bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Role of Copper Speciation in the Low Temperature Oxidative Upgrading of Short Chain Alkanes over Cu/ZSM‐5 Catalysts
Authors: Armstrong Robert D. , Peneau Virginie , Ritterskamp Nadine , Kiely Christopher J. , Taylor Stuart H. , Hutchings Graham J. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractPartial oxidative upgrading of C1–C3alkanes over Cu/ZSM‐5 catalysts prepared by chemical vapour impregnation (CVI) has been studied. The undoped ZSM‐5 support is itself able to catalyse selective oxidations, for example, methane to methanol, using mild reaction conditions and the green oxidant H2O2. Addition of Cu suppresses secondary oxidation reactions, affording methanol selectivities of up to 97 %. Characterisation studies attribute this ability to population of specific Cu sites below the level of total exchange (Cu/Al<0.5). These species also show activity for radical‐based methane oxidation, with productivities exceeding those of the parent zeolite supports. When tested for ethane and propane oxidation reactions, comparable trends are observed.
The beneficial effects of probiotic administration on wound healing and metabolic status in patients with diabetic foot ulcer: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Mohseni Sima , Bayani Masomeh , Bahmani Fereshteh , Tajabadi‐Ebrahimi Maryam , Bayani Mohammad Ali , Jafari Parvaneh , Asemi Zatollah 
Published: November 2017

AbstractBackgroundThis study was conducted to evaluate the effects of probiotic supplementation on wound healing and metabolic status in subjects with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU).MethodsThis randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial was conducted among 60 subjects (aged 40‐85 years old) with grade 3 diabetic foot ulcer. Individuals were randomly divided into 2 groups (30 subjects each group) to receive either probiotic or placebo daily for 12 weeks.ResultsAfter the 12‐week intervention, compared with the placebo, probiotic supplementation led to significant reductions in ulcer length (−1.3 ± 0.9 vs. −0.8 ± 0.7 cm, P = .01), width (−1.1 ± 0.7 vs. −0.7 ± 0.7 cm, P = .02), and depth (−0.5 ± 0.3 vs. −0.3 ± 0.3 cm, P = .02). Furthermore, significant reductions in fasting plasma glucose (−29.6 ± 30.3 vs. −5.8 ± 39.8 mg/dL, P = .01), serum insulin concentrations (−4.3 ± 7.9 vs. +0.4 ± 8.5 μIU/mL, P = .03), and haemoglobin A1c (−0.6 ± 0.5 vs. −0.2 ± 0.4%, P = .003) and a significant rise in the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (+0.01 ± 0.01 vs. −0.01 ± 0.02, P = .003) were seen following supplementation of probiotic compared with the placebo. Additionally, compared with the placebo, probiotic supplementation resulted in significant decreases in serum total cholesterol (−4.8 ± 16.1 vs. +7.0 ± 27.1 mg/dL, P = .04), high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (−9.0 ± 14.7 vs. −1.7 ± 8.6 mg/L, P = .02), plasma malondialdehyde (−0.8 ± 0.8 vs. −0.2 ± 0.8 μmol/L, P = .001), and significant increases in plasma nitric oxide (+6.2 ± 8.2 vs. +0.8 ± 8.0 μmol/L, P = .01) and total antioxidant capacity concentrations (+179.3 ± 97.2 vs. −85.1 ± 203.4 mmol/L, P < .001).ConclusionsOverall, probiotic supplementation for 12 weeks among subjects with diabetic foot ulcer had beneficial effects on ulcer size, glycaemic control, total cholesterol, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, plasma nitric oxide, total antioxidant capacity, and malondialdehyde levels.
