bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Chirality Induced Spin Selectivity of Photoexcited Electrons in Carbon‐Sulfur [n]Helicenes
Authors: Matxain Jon M. , Ugalde Jesus M. , Mujica Vladimiro , Allec Sarah I. , Wong Bryan M. , Casanova David 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe Chiral‐Induced Spin Selectivity effect (CISS) is ordinarily associated with electron transfer, electron transport or bond polarization in chiral molecules. We explore here CISS associated with inter‐system crossing (ISC) in helicene molecules. The relative magnitude of both CISS and ISC is controlled by the strength of the spin‐orbit coupling (SOC) associated with either the excited singlet‐triplet transition or electron transport through the helix. Depending on the time scale, both mechanisms are connected in photo‐induced electron transfer, which is assumed to take place through an initial one‐photon singlet‐singlet excitation process followed by singlet‐triplet mixing, which provides the pathway for subsequent spin polarization. We explore this mechanism computationally, and find an estimate of SOC for helicenes that is consistent with the experimental results obtained for the spin polarization power of molecules using conductance and photo‐excitation techniques. Our results show a hitherto unexplored dimension of the CISS effect and connect it to the exciting possibilities of spin‐dependent chemistry.
Ecological effects of fear: How spatiotemporal heterogeneity in predation risk influences mule deer access to forage in a sky‐island system
Authors: Lowrey Christopher , Longshore Kathleen M. , Choate David M. , Nagol Jyoteshwar R. , Sexton Joseph , Thompson Daniel 
Published: June 2019

AbstractForage availability and predation risk interact to affect habitat use of ungulates across many biomes. Within sky‐island habitats of the Mojave Desert, increased availability of diverse forage and cover may provide ungulates with unique opportunities to extend nutrient uptake and/or to mitigate predation risk. We addressed whether habitat use and foraging patterns of female mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) responded to normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), NDVI rate of change (green‐up), or the occurrence of cougars (Puma concolor). Female mule deer used available green‐up primarily in spring, although growing vegetation was available during other seasons. Mule deer and cougar shared similar habitat all year, and our models indicated cougars had a consistent, negative effect on mule deer access to growing vegetation, particularly in summer when cougar occurrence became concentrated at higher elevations. A seemingly late parturition date coincided with diminishing NDVI during the lactation period. Sky‐island populations, rarely studied, provide the opportunity to determine how mule deer respond to growing foliage along steep elevation and vegetation gradients when trapped with their predators and seasonally limited by aridity. Our findings indicate that fear of predation may restrict access to the forage resources found in sky islands.
Synchronizing conservation to seasonal wetland hydrology and waterbird migration in semi‐arid landscapes
Authors: Donnelly J. Patrick , Naugle David E. , Collins Daniel P. , Dugger Bruce D. , Allred Brady W. , Tack Jason D. , Dreitz Victoria J. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIn semi‐arid ecosystems, timing and availability of water is a key uncertainty associated with conservation planning for wetland‐dependent wildlife. Wetlands compose only 1–3% of these landscapes; however, large populations of migratory waterbirds rely on these wetlands to support energetically demanding life history events such as breeding and migration. Migration is considered a crucial period for birds associated with individual survival and reproductive success, yet our understanding of migration ecology remains limited. To better inform conservation planning supportive of these demands, we quantified synchrony of wetland flooding and waterbird migration by reconstructing bi‐monthly surface water patterns from 1984 to 2015 across 11.4 million ha of the semi‐arid Great Basin, USA. Results were then linked to seasonal migration chronologies for seven dabbling ducks species. Seasonal patterns were used in landscape planning simulations to assess efficiency in conservation strategies that aligned temporally sensitive wetland flooding and species migration. Wetland data were combined with land tenure to evaluate periodicity in waterfowl reliance on public and private lands. We found migration chronologies misaligned with wetland flooding. In spring, half (43–59%) to three‐quarters (68–74%) of seasonal wetlands were flooded and available to early‐ and late‐migrating species while seasonal drying restricted wetland flooding to 13–20% of sites during fall migration. Simulations showed wetland conservation inconsiderate of temporal availability was only 67–75% efficient in meeting waterfowl habitat goals on private lands that made up ~70% of flooded wetland area in spring. Private–public wetland flooding was equivalent during fall migration. Accounting for spatiotemporal patterns of wetland flooding is imperative to improving efficiencies linked to migratory bird conservation. Timing of public–private wetland flooding, demonstrated by our models, provides landscape context that emphasized a joint role in supporting migratory waterbird habitat. Integrated management scenarios may capitalize on public lands’ flexibility to expand fall flooding to offset seasonal drying on private lands while targeted incentive‐based conservation assures private wetland flooding in spring. Such scenarios illustrate benefits of holistic public–private wetlands management representing a forward‐looking alternative that aligns conservation with forecasts of increasing water scarcity.
