bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Disturbance and chronic levels of cortisol in boreal woodland caribou
Authors: Ewacha Michelle V. A. , Roth James D. , Anderson W. Gary , Brannen Dennis C. , Dupont Daniel L. J. 
Published: June 2017

ABSTRACTDisturbance by anthropogenic activities may cause chronic (long‐term) stress in wildlife and contribute to population declines. Although declines of boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) across Canada have been attributed to anthropogenic disturbance, the physiological stress response of caribou to disturbance is not well understood. As a measure of chronic stress, we assessed cortisol concentrations in guard hair from 89 female caribou between 2009 and 2011 in eastern Manitoba. We compared cortisol concentrations among 5 caribou populations occupying areas with varying levels of disturbance, and estimated home ranges of 55 collared caribou to examine how home range size varied with cortisol concentrations. Within each home range, we quantified disturbance characteristics (roads, transmission lines, cottages, and logged and burned areas) and landscape features (lakes, black spruce [Picea mariana], and jack pine [Pinus banksiana]), and used model selection to determine the combination of disturbance features that best explained variation in caribou cortisol concentrations. Hair cortisol concentrations differed among the 5 caribou populations and increased with decreasing home range size. The proportion of the home range logged in the previous 6–21 years best explained variation in cortisol concentrations. Our results suggest that caribou respond negatively to logging, and caribou occupying the southern extent of their range could be vulnerable to disturbance. Although disturbance affects caribou cortisol concentrations, the consequences of increased cortisol concentrations on caribou survival and reproduction are unknown and need to be examined for effective management of populations. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Assessing conservation lands for forest birds in an exurban landscape
Authors: Ferguson Paige F.B. , Conroy Michael J. , Hepinstall‐Cymerman Jeffrey 
Published: June 2017

ABSTRACTExurban development is the fastest growing type of land use in the United States and is prominent in the southern Appalachian region. A potential consequence of exurban development is the loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitat. We used a Bayesian model that accounts for false positive and false negative detections to make inferences about how the occupancy of 6 forest‐dwelling, Neotropical migrant birds is related to multi‐scale attributes of exurban development on land managed under 3 different conservation frameworks: national forest, land trust, or unprotected property in Macon County, North Carolina, USA during 2 breeding seasons. We performed Bayesian model selection and model averaging with a Bayesian Information Criterion weights approximation, and we evaluated models’ predictive ability. We compared results from our occupancy model to those from a traditional model assuming data had no false positives. Results indicated that landscape‐ and local‐scale covariates were more strongly related to posterior occupancy probabilities than site‐scale covariates and that landscape composition and elevation were more strongly associated with occupancy probabilities than configuration. In particular, occupancy had a positive relationship with elevation and percent forest and a negative relationship with percent development. The black‐throated blue warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) and wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) had the lowest posterior occupancy probabilities of the focal species, suggesting that these species may need particular conservation attention. National forest sites had high occupancy, but land trust sites exhibited patterns similar to unprotected sites. Our findings can provide guidance to county land use planners and land trusts as they respond to exurban development. Also, our study demonstrates the application of an improved occupancy model that can generate more accurate inference by accounting for both types of imperfect detection while describing heterogeneity across sites and survey occasions. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Interactive effects of marine heatwaves and eutrophication on the ecophysiology of a widespread and ecologically important macroalga
Authors: Gouvêa Lidiane Pires , Schubert Nadine , Martins Cintia Dalcuche Leal , Sissini Marina , Ramlov Fernanda , Rodrigues Eva Regina de Oliveira , Bastos Eduardo Oliveira , Freire Vanessa Carvalho , Maraschin Marcelo , Carlos Simonassi José , Varela Donnangelo A. , Franco Davide , Cassano Valeria , Fonseca Alessandra Larissa , Barufi J Bonomi , Horta Paulo Antunes 
Published: June 2017

