bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intestinal Nucleoside Transporters: Function, Expression, and Regulation
Authors: Pastor‐Anglada Marçal , Urtasun Nerea , Pérez‐Torras Sandra 
Published: July 2018

ABSTRACTThe gastrointestinal tract is the absorptive organ for nutrients found in foods after digestion. Nucleosides and, to a lesser extent nucleobases, are the late products of nucleoprotein digestion. These metabolites are absorbed by nucleoside (and nucleobase) transporter (NT) proteins. NTs are differentially distributed along the gastrointestinal tract showing also polarized expression in epithelial cells. Concentrative nucleoside transporters (CNTs) are mainly located at the apical side of enterocytes, whereas equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) facilitate the basolateral efflux of nucleosides and nucleobases to the bloodstream. Moreover, selected nucleotides and the bioactive nucleoside adenosine act directly on intestinal cells modulating purinergic signaling. NT‐polarized insertion is tightly regulated. However, not much is known about the modulation of intestinal NT function in humans, probably due to the lack of appropriate cell models retaining CNT functional expression. Thus, the possibility of nutritional regulation of intestinal NTs has been addressed using animal models. Besides the nutrition‐related role of NT proteins, orally administered drugs also need to cross the intestinal barrier, this event being a major determinant of drug bioavailability. In this regard, NT proteins might also play a role in pharmacology, thereby allowing the absorption of nucleoside‐ and nucleobase‐derived drugs. The relative broad selectivity of these membrane transporters also suggests clinically relevant drug‐drug interactions when using combined therapies. This review focuses on all these physiological and pharmacological aspects of NT protein biology. © 2017 American Physiological Society.Compr Physiol8:1003‐1017, 2018.
Efficient hardware implementations of point multiplication for binary Edwards curves
Authors: Rashidi Bahram 
Published: July 2018

SummaryThis paper presents efficient and fast hardware implementations of the complete point multiplication on binary Edwards curves (BECs). The implementations are based on extremely fast complete differential addition and doubling formulas. These new complete differential addition formulas are performed for general and special cases of BECs with cost of 5M + 4S + 2Dand 5M + 4S + 1D, respectively, where,M,S, andDdenote the costs of a field multiplication, a field squaring and a field multiplication by a constant, respectively. In the general case of the BECs, proposed structures are implemented based on 3 and 1 pipelined digit‐serial Gaussian normal basis multipliers. In the design by 3 multipliers, computation of point addition and point doubling is performed concurrently. But in the second implementation for low‐cost design with low number of hardware resources, these computations are implemented by 1 multiplier. Also, in the special case of BECs, 2 structures are proposed for achieving the highest degree of parallelization and utilization of resources by using 3 and 2 field multipliers. Implementation results of the proposed architectures based on Virtex‐5 XC5VLX110, Virtex‐4 XC4VLX100, and Arria‐10 10AX115U4F45I3SG FPGAs for 2 fieldsandare achieved. The results show improvements in terms of execution time, area, and efficiency for the proposed structures compared with previous works.
An automatic analysis of sleep stage 2 based on the Fujimori method
Authors: Kawashima Yuka , Yoshida Takashi , Hayashi Mitsuo , Aikawa Naoyuki 
Published: July 2018

