bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Discontinuation of simvastatin leads to a rebound phenomenon and results in immediate peri‐implant bone loss
Authors: Li Xianqi , Wu Feng , Zhang Yiming , Yang Jing , Shinohara Atsushi , Kagami Hideaki 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAlthough administration of simvastatin has been reported to promote bone formation, the effect of short‐term simvastatin administration is not well known. Following implant installation, 10‐week‐old male Wistar rats (n = 24) were divided into two groups randomly. The experimental group received 10 mg/kg of simvastatin daily for seven days. Then simvastatin administration was discontinued, and the animals were observed up to 28 days. Animals in the control group underwent the same procedure but received saline instead of simvastatin. All animals were analyzed by micro‐computed tomography. Samples at days 14 and 21 were subjected to histological analyses. After seven days of simvastatin administration, more new bone formation around the implant was observed in the simvastatin group compared with the control group. Seven days after simvastatin discontinuation, however, the amount of peri‐implant trabecular bone began to decrease. Results from morphometric analysis also showed a reduction in new bone area after day 7, which was lowest at day 14. These results were confirmed by histological analyses. In contrast, both the peri‐implant trabecular bone and new bone area were maintained in the control group. Short‐term administration of simvastatin may affect implant stability owing to a rebound phenomenon and an immediate loss of peri‐implant bone.
Prairie vole pups show potentiated isolation‐induced vocalizations following isolation from their mother, but not their father
Authors: Robison W. Theodore , Myers Michael M. , Hofer Myron A. , Shair Harry N. , Welch Martha G. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTVocalizations can be markers of emotional social communication. Maternal potentiation was originally described as an increased rate of vocalization by isolated rat pups following an interaction with their mothers, but not with other social companions. Here we asked if potentiation in prairie voles, a species with pair‐bonding and bi‐parental rearing, is parent‐specific. We found that isolated, 8–11‐day‐old voles exhibited potentiation following reunions with the dam, but not the sire. These responses were present whether parents were anesthetized or active during the reunion. There were no significant correlations between parental behaviors during reunions and pup vocalization rates during re‐isolation. The absence of potentiation to the sire contrasts to findings in bi‐parentally reared rat pups, which do potentiate vocalizations to the sire. We interpret these results to be consistent with the idea that potentiation reflects disruption of mother–infant coregulation and is dependent upon the unique biology of mothering. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 58:687–699, 2016.
A model‐based approach to sample size estimation in recent onset type 1 diabetes
Authors: Bundy Brian N. , Krischer Jeffrey P. ,   Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Study Group
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackgroundThe area under the curve C‐peptide following a 2‐h mixed meal tolerance test from 498 individuals enrolled on five prior TrialNet studies of recent onset type 1 diabetes from baseline to 12 months after enrolment were modelled to produce estimates of its rate of loss and variance.ResultsAge at diagnosis and baseline C‐peptide were found to be significant predictors, and adjusting for these in an ANCOVA resulted in estimates with lower variance.ConclusionsUsing these results as planning parameters for new studies results in a nearly 50% reduction in the target sample size. The modelling also produces an expected C‐peptide that can be used in observed versus expected calculations to estimate the presumption of benefit in ongoing trials. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Macroecological scale effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functions under environmental change
Authors: Burley Hugh M , Mokany Karel , Ferrier Simon , Laffan Shawn W , Williams Kristen J , Harwood Tom D 
Published: March 2016

AbstractConserving different spatial and temporal dimensions of biological diversity is considered necessary for maintaining ecosystem functions under predicted global change scenarios. Recent work has shifted the focus from spatially local (α‐diversity) to macroecological scales (β‐ and γ‐diversity), emphasizing links between macroecological biodiversity and ecosystem functions (MB–EF relationships). However, before the outcomes of MB–EF analyses can be useful to real‐world decisions, empirical modeling needs to be developed for natural ecosystems, incorporating a broader range of data inputs, environmental change scenarios, underlying mechanisms, and predictions. We outline the key conceptual and technical challenges currently faced in developing such models and in testing and calibrating the relationships assumed in these models using data from real ecosystems. These challenges are explored in relation to two potential MB–EF mechanisms: “macroecological complementarity” and “spatiotemporal compensation.” Several regions have been sufficiently well studied over space and time to robustly test these mechanisms by combining cutting‐edge spatiotemporal methods with remotely sensed data, including plant community data sets in Australia, Europe, and North America. Assessing empirical MB–EF relationships at broad spatiotemporal scales will be crucial in ensuring these macroecological processes can be adequately considered in the management of biodiversity and ecosystem functions under global change.