AbstractExtreme temperature events are becoming more recurrent and are more frequent with major impacts on coastal ecosystems, which are additionally impacted by increasing urbanization, resulting in high nutrient load. So far little is known about cumulative and/or interactive effects of global and local stressors on species' performance. Here, we evaluated the single and combined effects of simulated heatwaves and eutrophication on the ecophysiology ofLaurencia catarinensisin a bi‐factorial mesocosm experiment. The algae were exposed for 30 d to three different temperatures (20°C, 24°C, 28°C) and nutrient concentrations (low, intermediate, high) and their nutrient uptake rates, photosynthetic performance, growth rates, pigment and phenolic compound concentrations, as well as antioxidant capacity was determined and compared between treatments. Under low nutrient concentration, physiological performance and growth decreased with increasing temperatures. In contrast, they increased with higher nutrient availability and moderate temperature increase close to the summer average temperature, but largely declined upon exposure to higher temperature (28°C). This decline seemed to be related to oxidative stress, as indicated by an increase of compounds with antioxidant properties (lutein, zeaxanthin, phenols). Our data show that all measured parameters were affected by temperature and nutrient availability, with an interactive effect between these two factors, indicating that increasing temperature will influence macroalgal performance, and even more dramatically in coastal systems that are highly impacted by urbanization. However, the direction of the response will be determined by nutrient availability and will also depend on the magnitude of the temperature increase, that is, whether it surpasses the thermal threshold of the species.
A high‐precision gamma densitometer for quantifying skeletal density in coral skeletons: Physical background and first results
Authors: Deveaux Michael , Gischler Eberhard , Wiebusch Michael , Erkoç M. Mesut 
Published: June 2017

AbstractMeasuring density in coral skeletons with high precision is challenging and forms the dominant source of experimental uncertainty in related studies. To reduce this uncertainty, we developed a precise and easy‐to‐handle γ‐densitometer. This instrument illuminates coral samples with a close‐to‐monochromatic γ‐ray beam and measures the attenuation in the material by means of single photon counting. Knowing the thickness of the sample, the density can be extracted from the attenuation. After calibration, we obtained a precision of 3.7% for absolute and 0.6% for relative density measurements. The spatial resolution is 0.5 mm. The detector system has been tested with the genus Porites, typically used in paleoclimate studies in the Indo‐Pacific, and with the genus Orbicella (formerly Montastraea), which has been commonly used in the Atlantic. A record (a.d. 1965–1999) from an Orbicella faveolata from the Belize Barrier Reef exhibits a decrease in skeletal density and in calcification rate; extension rates increase over time. A record from an O. faveolata from the offshore Glovers Reef Atoll, Belize, exhibits a density increase during a.d. 1900–2005 while skeletal extension rate decreased; calcification rate shows a decline over time. Skeletal density in a Porites lutea from the Maldives decreases from a.d. 1917–2007 whereas skeletal extension rate and calcification rate exhibit increasing trends. These first results along with those from other studies suggest that coral density data from numerous corals in a region are needed to establish robust trends in coral calcification over time, and, that susceptibility to ocean acidification apparently might vary among coral taxa.
Non a Priori Automatic Discovery of 3D Chemical Patterns: Application to Mutagenicity
Authors: Rabatel Julien , Fannes Thomas , Lepailleur Alban , Le Goff Jérémie , Crémilleux Bruno , Ramon Jan , Bureau Ronan , Cuissart Bertrand 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis article introduces a new type of structural fragment called a geometrical pattern. Such geometrical patterns are defined as molecular graphs that include a labelling of atoms together with constraints on interatomic distances. The discovery of geometrical patterns in a chemical dataset relies on the induction of multiple decision trees combined in random forests. Each computational step corresponds to a refinement of a preceding set of constraints, extending a previous geometrical pattern. This paper focuses on the mutagenicity of chemicals via the definition of structural alerts in relation with these geometrical patterns. It follows an experimental assessment of the main geometrical patterns to show how they can efficiently originate the definition of a chemical feature related to a chemical function or a chemical property. Geometrical patterns have provided a valuable and innovative approach to bring new pieces of information for discovering and assessing structural characteristics in relation to a particular biological phenotype.
Simultaneous Quantification of Bone Edema/Adiposity and Structure in Inflamed Bone Using Chemical Shift‐Encoded MRI in Spondyloarthritis
Authors: Bray Timothy J.P. , Bainbridge Alan , Punwani Shonit , Ioannou Yiannis , Hall‐Craggs Margaret A. 
Published: June 2017

