bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Current trends in patient enrollment for robotic‐assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy in Belgium
Authors: Albisinni Simone , Joniau Steven , Quackels Thierry , De Coster Greet , Dekuyper Peter , Van Cleynenbreugel Ben , Van Damme Nancy , Van Eycken Elisabeth , Ameye Filip , Roumeguère Thierry ,   Be‐RALP Registry (Belgian Robotic‐Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy Registry)
Published: July 2017

BACKGROUNDDuring the last decade, an inverse stage migration has been observed in radical prostatectomy series at tertiary centers. However, it remains unclear whether similar trends can also be observed in solely robotic practices, including nonreferral centers. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and pathological trends in robotic‐assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) enrollment in Belgium over a period of 6 years through an analysis of a prospective registry.METHODSA prospective, multicenter database was constructed: consecutive patients undergoing RALP in Belgium from 2010 to 2015 were enrolled, and 7366 men were analyzed. Variations in clinical and pathological variables were explored as a function of the enrollment year with proportional odds for categorical variables and with linear regressions for continuous variables.RESULTSNet increases were observed in the prostate‐specific antigen levels, cT stage, and biopsy Gleason scores across the study years (P < .001). The rate of low‐risk prostate cancer (PCa) decreased from 36% in 2010 to 21% in 2015, whereas the rate of intermediate‐risk PCa rose from 47% to 58%, and the rate of high‐risk PCa rose from 17% to 21%. In parallel, the pT2 stage rate decreased from 76% to 64%, and the rate of Gleason 6 (3 + 3) cases was reduced from 45% to 23% (P < .001). Conversely, the pT3a stage rate rose from 16% to 24%, the pT3b stage rate rose from 7% to 11%, and the rate of Gleason 7 (4 + 3) cases rose from 7% to 21% (P < .0001). Finally, more patients underwent node dissection, and positive lymph nodes were increasingly diagnosed (from 3% in 2010 to 7% in 2015).CONCLUSIONSDuring the last 6 years of RALP implementation in Belgium, there was a significant increase in the enrollment of intermediate‐ and high‐risk PCa patients. This yielded a significant increase in adverse pathological characteristics. These results suggest a paradigm shift in PCa treatment, with radical robotic surgery increasing for intermediate‐ and high‐risk patients. Cancer 2017;123:4139–4146. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Active Particle Accumulation at Boundaries: A Strategy to Measure Contact Angles
Authors: Simmchen Juliane , Malgaretti Paolo 
Published: July 2017

AbstractWetting properties of a substrate are mostly evaluated through the contact angle of droplets on these substrates, a method that works perfectly for a broad range of cases. However, in specific cases it might be difficult to macroscopically measure the contact angle and our experiments show that the behavior of active colloids when approaching edges of liquid–solid interfaces can provide additional information. Here, we present experimental evidence and a simple, geometric model to capture this behavior.
The assembly and interactions of tree species in tropical forests based on spatial analysis
Authors: Zhang Shuzi , Huang Yunfeng , Zang Runguo 
Published: July 2017

AbstractTree species were assembled into forest communities by various processes, and it was found that trees are spatially arranged in a community by the abiotic and biotic conditions within that community. Here, we explore the abiotic processes and biotic interactions in the spatial patterning of tree species across six old‐growth forest types in a tropical nature reserve. Four spatial point process models (the homogeneous Poisson process, inhomogeneous Poisson process, homogeneous Thomas process, and inhomogeneous Thomas process) were used to evaluate the potential contribution of the random processes, habitat heterogeneity, dispersal limitation, and the joint effects of dispersal and habitat heterogeneity to the formation of the spatial patterns of tree species. A combination of the null model and size–distance regression analysis was applied to assess the effect of competition and facilitation on the tree species assembly. We found that the homogeneous and inhomogeneous Thomas processes were the best models for describing the spatial patterns of more than 85% tree species across the six tropical forests. The combination of the null model and size–distance regression analysis showed that 37–44% of tree species were affected by competition and 9–24% of tree species were affected by facilitation across the six tropical forest types. Competition was the dominant form of species interactions in forests with mild abiotic conditions such as the tropical montane rain forest and tropical lowland rain forest. Meanwhile, facilitation was the most important biotic interaction in the abiotically harsh tropical montane dwarf forest on mountaintops. Our study suggests that dispersal limitation and the joint effects of dispersal and habitat heterogeneity were the dominant abiotic processes in controlling the spatial patterning of trees in tropical forests. Moreover, the relative importance of competition and facilitation in the assembly of the tree species varied among the forest types with different abiotic conditions.