An approach based on the total‐species accumulation curve and higher taxon richness to estimate realistic upper limits in regional species richness
Authors: Bevilacqua Stanislao , Ugland Karl Inne , Plicanti Adriana , Scuderi Danilo , Terlizzi Antonio 
Published: November 2017

AbstractMost of accumulation curves tend to underestimate species richness, as they do not consider spatial heterogeneity in species distribution, or are structured to provide lower bound estimates and limited extrapolations. The total‐species (T–S) curve allows extrapolations over large areas while taking into account spatial heterogeneity, making this estimator more prone to attempt upper bound estimates of regional species richness. However, the T–S curve may overestimate species richness due to (1) the mismatch among the spatial units used in the accumulation model and the actual units of variation in β‐diversity across the region, (2) small‐scale patchiness, and/or (3) patterns of rarity of species. We propose a new framework allowing the T–S curve to limit overestimation and give an application to a large dataset of marine mollusks spanning over 11 km2 of subtidal bottom (W Mediterranean). As accumulation patterns are closely related across the taxonomic hierarchy up to family level, improvements of the T–S curve leading to more realistic estimates of family richness, that is, not exceeding the maximum number of known families potentially present in the area, can be considered as conducive to more realistic estimates of species richness. Results on real data showed that improvements of the T–S curve to accounts for true variations in β‐diversity within the sampled areas, small‐scale patchiness, and rarity of families led to the most plausible richness when all aspects were considered in the model. Data on simulated communities indicated that in the presence of high heterogeneity, and when the proportion of rare species was not excessive (>2/3), the procedure led to almost unbiased estimates. Our findings highlighted the central role of variations in β‐diversity within the region when attempting to estimate species richness, providing a general framework exploiting the properties of the T–S curve and known family richness to estimate plausible upper bounds in γ‐diversity.
Relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in Afrotropical forests
Authors: Aduse‐Poku Kwaku , Molleman Freerk , Oduro William , Oppong Samuel K. , Lohman David J. , Etienne Rampal S. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography has gained the status of a quantitative null model for explaining patterns in ecological (meta)communities. The theory assumes that individuals of trophically similar species are functionally equivalent. We empirically evaluate the relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in three tropical forests in Africa, using both direct (confronting the neutral model with species abundance data) and indirect approaches (testing the predictions of neutral theory using data other than species abundance distributions). Abundance data were obtained by sampling butterflies using banana baited traps set at the forest canopy and understorey strata. Our results indicate a clear consistency in the kind of species or species groups observed at either the canopy or understorey in the three studied communities. Furthermore, we found significant correlation between some flight‐related morphological traits and species abundance at the forest canopy, but not at the understorey. Neutral theory's contribution to explaining our data lies largely in identifying dispersal limitation as a key process regulating fruit‐feeding butterfly community structure. Our study illustrates that using species abundance data alone in evaluating neutral theory can be informative, but is insufficient. Species‐level information such as habitat preference, host plants, geographical distribution, and phylogeny is essential in elucidating the processes that regulate biodiversity community structures and patterns.
Timescale effects on the environmental control of carbon and water fluxes of an apple orchard
Authors: Montagnani Leonardo , Zanotelli Damiano , Tagliavini Massimo , Tomelleri Enrico 
Published: November 2017

AbstractModel parameterization and validation of earth–atmosphere interactions are generally performed using a single timescale (e.g., nearly instantaneous, daily, and annual), although both delayed responses and hysteretic effects have been widely recognized. The lack of consideration of these effects hampers our capability to represent them in empirical‐ or process‐based models. Here we explore, using an apple orchard ecosystem in the North of Italy as a simplified case study, how the considered timescale impacts the relative importance of the single environmental variables in explaining observed net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and evapotranspiration (ET). Using 6 years of eddy covariance and meteorological information as input data, we found a decay of the relative importance of the modeling capability of photosynthetically active radiation in explaining both NEE and ET moving from half‐hourly to seasonal timescale and an increase in the relative importance of air temperature (T) and VPD. Satellite NDVI, used as proxy of leaf development, added little improvement to overall modeling capability. Increasing the timescale, the number of variables needed for parameterization decreased (from 5 to 1), while the proportion of variance explained by the model increased (r2 from 0.56–0.78 to 0.85–0.90 for NEE and ET respectively). The wavelet coherence and the phase analyses showed that the two variables that increased their relative importance when the scale increased (T, VPD) were not in phase at the correlation peak of both ET and NEE. This phase shift in the time domain corresponds to a hysteretic response in the meteorological variables domain. This work confirms that the model parameterization should be performed using parameters calculated at the appropriate scale. It suggests that in managed ecosystems, where the interannual variability is minimized by the agronomic practices, the use of timescales large enough to include hysteretic and delayed responses reduces the number of required input variables and improves their explanatory capacity.
