bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Discordant response of spider communities to forests disturbed by deer herbivory and changes in prey availability
Authors: Landsman Andrew P. , Bowman Jacob L. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractDespite the breadth of research on impacts of dense ungulate populations and invasive plants on native vegetation, work involving indirect effects on spider communities is explicitly lacking. Forest spiders depend on palatable insect prey and habitat structure, both of which are affected by herbivory and invasive vegetation. To examine the indirect interactions between spiders and these influential factors, we sampled spider communities, insect prey, and vegetation in paired deer exclusion plots in central Maryland. Spider abundance and richness increased with greater prey density, while increased habitat structure from deer exclusion reduced species richness and the abundance of a dominant web‐building species. Multivariate analyses of spider families also demonstrated the importance of both prey availability and structural complexity to spider community composition. This work identifies the importance of both habitat structure and insect prey in defining the composition, abundance, and richness of forest spider communities. A long history of heavy browsing pressure has resulted in local spider fauna consisting of many species that are able to thrive in low‐growing vegetation and open forest understories. Such changes to vegetative structure from dense deer populations and invasive plants have the potential to affect these important primary predators as well as araneophagic birds and the nutritional dynamics of forest food webs.
Hemiboreal forest: natural disturbances and the importance of ecosystem legacies to management
Authors: Jõgiste Kalev , Korjus Henn , Stanturf John A. , Frelich Lee E. , Baders Endijs , Donis Janis , Jansons Aris , Kangur Ahto , Köster Kajar , Laarmann Diana , Maaten Tiit , Marozas Vitas , Metslaid Marek , Nigul Kristi , Polyachenko Olga , Randveer Tiit , Vodde Floortje 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe condition of forest ecosystems depends on the temporal and spatial pattern of management interventions and natural disturbances. Remnants of previous conditions persisting after disturbances, or ecosystem legacies, collectively comprise ecosystem memory. Ecosystem memory in turn contributes to resilience and possibilities of ecosystem reorganization following further disturbance. Understanding the role of disturbance and legacies is a prerequisite for maintaining resilience in the face of global change. Several legacy concepts discussed in the peer‐reviewed literature, including disturbance, biological, soil, land‐use, and silvicultural legacies, overlap in complex ways. Here, we review these established legacy concepts and propose that the new terms “material legacy” (individuals or matter, e.g., survivors, coarse woody debris, nutrients left after disturbance) and “information legacy” (adaptations to historical disturbance regimes) cut across these previous concepts and lead to a new classification of legacies. This includes six categories: material legacies with above‐ and belowground, and biotic and abiotic categories, and information legacies with above‐ and belowground categories. These six legacies are influenced by differential patterns of editing and conditioning by “legacy syndromes” that result from natural or human‐manipulated disturbance regimes that can be arranged along a gradient of naturalness. This scheme is applied to a case study of hemiboreal forests in the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, where natural disturbance, traditional clearcut silviculture, and afforestation of abandoned agricultural lands constitute the three main legacy syndromes. These legacy syndromes in turn influence forest response to management actions and constrain resilience, leading to a mosaic of natural, manipulated, and artificial (novel) ecosystems across the landscape, depending on how the legacies in each syndrome affect ecological memory.
