bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Signal enhancement ratio imaging of the lung parenchyma with ultra‐fast steady‐state free precession MRI at 1.5T
Authors: Pusterla Orso , Sommer Gregor , Santini Francesco , Wiese Mark , Lardinois Didier , Tamm Michael , Bremerich Jens , Bauman Grzegorz , Bieri Oliver 
Published: January 2018

BackgroundLung perfusion MRI after i.v. gadolinium (Gd) contrast administration is commonly based on spoiled gradient‐echo acquisitions, such as volume‐interpolated breath‐hold examinations (VIBE), suffering from low signal‐to‐noise in the parenchyma.PurposeTo investigate the lung signal enhancement ratio (SER) with ultra‐fast steady‐state free precession (ufSSFP) after Gd‐administration.Study TypeRetrospective.SubjectsTen subjects with healthy lungs; nine patients with pulmonary diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, lung contusion).Field Strength/SequenceVIBE and ufSSFP imaging of the chest was performed at 1.5T before and 3 minutes after i.v. gadobenate dimeglumine.AssessmentA workflow including deformable image registration and median filtering was used to compute 3D SER maps. SER was analyzed in the lung, blood pool, liver, muscles, and fat. The artifacts were assessed by a radiologist. In the COPD patients, ufSSFP‐SER was compared to 99mTc‐MAA‐SPECT/CT by visual scoring of lung enhancement deficits.Statistical TestsMean signal, standard deviation (SD), intersubject SD, and coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated for SER. Statistical significance of differences in signal and artifacts were determined using Wilcoxon signed‐rank paired test. Intermodality agreement between ufSSFP‐SER and SPECT/CT was calculated by Cohen's kappa (κq).ResultsIn healthy lungs, ufSSFP‐SER (99% ± 23%, mean ± pooled intrasubject SD, CV = 23%) was significantly higher (P < 10−3) and more homogeneous (P < 10−3) than VIBE (47% ± 26%, CV = 57%). UfSSFP‐SER was significantly higher (P < 10−3) for the lungs (99% ± 9%, mean ± intersubject SD) than for the blood (81% ± 7%) and other tissues (liver 33% ± 8%, muscle 26% ± 5%, fat 2% ± 1%). In the lung ufSSFP‐SER exhibits homogeneity on iso‐gravitational planes, and an anterior–posterior gradient. In COPD patients, ufSSFP‐SER was reduced and less homogeneous compared to the control group (73% ± 33%, mean ± pooled intrasubject SD, CV = 42%). ufSSFP‐SER had moderate intermodality agreement with SPECT/CT (κq = 0.64).Data ConclusionUfSSFP‐SER of the lung is a rapid and simple method. Our preliminary data show plausible results in different pulmonary diseases, motivating further evaluation in larger cohorts.Level of Evidence: 2Technical Efficacy: Stage 2J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018.
The land and its climate knows no transition, no middle ground, everywhere too much or too little: a documentary‐based climate chronology for central Namibia, 1845–1900
Authors: Grab Stefan , Zumthurm Tizian 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACTRecent and historical austral summer and winter rainfall characteristics have been widely investigated across southern Africa. However, a notable gap of knowledge remains for the Namibian region. This article presents the first extensive 19th century (1845–1900) hydro‐climate history for central Namibia, derived from documentary evidence. Unpublished and published data sources were scrutinized in various archives and libraries in Germany, Switzerland, Namibia and South Africa. Missionary Carl Hahn's detailed diaries are the most valuable source of information for the earliest period until 1859. Other important sources of information include the Rhenish Missionary Society (RMS) annual reports and monthly ‘Berichte’ (news), station chronicles, official annual reports for the colonial period (1894 onwards) and letters/diaries by traders, travellers, etc.Climate information was transcribed, translated and organized chronologically. Using a five‐point categorization system ranging from very wet (+2) to very dry (−2), each year was classified according to overall rainfall conditions during the rain season. A portion of the chronology is compared with instrumental rainfall data for Okahandja, Windhoek and Rehoboth and confirms good agreement. Possible associations between El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases and subsequent austral summer rainfall conditions are explored for central Namibia. Wetter years (42%) are over‐represented in comparison to dry years (38%) during the second half of the 19th century in central Namibia, with a high percentage (42%) constituting either extremely wet or extremely dry years. Inter‐annual rainfall variability between 1845 and 1900 seems more pronounced than elsewhere in southern Africa during this period. Extreme to very strong and prolonged El Niño (e.g. 1876–1878) and La Nina (e.g. 1865–1866) phases account for rare hydro‐climatic synchronicity between southern African sub‐regions and between continents of the Southern Hemisphere.