EBI2 contributes to the induction of thymic central tolerance in mice by promoting rapid motility of medullary thymocytes
Authors: Ki Sanghee , Thyagarajan Hiran M. , Hu Zicheng , Lancaster Jessica N. , Ehrlich Lauren I.R. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractMaturing thymocytes enter the thymic medulla, where they encounter numerous self‐antigens presented by antigen presenting cells (APCs). Those thymocytes that are strongly self‐reactive undergo either negative selection or diversion into the regulatory T‐cell lineage. Although the majority of the proteome is expressed in the medulla, many self‐antigens are expressed by only a minor fraction of medullary APCs; thus, thymocytes must efficiently enter the medulla and scan APCs to ensure central tolerance. Chemokine receptors promote lymphocyte migration, organization within tissues, and interactions with APCs in lymphoid organs. The chemokine receptor EBI2 governs localization of T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells (DCs) during immune responses in secondary lymphoid organs. However, the role of EBI2 in thymocyte development has not been elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that EBI2 is expressed by murine CD4+ single positive (CD4SP) thymocytes and thymic DCs. EBI2 deficiency alters the TCR repertoire, but does not grossly impact thymocyte cellularity or subset distribution. EBI2 deficiency also impairs negative selection of OT‐II TCR transgenic thymocytes responding to an endogenous self‐antigen. Two‐photon imaging revealed that EBI2 deficiency results in reduced migration and impaired medullary accumulation of CD4SP thymocytes. These data identify a role for EBI2 in promoting efficient thymic central tolerance.
Sensitive and Green Method for Determination of Chemical Oxygen Demand Using a Nano‐copper Based Electrochemical Sensor
Authors: Badr Ibrahim H. A. , Hassan Hamdy H. , Hamed E. , Abdel‐Aziz Ali M. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractCopper nanoparticles (nano‐Cu) were electrodeposited on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) potentiostatically at −0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl for 60 s. The developed nano‐copper modified glassy carbon electrode (nano‐Cu/GCE) was optimized and utilized for electrochemical assay of chemical oxygen demand (COD) using glycine as a standard. The surface morphology and chemical composition of nano‐Cu/GCE were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometer (EDX), respectively. The electrochemical behavior was investigated using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) which is characterized by a remarkable anodic peak at ∼0.6 V, compared to bare GCE. This indicates that nano‐Cu enhances significantly the electrochemical oxidation of glycine. The effect of different deposition parameters, such as Cu2+ concentration, deposition potential, deposition time, pH, and scan rate on the response of the developed sensor were investigated. The optimized nano‐Cu/GCE based COD sensor exhibited a linear range of 15 to 629.3 ppm, and a lower limit of detection (LOD) of 1.7 ppm (S/N=3). This developed method exhibited high tolerance level to chloride ion (0.35 M chloride ion has minimal influence). The analytical utility of the prepared COD sensor was demonstrated by investigating the COD recovery (99.8±4.3) and the assay of COD in different water samples. The results obtained were verified using the standard dichromate method.
Derivatization agents for electrochemical detection in amino acid, peptide and protein separations: The hidden electrochemistry?
