bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assimilating GPM hydrometeor retrievals in HWRF: choice of observation operators
Authors: Wu Ting‐Chi , Zupanski Milija 
Published: May 2017

AbstractA recent study investigated the capability to assimilate hydrometeor retrievals in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) system. Hydrometeor retrievals were obtained from a hurricane‐specific retrieval that utilizes data from the Global Measurement Mission Microwave Imager. Data assimilation system used in HWRF is the hybrid ensemble‐variational Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI). As a first attempt to assimilate hydrometeor retrievals in HWRF, observation operators for solid and liquid integrated water content were developed using the GSI standard control variables, such as temperature, pressure, and specific humidity, under the assumption that all water vapor in excess of saturation is condensed out. To improve the usefulness of assimilating hydrometeor retrievals in HWRF, this study extends this previous work by introducing new observation operators that (1) directly use hydrometeor species estimated from HWRF microphysics and (2) include total cloud condensate as a control variable. Hurricane Gonzalo (2014) was used to examine the performance of the old and new observation operators on HWRF analysis and subsequent forecasts with three pairs of experiments. Results suggest that when new observation operators are used the analysis is an improved fit to observations and realistic adjustments to control variables are evident as seen in analysis increment. In addition, the forecasts also indicate some improvements in hurricane intensity.
Conscious coupling: The challenges and opportunities of cascading enzymatic microreactors
Authors: Gruber Pia , Marques Marco P. C. , O'Sullivan Brian , Baganz Frank , Wohlgemuth Roland , Szita Nicolas 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe continuous production of high value or difficult to synthesize products is of increasing interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Cascading reaction systems have already been employed for chemical synthesis with great success, allowing a quick change in reaction conditions and addition of new reactants as well as removal of side products. A cascading system can remove the need for isolating unstable intermediates, increasing the yield of a synthetic pathway. Based on the success for chemical synthesis, the question arises how cascading systems could be beneficial to chemo‐enzymatic or biocatalytic synthesis. Microreactors, with their rapid mass and heat transfer, small reaction volumes and short diffusion pathways, are promising tools for the development of such processes. In this mini‐review, the authors provide an overview of recent examples of cascaded microreactors. Special attention will be paid to how microreactors are combined and the challenges as well as opportunities that arise from such combinations. Selected chemical reaction cascades will be used to illustrate this concept, before the discussion is widened to include chemo‐enzymatic and multi‐enzyme cascades. The authors also present the state of the art of online and at‐line monitoring for enzymatic microreactor cascades. Finally, the authors review work‐up and purification steps and their integration with microreactor cascades, highlighting the potential and the challenges of integrated cascades.
High‐Performance Asymmetric Li‐Ion Pseudocapacitors Based on Pyroprotein Nanowebs
Authors: Cho Se Youn , Kim Na Rae , Jin Hyoung‐Joon , Yun Young Soo 
Published: May 2017

AbstractModern industrial technologies require high power and energy storage devices with long‐term cycling stabilities; the electrochemical performances of these devices are mainly dependent on the active electrode materials and their energy storage mechanisms. In this study, nanoweb‐structured pyroprotein nanofibers (NW‐PNFs) were prepared from electrospun silk protein by pyrolysis. NW‐PNFs have an open macroporous structure formed by entangled nanofibers and numerous micropores originating from the amorphous pseudographitic microstructure of the nanofibers. In addition, they possessed a large number of heteroatoms (10.3 at. % oxygen and 5.2 at. % nitrogen). These material properties led to superior Li‐ion storage performances with high reversible capacity of about 1,050 mA h g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and great cycling performance over 3,000 cycles. In particular, NW‐PNFs exhibited high rate capability even at the specific current of 50 A g−1, at which the high specific capacity of circa 400 mA h g−1 was achieved. Furthermore, asymmetric Li‐ion storage devices based on NW‐PNFs showed feasible electrochemical performances with a maximum specific energy of 235.7 Wh kg−1 at 188.6 W kg−1 and maximum power of 21,220 W kg−1 at 69.6 Wh kg−1.
Basic rules of NO oxidation by Fe2+/H2O2/AA directional decomposition system
Authors: Zhao Haiqian , Gao Xingcun , Liu Chenghao , Wang Zhonghua , Qi Hanbing 
Published: May 2017

