bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Specific Decoration of a Discrete Bismuth Oxido Cluster by Selected Peptides towards the Design of Metal Tags
Authors: Bauer Mona , Remmler Dario , Dallmann André , Jakubowski Norbert , Börner Hans G. , Panne Ulrich , Limberg Christian 
Published: October 2018

AbstractMetal tags find application in a multitude of biomedical systems and the combination with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) offers an opportunity for multiplexing. To lay the foundation for an increase of the signal intensities in such processes, we herein present a general approach for efficient functionalization of a well‐defined metal oxido cluster [Bi6O4(OH)4(SO3CF3)6(CH3CN)6]⋅2 CH3CN (1), which can be realized by selecting 7mer peptide sequences via combinatorial means from large one‐bead one‐compound peptide libraries. Selective cluster‐binding peptide sequences (CBS) for 1 were discriminated from non‐binders by treatment with H2S gas to form the reduction product Bi2S3, clearly visible to the naked eye. Interactions were further confirmed by NMR experiments. Extension of a binding peptide with a maleimide linker (Mal) introduces the possibility to covalently attach thiol‐bearing moieties such as biological probes and for their analysis the presence of the cluster instead of mononuclear entities should lead to an increase of signal intensities in LA‐ICP‐MS measurements. To prove this, CBS‐Mal was covalently bound onto thiol‐presenting glass substrates, which then captured 1 effectively, so that LA‐ICP‐MS measurements demonstrated drastic signal amplification compared to single lanthanide tags.
Proposed modifications and incorporation of plasma Epstein‐Barr virus DNA improve the TNM staging system for Epstein‐Barr virus‐related nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Guo Rui , Tang Ling‐Long , Mao Yan‐Ping , Du Xiao‐Jing , Chen Lei , Zhang Zi‐Chen , Liu Li‐Zhi , Tian Li , Luo Xiao‐Tong , Xie Yu‐Bin , Ren Jian , Sun Ying , Ma Jun 
Published: October 2018

BackgroundThe prognosis of patients who have Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐related nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in which the tumor tissues harbor EBV have a better prognosis than those without EBV‐related NPC. Therefore, the eighth edition of the TNM staging system could be modified for EBV‐related NPC by incorporating the measurement of plasma EBV DNA.MethodsIn total, 979 patients with NPC who received intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were retrospectively reviewed. Recursive partitioning analysis was conducted based on tumor (T) classification, lymph node (N) classification, and EBV DNA measurement to derive objectively the proposed stage groupings. The validity of the proposed stage groupings was confirmed in a prospective cohort of 550 consecutive patients who also received with IMRT.ResultsThe pretreatment plasma EBV DNA level was identified as a significant, negative prognostic factor for progression‐free survival and overall survival in univariate analysis (all P < .001) and multivariate analysis (all P < .05). Recursive partitioning analysis of the primary cohort to incorporate EBV DNA generated the following proposed stage groupings: stage RI (T1N0), RIIA (T2‐T3N0 or T1‐T3N1, EBV DNA ≤2000 copies/mL), stage RIIB (T2‐T3N0 or T1‐T3N1, EBV DNA >2000 copies/mL; T1‐T3N2, EBV DNA ≤2000 copies/mL), stage RIII (T1‐T3N2, EBV DNA >2000 copies/mL; T4N0‐N2), and stage RIVA (any T and N3). In the validation cohort, the 5‐year progression‐free survival rate was 100%, 87.9%, 76.7%, 68.7%, and 50.4% for proposed stage RI, RIIA, RIIB, RIII, and RIV NPC, respectively (P < .001). Compared with the eighth edition TNM stage groupings, the proposed stage groupings incorporating EBV DNA provided better hazard consistency, hazard discrimination, outcome prediction, and sample size balance.ConclusionsThe proposed stage groupings have better prognostic performance than the eighth edition of the TNM staging system. EBV DNA titers should be included in the TNM staging system to assess patients who have EBV‐related NPC.
A suspected lunar volcano identification algorithm based on convolutional neural network by the rapid location of light shadow impacts
Authors: Li Xiaoyi , Li Jiaqi , Tian Xiaolin 
Published: October 2018