Multidimensional contractile reserve predicts adverse outcome in patients with severe systolic heart failure: a 4‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Paraskevaidis Ioannis A. , Ikonomidis Ignatios , Simitsis Panagiotis , Parissis John , Stasinos Vasilios , Makavos George , Lekakis John 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAimsLeft ventricular contractile reserve is a prognostic indicator for adverse outcome in patients with severe chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). We investigated the dobutamine‐induced changes of LV multidimensional deformation and their predictive value for cardiac mortality of patients with severe chronic HFrEF.Methods and resultsIn this prospective study, out of 130 patients with severe HFrEF who underwent a low‐dose dobutamine stress echocardiography (LDSE) study using speckle tracking imaging, 100 patients were followed up for the occurrence of cardiac death over a period of 4 years. Compared with survivors, non‐survivors (n = 32) had lower radial strain (RS) and strain rate (RSR) (10.7 ± 5.9 vs. 20.1 ± 8% and 0.5 ± 0.2 vs. 0.8 ± 0.3 L/s, P < 0.001), a smaller increase of global longitudinal strain (GLS) and strain rate after LDSE (0.9 ± 1.5 vs. –3.3 ± 3.5% and −0.1 ± 0.1 vs. –0.3 ± 0.3 L/s, P < 0.001), and a lack of change in the circumferential and radial deformation. The dobutamine‐induced changes of all speckle tracking indices predicted cardiac mortality, while, among resting echocardiographic parameters, only RS and RSR predicted survival, after adjusting for age, sex, cardiomyopathy aetiology, NYHA class, AF, BNP levels, resting LVED, and LV outflow tract velocity–time integral, and their respective changes produced by dobutamine (P < 0.05). The dobutamine‐induced change of GLS and resting RS were the best additive predictors of mortality with a net reclassification improvement of 0.518 (P = 0.022)ConclusionIn severe chronic HFrEF, resting RS and the dobutamine‐induced change of GLS are independent predictors of cardiac mortality.
Transition‐Metal Complexes with (C–C)→M Agostic Interactions
Authors: Harvey Benjamin G. , Ernst Richard D. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractInvited for the cover of this issue are Benjamin Harvey at the US Navy, China Lake, California, USA, and Richard Ernst at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA. The cover image shows the first two recognized examples of C–C agostic interactions with a transition metal center and consumer products containing materials prepared by catalytic reactions that rely on these interactions.
Facile Synthesis of Poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide) Coated SiO2 Core‐shell Microspheres via Surface‐initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization for H2O2 Biosensor Applications
Authors: Manivannan K. , Cheng C.‐C. , Chen J.‐K. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn this study, inorganic/organic composites containing poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide) coated core‐shell SiO2 microspheres were prepared via surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The thermal responsive polymer, N‐isopropylacrylamide was treated with methanol, water and CuBr/CuBr2/1,1,4,7,7‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) at room temperature to form PNIPAM@SiO2 microspheres. The as‐prepared PNIPAM@SiO2 microspheres were characterized by FT‐IR, TGA, XPS, SEM, TEM analyses. Hemoglobin (Hb) was immobilized onto the surfaces of PNIPAM@SiO2 microspheres via hydrophobic and π‐π stacking interactions. The as‐prepared Hb/PNIPAM@SiO2 electrode exhibits well‐defined redox peak at a formal potential of −0.38 V, validating the direct electrochemistry of Hb. The Hb immobilized composite film retained its bioelectroactivity without any significant loss of catalytic activity. The modified electrode detects H2O2 over a wide linear concentration range (0.1 μM to 333 μM) with a detection limit of 0.07 μM. This modified electrode also successfully detects H2O2 from food and disinfectant samples with appreciable recovery values, validating its practicality. We believe that PNIPAM@SiO2 composite has great potential to be used in the detection of H2O2 and development of other enzyme based biosensors.
Women's willingness and ability to feel the strings of their intrauterine device
Authors: Melo Juliana , Tschann Mary , Soon Reni , Kuwahara Melissa , Kaneshiro Bliss 
Published: February 2017

AbstractObjectiveTo determine how many intrauterine device (IUD) users are willing and able to palpate their IUD strings.MethodsA cross‐sectional survey was conducted among IUD users presenting for their 6‐week follow‐up visit after insertion at the University of Hawaii, USA, between January 2011 and January 2012. Participants were asked whether they had previously felt the strings and whether they were willing to do so during the visit. Bivariate analyses and multiple logistic regression were performed.ResultsPrevious attempts to palpate IUD strings were reported by 74 (58.7%) of 126 participants, of whom 49 (66.2%) could feel the strings. At the study visit, 60 (47.6%) participants were willing to try to feel their strings; 33 (55.0%) were successful. Overall, 58 (46.0%) participants were willing and able to palpate their IUD strings at home and/or at the study visit. Fewer women who self‐identified as native Hawaiian than women of other races reported previous attempts (P=0.005). Previous instruction to check IUD strings was associated with willingness to palpate them before and after controlling for native Hawaiian race (odds ratio 8.78, 95% CI 3.43–22.43; adjusted odds ratio 9.64, 95% CI 3.57–26.04).ConclusionApproximately half the participants were willing and able to palpate their IUD strings. Routinely counseling women to check their IUD strings could have limited clinical utility.