AbstractBasic rules of NO oxidation by a Fe2+/H2O2/AA directional decomposition system were researched based on the technical background of flue gas NOx removal. Effects of gas‐liquid interfacial area, main gas, and solution parameters on NO oxidation efficiency (η) were analyzed. The results showed that adequate contact area was the precondition for high η by a Fe2+/H2O2/AA system. η decreased with the increase in NO concentration, which illustrated that this method would be efficient in oxidizing NO at a low concentration. η tended to decrease linearly with the growth in gas flow, however, the NO oxidation rate (v) rose with the increase in NO concentration and gas flow. η increased with the initial concentrations of H2O2 and Fe2+, but the amplitude decreased. Controlling the initial concentrations of H2O2 and Fe2+ to achieve reasonable synergies between generation rate and consumption rate of ·OH could weaken the invalid consumption of reactants. η increased with the increase in temperature in the range 30–60 °C, but it nearly did not change with temperature after 60 °C. This oxidation technology and the traditional wet flue gas desulphurization technology exhibited temperature synergy. Under typical pH of wet desulphurization, η and H2O2 consumption rate did not change obviously.
Recent Progress of Mussel‐Inspired Underwater Adhesives
Authors: Zhang Ke , Zhang Feilong , Song Yongyang , Fan Jun‐Bing , Wang Shutao 
Published: May 2017

AbstractUnderwater adhesion is greatly desired in tissue transplantation, medical treatment, ocean transportation, and so on. However, common commercial polymeric adhesives are rather weakened and easily destroyed in water environment. In nature, some marine organisms, such as mussels, barnacles, or tube worms, exhibiting excellent underwater adhesion up to robust bonding on the rock of sea floor, can give exciting solutions to address the problem. Among these marine organisms, mussels exhibit unique underwater adhesion via the foot proteins of byssus. It has been verified that the catechol groups from the side chain of the mussel foot proteins is the main contribution to the unique underwater adhesion. Hence, inspired by the mussels’ underwater adhesion, many mussel‐mimetic polymers with catechol as end chains or side chains have been developed in the past decades. Here, we review recent progress of mussel‐inspired underwater adhesives polymers from their catechol‐functional design to their potential applications in intermediates, anti‐biofouling, self‐healing of hydrogels, biological adhesives, and drug delivery. The review may provide basis and help for the development of the commercial underwater adhesives.
County‐level cumulative environmental quality associated with cancer incidence
Authors: Jagai Jyotsna S. , Messer Lynne C. , Rappazzo Kristen M. , Gray Christine L. , Grabich Shannon C. , Lobdell Danelle T. 
Published: May 2017