Congruence between future distribution models and empirical data for an iconic species at Joshua Tree National Park
Authors: Sweet Lynn C. , Green Tyler , Heintz James G. C. , Frakes Neil , Graver Nicolas , Rangitsch Jeff S. , Rodgers Jane E. , Heacox Scott , Barrows Cameron W. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractU.S. national parks protect a natural heritage of global significance; those parks, especially those in the arid southwest, are threatened by climate change. Identifying climate refugia within our national parks using not only statistical models, but also validating predictions using robust field data should provide focus for managers in their stewardship of parks’ biological resources. In the region surrounding Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP), which straddles the Colorado and Mojave deserts in southern California, previous research has predicted the widespread demise of its namesake iconic species, the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) due to climate change. In order to assess whether climate refugia exist for Joshua trees in the future at JTNP, we employed both field measurements and statistical models. We used current distribution point data together with historic climate data, to match conditions when the existing Joshua trees established, in order to predict the distribution of continuously suitable conditions (refugia) at the end‐of‐century. While the high and moderate mitigation could result in refugia for approximately 19% and 14% of the original area within JTNP, respectively, the business‐as‐usual scenario indicated an almost complete elimination of Joshua trees from the park. In order to validate model predictions, using teams of community scientists, we measured the demographic patterns of Joshua tree stands from low to upper elevations within JTNP. Recruitment within stands shows a strong concordance with modeled climate refugia; high‐recruiting stands were within or closer to modeled refugia and in areas with lower climatic water deficit, higher precipitation, and lower maximum temperature than low‐recruiting stands. These findings most importantly indicate the importance of regional to global mitigation strategies for carbon emissions, as reflected in the difference between maintenance of refugia vs. an almost complete elimination of the species from the park by the end‐of‐century. This also underscores the need to protect areas predicted to support refugia from multiple management threats. Rather than an ominous prediction of extinction, climate refugia provide land stewards with targets for focusing protective management, giving desert biodiversity places to weather the future.
Effects of native bryophytes on exotic grass invasion across an environmental gradient
Authors: Kleinhesselink Andrew R. , Cushman J. Hall 
Published: June 2019

AbstractUnderstanding the role of native biodiversity in controlling exotic species invasion is a critical goal in ecology. In terrestrial plant communities, most research has focused on the effects of native vascular plants on invasion by exotic vascular plants. However, in many ecosystems, native bryophytes and other non‐vascular plants are common and can affect the establishment, survival, and growth of vascular plants. A more complete picture of how native biodiversity affects exotic plant invasion demands that more studies measure the effects of native bryophytes on exotic vascular plants. Moreover, there is growing realization that the effects of native species on invaders can range from negative to positive and that a complete picture of interactions between native and exotic plants requires measuring interactions in multiple environments. We used both observational and experimental studies to quantify the effects of native bryophytes on vascular plants along a 200‐m environmental gradient in a coastal dune in northern California. We found a positive association between vascular plants and bryophytes across the environmental gradient. Our experiments with two exotic annual grass species showed the effects of bryophytes to be species‐specific and to vary with environmental context. Bryophytes facilitated the survival of one exotic grass species, Vulpia bromoides, at both ends of the environmental gradient. Bryophytes reduced the survival and inflorescence production of the other exotic grass, Bromus diandrus, at one end of the environmental gradient and had no effect at the other end. Our findings provide a test of the effects of native bryophytes on exotic vascular plant invasion and show that these effects can vary dramatically even across local environmental gradients.
