1 in our study. Our study found that the present genotype of GSTM1 was associated with a better relapse‐free survival (RFS) (P = .03) with adjusted hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.42‐0.93). The present genotype of GSTM1 was significantly correlated with a better RFS compared with the null genotype in the nonchemotherapy group (HR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.06‐0.50; P = 0.001), but no effect was observed in the chemotherapy group (HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.52‐1.26; P = 0.35). Moreover, the interaction between the GSTM1‐null/present genotype and adjuvant chemotherapy was significant (P = 0.04) in further analysis. Our study suggests that the GSTM1 polymorphism plays a complex role in influencing the chemotherapy response and breast cancer survival. It is suggested that the GSTM1‐present genotype might prevent progression in breast cancer patients. In the meanwhile, it could damage the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy as well in certain ways.
In Situ Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements and their Interpretation for the Diagnostic of Metallic Cultural Heritage: A Review
Authors: Ramírez Barat Blanca , Cano Emilio 
Published: July 2018

AbstractProtecting metallic cultural heritage from corrosion is a major challenge for metal conservators. Electrochemical techniques offer a great potential for monitoring the conservation condition of this type of heritage, providing a powerful tool for designing conservation strategies. For this reason, the application of techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has aroused increasing interest in recent years, although some difficulties in application and interpretation of the results still keep it from being routine practice. This Review aims to picture the state‐of‐the‐art of using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for the in situ monitoring of metallic cultural heritage, focusing on spectra interpretation and different approaches that have been proposed to perform field measurements since the 1990’s. In the first part of the Review, different cell designs based on the use of liquid or solid electrolytes for in situ measurements are reviewed. In the second part, a few general equivalent circuits are proposed as a basis for interpreting results on different metal surfaces after discussing different models proposed in literature. This overview intends to summarize and clarify the key points in the use of EIS, and encourage the use of this and other electrochemical techniques in the field of conservation science, for a better preservation of our cultural heritage.
Transient Secondary and Tertiary Structure Formation Kinetics in the Intrinsically Disordered State of α‐Synuclein from Atomistic Simulations
Authors: Graen Timo , Klement Reinhard , Grupi Asaf , Haas Elisha , Grubmüller Helmut 
Published: July 2018

AbstractIn the absence of a stable fold, transient secondary structure kinetics define the native state of the prototypical and pharmacologically relevant intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) α‐Synuclein (aS). Here, we investigate kinetics preventing ordering and possibly pathogenic β‐sheet aggregation. Interestingly, transient β‐sheets form frequently at sub μs time scales precisely at the positions observed in aS amyloid fibrils. The formation kinetics competes with rapid secondary structure dissociation rates, thus explaining the low secondary structure content. The fast secondary structure dissociation times are very similar to the dynamics of tertiary structure rearrangements. These findings suggest that the fast dissociation kinetics slows down conformational selection processes for aS aggregation, which may be a general mechanism controlling the aggregation kinetics of IDPs.
Does customer engagement in corporate social responsibility initiatives lead to customer citizenship behaviour? The mediating roles of customer‐company identification and affective commitment
Authors: Hur Won‐Moo , Kim Hanna , Kim Hyun Kyung 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThis study examines how customers' perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) affect their customer citizenship behaviour and the mediated link through customer‐company identification and affective commitment. Working with a sample of 615 banking service customers in South Korea, structural equation modelling is employed to test the research hypotheses. The results of this study suggest that customers' perceptions of CSR are positively related to their customer citizenship behaviour. Second, customer‐company identification was found to mediate the positive relationship between customers' perceptions of CSR and customer citizenship behaviour. Third, customers' affective commitment towards their organization also mediated the positive relationship between customers' perceptions of CSR and customer citizenship behaviour. Finally, the relationship between customers' perceptions of CSR and customer citizenship behaviour is sequentially and partially mediated by customer‐company identification and affective commitment. The theoretical and managerial implications of the results and the limitations of the study are discussed, and future research directions are suggested.