Authors: Sierra Tania , Crevillen Agustin G. , Escarpa Alberto 
Published: July 2017

AbstractIn proteomics and clinical analysis, LIF and MS are the most used detectors coupled to separation techniques. MS offers good sensitivity and analyte identification ability but, as counterbalance, it is expensive and it needed background electrolytes compatible with mass spectrometers. LIF detection offers the highest sensitivity but, in general, proteins, peptides and amino acids are not fluorescents so it is necessary the use of fluorescence tags. This fact hindered the potential sensitivity of LIF detection due to the difficulty of labeling analytes at extremely low concentrations. In the context of micro‐ and nanofluidics, electrochemical detection (ED) is an excellent alternative to LIF and MS because it offers several advantages such as easy miniaturization, simpler methods, lower cost and high sensitivity in spite of decreasing the electrode size and sample volume. Among ED techniques, amperometric detection (AD and PAD) are the most used. The problem is that the sensitivity is not enough for the majority of proteomics and clinical applications. To overcome this handicap, electrochemical derivatization reagents have been employed with excellent results allowing limits of detection in nanomolar range. This review surveys all papers related to electrochemical derivatization reagents employed for amino acids, peptides and proteins in separation techniques. Additionally, we highlight the possibilities of this electrochemical tags in the context of micro‐ and nano‐ separation techniques and showed potential electrochemical tags which could be employed in the near future for proteomics applications.
CCR: Cost‐aware cell relocation in 6TiSCH networks
Authors: Chang Tengfei , Watteyne Thomas , Vilajosana Xavier , Wang Qin 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe Internet Engineering Task Force 6TiSCH Working Group standardizes the protocol stack for the Industrial Internet of Things, which combines the industrial performance of IEEE802.15.4 time‐slotted channel hopping (TSCH) with the addressability and Internet integration capabilities of Internet Protocol version 6. The 6top Protocol, which is part of 6TiSCH, allows distributed management of the TSCH communication schedule. The Scheduling Function Zero (SF0) is the default algorithm for a node to decide when to add/remove cells to its neighbors. SF0 picks the cells to add randomly; hence, it is possible that 2 nearby pairs of nodes pick the same cell, resulting in a schedule collision. This article introduces cost‐aware cell relocation (CCR), which is a solution to detect and fix such schedule collisions in a distributed manner. CCR monitors the performance of individual cells and uses that information to detect collisions. When such a collision is detected on a cell, neighbor nodes communicate to relocate that cell to a different slot/channel in the TSCH schedule. We implement CCR and run it on a 5‐node network on the Internet of Things Laboratory testbed. The results show that, compared with today's SF0 and for the same traffic requirements, CCR increases the average packet delivery ratio by 2% and reduces the number of cells that need to be scheduled by 27.3%.
Electrochemical Properties of Niobium Modified AISI316L Stainless Steel Bipolar Plates for Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cell
Authors: Cui Y. F. , Cui J. L. , Xu X. , Cheng F. P. , Wang L. X. , Li S. , Ji S. J. , Sun J. C. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractTo ameliorate the corrosion resistance and surface electrical conductivity of AISI316L stainless steel (316L SS) as bipolar plates for direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC), a niobium diffusion layer has been successfully prepared on 316L SS substrate via the plasma surface diffusion alloying (PSDA) technique. The niobium modified AISI316L stainless steel (Nb‐316L SS) has a compact and successive niobium diffusion layer with a lower interfacial contact resistance (ICR) compared with bare 316L SS. The electrochemical behaviors of Nb‐316L SS in simulated varied anode (0.05M H2SO4 + 2 ppm HF + xM formic acid (x = 2, 5, 10 and 15) solution at 50 °C) and cathode (0.05M H2SO4 + 2 ppm HF solution at 50 °C, bubbled with air) DFAFC environments are systematically studied. The results show that the corrosion resistance of 316L SS is distinctly bettered in both anode and cathode environments of DFAFC after the PSDA modification. After 4 h potentiostatic polarization tests, the ICR of bare and Nb‐316L SS have increased at the clamping force of 140 N cm−2, but the increasing amplitude of the ICR for Nb‐316L SS is much smaller than that of bare 316L SS.