Twelve years of repeated wild hog activity promotes population maintenance of an invasive clonal plant in a coastal dune ecosystem
Authors: Oldfield Callie A. , Evans Jonathan P. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractInvasive animals can facilitate the success of invasive plant populations through disturbance. We examined the relationship between the repeated foraging disturbance of an invasive animal and the population maintenance of an invasive plant in a coastal dune ecosystem. We hypothesized that feral wild hog (Sus scrofa) populations repeatedly utilized tubers of the clonal perennial, yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) as a food source and evaluated whether hog activity promoted the long‐term maintenance of yellow nutsedge populations on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia, United States. Using generalized linear mixed models, we tested the effect of wild hog disturbance on permanent sites for yellow nutsedge culm density, tuber density, and percent cover of native plant species over a 12‐year period. We found that disturbance plots had a higher number of culms and tubers and a lower percentage of native live plant cover than undisturbed control plots. Wild hogs redisturbed the disturbed plots approximately every 5 years. Our research provides demographic evidence that repeated foraging disturbances by an invasive animal promote the long‐term population maintenance of an invasive clonal plant. Opportunistic facultative interactions such as we demonstrate in this study are likely to become more commonplace as greater numbers of introduced species are integrated into ecological communities around the world.
Independent origins of resistance or susceptibility of parasitic wasps to a defensive symbiont
Authors: Mateos Mariana , Winter Lauryn , Winter Caitlyn , Higareda‐Alvear Victor M. , Martinez‐Romero Esperanza , Xie Jialei 
Published: March 2016

AbstractInsect microbe associations are diverse, widespread, and influential. Among the fitness effects of microbes on their hosts, defense against natural enemies is increasingly recognized as ubiquitous, particularly among those associations involving heritable, yet facultative, bacteria. Protective mutualisms generate complex ecological and coevolutionary dynamics that are only beginning to be elucidated. These depend in part on the degree to which symbiont‐mediated protection exhibits specificity to one or more members of the natural enemy community. Recent findings in a well‐studied defensive mutualism system (i.e., aphids, bacteria, parasitoid wasps) reveal repeated instances of evolution of susceptibility or resistance to defensive bacteria by parasitoids. This study searched for similar patterns in an emerging model system for defensive mutualisms: the interaction of Drosophila, bacteria in the genus Spiroplasma, and wasps that parasitize larval stages of Drosophila. Previous work indicated that three divergent species of parasitic wasps are strongly inhibited by the presence of Spiroplasma in three divergent species of Drosophila, including D. melanogaster. The results of this study uncovered two additional wasp species that are susceptible to Spiroplasma and two that are unaffected by Spiroplasma, implying at least two instances of loss or gain of susceptibility to Spiroplasma among larval parasitoids of Drosophila.