Selective constraints in cold‐region wild boars may defuse the effects of small effective population size on molecular evolution of mitogenomes
Authors: Chen Jianhai , Ni Pan , Tran Thi Thuy Nhien , Kamaldinov Evgeniy Varisovich , Petukhov Valeriy Lavrentyevich , Han Jianlin , Liu Xiangdong , Šprem Nikica , Zhao Shuhong 
Published: July 2018

AbstractSpatial range expansion during population colonization is characterized by demographic events that may have significant effects on the efficiency of natural selection. Population genetics suggests that genetic drift brought by small effective population size (Ne) may undermine the efficiency of selection, leading to a faster accumulation of nonsynonymous mutations. However, it is still unknown whether this effect might be balanced or even reversed by strong selective constraints. Here, we used wild boars and local domestic pigs from tropical (Vietnam) and subarctic region (Siberia) as animal model to evaluate the effects of functional constraints and genetic drift on shaping molecular evolution. The likelihood‐ratio test revealed that Siberian clade evolved significantly different from Vietnamese clades. Different datasets consistently showed that Siberian wild boars had lower Ka/Ks ratios than Vietnamese samples. The potential role of positive selection for branches with higher Ka/Ks was evaluated using branch‐site model comparison. No signal of positive selection was found for the higher Ka/Ks in Vietnamese clades, suggesting the interclade difference was mainly due to the reduction in Ka/Ks for Siberian samples. This conclusion was further confirmed by the result from a larger sample size, among which wild boars from northern Asia (subarctic and nearby region) had lower Ka/Ks than those from southern Asia (temperate and tropical region). The lower Ka/Ks might be due to either stronger functional constraints, which prevent nonsynonymous mutations from accumulating in subarctic wild boars, or larger Ne in Siberian wild boars, which can boost the efficacy of purifying selection to remove functional mutations. The latter possibility was further ruled out by the Bayesian skyline plot analysis, which revealed that historical Ne of Siberian wild boars was smaller than that of Vietnamese wild boars. Altogether, these results suggest stronger functional constraints acting on mitogenomes of subarctic wild boars, which may provide new insights into their local adaptation of cold resistance.
Tropical forest temperature thresholds for gross primary productivity
Authors: Pau Stephanie , Detto Matteo , Kim Youngil , Still Christopher J. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractTropical forests are hyper‐diverse and perform critical functions that regulate global climate, yet they are also threatened by rising temperatures. Canopy temperatures depart considerably from air temperatures, sometimes by as much as air temperatures are projected to increase by the end of this century; however, canopy temperatures are rarely measured or considered in climate change analyses. Our results from near‐continuous thermal imaging of a well‐studied tropical forest show that canopy temperatures reached a maximum of ~34°C, and exceeded maximum air temperatures by as much as 7°C. Comparing different canopy surfaces reveals that bark was the warmest, followed by a deciduous canopy, flowers, and coolest was an evergreen canopy. Differences among canopy surfaces were largest during afternoon hours, when the evergreen canopy cooled more rapidly than other canopy surfaces, presumably due to transpiration. Gross primary productivity (GPP), estimated from eddy covariance measurements, was more strongly associated with canopy temperatures than air temperatures or vapor pressure deficit. The rate of GPP increase with canopy temperatures slowed above ~28–29°C, but GPP continued to increase until ~31–32°C. Although future warming is projected to be greater in high‐latitude regions, we show that tropical forest productivity is highly sensitive to small changes in temperature. Important biophysical and physiological characteristics captured by canopy temperatures allow more accurate predictions of GPP compared to commonly used air temperatures. Results suggest that as air temperatures continue to warm with climate change, canopy temperatures will increase at a ~40% higher rate, with uncertain but potentially large impacts on tropical forest productivity.
Lipase‐Catalyzed Butanolysis of Echium Oil for the Selective Enrichment in Gamma‐Linolenic and Stearidonic Acids
Authors: Corzo‐Martínez Marta , López Eduardo , Vázquez Luis , Ortego Elena , Olaya Erika , Reglero Guillermo , Torres Carlos F. 
Published: July 2018

Enzymatic butanolysis of Echium oil in the presence of lipases from Candida rugosa and Rhizopus oryzae has been studied. The effects of lipase immobilization, hydration of the reaction mixture and oil oxidation degree on lipase catalytic activity, fatty acid selectivity, and inactivation degree are evaluated. The utilization of butanol containing 2.5% (w/w) of water produces the highest catalytic activity of lipases in both powder and immobilized form; particularly of immobilized lipase from Rhizopus oryzae, which led to the complete conversion of triacylglycerols. The presence of 2.5% water also improves the biocatalyst stability, as the rate of immobilized lipase from Rhizopus oryzae inactivation (Kd = 0.0084 h−1) is much lower than in the absence of water (Kd = 0.0285 h−1). Stability of immobilized lipase from Rhizopus oryzae further increases when bleached oil is used (Kd = 0.0008 h−1). Then, fatty acid selectivity of immobilized lipase from Rhizopus oryzae is investigated by determining competitive factors for each fatty acid from Echium oil. Results indicates a very good activity, stability, and very important discrimination of this lipase against stearidonic and gamma‐linolenic acids which can be utilized for the efficient and selective oil enrichment in polyunsaturated fatty acids.Practical Applications: This study describes an interesting methodology for the selective enrichment in polyunsaturated fatty acid from Echium oil utilizing intact triacylglycerols as starting material. This study also evaluates the lipase inactivation as a crucial tool for industrial application of this bioprocess. Finally the study describes the production of lower glycerides that can be used as precursors of structured bioactive lipids enriched in stearidonic and gamma‐linoleic acids.Schematic representation of the simultaneous reactions that occur in the butanolysis reaction carried out. SAFA saturated fatty acid, MUFA monounsaturated fatty acid, PUFA polyunsaturated fatty acid, FABE fatty acid butyl ester, BUTOH Butanol.
