bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strengthening of electromechanical properties for poly(vinylidene fluoride‐trifluoroethylene) films under tailored electric cycling
Authors: Jing W.Q. , Fang F. , Yang W. 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTCopolymers of polyvinylidene fluoride and trifluorethylene [P(VDF‐TrFE)] have potential applications in wearable and implantable electromechanical devices since they are mechanically flexible, and biocompatible. A tailored electric cyclic process is employed to enhance both electrical and mechanical properties in P(VDF‐TrFE) 65/35 mol % copolymer films. The films are subjected to lower and higher field magnitude electric cycling successively. For electrical properties, enhancement in remnant polarization, dielectric and piezoelectric constants occurs. From mechanical point of view, strengthening in the fracture strength happens. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction techniques examine changes of the orientation of the molecular chains, grain size, and crystallinity after electric cycling for the copolymer films. Scanning electron microscopy reveals evolutions of the microstructure, including rod‐like textures and fractography of the films. The results indicate that electric cycling causes the molecular chains to orient gradually along the direction perpendicular to the applied electric field. Consequently, an enhancement of 12.2% and 45% is realized for the remnant polarization and fracture strength, respectively for P(VDF‐TrFE) 65/35 copolymer film. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45926.
Nanoencapsulation of intercalated montmorillonite‐urea within PVA nanofibers: Hydrogel fertilizer nanocomposite
Authors: Azarian Mohammad Hossein , Kamil Mahmood Wan Ahmad , Kwok Eunice , Bt Wan Fathilah Wan Farahhanim , Binti Ibrahim Nor Fazilah 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTThis study describes the preparation and characterization of nanofibers with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as the wall matrix to encapsulate montmorillonite (MMT) clay and intercalated MMT‐urea nanocomposite using an electrospinning technique. Nanofibers encapsulated with (1–5%, w/w) MMT clay were successfully produced and characterized in relation to morphological, spectroscopic, structural, surface, and thermal properties. The electrospinning conditions for voltage, flow‐rate, and emitter to collector distance were 20 kV, 0.5, and 0.25 mL/h, and 10 cm, respectively. The surface roughness increased from 43.5 (empty fibers) to 56 nm in the PVA/MMT‐3% and bead‐less nanofibers were formed with the maximum diameter distribution and mean diameter value of 45–80 and 62 nm, respectively. The d‐spacing was increased significantly from 1.004 in MMT to 1.684 nm in MMT‐urea, indicating the intercalation of urea occurred successfully. Furthermore, elemental analysis results showed that the intercalated MMT‐urea contained 30.4% nitrogen. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45957.
Preparation and characterization of a superabsorbent slow‐release fertilizer with sodium alginate and biochar
Authors: Baki M. , Abedi‐Koupai J. 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTA novel hydrogel was synthesized through the graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and acrylamide (AM) onto sodium alginate with ammonium persulfate as the initiator, methylene bisacrylamide as the crosslinking agent, and calcium chloride as the precipitating agent. Rapeseed meal biochar made at 300 °C was also used. A series of graft copolymers with various molar ratio of AA to AM was prepared. The structures of the hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The free absorbency and rate of release were investigated. The grafting efficiency increased as the concentration of AM increased. There was a considerable percentage of nitrogen in the graft copolymers, and the release rate of nitrogen from fertilizer in soil and water decreased with increasing concentration of AM. The water retention of soil without hydrogel remained at 63 and 53.4% on the 10th and 20th days, but with the hydrogels, it was above 70% even on the last day. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45966.
Fabrication of ceramic nanofibers using polydimethylsiloxane and polyacrylonitrile polymer blends
Authors: Al‐Ajrah Saja , Lafdi Khalid , Liu Yufei , Le Coustumer Philippe 
Published: November 2017