SummaryThe impact crater is the most common geological unit in the lunar surface, an important object to study the geological evolution history of the Moon, and the foundational basis for the geological dating of the Moon. Thus, the identification of impact craters is of important significance. As a new field with rapid development for more than ten years, deep learning has received attention from an increasing number of researchers because of its obvious advantages compared with the superficial model in terms of both feature extraction and modeling. To address various defects of the current method for the identification and feature extraction of impact craters, including its low efficiency and limited application range, this paper proposes a type of new impact crater identification using the convolutional neural network based on illumination and shadow quick‐positioning. First, we quickly locate the impact crater using the effect of illumination on the impact crater. Second, we train the impact crater images using the convolutional neural network to perform the feature extraction. Then, we identify impact craters in images. Finally, we classify the identified impact craters based on the roughness feature and find impact craters with unsmooth bottoms. Compared with the traditional algorithm, the algorithm of this paper breaks away from the important index of border but has a high identification rate under the specific resolution rate and can classify the identified impact craters. Such impact craters with unsmooth bottoms may overflow and form from the Earth's mantle at the bottom or may be the remnant of volcanic vents since ancient times, which are of great research significance.
RT‐JADE: A preemptive real‐time scheduling middleware for mobile agents
Authors: Filgueiras Tatiana Pereira , Rodrigues Leonardo M. , de Oliveira Rech Luciana , de Souza Luciana Moreira Sá , Netto Hylson Vescovi 
Published: October 2018

SummaryMobile agents are examples of distributed systems which may dispute for the same resources on their hosts. Treating such concurrency adequately is essential, particularly in real‐time applications. Due to intrinsic time restrictions, mobile agents in real‐time environments are only considered successful if they fulfill their mission by respecting their deadlines. Scheduling algorithms with different policies can be applied in these scenarios. However, the efficiency of these algorithms may deviate according to the missions and deadlines of the mobile agents. Also, these algorithms can be preemptive, or calculate the order of executions without interrupting an ongoing task. In this paper, we propose a middleware extension to the JADE platform that brings real‐time scheduling support with preemption to mobile agents. The proposed solution uses best effort scheduling policy in the context of soft real‐time applications. We evaluate the performance of the scheduling algorithms, with and without preemption, and the impact of the selected algorithms on mission fulfillment. The results of the proposed middleware showed a great improvement on mission accomplishment when compared to the FIFO algorithm provided by the JADE platform.
Interfacial CoOx Layers on TiO2 as an Efficient Catalyst for Solvent‐Free Aerobic Oxidation of Hydrocarbons
Authors: Wang Hai , Wang Liang , Zhang Jian , Wang Chengtao , Liu Ziyu , Gao Xinhua , Meng Xiangju , Yoo Seung Jo , Kim Jin‐Gyu , Zhang Wei , Xiao Feng‐Shou 
Published: October 2018

AbstractConstruction of efficient interfaces to improve the performance of supported metal catalysts is a challenging but effective technique. A newly synthesized catalyst with layered cobalt oxide on the surface of titania (layer‐CoOx/TiO2) is highly selective towards the aerobic oxidation of C−H bonds in a series of hydrocarbons under sustainable conditions. The layer‐CoOx/TiO2 easily outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art noble metal catalysts and homogeneous cobalt salts used in industry. In‐depth structural and functional characterization reveal that the layer‐CoOx/TiO2 readily reacts with O2 for the adsorption and activation of C−H bonds. The layered structure of CoOx can maximize the interfacial effect of CoOx/TiO2 leading to a good performance for the oxidation of C−H bonds.
Hard Carbon as Sodium‐Ion Battery Anodes: Progress and Challenges
Authors: Xiao Biwei , Rojo Teófilo , Li Xiaolin 
Published: October 2018