AbstractAfternoon sleepiness in daily life reduces arousal level, performance, concentration, and so on. It is well known that short naps are effective to cancel the sleepiness and sleep stage 2 is one of the important factors about sleeping especially in a short time nap. Therefore, it is desired to the detailed analysis of sleep EEG to clarify the relationship between length and quality of nap. Some methods are proposed to detect sleep spindles automatically that based on the Fourier transform or Wavelet transform. However, they could not analyze the ream of waves because of frame processing. In this paper, we propose a sleep spindle detection method for the automatic EEG analysis method based on the method of visual scoring. In the proposed method, sleep spindle waves are detected using the enhanced terms of detecting sleep spindles in Fujimori's method and cumulative sum charts. Through example, the proposed method can detect the sleep spindles with 97.32% sensitivity compared with a medical specialist.
Pain location and widespread pain in youth with orthopaedic conditions: Exploration of the reliability and validity of a body map
Authors: Foxen‐Craft E. , Scott E.L. , Kullgren K.A. , Philliben R. , Hyman C. , Dorta M. , Murphy A. , Voepel‐Lewis T. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBackgroundPain location and widespread pain are important but underexamined dimensions of paediatric pain. Body map tools to assess pain location in youth have been used for several decades, but few studies have established reliability and validity of these measures. The purpose of this study was to explore the reliability and validity of a pain body map among youth with orthopaedic conditions before surgery.MethodYouth ages 10–17 years completed the body map and other self‐reported outcomes at their preoperative clinic visit and at their day of surgery.ResultsMost (91.7%) youth had small discrepancy between body map scores at preoperative clinic visit (baseline) and day of surgery (second assessment), and site‐to‐site agreement ranged from 78% to 98%. Those with back and lower extremity diagnoses had high correspondence between body map sites and diagnostic sites. Body map scores and widespread pain were associated with other dimensions of pain, as well as other patient‐reported outcomes. Higher pain intensity and widespread pain predicted greater discrepancy between body map scores.ConclusionsThese results support the use of body map tools in further research examining widespread pain among youth by demonstrating adequate reliability, descriptive validity and associative validity.SignificanceThese results contribute to the limited information regarding psychometric properties of paediatric pain body maps, provide novel information about widespread pain among youth undergoing orthopaedic surgeries, and pave the way for improved assessment and treatment of paediatric pain.
Levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the Korean metropolitan population are declining: A trend from 2001 to 2013
Authors: Kim Jongchul , Kang Jung-Ho , Choi Sung-Deuk , Zhu Jiping , Chang Yoon-Seok 
Published: July 2018

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been banned or voluntarily withdrawn from commerce worldwide. Declining levels of PBDEs in humans have been reported elsewhere, but not in Korea. We monitored 7 individual PBDE congeners (BDE-28, BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-153, BDE-154, and BDE-183) in 103 human serum samples collected in 2006. The arithmetic mean and median values for the sum of the 7 PBDEs (∑PBDEs) were 7.13 and 6.70 ng/g lipid, respectively. In addition, 6 pooled human serum samples collected in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013 were analyzed. A decrease in PBDE levels was observed, as reflected by the median value of ∑PBDEs from 5.98 in 2006 to 2.98 ng/g lipid in 2013 as well as in the pooled samples. The levels of individual congeners also decreased but at different declining rates. Based on these results and previously reported data, a definite decline in PBDE levels in the Korean metropolitan population could be observed from 2001 to 2013, providing the first evidence in Korea of the same decline observed elsewhere in the world. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2323–2330. © 2018 SETAC
Effects of hydrodynamic conditions and temperature on polar organic chemical integrative sampling rates
Authors: Djomte Valerie Toteu , Taylor Raegyn B. , Chen Sunmao , Booij Kees , Chambliss C. Kevin 
Published: July 2018

Abstract

The effects of changing hydrodynamic conditions and changing temperatures on polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) sampling rates (Rs) were investigated for 12 crop protection chemicals. Exposure concentration was held constant in each laboratory experiment, and flow velocities were calculated from measured mass transfer coefficients of the water boundary layer near the surface of POCIS devices. At a given temperature Rs generally increased by a factor of 2 to 5 between a stagnant condition and higher flow velocities (6–21 cm/s), but Rs for most compounds was essentially constant between the higher flow velocities. When temperature was varied between 8 and 39 °C for a given flow condition, Rs increased linearly. In general, Rs increased by a factor of 2 to 4 and 2 to 8 over this temperature range under flow and stagnant conditions, respectively. An Arrhenius model was used to describe the dependence of POCIS sampling rates on temperature. Adjustments of Rs for temperature did not fully explain observed differences between time-weighted average concentrations of atrazine determined from POCIS and from composite water sampling in a field setting, suggesting that the effects of other competing factors still need to be evaluated. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2331–2339. © 2018 SETAC
Effects of urban stormwater and iron-enhanced sand filtration on Daphnia magna and Pimephales promelas
Authors: Westerhoff Benjamin M. , Fairbairn David J. , Ferrey Mark L. , Matilla Adriana , Kunkel Jordan , Elliott Sarah M. , Kiesling Richard L. , Woodruff Dustin , Schoenfuss Heiko L. 
Published: July 2018

