bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of the Tanaka Line on the genetic structure of Bombax ceiba (Malvaceae) in dry‐hot valley areas of southwest China
Authors: Ju Miao‐Miao , Fu Yi , Zhao Gui‐Fang , He Cheng‐Zhong , Li Zhong‐Hu , Tian Bin 
Published: March 2018

AbstractSouthwest China is an important biodiversity hotspot. The interactions among the complex topography, climate change, and ecological factors in the dry‐hot valley areas in southwest China may have profoundly affected the genetic structure of plant species in this region. In this study, we determined the effects of the Tanaka Line on genetic variation in the wild Bombax ceiba tree in southwest China. We sampled 224 individuals from 17 populations throughout the dry‐hot valley regions. Six polymorphic expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat primers were employed to sequence the PCR products using the first‐generation Sanger technique. The analysis based on population genetics suggested that B. ceiba exhibited a high level of gene diversity (HE: 0.2377–0.4775; I: 0.3997–0.7848). The 17 populations were divided into two groups by cluster analysis, which corresponded to geographic characters on each side of the Tanaka Line. In addition, a Mantel test indicated that the phylogeographic structure among the populations could be fitted to the isolation‐by‐distance model (r2 = .2553, p < .001). A barrier test indicated that there were obstacles among populations and between the two groups due to complex terrain isolation and geographic heterogeneity. We inferred that the Tanaka Line might have promoted the intraspecific phylogeographic subdivision and divergence of B. ceiba. These results provide new insights into the effects of the Tanaka Line on genetic isolation and population differentiation of plant species in southwest China.
Seed banks of native forbs, but not exotic grasses, increase during extreme drought
Authors: LaForgia Marina L. , Spasojevic Marko J. , Case Erica J. , Latimer Andrew M. , Harrison Susan P. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractExtreme droughts such as the one that affected California in 2012–2015 have been linked to severe ecological consequences in perennial‐dominated communities such as forests. In annual communities, drought impacts are difficult to assess because many species persist through facultative multiyear seed dormancy, which leads to the development of seed banks. Impacts of extreme drought on the abundance and composition of the seed banks of whole communities are little known. In 80 heterogeneous grassland plots where cover is dominated by ~15 species of exotic annual grasses and diversity is dominated by ~70 species of native annual forbs, we grew out seeds from soil cores collected early in the California drought (2012) and later in the multiyear drought (2014), and analyzed drought‐associated changes in the seed bank. Over the course of the study we identified more than 22,000 seedlings to species. We found that seeds of exotic annual grasses declined sharply in abundance during the drought while seeds of native annual forbs increased, a pattern that resembled but was even stronger than the changes in aboveground cover of these groups. Consistent with the expectation that low specific leaf area (SLA) is an indicator of drought tolerance, we found that the community‐weighted mean SLA of annual forbs declined both in the seed bank and in the aboveground community, as low‐SLA forbs increased disproportionately. In this system, seed dormancy reinforces the indirect benefits of extreme drought to the native forb community.
Framing the debate: How interest groups influence draft rules at the United States Environmental Protection Agency
Authors: Cook Jeffrey J. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractScholars have identified that interest groups can be most influential on regulatory outcomes during the preproposal stage of the rulemaking process, yet this stage is notoriously understudied. Recently, Rinfret concluded that interest groups use three frames (expertise, fiscal feasibility and instructive) to influence agency personnel at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Of the three, the expertise frame was considered most effective. This work confirms these findings across three more significant rulemakings at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and builds on Rinfret's framework in two ways. First, this analysis adds a relevant fourth frame to the model, the legal frame. Second, this research addresses why interest groups use all four frames, when the expertise frame is considered most impactful. Simply stated, interest groups use each frame to complement the expertise frame and build a coherent story that justifies their preferred solution. Thus, understanding how interest groups use each of the four frames can inform our understanding of why two groups that both use the expertise frame may have varying impacts on the agency.