Cryptic dispersal networks shape biodiversity in an invaded landscape
Authors: Germain Rachel M. , Jones Natalie T. , Grainger Tess Nahanni 
Published: June 2019

AbstractSpecies interact with the physical world in complex ways, and life‐history strategies could cause species to differ in how they experience the connectedness of the same landscape. As a consequence, dispersal limitation might be present but not captured by distance‐based measures of connectivity. To test these ideas, we surveyed plant communities that live on discrete patches of serpentine habitat embedded within an invaded nonserpentine habitat matrix. Species in these communities differ in dispersal mode (gravity, animal, or wind); thus we used satellite imagery to quantify landscape features that might differentially influence connectivity for some dispersal‐ mode groups over others (surface streams, animal paths). Our data yielded two key insights: first, dispersal limitation appeared to be absent using a conventional distance‐based measure of connectivity, but emerged after considering forms of landscape connectivity relevant to each dispersal mode. Second, the landscape variables that emerged as most important to each dispersal mode were generally consistent with our predictions based on species’ putative dispersal vectors, but also included unexpected interactive effects. For example, the richness of animal‐dispersed species was positively associated with animal connectivity when patches were close in space, but when patches were isolated, animals had a strong negative effect. This finding alludes to the reduced ability of animals to disperse seeds between suitable patches in invaded landscapes because of increased inter‐patch distances. Real landscapes include complex spatial flows of energy and matter, which, as our work demonstrates, sets up ecological opportunity for organisms to differ in how they disperse in a common landscape.
Endoscopic transoral parathyroidectomy: Initial experience
Authors: Hurtado‐López Luis‐Mauricio , Gutiérrez‐Román Sandra‐Haydee , Basurto‐Kuba Erich , Luna‐Ortiz Kuauhyama 
Published: June 2019

AbstractBackgroundWe evaluate our initial experience of transoral vestibular approach parathyroidectomy (TOEPVA) for the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism.MethodsWe conducted a prospective study of patients with single parathyroid adenoma, using TOEPVA to perform the parathyroidectomy. The variables we analyzed were size, volume, and location of the adenoma, bleeding, identification, and preservation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, injury to the mental nerve, and the effective cure rate, using measures of central tendency.ResultsOur study included 21 women, with an average age of 43 years. The recurrent laryngeal nerve and mental nerve suffered no permanent damage, the average size of the adenoma was 26.6 mm, and a volume of 3.95 mL. We were able to identify the adenoma and cure the hyperparathyroidism in 20 of the patients (95.2%).ConclusionsTOEPVA is viable and safe in who wish to avoid the cervical scar resulting for the patient with primary hyperparathyroidism.
High Risk of Fatty Liver Disease Amplifies the Alanine Transaminase–Lowering Effect of a HSD17B13 Variant
Authors: Gellert‐Kristensen Helene , Nordestgaard Børge Grønne , Tybjærg‐Hansen Anne , Stender Stefan 
Published: June 2019

A common loss‐of‐function variant in HSD17B13 (rs72613567:TA) was recently found to protect from chronic liver disease. Whether the variant confers protection from specific risk factors for liver disease is unclear. We tested the association of rs72613567 with plasma levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and clinical liver disease and mortality in 111,612 individuals from the Danish general population, including 497 with cirrhosis and 113 with hepatocellular carcinoma. HSD17B13 rs72613567:TA was associated with stepwise lower levels of plasma ALT of up to 1.3 U/L in TA/TA homozygotes versus T/T homozygotes. For each TA‐allele, the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma was reduced by 15% and 28%, respectively. In prospective analyses, the TA‐allele was associated with up to 33% lower rates of liver‐related mortality in the general population, and with up to 49% reduced liver‐related mortality in patients with cirrhosis. The ALT‐lowering effect of rs72613567:TA was amplified by increasing adiposity, alcohol consumption, and genetic risk of fatty liver disease. The TA‐allele was associated with only marginally lower ALT in lean nondrinkers with low genetic risk of hepatic steatosis. In contrast, compared with T/T homozygotes, TA/TA homozygotes had 12% to 18% lower plasma ALT among the most obese, in heavy drinkers, and in individuals carrying three or four steatogenic alleles in patatin‐like phospholipase domain‐containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) and transmembrane 6 superfamily 2 (TM6SF2). Conclusion: High risk of fatty liver disease amplifies the ALT‐lowering effect of HSD17B13 rs72613567:TA in the Danish general population.
Developing a Food Exposure and Urine Sampling Strategy for Dietary Exposure Biomarker Validation in Free‐Living Individuals
Authors: Lloyd Amanda J. , Willis Naomi D. , Wilson Thomas , Zubair Hassan , Xie Long , Chambers Edward , Garcia‐Perez Isabel , Tailliart Kathleen , Beckmann Manfred , Mathers John C. , Draper John 
Published: June 2019

ScopeDietary choices modulate the risk of chronic diseases and improving diet is a central component of public health strategies. Food‐derived metabolites present in urine could provide objective biomarkers of dietary exposure. To assist biomarker validation, this work aims to develop a food intervention strategy mimicking a typical annual diet over a short period of time and assesses urine sampling protocols potentially suitable for future deployment of biomarker technology in free‐living populations.Methods and resultsSix different menu plans comprehensively represent a typical UK annual diet that is split into two dietary experimental periods. Free‐living adult participants (n = 15 and n = 36, respectively) are provided with all their food, as a series of menu plans, over a period of three consecutive days. Multiple spot urine samples are collected and stored at home.ConclusionA successful food exposure strategy is established following a conventional UK eating pattern, which is suitable for biomarker validation in free‐living individuals. The urine sampling procedure is acceptable for volunteers and delivered samples suitable for biomarker quantification. The study design provides scope for validation of existing biomarker candidates and potentially for discovery of new biomarker leads, and should help inform the future deployment of biomarker technology for habitual dietary exposure measurement.
Horses from atypical Turkic period burials in southwest Siberia
Authors: Fribus Alexey Victorovich , Grushin Sergey Petrovich , Onishenko S.S. , Vasutin S.A. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe article presents the results of a zooarchaeological research of two horse skeletons from atypical Turkic period burials found in the necropolis Chumysh‐Perekat (Altai Kray, Russia). The remains belong to 5 and 10–12‐year‐old male horses. Macromorphological analysis showed some dental (wear on P2, over growths of M1, and irregular wear of M1) and bone pathologies (fusion of the splint bone with metapodia, lumbar vertebrae). Their presence is associated with horse riding. The pattern of dismemberment of one of the horses and tools used to implement it was reconstructed. The authors assume that such manipulations with horse carcasses is a special modification of Turkic funeral tradition by a local Samoyed group. This reflects an early stage of spreading of these traditions to the northern periphery of the Turkic empire.