PurposeTo evaluate proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and R2* as markers of bone marrow composition and structure in inflamed bone in patients with spondyloarthritis.MethodsPhantoms containing fat, water, and trabecular bone were constructed with proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and bone mineral density (BMD) values matching those expected in healthy bone marrow and disease states, and scanned using chemical shift‐encoded MRI (CSE‐MRI) at 3T. Measured PDFF and R2* values in phantoms were compared with reference FF and BMD values. Eight spondyloarthritis patients and 10 controls underwent CSE‐MRI of the sacroiliac joints. PDFF and R2* in areas of inflamed bone and fat metaplasia in patients were compared with normal bone marrow in controls.ResultsIn phantoms, PDFF measurements were accurate over the full range of PDFF and BMD values. R2* measurements were positively associated with BMD but also were influenced by variations in PDFF. In patients, PDFF was reduced in areas of inflammation and increased in fat metaplasia compared to normal marrow. R2* measurements were significantly reduced in areas of fat metaplasia.ConclusionPDFF measurements reflect changes in marrow composition in areas of active inflammation and structural damage and could be used for disease monitoring in spondyloarthritis. R2* measurements may provide additional information bone mineral density but also are influenced by fat content. Magn Reson Med 79:1031–1042, 2018. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Three‐dimensional MR reconstruction of high‐contrast magnetic susceptibility by the variational born iterative method based on the magnetic field volume integral equation
Authors: Li Shengnan , Hong Ronghan , Liu Na , Zhang Jianhua , Chen Lin , Zhang Youyu , Yu Zhiru , Liu Qing Huo 
Published: June 2017

PurposeTo provide high‐quality and high‐contrast magnetic susceptibility mapping, a 3D MR reconstruction method for magnetic susceptibility based on the magnetic field volume integral equation with the variational Born iterative method (VBIM) is developed.MethodsThree‐dimensional magnetic susceptibility is reconstructed from the positive rotating magnetic field component
of the radiofrequency field acquired by B1 mapping. The stabilized biconjugate gradient fast Fourier transform (BCGS‐FFT) method is implemented in the forward problem to solve for the magnetic field, and the conjugate gradient fast Fourier transform method is implemented in the inverse problem to reconstruct the magnetic susceptibility distribution.ResultsNumerical results demonstrated that good effectiveness and high accuracy can be achieved for both the forward solver of the stabilized biconjugate gradient fast Fourier transform method and the inverse solver of the VBIM method. The method proved to be robust under noise contamination. Moreover, the magnetic susceptibilities with much higher contrasts than that of the non–full wave methods can also be efficiently reconstructed.ConclusionsThe proposed method can reconstruct the magnetic susceptibility of not only human head, but also other human tissues or materials such as magnetic contrast agents with high magnetic susceptibilities. It has promising applications in high‐contrast magnetic susceptibility mapping. Magn Reson Med 79:923–932, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Solving chiller loading optimization problems using an improved teaching‐learning‐based optimization algorithm
Authors: Duan Pei‐yong , Li Jun‐qing , Wang Yong , Sang Hong‐yan , Jia Bao‐xian 
Published: June 2017