ABSTRACTNanofibers with several hundred of nanometers were successfully fabricated using electrospinning process and a mixture of two types of polymers which are: polydimethylsiloxane and polyacrylonitrile as precursors. After stabilization and carbonization at 1000 °C, three phases which are: silicon carbide (SiC), carbon, and oxy‐SiC were presented. Spectroscopic and microscopic techniques had confirmed the presence of nanocrystalline SiC and turbostratic carbons. These phases formed an intertwined network at the nanometric scale. In addition, the resulted fibers showed a core‐skin effect with skin richer in carbon and a core mainly dominated by silicon‐based phases in the form SiC or SiOC ceramics. A significant improvement was observed in both tensile strength and elastic modulus in these hybrid fibers. In term of crystallography, these nanofibers seem to exhibit similar microstructure that was observed in Nicalon fiber. However, it was difficult to determine the ratio of these phases and their influence on the physical properties of these hybrid fibers. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45967.
Cover Image, Volume 11, Issue 6
Authors: Woolf Dominic , Lehmann Johannes , Joseph Stephen , Campbell Christopher , Christo Farid C. , Angenent Largus T. 
Published: November 2017

The cover image, by Dominic Woolf et al., is based on the In the Field An open‐source biomass pyrolysis reactor, DOI: 10.1002/bbb.1814.
image
Asymptotic distributions of kappa statistics and their differences with many raters, many rating categories and two conditions
Authors: Grassano Luca , Pagana Guido , Daperno Marco , Bibbona Enrico , Gasparini Mauro 
Published: November 2017

AbstractIn clinical research and in more general classification problems, a frequent concern is the reliability of a rating system. In the absence of a gold standard, agreement may be considered as an indication of reliability. When dealing with categorical data, the well‐known kappa statistic is often used to measure agreement. The aim of this paper is to obtain a theoretical result about the asymptotic distribution of the kappa statistic with multiple items, multiple raters, multiple conditions, and multiple rating categories (more than two), based on recent work. The result settles a long lasting quest for the asymptotic variance of the kappa statistic in this situation and allows for the construction of asymptotic confidence intervals. A recent application to clinical endoscopy and to the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) is shortly presented to complement the theoretical perspective.
Massive hemorrhage following definitive esophageal chemoradiation: teaching case of a fatal aortoesophageal fistula and lessons learned
Authors: McGinnis Gwendolyn J. , Holland John M. , Thomas Charles R. , Nabavizadeh Nima 
Published: November 2017

Key Clinical MessageEsophageal self‐expandable metal stents and radiotherapy are valuable in combination for palliation and definitive treatment of esophageal cancer. However, risk of aortoesophageal fistula is significant in patients with evidence of malignant aortic invasion. Use of thoracic endovascular repair may represent an approach to early intervention in high‐risk patients.
Accidental knotting and subsequent removal of a catheter from the epidural space in an adult cow: a case report
Authors: Doodnaught Graeme M. , Constant Caroline , Desrochers André , Pang Daniel S. J. 
Published: November 2017

Key Clinical MessageThis is the first reported case in the veterinary literature of a knot in an epidural catheter. The report reviews this very rare complication and describes options for investigation and retrieval of catheters entrapped in the epidural space of any species.
Interfering with DNA High‐Order Structures using Chiral Ruthenium(II) Complexes
Authors: Zou Shanshan , Li Guanying , Rees Thomas W. , Jin Chengzhi , Huang Juanjuan , Chen Yu , Ji Liangnian , Chao Hui 
Published: November 2017