Evaluation of battery modules state for electric vehicle using artificial neural network and experimental validation
Authors: Liang Xinyu , Bao Nengsheng , Zhang Jian , Garg Akhil , Wang Shuangxi 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
This work undertakes research problem on prediction of state of battery modules used in electric vehicle. Past studies focussed extensively on the estimation of state of charge and state of health of a single cell/battery. However, the focus on the estimation of state of entire battery module is hardly studied. During the actual operation of electric vehicle, the environmental conditions (road slope and climate) and factors such as abnormal voltage and temperature conditions causes the deviations among the battery modules from its equilibrium state. As a result, its power efficiency and the life‐cycle decreases. One of the reasons of deviation is the defects in manufacturing of a battery module. For this purpose, the evaluation and estimation of state of battery modules is a priority to have information on which module among the given ones should be discharged first. Therefore, this study proposes the methodology for the evaluation of state of battery modules based on its current and temperature. Firstly, the rules are defined based on experiments to determine the priority for the discharge of each of the six modules. Dataset of 6000 samples obtained comprises of the 12 inputs (temperature and current) and 6 outputs (on‐off state of switch). Each output represents the priority of module to be discharged. To analyze this multi‐input multi‐output dataset, the popular artificial intelligence algorithm namely, artificial neural network with three training algorithms (Levenberg, Scaled conjugate and Bayesian regularization), using a number of neurons from 2 to 20 in the hidden layer is used. It was found that the model obtained using Levenberg algorithm performs the best.
Hourly to daily‐scale microtopographic fluctuations of supratidal sandstone
Authors: Yuan Runjie , Kennedy David M. , Stephenson Wayne J. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractA traversing micro‐erosion meter (TMEM) was used to measure short‐term microtopographic changes on a supratidal rock surface at Marengo, Australia. In order to describe the characteristics of rock surface behaviour at different temporal scales, the TMEM site was monitored at 2‐hourly, daily and multiday (3.5 days) periods. The rock surface was highly dynamic at 2‐hourly scale, repeatedly falling and rising by up to 0.644 mm. Two‐hourly surface change was also characterised by spatial heterogeneity, with contraction and expansion occurring concurrently at centimetre scale across the rock surface. Two‐hourly microtopographic change was linked to the microclimate with significant relationships between surface movement and relative humidity (R2 = 0.27) and air temperature (R2 = 0.24). Expansion was observed across the rock surface when there was a fluctuation of 18% in relative humidity, and when cloudy the rock surface remained active during the day. Temporal variability in surface movement was also observed over a 24 h period with three distinct periods observed: falling (06:00–12:00), rising (12:00–20:00) and stable (20:00–06:00). The daily surface change underwent no net microtopographic change (no loss of material). In contrast, an overall contraction was observed at multiday scale. Rock surface behaviour in coastal environments is therefore complex with many cycles of expansion and contraction acting concurrently albeit at different temporal scales from hours to multiple days. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ethics and Sustainability in Global Contexts: Studying Engineering Student Perspectives Through Photoelicitation
Authors: Berdanier Catherine G. P. , Tang Xiaofeng , Cox Monica F. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBackgroundEthical issues have become increasingly important in discussions of sustainability, an area involving ethical and sociotechnical decisions that engineers may not be prepared to consider. Recent literature on engineering ethics highlights the need to integrate social and environmental aspects of ethics into technical topics through culturally sensitive and community‐oriented approaches.Purpose/HypothesisThis paper explores the ethical reflections of U.S. doctoral engineering students after a two‐week experience studying electronics manufacturing in India. This authentic experience is essentially a lived case study, where the students' roles were to listen and engage with a broad range of stakeholders affiliated with the electronics industry.Design/MethodThis study used photoelicitation methods to elicit deep reflective interviews with the doctoral student participants, reporting the qualitative analysis of these interview transcripts.ResultsThe concept of sustainability is typically seen as comprising the individual dimensions of economic, social, and environmental facets; however, the narratives of ethics and sustainability emerging from the interview data reported here point to the importance of the intersections among these aspects. Themes relating to safety and regulations, gender roles, and resources and waste emerged as manifestations of these intersections.ConclusionsThe graduate students demonstrated ethical reasoning skills related to regulations, gender roles, resources and waste, and their professional ethical responsibilities as they discussed the experiences of their trip. As students reflected on ethical tensions based on their experience, they demonstrated a deep commitment to engineering ethics, acknowledging their roles in fostering sustainability and committing to thinking about the distant stakeholders affected by engineering decisions.
