bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Climate stability is more important than water–energy variables in shaping the elevational variation in species richness
Authors: Gao Jie , Liu Yanhong 
Published: June 2018

AbstractChanges in climate variables have an important impact on the prediction and protection of elevational biodiversity. Gaps exist in our understanding of the elevational distribution patterns in seed plant species richness. Our study examines the importance of climate variables in shaping the elevational variation in species richness. The importance of boundary constraint was also taken into account. Model selection based on Akaike's information criterion was used to select the best explaining climate models. Variation partitioning was used to assess the independent and joint effects of water–energy, physiological tolerance, and environmental stability variables on species richness. Our results revealed that: (a) Both raw (boundary constraint unreduced) and estimated (boundary constraint reduced) species richness showed large elevational variation, with the peak species richness seen at midelevations. The environmental variables were better at explaining the distribution pattern of species richness along the elevation, when the effect of boundary constraint was reduced; (b) the physiological tolerance and environmental stability variables explained more variation in raw and estimated species richness compared with the water–energy variables. Estimated species richness was better explained (98.6%) by the environmental variables than raw species richness (94%); (c) the water‐related variables generally had the highest independent effect on raw and estimated species richness and were dominant in shaping the elevational variation in species richness. Our findings quantify the influence of boundary constraint on the distribution pattern of species along an altitudinal gradient and compare the relative contributions of environmental stability and water–energy in explaining the altitude gradient distribution pattern of plant seed species.
On the possible role of nonreproductive traits for the evolution of unisexuality: Life‐history variation among males, females, and hermaphrodites in Opuntia robusta (Cactaceae)
Authors: del Castillo Rafael F. , Trujillo‐Argueta Sonia 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIn angiosperms, dioecy has arisen in 871–5,000 independent events, distributed in approximately 43% of the flowering families. The reproductive superiority of unisexuals has been the favorite explanation for the evolution of separate sexes. However, in several instances, the observed reproductive performance of unisexuals, if any, does not seem to compensate for the loss of one of the sex functions. The involvement of fitness components not directly associated with reproduction is a plausible hypothesis that has received little attention. Life‐history traits recently recognized as predictors of plant performance were compared among males, females, and hermaphrodites of a rare trioecious Opuntia robusta population in the field, using the cladode as the study unit. Cladode mortality by domestic herbivores was common and higher in females and hermaphrodites than in males. Males, females, or both displayed lower shrinkage and higher rates of survival, growth, and reproductive frequency than hermaphrodites. Unisexuals simultaneously outperformed hermaphrodites in demographic traits known to compete for common limiting resources, such as the acceleration of reproductive maturation (progenesis) and survival. A meta‐analysis combining the outcomes of each of the analyzed life‐history traits revealed a tendency of males (d++ = 1.03) and females (d++ = 0.93) to outperform hermaphrodites in presumably costly demographic options. Clonality is induced by human or domestic animal plant sectioning; and males and females highly exceeded hermaphrodites in their clonality potential by a factor of 8.3 and 5.3, respectively. The performances of unisexuals in the analyzed life‐history traits may enhance their reproductive potential in the long run and their clonality potential and could explain the observed increase of unisexuality in the population. Life‐history traits can be crucial for the evolution of unisexuality, but their impact appears to be habitat specific and may involve broad ontogenetic changes.
PMERGE: Computational filtering of paralogous sequences from RAD‐seq data
Authors: Nadukkalam Ravindran Praveen , Bentzen Paul , Bradbury Ian R. , Beiko Robert G. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractRestriction‐site associated DNA sequencing (RAD‐seq) can identify and score thousands of genetic markers from a group of samples for population‐genetics studies. One challenge of de novo RAD‐seq analysis is to distinguish paralogous sequence variants (PSVs) from true single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with orthologous loci. In the absence of a reference genome, it is difficult to differentiate true SNPs from PSVs, and their impact on downstream analysis remains unclear. Here, we introduce a network‐based approach, PMERGE that connects fragments based on their DNA sequence similarity to identify probable PSVs. Applying our method to de novo RAD‐seq data from 150 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) samples collected from 15 locations across the Southern Newfoundland coast allowed the identification of 87% of total PSVs identified through alignment to the Atlantic salmon genome. Removal of these paralogs altered the inferred population structure, highlighting the potential impact of filtering in RAD‐seq analysis. PMERGE is also applied to a green crab (Carcinus maenas) data set consisting of 242 samples from 11 different locations and was successfully able to identify and remove the majority of paralogous loci (62%). The PMERGE software can be run as part of the widely used Stacks analysis package.
Glycaemic impact of treatment intensification in patients with type 2 diabetes uncontrolled with oral antidiabetes drugs or basal insulin
Authors: Buysman Erin K. , Fan Tao , Blauer‐Peterson Cori , Miller‐Wilson Lesley‐Ann 
Published: June 2018