AbstractIn this work, it was found that DNA can undergo B‐Z transformational changes and compaction in the presence of DNA intercalators such as ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes. The link between B‐Z transition and condensation is weak but can be strengthened under certain circumstances with slight alterations to the structures of the ruthenium(II) complexes. Here, following on from previous research, this work reports a series of ruthenium(II) complexes with imidazophenanthroline ligands, which vary in size and planarity. The complexes exhibit distinct effects on DNA structures, ranging from little impact to the transformation of DNA secondary structures to the formation of higher‐order DNA structures. Further studies on DNA morphological changes induced by chiral ruthenium(II) complexes are observed by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.
From Peptide Fragments to Whole Protein: Copper(II) Load and Coordination Features of IAPP
Authors: Magrì Antonio , Pietropaolo Adriana , Tabbì Giovanni , La Mendola Diego , Rizzarelli Enrico 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe copper‐binding features of rat islet amyloid polypeptide (r‐IAPP) are herein disclosed through the determination of the stability constants and spectroscopic properties of its copper complex species. To mimic the metal binding sites of the human IAPP (h‐IAPP), a soluble, single‐point mutated variant of r‐IAPP, having a histidine residue in place of Arg18, was synthesized, that is, r‐IAPP(1–37; R18H). The peptide IAPP(1–8) was also characterized to have deeper insight into the N‐terminus copper(II)‐binding features of r‐IAPP as well as of its mutated form. A combined experimental (thermodynamic and spectroscopic) and computational approach allowed us to assess the metal loading and the coordination features of the whole IAPP. At physiological pH, the N‐terminal amino group is the Cu2+ main binding site both of entire r‐IAPP and of its mutated form that mimics h‐IAPP. The histidine residue present in this mutated polypeptide accounts for the second Cu2+ binding. We can speculate that the copper driven toxicity of h‐IAPP in comparison to that of r‐IAPP can be attributed to the different metal loading and the presence of a second metal anchoring site, the His18, whose role is usually invoked in the process of h‐IAPP aggregation.
Global and targeted circulating microRNA profiling of colorectal adenoma and colorectal cancer
Authors: Zhang Jinhua , Raju Gottumakkala S. , Chang David W. , Lin Shu‐Hong , Chen Zhinan , Wu Xifeng 
Published: November 2017

BACKGROUNDCirculating microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as promising biomarkers for cancer. The objective of the current study was to investigate the potential of circulating cell‐free miRNAs as biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) and its precursor lesion, colorectal adenoma.METHODSThe serum levels of 800 miRNAs were assessed in a discovery set of 21 patients with CRC, 19 patients with adenoma, and 21 healthy controls using the NanoString miRNA analysis platform. Significantly differentially expressed miRNAs were examined further in a validation cohort of 34 patients with CRC, 33 patients with adenoma, and 35 healthy controls using Fluidigm quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays.RESULTSThe ratios between the expression values of the differentially expressed miRNAs were computed. Three miRNA ratios (miR‐17‐5p/miR‐135b, miR‐92a‐3p/miR135b, and miR‐451a/miR‐491‐5p) were validated for discriminating patients with adenoma and those with CRC from the healthy control group, and 5 miRNA ratios (let‐7b/miR‐367‐3p, miR‐130a‐3p/miR‐409‐3p, miR‐148‐3p/miR‐27b, miR‐148a‐3p/miR‐409‐3p, and miR‐21‐5p/miR‐367‐3p) were validated for discriminating patients with CRC from those with adenoma and healthy controls. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for the 3 miRNA ratios in discriminating patients with adenoma from healthy controls were 0.831 and 0.735, respectively, in the discovery and validation sets. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for the 5 miRNA ratios in discriminating patients with CRC from those with adenoma were 0.797 and 0.732, respectively, in the discovery and validation sets. Pathway analysis revealed that target genes regulated by the miRNAs from the miRNA ratios were enriched mainly in metabolism‐related and inflammation‐related pathways.CONCLUSIONSThe data from the current study suggest that circulating miRNAs can distinguish patients with CRC and those with adenoma and may represent novel biomarkers for the early, noninvasive detection of CRC. Cancer 2018;124:785‐96. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Longitudinal analysis of quality‐of‐life outcomes in children during treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from the Children's Oncology Group AALL0932 trial
Authors: Zheng Daniel J. , Lu Xiaomin , Schore Reuven J. , Balsamo Lyn , Devidas Meenakshi , Winick Naomi J. , Raetz Elizabeth A. , Loh Mignon L. , Carroll William L. , Sung Lillian , Hunger Stephen P. , Angiolillo Anne L. , Kadan‐Lottick Nina S. 
Published: November 2017