Drivers of apoplastic freezing in gymnosperm and angiosperm branches
Authors: Lintunen Anna , Mayr Stefan , Salmon Yann , Cochard Hervé , Hölttä Teemu 
Published: November 2017

AbstractIt is not well understood what determines the degree of supercooling of apoplastic sap in trees, although it determines the number and duration of annual freeze–thaw cycles in a given environment. We studied the linkage between apoplastic ice nucleation temperature, tree water status, and conduit size. We used branches of 10 gymnosperms and 16 angiosperms collected from an arboretum in Helsinki (Finland) in winter and spring. Branches with lower relative water content froze at lower temperatures, and branch water content was lower in winter than in spring. A bench drying experiment with Picea abies confirmed that decreasing branch water potential decreases apoplastic ice nucleation temperature. The studied angiosperms froze on average 2.0 and 1.8°C closer to zero Celsius than the studied gymnosperms during winter and spring, respectively. This was caused by higher relative water content in angiosperms; when branches were saturated with water, apoplastic ice nucleation temperature of gymnosperms increased to slightly higher temperature than that of angiosperms. Apoplastic ice nucleation temperature in sampled branches was positively correlated with xylem conduit diameter as shown before, but saturating the branches removed the correlation. Decrease in ice nucleation temperature decreased the duration of freezing, which could have an effect on winter embolism formation via the time available for gas escape during ice propagation. The apoplastic ice nucleation temperature varied not only between branches but also within a branch between consecutive freeze–thaw cycles demonstrating the stochastic nature of ice nucleation.
CXCL4 is a novel inducer of human Th17 cells and correlates with IL‐17 and IL‐22 in psoriatic arthritis
Authors: Affandi Alsya J. , Silva‐Cardoso Sandra C. , Garcia Samuel , Leijten Emmerik F. A. , van Kempen Tessa S. , Marut Wioleta , van Roon Joel A. G. , Radstake Timothy R. D. J. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractCXCL4 regulates multiple facets of the immune response and is highly upregulated in various Th17‐associated rheumatic diseases. However, whether CXCL4 plays a direct role in the induction of IL‐17 production by human CD4+ T cells is currently unclear. Here, we demonstrated that CXCL4 induced human CD4+ T cells to secrete IL‐17 that co‐expressed IFN‐γ and IL‐22, and differentiated naïve CD4+ T cells to become Th17‐cytokine producing cells. In a co‐culture system of human CD4+ T cells with monocytes or myeloid dendritic cells, CXCL4 induced IL‐17 production upon triggering by superantigen. Moreover, when monocyte‐derived dendritic cells were differentiated in the presence of CXCL4, they orchestrated increased levels of IL‐17, IFN‐γ, and proliferation by CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, the CXCL4 levels in synovial fluid from psoriatic arthritis patients strongly correlated with IL‐17 and IL‐22 levels. A similar response to CXCL4 of enhanced IL‐17 production by CD4+ T cells was also observed in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Altogether, we demonstrate that CXCL4 boosts pro‐inflammatory cytokine production especially IL‐17 by human CD4+ T cells, either by acting directly or indirectly via myeloid antigen presenting cells, implicating a role for CXCL4 in PsA pathology.
Basicity of N‐(Tetramesityltetraphosphacyclopentylidene)cyclohexylamine: An Unusual Diphospha(III)guanidine Derivative
Authors: Adhikari Anup Kumar , Grell Toni , Lönnecke Peter , Hey‐Hawkins Evamarie 
Published: November 2017

AbstractInvited for the cover of this issue is the group of Evamarie Hey‐Hawkins at the University of Leipzig, Germany. The cover image shows the pKa value of the unusual cyclic hetero‐oligophosphane cyclo‐P4Mes4C(NCy).