Long‐term effect of epirubicin on incidence of heart failure in women with breast cancer: insight from a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Banke Ann , Fosbøl Emil L. , Møller Jacob E. , Gislason Gunnar H. , Andersen Mads , Bernsdorf Mogens , Jensen Maj‐Britt , Schou Morten , Ejlertsen Bent 
Published: March 2018

AimsAnthracycline‐based chemotherapy improves survival in breast cancer patients but is associated with increased risk of heart failure (HF). However, the risk of late‐onset HF is debatable and mainly based on observational studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of anthracycline‐based chemotherapy on long‐term risk of clinical HF.Methods and resultsBetween 1990 and 1998 the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG) 89D trial randomized 980 Danish women with early breast cancer to adjuvant cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil or cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil. Incident HF was the primary endpoint obtained from Danish administrative registries. Follow‐up ended at December 2014. The risk of HF was evaluated in a cumulative incidence analysis and a Fine–Gray proportional hazards model. Median follow‐up time was 16.9 years [interquartile range (IQR) 3.7–20.9]. In the epirubicin treatment group, 23 new cases of HF were identified vs. 9 in the non‐epirubicin group corresponding to incidence rates per 1000 patient‐years of 3.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5–5.6] vs. 1.4 (95% CI 0.7–2.7). The cumulative incidence of HF was higher in the epirubicin treatment group compared with the non‐epirubicin group (P < 0.01), yielding a hazard ratio of 3.00 (95% CI 1.39–6.49, P < 0.01) for HF associated with epirubicin. The median dose of epirubicin was 451.9 mg/m2 (IQR 400.0–523.5).ConclusionsAnthracycline‐based chemotherapy is associated with a three‐fold increased risk of late‐onset clinical HF relative to non‐anthracycline chemotherapy in this randomized clinical trial, but overall risk is low.
Development of a sheathless CE‐ESI‐MS interface
Authors: Hirayama Akiyoshi , Abe Hiroshi , Yamaguchi Nozomi , Tabata Sho , Tomita Masaru , Soga Tomoyoshi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA sheath‐flow interface is the most common ionization technique in CE‐ESI‐MS. However, this interface dilutes the analytes with the sheath liquid and decreases the sensitivity. In this study, we developed a sheathless CE‐MS interface to improve sensitivity. The interface was fabricated by making a small crack approximately 2 cm from the end of a capillary column fixed on a plastic plate, and then covering the crack with a dialysis membrane to prevent metabolite loss during separation. A voltage for CE separation was applied between the capillary inlet and the buffer reservoir. Under optimum conditions, 52 cationic metabolite standards were separated and selectively detected using MS. With a pressure injection of 5 kPa for 15 s (ca. 1.4 nL), the detection limits for the tested compounds were between 0.06 and 1.7 μmol/L (S/N = 3). The method was applied to analysis of cationic metabolites extracted from a small number (12 000) of cancer cells, and the number of peaks detected was about 2.5 times higher than when using conventional sheath‐flow CE‐MS. Because the interface is easy to construct, it is cost‐effective and can be adapted to any commercially available capillaries. This method is a powerful new tool for highly sensitive CE‐MS‐based metabolomic analysis.