SummaryAimsTo investigate the impact of treatment intensification (TI) on glycaemic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes with glycated haemoglobin A1c (A1C) ≥7% after ≥6 months of treatment with 2 oral antidiabetes drugs (OADs) or basal insulin (BI).Materials and MethodsData were extracted from the Optum administrative claims database from 1 January 2009 to 31 August 2015. Patients with TI ≤6 months after the first A1C ≥7% (index date) were compared with patients with no TI (NTI). TI included addition of OAD, GLP‐1 receptor agonist or premixed insulin in OAD and BI cohorts, addition of BI and/or bolus insulin in the OAD cohort and addition of bolus insulin or increasing BI dose in the BI cohort. Change from the index A1C value and hypoglycaemia events was compared at 12 months after TI after adjusting for confounders.ResultsA total of 3990/28 123 (14.2%) and 10 425/16 140 (65%) of eligible adults in the OAD and BI cohorts, respectively, underwent TI. These patients showed greater adjusted A1C change vs NTI patients (OAD cohort: −0.59% vs −0.25%; BI cohort: −0.30% vs −0.16%; P < .001 for both comparisons), but with higher hypoglycaemia rates (OAD cohort: odds ratio [OR] 1.68; P < .001; BI cohort: OR: 1.23; P = .004) at follow‐up.ConclusionsClinical inertia appears to be a significant issue in this population. Although associated with more frequent hypoglycaemia, these results demonstrate that timely TI improves A1C levels, highlighting the need for new and improved agents to effectively manage glycaemia while reducing hypoglycaemia risk.
Hydrate Formation Characteristics during Carbon Dioxide Flow Through Depleted Methane Hydrate Deposits
Authors: Wang Pengfei , Zhou Hang , Ling Zheng , Li Yuanping 
Published: June 2018

AbstractDepleted methane hydrate (MH) reservoirs are potential sites for CO2 storage. Hydrate formation during the CO2 flow process in a dissociated MH sample was simulated to clarify the formation characteristics of CO2 hydrates and their effect on CO2 storage. Experiments included MH formation and dissociation, CO2 injection, water‐injection and CO2 hydrate dissociation, and liquid‐water distribution as monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It was observed that the initial water saturation determined the hydrate saturation in the artificial sediment, and the depressurization range was the main factor influencing MH dissociation for the excess gas sample. Pressure is the key factor influencing hydrate formation during CO2 flow. An increase of the CO2 flow rate led to a decrease of both hydrate saturation and conversion of the injected CO2. The cumulative amount of injected water is not the key factor controlling CO2 hydrate formation, but it does determine the residual water saturation.
Effects of variation in loading protocol on the strength and deformation capacity of ductile reinforced concrete beams
Authors: Marder Kai J. , Motter Christopher J. , Elwood Kenneth J. , Clifton G. Charles 
Published: June 2018

SummaryUnderstanding the impact of prior earthquake damage on residual capacity is important for postearthquake damage assessment of buildings; however, interpretation of such impact is challenging when based on tests using traditional reversed‐cyclic loading protocols. A new loading protocol, consisting of a dynamic earthquake displacement history followed by quasi‐static reversed‐cyclic loading to failure, is presented as an alternative to traditional simulated seismic loading protocols. Data are analyzed from a set of 12 nominally identical ductile reinforced concrete beams that were tested by using variations of this protocol and traditional reversed‐cyclic and monotonic protocols. Differences in the cycle content of the earthquake displacement histories applied to the test specimens allowed for the effects of load history variation below 2.2% drift to be isolated. It is found that such variation had no effect on the beam deformation capacities. The effects of dynamic loading rates are also analyzed and compared against control quasi‐static specimens. Relative strength increases due to dynamic loading are found to be more significant at yield than at ultimate. Dynamic loading rates led to modest reductions in the beam deformation capacities, but the presence of causality between these variables remains uncertain.
Ablation behavior of organoclay‐NBR insulator: Modeling and experimental
Authors: Arabgol Fatemeh , Kokabi Mehrdad , Bahramian Ahmad Reza 
Published: June 2018

