bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatial extent and consequences of black bass (Micropterus spp.) invasion in a Cape Floristic Region river basin
Authors: Van Der Walt Johannes A. , Weyl Olaf L. F. , Woodford Darragh J. , Radloff Frans G. T. 
Published: December 2015

Abstract

Black bass (Micropterus spp.) are invasive fish that have adversely affected native fish communities in many regions of the world. They are known to threaten native fishes in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, a fish endemism hotspot, but the extent of invasion and consistency of impacts at river basin scales are not known.
This study investigated the extent of black bass invasions in 41 tributaries in the Olifants–Doorn River basin (ODR) using above‐water observations, snorkel surveys and underwater video assessment. Physical barriers that defined the upper limit of black bass distributions in tributaries were measured. Black bass impacts on the densities and diversity of the native fish fauna across the basin were assessed.
Black bass were found to have invaded 81% of stream habitat in the basin, with Micropterus dolomieu and Micropterus punctulatus consistently being blocked by physical barriers in the form of waterfalls, cascades and chutes. These barriers had a minimum height of 49 cm and a median height of 1.09 m.
Small‐bodied cyprinid minnows (Barbus calidus and Pseudobarbus phlegethon) were consistently extirpated from black bass‐occupied reaches, while larger cyprinid species co‐occurred with black bass, but only when they were larger than 10 cm.
These findings demonstrate the severe habitat loss to native fishes as a result of black bass invasion, and the prevention of the further spread and removal of black bass from these rivers should be a high conservation priority.
The study demonstrates the critical role physical barriers play in preventing the extinction of native fish species and provides a basis for the planning of conservation interventions such as the construction of in‐stream invasion barriers.
Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Low Frequency Sensitivity Function Constraints for Nonlinear ‐stable Networked Control
Authors: Wigren Torbjörn 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe paper derives a robust networked controller design method for systems with saturation where the delay is large and uncertain, as in one‐directional data flow‐control. A classical linear H∞ criterion is first formulated in terms of the sensitivity and complementary sensitivity functions. A new asymptotic constraint is then derived, which specifies the minimum amount of low frequency gain that is needed in the sensitivity function to conclude on non‐linear closed loop
‐stability using the Popov criterion. This result guides the selection of the design criterion, thereby adjusting the linear controller design for better handling of delay and saturation. The controller design method then uses gridding to pre‐compute a subset of the
stability region. Based on the pre‐computed region, a robust
‐stable controller can be selected. Alternatively, an adaptive controller could recompute
‐stable controllers on‐line using the pre‐computed region. Simulations show that the controller meets the specified stability and performance requirements.
Immobilization of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans on cotton gauze for biological oxidation of ferrous ions in a batch bioreactor
Authors: Zhu Nengwu , Shi Chaohong , Shang Ru , Yang Chong , Xu Zhiguo , Wu Pingxiao 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe ability of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to oxidize ferrous iron has been extensively studied in bioleaching to recover metal resources. Although immobilization of A. ferrooxidans is of great importance to achieve high bioleaching performance in practical application, the reported approaches of immobilization of A. ferrooxidans are still limited. This paper is attempting to develop a novel method to immobilize A. ferrooxidans by a less‐costly effective carrier from zeolite, activated carbon, and cotton gauze. The results showed that cotton gauze was the most suitable carrier to immobilize A. ferrooxidans cells in comparison with zeolite and activated carbon. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans immobilized on the cotton gauze by gravity dehydration could achieve an average ferrous iron oxidation rate of 0.73 g/(L·h). Furthermore, the ferrous iron oxidation ratio attained in the bioreactor under batch operation was maintained above 97.83%. All results indicated that cotton gauze could be an efficient carrier for immobilizing A. ferrooxidans cells for the biooxidation of ferrous ions.
Characterization of a novel highly thermostable esterase from the Gram‐positive soil bacterium Streptomyces lividans TK64
Authors: Wang Baojuan , Wang Ao , Cao Zhengyu , Zhu Guoping 
Published: December 2015