GIS‐based modelling of soil erosion processes using the modified‐MMF (MMMF) model in a large watershed having vast agro‐climatological differences
Authors: Jain Pratiksha , Ramsankaran RAAJ 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe present study demonstrates a spatially distributed application of a field‐scale annual soil loss model, the modified‐MMF (MMMF), to a large watershed using hydrological routing techniques, remote sensing data and geospatial technologies. In this study, the MMMF model is implemented after incorporating the corrections suggested in recent literature along with appropriate modifications of the model to suit the agro‐climatological conditions prevailing in most parts of India. Sensitivity analysis carried out through an Average Linear Sensitivity approach indicates that the model outputs are highly sensitive to soil moisture (MS), bulk density (BD), effective hydraulic depth (EHD), ground cover (GC) and settling velocity for clay (VSc). During calibration and validation, the performance evaluation statistics are mostly in the range of very good to satisfactory for both runoff and soil loss at the watershed outlet. Even spatial validation of the results of intermediate processes in the water phase and the sediment phase, although qualitative, seems to be reasonable and rational. Furthermore, the soil erosion severity analysis for different land‐uses existing in the watershed indicates that about 90% of the watershed area, especially that occupied by agricultural lands, is vulnerable to the long‐term effects of soil erosion. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantifying threats to groundwater resources in the Republic of Maldives Part I: Future rainfall patterns and sea‐level rise
Authors: Alsumaiei Abdullah A. , Bailey Ryan T. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractReserves of fresh groundwater on atoll islands are extremely fragile due to climatic and anthropogenic stresses. Of major concern is the quantity of water to be available in the coming decades under the influence of variable rainfall patterns, rising sea level, environmental conditions, and expected population growth that depends on groundwater resources. In this study, a 3‐dimensional numerical modelling approach using the SEAWAT modelling code is used to estimate freshwater lens volume fluctuation for 4 representative islands in the Republic of Maldives in response to long‐term changes in rainfall, sea‐level rise (SLR), and anthropogenic stresses such as groundwater pumping and short‐term impacts from tsunami‐induced marine overwash events. This work is divided into 2 papers. This first paper presents numerical model set‐up and calibration, and the effect of future rainfall patterns and SLR on fresh groundwater reserves. The second paper focuses on marine overwash events. The results of simulated future freshwater lens volume presented in the first study contribute to efficient groundwater resources planning and management for the Maldives in the upcoming decades. Freshwater lenses in small atoll islands (area < 0.6 km2) are shown to have a strong variability trends in the upcoming decades with expected reduction in lens volume between 11% and 36% due to SLR. In contrast, freshwater lenses in larger atoll islands (area > 1.0 km2) are shown to have less variability to changing patterns with expected reduction in lens volume between 8% and 26% due to SLR. Study results can provide water resource managers with valuable findings for consideration in water security measures.
Canopy cover effects on local soil water dynamics in a tropical agroforestry system: Evaporation drives soil water isotopic enrichment
Authors: Hasselquist Niles J. , Benegas Laura , Roupsard Olivier , Malmer Anders , Ilstedt Ulrik 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDespite the widely held assumption that trees negatively affect the local water budget in densely planted tree plantations, we still lack a clear understanding of the underlying processes by which canopy cover influences local soil water dynamics in more open, humid tropical ecosystems. In this study, we propose a new conceptual model that uses a combination of stable isotope and soil moisture measurements throughout the soil profile to assess potential mechanisms by which evaporation (of surface soil water and of canopy‐intercepted rainfall) affects the relationship between surface soil water isotopic enrichment (lc‐excess) and soil water content. Our conceptual model was derived from soil water data collected under deciduous and evergreen plants in a shade grown coffee agroforestry system in Costa Rica. Reduced soil moisture under shade trees during the “drier” season, coinciding when these trees were defoliated, was largely the result of increase soil water evaporation as indicated by the positive relationship between soil water content and lc‐excess of surface soil water. In contrast, the evergreen coffee shrubs had a higher leaf area index during the “drier” season, leading to enhanced rainfall interception and a negative relationship between lc‐excess and soil water content. During the wet season, there was no clear relationship between soil water content and between lc‐excess of surface soil water. Greater surface soil water under coffee during the dry season may, in part, explain greater preferential flow under coffee compared with under trees in conditions of low rainfall intensities. However, with increasing rainfall intensities during the wet season, there was no obvious difference in preferential flow between the two canopy covers. Results from this study indicate that our new conceptual model can be used to help disentangling the relative influence of canopy cover on local soil water isotopic composition and dynamics, yet also stresses the need for additional measurements to better resolve the underlying processes by which canopy structure influences local water dynamics.