Impact of a packing medium with alga Bifurcaria bifurcata extract on canned Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) quality
Authors: Barbosa Roberta G , Trigo Marcos , Fett Roseane , Aubourg Santiago P 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe present research focused on the quality of canned fish. Its primary objective was the quality enhancement of canned Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) by including an aqueous Bifurcaria bifurcata extract in the packing medium. Various alga extract concentrations were tested and compared with a control without alga extract. After 3 months of canned storage, the cans were opened and quality changes in fish white muscle were analyzed.RESULTSAn inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation development (tertiary compound formation) and color parameter (L* and b*) values was observed as a result of the alga presence in the packing medium. On the contrary, the presence of the alga extract did not produce any effect on volatile compound (total and trimethylamine) formation and lipid hydrolysis (free fatty acid formation) development.CONCLUSIONA preservative effect derived from the use of an aqueous B. bifurcata extract as packing medium is concluded, and this result is primarily linked to the presence of hydrophilic preservative molecules. The packing system proposed in this work constitutes a novel and promising strategy to enhance the quality of commercial canned fish products. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Duality for frames in Krein spaces
Authors: Giribet Juan Ignacio , Maestripieri Alejandra , Martínez Pería Francisco 
Published: January 2018

AbstractA J‐frame for a Krein space is in particular a frame for (in the Hilbert space sense). But it is also compatible with the indefinite inner‐product of , meaning that it determines a pair of maximal uniformly definite subspaces, an analogue to the maximal dual pair associated with an orthonormal basis in a Krein space. This work is devoted to study duality for J‐frames in Krein spaces. Also, tight and Parseval J‐frames are defined and characterized.
Neuropathology of autonomic dysfunction in synucleinopathies
Authors: Coon Elizabeth A. , Cutsforth‐Gregory Jeremy K. , Benarroch Eduardo E. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe synucleinopathies—Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, and pure autonomic failure—result from distinct patterns of abnormal α‐synuclein aggregation throughout the nervous system. Autonomic dysfunction in these disorders results from variable involvement of the central and peripheral autonomic networks. The major pathologic hallmark of Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies is Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites; of multiple system atrophy, oligodendroglial cytoplasmic inclusions; and of pure autonomic failure, peripheral neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions. Clinical manifestations include orthostatic hypotension, thermoregulatory dysfunction, gastrointestinal dysmotility, and urogenital dysfunction with neurogenic bladder and sexual dysfunction. Strong evidence supports isolated idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep disorder as a significant risk factor for the eventual development of synucleinopathies with autonomic and/or motor involvement. In contrast, some neurologically normal elderly individuals have Lewy‐related pathology. Future work may reveal protective or vulnerability factors that allow some patients to harbor Lewy pathology without overt autonomic dysfunction. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Accurate T1 mapping of short T2 tissues using a three‐dimensional ultrashort echo time cones actual flip angle imaging‐variable repetition time (3D UTE‐Cones AFI‐VTR) method
Authors: Ma Ya‐Jun , Lu Xing , Carl Michael , Zhu Yanchun , Szeverenyi Nikolaus M. , Bydder Graeme M. , Chang Eric Y. , Du Jiang 
Published: January 2018

