bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gradient nonlinearity effects on upper cervical spinal cord area measurement from 3D T1‐weighted brain MRI acquisitions
Authors: Papinutto Nico , Bakshi Rohit , Bischof Antje , Calabresi Peter A. , Caverzasi Eduardo , Constable R. Todd , Datta Esha , Kirkish Gina , Nair Govind , Oh Jiwon , Pelletier Daniel , Pham Dzung L. , Reich Daniel S. , Rooney William , Roy Snehashis , Schwartz Daniel , Shinohara Russell T. , Sicotte Nancy L. , Stern William A. , Tagge Ian , Tauhid Shahamat , Tummala Subhash , Henry Roland G. ,   for the North American Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis Cooperative(NAIMS)
Published: June 2017

PurposeTo explore (i) the variability of upper cervical cord area (UCCA) measurements from volumetric brain 3D T1‐weighted scans related to gradient nonlinearity (GNL) and subject positioning; (ii) the effect of vendor‐implemented GNL corrections; and (iii) easily applicable methods that can be used to retrospectively correct data.MethodsA multiple sclerosis patient was scanned at seven sites using 3T MRI scanners with the same 3D T1‐weighted protocol without GNL‐distortion correction. Two healthy subjects and a phantom were additionally scanned at a single site with varying table positions. The 2D and 3D vendor‐implemented GNL‐correction algorithms and retrospective methods based on (i) phantom data fit, (ii) normalization with C2 vertebral body diameters, and (iii) the Jacobian determinant of nonlinear registrations to a template were tested.ResultsDepending on the positioning of the subject, GNL introduced up to 15% variability in UCCA measurements from volumetric brain T1‐weighted scans when no distortion corrections were used. The 3D vendor‐implemented correction methods and the three proposed methods reduced this variability to less than 3%.ConclusionsOur results raise awareness of the significant impact that GNL can have on quantitative UCCA studies, and point the way to prospectively and retrospectively managing GNL distortions in a variety of settings, including clinical environments. Magn Reson Med 79:1595–1601, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Element differential method and its application in thermal‐mechanical problems
Authors: Gao Xiao‐Wei , Li Zong‐Yang , Yang Kai , Lv Jun , Peng Hai‐Feng , Cui Miao , Ruan Bo , Zhu Qiang‐Hua 
Published: June 2017

SummaryIn this paper, a new numerical method, element differential method (EDM), is proposed for solving general thermal‐mechanical problems. The key point of the method is the direct differentiation of the shape functions of Lagrange isoparametric elements used to characterize the geometry and physical variables. A set of analytical expressions for computing the first‐ and second‐order partial derivatives of the shape functions with respect to global coordinates are derived. Based on these expressions, a new collocation method is proposed for establishing the system of equations, in which the equilibrium equations are collocated at nodes inside elements, and the traction equilibrium equations are collocated at interface nodes between elements and outer surface nodes of the problem. Attributed to the use of the Lagrange elements that can guarantee the variation of physical variables consistent through all elemental nodes, EDM has higher stability than the traditional collocation method. The other main features of EDM are that no mathematical or mechanical principles are required to set up the system of equations and no integrals are involved to form the coefficients of the system. A number of numerical examples of 2‐ and 3‐dimensional problems are given to demonstrate the correctness and efficiency of the proposed method.
A Fitbit and Facebook mHealth intervention for promoting physical activity among adolescent and young adult childhood cancer survivors: A pilot study
Authors: Mendoza Jason A. , Baker K. Scott , Moreno Megan A. , Whitlock Kathryn , Abbey‐Lambertz Mark , Waite Alan , Colburn Trina , Chow Eric J. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractBackgroundPhysical activity (PA) may be important for preventing chronic diseases for adolescent and young adult (AYA) childhood cancer survivors. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of PA interventions for AYA survivors are sparse, but necessary to determine effective programs for increasing PA among this population. Thus, we conducted a pilot RCT, testing the feasibility of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention to promote PA among AYA survivors.ProcedureWe recruited 14– to 18–year–olds who were ≥1‐year post cancer therapy from Seattle Children's Hospital. The 10‐week intervention consisted of a wearable PA‐tracking device (Fitbit Flex) and a peer‐based virtual support group (Facebook group). Research staff helped set step goals and awarded badges weekly. Controls received usual care. Baseline assessments occurred before randomization and follow‐up assessments occurred during weeks 8–10 of the intervention period. Feasibility criteria are defined below. Qualitative interviews assessed acceptability. Exploratory outcomes included PA, quality of life, and motivation for PA.ResultsAll feasibility criteria were met: we recruited 60 survivors, intervention participants wore the Fitbit on the majority (71.5%) of intervention days, and ≥90% of all participants completed questionnaires. Qualitative data confirmed intervention acceptability. Exploratory analyses found no significant adjusted group differences for change in moderate‐to‐vigorous PA (4.4 vs. 5.0 min/day;P= 0.92) or sedentary time (−4.5 vs. 1.0 min/day;P= 0.73), comparing intervention subjects to controls. Some modest differences were found for select subscales of quality of life and motivation for PA.ConclusionsThis mHealth PA intervention was feasible and acceptable to AYA childhood cancer survivors and warrants a fully powered RCT.
MiR‐145 detection in urinary extracellular vesicles increase diagnostic efficiency of prostate cancer based on hydrostatic filtration dialysis method
Authors: Xu Yong , Qin Sihua , An Taixue , Tang Yueting , Huang Yiyao , Zheng Lei 
Published: June 2017

