bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pest suppression in cultivar mixtures is influenced by neighbor‐specific plant–plant communication
Authors: Dahlin Iris , Rubene Diana , Glinwood Robert , Ninkovic Velemir 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIncreased plant genotypic diversity in crop fields can promote ecosystem services including pest control, but understanding of mechanisms behind herbivore population responses to cultivar mixtures is limited. We studied aphid settling on barley plants exposed to volatiles from different cultivars, aphid population development in monocultures and two‐cultivar mixtures, and differences in volatile composition between studied cultivars. Aphid responses to one cultivar in a mixture were neighbor‐specific and this was more important for pest suppression than the overall mixture effect, aphid colonization patterns, or natural enemy abundance. Aphid populations decreased most in a mixture where both cultivars showed a reduced aphid–plant acceptance after reciprocal volatile exposure in the laboratory, and reduced population growth compared to monocultures in the field. Our findings suggest that herbivore population responses to crop genotypic diversity can depend on plant–plant volatile interactions, which can lead to changes in herbivore response to individual cultivars in a mixture, resulting in slower population growth. The impact of plant–plant interaction through volatiles on associated herbivore species is rarely considered, but improved understanding of these mechanisms would advance our understanding of the ecological consequences of biodiversity and guide development of sustainable agricultural practices. Combining cultivars in mixtures based on how they interact with each other is a promising strategy for sustainable pest management.
Salty fertile lakes: how salinization and eutrophication alter the structure of freshwater communities
Authors: Lind Lovisa , Schuler Matthew S. , Hintz William D. , Stoler Aaron B. , Jones Devin K. , Mattes Brian M. , Relyea Rick A. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe quality of freshwater ecosystems is decreasing worldwide because of anthropogenic activities. For example, nutrient over‐enrichment associated with agricultural, urban, and industrial development has led to an acceleration of primary production, or eutrophication. Additionally, in northern areas, deicing salts that are an evolutionary novel stressor to freshwater ecosystems have caused chloride levels of many freshwaters to exceed thresholds established for environmental protection. Even if excess nutrients and road deicing salts often contaminate freshwaters at the same time, the combined effects of eutrophication and salinization on freshwater communities are unknown. Thus by using outdoor mesocosms, we investigated the potentially interactive effects of nutrient additions and road salt (NaCl) on experimental lake communities containing phytoplankton, periphyton, filamentous algae, zooplankton, two snail species (Physa acuta and Viviparus georgianus), and macrophytes (Nitella spp.). We exposed communities to a factorial combination of environmentally relevant concentrations of road salt (15, 250, and 1000 mg Cl−/L), nutrient additions (oligotrophic, eutrophic), and sunlight (low, medium, and high) for 80 d. We manipulated light intensity to parse out the direct effects of road salts or nutrients from the indirect effects via algal blooms that reduce light levels. We observed numerous direct and indirect effects of salt, nutrients, and light as well as interactive effects. Added nutrients caused increases in most producers and consumers. Increased salt (1000 mg Cl−/L) initially caused a decline in cladoceran and copepod abundance, leading to an increase in phytoplankton. Increased salt also reduced the biomass and chl a content of Nitella and reduced the abundance of filamentous algae. Added salt had no effect on the abundance of pond snails, but it caused a decline in banded mystery snails, which led to an increase in periphyton. Low light negatively affected all taxa (except Nitella) and light levels exhibited multiple interactions with road salt, but the combined effects of nutrients and salt were always additive. Collectively, our results indicate that eutrophication and salinization both have major effects on aquatic ecosystems and their combined effects (through different mechanisms) are expected to promote large blooms of phytoplankton and periphyton while causing declines in many species of invertebrates and macrophytes.