The unique effects of blatant dehumanization on attitudes and behavior towards Muslim refugees during the European ‘refugee crisis’ across four countries
Authors: Bruneau Emile , Kteily Nour , Laustsen Lasse 
Published: November 2017

AbstractBlatant dehumanization has recently been demonstrated to predict negative outgroup attitudes and behaviors. Here, we examined blatant dehumanization of Muslim refugees during the ‘Refugee Crisis’ among large samples in four European countries: the Czech Republic (N = 1307), Hungary (N = 502), Spain (N = 1049), and Greece (N = 934). Our results suggest that blatant dehumanization of Muslim refugees is (a) prevalent among Europeans, and (b) uniquely associated with anti‐refugee attitudes and behavior, beyond political ideology, prejudice, and—of particular relevance to the refugee crisis—empathy. We also find that blatant dehumanization of Muslim refugees is significantly higher and more strongly associated with intergroup behavior in the Eastern European countries (especially the Czech Republic) than in Spain and Greece. Examining a range of outgroup targets beyond refugees, our results further illustrate that blatant dehumanization is not purely an ethnocentric bias: while individuals across contexts feel warmer towards their group than all others, they rate several high‐status outgroups as equally or more fully ‘evolved and civilized’ than the ingroup. Our research extends theoretical understanding of blatant dehumanization, and suggests that blatant dehumanization plays an important and independent role in the rejection of Muslim refugees throughout Europe.
Use of Screen‐printed Electrodes Modified by Prussian Blue and Analogues in Sensing of Cysteine
Authors: Bonacin Juliano A. , Dos Santos Pãmyla L. , Katic Vera , Foster Christopher W. , Banks Craig E. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe utilisation of screen‐printing technology allows for a mass scalable approach for the production of electrochemical screen‐printed electrodes (SPEs) and the presence of a redox mediator can add new possibilities to the electrochemical properties of the SPEs. Among the materials used as redox mediators, cyanidoferrates polymers can be used for electro‐oxidation of cysteine. In this work, two monomers, namely, [Fe(CN)6]4− and [Fe(CN)5NH3]3− were used to produce Prussian blue (PB) and Prussian blue‐Ammine (PB‐Ammine), respectively. In addition, two modification methods were compared, firstly via a drop‐casting and secondly by the incorporation of these materials into a printable ink. The SPE modified by PB‐Ammine (drop‐casting) exhibits the highest electroactive area, however the highest heterogeneous rate constant was found with the SPE modified by PB‐Ammine that was incorporated into the ink. The highest value of the constant of electro‐oxidation of cysteine and lowest limit of detection was also observed in the SPE modified by PB incorporated into the ink. These studies suggest that the electrocatalytic properties of SPE modified by PB and PB‐Ammine are dependent upon the availability of Fe3+ catalytic sites and the increased kinetics of the chemical reaction between the catalytic sites and the analyte.
Proteomics analysis of human breast milk to assess breast cancer risk
Authors: Aslebagh Roshanak , Channaveerappa Devika , Arcaro Kathleen F. , Darie Costel C. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractDetection of breast cancer (BC) in young women is challenging because mammography, the most common tool for detecting BC, is not effective on the dense breast tissue characteristic of young women. In addition to the limited means for detecting their BC, young women face a transient increased risk of pregnancy‐associated BC. As a consequence, reproductively active women could benefit significantly from a tool that provides them with accurate risk assessment and early detection of BC. One potential method for detection of BC is biochemical monitoring of proteins and other molecules in bodily fluids such as serum, nipple aspirate, ductal lavage, tear, urine, saliva and breast milk. Of all these fluids, only breast milk provides access to a large volume of breast tissue, in the form of exfoliated epithelial cells, and to the local breast environment, in the form of molecules in the milk. Thus, analysis of breast milk is a non‐invasive method with significant potential for assessing BC risk. Here we analyzed human breast milk by mass spectrometry (MS)‐based proteomics to build a biomarker signature for early detection of BC. Ten milk samples from eight women provided five paired‐groups (cancer versus control) for analysis of dysregulatedproteins: two within woman comparisons (milk from a diseased breast versus a healthy breast of the same woman) and three across women comparisons (milk from a woman with cancer versus a woman without cancer). Despite a wide range in the time between milk donation and cancer diagnosis (cancer diagnosis occurred from 1 month before to 24 months after milk donation), the levels of some proteins differed significantly between cancer and control in several of the five comparison groups. These pilot data are supportive of the idea that molecular analysis of breast milk will identify proteins informative for early detection and accurate assessment of BC risk, and warrant further research. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD007066.