Cytokine Mixtures Mimicking Secretomes From Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improve Medication‐Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in a Rat Model
Authors: Ogata Kenichi , Matsumura Mayu , Moriyama Masafumi , Katagiri Wataru , Hibi Hideharu , Nakamura Seiji 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTRecently, several studies have demonstrated that intravenous administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) improve medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ), and paracrine effects of secretomes from MSCs have been hypothesized as the primary contributors. These secretomes in conditioned media from human MSCs (MSC‐CM) were previously demonstrated to promote bone and tissue regeneration. Because MSC‐CM contain cytokines monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)‐1, insulin growth factor (IGF)‐1, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) at relatively higher concentrations than other factors, these cytokines were considered as relevant active factors for tissue regeneration. By mixing the recombinant proteins of MCP‐1, IGF‐1, and VEGF, included at the same concentrations in MSC‐CM, we prepared cytokine mixtures mimicking MSC‐CM and then evaluated its therapeutic effects in a rat MRONJ model. In vitro, cytokine mixtures promoted osteogenic differentiation, migration, and proliferation of rat MSCs. In addition, these maintained osteoclastic function. In vivo, we used a rat MRONJ model to examine therapeutic effects of the cytokine mixtures through intravenous administration. In MSC‐CM or cytokine mixture group, open alveolar sockets in 66% or 67% of the rats with MRONJ, respectively, healed with complete soft tissue coverage and socket bones, whereas in the other groups, the exposed necrotic bone with inflamed soft tissue remained. Histological analysis revealed new bone formation and the appearance of osteoclasts in MSC‐CM or cytokine mixture group; however, osteoclasts were significantly reduced in the other groups. Thus, we concluded that intravenous administration of cytokine mixtures might be an effective therapeutic modality for treating patients with MRONJ. © 2017 The Authors JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
MALDI‐FT‐ICR‐MS for archaeological lipid residue analysis
Authors: Oras Ester , Vahur Signe , Isaksson Sven , Kaljurand Ivari , Leito Ivo 
Published: July 2017

AbstractSoft‐ionization methods are currently at the forefront of developing novel methods for analysing degraded archaeological organic residues. Here, we present little‐used soft ionization method of matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization‐Fourier transform‐ion cyclotron resonance‐mass spectrometry (MALDI‐FT‐ICR‐MS) for the identification of archaeological lipid residues. It is a high‐resolution and sensitive method with low limits of detection capable of identifying lipid compounds in small concentrations, thus providing a highly potential new technique for the analysis of degraded lipid components. A thorough methodology development for analysing cooked and degraded food remains from ceramic vessels was carried out, and the most efficient sample preparation protocol is described. The identified components, also controlled by independent parallel analysis by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) and gas chromatography‐combustion‐isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC‐C‐IRMS), demonstrate its capability of identifying very different food residues including dairy, adipose fats as well as lipids of aquatic origin. The results obtained from experimentally cooked and original archaeological samples prove the suitability of MALDI‐FT‐ICR‐MS for analysing archaeological organic residues. Sample preparation protocol and identification of compounds provide future reference for analysing various aged and degraded lipid residues in different organic and mineral matrices.
Simulations of the observed ‘jump’ in the West African monsoon and its underlying dynamics using the MIT regional climate model
Authors: Im Eun‐Soon , Eltahir Elfatih A. B. 