BackgroundExtracellular vesicles (EVs) can be detected in body fluids and may serve as disease biomarkers. Increasing evidence suggests that circulating miRNAs in serum and urine may be potential non‐invasive biomarkers for prostate cancer (PCa). In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether hydrostatic filtration dialysis (HFD) is suitable for urinary EVs (UEVs) isolation and whether such reported PCa‐related miRNAs can be detected in UEVs as PCa biomarkers.MethodsTo analyze EVs miRNAs, we searched for an easy and economic method to enrich EVs from urine samples. We compared the efficiency of HFD method and conventional ultracentrifugation (UC) in isolating UEVs. Subsequently, UEVs were isolated from patients with PCa, patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and healthy individuals. Differential expression of four PCa‐related miRNAs (miR‐572, miR‐1290, miR‐141, and miR‐145) were measured in UEVs and paired serum EVs using SYBR Green‐based quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR).ResultsThe overall performance of HFD was similar to UC. In miRNA yield, both HFD and UC can meet the needs of further analysis. The level of miR‐145 in UEVs was significantly increased in patients with PCa compared with the patients with BPH (P = 0.018). In addition, significant increase was observed in miR‐145 levels when patients with Gleason score ≥8 tumors compared with Gleason score ≤7 (P = 0.020). Receiver‐operating characteristic curve (ROC) revealed that miR‐145 in UEVs combined with serum PSA could differentiate PCa from BPH better than PSA alone (AUC 0.863 and AUC 0.805, respectively). In serum EVs, four miRNAs were significantly higher in patients with PCa than with BPH.ConclusionHFD is appropriate for UEVs isolation and miRNA analysis when compared with conventional UC. miR‐145 in UEVs is upregulated from PCa patients compared BPH patients and healthy controls. We suggest the potential use of UEVs miR‐145 as a biomarker of PCa.
Integrating remote sensing and species distribution modelling to predict benthic communities in a Great Lakes connecting channel
Authors: Mehler K. , Burlakova L.E. , Karatayev A.Y. , Biesinger Z. , Bruestle E. , Valle‐Levinson A. , Castiglione C. , Gorsky D. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractSpecies distribution models have become widespread in benthic ecology; however, they have mostly been applied to marine and lentic systems. In this study, we applied a maximum entropy model by using remote sensing‐derived environmental variables to predict the distribution of 4 major benthic communities dominated by Tubificidae, Naididae, Echinogammarus ischnus, and Dreissena spp, respectively, in the lower Niagara River, NY, USA. The model showed very good accuracy for benthic communities with a narrow distribution range (Tubificidae and Naididae) indicated by the area under the curve test values of 0.906 and 0.987, respectively. In contrast, the model showed poor performance for E. ischnus and Dreissena indicated by the low area under the curve values of 0.615 and 0.618, respectively. Both communities are known to cope with a wide variety of environmental factors and habitats, making their accurate predictions difficult using presence‐only data. Our results can further be used to locate important feeding grounds for higher trophic levels, to assess the potential spread of exotic species, and to identify areas for restoration.
Large-Scale Ex Vivo Generation of Human Red Blood Cells from Cord Blood CD34+ Cells
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wang Chen , Wang Lan , Shen Bin , Guan Xin , Tian Jing , Ren Zhihua , Ding Xinxin , Ma Yupo , Dai Wei , Jiang Yongping 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
The ex vivo generation of human red blood cells on a large scale from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells has been considered as a potential method to overcome blood supply shortages. Here, we report that functional human erythrocytes can be efficiently produced from cord blood (CB) CD34+ cells using a bottle turning device culture system. Safety and efficiency studies were performed in murine and nonhuman primate (NHP) models. With the selected optimized culture conditions, one human CB CD34+ cell could be induced ex vivo to produce up to 200 million erythrocytes with a purity of 90.1% ± 6.2% and 50% ± 5.7% (mean ± SD) for CD235a+ cells and enucleated cells, respectively. The yield of erythrocytes from one CB unit (5 million CD34+ cells) could be, in theory, equivalent to 500 blood transfusion units in clinical application. Moreover, induced human erythrocytes had normal hemoglobin content and could continue to undergo terminal maturation in the murine xenotransplantation model. In NHP model, xenotransplantation of induced human erythrocytes enhanced hematological recovery and ameliorated the hypoxia situation in the primates with hemorrhagic anemia. These findings suggested that the ex vivo-generated erythrocytes could be an alternative blood source for traditional transfusion products in the clinic.
Assessment of frequency and duration of point counts when surveying for golden eagle presence
Authors: Skipper Ben R. , Boal Clint W. , Tsai Jo‐Szu , Fuller Mark R. 
Published: June 2017