AbstractHard carbon (HC) is the state‐of‐the‐art anode material for sodium‐ion batteries due to its excellent overall performance, wide availability, and relatively low cost. Recently, tremendous effort has been invested to elucidate the sodium storage mechanism in HC, and to explore synthetic approaches that can enhance the performance and lower the cost. However, disagreements remain in the field, particularly on the fundamental questions of ion transfer and storage and the ideal HC structure for high performance. This Minireview aims to provide an analysis and summary of the theoretical limitations of HC, discrepancies in the storage mechanism, and methods to improve the performance. Finally, future research on developing ideal structured HCs, advanced electrolytes, and optimized electrolyte–electrode interphases are proposed on the basis of recent progress.
Enhanced Production of γ‐Valerolactone with an Internal Source of Hydrogen on Ca‐Modified TiO2 Supported Ru Catalysts
Authors: Wojciechowska Joanna , Jędrzejczyk Marcin , Grams Jacek , Keller Nicolas , Ruppert Agnieszka M. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractCalcium‐modified titania supported Ru catalysts were synthesized and evaluated for the hydrogenation of levulinic acid with formic acid as an internal hydrogen source and water as a green solvent. A new elegant photoassisted method was developed for the synthesis of uniform‐size and evenly distributed Ru particles on the titania surface. Compared with the counterpart catalysts prepared by classical wet impregnation, enhanced levulinic acid conversion and γ‐valerolactone yield were obtained and further improved through modification of the support by introduction of calcium into the titania support. This synthesis approach resulted in a change of the surface and bulk properties of the support, namely a decrease in the anatase crystallite size and the formation of a new calcium titanate phase. As a consequence, the properties of the catalysts were modified, and smaller ruthenium particles that had stronger interactions with the support were obtained. This affected the strength of the CO adsorption on the catalyst surface and facilitated the reaction performance. The optimum size of Ru particles that allowed for most efficient levulinic acid conversion was established.
Catalytic Hydrotreatment of Humins to Bio‐Oil in Methanol over Supported Metal Catalysts
Authors: Cheng Ziwei , Saha Basudeb , Vlachos Dionisios G. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractInvited for this month's cover is the group of Dionisios G. Vlachos at the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI), University of Delaware. The image shows the catalytic hydrotreatment of humins byproduct derived from the aqueous processing of carbohydrates to form valuable chemicals. The Full Paper itself is available at 10.1002/cssc.201801535.
Size‐dependent movement explains why bigger is better in fragmented landscapes
Authors: Hillaert Jasmijn , Hovestadt Thomas , Vandegehuchte Martijn L. , Bonte Dries 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBody size is a fundamental trait known to allometrically scale with metabolic rate and therefore a key determinant of individual development, life history, and consequently fitness. In spatially structured environments, movement is an equally important driver of fitness. Because movement is tightly coupled with body size, we expect habitat fragmentation to induce a strong selection pressure on size variation across and within species. Changes in body size distributions are then, in turn, expected to alter food web dynamics. However, no consensus has been reached on how spatial isolation and resource growth affect consumer body size distributions. Our aim was to investigate how these two factors shape the body size distribution of consumers under scenarios of size‐dependent and size‐independent consumer movement by applying a mechanistic, individual‐based resource–consumer model. We also assessed the consequences of altered body size distributions for important ecosystem traits such as resource abundance and consumer stability. Finally, we determined those factors that explain most variation in size distributions. We demonstrate that decreasing connectivity and resource growth select for communities (or populations) consisting of larger species (or individuals) due to strong selection for the ability to move over longer distances if the movement is size‐dependent. When including size‐dependent movement, intermediate levels of connectivity result in increases in local size diversity. Due to this elevated functional diversity, resource uptake is maximized at the metapopulation or metacommunity level. At these intermediate levels of connectivity, size‐dependent movement explains most of the observed variation in size distributions. Interestingly, local and spatial stability of consumer biomass is lowest when isolation and resource growth are high. Finally, we highlight that size‐dependent movement is of vital importance for the survival of populations or communities within highly fragmented landscapes. Our results demonstrate that considering size‐dependent movement is essential to understand how habitat fragmentation and resource growth shape body size distributions—and the resulting metapopulation or metacommunity dynamics—of consumers.
Accounting for observation processes across multiple levels of uncertainty improves inference of species distributions and guides adaptive sampling of environmental DNA
Authors: Davis Amy J. , Williams Kelly E. , Snow Nathan P. , Pepin Kim M. , Piaggio Antoinette J. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractUnderstanding factors that influence observation processes is critical for accurate assessment of underlying ecological processes. When indirect methods of detection, such as environmental DNA, are used to determine species presence, additional levels of uncertainty from observation processes need to be accounted for. We conducted a field trial to evaluate observation processes of a terrestrial invasive species (wild pigs‐ Sus scrofa) from DNA in water bodies. We used a multi‐scale occupancy analysis to estimate different levels of observation processes (detection, p): the probability DNA is available per sample (θ), the probability of capturing DNA per extraction (γ), and the probability of amplification per qPCR run (δ). We selected four sites for each of three water body types and collected 10 samples per water body during two months (September and October 2016) in central Texas. Our methodology can be used to guide sampling adaptively to minimize costs while improving inference of species distributions. Using a removal sampling approach was more efficient than pooling samples and was unbiased. Availability of DNA varied by month, was considerably higher when water pH was near neutral, and was higher in ephemeral streams relative to wildlife guzzlers and ponds. To achieve a cumulative detection probability >90% (including availability, capture, and amplification), future studies should collect 20 water samples per site, conduct at least two extractions per sample, and conduct five qPCR replicates per extraction. Accounting for multiple levels of uncertainty of observation processes improved estimation of the ecological processes and provided guidance for future sampling designs.
The impact of artificial light at night on nocturnal insects: A review and synthesis
Authors: Owens Avalon C. S. , Lewis Sara M. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIn recent decades, advances in lighting technology have precipitated exponential increases in night sky brightness worldwide, raising concerns in the scientific community about the impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) on crepuscular and nocturnal biodiversity. Long‐term records show that insect abundance has declined significantly over this time, with worrying implications for terrestrial ecosystems. The majority of investigations into the vulnerability of nocturnal insects to artificial light have focused on the flight‐to‐light behavior exhibited by select insect families. However, ALAN can affect insects in other ways as well. This review proposes five categories of ALAN impact on nocturnal insects, highlighting past research and identifying key knowledge gaps. We conclude with a summary of relevant literature on bioluminescent fireflies, which emphasizes the unique vulnerability of terrestrial light‐based communication systems to artificial illumination. Comprehensive understanding of the ecological impacts of ALAN on diverse nocturnal insect taxa will enable researchers to seek out methods whereby fireflies, moths, and other essential members of the nocturnal ecosystem can coexist with humans on an increasingly urbanized planet.
Rainfall pulse response of carbon fluxes in a temperate grass ecosystem in the semiarid Loess Plateau
Authors: Tang Yakun , Jiang Jun , Chen Chen , Chen Yunming , Wu Xu 
Published: October 2018