Fish feeding niche characterization over space and time in a natural boreal river
Authors: Brush Jaclyn M. , Smokorowski Karen E. , Marty Jérôme , Power Michael 
Published: March 2016

AbstractFew studies have examined the temporal variability of fish feeding niche in response to variable flows and temperature or the temporal consistency of spatial differences in fish feeding niche within natural rivers. Using a 10‐year dataset from the boreal Batchawana River in Northern Ontario, we found that fish feeding niche was temporally invariant in the lower sampled river reaches but increased over time in the upper reaches of the river. A significant relationship between the standard deviations of mean δ15N and mean daily summer flow was found. No other significant relationships between measures of flow or temperature variability and variability in δ13C or δ15N were observed. Fish feeding niche was significantly larger in the lower than in the upper Batchawana River, but there were no significant differences in mean fish community δ13C or δ15N between reaches. Fish assemblage δ13C, δ15N and standard ellipse area were consistent among years within river reaches despite flow and temperature variability over the same years. Results highlight that in natural undisturbed rivers, fish feeding niche appears to be temporally invariant in the face of naturally imposed environmental variability. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prognostic incremental role of right ventricular function in acute decompensation of advanced chronic heart failure
Authors: Frea Simone , Pidello Stefano , Bovolo Virginia , Iacovino Cristina , Franco Erica , Pinneri Francesco , Galluzzo Alessandro , Volpe Alessandra , Visconti Massimiliano , Peirone Andrea , Morello Mara , Bergerone Serena , Gaita Fiorenzo 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAimsThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the additional prognostic value of echocardiography in acute decompensation of advanced chronic heart failure (CHF), focusing on right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and its interaction with loading conditions. Few data are available on the prognostic role of echocardiography in acute HF and on the significance of pulmonary hypertension in patients with severe RV failure.Methods and resultsA total of 265 NYHA IV patients admitted for acute decompensation of advanced CHF (EF 22 ± 7%, systolic blood pressure 107 ± 20 mmHg) were prospectively enrolled. Fifty‐nine patients met the primary composite endpoint of cardiac death, urgent heart transplantation, and urgent mechanical circulatory support implantation at 90 days. Pulmonary hypertension failed to predict events, while patients with a low transtricuspid systolic gradient (TR gradient <20 mmHg) showed a worse outcome [hazard ratio (HR) 2.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12–5.00, P = 0.02]. RV dysfunction [tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) ≤14 mm] in the presence of a low TR gradient identified patients at higher risk of events (HR 2.97, 95% CI 1.19–7.41, P = 0.02). Multivariate analysis showed as best predictors of outcome low RV contraction pressure index (RVCPI), defined as TAPSE × TR gradient, and high estimated right atrial pressure (eRAP). Adding RVCPI (<400 mm*mmHg) and eRAP (≥20 mmHg) to conventional clinical (ADHERE risk tree and NT‐proBNP) and echocardiographic risk evaluation resulted in an increase in net reclassification improvement of +19.1% and +20.1%, respectively (P = 0.01) and in c‐statistic from 0.59 to 0.73 (P < 0.01).ConclusionsIn acute decompensation of advanced CHF, pulmonary hypertension failed to predict events. The in‐hospital and short‐term prognosis can be better predicted by eRAP and RVCPI.
Is the diagnostic coding position of acute heart failure related to mortality? A report from the Euro Heart Failure Survey‐1
Authors: Shoaib Ahmad , Farag Mohamed , Nasir Mansoor , John Joseph , Gupta Sanjay , Pellicori Pierpaolo , Antony Renjith , Perveen Rashida , Rigby Alan , Goode Kevin M. , Yassin Ashraf , Clark Andrew L. , Cleland John G.F. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAimsMost studies on acute heart failure (HF) exploring the relationship between admissions to hospital for HF and subsequent outcomes have focused only on HF coded as the primary diagnosis, but many other patients have admissions complicated by HF requiring attention. Failure to quantify the total hospital burden of HF underestimates its health economic impact, leading to underprovision of resources for its care.Methods and resultsThe First Euro Heart Failure Survey (EHFS‐1) screened consecutive deaths and discharges, regardless of cause, from medical wards in 115 hospitals from 24 European countries during 2000–2001, to identify patients with known or suspected HF. Information on presenting symptoms and signs were gathered. Of 10 701 patients enrolled, HF was reported as the primary reason for admission in 4234 (40%), a secondary reason for admission if it complicated or prolonged stay in 1772 (17%), and in 4695 (43%) patients it was uncertain whether HF was actively contributing to the admission. Mortality on the index admission was 301 (7%), 290 (16%), and 189 (4%), respectively, with hazard ratios of 1.73 (P < 0.001) and 3.26 (P < 0.001) compared with the ‘uncertain’ group. In the 12 weeks following discharge, 287 (7%) patients with a primary, 117 (8%) with a secondary, and 238 (5%) with an incidental or uncertain diagnosis of HF died.ConclusionPatients admitted to hospital with HF as a secondary rather than a primary diagnosis have a high mortality. More attention should be focused on patients with a secondary diagnosis of HF in terms of both care and research.