ABSTRACTWe assessed the utility of the recommended golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) survey methodology in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2013 Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance. We conducted 800‐m radius, 1‐hr point‐count surveys broken into 20‐min segments, during 2 sampling periods in 3 areas within the Intermountain West of the United States over 2 consecutive breeding seasons during 2012 and 2013. Our goal was to measure the influence of different survey time intervals and sampling periods on detectability and use estimates of golden eagles among different locations. Our results suggest that a less intensive effort (i.e., survey duration shorter than 1 hr and point‐count survey radii smaller than 800 m) would likely be inadequate for rigorous documentation of golden eagle occurrence pre‐ or postconstruction of wind energy facilities. Results from a simulation analysis of detection probabilities and survey effort suggest that greater temporal and spatial effort could make point‐count surveys more applicable for evaluating golden eagle occurrence in survey areas; however, increased effort would increase financial costs associated with additional person‐hours and logistics (e.g., fuel, lodging). Future surveys can benefit from a pilot study and careful consideration of prior information about counts or densities of golden eagles in the survey area before developing a survey design. If information is lacking, survey planning may be best served by assuming low detection rates and increasing the temporal and spatial effort. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Native exotic relationships in plant communities: the role of exotic dominance in framing community composition
Authors: Banerjee Achyut Kumar , Dewanji Anjana 
Published: June 2017

AbstractIn tropical urban areas, prone to invasions by multiple exotic species, there is a need for studies to understand the precise nature of the relationship between native and exotic species. This observational study was conducted in a rapidly urbanizing Indian metropolis. It examined the native and exotic species separately as a function of richness and abundance of two focal exotic species, namelyMikania micranthaandAlternanthera philoxeroides, to find support for the hypothesis that an overall native‐exotic relationship does not provide a true picture of the community composition. The richness of exotic species did not turn out to be a good predictor for the native‐exotic richness relationship even after focal exotics were considered. However, when the richness components were analysed separately, Poisson log‐linear models identifiedM.micranthaas the community‐dominant, by virtue of its extensive cover. Neither soil resource availability nor the presence of other exotics had any influence on native species richness. The negative relationship ofM.micranthacover with other exotic species could be associated with a lower risk of native species loss in a community invaded by multiple exotic species.M.micranthaappeared to be a ‘passenger’ of habitat alteration, but was likely to become a ‘driver’ once it attains high covers due to its reported superior competitive abilities. Therefore, in tropical areas there is a need to prioritize management initiatives in order to identify the dominant invader species in a community and effectively manage the dominant‐homogenized plots.
PROBABILITY OF SUFFICIENCY OF SOLVENCY II RESERVE RISK MARGINS: PRACTICAL APPROXIMATIONS
Authors: Moro Eric Dal , Krvavych Yuriy 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe new Solvency II Directive and the upcoming IFRS 17 regime bring significant changes to current reporting of insurance entities, and particularly in relation to valuation of insurance liabilities. Insurers will be required to valuate their insurance liabilities on a risk-adjusted basis to allow for uncertainty inherent in cash flows that arise from the liability of insurance contracts. Whilst most European-based insurers are expected to adopt the Cost of Capital approach to calculate reserve risk margin — the risk adjustment method commonly agreed under Solvency II and IFRS 17, there is one additional requirement of IFRS 17 to also disclose confidence level of the risk margin.Given there is no specific guidance on the calculation of confidence level, the purpose of this paper is to explore and examine practical ways of estimating the risk margin confidence level measured by Probability of Sufficiency (PoS). The paper provides some practical approximation formulae that would allow one to quickly estimate the implied PoS of Solvency II risk margin for a given non-life insurance liability, the risk profile of which is specified by the type and characteristics of the liability (e.g. type/nature of business, liability duration and convexity, etc.), which, in turn, are associated with•the level of variability measured by Coefficient of Variation (CoV);•the degree of Skewness per unit of CoV; and•the degree of Kurtosis per unit of CoV2.The approximation formulae of PoS are derived for both the standalone class risk margin and the diversified risk margin at the portfolio level.
The impact of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood: a qualitative study
Authors: Watters C. , Adamis D. , McNicholas F. , Gavin B. 
Published: June 2017