BACKGROUNDIndividual environmental exposures are associated with cancer development; however, environmental exposures occur simultaneously. The Environmental Quality Index (EQI) is a county‐level measure of cumulative environmental exposures that occur in 5 domains.METHODSThe EQI was linked to county‐level annual age‐adjusted cancer incidence rates from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program state cancer profiles. All‐site cancer and the top 3 site‐specific cancers for male and female subjects were considered. Incident rate differences (IRDs; annual rate difference per 100,000 persons) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using fixed‐slope, random intercept multilevel linear regression models. Associations were assessed with domain‐specific indices and analyses were stratified by rural/urban status.RESULTSComparing the highest quintile/poorest environmental quality with the lowest quintile/best environmental quality for overall EQI, all‐site county‐level cancer incidence rate was positively associated with poor environmental quality overall (IRD, 38.55; 95% CI, 29.57‐47.53) and for male (IRD, 32.60; 95% CI, 16.28‐48.91) and female (IRD, 30.34; 95% CI, 20.47‐40.21) subjects, indicating a potential increase in cancer incidence with decreasing environmental quality. Rural/urban stratified models demonstrated positive associations comparing the highest with the lowest quintiles for all strata, except the thinly populated/rural stratum and in the metropolitan/urbanized stratum. Prostate and breast cancer demonstrated the strongest positive associations with poor environmental quality.CONCLUSIONWe observed strong positive associations between the EQI and all‐site cancer incidence rates, and associations differed by rural/urban status and environmental domain. Research focusing on single environmental exposures in cancer development may not address the broader environmental context in which cancers develop, and future research should address cumulative environmental exposures. Cancer 2017;123:2901–8. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Climate and landscape drive the pace and pattern of conifer encroachment into subalpine meadows
Authors: Lubetkin Kaitlin C. , Westerling Anthony LeRoy , Kueppers Lara M. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractMountain meadows have high biodiversity and help regulate stream water release following the snowmelt pulse. However, many meadows are experiencing woody plant encroachment, threatening these ecosystem services. While there have been field surveys of individual meadows and remote sensing‐based landscape‐scale studies of encroachment, what is missing is a broad‐scale, ground‐based study to understand common regional drivers, especially at high elevations, where land management has often played a less direct role. With this study, we ask: What are the climate and landscape conditions conducive to woody plant encroachment at the landscape scale, and how has historical climate variation affected tree recruitment in subalpine meadows over time? We measured density of encroaching trees across 340 subalpine meadows in the central Sierra Nevada, California, USA, and used generalized additive models (GAMs) to determine the relationship between landscape‐scale patterns of encroachment and meadow environmental properties. We determined ages of trees in 30 survey meadows, used observed climate and GAMs to model the relationship between timing of recruitment and climate since the early 1900s, and extrapolated recruitment patterns into the future using downscaled climate scenarios. Encroachment was high among meadows with lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon var. murrayana (Balf.) Engelm.) in the immediate vicinity, at lower elevations, with physical conditions favoring strong soil drying, and with maximum temperatures above or below average. Climatic conditions during the year of germination were unimportant, with tree recruitment instead depending on a 3‐yr seed production period prior to germination and a 6‐yr seedling establishment period following germination. Recruitment was high when the seed production period had high snowpack, and when the seedling establishment period had warm summer maximum temperatures, high summer precipitation, and high snowpack. Applying our temporal model to downscaled output from four global climate models indicated that the average meadow will shift to forest by the end of the 21st century. Sierra Nevada meadow encroachment by conifers is ubiquitous and associated with climate conditions increasingly favorable for tree recruitment, which will lead to substantial changes in subalpine meadows and the ecosystem services they provide.
Why phylogenies do not always predict ecological differences
Authors: Cadotte Marc W. , Davies T. Jonathan , Peres‐Neto Pedro R. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe merger of phylogenies with ecology has given rise to the field of “community phylogenetics,” predicated on the assumption that ecological differences among species can be estimated from phylogenetic relationships (the phylogenetic distance/ecological difference,or PDED, hypothesis). A number of studies have failed to find strong support for this assumption, thus challenging the utility of phylogenetic approaches. This gap might highlight the fact that thePDEDrelationship is not useful for community assembly, but it is difficult to know because the lack of a relationship might also be due to a number of biological or methodological reasons, including inappropriate phylogenies, skewed distributions of phylogenetic distances, the lack of consideration of models of trait evolution, or the absence of sufficient niche space in experimental and observational venues. Each of these limitations, separately or combined, may confound recent experimental or observational results that examine relationships between phylogenetic distance and ecological differences. Notably, common evolutionary models can support alternative conclusions about the relationship between evolutionary distances and ecological differences than typically assumed and can change interpretations of community‐based phylogenetic analyses. Here we review a number of issues that may lead to confounded effects in community phylogenetic analyses. In light of these potential pitfalls, we provide a number of guidelines for researchers to follow and stress that they need to address methodological shortcomings before concluding that ecological differences are unrelated to phylogenetic distances.
Label‐free Electrochemical Immunosensor for Cardiac Troponin T Based on Exfoliated Graphite Nanoplatelets Decorated with Gold Nanoparticles
Authors: Zanato Nicole , Talamini Lucas , Zapp Eduardo , Brondani Daniela , Vieira Iolanda Cruz 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThis paper describes the application of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnP) decorated with gold nanoparticles (AuNP) for the development of a label‐free electrochemical immunosensor for the determination of human cardiac troponin T (TnT), an important cardiac biomarker in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Heparin‐stabilized AuNP (AuNP‐Hep) were synthesized, characterized and supported on xGnP. The material obtained (AuNP‐Hep‐xGnP) was used as a platform to immobilize the anti‐TnT by adsorption and this was then applied in the construction of an immunosensor. Under optimized conditions, using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and an incubation time of 20 min, the proposed immunosensor showed linearity in the range of 0.050 to 0.35 ng mL−1 TnT, with a calculated limit of detection of 0.016 ng mL−1. The interday precision (n=7) showed a coefficient of variation of 6.5 %. Some potential interferents commonly present in blood plasma samples were investigated and the degree of interference was found to be low (less than 10 %), demonstrating adequate selectivity for analytical applications. The biosensor was successfully applied in the determination of TnT in fortified samples of human blood plasma.
Glucuronides of phytoestrogen flavonoid enhance macrophage function via conversion to aglycones by β‐glucuronidase in macrophages
Authors: Kaneko Atsushi , Matsumoto Takashi , Matsubara Yosuke , Sekiguchi Kyoji , Koseki Junichi , Yakabe Ryo , Aoki Katsuyuki , Aiba Setsuya , Yamasaki Kenshi 
Published: May 2017