Ionic Immobilization of Silicotungstic Acid on Amine‐Functionalized Zirconia: A Mesoporous Catalyst for Esterification of Maleic Acid
Authors: Ramalingam Meenakshi , Manickam Sundar , Srinivasalu Kutti Rani , Ismail Mohammed Bilal , Deivanayagam Easwaramoorthy 
Published: March 2016

AbstractSilicotungstic acid (H4SiW12O40) has been immobilized onto the mesopores of amine‐functionalized zirconia by exploitation of electrostatic interactions. The ionic grafting of silicotungstic acid was confirmed by XPS, FTIR, UV/Vis‐DRS and TGA analysis. The mesoporosity of the material was confirmed through N2 adsorption/desorption analysis. The morphology of the material was established by TEM analysis. The immobilized silicotungstate material was found to be an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for selective esterification of maleic acid with butan‐1‐ol. A 98 % level of conversion of maleic acid and 82 % selectivity for dibutyl maleate within 5 h at 95 °C was achieved. The catalyst could be reused thrice without loss of activity.
Synthesis and Hydrolysis of Alkoxy(aminoalkyl)diorganylsilanes of the Formula Type R2(RO)Si(CH2)nNH2 (R = Alkyl, n = 1–3): A Systematic Experimental and Computational Study
Authors: Ehbets Julia , Lorenzen Sabine , Mahler Christoph , Bertermann Rüdiger , Berkefeld André , Poater Jordi , Fritz‐Langhals Elke , Weidner Richard , Bickelhaupt F. Matthias , Tacke Reinhold 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAlkoxy(aminoalkyl)silanes are important precursors for the formation of amino‐functionalized polysiloxanes, which are used in many technical applications. To better understand the mechanism of the hydrolytic cleavage of the Si–alkoxy moiety of alkoxy(aminoalkyl)silanes (an important key step in the formation of amino‐functionalized polysiloxanes), a systematic experimental and computational study on the hydrolysis of alkoxy(aminoalkyl)diorganylsilanes of the formula type R2(RO)Si(CH2)nNH2 (R = alkyl, n = 1–3) was conducted. For reasons of comparison, silanes of the formula types R2(RO)SiC(H)MeCH2NH2 and R2(RO)Si(CH2)nX [R = alkyl; n = 1–3; X = N(H)Me, NMe2, piperidino, NMe3+I–, N(H)COOMe, N(Me)COOMe] and compounds Me2(MeO)Si(CH2)6Me and Me2(MeO)Si(CH2)6NH2 were included in this study. For this purpose, the various silanes were synthesized and studied for their hydrolysis kinetics in CD3CN/D2O under acidic and basic conditions by using 1H NMR spectroscopy as the analytic tool. These experimental investigations were complemented by computational studies (calculation of proton affinities, reaction barriers, and energies relative to reactants of intermediate transition complexes). The different hydrolysis reactivities observed are the result of a number of parameters, such as electronic and steric effects, the strong impact of the pD value, and intramolecular N–H···O hydrogen bonds between the protonated amino group and the alkoxy leaving group. This comprehensive study provided deep insight into the mechanism of hydrolysis of analogous α‐, β‐, and γ‐amino‐functionalized alkoxy(aminoalkyl)diorganylsilanes of the formula type R2(RO)Si(CH2)nNH2 (R = organyl, n = 1–3) and a series of related α/β/γ analogues with other nitrogen‐based functional groups.
Influence of duration of gestation on fatty acid profiles of human milk
Authors: Guerra Elena , Downey Eimear , O'Mahony James A. , Caboni Maria Fiorenza , O'Shea Carol‐Anne , Ryan Anthony C. , Kelly Alan L. 
Published: March 2016

Human milk (HM) provides healthy full‐term infants with all their nutritional requirements during the first 6 months of life. Fatty acids (FA) and cholesterol derived from HM have many physiological functions in the neonate, including brain myelination, brain function and visual development. HM samples from mothers delivering prematurely (n = 15) and at term (n = 30) were collected. For pre‐term mothers, longitudinal HM samples were collected up to 14 weeks post‐partum. Thirty‐six individual FA were identified and quantified in human milks by fast GC‐FID analysis. HM from pre‐term mothers had higher contents of saturated FA and long chain‐polyunsaturated FA compared to HM from term mothers. The cholesterol content of full‐term HM was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of pre‐term HM up to 5 weeks post‐partum. A decrease in the levels of mono‐unsaturated FA, poly‐unsaturated FA and cholesterol was observed in longitudinal pre‐term HM samples. The current study demonstrates how the FA and cholesterol composition of full‐term and pre‐term HM varies with gestational age and throughout lactation.Practical applications: The current study demonstrates how the FA and cholesterol composition of full‐term and pre‐term milks varies with gestational age and throughout lactation. The changes were presumably due to the differences in functional maturity of the mammary gland and/or dietary fat and carbohydrates intakes by Irish mothers. This thorough knowledge of lipid profile of human milk could be useful to design a more humanised infant formula in order to ensure the required FA and cholesterol levels of infants are satisfied during early life, particularly in supporting the growth and development of premature babies.Fatty acid and cholesterol composition were quantified by fast gas‐chromatography analysis in pre‐term and term human milk samples sourced from a milk bank. Significant differences in the saturated FA, long chain‐polyunsaturated FA and cholesterol contents were observed between pre‐term and term milk samples. Longitudinal pre‐term samples showed a decrease in the levels of mono‐unsaturated FA, poly‐unsaturated FA and cholesterol HM samples. This study has improved the current knowledge regarding the lipid profile of human milk, and the results could be useful in designing functional infant formula products that ensure the required bioactive FA and cholesterol intakes of infants during early life, particularly for support of the growth and development of premature babies.
A Concise One‐Pot Organo‐ and Biocatalyzed Preparation of Enantiopure Hexahydrofuro[2,3‐b]furan‐3‐ol: An Approach to the Synthesis of HIV Protease Inhibitors
Authors: Kanemitsu Takuya , Inoue Mizuho , Yoshimura Nono , Yoneyama Kazutoshi , Watarai Rie , Miyazaki Michiko , Odanaka Yuki , Nagata Kazuhiro , Itoh Takashi 
Published: March 2016

AbstractA simple and efficient one‐pot synthesis of enantiopure hexahydrofuro[2,3‐b]furan‐3‐ol, a crucial component of HIV‐1 protease inhibitors, was developed. The one‐pot process involves an organocatalytic condensation followed by an enzymatic optical resolution. The condensation of 1,2‐dihydrofuran and glycolaldehyde was achieved using Schreiner's thiourea catalyst (1 mol‐%). A subsequent lipase‐catalyzed kinetic resolution gave the target alcohol with >99 % ee. To demonstrate the practicality of this method, Darunavir, an HIV‐1 protease inhibitor used to treat multi‐drug‐resistant HIV, was synthesized.
An assessment of engineered log jam structures in response to a flood event in an upland gravel‐bed river
Authors: Addy Stephen , Wilkinson Mark 
Published: March 2016

AbstractEngineered log jams (ELJs) are employed to address river restoration goals and a range of river management problems including coarse sediment movement. In the Bowmont Water, a dynamic wandering gravel‐bed river in the Scottish Borders, 33 previously untested ELJs primarily designed to capture and store coarse sediment, were installed on a trial basis. Using repeated topographical surveys and field observations, the performance of the ELJs in response to a 5–10 year recurrence interval flood that occurred on the 25 September 2012 was evaluated at two reaches with catchment areas of 28 km2 and 57 km2. Three of the structures were damaged due to scour of surrounding material that exposed the pile anchors and all the timbers of one structure were completely displaced downstream. Sixteen structures induced geomorphic responses and only four induced significant deposition (>0.3 m) above that which would occur naturally within the adjacent active gravel bar deposition zones. The placement in gravel bars, minor channel blockage ratio created by the structures and their porous nature limited the hydraulic interference and in turn geomorphic responses. Therefore the ELJ placement goal of increasing sediment storage was not fully met. This study contributes to the empirical evidence base for ELJ performance evaluation of different designs in a range of physiographic settings needed to validate performance and refine design. Using these initial findings and knowledge gained from other studies, recommendations for improving the design and placement strategy are proposed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.