Abstract

Urban stormwater is an important but incompletely characterized contributor to surface-water toxicity. The present study used 5 bioassays of 2 model organisms (Daphnia magna and fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas) to investigate stormwater toxicity and mitigation by full-scale iron-enhanced sand filters (IESFs). Stormwater samples were collected from major stormwater conveyances and full-scale IESFs during 4 seasonal events (winter snowmelt and spring, early summer, and late summer rainfalls) and analyzed for a diverse range of contaminants of emerging concern including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, and pesticides. Concurrently, stormwater samples were collected for toxicity testing. Seasonality appeared more influential and consistent than site type for most bioassays. Typically, biological consequences were least in early summer and greatest in late summer and winter. In contrast with the unimproved and occasionally reduced biological outcomes in IESF-treated and late summer samples, water chemistry indicated that numbers and total concentrations of detected organic chemicals, metals, and nutrients were reduced in late summer and in IESF-treated stormwater samples. Some potent toxicants showed more specific seasonality (e.g., high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and industrial compounds in winter, pesticides in early summer and spring, flame retardants in late summer), which may have influenced outcomes. Potential explanations for insignificant or unexpected stormwater treatment outcomes include confounding effects of complex stormwater matrices, IESF nutrient removal, and, less likely, unmonitored toxicants. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2645–2659. © 2018 SETAC
Effect of land cover and hydro‐meteorological controls on soil water DOC concentrations in a high‐elevation tropical environment
Authors: Pesántez Juan , Mosquera Giovanny M. , Crespo Patricio , Breuer Lutz , Windhorst David 
Published: July 2018

AbstractPáramo soils store high amounts of organic carbon. However, the effects of climate change and changes in land cover and use (LC/LU) in this high‐elevation tropical ecosystem may cause a decrease in their carbon storage capacity. Therefore, better understanding of the factors influencing the Páramo soils' carbon storage and export is urgently needed. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the differences in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content in the soil water of four LC/LU types (tussock grass, natural forest, pine plantations, and pasture) and the factors controlling its variability in the Quinuas Ecohydrological Observatory in south Ecuador. Weekly measurements of soil water DOC concentrations, meteorological variables, soil water content, and temperature from various depths and slope positions were monitored within the soils' organic and mineral horizons between October 2014 and January 2017. These data were used to generate regression trees and random forest statistical models to identify the factors controlling soil water DOC concentrations. From high to low concentrations, natural forest depict the highest DOC concentrations followed by pasture, tussock grass, and pine forest. For all LC/LU types, DOC concentrations increase with decreasing soil moisture. Our results also show that LC/LU is the most important predictor of soil water DOC concentrations, followed by sampling depth and soil moisture. Interestingly, atmospheric variables and antecedent evapotranspiration and precipitation conditions show only little influence on DOC concentrations during the monitoring period. Our findings provide unique information that can help improve the management of soil and water resources in the Páramo and other peat dominated ecosystems elsewhere.
The role of fog, orography, and seasonality on precipitation in a semiarid, tropical island
Authors: Schmitt Sarah R. , Riveros‐Iregui Diego A. , Hu Jia 
Published: July 2018

AbstractIsotopes of water (2H/1H and 18O/16O) are commonly used to trace hydrological processes such as moisture recycling, evaporation loss, and moisture source region and often vary temporally in a given region. This study provides a first‐ever characterization of temporally variable precipitation mechanisms of San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos. We collected fog, rain, and throughfall samples over three field seasons to understand the mechanisms driving seasonal‐ and event‐based variability in the isotopic composition of precipitation in Galápagos. We establish that fog is a common phenomenon in San Cristóbal, especially during the dry season, and we found that fog, compared with cocollected rainfall, is consistently enriched. We further suggest that the relative contribution of fog formed via different mechanisms (orographic, advective, radiation) varied seasonally. We found that the source region is the most dominant control of the isotopic composition of rainfall in the Galápagos at both the seasonal and event scales, but subcloud evaporative processes (the nontraditional manifestation of the amount effect) became a dominant control on the isotopic composition of rainfall during the dry season. Overall, our findings suggest that understanding seasonally variable water‐generating mechanisms is required for effective water resource management in San Cristóbal Island and other semiarid island ecosystems under current and future regimes of climate change.
An Electric Trap: Electron‐Rich Carbonyl Axis Ends Slow Threading/Dethreading Exchange Dynamics of Pillar[5]arene Ring along Axis
Authors: Ogoshi Tomoki , Yamafuji Daiki , Aoki Takamichi , Yamagishi Tada‐aki 
Published: July 2018