AbstractA novel esterase gene (estW) from soil bacterium Streptomyces lividans TK64 was successfully cloned using a pair of homologous primers. The estW gene encoded a protein (EstW) of 289 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular weight of 31.43 kDa. Sequence alignment revealed that EstW show relatively high levels of homology to other lipolytic enzymes characterized from Streptomyces and phylogenetic analysis suggested EstW belongs to the bacterial lipase/esterase family I. The estW gene was expressed at a high level in Escherichia coli and the recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity. The purified EstW was characterized via hydrolysis of various p‐nitrophenyl esters and the best substrate was found to be p‐nitrophenyl acetate (pNPA). Maximal activity of the recombinant protein was observed at pH 8.0 and 50 °C with pNPA as the substrate. The calculated activation energy (Ea) of the esterase reaction was 9.12 kcal/mol. Half‐life of EstW at 95 °C was approximately 12.5 H, making it the most thermostable esterase among all of the known lipolytic enzymes from Streptomyces, and the thermostability of EstW was similar to those of some enzymes characterized from the thermophilic bacteria. EstW exhibited relatively high tolerance to several detergents and required no cations for its maximal activity. The unique properties of EstW, namely its high thermostability and stability in the presence of organic solvents, may render it a potential candidate for industrial applications.
Hospital of diagnosis and probability of having surgical treatment for resectable gastric cancer
Authors: van Putten M , Verhoeven R H A , van Sandick J W , Plukker J T M , Lemmens V E P P , Wijnhoven B P L , Nieuwenhuijzen G A P 
Published: December 2015

Abstract

Background
Gastric cancer surgery is increasingly being centralized in the Netherlands, whereas the diagnosis is often made in hospitals where gastric cancer surgery is not performed. The aim of this study was to assess whether hospital of diagnosis affects the probability of undergoing surgery and its impact on overall survival.

Methods
All patients with potentially curable gastric cancer according to stage (cT1/1b–4a, cN0–2, cM0) diagnosed between 2005 and 2013 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the probability of undergoing surgery according to hospital of diagnosis. The effect of variation in probability of undergoing surgery among hospitals of diagnosis on overall survival during the intervals 2005–2009 and 2010–2013 was examined by using Cox regression analysis.

Results
A total of 5620 patients with potentially curable gastric cancer, diagnosed in 91 hospitals, were included. The proportion of patients who underwent surgery ranged from 53·1 to 83·9 per cent according to hospital of diagnosis (P &lt; 0·001); after multivariable adjustment for patient and tumour characteristics it ranged from 57·0 to 78·2 per cent (P &lt; 0·001). Multivariable Cox regression showed that patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2013 in hospitals with a low probability of patients undergoing curative treatment had worse overall survival (hazard ratio 1·21; P &lt; 0·001).

Conclusion
The large variation in probability of receiving surgery for gastric cancer between hospitals of diagnosis and its impact on overall survival indicates that gastric cancer decision-making is suboptimal.
Phase 1 Study of Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of PTC299, an Inhibitor of Stress‐Regulated Protein Translation
Authors: Weetall Marla , Davis Thomas , Elfring Gary , Northcutt Valerie , Cao Liangxian , Moon Young‐Choon , Riebling Peter , Dali Mandar , Hirawat Samit , Babiak John , Colacino Joseph , Almstead Neil , Spiegel Robert , Peltz Stuart W. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractPTC299 is a novel small molecule that specifically blocks the production of protein from selected mRNAs that under certain conditions use noncanonical ribosomal translational pathways. Hypoxia, oncogenic transformation, and viral infections limit normal translation and turn on these noncanonical translation pathways that are sensitive to PTC299. Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) is an example of a transcript that is posttranscriptionally regulated. Single doses of PTC299 (0.03 to 3 mg/kg) were administered orally to healthy volunteers in a phase 1 single ascending‐dose study. In a subsequent multiple ascending‐dose study in healthy volunteers, multiple‐dose regimens (0.3 to 1.2 mg/kg twice a day or 1.6 mg/kg 3 times a day for 7 days) were evaluated. PTC299 was well tolerated in these studies. As expected in healthy volunteers, mean plasma VEGF levels did not change. Increases in Cmax and AUC of PTC299 were dose‐proportional. The target trough plasma concentration associated with preclinical efficacy was achieved within 7 days at doses of 0.6 mg/kg twice daily and above. These data demonstrate that PTC299 is orally bioavailable and well tolerated and support clinical evaluation of PTC299 in cancer, certain viral infections, or other diseases in which deregulation of translational control is a causal factor.
Low‐cost multi‐standard simultaneous forward and inverse video transform core
Authors: Tseng Yun‐Hua , Chen Yuan‐Ho , Kao Tze‐Yang , Lu Chih‐Wen 
Published: December 2015