PurposeTo develop an accurate T1 measurement method for short T2 tissues using a combination of a 3‐dimensional ultrashort echo time cones actual flip angle imaging technique and a variable repetition time technique (3D UTE‐Cones AFI‐VTR) on a clinical 3T scanner.MethodsFirst, the longitudinal magnetization mapping function of the excitation pulse was obtained with the 3D UTE‐Cones AFI method, which provided information about excitation efficiency and B1 inhomogeneity. Then, the derived mapping function was substituted into the VTR fitting to generate accurate T1 maps. Numerical simulation and phantom studies were carried out to compare the AFI‐VTR method with a B1‐uncorrected VTR method, a B1‐uncorrected variable flip angle (VFA) method, and a B1‐corrected VFA method. Finally, the 3D UTE‐Cones AFI‐VTR method was applied to bovine bone samples (N = 6) and healthy volunteers (N = 3) to quantify the T1 of cortical bone.ResultsNumerical simulation and phantom studies showed that the 3D UTE‐Cones AFI‐VTR technique provides more accurate measurement of the T1 of short T2 tissues than the B1‐uncorrected VTR and VFA methods or the B1‐corrected VFA method. The proposed 3D UTE‐Cones AFI‐VTR method showed a mean T1 of 240 ± 25 ms for bovine cortical bone and 218 ± 10 ms for the tibial midshaft of human volunteers, respectively, at 3 T.ConclusionThe 3D UTE‐Cones AFI‐VTR method can provide accurate T1 measurements of short T2 tissues such as cortical bone. Magn Reson Med 80:598–608, 2018. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
A time window of 3 s in the aesthetic appreciation of poems
Authors: Zhao Chen , Zhang Dongxue , Bao Yan 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWe studied the effect of time windows of a few seconds on the aesthetic appreciation of poems. BothChinese andGerman subjects rated traditionalChinese poetic verses more beautiful in a time window of approximately 3 s, irrespective of understanding the poetic content. This observation suggests a common temporal preference for poetry appreciation across a different language background.
Body image attitude among Chinese college students
Authors: Wang Kui , Liang Rui , Ma Zhen‐Ling , Chen Jue , Cheung Eric F. C. , Roalf David R. , Gur Ruben C. , Chan Raymond C. K. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe present study aimed to examine body image attitude in Chinese college students and related psychological consequences. A silhouette‐matching test was administered to 425 college students in mainland China. Self‐esteem, negative emotions, subjective well‐being, and eating‐disorder‐related weight‐controlling behaviors were also measured. Only 12.9% of the participants were satisfied with their figure and the extent of body image dissatisfaction was comparable for both sexes. The majority of the female participants indicated a preference to be more slender. Their ideal figure was underweight and was far smaller than the most attractive female figure chosen by male participants. For male participants, the proportion wanting a fuller figure was comparable to that wanting a slimmer figure. Among female participants, body image dissatisfaction negatively correlated with self‐esteem and subjective well‐being, and positively correlated with negative emotions. Drive for thinness correlated with eating‐disorder‐related weight‐controlling behaviors not only for females, but also for males. Body image dissatisfaction, as a diagnostic feature for major subtypes of eating disorders, may signal serious concern among Chinese college students.
The Role of Mass Spectrometry and Proteogenomics in the Advancement of HLA Epitope Prediction
Authors: Creech Amanda L. , Ting Ying S. , Goulding Scott P. , Sauld John F.K. , Barthelme Dominik , Rooney Michael S. , Addona Terri A. , Abelin Jennifer G. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractA challenge in developing personalized cancer immunotherapies is the prediction of putative cancer‐specific antigens. Currently, predictive algorithms are used to infer binding of peptides to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) heterodimers to aid in the selection of putative epitope targets. One drawback of current epitope prediction algorithms is that they are trained on datasets containing biochemical HLA‐peptide binding data that may not completely capture the rules associated with endogenous processing and presentation. The field of MS has made great improvements in instrumentation speed and sensitivity, chromatographic resolution, and proteogenomic database search strategies to facilitate the identification of HLA‐ligands from a variety of cell types and tumor tissues. As such, these advances have enabled MS profiling of HLA‐binding peptides to be a tractable, orthogonal approach to lower throughput biochemical assays for generating comprehensive datasets to train epitope prediction algorithms. In this review, we will highlight the progress made in the field of HLA‐ligand profiling enabled by MS and its impact on current and future epitope prediction strategies.