AbstractViologen axes with negative carbonyl ends such as carboxylic acid and carbonylethyl groups were synthesized. The threading/dethreading exchange dynamics of the pillar[5]arene ring and these axes were studied by variable‐temperature 1H NMR and two‐dimensional exchange spectroscopy NMR spectroscopies. The exchange rate increased on introduction of electron‐rich carbonyl ends into the axis: the exchange rate constants of the pillar[5]arene ring along the carboxylic acid‐ended and carbonylethyl‐ended viologen axes were ca. 2000 and 360 times smaller, respectively, than that along the alkyl‐ended viologen axis.
Recent Developments in AIEgens for Non‐doped and TADF OLEDs
Authors: Rizzo Fabio , Cucinotta Fabio 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe design of innovative and more efficient Aggregation‐Induced Emission (AIE) chromophores has kept a very high scientific interest since the first report on 2001. Among the possible applications, the field of the organic electroluminescent diodes (OLEDs) is highly attractive. This review will focus on very recent development in the design of AIE molecules for OLEDs, with particular attention on the performance of different emitting devices. Another key point is the description of the new class of AIE luminogens showing Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence (TADF), which appears as possible solution to overcome the limitation of fluorescent dyes employed in electroluminescent devices.
Balancing Systems Engineering Rigor with Agile Software Development Flexibility
Authors: Tolentino Glenn , Wood John 
Published: July 2018

ABSTRACTConflict among team members predictably emerged in a successful US Department of Defense project when leadership inserted agile software development methodologies into the well‐established systems engineering‐oriented work environment. Yet, despite the conflict, project leadership saw inherent value in both agile development and systems engineering methodologies. So, instead of choosing one methodology over the other, project leadership took action to structure an approach that mitigated the conflict and enabled the project stakeholders to enjoy the benefits each methodology provided. This paper describes the project team's problem space analysis, the analysis results, and the balanced approach they developed with the goal of advancing the project to the next level.
Molecular modeling, biochemical characterization, and pharmacological properties of Cc3‐SPase: A platelet‐aggregating thrombin‐like enzyme purified from Cerastes cerastes venom
Authors: Chérifi Fatah , Saoud Samah , Laraba‐Djebari Fatima 
Published: July 2018