Anabolic steroids and tendons: A review of their mechanical, structural, and biologic effects
Authors: Jones Ian A. , Togashi Ryan , Hatch George F. Rick , Weber Alexander E. , Vangsness C. Thomas 
Published: July 2018

ABSTRACTOne of the suspected deleterious effects of androgenic‐anabolic steroids (AAS) is the increased risk for tendon rupture. However, investigations to date have produced inconsistent results and it is still unclear how AAS influence tendons. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify studies that have investigated the mechanical, structural, or biologic effects that AAS have on tendons. In total, 18 highly heterogeneous studies were identified. Small animal studies made up the vast majority of published research, and contradictory results were reported frequently. All of the included studies focused on the potential deleterious effects that AAS have on tendon, which is striking given the recent use of AAS in patients following tendon injury. Rather than providing strong evidence for or against the use of AAS, this review highlights the need for additional research. Future studies investigating the use of AAS as a possible treatment for tendon injury/pathology are supported by reports suggesting that AAS may counteract the irreparable structural/functional changes that occur in the musculotendinous unit following rotator cuff tears, as well as studies suggesting that the purported deleterious effects on tendon may be transient. Other possible areas for future research are discussed in the context of key findings that may have implications for the therapeutic application of AAS. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:2830–2841, 2018.
p‐Coumaric acid improves oxidative and osmosis stress responses in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Yue Yiren , Shen Peiyi , Xu Yuejia , Park Yeonhwa 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDStress‐response pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) were found to be closely related to human diseases and aging. Research on stress responses in C. elegans can therefore significantly facilitate understanding of related human diseases. p‐Coumaric acid is present in peanuts, carrots, and garlic, and exerts many biological effects, however, its responses to various environmental stressors remain unknown. Thus, in the current study, we employed C. elegans as the in vivo animal model to examine the function of p‐coumaric acid under various stressed conditions.RESULTSTreatment of C. elegans with p‐coumaric acid resulted in a significant reduction in the intercellular reactive oxygen species levels, which suggests the in vivo antioxidant capacity of p‐coumaric acid. Moreover, p‐coumaric acid significantly increased the worms' survival under oxidative and osmosis stressed conditions but had no effect under normal or heat‐stressed conditions. The increased oxidative resistance induced by p‐coumaric acid was mediated by skn‐1, an ortholog of the Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2) transcriptional factor. Downregulation of the osmosis regulatory gene, osr‐1, might contribute to p‐coumaric acids' effect on increased resistance to high osmolarity.CONCLUSIONTaken together, our results suggest that p‐coumaric acid, an antioxidant agent, ameliorated oxidative and osmosis stresses in C. elegans. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Quantifying estuarine‐scale invertebrate larval connectivity: Methodological and ecological insights
Authors: Kroll Ian R. , Poray Abigail K. , Puckett Brandon J. , Eggleston David B. , Fodrie F. Joel 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe early life history of many marine organisms includes a dispersive planktonic larval phase which allows for the exchange of individuals among subpopulations. Knowledge of the degree of exchange, or connectivity, is critical to understanding the abundance and distribution of marine populations. Here, we applied geochemical tagging to assess estuarine‐scale larval connectivity among subpopulations of the commercially and ecologically important eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. To generate an “atlas” of geochemical signatures associated with spawning sites and potential dispersal pathways from spawning sites, we outplanted recently spawned oyster larvae to stationary moorings and surface drifters, respectively. Using the atlases generated from both outplant methods, we predicted natal origin, and thus larval connectivity, for newly settled oysters (spat) during three field trials over two summers (June 2013, June 2014, and August 2014), within three regions (∼ 35 km × 15 km quadrants) of Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, U.S.A. Patterns of larval connectivity varied both between months and annually but were predominately directed south to north following wind patterns. Predicted self‐recruitment was variable, as up to 100% of spat in a given region displayed signatures consistent with natal origin within that same region. Predicted connectivity patterns varied significantly based on atlases generated from outplanting on stationary moorings vs. surface drifters. For example, drifter‐predicted connectivity followed biophysical larval dispersal models more closely than mooring‐predicted connectivity, while mooring‐predicted connectivity displayed a higher diversity in larval sources. Both connectivity models highlight the need for resource management strategies such as reserve networks to incorporate designs that account for inherent variability in dispersal pathways.