AbstractIntroductionFlavonoids are converted to inactive metabolites like glucuronides in the gut, and circulate mainly as glucuronides in blood stream, resulting in low concentrations of active aglycones in plasma. It is therefore unclear how oral flavonoids exert their effects in tissues. We recently reported the plasma pharmacokinetics of some flavonoids and suggested the possibility that the absorbed flavonoids modified macrophage functions leading to enhance bacterial clearance. We aimed to confirm their pharmacological profiles focusing on tissue macrophages.MethodsPseudoinfection was induced by intradermal injection of FITC‐conjugated and killed Staphylococcus aureus into the ears of mice treated with or without genistein 7‐O‐glucuronide (GEN7G, 1 mg/kg, i.v.). FACS analysis was performed on single cell suspensions dispersed enzymatically from the skin lesions at 6 h post pseudoinfection to evaluate phagocytic activities of monocytes/macrophages (CD11b+Ly6G−) and neutrophils (CD11b+Ly6G+). Phagocytosis of the FITC‐conjugated bacteria by four glucuronides including GEN7G was evaluated in cultures of mouse macrophages.ResultsAfter GEN7G injection, genistein was identified in the inflamed ears as well as GEN7G, and the phagocytic activity of CD11b+Ly6G− cells was increased. GEN7G was converted to genistein by incubation with macrophage‐related β‐glucuronidase. Macrophage culture assays revealed that GEN7G increased phagocytosis, and the action was dampened by a β‐glucuronidase inhibitor. Binding of aglycones to estrogen receptors (ERs), putative receptors of flavonoid aglycones, correlated to biological activities, and glucuronidation reduced the binding to ERs. An ER antagonist suppressed the increase of macrophage function by GEN7G, whereas estradiol enhanced phagocytosis as well.ConclusionsThis study suggests a molecular mechanism by which oral flavonoids are carried as glucuronides and activated to aglycones by β‐glucuronidase in tissue macrophages, and contributes to the pharmacological study of glucuronides.
Comparative study of the correlation between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis in women in Japan and Mongolia
Authors: Fujihara Yuya , Nawata Hajime , Honda Masanao , Kunitake Tsuyoshi , Aida Eiji , Nagai Tetsu , Kuramochi Hitoshi , Ueno Junichi , Yoshimoto Shoji , Muta Kazuo 
Published: May 2017