SummaryThis paper presents a cost‐effective, two‐dimensional (2‐D) discrete cosine transform (DCT) and inverse discrete cosine transform (IDCT) capable of MPEG1/2/4, H.264 4 × 4/8 × 8, and VC‐1 4 × 4/8 × 8/4 × 8/8 × 4 standards. We developed multilevel factor sharing in conjunction with distributed arithmetic in a scheme referred to as common sharing distributed arithmetic to enable sharing of the coefficient matrix circuit and replace multipliers with adders and shifters. By taking advantage of the similarities between DCT and IDCT transforms, we were able to implement an interlaced sorting method in a single circuit of the DCT and IDCT transform core in order to reduce area overhead while enabling the simultaneous operation of DCT and IDCT. The proposed design arranges the data of the first dimension and second dimension in order to reuse the same 1‐D core to compute 2‐D data. In this manner, first dimension and second dimension data of DCT and IDCT can be processed simultaneously in a single transform core. The efficacy of the proposed approach has been verified by fabricating a test chip using the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) 0.18 µm complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor process. The inverse transform core was shown to have an operating frequency of 227 MHz and throughput of 454 Mpel/s with a gate count of 32.5 k. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Climate and density influence annual survival and movement in a migratory songbird
Authors: McKellar Ann E. , Reudink Matthew W. , Marra Peter P. , Ratcliffe Laurene M. , Wilson Scott 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAssessing the drivers of survival across the annual cycle is important for understanding when and how population limitation occurs in migratory animals. Density‐dependent population regulation can occur during breeding and nonbreeding periods, and large‐scale climate cycles can also affect survival throughout the annual cycle via their effects on local weather and vegetation productivity. Most studies of survival use mark–recapture techniques to estimate apparent survival, but true survival rates remain obscured due to unknown rates of permanent emigration. This is especially problematic when assessing annual survival of migratory birds, whose movement between breeding attempts, or breeding dispersal, can be substantial. We used a multistate approach to examine drivers of annual survival and one component of breeding dispersal (habitat‐specific movements) in a population of American redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) over 11 years in two adjacent habitat types. Annual survival displayed a curvilinear relation to the Southern Oscillation Index, with lower survival during La Niña and El Niño conditions. Although redstart density had no impact on survival, habitat‐specific density influenced local movements between habitat types, with redstarts being less likely to disperse from their previous year's breeding habitat as density within that habitat increased. This finding was strongest in males and may be explained by conspecific attraction influencing settlement decisions. Survival was lowest in young males, but movement was highest in this group, indicating that apparent survival rates were likely biased low due to permanent emigration. Our findings demonstrate the utility of examining breeding dispersal in mark–recapture studies and complement recent work using spatially explicit models of dispersal probability to obtain greater accuracy in survival estimates.
Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Effects on Binge Eating Behaviour and Obsessive–Compulsive and Impulsive Features in Adults with Binge Eating Disorder
Authors: McElroy Susan L. , Mitchell James E. , Wilfley Denise , Gasior Maria , Ferreira‐Cornwell M. Celeste , McKay Michael , Wang Jiannong , Whitaker Timothy , Hudson James I. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractIn a published 11‐week, placebo‐controlled trial, 50 and 70 mg/d lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX), but not 30 mg/d LDX, significantly reduced binge eating days (primary endpoint) in adults with binge eating disorder (BED). This report provides descriptions of LDX effects on secondary endpoints (Binge Eating Scale [BES]; Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire [TFEQ]; Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for Binge Eating [Y‐BOCS‐BE]; and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, version 11 [BIS‐11]) from that study. Week 11 least squares mean treatment differences favoured all LDX doses over placebo on the BES (p ≤ 0.03), TFEQ Disinhibition and Hunger subscales (all p < 0.05), and Y‐BOCS‐BE total, obsessive, and compulsive scales (all p ≤ 0.02) and on BIS‐11 total score at 70 mg/d LDX (p = 0.015) and the TFEQ Cognitive Restraint subscale at 30 and 70 mg/d LDX (both p<0.05). These findings indicate that LDX decreased global binge eating severity and obsessive–compulsive and impulsive features of BED in addition to binge eating days. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Body Image in Anorexia Nervosa: Body Size Estimation Utilising a Biological Motion Task and Eyetracking
Authors: Phillipou Andrea , Rossell Susan Lee , Gurvich Caroline , Castle David Jonathan , Troje Nikolaus Friedrich , Abel Larry Allen 
Published: December 2015

AbstractObjectiveAnorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric condition characterised by a distortion of body image. However, whether individuals with AN can accurately perceive the size of other individuals' bodies is unclear.MethodIn the current study, 24 women with AN and 24 healthy control participants undertook two biological motion tasks while eyetracking was performed: to identify the gender and to indicate the walkers' body size.ResultsAnorexia nervosa participants tended to ‘hyperscan’ stimuli but did not demonstrate differences in how visual attention was directed to different body areas, relative to controls. Groups also did not differ in their estimation of body size.DiscussionThe hyperscanning behaviours suggest increased anxiety to disorder‐relevant stimuli in AN. The lack of group difference in the estimation of body size suggests that the AN group was able to judge the body size of others accurately. The findings are discussed in terms of body image distortion specific to oneself in AN. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Creep of prestressing steels in fire
Authors: Gales John , Robertson Lucie , Bisby Luke 
Published: December 2015

SummaryWhen prestressing steel (PS) is applied as continuous unbonded tendons within concrete, as in the case of post‐tensioned (PT) construction, localized damage to the tendons may affect the integrity of the entire structure. When fire exposed, unbonded PT concrete structures are prone to tendon rupture because of a complex relaxation and strength reduction relationship influenced by high temperature PS creep. Explicit consideration of creep is necessary for the fire safe design of such buildings. High temperature PS creep has received limited research: few models can be used within the expected service stress range; none reliably model tertiary creep; and no studies are available investigating the influences of metallurgy on high temperature PS creep. A BS 5896 PS creep model is developed and validated. This model is used to provide PS failure insights at high temperatures. This understanding can be used to build validated models of structural fire experiments on PT concrete structural elements and to develop defensible, validated structural models that are essential towards performance based structural fire design of such systems. Finally, the high temperature creep performance of equivalent PS from different mills is compared, demonstrating strong influence of manufacturing and alloying techniques used. Future research is discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Price, Information, and Transactions Cost Interventions to Raise Voluntary Enrollment in a Social Health Insurance Scheme: A Randomized Experiment in the Philippines
Authors: Capuno Joseph J. , Kraft Aleli D. , Quimbo Stella , Tan Carlos R. , Wagstaff Adam 
Published: December 2015