The optimization and production of stable homogeneous amine enriched surfaces with characterized nanotopographical properties for enhanced osteoinduction of mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Chen Rui , Hunt John A. , Fawcett Sandra , D'sa Raechelle , Akhtar Riaz , Curran Judith M. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractSilane modification has been proposed as a powerful biomaterial surface modification tool. This is the first comprehensive investigation into the effect of silane chain length on the resultant properties of –NH2 silane monolayers and the associated osteoinductive properties of the surface. A range of –NH2 presenting silanes, chain length 3–11, were introduced to glass coverslips and characterized using water contact angles, atomic force microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Ninhydrin assays. The ability of the variation in chain length to form a homogenous layer across the entirety of the surfaces was also assessed. The osteoinductive potential of the resultant surfaces was evaluated by real‐time polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry, and von Kossa staining. Control of surface chemistry and topography was directly associated with changes in chain length. This resulted in the identification of a specific, chain length 11 (CL11) which significantly increased the osteoinductive properties of the modified materials. Only CL11 surfaces had a highly regular nano‐topography/roughness which resulted in the formation of an appetite‐like layer on the surface that induced a significantly enhanced osteoinductive response (increased expression of osteocalcin, CBFA1, sclerostin, and the production of a calcified matrix) across the entirety of the surface. © 2018 The Authors Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 1862–1877, 2018.
Intergenerational Mobility in Socio‐economic Status in Ethiopia
Authors: Haile Getinet Astatike 
Published: March 2018

AbstractUsing data from two comprehensive national Labour Force Surveys and monetary and non‐monetary outcomes, we examine the extent of intergenerational mobility in Ethiopia. Results from ordinary least squares and quantile regression suggest moderate to high levels of earnings persistence. Generalised ordered logit‐based results suggest significant mobility educationally, which may be linked to the significant widening of educational opportunities over the last two decades, but hardly any evidence of mobility occupationally. Sons are found to be more mobile than daughters in all cases. Public policy may have to foster the equality of opportunities generally and along gender lines in order to enhance mobility. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
BET proteins in abnormal metabolism, inflammation, and the breast cancer microenvironment
Authors: Andrieu Guillaume P , Shafran Jordan S , Deeney Jude T , Bharadwaj Kishan R , Rangarajan Annapoorni , Denis Gerald V 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Obesity and its associated pathology Type 2 diabetes are two chronic metabolic and inflammatory diseases that promote breast cancer progression, metastasis, and poor outcomes. Emerging critical opinion considers unresolved inflammation and abnormal metabolism separately from obesity; settings where they do not co-occur can inform disease mechanism. In breast cancer, the tumor microenvironment is often infiltrated with T effector and T regulatory cells programmed by metabolic signaling. The pathways by which tumor cells evade immune surveillance, immune therapies, and take advantage of antitumor immunity are poorly understood, but likely depend on metabolic inflammation in the microenvironment. Immune functions are abnormal in metabolic disease, and lessons learned from preclinical studies in lean and metabolically normal environments may not translate to patients with obesity and metabolic disease. This problem is made more urgent by the rising incidence of breast cancer among women who are not obese but who have metabolic disease and associated inflammation, a phenotype common in Asia. The somatic BET proteins, comprising BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4, are new critical regulators of metabolism, coactivate transcription of genes that encode proinflammatory cytokines in immune cell subsets infiltrating the microenvironment, and could be important targets in breast cancer immunotherapy. These transcriptional coregulators are well known to regulate tumor cell progression, but only recently identified as critical for metabolism, metastasis, and expression of immune checkpoint molecules. We consider interrelationships among metabolism, inflammation, and breast cancer aggressiveness relevant to the emerging threat of breast cancer among women with metabolic disease, but without obesity.
Type 2 diabetes is an understudied contributor to progression of breast cancer; disease-associated chronic inflammation by BET proteins is a dangerous modifier of tumor microenvironments.