SummaryNitrile‐based nanocomposite heat insulators are very attractive materials compared with their similar nonelastomeric counterparts, due to their higher deformation bearing capacity in special applications. Modeling of these ablative nanocomposites enables us to determine the exact required thickness of the insulator and temperature distribution across it at predetermined thermal conditions. The complete form of the ablation equation is a transient nonlinear second‐order differential equation with variable temperature‐dependent thermo‐physical properties, which must be determined during thermal degradation. In this work, in addition to experimental investigation of ablative elastomeric nanocomposites based on NBR, the ablation process is modeled analytically with perturbation theory in the Lagrangian coordinate system because of surface recession and moving boundaries. Kirchhoff transformation was used to get rid of the temperature dependence of k in each zonal of virgin and char. The theoretical results were confirmed by experimental data obtained from the oxyacetylene flame test. The results proposed a competitive nitrile‐based nanocomposite heat insulator with superior ablation properties: mass ablation rate 0.014 g s−1, linear ablation rate 0.012 mm s−1, and insulating index number 6800 s m−1, under a standard test with a heat flux of 2500 kW m−2 for 15 seconds.
Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from animal production
Authors: Liu Zifei , Liu Yang 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe accurate quantification of the carbon footprints of animal products and the related development of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies are of interest to consumers, the general public, and the academic community. The objective of this review was to summarize recent advances in GHG emission quantification, life‐cycle assessment applications, and mitigation technologies for animal production in the USA, to assist the development of system‐based solutions for mitigation of GHG emissions from animal production. The GHG emissions from animal production mainly come from feed production, enteric fermentation, and manure management. Opportunities to mitigate emissions from feed production largely rely on continuous improvements in animal and feed production efficiency. This is in general agreement with the economic interest of the industry. To mitigate emissions from manure, many technologies can be chosen, depending on the given economic and regulatory environments. It is possible to minimize GHG emissions from manure through manure energy recovery when this is economically feasible. For enteric emissions, there are limited opportunities to reduce GHG emissions through dietary manipulation, feed management, or feed supplementations. Improving environmental stewardship of consumers and reducing food waste will reduce animal protein demand and are important bottom‐line strategies to mitigate GHG from animal production systems. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Numerical study of heat transfer enhancement using perforated dual twisted tape inserts in converging‐diverging tubes
Authors: Afsharpanah Farhad , Pakzad Khashayar , Amirsoleymani Mehrshad , Delavar Mojtaba Aghajani 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIn this article, a 3D numerical simulation for investigating friction factor and heat transfer enhancements in case of inserting normal or perforated dual twisted tapes (TTs) in converging‐diverging tubes (CDTs) is presented. The effects of Reynolds number changing from 10,000 to 20,000 and a various number of holes (N = 0, 1, 2, and 3) in TTs, under constant uniform heat flux on tube outer wall and using water as working fluid circumstances, were examined. It was found that generally using dual TTs in CDTs improves the Nusselt number up to 9% compared to bare CDTs. Perforating TTs do not have a noticeable effect on heat transfer, but decrease the friction factor significantly, up to 396% compared to normal dual TT implantation, in higher Reynolds numbers. Following that, thermal performance factor considerably increases up to 57%, compared to CDTs with normal dual TTs. To show the mechanism of these effects, velocity streamlines are presented and will be discussed in this paper.
Perfect divisibility and 2‐divisibility
Authors: Chudnovsky Maria , Sivaraman Vaidy 
Published: June 2018