SummaryIn this study, we present a novel teaching‐learning‐based optimization (TLBO) algorithm for solving the optimal chiller loading problem. The proposed algorithm uses a novel integer‐based encoding and decoding mechanism that is efficient and easy to implement. The teaching phase can improve the quality of learning process and thus enhance the exploitation ability. In addition, a well‐designed learning phase procedure is developed to enhance the learning process between one another in the population. A novel exploration and self‐learning procedures are embedded in the proposed TLBO algorithm, which can enhance the exploitation and exploration capabilities. The proposed algorithm is tested on several well‐known case studies and compared with several efficient algorithms. From the experimental comparisons, the efficient performance of the proposed TLBO is verified.
Travis Air Force Base: A greener cleanups case study
Authors: Gamlin Jeff , Downey Douglas , Favara Paul , Duke Lonnie , Anderson Glenn 
Published: June 2017

AbstractTravis Air Force Base, California, has accelerated the pace of remediation while reducing long‐term costs and cutting greenhouse gas production. This has been achieved through optimizing existing systems and processes, adopting greener cleanups best management practices, and testing and implementing innovative “green” technologies. By optimizing and replacing existing systems that used energy‐intensive infrastructure, and by promoting the use of innovative in situ technologies, the US Air Force (Air Force) led team comprised of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the performance‐based contractor CH2M, and the regulatory agencies consisting of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the California Water Board, and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, has reduced annual system operation and maintenance costs by over $200,000 per year, while reducing annual carbon dioxide production by approximately 930 tons per year. As a result of these actions, chlorinated solvent source areas have been reduced by over 99 percent in some cases, and the predicted cleanup time frame for multiple sites has been reduced by several decades. This article provides a case study for implementation of cost‐effective greener cleanup actions, and summarizes the approach taken by the Air Force led team to complete the greener cleanups self‐declaration process consistent with the ASTM International's E‐2893 Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups.
Vapor intrusion mitigation challenges posed by a classic urban setting
Authors: Coll Frederic R. , Moore Richard A. , Ritenour Jessica 
Published: June 2017

AbstractAECOM's Environmental Remediation Services Group, under a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) remediation contract, was tasked with assessing potential vapor intrusion risks and mitigating identified risks at an active commercial property affected by a former adjacent laundry and dry cleaning operation. The former dry cleaning operation was positioned in the center of row‐buildings containing various commercial businesses. The neighboring active commercial property is an antiquated building that operates as a coffee shop. The coffee shop building contains a service area, a kitchen, and a rear conference room on the first floor, a storage area on the second floor, and a partial basement. The basement has been observed to periodically flood. Adjacent to the coffee shop building is an operating hair and nail salon that formerly functioned as one of the dry cleaning operations buildings with known soil, groundwater, and soil gas impacts. Due to the disposition of the coffee shop building, a methodical approach was implemented to characterize the potential vapor intrusion risk and included a diagnostic building inspection that identified required management of basement apertures and abatement of periodic flooding prior to vapor intrusion mitigation system design and installation.
Data‐driven high‐order terminal iterative learning control with a faster convergence speed
Authors: Chi Ronghu , Huang Biao , Hou Zhongsheng , Jin Shangtai 
Published: June 2017

SummaryIn this paper, a novel high‐order optimal terminal iterative learning control (high‐order OTILC) is proposed via a data‐driven approach for nonlinear discrete‐time systems with unknown orders in the input and output. The objective is to track the desired values at the endpoint of the operation cycle. The terminal tracking errors over more than one previous iterations are used to enhance the high‐order OTILC's performance with faster convergence. From rigor of the analysis, the monotonic convergence of the terminal tracking error is proved along the iteration direction. More importantly, the condition for a high‐order OTILC to outperform the low‐order ones is first established by this work. The learning gain is not fixed but iteratively updated by using the input and output (I/O) data, which enhances the flexibility of the proposed controller for modifications and expansions. The proposed method is data‐driven in which no explicit models are used except for the input and output data. The applications to a highly nonlinear continuous stirred tank reactor and a highly nonlinear fed‐batch fermentater demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed high‐order OTILC design.
A DFT Exploration of Efficient Catalysts Based on Metal‐Salen Monomers for the Cycloaddition Reaction of CO2 to Propylene Oxide
Authors: Wu Tao , Wang Tingting , Sun Lei , Deng Kaiming , Deng Weiqiao , Lu Ruifeng 
Published: June 2017