BACKGROUNDChildren with average‐risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (AR‐ALL) face many challenges that can adversely affect their quality of life (QOL). However, to the authors' knowledge, patterns and predictors of QOL impairment during therapy have not been well characterized to date.METHODSPatients with AR‐ALL who were enrolled on the Children's Oncology Group AALL0932 trial were offered participation in this prospective cohort study if they were aged ≥4 years at the time of diagnosis and had an English‐speaking parent. At approximately 2 months, 8 months, 17 months, 26 months, and 38 months (boys only) after diagnosis, parents completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core Scales Version 4.0 (PedsQL4.0) and McMaster Family Assessment Device instruments for QOL (physical, emotional, and social functioning) and family functioning, respectively. The proportions of individuals scoring in the impaired range (2 standard deviations below the population mean) were calculated at each time point. Longitudinal impairment patterns and predictors were examined.RESULTSA total of 594 participants with AR‐ALL were diagnosed at a mean age of 6.0 years (standard deviation, 1.6 years). At 2 months, a substantial proportion of participants had impaired scores for physical (36.5%; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 32.3%‐40.8%) and emotional (26.2%; 95% CI, 22.5%‐30.2%) functioning compared with population norms of 2.3%. These elevations persisted at 26 months. Emotional impairment at 2 months (odds ratio, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.5‐7.7) was found to significantly predict emotional impairment at 26 months. In repeated measures analysis with multivariate modeling, unhealthy family functioning (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1‐2.1) significantly predicted emotional impairment controlling for age and sex. QOL outcomes were similar between sexes at the end of therapy (26 months for girls and 38 months for boys).CONCLUSIONSMany children with AR‐ALL experience physical and emotional functioning impairment that begins early in treatment and persists. Early screening may identify high‐risk patients who might benefit from family‐based interventions. Cancer 2018;124:571‐9. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Individualized outcome prognostication for patients with laryngeal cancer
Authors: Hoban Connor W. , Beesley Lauren J. , Bellile Emily L. , Sun Yilun , Spector Matthew E. , Wolf Gregory T. , Taylor Jeremy M. G. , Shuman Andrew G. 
Published: November 2017

BACKGROUNDAccurate prognostication is essential to the optimal management of laryngeal cancer. Predictive models have been developed to calculate the risk of oncologic outcomes, but extensive external validation of accuracy and reliability is necessary before implementing them into clinical practice.METHODFour published prognostic calculators that predict 5‐year overall survival for patients with laryngeal cancer were evaluated using patient information from a prospective epidemiology study cohort (n = 246; median follow‐up, 60 months) with previously untreated, stage I through IVb laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.RESULTSDifferent calculators yielded substantially different predictions for individual patients. The observed 5‐year overall survival was significantly higher than the averaged predicted 5‐year overall survival of the 4 calculators (71.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 65%‐78%] vs 47.7%). Statistical analyses demonstrated the calculators' limited capacity to discriminate outcomes for risk‐stratified patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ranged from 0.68 to 0.72. C‐index values were similar for each of the 4 models (range, 0.66‐0.68). There was a lower than expected hazard of death for patients who received induction (bioselective) chemotherapy (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.24‐0.88; P = .024) or primary surgical intervention (hazard ratio, 0.43; 95 % CI, 0.21‐0.90; P = .024) compared with those who received concurrent chemoradiation.CONCLUSIONSSuboptimal reliability and accuracy limit the integration of existing individualized prediction tools into routine clinical decision making. The calculators predicted significantly worse than observed survival among patients who received induction chemotherapy and primary surgery, suggesting a need for updated consideration of modern treatment modalities. Further development of individualized prognostic calculators may improve risk prediction, treatment planning, and counseling for patients with laryngeal cancer. Cancer 2018;124:706‐16. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
A randomized study of cyclosporine and methotrexate with or without methylprednisolone for the prevention of graft‐versus‐host disease: Improved long‐term survival with triple prophylaxis
Authors: Ruutu Tapani , Nihtinen Anne , Niittyvuopio Riitta , Juvonen Eeva , Volin Liisa 
Published: November 2017