AbstractA graph G is said to be 2‐divisible if for all (nonempty) induced subgraphs H of G, can be partitioned into two sets such that and . (Here denotes the clique number of G, the number of vertices in a largest clique of G). A graph G is said to be perfectly divisible if for all induced subgraphs H of G, can be partitioned into two sets such that is perfect and . We prove that if a graph is ‐free, then it is 2‐divisible. We also prove that if a graph is bull‐free and either odd‐hole‐free or P5‐free, then it is perfectly divisible.
Successful fishing for nucleus pulposus progenitor cells of the intervertebral disc across species
Authors: Sakai Daisuke , Schol Jordy , Bach Frances C. , Tekari Adel , Sagawa Nobuho , Nakamura Yoshihiko , Chan Samantha C.W. , Nakai Tomoko , Creemers Laura B. , Frauchiger Daniela A. , May Rahel D. , Grad Sibylle , Watanabe Masahiko , Tryfonidou Marianna A. , Gantenbein Benjamin 
Published: June 2018

BackgroundRecently, Tie2/TEK receptor tyrosine kinase (Tie2 or syn. angiopoietin‐1 receptor) positive nucleus pulposus progenitor cells were detected in human, cattle, and mouse. These cells show remarkable multilineage differentiation capacity and direct correlation with intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and are therefore an interesting target for regenerative strategies. Nevertheless, there remains controversy over the presence and function of these Tie2+ nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs), in part due to the difficulty of identification and isolation.PurposeHere, we present a comprehensive protocol for sorting of Tie2+ NPCs from human, canine, bovine, and murine IVD tissue. We describe enhanced conditions for expansion and an optimized fluorescence‐activated cell sorting‐based methodology to sort and analyze Tie2+ NPCs.MethodsWe present flow cytometry protocols to isolate the Tie2+ cell population for the aforementioned species. Moreover, we describe crucial pitfalls to prevent loss of Tie2+ NPCs from the IVD cell population during the isolation process. A cross‐species phylogenetic analysis of Tie2 across species is presented.ResultsOur protocols are efficient towards labeling and isolation of Tie2+ NPCs. The total flow cytometry procedure requires approximately 9 hours, cell isolation 4 to 16 hours, cell expansion can take up to multiple weeks, dependent on the application, age, disease state, and species. Phylogenetic analysis of the TEK gene revealed a strong homology among species.ConclusionsCurrent identification of Tie2+ cells could be confirmed in bovine, canine, mouse, and human specimens. The presented flow cytometry protocol can successfully sort these multipotent cells. The biological function of isolated cells based on Tie2+ expression needs to be confirmed by functional assays such as in vitro differentiation. in vitro culture conditions to maintain and their possible proliferation of the Tie2+ fraction is the subject of future research.
Silver Loaded Nanofibrous Curdlan Mat for Diabetic Wound Healing: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study
Authors: Yunus Basha Rubaiya , Sampath Kumar T. S. , Selvaraj Ramasamy , Doble Mukesh 
Published: June 2018

AbstractA fibrous scaffold of curdlan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend is prepared by electrospinning technique and antimicrobial property is imparted to it by the addition of silver nitrate (1, 3, and 5 wt%). All the scaffolds except the PVA/curdlan with 5 wt% AgNO3 show good viability of Swiss 3T3 fibroblast cells. Significant reductions in the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli are also observed in all the scaffolds. In vitro scratch assay and cell adhesion studies indicate that the scaffold containing 1% AgNO3 shows significant wound healing and better cell spreading. The in vivo results also show faster healing of excision wounds in diabetic rats treated with the same material when compared to the control and the commercial sample. Furthermore, downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and upregulation of anti‐inflammatory cytokines on the skin of the treated animals confirm that PVA/curdlan/1% AgNO3 electrospun mat could be a promising material for diabetic wound healing.
CpxR negatively regulates the production of xenocoumacin 1, a dihydroisocoumarin derivative produced by Xenorhabdus nematophila
Authors: Zhang Shujing , Fang Xiangling , Tang Qian , Ge Jing , Wang Yonghong , Zhang Xing 
Published: June 2018