AbstractA cluster randomized experiment was undertaken testing two sets of interventions encouraging enrollment in the Individually Paying Program (IPP), the voluntary component of the Philippines' social health insurance program. In early 2011, 1037 unenrolled IPP‐eligible families in 179 randomly selected intervention municipalities were given an information kit and offered a 50% premium subsidy valid until the end of 2011; 383 IPP‐eligible families in 64 control municipalities were not. In February 2012, the 787 families in the intervention sites who were still IPP‐eligible but had not enrolled had their vouchers extended, were resent the enrollment kits and received SMS reminders. Half the group also received a ‘handholding’ intervention: in the endline interview, the enumerator offered to help complete the enrollment form, deliver it to the insurer's office in the provincial capital, and mail the membership cards. The main intervention raised the enrollment rate by 3 percentage points (ppts) (p = 0.11), with an 8 ppt larger effect (p < 0.01) among city‐dwellers, consistent with travel time to the insurance office affecting enrollment. The handholding intervention raised enrollment by 29 ppts (p < 0.01), with a smaller effect (p < 0.01) among city‐dwellers, likely because of shorter travel times, and higher education levels facilitating unaided completion of the enrollment form. Copyright © The World Bank Health Economics © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Charity Rankings: Delivering Development or Dehumanising Aid?
Authors: Cochrane Logan , Thornton Alec 
Published: December 2015

AbstractIndividuals want to know which organisations to donate to, and a variety of organisations have developed ranking systems to guide them. This paper explores charity ranking, with a particular focus on the increasing role of impact and ‘cost‐effectiveness’. Ranking systems are composed of a selection of metrics, which may miss important components and, as a result, create a set of unintended outcomes. We argue that an emphasis on cost‐effectiveness and impact in ranking promotes simple, technocratic activities, negatively affects human rights‐based interventions and de‐prioritises inventions that work in remote, complex settings. The topic of charity ranking and its influence on private donors is limited in the literature, and this paper seeks to make a contribution to this important debate. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonuniform transmission lines analysis by meshless point interpolation methods
Authors: Benkhaoua Larbi , Benhabiles Mohamed T. , Riabi Mohamed Lahdi 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThree meshless time domain methods are investigated for the solution of the telegrapher's equation applied to the nonuniform transmission line. The approach is based on a combination of the point interpolation methods and the leapfrog algorithm. The accuracy of the proposed methods is confronted with both the Finite‐Difference Time‐Domain (FDTD) and the wavelet expansion methods. The strong stability, the flexibility, and the fast convergence of the computing scheme are set in evidence from the computational results for two examples: the linear tapered transmission line and the transmission line balun. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Planting seeds for the future of food
Authors: Green Hilary , Broun Pierre , Cakmak Ismail , Condon Liam , Fedoroff Nina , Gonzalez‐Valero Juan , Graham Ian , Lewis Josette , Moloney Maurice , Oniang'o Ruth K , Sanginga Nteranya , Shewry Peter , Roulin Anne 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe health and wellbeing of future generations will depend on humankind's ability to deliver sufficient nutritious food to a world population in excess of 9 billion. Feeding this many people by 2050 will require science‐based solutions that address sustainable agricultural productivity and enable healthful dietary patterns in a more globally equitable way. This topic was the focus of a multi‐disciplinary international conference hosted by Nestlé in June 2015, and provides the inspiration for the present article. The conference brought together a diverse range of expertise and organisations from the developing and industrialised world, all with a common interest in safeguarding the future of food. This article provides a snapshot of three of the recurring topics that were discussed during this conference: soil health, plant science and the future of farming practice. Crop plants and their cultivation are the fundamental building blocks for a food secure world. Whether these are grown for food or feed for livestock, they are the foundation of food and nutrient security. Many of the challenges for the future of food will be faced where the crops are grown: on the farm. Farmers need to plant the right crops and create the right conditions to maximise productivity (yield) and quality (e.g. nutritional content), whilst maintaining the environment, and earning a living. New advances in science and technology can provide the tools and know‐how that will, together with a more entrepreneurial approach, help farmers to meet the inexorable demand for the sustainable production of nutritious foods for future generations. © 2015 The Authors.Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculturepublished by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.