Residence time distribution and Peclet number correlation for continuous oscillatory flow reactors
Authors: Slavnić Danijela S , Živković Luka V , Bjelić Ana V , Bugarski Branko M , Nikačević Nikola M 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDOscillatory baffled reactors have good prospect for use in batch to continuous transition for many industries. For reliable design and scale up it is essential to mathematically describe mixing and flow pattern of oscillatory flow. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of operating conditions on residence time distribution (RTD) of liquid phase in a continuous oscillatory baffled reactor (COBR) and to propose a correlation that accurately describes the flow pattern.RESULTSAnalysis of results obtained for a wide variety of operating conditions in two geometrically similar reactors show that increase of oscillation frequency and amplitude both decrease axial dispersion, with a more prominent effect of amplitude. Proposed power‐law correlation is in very good agreement with all performed experiments. Peclet numbers predicted by this correlation are in reasonably good agreement with the literature experimental data and is much better than the ones obtained by the commonly used correlation, which contains more fitting parameters.CONCLUSIONResults show that relatively high amplitudes, low frequencies and low to moderate secondary non‐oscillatory flow should be used to ensure effective mixing with a low net flow in COBR. Developed correlation offers a simple, yet reliable way to predict the macroscopic flow pattern of liquid in COBR. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Efficient agmatine production using an arginine decarboxylase with substrate‐specific activity
Authors: Sun Anran , Song Wei , Qiao Weihua , Chen Xiulai , Liu Jia , Luo Qiuling , Liu Liming 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDAgmatine is a valuable pharmaceutical intermediate biosynthesised from l‐arginine by arginine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.19). It has various potential therapeutic functions in neurotransmitter systems, nitric oxide synthesis, and polyamine metabolism. To establish a green and efficient process for agmatine production, a novel arginine decarboxylase (SpA9) from Shewanella putrefaciens was identified, overexpressed, and functionally characterised in this study.RESULTSThe SpA9 gene from S. putrefaciens was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and the recombinant SpA9 was purified 7.7‐fold. The recombinant SpA9 exhibited a higher Kcat/Km value (4.8 s−1 mM−1). Furthermore, SpA9 showed the highest activity at pH 8.5 and 37°C towards l‐arginine. The highest enzyme activity of 1281 U mL−1 was achieved by optimising the nutrient, culture, and induction conditions. Under optimum transformation conditions, the maximum conversion yield of agmatine was 92.6%, with a space‐time yield of 276.88 g L−1·day−1 at a 1 L scale.CONCLUSIONSTo our best knowledge, this bioprocess produced the highest yield and conversion rate of any biocatalyst method reported yet. It is also a greener and more cost‐effective method for agmatine production compared with other available methods in the pharmaceutical industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Simultaneous recovery of ammonium and phosphate from simulated treated wastewater effluents by activated calcium and magnesium zeolites
Authors: You Xialei , Valderrama César , Cortina José Luis 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn this study a sodium zeolite synthesized from coal fly ash (NaP1‐NA) was modified to calcium and magnesium forms (Ze‐Ca, Ze‐Mg) as sorbent materials for simultaneous recovery of ammonium and phosphate from simulated treated wastewater effluents.RESULTSIncreasing the temperature during the modification step to magnesium form improved the zeolite conversion. The maximum sorption capacities obtained were 123.1±9.1 mg NH4 g−1 and 119.5±7.5 mg PO4 g−1 in an ammonium/phosphate binary system for Ze‐Ca, while 55.2±2.4/ 60.5 ±14.1 and 32.3±4.4/ 23.9±3.4 were obtained for Ze‐Mg1 and Ze‐Mg2, respectively. The sorption process is faster for Ze‐Mg zeolites and the sorption mechanism that controls the overall process, for both zeolites, is diffusion into the particle according to the HPDM and SPM models.CONCLUSIONSSalt modification improved the performance of zeolites towards phosphate sorption. The sorption mechanism involves both ammonium exchange to the Mg and Ca ions, and precipitation of Ca and Mg phosphates or mixed ammonium‐magnesium phosphate minerals such as brushite (CaHPO4.H2O) and struvite (MgNH4PO4). © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Acute diffuse thyroid swelling: A rare complication of fine‐needle aspiration