Integrated microfluidic biosensing platform for simultaneous confocal microscopy and electrophysiological measurements on bilayer lipid membranes and ion channels
Authors: Schulze Greiving Verena C. , de Boer Hans L. , Bomer Johan G. , van den Berg Albert , Le Gac Séverine 
Published: November 2017

AbstractCombining high‐resolution imaging and electrophysiological recordings is key for various types of experimentation on lipid bilayers and ion channels. Here, we propose an integrated biosensing platform consisting of a microfluidic cartridge and a dedicated chip‐holder to conduct such dual measurements on suspended lipid bilayers, in a user‐friendly manner. To illustrate the potential of the integrated platform, we characterize lipid bilayers in terms of thickness and fluidity while simultaneously monitoring single ion channel currents. For that purpose, POPC lipid bilayers are supplemented with a fluorescently‐tagged phospholipid (NBD‐PE, 1% mol) for Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) measurements and a model ion channel (gramicidin, 1 nM). These combined measurements reveal that NBD‐PE has no effect on the lipid bilayer thickness while gramicidin induces thinning of the membrane. Furthermore, the presence of gramicidin does not alter the lipid bilayer fluidity. Surprisingly, in lipid bilayers supplemented with both probes, a reduction in gramicidin open probability and lifetime is observed compared to lipid bilayers with gramicidin only, suggesting an influence of NBD‐PE on the gramicidin ion function. Altogether, our proposed microfluidic biosensing platform in combination with the herein presented multi‐parametric measurement scheme paves the way to explore the interdependent relationship between lipid bilayer properties and ion channel function.
CE‐XRF–initial steps toward a non‐invasive elemental sensitive detector for liquid separations
Authors: Tyssebotn Inger Marie Bergø , Fittschen Andreas , Fittschen Ursula Elisabeth Adriane 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe toxicity, bioavailability, and mobilization of elements within the biosphere is dependent on its species. CE has emerged as a strong separation technique for elemental speciation. Conventionally, CE has been coupled with UV‐vis, C4D, PIXE (proton‐induced X‐ray emission), and ICP‐MS. UV‐vis and C4D are not elemental sensitive detection methods, PIXE requires the etching of the detection window resulting in a very brittle capillary, and ICP‐MS is an expensive large footprint instrument. Here, we aim to develop an elemental specific detector, XRF (X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry), for use with CE. A custom‐built micro‐XRF was tested and static LODs were determined for 19 elements (Ca‐U) with both unmodified (20‐926 ppm) and modified capillaries (20‐291 ppm). A custom‐built CE was combined with the micro‐XRF and separation of Ca2+ and Co2+ was obtained. Sr2+ coeluted with Ca2+ in the mixture, but because of the elemental sensitivity of XRF, the Sr and Ca signals could be separated. After successful testing of the micro‐XRF, the feasibility of using a low‐cost X‐ray source and detector was tested. Even lower LODs were obtained for Ga and Rb, showing the feasibility of a smaller, low‐cost XRF unit as an elemental specific detector. However, the buffer selection that can be conveniently used with XRF is currently limited due to capillary corrosion, likely correlated to radiolysis.
Parallel probing of drug uptake of single cancer cells on a microfluidic device
Authors: Yang Yoonsun , Le Gac Séverine , Terstappen Leon WMM , Rho Hoon Suk 
Published: November 2017

AbstractDrug resistance is frequently developing during treatment of cancer patients. Intracellular drug uptake is one of the important characteristics to understand mechanism of drug resistance. However, the heterogeneity of cancer cells requires the investigation of drug uptake at the single cell level. Here, we developed a microfluidic device for parallel probing of drug uptake. We combined a v‐type valve and peristaltic pumping to select individual cells from a pool of prostate cancer cells (PC3) and place them successively in separate cell chambers in which they were exposed to the drug. Six different concentrations of doxorubicin, a naturally fluorescent anti‐cancer drug, were created in loop‐shaped reactors and exposed to the cell in closed 2 nL volume chambers. Monitoring every single cell over time in 18 parallel chambers revealed increased intracellular fluorescence intensity according to the dose of doxorubicin, as well as nuclear localization of the fluorescent drug after 2 h of incubation. The herein proposed technology demonstrated a first series of proof of concept experiments and it shows high potential to use for probing drug sensitivity of single cancer cell.