AbstractRainfall pulses can significantly influence carbon cycling in water‐limited ecosystems. The magnitude of carbon flux component responses to precipitation may vary depending on precipitation amount and antecedent soil moisture, associated with nonlinear responses of plants and soil microbes. The present study was carried out in a temperate grass ecosystem during 2013–2015 in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China, to examine the response of carbon fluxes to precipitation using the “threshold‐delay” model. The unique contribution of environmental variables such as precipitation amount and antecedent soil moisture before rainfall (SWC_antecedent) to carbon fluxes in response to rainfall was also investigated. The lower threshold of effective rainfall was 6.6 mm for gross ecosystem production (GEP), 8.5 mm for net ecosystem production (NEP), and 4.5 mm for ecosystem respiration (RE); and the upper threshold of effective rainfall was 21.4 mm for GEP and NEP, and 16.8 mm for RE. Rainfall amount was positively affected the relative rainfall responses of GEP, NEP, and RE. However, SWC_antecedent at 20 cm soil depth offset the response of GEP to rainfall pulses, and SWC_antecedent at 5 cm soil depth offset the response of NEP and RE to rainfall pulses, with corresponding partial slopes of linear regressions of −0.50, −0.40, and −0.52. These results indicated that NEP was more sensitive to rainfall pulses and RE was more sensitive to SWC_antecedent. These results demonstrate the importance of rainfall events of <10 mm and that the negative effect of SWC_antecedent should also be considered when estimating ecosystem carbon fluxes in this semiarid region.
Ethanol From Olive Paste During Malaxation, Exploratory Experiments
Authors: Masella Piernicola , Guerrini Lorenzo , Angeloni Giulia , Zanoni Bruno , Parenti Alessandro 
Published: October 2018

Ethanol is a precursor of ethyl esters in olive oil. Its presence is generally ascribed to microbial degradation of damaged olives. At the same time, it is an anaerobic metabolite that naturally accumulates in olive fruit during ripening. As the possible link with olive processing is poorly studied, this laboratory‐scale experiment measures gaseous ethanol in the headspace above olive paste malaxated in sealed conditions. Malaxation take place in the presence or absence of oxygen, using sanitized or untreated olives. The findings show that ethanol accumulates in the headspace in oxygenated trials, reaching roughly 80 μmol kg−1 of olive paste. Under anoxic conditions ethanol accumulation is ten times higher, while olive treatment is not significant. Ethanol kinetics during malaxation are modeled as a biexponential system in which two components are simultaneously present, originating from parallel reactions at different constant rates. The first is the ethanol present in the olives and gradually released in the headspace. The second is ethanol neoformation under anoxic conditions. Under oxygenated conditions, the first component predominates, while under anoxic conditions, the opposite holds.Practical Application: Online monitoring of gaseous ethanol above olive paste during malaxation could easily be implemented in olive oil processing plants. Ethanol kinetics could indicate the presence of unwanted anoxic conditions and help in setting appropriate oxygen levels in the kneaded paste. Future studies may find a link between ethanol kinetics in the malaxation headspace, and the occurrence of ethyl esters in oils. If this is the case, operators would be able to fine‐tune the process to avoid unwanted effects.Ethanol is an anaerobic metabolite that naturally accumulates in olive fruit during ripening. Gaseous ethanol is found to be released from the olive paste during malaxation (sealed conditions). Furthermore, under anoxicity, the ethanol release is roughly ten times higher in response to the absence of oxygen, that is, cell anaerobic respiration take place.