Authors: Tang Wai Kiu , Bhatia Kunwar S. S. , Pang Angel S. W. , Ahuja Anil 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTWe present a case illustrating the rare complication of acute generalized thyroid swelling shortly after sonographic‐guided fine needle aspiration of a thyroid nodule. Ultrasound revealed the presence of characteristic linear hypoechoic avascular areas interspersed throughout the gland suggestive of edema. The patient was treated conservatively, with near complete normalization of the thyroid within 24 hours. Recognition of this potential complication is important, as the rapid onset of diffuse thyroid enlargement is often alarming but typically has a transient and self‐limiting course. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:426–429, 2017
Sonographic appearance of a cholesterol granuloma mimicking breast cancer
Authors: Kim Young‐Seon , Chang Jung Min 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTA breast cholesterol granuloma is a rare benign condition that can be a pitfall in diagnosing breast cancer. We describe a cholesterol granuloma in the breast mimicking breast cancer on sonography. The mass was confirmed to be a cholesterol granuloma through a core needle biopsy, but an excisional biopsy was eventually performed due to suspicious sonographic appearance and histopathological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:608–611, 2017
Association of IGF1 gene polymorphism with Parkinson's disease in a Han Chinese population
Authors: Xiao Yousheng , Cen Luan , Mo Mingshu , Chen Xiang , Huang Shuxuan , Wei Lei , Li Shaomin , Yang Xinling , Qu Shaogang , Pei Zhong , Xu Pingyi 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBackgroundAccumulating evidence suggests that insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF1) plays an important role in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. However, it is not clear whether IGF1 polymorphism contributes to PD risk.MethodsWe performed a case–control study in a Han Chinese population that included 512 sporadic PD cases and 535 matched controls. All participants were genotyped for rs972936 using the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX platform. Serum IGF1 levels of 61 de novo, drug‐naïve PD patients and 55 age‐ and sex‐matched controls were also measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsGenotype frequency of rs972936‐CC was significantly associated with an increased PD risk (p = 0.009), especially in males (p = 0.024) and late‐onset patients (p = 0.013). Serum IGF1 levels were significantly increased in de novo, drug‐naïve PD patients compared to controls (p = 0.036), although they were not correlated with motor dysfunction in PD patients (p = 0.220).ConclusionsThe present study shows that rs972936 polymorphism may increase susceptibility to PD, especially in males and late‐onset patients. Furthermore, high serum IGF1 levels may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for PD in the Han Chinese population, although they do not correlate with a more severe motor dysfunction.
Discharges Against Medical Advice at a County Hospital: Provider Perceptions and Practice
Authors: Stearns Cordelia R. , Bakamjian Allison , Sattar Subrina , Weintraub Miranda Ritterman 
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUNDPatients discharged against medical advice (AMA) have higher rates of readmission and mortality than patients who are conventionally discharged. Bioethicists have proposed best practice approaches for AMA discharges, but studies have revealed that some providers have misconceptions about their roles in these discharges.OBJECTIVEThis study assessed patient characteristics and provider practices for AMA discharges at a county hospital and provider perceptions and knowledge about AMA discharges.DESIGNThis mixed‐methods cross‐sectional study involved chart abstraction and survey administration.PARTICIPANTSCharts were reviewed for all AMA discharges (n = 319) at a county hospital in 2014. Surveys were completed by 178 healthcare providers at the hospital.RESULTSOf 12,036 admissions, 319 (2.7%) ended with an AMA discharge. Compared with conventionally discharged patients, patients who left AMA were more likely to be young, male, and homeless and less likely to be Spanish‐speaking. Of the AMA patients, 29.6% had capacity documented, 21.4% had medications prescribed, and 25.7% had follow‐up arranged. Of patients readmitted within 6 months after AMA, 23.5% left AMA again at the next visit. Attending physicians and trainee physicians were more likely than nurses to say that AMA patients should receive medications and follow‐up (94% and 84% vs 64%; P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONSAlthough providers overall felt comfortable determining capacity and discussing AMA discharges, they rarely documented these discussions. Nurses and physicians differed in their thinking regarding whether to arrange follow‐up for patients leaving AMA, and in practice arrangements were seldom made.