Factors influencing the decision to share cancer genetic results among family members: An in‐depth interview study of women in an Asian setting
Authors: Li Shao‐Tzu , Sun Shirley , Lie Désirée , Met‐Domestici Marie , Courtney Eliza , Menon Sapna , Lim Geok Hoon , Ngeow Joanne 
Published: January 2018

AbstractObjectiveReluctance to share hereditary cancer syndrome genetic test results with family is reported among Asian patients. This study aims to explore patient factors influencing result sharing with family, to improve overall testing uptake.MethodsParticipants were women with a personal/family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer who received a positive, negative, or variant of uncertain significance test result. In‐depth interviews were conducted to theme saturation to explore facilitators and barriers for sharing results with family. Grounded theory with thematic analysis was applied in analysis and interpretation.ResultsTwenty‐four women participated. Three themes representing facilitators emerged for all results categories: family closeness, involvement of families in the testing process, and perception of low emotional impact of results. In the positive result category, 2 facilitator themes emerged: presence of actionable results and perception of family members' acceptance. In the negative and variant of uncertain significance result categories, 2 themes representing barriers to sharing emerged: perception of no genetic or medical implication for family and result ambiguity.ConclusionFacilitators and barriers for result sharing are similar to those among Western women. A framework to explain Asian patients' decision‐making process identifies optimal counselling opportunities to enhance communication with family.
Coalescence and self‐bunching observed in commercial high‐resolution mass spectrometry instrumentation
Authors: Kaufmann Anton , Walker Stephan 
Published: January 2018

RationaleSelf‐bunching and coalescence are well‐known effects in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) and multi‐reflection time‐of‐flight (TOF) mass spectrometry. These detrimental effects can also be observed in currently more frequently used high‐resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) instruments, such as the Orbitrap and single‐reflection TOF.MethodsA modern single‐reflection TOF and a Q‐Orbitrap were used to produce conditions in which self‐bunching and coalescence were observed. This was done by infusion experiments of several isobaric compounds. The peak widths of some low‐mass isobaric ions as well as the mass resolution of such mixtures were investigated. Attention was paid to possible self‐bunching and coalescence effects.ResultsFor the utilized TOF mass spectrometer, the measured peak widths of the ions become significantly narrower (self‐bunching) when increasing the ion abundance. On the other hand, isobaric ion pairs (delta <30 milli‐m/z units) became unresolvable above a certain ion abundance (coalescence). The tested Orbitrap shows similar behavior, although coalescence appeared only at delta <15 milli‐m/z units. Coalescence was shown to affect the quantitative data, while self‐bunching can lead to biased relative isotopic ratios.ConclusionsThe conventional measurement of a peak width does not truly reflect the mass resolving power of modern HRMS instrumentation. The mass resolving power is better demonstrated by resolving a mixture of isobaric compounds. Measurements obtained at low and high ion abundances should be investigated. Coalescence and self‐bunching can reduce the truly available mass resolving power and therefore negatively affect quantitative and qualitative measurements.
Using an “isotopic spike” from a tropical storm to understand water exchange on a large scale: case study of Hurricane Rafael in the Lesser Antilles archipelago, October 2012
Authors: Lambs Luc , Bompy Félix , Dulormne Maguy 
Published: January 2018

RationaleStudies of wetland eco‐hydrology in tropical coastal areas are scarce, and the use of water stable isotopes can be of great help. Key constraints for their analysis are (i) the small difference in δ18O values between seawater and old evaporated freshwater, and (ii) the fact that the presence of old brackish water limits the determination of the water origin and dynamic.MethodsThe water from tropical storms displays distinctively depleted heavy stable isotopes, in comparison with usual tropical rainfall without strong convective thunderstorms. During tropical storms, such as Hurricane Rafael in mid‐October 2012, the rainfall δ18O signal can be decreased by many units. This effect is called an "isotopic spike", and it could be used as a temporal marker of the water fluxes.ResultsWater samples, with δ18O values as low as −8.9 ‰, were collected on the islands of Guadeloupe and Saint‐Martin during Hurricane Rafael, whereas the usual range of groundwater or mean rainfall δ18O values is around −2.8 ± 0.5 ‰, as measured from 2009 to 2012. These water "isotopic spikes" allow us to show a surface freshwater uptake by mangrove trees in Guadeloupe, and in Saint‐Martin, to calculate the water renewal of the salt ponds and pools.ConclusionsThe "isotopic spikes" generated by tropical storms are generally used to track back past storm events, as recorded in trees and stalagmites. Here, the propagation of isotopic spike is followed to improve the understanding of the freshwater circulation and the water dynamic within coastal ecosystems influenced by seawater.