BACKGROUNDIn a previously published study, the authors randomized 108 adult patients with a malignant hematologic disorder undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from a human leukocyte antigen‐identical sibling to receive methylprednisolone (53 patients; MP+) or not to receive methylprednisolone (55 patients; MP‐) as a part of graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. All patients received cyclosporine and methotrexate. The cumulative incidence of acute GVHD was found to be significantly lower among the patients given MP.METHODSIn the current study, the authors performed a long‐term follow‐up to discover possible late effects of the intensified GVHD prophylaxis.RESULTSThe median follow‐up for surviving patients was 24.5 years. In the MP+ group, the overall survival and recurrence‐free survival were higher (P = .021 and P = .028, respectively) and the nonrecurrence mortality was lower (P = .003) than in the MP‐ group. There was a trend toward a lower cumulative incidence and a significantly lower prevalence (P = .031) of chronic GVHD in the MP+ group. There was no difference noted with regard to the rate of disease recurrence or in the incidence of secondary malignancies. Eleven patients in the MP‐ group but none in the MP+ group died >15 years after transplantation. At the end of follow‐up, the overall survival rates in the MP+ and MP‐ groups were 55% and 20%, respectively, and the recurrence‐free survival rates were 49% and 15%, respectively.CONCLUSIONSLong‐term survival was found to be higher among the patients given MP in addition to cyclosporine and methotrexate. There was marked late nonrecurrence mortality observed in the group not given MP. No adverse late effects caused by the addition of corticosteroid were observed. Cancer 2018;124:727‐33. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Performance of Ensemble Kalman Filters in Large Dimensions
Authors: Majda Andrew J. , Tong Xin T. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractContemporary data assimilation often involves more than a million prediction variables. Ensemble Kalman filters (EnKF) have been developed by geoscientists. They are successful indispensable tools in science and engineering, because they allow for computationally cheap low‐ensemble‐state approximation for extremely large‐dimensional turbulent dynamical systems. The practical finite ensemble filters like EnKF necessarily involve modifications such as covariance inflation and localization, and it is a genuine mystery why they perform so well with small ensemble sizes in large dimensions. This paper provides the first rigorous stochastic analysis of the accuracy and covariance fidelity of EnKF in the practical regime where the ensemble size is much smaller than the large ambient dimension for EnKFs with random coefficients. A challenging issue overcome here is that EnKF in huge dimensions introduces unavoidable bias and model errors that need to be controlled and estimated. © 2017 the Authors. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics is published by the Courant Institute of Mathematics and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantum Chemical Analyses of BH4− and BH3OH− Hydride Transfers to CO2 in Aqueous Solution with Potentials of Mean Force
Authors: Groenenboom Mitchell C. , Keith John A. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe front cover artwork is provided by the authors. The image shows two very different energy profiles for the same aqueous phase hydride transfer from a hydride donor (BH3OH−) to a CO2 molecule as modeled at 0 K and 300 K. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/cphc.201700608.
Marine subsidies change short‐term foraging activity and habitat utilization of terrestrial lizards
Authors: Kenny Heather V. , Wright Amber N. , Piovia‐Scott Jonah , Yang Louie H. , Spiller David A. , Schoener Thomas W. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractResource pulses are brief periods of unusually high resource abundance. While population and community responses to resource pulses have been relatively well studied, how individual consumers respond to resource pulses has received less attention. Local consumers are often the first to respond to a resource pulse, and the form and timing of individual responses may influence how the effects of the pulse are transmitted throughout the community. Previous studies in Bahamian food webs have shown that detritivores associated with pulses of seaweed wrack provide an alternative prey source for lizards. When seaweed is abundant, lizards (Anolis sagrei) shift to consuming more marine‐derived prey and increase in density, which has important consequences for other components of the food web. We hypothesized that the diet shift requires individuals to alter their habitat use and foraging activity and that such responses may happen very rapidly. In this study, we used recorded video observations to investigate the immediate responses of lizards to an experimental seaweed pulse. We added seaweed to five treatment plots for comparison with five control plots. Immediately after seaweed addition, lizards decreased average perch height and increased movement rate, but these effects persisted for only 2 days. To explore the short‐term nature of the response, we used our field data to parametrize heuristic Markov chain models of perch height as a function of foraging state. These models suggest a “Synchronized‐satiation Hypothesis,” whereby lizards respond synchronously and feed quickly to satiation in the presence of a subsidy (causing an initial decrease in average perch height) and then return to the relative safety of higher perches. We suggest that the immediate responses of individual consumers to resource pulse events can provide insight into the mechanisms by which these consumers ultimately influence community‐level processes.