Shifting of agro‐climatic zones, their drought vulnerability, and precipitation and temperature trends in Pakistan
Authors: Adnan Shahzada , Ullah Kalim , Gao Shouting , Khosa Ashfaq H. , Wang Ziqian 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTAgro‐climatic classification helps to determine the different features of a region. This climatic classification provides a useful insight for a farmer to grow their crops according to the conditions of their region. This study identifies the shifting of moisture index from average values in different agro‐climatic zones of Pakistan. Unpredictable climate remains dominant over long periods. Observational data of precipitation and evapotranspiration were used to determine the agro‐climatic zone during the period 1951–2010. This study reveals that almost 87% of Pakistan is in extremely arid to semi‐arid zones, a 5% decrease in over the last 30 years (1981–2010). The largest decrease of 8% and increase of 5% were observed in the extremely arid and humid zones, respectively. The semi‐arid zone is more vulnerable to drought, while intensity and severity are greater in the extremely arid region. An agro‐climatic regional analysis identifies 1952, 1969, 2000, 2001 and 2002 as years when the most severe droughts were observed during the study period. The trends of precipitation and temperature were performed at 95% significance level on a monthly, seasonal and annual basis over the entire agro‐climatic zone of Pakistan during 1951–2014. The annual precipitation trends show a significant increase of 0.828 mm year−1 in arid regions, whereas the maximum temperature trends shows a significant increase of 0.014 °C year−1 and 0.018 °C year−1 in extremely arid and humid regions, respectively. The trend of minimum temperature shows an increase over the whole region, which may place pressure on the water demands of crops.
Prevalence and behavior of multidrug‐resistant Salmonella strains on raw whole and cut nopalitos (Opuntia ficus‐indica L.) and on nopalitos salads
Authors: Gómez‐Aldapa Carlos A , Gutiérrez‐Alcántara Eduardo J , Torres‐Vitela M Refugio , Rangel‐Vargas Esmeralda , Villarruel‐López Angelica , Castro‐Rosas Javier 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe presence of multidrug‐resistant Salmonella in vegetables is a significant public health concern. Nopalito is a cactaceous that is commonly consumed either raw or cooked in Mexico and other countries. The presence of antibiotic‐resistant Salmonella strains on raw whole nopalitos (RWN, without prickles), raw nopalitos cut into squares (RNCS) and in cooked nopalitos salads (CNS) samples was determined. In addition, the behavior of multidrug‐resistant Salmonella isolates on RWN, RNCS and CNS at 25° ± 2 °C and 3° ± 2 °C was investigated.RESULTSOne hundred samples of RWN, 100 of RNCS and 100 more of CNS were collected from public markets. Salmonella strains were isolated and identified in 30, 30 and 10% of the samples, respectively. Seventy multidrug‐resistant Salmonella strains were isolated from all the nopalitos samples. Multidrug‐resistant Salmonella isolates survived at least 15 days on RWN at 25° ± 2 °C or 3° ± 2 °C. Multidrug‐resistant Salmonella isolates grew in the RNCS and CNS samples at 25° ± 2 °C. However, at 3° ± 2 °C the bacterial growth was inhibited.CONCLUSIONThis is the first report about multidrug‐resistant Salmonella isolation from raw nopalitos and nopalitos salads. Nopalitos from markets are very likely to be an important factor contributing to the endemicity of multidrug‐resistant Salmonella‐related gastroenteritis in Mexico. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry