bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Essential Oil and Bioactive Compounds Variation in Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) as Affected by Seasonal Variation and Salt Stress
Authors: Vafadar Shoshtari Zeinab , Rahimmalek Mehdi , Sabzalian Mohammad Reza , Hosseini Hossein 
Published: February 2017

The effect of different NaCl concentrations (control, 2, 4 and 6 dS/m) and three harvesting times in different seasons including spring (9 April), summer (5 July), and fall (23 September) was evaluated on essential oil (EO) yield, composition, phenolic, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of myrtle. Essential oil yield ranged from 0.2% in control and fall to 1.6% in moderate salinity (4 dS/m) and spring season. The main constituents obtained from gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis were α‐pinene, 1,8‐cineole, limonene, linalool, α‐terpineol, and linalyl acetate in which α‐pinene ranged from 11.70% in moderate and fall to 30.99% in low salinity (2 dS/m) and spring, while 1,8‐cineole varied from 7.42% in high salinity (6 dS/m) and summer to 15.45% in low salinity and spring, respectively. Salt stress also resulted in an increase in total phenolic, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. The highest antioxidant activity based on DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power (FTC) and β‐carotene/linoleic acid model systems was found in plants harvested in spring and summer in high stress condition. The lowest IC50 values obtained in 6 dS/m in spring (375.23 μg/ml) followed by summer (249.41 μg/ml) and fall (618.38 μg/ml). Eight major phenolic and flavonoid compounds were determined in three harvesting times using high performance liquid chromatography analysis. In overall, late harvesting time of myrtle in fall can lead to reduce the most of major EO components, while it can improve the amount of phenolic acids.
Inhibitory Activity and Chemical Characterization of Daucus carota subsp. maximus Essential Oils
Authors: Gaglio Raimondo , Barbera Marcella , Aleo Aurora , Lommatzsch Ines , La Mantia Tommaso , Settanni Luca 
Published: February 2017

The essential oils (EOs) of green seeds from Daucus carota subsp. maximus growing wild in Pantelleria Island (Sicily, Italy) were characterized. EOs were extracted by steam distillation, examined for their inhibitory properties against food‐borne Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria and analyzed for the chemical composition by gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS). Undiluted EOs showed a large inhibition spectrum against Gram‐positive strains and also vs. Acinetobacter spp. and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) was in the range 1.25 – 2.50 μl/ml for the most sensitive strains. The chemical analysis indicated that D. carota subsp. maximus EOs included 34 compounds (five monoterpene hydrocarbons, six oxygenated monoterpenes, 14 sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, four oxygenated sesquiterpenes, camphorene and four other compounds), accounting for 95.48% of the total oil, and that the major chemicals were carotol, β‐bisabolene, and isoelemicin.
Design and Application of Foams for Electrocatalysis
Authors: Zhu Wenxin , Zhang Rong , Qu Fengli , Asiri Abdullah M. , Sun Xuping 
Published: February 2017

AbstractDeveloping low cost and efficient anode and cathode materials toward electrocatalysis are regarded as one of the most desirable yet challenging research directions, which are intimately related to the pressing energy, environmental and human health issues. Currently, 3 D foam (such as Ni foam, Cu foam, and graphene foam) based heterogeneous catalysts have been intensively explored for actively catalyzing the electrode reactions. Their inherent characteristics of stereo‐network structure, high specific area and large pore volume not only provide better mass transport of reactants to electrode surfaces, but also pave 3 D electron transport pathways. Herein, recent significant progress and rational design of foam‐based electrocatalysts are reviewed. In addition, some insights into current challenges and future directions of foams for efficient electrocatalysis are proposed and discussed.
The American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study 3 (CPS‐3): Recruitment, study design, and baseline characteristics
Authors: Patel Alpa V. , Jacobs Eric J. , Dudas Daniela M. , Briggs Peter J. , Lichtman Cari J. , Bain Elizabeth B. , Stevens Victoria L. , McCullough Marjorie L. , Teras Lauren R. , Campbell Peter T. , Gaudet Mia M. , Kirkland Elizabeth G. , Rittase Melissa H. , Joiner Nance , Diver W. Ryan , Hildebrand Janet S. , Yaw Nancy C. , Gapstur Susan M. 