Amnion Epithelial Cell-Derived Exosomes Restrict Lung Injury and Enhance Endogenous Lung Repair
Authors: Tan Jean L. , Lau Sin N. , Leaw Bryan , Nguyen Hong P. T. , Salamonsen Lois A. , Saad Mohamed I. , Chan Siow T. , Zhu Dandan , Krause Mirja , Kim Carla , Sievert William , Wallace Euan M. , Lim Rebecca 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by chronic inflammation, severe scarring, and stem cell senescence. Stem cell-based therapies modulate inflammatory and fibrogenic pathways by release of soluble factors. Stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles should be explored as a potential therapy for IPF. Human amnion epithelial cell-derived exosomes (hAEC Exo) were isolated and compared against human lung fibroblasts exosomes. hAEC Exo were assessed as a potential therapy for lung fibrosis. Exosomes were isolated and evaluated for their protein and miRNA cargo. Direct effects of hAEC Exo on immune cell function, including macrophage polarization, phagocytosis, neutrophil myeloperoxidase activity and T cell proliferation and uptake, were measured. Their impact on immune response, histological outcomes, and bronchioalveolar stem cell (BASC) response was assessed in vivo following bleomycin challenge in young and aged mice. hAEC Exo carry protein cargo enriched for MAPK signaling pathways, apoptotic and developmental biology pathways and miRNA enriched for PI3K-Akt, Ras, Hippo, TGFβ, and focal adhesion pathways. hAEC Exo polarized and increased macrophage phagocytosis, reduced neutrophil myeloperoxidases, and suppressed T cell proliferation directly. Intranasal instillation of 10 μg hAEC Exo 1 day following bleomycin challenge reduced lung inflammation, while treatment at day 7 improved tissue-to-airspace ratio and reduced fibrosis. Administration of hAEC Exo coincided with the proliferation of BASC. These effects were reproducible in bleomycin-challenged aged mice. The paracrine effects of hAECs can be largely attributed to their exosomes and exploitation of hAEC Exo as a therapy for IPF should be explored further.
Merocyanine Dye‐Based Fluorescent Chemosensor for Highly Selective and Sensitive Detection of Hypochlorous Acid and Imaging in Live Cells
Authors: Ponnuvel Kandasamy , Ramamoorthy Jaganathan , Sivaraman Gandhi , Padmini Vediappen 
Published: January 2018

AbstractA merocyanine dye‐based fluorescent probe have been synthesised for selective and sensitive detection of hypochlorous acid. The merocyanine dye 1 can be synthesized by simple condensation reaction of 1, 1, 2, 3‐tetramethyl‐1H‐benzo[e]indol‐3‐ium iodide with indole‐3‐carboxaldehyde. The reaction between hypochlorous acid and dye 1 is linear in the hypochlorous acid concentration range of 0 to 100 μM with a detection limit of 42 nM by fluorescent spectrometry method. The intramolecular charge transfer based fluorescent probe dye 1 displayed a considerable fluorescent spectrum at 425 nm enhancement and the color changes from red to colorless by naked eye detection in the addition of hypochlorous acid. Further supported by the 1H NMR titrations reveal that the reactive oxygen species in dye 1 bind to the indole‐NH‐unit. The chemosensor also showed excellent performance when used in the “test strip” method.
Nanohybrid of ZnO‐RGO as Heterogeneous Green Catalyst for the Synthesis of Medicinally Significant Indole Alkaloids and Their Derivatives
Authors: Bahuguna Ashish , Kumar Suneel , Krishnan Venkata 
Published: January 2018

AbstractNanohybrid of ZnO‐RGO has been developed and employed as heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of medicinally significant organic scaffolds. In this work, the nanohybrid catalyst has been used for the one‐pot synthesis of various indole alkaloids and their derivatives in good yields. Several molecules with different substitutions on heterocyclic ring have been synthesized to demonstrate the substrate scope and wide applicability of the catalyst. Indoles with both electron donating and electron withdrawing groups were found to be equally compatible and resulted in good yields. In addition, all the reactions have been performed in green reaction medium with ethanol and water as solvent and the absence of byproducts formed in the reaction makes the strategy Green and sustainable. Furthermore, the nanohybrid catalyst could be recycled multiple times without any significant loss in activity.