Relations of interannual differences in stream litter breakdown with discharge: bioassessment implications
Authors: Yeung Alex C. Y. , Musetta‐Lambert Jordan L. , Kreutzweiser David P. , Sibley Paul K. , Richardson John S. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractEcosystem‐level processes are increasingly used by researchers and managers as indicators of ecological integrity for bioassessment, particularly in streams. However, processes like litter breakdown integrate multiple mechanistic pathways, which can vary differentially even under natural, unimpacted conditions. In particular, weather‐driven hydrologic variations may strongly influence invertebrate shredder feeding and physical abrasion, inducing high natural variability of litter breakdown rates, which may obscure the effects of anthropogenic disturbances. Yet, such variability is rarely assessed to refine benchmarks of ecological status. Here, we quantified how interannual hydrologic differences contributed to the spatio‐temporal variability of litter breakdown rate and its components (fragmentation, λF; and dissolution and microbial decomposition, λm), in low‐order unimpacted, perennial streams across three climatically similar regions in temperate Canada. We measured litter breakdown rates in coarse (5 or 10 mm; kc)‐ and fine‐mesh (0.5 mm; kf) leaf bags during fall for 2–4 yr and used variance partitioning to disentangle the variation of kc, λF, and λm, as explained by hydrologic indices (during and prior to leaf bag incubation), decomposer‐related variables, and water chemistry. Contrary to our hypotheses, interannual hydrologic variability was unrelated to λF, and poorly predicted λm and kc within regions. Within‐region spatial (i.e., across sites in a year) and temporal (across years at a site) differences in kc approximated or exceeded the range of natural variability suggested to characterize reference conditions by a popular bioassessment framework. Accordingly, we recommend site‐ and region‐specific modifications of benchmarks for reference conditions that account for interannual variability, while cautioning about their potential non‐stationarity under climate change. Composite parameters such as kc/kf and λF/λm were substantially more variable across sites, and hence are not robust assessment parameters. As the range of natural variability of litter breakdown revealed in this study can overlap with the average impacts of certain anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., nutrient enrichment) on this parameter reported by previous research, we emphasize the need to include other structural and functional indicators to ensure comprehensive stream bioassessments.
An ecoimmunological approach to disease in tortoises reveals the importance of lymphocytes
Authors: Sandmeier Franziska C. , Weitzman Chava L. , Tracy C. Richard 
Published: September 2018

AbstractWe quantified the severity of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) and immunological metrics (differential white blood cell counts and bacteria‐killing ability of blood plasma) in relation to climatic variables in 20 populations of Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). Prevalence and infection intensity ofMycoplasma agassizii, an etiological agent ofURTD, have previously been quantified for these populations (Weitzman et al.). Immunological variables were reduced by principal component analyses and separated into cells involved in inflammation (PC1) and cellular functions mediated by lymphocytes and basophils (PC2). In population‐level models, the mean number of lymphocytes per individual was associated with mean annual number of days below freezing. Lymphocytes were also positively associated with mean infection intensity ofM. agassizii. Additionally, prevalence ofURTDwas closely associated withPC1 (cells associated with inflammation). This suggests that at least two immunological strategies are involved in responding toM. agassizii, one that involves primarily lymphocytes and one that involves inflammatory mechanisms. Recent studies on immunology in Testudines suggest that a large proportion of lymphocytes in this taxon are similar to B‐1 lymphocytes of mammals and have phagocytic properties. Controlled experiments are needed to understand the disease mitigation of these lymphocytes in desert tortoises.
Evaluation of the Antioxidant Capacity of a Guarana Seed Extract on Canola Oil Lipid Stability Using Accelerated Storage
Authors: Gómez Belen , Strozzi Isabella , Barba Francisco J. , Vargas Flávia Carolina , Saraiva Jorge A. , Marszałek Krystian , Sobral Paulo José do Amaral , Lorenzo Jose M. 
Published: September 2018

This study evaluates the antioxidant ability of hydroethanolic (40:60, water:ethanol, v/v) guarana seeds extracts (GSE), compared to the synthetic butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), in the lipid oxidation evolution of canola oil, using an accelerated storage test (16 days at 60 °C). Canola oil is stabilized by GSE addition (200–1000 ppm) and following the peroxides, p‐anisidine, or conjugated dienes values, a higher stabilization is observed for 800 or 1000 ppm compared to the dose of 200 ppm. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances increase from 0.57 to 4.56 mg MDA kg−1 after 16 days (control), while no significant differences are observed with GSE (1.51–1.87) compared to BHT (1.57 mg MDA kg−1). The effect of GSE addition to canola oil on individual fatty acids shows that the PUFA contents decrease significantly without GSE, 24.6 versus 28.2 g/100 g of FAMEs, respectively, but not with GSE at 600–1000 ppm. The observed impact of GSE (200–1000 ppm) in stabilizing canola oil is comparable to BHT at 200 ppm, GSE being of great interest as a natural additive with high antioxidant activity over synthetic antioxidants.Practical Application: The addition of guarana seed extracts (GSE) to canola oil is a useful strategy to reduce lipid oxidation of this oil, as well as to preserve its polyunsaturated fatty acids when antioxidants are not added. Moreover, the utilization of GSE is of great interest as a natural antioxidant over butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), thus reducing the amount of synthetic antioxidants to be used.Evaluation of the antioxidant ability of guarana seeds extracts (GSE), compared to the synthetic butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), in the lipid oxidation evolution of canola oil, using an accelerated storage test (16 days at 60 °C).
Dielectrophoretic separation of microalgae cells in ballast water in a microfluidic chip
Authors: Wang Yanjuan , Wang Junsheng , Wu Xudong , Jiang Zong , Wang Wei 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe composition of the ship's ballast water is complex and contains a large number of microalgae cells, bacteria, microplastics, and other microparticles. To increase the accuracy and efficiency of detection of the microalgae cells in ballast water, a new microfluidic chip for continuous separation of microalgae cells based on alternating current dielectrophoresis was proposed. In this microfluidic chip, one piece of 3‐dimensional electrode is embedded on one side and eight discrete electrodes are arranged on the other side of the microchannel. An insulated triangular structure between electrodes is designed for increasing the inhomogeneity of the electric field distribution and enhancing the dielectrophoresis (DEP) force. A sheath flow is designed to focus the microparticles near the electrode, so as to increase the suffered DEP force and improve separation efficiency. To demonstrate the performance of the microfluidic separation chip, we developed two species of microalgae cells (Platymonas and Closterium) and a kind of microplastics to be used as test samples. Analyses of the related parameters and separation experiments by our designed microfluidic chip were then conducted. The results show that the presented method can separate the microalgae cells from the mixture efficiently, and this is the first time to separate two or more species of microalgae cells in a microfluidic chip by using negative and positive DEP force simultaneously, and moreover it has some advantages including simple operation, high efficiency, low cost, and small size and has great potential in on‐site pretreatment of ballast water.
Optimization‐based profitability management tool for cloud broker
Authors: Becker Denis M. , Gaivoronski Alexei A. , Nesse Per Jonny 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThis paper represents a model that supports the choice of efficient service portfolios at a cloud service broker. Among the many types of different cloud service brokers, we focus on a firm that offers service bundles that are composed from different services of different internet software providers. The necessary integration, aggregation, and customization of services can be time consuming and costly. Whenever the cloud broker can choose from many service combinations, but has limited human resources with critical time to market, it is essential to prioritize some of the service bundles, markets, services, and internet software providers. The purpose of this paper is to facilitate this kind of decision. Moreover, both the time and resources required for creating service offerings and the customers' demand for these service bundles are subject to uncertainty. Because of this uncertainty, a cloud broker needs to be guided to potential service portfolios that give the best trade‐off between risk and profitability. Our model helps the decision maker to identify efficient service portfolios, ie, service portfolios that for a given risk have the highest profitability or for a given profitability have the lowest risk. Our paper shows the application of this model to a cloud broker that mediates mainly software as a service bundled with mobile subscriptions for telephony (calling and messaging) and internet access. The model is inspired by the ideas from financial portfolio optimization and product‐mix decisions under scarce resources. The model corresponds to a linear stochastic optimization problem with an objective function that balances risk and profitability.
Genetic association analysis with pedigrees: Direct inference using the composite likelihood ratio
Authors: Baskurt Zeynep , Strug Lisa J. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe likelihood function represents statistical evidence given data and a model. The evidential paradigm (EP), an alternative to Bayesian and Frequentist paradigms, provides considerable theory demonstrating evidence strength for different parameter values via the ratio of likelihoods at different parameter values; thus, enabling inference directly from the likelihood function. The likelihood function, however, can be difficult to compute; for example, in genetic association studies with a binary outcome in large pedigrees. Composite likelihood (CL) is an alternative when the real likelihood is intractable. We show CLs have the two large sample properties of the EP for reliable evidence interpretation: (1) CL supports the true value over a false value by an arbitrarily large factor; and (2) the probability of favouring a false value over the true value is small and bounded. Using simulation, and in a genetic association analysis of reading disability (RD) in large rolandic epilepsy pedigrees, we show that the CL approach yields valid statistical inference and identifies RD associated variants. When compared to analyses using generalized estimating equations, results show a similar prioritization of SNPs, although the CL approach provides additional complementary information, and more intuitive solutions to the multiple hypothesis testing problem.
Use of an at‐home multilevel pregnancy test and an automated call‐in system to follow‐up the outcome of medical abortion
Authors: Anger Holly , Dabash Rasha , Peña Melanie , Coutiño Dolores , Bousiéguez Manuel , Sanhueza Patricio , Winikoff Beverly 
Published: September 2018

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the feasibility of using an at‐home multilevel pregnancy test (MLPT) and interactive voice response (IVR) call‐in system for remote follow‐up of medical abortion.MethodsA prospective pilot study was conducted among women who had a medical abortion at up to 70 days at a clinic in Mexico City, Mexico, between June 1, 2015, and January 30, 2016. Participants took an MLPT at the initial clinic visit and another MLPT at home 2 weeks later. They were requested to report their MLPT results via the IVR system and attend the clinic for follow‐up evaluation.ResultsOf 200 women considered for inclusion, 163 (81.5%) were included in the analysis. Only 10 (6.6%) of the 152 women who had a medical abortion on or before 63 days from last menstrual period reported MLPT results to the IVR system that required clinical evaluation to assess medical abortion outcome. The remaining 142 (93.4%) women in this group reported MLPT results that ruled out ongoing pregnancy (confirmed at clinical evaluation). Reported MLPT results ruled out ongoing pregnancy among the 11 women who had a medical abortion after 63 days; however, 1 (9%) had an ongoing pregnancy at clinical evaluation.ConclusionUse of MLPTs and the IVR system provided a streamlined approach to follow‐up after medical abortion.
Cause of and countermeasures for oxidation of the cysteine‐derived reagent used in the amino acid derivative reactivity assay
Authors: Fujita Masaharu , Yamamoto Yusuke , Watanabe Shinichi , Sugawara Tsunetsugu , Wakabayashi Koji , Tahara Yu , Horie Nobuyuki , Fujimoto Keiichi , Kusakari Kei , Kurokawa Yoshihiko , Kawakami Tsuyoshi , Kojima Kohichi , Kojima Hajime , Ono Atsushi , Katsuoka Yasuhiro , Tanabe Hideto , Yokoyama Hiroshi , Kasahara Toshihiko 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe amino acid derivative reactivity assay (ADRA) is an in chemico alternative to animal testing for skin sensitization that solves certain problems found in the use of the direct peptide reactivity assay (DPRA). During a recent validation study conducted at multiple laboratories as part of the process to include ADRA in an existing OECD test guideline, one of the nucleophilic reagents used in ADRA—N‐(2‐(1‐naphthyl)acetyl)‐l‐cysteine (NAC)—was found to be susceptible to oxidation in much the same manner that the cysteine peptide used in DPRA was. Owing to this, we undertook a study to clarify the cause of the promotion of NAC oxidation. In general, cysteine and other chemicals that have thiol groups are known to oxidize in the presence of even minute quantities of metal ions. When metal ions were added to the ADRA reaction solution, Cu2+ promoted NAC oxidation significantly. When 0.25 μm of EDTA was added in the presence of Cu2+, NAC oxidation was suppressed. Based on this, we predicted that the addition of EDTA to the NAC stock solution would suppress NAC oxidation. Next, we tested 82 chemicals used in developing ADRA to determine whether EDTA affects ADRA's ability to predict sensitization. The results showed that the addition of EDTA has virtually no effect on the reactivity of NAC with a test chemical, yielding an accuracy of 87% for predictions of skin sensitization, which was roughly the same as ADRA.