AbstractObjectiveAssociations between vascular calcification and osteoporosis are well documented, yet effects of lifestyle on atherosclerosis and osteoporosis remain unclear. This study evaluated the relationship between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis of people with different lifestyles living on Uku Island in Japan (rice consumption and fishing lifestyle) and in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia (meat consumption and nomadic lifestyle), and investigated the differences of lifestyles on atherosclerosis and osteoporosis.MethodsParticipants were women aged over 50 years who had undergone a previous medical examination for atherosclerosis and osteoporosis (Uku Island, 104, Ulaanbaatar, 71). Lifestyle habits were obtained by questionnaire. Bone mineral density of the right calcaneus was measured using quantitative ultrasound. Brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity was measured as an index of atherosclerosis.ResultsThere were no significant differences in bone mineral density and brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity between the two groups, even though meat and dairy intake, number of meals skipped, and number of children were significantly greater in participants from Ulaanbaatar compared with Uku Island. Brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity showed significant positive correlations with age, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and body mass index and a significant negative correlation with bone mineral density for both groups. With step‐wise multiple regression analysis, brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity significantly correlated with age and bone mineral density for both populations. Systolic blood pressure significantly correlated with brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity for the Ulaanbaatar group.ConclusionsDespite significant lifestyle differences, similar relationships between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis were observed in women from Uku Island and Ulaanbaatar. Hypertension was a significant contributing factor for atherosclerosis for the Ulaanbaatar group.
On the Minimum Edge‐Density of 4‐Critical Graphs of Girth Five
Authors: Liu Chun‐Hung , Postle Luke 
Published: May 2017

AbstractIn a recent seminal work, Kostochka and Yancey proved that for every 4‐critical graph G. In this article, we prove that for every 4‐critical graph G with girth at least five. When combined with another result of the second author, the improvement on the constant term leads to a corollary that there exist such that for every 4‐critical graph G with girth at least five. Moreover, it provides a unified and shorter proof of both a result of Thomassen and a result of Thomas and Walls without invoking any topological property, where the former proves that every graph with girth five embeddable in the projective plane or torus is 3‐colorable, and the latter proves the same for the Klein bottle.
Lumbar multifidus muscle degenerates in individuals with chronic degenerative lumbar spine pathology
Authors: Shahidi Bahar , Hubbard James C. , Gibbons Michael C. , Ruoss Severin , Zlomislic Vinko , Allen Richard Todd , Garfin Steven R. , Ward Samuel R. 
Published: May 2017

ABSTRACTHistological and cell‐level changes in the lumbar musculature in individuals with chronic lumbar spine degenerative conditions are not well characterized. Although prior literature supports evidence of changes in fiber type and size, little information exists describing the tissue quality and biology of pathological features of muscle in this population. The purpose of this study was to quantify multifidus tissue composition and structure, inflammation, vascularity, and degeneration in individuals with chronic degenerative lumbar spine pathology. Human multifidus biopsies were acquired from 22 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for chronic degenerative lumbar spine pathology. Relative fractions of muscle, adipose, and extracellular matrix were quantified along with muscle fiber type and cross‐sectional area (CSA) and markers of inflammation, vascularity, satellite cell density, and muscle degeneration. On average, multifidus biopsies contained 48.5% muscle, 11.7% adipose tissue, and 26.1% collagen tissue. Elevated inflammatory cell counts (48.5 ± 30.0 macrophages/mm2) and decreased vascularity (275.6 ± 69.4 vessels/mm2) were also observed compared to normative values. Satellite cell densities were on average 13 ± 9 cells per every 100 muscle fibers. Large fiber CSA (3,996.0 ± 1,909.2 µm2) and a predominance of type I fibers (61.8 ± 18.0%) were observed in addition to evidence of pathological degeneration‐regeneration cycling (18.8 ± 9.4% centrally nucleated fibers, and 55.2 ± 24.2% of muscle regions containing degeneration). High levels of muscle degeneration, inflammation, and decreased vascularity were commonly seen in human multifidus biopsies of individuals with lumbar spine pathology in comparison to normative data. Evidence of active muscle degeneration suggests that changes in muscle tissue are more complex than simple atrophy. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2700–2706, 2017.