AbstractUsing quantum chemistry calculations, we explored the interactions between non‐rare earth metal‐salophen complex (M‐Salen) monomers and propylene oxide (PO) and explored the catalytic mechanisms for the cycloaddition reaction of CO2 to epoxides by the M‐Salen monomers. Our theoretical results demonstrated that a larger binding energy for M‐Salen interacting with PO results in a lower apparent barrier height for the cycloaddition reaction. The CrIII‐Salen monomer possessed the lowest apparent barrier, while the AlIII‐Salen monomer showed the highest barrier along the reaction pathway, which are consistent with experimental results. In addition, a low apparent barrier was found for the ScIII‐Salen monomer, suggesting another potential conjugated microporous polymer catalyst for CO2 conversion.
Technology Maturity Assessments and Confidence Intervals
Authors: Peters Wanda , Doskey Steven , Moreland James 
Published: June 2017

ABSTRACTThe research presented in this paper examines the accuracy of technology maturity assessments at a key decision point in the acquisition life cycle. This study utilizes statistical means to quantify the confidence interval of technology maturity determinations and established confidence intervals for various population sizes using a Monte Carlo simulation. The study identified with a 95% confidence that there are no significant differences in the standard deviation or the confidence interval ranges of heritage developments and new developments at a key decision point. The significance of this finding is the margin of error, which is derived from the standard deviation and used to compute confidence intervals, measures accuracy. One challenge facing the field of system engineering is the ability to accurately measure technology maturity when transitioning from formulation to implementation. Correctly assessing the technology maturity of a development is crucial for the organization's ability to manage performance, cost, and schedule. The findings from this research have the potential for minimizing inaccurate maturity determinations, which could lead to reductions in unsatisfactory technical performance and programmatic overruns.
High‐content drug screening for rare diseases
Authors: Bellomo F. , Medina D. L. , De Leo E. , Panarella A. , Emma F. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractPer definition, rare diseases affect only a small number of subjects within a given population. Taken together however, they represent a considerable medical burden, which remains poorly addressed in terms of treatment. Compared to other diseases, obstacles to the development of therapies for rare diseases include less extensive physiopathology knowledge, limited number of patients to test treatments, and poor commercial interest from the industry. Recently, advances in high‐throughput and high‐content screening (HTS and HCS) have been fostered by the development of specific routines that use robot‐ and computer‐assisted technologies to automatize tasks, allowing screening of a large number of compounds in a short period of time, using experimental model of diseases. These approaches are particularly relevant for drug repositioning in rare disease, which restricts the search to compounds that have already been tested in humans, thereby reducing the need for extensive preclinical tests. In the future, these same tools, combined with computational modeling and artificial neural network analyses, may also be used to predict individual clinical responses to drugs in a personalized medicine approach.
Periodontal surgery improves oral health‐related quality of life in chronic periodontitis patients in Asian population
Authors: Chou Yu‐Hsiang , Yang Yi‐Hsin , Kuo Hsiao‐Ching , Ho Kun‐Yen , Wang Wen‐Chen , Hu Kai‐Fang 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe effect of periodontal surgery on patients' quality of life was investigated. Sixty patients received regenerative surgery or resective osseous surgery. Oral health‐related quality of life and health‐related quality of life instruments were used to assess the participants' quality of life before surgery and 4 weeks after surgery. Periodontal surgery can improve patients' quality of life by alleviating the physical pain and psychological discomfort. The scores were lower (more favorable) in the regenerative surgery group, and the functional limitations of the regenerative surgery group improved substantially compared with those of the resective osseous surgery group (P = 0.0421). The patients' oral health‐related quality of life scores improved significantly after periodontal surgery. Clinicians can take advantage of the positive functional oral health‐related quality of life impacts of regenerative surgery.