AbstractXenocoumacin 1 (Xcn1), a major antimicrobial compound produced by Xenorhabdus nematophila, has great potential for use in agricultural productions. In this study, we evaluated the effects of CpxR, a global response regulator associated with the mutualism and pathogenesis of X. nematophila, on the antimicrobial activity and Xcn1 production. The mutation of cpxR could promote the production of Xcn1 significantly with its level in ΔcpxR mutant being 3.07 times higher than that in the wild type. Additionally, the expression levels of xcnA‐L genes, which are responsible for the production of Xcn1, were increased in ΔcpxR mutant while the expression levels of xcnMN, which are required for the conversion of Xcn1 into Xcn2 was reduced. Noticeably, Xcn2 was also enhanced on account of the conversion of excessive Xcn1 in spite of low expression levels of xcnM and xcnN in ΔcpxR mutant. The transcriptional levels of ompR and lrp, encoding the global response regulators OmpR and Lrp which negatively and positively regulate the production of Xcn1 were concurrently decreased and increased, respectively. Correspondingly, ΔcpxR mutant also exhibited increased antimicrobial activities in vitro and in vivo. Together, these findings suggest that CpxR negatively regulates xcnA‐L genes expression while positively regulating xcnMN expression in X. nematophila YL001, which led to a high yield of Xcn1 in ΔcpxR mutant.
Propolis from Different Geographic Origins Decreases Intestinal Inflammation and Bacteroides spp. Populations in a Model of DSS‐Induced Colitis
Authors: Wang Kai , Jin Xiaolu , Li Qiangqiang , Sawaya Alexandra Christine Helena Frankland , Le Leu Richard K. , Conlon Michael A. , Wu Liming , Hu Fuliang 
Published: June 2018

ScopeDietary supplementation with polyphenol‐rich propolis can protect against experimentally induced colitis. We examined whether different polyphenol compositions of Chinese propolis (CP) and Brazilian propolis (BP) influence their ability to protect against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced colitis in rats.Methods and resultsHPLC‐DAD/Q‐TOF‐MS analysis confirmed that polyphenol compositions of CP and BP were dissimilar. Rats were given CP or BP by gavage (300 mg kg−1 body weight) throughout the study, starting 1 week prior to DSS treatment for 1 week followed by 3 d without DSS. CP and BP significantly reduced the colitis disease activity index relative to controls not receiving propolis, prevented significant DSS‐induced colonic tissue damage, and increased resistance to DSS‐induced colonic oxidative stress as shown by reduced malonaldehyde levels and increased T‐AOC levels. CP and BP significantly reduced DSS‐induced colonic apoptosis. Colonic inflammatory markers IL‐1β, IL‐6, and MCP‐1 were suppressed by CP and BP, whereas only BP‐induced expression of TGF‐β. CP, not BP, increased the diversity and richness of gut microbiota populations. Both forms of propolis significantly reduced populations of Bacteroides spp.ConclusionsDespite the dissimilar polyphenol compositions of CP and BP, their ability to protect against DSS‐induced colitis is similar. Nevertheless, some different physiological impacts were observed.
Adaptation and validation of short scales for assessment of psychological distress in Iran: The Persian K10 and K6
Authors: Hajebi Ahmad , Motevalian Abbas , Amin‐Esmaeili Masoumeh , Rahimi‐Movaghar Afarin , Sharifi Vandad , Hoseini Leila , Shadloo Behrang , Mojtabai Ramin 
Published: June 2018

AbstractObjectivesThe aims of the study were to translate into Persian and culturally adapt the Kessler Psychological Distress Scales, K10 and K6, and to assess their reliability and validity.MethodThe sample was recruited from primary health care (PHC) settings by quota nonprobability sampling, stratified by sex and age. Validity was assessed against the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (v2.1). The psychometric properties of K6 and K10 were also compared with the 12‐item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐12).ResultsA total of 818 participants completed the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha were 0.92 and 0.87 for K6 and K10, respectively. Optimal cutoff scores for detecting any mood or anxiety disorder in the past 30 days were 15 for K10 and 10 for K6. At these cutoff points, the measures had sensitivities of 0.77 and 0.73, specificities of 0.74 and 0.78, and positive predictive values of 0.48 and 0.52, respectively. Psychometric properties of K10 and K6 were similar to GHQ‐12.ConclusionPersian K10 and K6 have acceptable psychometric properties as screening instruments for common mental health conditions. Given its brevity and similar psychometric properties to the longer instruments, the Persian K6 appears to be a suitable scale for use in PHC settings and, possibly, epidemiologic studies in Iran.