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTThe observed seasonal migration of rainfall associated with the West African monsoon (WAM) is characterized by two regimes of relatively intense rainfall: an early, intense peak over the Guinean Coast during late May to early July; and a late, less‐intense peak over the Sahel during mid‐July to mid‐September. The transition between these two rainfall regimes occurs relatively quickly around the beginning of July. This quick transition can be described as a ‘jump’ of the WAM into the continent. Eltahir and Gong (1996) proposed a theory for the WAM whereby the solar radiation forcing during the summer shapes a distribution of boundary‐layer entropy that peaks over the continent. By assuming a quasi‐equilibrium balance between moist convection and the large‐scale radiative forcing, the distribution of boundary‐layer entropy can be linked to the absolute vorticity at the tropopause. According to this analytical theory, the onset of the monsoon, characterized by the ‘jump’, reflects of a nonlinear shift from a radiative‐convective equilibrium regime to an angular momentum conserving regime that would only occur when the value of absolute vorticity in the upper troposphere approaches a threshold of zero. It is because, when the absolute vorticity is significantly different from zero, then the air as a rotating fluid is too rigid to exhibit a meridional overturning. Here, we use the MIT regional climate model (MRCM) to test this theory further and reach a couple of conclusions. First, MRCM succeeds in reproducing the main features of the observed rainfall distribution, including the ‘jump’. Second, analysis of the rainfall, vorticity, entropy, and wind fields simulated by the model reveals a dynamical picture consistent with the proposed theory.
Climatic potential for summer and winter wine production
Authors: de Oliveira Aparecido Lucas Eduardo , Moreto Victor Brunini , de Souza Rolim Glauco , da Silva Cabral de Moraes José Reinaldo , Valeriano Taynara Tuany Borges , de Souza Paulo Sergio 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe geoviticultural multicriteria climatic classification (MCC) system provides an efficient guide for assessing the influence of climate on wine varieties. Paraná is one of the three states in southern Brazil that has great potential for the expansion of wine production, mainly due to the conditions that favour two harvests a year. The objective was to apply the geoviticultural MCC system in two production seasons. We used maximum, mean and minimum air temperature and precipitation for 1990–2015 for the state of Paraná. Air temperature and Precipitation were used to calculate the evapotranspiration and water balance. We applied the MCC system to identify potential areas for grapevine production for harvests in both summer and winter and then determined the climatic zones for each geoviticultural climate.RESULTSParaná has viticultural climates with conditions favourable for grapevine cultivation for the production of fine wines from summer and winter harvests. The conditions for the winter harvest provided wines with good coloration and high aromatic potential relative to the summer harvest.CONCLUSIONChardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Blanc and Müller‐Thurgau were suitable for regions with lower air temperatures and water deficits. Pinot Blanc and Müller‐Thurgau were typical for the southern region of Paraná. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Factors predictive of occult nipple‐areolar complex involvement in patients with carcinoma in situ of the breast
Authors: Hwang Hyeoseong , Park Seho , Koo Ja Seung , Park Hyung Seok , Kim Seung Il , Cho Young Up , Park Byeong‐Woo , Yoon Jung Hyun , Kim Min Jung , Kim Eun‐Kyung 
Published: July 2017

ObjectivesTo investigate predictors of occult nipple‐areolar complex (NAC) involvement in patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) and to validate an online probability calculator (CancerMath; www.lifemath.net/cancer/breastcancer/nipplecalc/index.php).MethodsMastectomized patients with CIS (n = 104) were retrospectively selected. Clinicopathology and preoperative mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were analyzed.ResultsHistopathological NAC‐positivity was confirmed in 20 (19.2%) patients. Short nipple‐tumor distance and suspicious extension to the nipple by mammography were significant but ultrasound was not significant to predict NAC involvement. NAC‐positive cases had MRI findings of shorter nipple‐tumor distance in both the early and delayed phases. Multivariable regression model showed age >50 years and shorter tumor‐nipple distance on the delay phase of MRI were statistically significant predictors of NAC involvement. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was 0.618 when calculated by CancerMath; however, an AUC of 0.954 was achieved when distance and age were applied together as predictor.ConclusionsMammographic and MRI findings were significant for predicting NAC involvement, with distance of the tumor from the nipple in delay phase MRI the most significant predictor of NAC involvement. Therefore, breast MRI could be beneficial for planning nipple‐sparing mastectomy in patients with CIS.