Gene mutation and pedigree analysis of tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency in a Uygur family of China
Authors: Li Long , Qin Yulan , Su Yajie , Jiang Haili , Rejiafu Nuerya , Li Mingzhu , Muhetaer Ayijiamali , Liu Yongqiao , Ren Yan 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundTetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder, which is caused by an enzyme deficiency involved in its synthetic or metabolic pathways. Clinical symptoms may include microcephaly, hypoevolutism, severe ataxia, and seizures. The purposes of this study are to analyze the genotype‐phenotype and the pedigree of the first case of BH4 deficiency in the Uygur of China.Methods(a) This patient received tandem mass spectrometry, urinary neopterin and biopterin analysis, and determination of dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) activity in dried blood spots. (b) Blood DNA samples of this patient and her three family members were collected for gene sequencing and mutation analysis.Results(a) The basic urinary neopterin and biopterin were 1.07 mmol/mol Cr and 3.12 mmol/mol Cr, respectively, and biopterin percentage was 74.42%. The DHPR activity of this patient was 31.11% of normal control. (b) Sanger sequencing of PAH gene in this patient was negative but positive of her sister, which carries 2 heterozygous mutation c.781C>T and c.1238G>C. Next‐generation sequencing on the patient identified a homozygous mutation in the quinoid dihydropteridine reductase (QDPR) gene at c.508G>A, which was confirmed by Sanger sequencing.Conclusion(a) The patient was the first case of clinical diagnosis of BH4 deficiency in the Uighur. And there are two types of hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) in the same family. (b) The mild HPA patient with severe nervous system damage should pay more attention to the BH4 deficiency. (c) Using next‐generation sequencing technology can increase the mutation detection rate when the hereditary diseases are highly suspected in clinic.
Biotin interference in TSH, FT4, and FT3 assays based on the LOCI technology: Identifying interference by dilution
Authors: Dasgupta Amitava , Bourgeois Laverne 
Published: September 2018

AbstractBackgroundAlthough biotin interferences in TSH, FT3, FT4, and other biotinylated antibody‐based assays manufactured by Roche Diagnostics have been well studied, there are relatively few reports on biotin interference in biotin‐based assays manufactured by other companies. We investigated biotin interferences in TSH, FT4, and FT3 assays based on the LOCI (luminescent oxygen channeling assay) technology using the Dimension Vista 1500 analyzer (Siemens).MethodsWe prepared four serum pools using leftover specimens. Three serum pools were prepared initially for the original study but the 4th pool was prepared three months later. The aliquots of serum pool one and two were supplemented with various amounts of biotin (50 ‐1200 ng/mL) followed by determination of TSH, FT4, and FT3 concentrations. The aliquots of third pool were also supplemented with biotin to investigate whether 1:3 dilution could identify biotin interference. Aliquots of serum pool four were supplemented with biotin in order to study reproducibility of our original data.ResultsWe observed significantly elevated FT3 levels at biotin concentration of 100 ng/mL. In contrast, FT4 levels were falsely elevated but TSH levels were falsely decreased at a biotin level of 500 ng/mL. We also observed nonlinearity in dilution experiment.ConclusionsWe conclude that FT3 assay is most susceptible to biotin interference (threshold: 100 ng/mL) while the FT4 and TSH assays are less affected (threshold: 500 ng/mL). In addition, we also observed nonlinearity upon 1:3 dilution, which may indicate biotin interference (or interference from other compounds).