Prospective longitudinal follow‐up of children with sickle cell disease treated with hydroxyurea since infancy
Authors: Thomas Ronay , Dulman Robin , Lewis Angela , Notarangelo Bailey , Yang Elizabeth 
Published: June 2019

AbstractBackgroundHydroxyurea (HU) increases fetal hemoglobin (HgbF) and ameliorates sickle cell disease (SCD) symptoms. Studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of HU in infants and children. Initiation of HU in infancy for children with SCD needs to be implemented in community practice.ProcedureStarting in 2011, the Pediatric Sickle Cell Program of Northern Virginia initiated HU in infants with SCD. A prospective longitudinal database tracked the clinical course and outcomes.ResultsTwenty‐four children with HgbSS who started HU by age 1 were continuously followed for a total of 95 person‐years. Age at the time of analysis ranged from 2 to 7 years. Average hemoglobin at 6‐month intervals ranged from 9.5 + 1.9 to 10.7 + 0.8 g/dL, and average HgbF ranged from 27.8 + 5.0% to 34.1 + 6.6%. Twenty‐seven hospitalizations occurred (0.28/person‐year), all before age 3, including 19 (70%) for fever or infection, five (19%) for splenic sequestration, and one (4%) for pain in an infant prior to starting HU. The treat‐and‐release emergency department visits totaled 68 (0.72/person‐year), including 62 visits (91%) for fever, infection, or viral illness, and two visits (3%) for pain/dactylitis in infants before HU initiation. Splenic sequestration accounted for all five transfusions. No pain episodes requiring medical attention were documented after HU initiation. No complicated acute chest syndrome, no abnormal or conditional transcranial Doppler ultrasound, and no overt strokes occurred.ConclusionImplementation of HU in infancy for patients with SCD in community practice is feasible and is highly effective in preventing disease complications.
Cardiac Regeneration by Statin-Polymer Nanoparticle-Loaded Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Therapy in Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Yokoyama Ryo , Ii Masaaki , Tabata Yasuhiko , Hoshiga Masaaki , Ishizaka Nobukazu , Asahi Michio 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
Clinical trials with autologous adipose-derived stem cell (AdSC) therapy for ischemic heart diseases (IHDs) are ongoing. However, little is known about combinational therapeutic effect of AdSCs and statin poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles on the ischemic myocardium. We investigated the hypothesis that statins, which have pleiotropic effects, augment the therapeutic potential of AdSCs and that AdSCs also act as drug delivery tools. Simvastatin-conjugated nanoparticles (SimNPs) significantly promoted migration activity without changing proliferation activity and upregulated growth factor gene expression in vitro. A small number of intravenously administered SimNP-loaded AdSCs (10,000 cells per mouse) improved cardiac function following myocardial infarction, inducing endogenous cardiac regeneration in the infarcted myocardium. The de novo regenerated myocardium was thought to be derived from epicardial cells, which were positive for Wilms’ tumor protein 1 expression. These findings were attributed to the sustained, local simvastatin release from the recruited SimNP-loaded AdSCs in the infarcted myocardium rather than to the direct contribution of recruited AdSCs to tissue regeneration. SimNP-loaded AdSCs may lead to a novel somatic stem cell therapy for IHDs. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2019;8:1055–1067
An improved transfer adaptive boosting approach for mixed‐project defect prediction
Authors: Gong Lina , Jiang Shujuan , Jiang Li 
Published: June 2019

AbstractSoftware defect prediction (SDP) has been a very important research topic in software engineering, since it can provide high‐quality results when given sufficient historical data of the project. Unfortunately, there are not abundant data to bulid the defect prediction model at the beginning of a project. For this scenario, one possible solution is to use data from other projects in the same company. However, using these data practically would get poor performance because of different distributional characteristics among projects. Also, software has more non‐defective instances than defective instances that may cause a significant bias towards defective instances. Considering these two problems, we propose an improved transfer adaptive boosting (ITrAdaBoost) approach for being given a small number of labeled data in the testing project. In our approach, ITrAdaBoost can not only employ the Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) as the measure instead of accuracy rate but also use the asymmetric misclassification costs for non‐defective and defective instances. Extensive experiments on 18 public projects from four datasets indicate that: (a) our approach significantly outperforms state‐of‐the‐art cross‐project defect prediction (CPDP) approaches, and (b) our approach can obtain comparable prediction performances in contrast with within project prediction results. Consequently, the proposed approach can build an effective prediction model with a small number of labeled instances for mixed‐project defect prediction (MPDP).