Material matters: Analysis of density uncertainty in 3D printing and its consequences for radiation oncology
Authors: Craft Daniel F. , Kry Stephen F. , Balter Peter , Salehpour Mohammad , Woodward Wendy , Howell Rebecca M. 
Published: March 2018

PurposeUsing 3D printing to fabricate patient‐specific devices such as tissue compensators, boluses, and phantoms is inexpensive and relatively simple. However, most 3D printing materials have not been well characterized, including their radiologic tissue equivalence. The purposes of this study were to (a) determine the variance in Hounsfield Units (HU) for printed objects, (b) determine if HU varies over time, and (c) calculate the clinical dose uncertainty caused by these material variations.MethodsFor a sample of 10 printed blocks each of PLA, NinjaFlex, ABS, and Cheetah, the average HU and physical density were tracked at initial printing and over the course of 5 weeks, a typical timeframe for a standard course of radiotherapy. After initial printing, half the blocks were stored in open boxes, the other half in sealed bags with desiccant. Variances in HU and density over time were evaluated for the four materials. Various clinical photon and electron beams were used to evaluate potential errors in clinical depth dose as a function of assumptions made during treatment planning. The clinical depth error was defined as the distance between the correctly calculated 90% isodose line and the 90% isodose line calculated using clinically reasonable, but simplified, assumptions.ResultsThe average HU measurements of individual blocks of PLA, ABS, NinjaFlex, and Cheetah varied by as much as 121, 30, 178, and 30 HU, respectively. The HU variation over 5 weeks was much smaller for all materials. The magnitude of clinical depth errors depended strongly on the material, energy, and assumptions, but some were as large as 9.0 mm.ConclusionsIf proper quality assurance steps are taken, 3D printed objects can be used accurately and effectively in radiation therapy. It is critically important, however, that the properties of any material being used in patient care be well understood and accounted for.
Noninvasive eye localization in ocular proton therapy through optical eye tracking: A proof of concept
Authors: Via Riccardo , Hennings Fabian , Fattori Giovanni , Fassi Aurora , Pica Alessia , Lomax Antony , Weber Damien Charles , Baroni Guido , Hrbacek Jan 
Published: March 2018

PurposeOver the last four decades, Ocular Proton Therapy has been successfully used to treat patients affected by intraocular lesions. For this, treatment geometry verification is routinely performed using radiographic images to align a configuration of fiducial radiopaque markers implanted on the sclera outer surface. This paper describes the clinical application of an alternative approach based on optical eye tracking for three‐dimensional noninvasive and automatic eye localization. An experimental protocol was designed to validate the optical‐based eye referencing against both radiographic imaging system and the clinically used EYEPLAN treatment planning system.MethodsThe eye tracking system (ETS) was installed in the OPTIS 2 treatment room at PSI to acquire eye motions during the treatment of nine patients. The pupil position and the cornea curvature center were localized by segmenting the pupil contour and corneal light reflections on the images acquired by a pair of calibrated optical cameras. After calibration of the ETS, a direct comparison of radiopaque markers position, and consequentially eye position and orientation, provided by the ETS, radiographs and EYEPLAN was performed.ResultsNineteen out of thirty total monitored fractions were excluded from the study due to poor visibility of corneal reflection, resulting in a success rate of acquisition of 37%. For these data, overall median agreement between ETS‐based and x‐ray‐based markers position assessment were 0.29 mm and 0.94° for translations and rotations, respectively. Small discrepancies were also measured in the eye center estimates of the ETS and EYEPLAN. Conversely, variations in measured eye orientation were higher, with interquartile range (IQR) between 4.39° and 7.58°. Nonetheless, dosimetric evaluation of the consequence of ETS uncertainties showed that the target volume would still be covered by more than 95% of the dose in all cases.ConclusionAn ETS was successfully installed in a clinical ocular proton therapy treatment room and used to monitor eye position and orientation in a clinical scenario. First results show the potential of such a system as an eye localization device. However, the low success rate prevents straightforward clinical application and needs further improvements aimed at increasing corneal reflection visibility.