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUNDProspective cohort studies contribute importantly to understanding the role of lifestyle, genetic, and other factors in chronic disease etiology.METHODSThe American Cancer Society (ACS) recruited a new prospective cohort study, Cancer Prevention Study 3 (CPS‐3), between 2006 and 2013 from 35 states and Puerto Rico. Enrollment took place primarily at ACS community events and at community enrollment “drives.” At enrollment sites, participants completed a brief survey that included an informed consent, identifying information necessary for follow‐up, and key exposure information. They also provided a waist measure and a nonfasting blood sample. Most participants also completed a more comprehensive baseline survey at home that included extensive medical, lifestyle, and other information. Participants will be followed for incident cancers through linkage with state cancer registries and for cause‐specific mortality through linkage with the National Death Index.RESULTSIn total, 303,682 participants were enrolled. Of these, 254,650 completed the baseline survey and are considered “fully” enrolled; they will be sent repeat surveys periodically for at least the next 20 years to update exposure information. The remaining participants (n = 49,032) will not be asked to update exposure information but will be followed for outcomes. Twenty‐three percent of participants were men, 17.3% reported a race or ethnicity other than “white,” and the median age at enrollment was 47 years.CONCLUSIONSCPS‐3 will be a valuable resource for studies of cancer and other outcomes because of its size; its diversity with respect to age, ethnicity, and geography; and the availability of blood samples and detailed questionnaire information collected over time. Cancer 2017;123:2014–2024. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Clinical outcomes and survival surrogacy studies of prostate‐specific antigen declines following enzalutamide in men with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer previously treated with docetaxel
Authors: Armstrong Andrew J. , Saad Fred , Phung De , Dmuchowski Carl , Shore Neal D. , Fizazi Karim , Hirmand Mohammad , Forer David , Scher Howard I. , Bono Johann De 
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUNDIn the AFFIRM trial, enzalutamide significantly increased overall survival (OS) for men with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) after chemotherapy versus placebo and significantly decreased prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels. The goal of this post hoc analysis was to associate levels of PSA decline from baseline after enzalutamide with clinical outcomes in the postchemotherapy mCRPC setting.METHODSMen in the AFFIRM trial (n = 1199) were grouped by maximal PSA decline in the first 90 days of treatment. Kaplan‐Meier estimates evaluated the association of defined PSA changes from baseline with OS, progression‐free survival (PFS), radiographic PFS (rPFS), and pain response. Each PSA decline category was assessed for OS surrogacy using Prentice criteria, proportion of treatment effect explained (PTE), and proportion of variation explained.RESULTSMen treated with enzalutamide had improved OS (hazard ratio, 0.63; P < .001) and higher rates of PSA decline (odds ratio, >19.0; P < .001) versus placebo. PSA declines of any, ≥30%, ≥50%, and ≥90% with enzalutamide were strongly associated with greater OS, PSA PFS, rPFS (P < .001), and pain response (P < .026) versus PSA increase/no decline. Any, ≥30%, and ≥50% declines in PSA resulted in the PTE range of 1.07‐1.29, where treatment was no longer significant after adjustment for decline measures (P > .20).CONCLUSIONSPSA declines of any, ≥30%, and ≥50% following enzalutamide were associated with greater clinical and pain response and improvements in PFS and OS. Surrogacy of PSA decline for OS was not fully established, possibly due to lack of PSA declines with placebo, and discordant results between PSA and imaging responses over time, and because some declines were not durable due to rapid resistance development. However, a lack of PSA decline by 90 days following enzalutamide treatment was a poor prognosis indicator in this setting. Conclusions from sensitivity analyses of maximal PSA decline from baseline over the entire treatment period are consistent with PSA declines restricted to the first 90 days. Cancer 2017;123:2303–2311. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Hexagonal Mesoporous Silica‐Supported Copper Oxide (CuO/HMS) Catalyst: Synthesis of Primary Amides from Aldehydes in Aqueous Medium
Authors: Kadam Ravishankar G. , Rathi Anuj K. , Cepe Klara , Zboril Radek , Varma Rajender S. , Gawande Manoj B. , Jayaram Radha V. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractHexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS)‐supported copper oxides (CuO/HMS) have been prepared by a sol–gel method and characterized by X‐ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 sorption, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), H2 temperature‐programed reduction (TPR), NH3 temperature‐programed desorption (TPD), and high‐resolution (HR)‐TEM techniques. An analysis of these results revealed a mesoporous material system with a high surface area (974 m2 g−1) and uniform pore‐size distribution. The catalytic efficacy of CuO on the HMS support with varying Cu loadings (1, 3, 5, 10, and 15 wt %) was investigated for the transformation of aldehydes to primary amides; 3 wt % CuO/HMS exhibited good catalytic performance with good to excellent yields of amides (60–92 %) in benign aqueous medium. The intrinsically heterogeneous catalyst could be recovered after the reaction and reused without any noticeable loss in activity.
Traceable measurements and calibration: a primer on uncertainty analysis
Authors: Csavina Janae , Roberti Joshua A. , Taylor Jeffrey R. , Loescher Henry W. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractDescribing the quality of measurements is necessary to understand the level of confidence in any observation. Accuracy, precision, trueness, repeatability, reproducibility, and uncertainty are all used to describe quality of measurement, but the terms are inconsistently defined and measured and thus easily misunderstood. One purpose of quality parameters is for the comparison of observations, but when dissimilar methods for estimating quality terms are utilized, a comparison is misrepresented. A standardized approach to estimating uncertainty provides a basis for meeting measurement requirements and providing a level of confidence for observations. Here, we show the approach used by the National Ecological Observatory Network to estimate uncertainty of the calibration processes and measurements illustrated with an example of uncertainty assessment on a temperature sensor. Detailing the approach for uncertainty assessment provides the transparency necessary for network science and allows for the approach to be adopted in the scientific community. Reporting uncertainty with all measurements needs to become consistent and commonplace across disciplines.
Psychological and endocrine factors and pain after mastectomy
Authors: Nishimura D. , Kosugi S. , Onishi Y. , Ihara N. , Wakaizumi K. , Nagata H. , Yamada T. , Suzuki T. , Hashiguchi S. , Morisaki H. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBackgroundThis prospective study was designed to examine the associations of demographic, clinical, psychological and neuroendocrine factors with acute and chronic post‐operative pain following partial mastectomy.MethodsSixty‐four female patients scheduled for partial mastectomy were enrolled. Pre‐operative anxiety/depression was assessed, using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Pre‐operative 24‐h urinary cortisol levels were measured 2 days before surgery. Post‐operative pain was examined using a visual analog scale (VAS) for acute pain on 0–2 post‐operative day (POD), and a short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire for chronic pain at 6 months after surgery. In the last 29 subjects, post‐operative 24‐h urinary cortisol levels were also measured on 0 POD and were subjected to correlation analysis.ResultsMultivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that lower pre‐operative cortisol secretion and greater pre‐operative anxiety were significantly associated with an increased risk of moderate to severe acute post‐operative pain [Odds Ratio (95% Confidence Interval); 0.96 (0.92–0.98), and 1.24 (1.04–1.54)], and that patients with greater pre‐operative anxiety and moderate to severe acute pain were more likely to develop chronic post‐operative pain [OR (95% CI); 1.63 (1.23–2.40), and 5.07 (1.30–24.6)]. Correlational analysis demonstrated that the post‐operative cortisol level was inversely correlated with pre‐operative anxiety and the intensity of acute post‐operative pain (r = −0.40, p < 0.05, and r = −0.50, p < 0.01), but not with the intensity of chronic pain.ConclusionsThis study confirms that pre‐operative anxiety is associated with both acute and chronic post‐operative pain after partial mastectomy. It also suggests that lower perioperative cortisol secretion might be associated with greater acute post‐operative pain.SignificanceAlthough the associations between psychological stress/stress hormone levels and chronic post‐operative pain remain to be determined, pre‐operative psychological stress and perioperative cortisol levels are correlated with acute post‐operative pain.
Modeling individual movement decisions of brown hare (Lepus europaeus) as a key concept for realistic spatial behavior and exposure: A population model for landscape-level risk assessment
Authors: Kleinmann Joachim U. , Wang Magnus 
Published: February 2017

Abstract

Spatial behavior is of crucial importance for the risk assessment of pesticides and for the assessment of effects of agricultural practice or multiple stressors, because it determines field use, exposition, and recovery. Recently, population models have increasingly been used to understand the mechanisms driving risk and recovery or to conduct landscape-level risk assessments. To include spatial behavior appropriately in population models for use in risk assessments, a new method, “probabilistic walk,” was developed, which simulates the detailed daily movement of individuals by taking into account food resources, vegetation cover, and the presence of conspecifics. At each movement step, animals decide where to move next based on probabilities being determined from this information. The model was parameterized to simulate populations of brown hares (Lepus europaeus). A detailed validation of the model demonstrated that it can realistically reproduce various natural patterns of brown hare ecology and behavior. Simulated proportions of time animals spent in fields (PT values) were also comparable to field observations. It is shown that these important parameters for the risk assessment may, however, vary in different landscapes. The results demonstrate the value of using population models to reduce uncertainties in risk assessment and to better understand which factors determine risk in a landscape context. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2299–2307. © 2017 SETAC
Two modes of enteric gliotransmission differentially affect gut physiology
Authors: Grubišić Vladimir , Parpura Vladimir 
Published: February 2017

AbstractEnteric glia (EG) in the enteric nervous system can modulate neuronally regulated gut functions. Using molecular genetics, we assessed the effects that molecular entities expressed in EG and otherwise mediating two distinct mechanisms of gliotransmitter release, connexin 43 (Cx43) hemichannel vs. Ca2+‐dependent exocytosis, have on gut function. The expression of mutated Cx43G138R (which favors hemichannel, as opposed to gap‐junctional activity) in EG increased gut motility in vivo, while a knock‐down of Cx43 in EG resulted in the reduction of gut motility. However, inhibition of Ca2+‐dependent exocytosis in EG did not affect gut motility in vivo; rather, it increased the fecal pellet fluid content. Hampering either Cx43 expression or Ca2+‐dependent exocytosis in EG had an effect on colonic migrating motor complexes, mainly decreasing frequency and velocity of contractions ex vivo. Thus, EG can differentially modulate gut reflexes using the above two distinct mechanisms of gliotransmission.
Social participation of people with cognitive problems and their caregivers: a feasibility evaluation of the Social Fitness Programme
Authors: Donkers H. W. , van der Veen D. J. , Vernooij‐Dassen M. J. , Nijhuis‐van der Sanden M. W. G. , Graff M. J. L. 
Published: February 2017

ObjectiveWe developed a tailor‐made intervention aimed at improving social participation of people with cognitive problems and their caregivers. This programme consists of an integration of healthcare and welfare interventions: occupational therapy, physiotherapy and guidance by a welfare professional. This article describes the feasibility evaluation of this Social Fitness Programme.MethodsFeasibility in terms of acceptability, demand, implementation, practicability and limited efficacy was evaluated based on experiences from professionals (programme deliverers), people with cognitive problems and their caregivers (programme recipients). We used qualitative research methods (focus group discussions, interviews, collection of treatment records) and applied thematic analyses.ResultsThe intervention was feasible according to stakeholders, and limited efficacy showed promising results. However, we found feasibility barriers. First, an acceptability barrier: discussing declined social participation was difficult, hindering recruitment. Second, a demand barrier: some people with cognitive problems lacked motivation to improve declined social participation, sometimes in contrast to their caregivers' wishes. Third, implementation and practicability barriers: shared decision‐making, focusing the intervention and interdisciplinary collaboration between healthcare and welfare professionals were suboptimal during implementation.DiscussionAlthough this intervention builds upon scientific evidence, expert opinions and stakeholder needs, implementation was challenging. Healthcare and welfare professionals need to overcome obstacles in their collaboration and focus on integrated intervention delivery. Also, they need to find ways to (empower caregivers to) motivate people with cognitive problems to participate socially. After modifying the intervention and additional training of professionals, a consecutive pilot study to assess feasibility of the research design and outcome measures is justified. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermodynamic Analysis and Comparison of Performances of Air Standard Atkinson, Otto, and Diesel Cycles with Heat Transfer Considerations
Authors: Noroozian Afsaneh , Sadaghiani Mirhadi S. , Ahmadi Mohammad H. , Bidi Mokhtar 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThis paper focuses on the overall performances of Otto, Atkinson, and Diesel air standard cycles. This study compares performance of these cycles with regard to parameters such as variable specific heat ratio, heat transfer loss, frictional loss, and internal irreversibility based on finite‐time thermodynamics. The relationship between thermal efficiency and compression ratio, and between power output and compression ratio of these cycles are obtained by numerical examples. In this study, it is assumed that during the combustion process, the heat transfer occurs only through the cylinder wall. The heat transfer is affected by the average temperature of both the cylinder wall and the working fluid. The results show that for each cycle, with the increase of the compression ratio in the specific mean piston speed, power output and thermal efficiency first increase and after reaching their maximum value, start to decrease. The results also indicate that maximum power output and maximum thermal efficiency of an Atkinson cycle could be higher than the values of these parameters in Diesel cycle and Otto cycle in the same operating conditions. The maximum power output and the maximum thermal efficiency of the Otto cycle have the lowest value among studied cycles. By increasing the mean piston speed, power output and thermal efficiency of Atkinson, Diesel, and Otto cycles start to decrease. The results of this study provide guidance for the performance analysis and show the improvement areas of practical Otto, Atkinson, and Diesel engines.
The cycle of violence in the Second Intifada: Causality in nonlinear vector autoregressive models
Authors: Asali Muhammad , Abu‐Qarn Aamer S. , Beenstock Michael 
Published: February 2017

SummaryWe contest Jaeger and Paserman's claim (Jaeger and Paserman , 2008. The cycle of violence? An empirical analysis of fatalities in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. American Economic Review 98(4): 1591–1604) that Palestinians did not react to Israeli aggression during Intifada 2. We address the differences between the two sides in terms of the timing and intensity of violence, estimate nonlinear vector autoregression models that are suitable when the linear vector autoregression innovations are not normally distributed, identify causal effects rather than Granger causality using the principle of weak exogeneity, and introduce the “kill‐ratio” as a concept for testing hypotheses about the cycle of violence. The Israelis killed 1.28 Palestinians for every killed Israeli, whereas the Palestinians killed only 0.09 Israelis for every killed Palestinian.
Evaluating the Protective Effects and Mechanisms of Diallyl Disulfide on Interlukin‐1β‐Induced Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Apoptotic Signaling Pathways in Cultured Chondrocytes
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Azam , Jafari Davood , Kamarul Tunku , Bagheri Abolfazll , Sharifi Ali M. 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTThe protective effects and mechanisms of DADS on IL‐1β‐mediated oxidative stress and mitochondrial apoptosis were investigated in C28I2 human chondrocytes. The effect of various concentrations of DADS (1, 5 10, 25, 50, and 100 μM) on C28I2 cell viability was evaluated in different times (2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 h) to obtain the non‐cytotoxic concentrations of drug by MTT‐assay. The protective effect of non‐toxic concentrations of DADS on experimentally induced oxidative stress and apoptosis by IL‐1β in C28I2 was evaluated. The effects of DADS on IL‐1β‐induced intracellular ROS production and lipid peroxidation were detected and the proteins expression of Nrf2, Bax, Bcl‐2, caspase‐3, total and phosphorylated JNK, and P38 MAPKs were analyzed by Western blotting. The mRNA expression of detoxifying phase II/antioxidant enzymes including heme oxygenase‐1, NAD(P)H quinine oxidoreductase, glutathione S‐transferase‐P1, catalase, superoxide dismutase‐1, glutathione peroxidase‐1, ‐3, ‐4 were evaluated by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. DADS in 1, 5, 10, and 25 μM concentrations had no cytotoxic effect after 24 h. Pretreatment with DADS remarkably increased Nrf2 nuclear translocation as well as the genes expression of detoxifying phase II/antioxidant enzymes and reduced IL‐1β‐induced elevation of ROS, lipid peroxidation, Bax/Bcl‐2 ratio, caspase‐3 activation, and JNK and P38 phosphorylation. DADS could considerably reduce IL‐1β‐induced oxidative stress and consequent mitochondrial apoptosis, as the major mechanisms of chondrocyte cell death in an experimental model of osteoarthritis. It may be considered as natural product in protecting OA‐induced cartilage damage in clinical setting. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1879–1888, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.