AbstractCc3‐SPase (30 kDa‐proteinase; pI 5.98) was isolated from Cerastes cerastes venom. Its sequence of 271 residues yielded from LC‐MALDI‐TOF showed high degrees of homology when aligned with other proteinases. Cc3‐SPase cleaved natural and synthetic proteins such as casein and fibrinogen leaving fibrin clots unaffected. Cc3‐SPase was fully abolished by ion chelators, whereas aprotinin, antithrombin III (Sigma Aldrich, Saint‐Louis, Missouri, USA), and heparin were ineffective. Affinity of Cc3‐SPase to benzamidine indicated the presence of an aspartate residue in the catalytic site as confirmed by three‐dimensional structure consisting of 14 β‐strands and four α‐helices. Molecular mechanisms revealed that Cc3‐SPase is capable of promoting dysfunctional platelet aggregation via two signaling pathways mediated by the G‐coupled protein receptors and αIIbβ3 integrin. Cc3‐SPase is involved in both extrinsic/intrinsic coagulation pathways in deficient plasmas by replacing defective/lacking factors FII, FVII, and FVIII but not FX. Cc3‐SPase could substitute missing factors in blood diseases related to plasma factor deficiencies.
Three cachexia phenotypes and the impact of fat‐only loss on survival in FOLFIRINOX therapy for pancreatic cancer
Authors: Kays Joshua K. , Shahda Safi , Stanley Melissa , Bell Teresa M. , O'Neill Bert H. , Kohli Marc D. , Couch Marion E. , Koniaris Leonidas G. , Zimmers Teresa A. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBackgroundBy the traditional definition of unintended weight loss, cachexia develops in ~80% of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here, we measure the longitudinal body composition changes in patients with advanced PDAC undergoing 5‐fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin therapy.MethodsWe performed a retrospective review of 53 patients with advanced PDAC on 5‐fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin as first line therapy at Indiana University Hospital from July 2010 to August 2015. Demographic, clinical, and survival data were collected. Body composition measurement by computed tomography (CT), trend, univariate, and multivariate analysis were performed.ResultsAmong all patients, three cachexia phenotypes were identified. The majority of patients, 64%, had Muscle and Fat Wasting (MFW), while 17% had Fat‐Only Wasting (FW) and 19% had No Wasting (NW). NW had significantly improved overall median survival (OMS) of 22.6 months vs. 13.0 months for FW and 12.2 months for MFW (P = 0.02). FW (HR = 5.2; 95% confidence interval = 1.5–17.3) and MFW (HR = 1.8; 95% confidence interval = 1.1–2.9) were associated with an increased risk of mortality compared with NW. OMS and risk of mortality did not differ between FW and MFW. Progression of disease, sarcopenic obesity at diagnosis, and primary tail tumours were also associated with decreased OMS. On multivariate analysis, cachexia phenotype and chemotherapy response were independently associated with survival. Notably, CT‐based body composition analysis detected tissue loss of >5% in 81% of patients, while the traditional definition of >5% body weight loss identified 56.6%.ConclusionsDistinct cachexia phenotypes were observed in this homogeneous population of patients with equivalent stage, diagnosis, and first‐line treatment. This suggests cellular, molecular, or genetic heterogeneity of host or tumour. Survival among patients with FW was as poor as for MFW, indicating adipose tissue plays a crucial role in cachexia and PDAC mortality. Adipose tissue should be studied for its mechanistic contributions to cachexia.
Titin‐based mechanosensing modulates muscle hypertrophy
Authors: van der Pijl Robbert , Strom Joshua , Conijn Stefan , Lindqvist Johan , Labeit Siegfried , Granzier Henk , Ottenheijm Coen 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBackgroundTitin is an elastic sarcomeric filament that has been proposed to play a key role in mechanosensing and trophicity of muscle. However, evidence for this proposal is scarce due to the lack of appropriate experimental models to directly test the role of titin in mechanosensing.MethodsWe used unilateral diaphragm denervation (UDD) in mice, an in vivo model in which the denervated hemidiaphragm is passively stretched by the contralateral, innervated hemidiaphragm and hypertrophy rapidly occurs.ResultsIn wildtype mice, the denervated hemidiaphragm mass increased 48 ± 3% after 6 days of UDD, due to the addition of both sarcomeres in series and in parallel. To test whether titin stiffness modulates the hypertrophy response, RBM20ΔRRM and TtnΔIAjxn mouse models were used, with decreased and increased titin stiffness, respectively. RBM20ΔRRM mice (reduced stiffness) showed a 20 ± 6% attenuated hypertrophy response, whereas the TtnΔIAjxn mice (increased stiffness) showed an 18 ± 8% exaggerated response after UDD. Thus, muscle hypertrophy scales with titin stiffness. Protein expression analysis revealed that titin‐binding proteins implicated previously in muscle trophicity were induced during UDD, MARP1 & 2, FHL1, and MuRF1.ConclusionsTitin functions as a mechanosensor that regulates muscle trophicity.
Design, Synthesis, and Fungicidal Activity of Novel Imidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine Derivatives
Authors: Liu Minhua , Quan Chunsheng , Dang Mingming , Ren Yeguo , Ren Jianwei , Xiang Jun , Liu Xingping , He Lian , Liu Weidong , Liu Aiping 
Published: July 2018

A series of novel imidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine derivatives were designed and synthesized. The structures of all the newly synthesized compounds were identified by spectroscopic data NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. Bioassay showed that the compounds exhibited potent fungicidal activities against Erysiphe graminis, Puccinia polysora, and so forth. Particularly, 2‐chloro‐5‐((5‐methoxy‐2‐(2‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)‐3H‐imidazo[4,5‐b]pyridin‐3‐yl)methyl)thiazole (9b) displayed fungicidal potency against P. polysora. Its EC50 value: 4.00 mg/L is comparable with that of tebuconazole. The structure–activity relationship for the target compounds is discussed.