ObjectivesThere is limited evidence of the unmet needs and experiences of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous research in this area is predominantly quantitative by nature, few studies employing qualitative approaches. This study seeks to provide a deeper insight into the lived experiences of adults with ADHD within Western Ireland.MethodsA qualitative design, consisting of semi-structured face-to-face interviews with a clinical sample in the Sligo/Leitrim area. Participants were eligible for this study if they screened positive for symptoms of ADHD, and diagnosed with ADHD with the Conners’ Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV. In total, 11 participants completed this research. The interviews were open ended and exploratory, adopting a phenomenological approach.ResultsThematic analysis was used to explore three main themes; The Burden of symptoms of ADHD, Perceived Positive and Negative Effects of ADHD and Challenge of Accessing Services, each with several subthemes.ConclusionThis research highlights the experiences of adults with ADHD. It is important for practitioners to be aware of the perceived positive and negative effects of the disorder, and how it can impact on their patient’s lives. In addition, becoming aware of the stigma associated with ADHD can help clinicians improve upon individual treatment plans to meet their patient’s needs. It is important to note that this sample experienced co-morbid diagnoses and so this may limit the interpretation of the findings. Further research in this area could explore patient’s attitudes towards receiving a formal diagnosis of ADHD.
Diapycnal mixing in layered stratified plane Couette flow quantified in a tracer-based coordinate
Authors: Zhou Qi , Taylor J. R. , Caulfield C. P. , Linden P. F. 
Published: June 2017

The mixing properties of statically stable density interfaces subject to imposed vertical shear are studied using direct numerical simulations of stratified plane Couette flow. The simulations are designed to investigate possible self-maintaining mechanisms of sharp density interfaces motivated by Phillips’ argument (Deep-Sea Res., vol. 19, 1972, pp. 79–81) by which layers and interfaces can spontaneously form due to vertical variations of diapycnal flux. At the start of each simulation, a sharp density interface with the same initial thickness is introduced at the midplane between two flat, horizontal walls counter-moving at velocities$\pm U_{w}$. Particular attention is paid to the effects of varying Prandtl number$\mathit{Pr}\equiv \unicode[STIX]{x1D708}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}$, where$\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$and$\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}$are the molecular kinematic viscosity and diffusivity respectively, over two orders of magnitude from 0.7, 7 and 70. Varying$\mathit{Pr}$enables the system to access a considerable range of characteristic turbulent Péclet numbers$\mathit{Pe}_{\ast }\equiv {\mathcal{U}}_{\ast }{\mathcal{L}}_{\ast }/\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}$, where${\mathcal{U}}_{\ast }$and${\mathcal{L}}_{\ast }$are characteristic velocity and length scales, respectively, of the motion which acts to ‘scour’ the density interface. The dynamics of the interface varies with the stability of the interface which is characterised by a bulk Richardson number$\mathit{Ri}\,\equiv \,b_{0}h/U_{w}^{2}$, where$b_{0}$is half the initial buoyancy difference across the interface and$h$is the half-height of the channel. Shear-induced turbulence occurs at small$\mathit{Ri}$, whereas internal waves propagating on the interface dominate at large$\mathit{Ri}$. For a highly stable (i.e. large$\mathit{Ri}$) interface at sufficiently large$\mathit{Pe}_{\ast }$, the complex interfacial dynamics allows the interface to remain sharp. This ‘self-sharpening’ is due to the combined effects of the ‘scouring’ induced by the turbulence external to the interface and comparatively weak molecular diffusion across the core region of the interface. The effective diapycnal diffusivity and irreversible buoyancy flux are quantified in the tracer-based reference coordinate proposed by Winters & D’Asaro (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 317, 1996, pp. 179–193) and Nakamura (J. Atmos. Sci., vol. 53, 1996, pp. 1524–1537), which enables a detailed investigation of the self-sharpening process by analysing the local budget of buoyancy gradient in the reference coordinate. We further discuss the dependence of the effective diffusivity and overall mixing efficiency on the characteristic parameters of the flow, such as the buoyancy Reynolds number and the local gradient Richardson number, and highlight the possible role of the molecular properties of fluids on diapycnal mixing.
Conditional sampling of a high Péclet number turbulent plume and the implications for entrainment
Authors: Burridge H. C. , Parker D. A. , Kruger E. S. , Partridge J. L. , Linden P. F. 
Published: June 2017

We present simultaneous two-dimensional velocity and scalar measurements on a central vertical plane in an axisymmetric pure turbulent plume. We use an edge-detection algorithm to determine the edge of the plume, and compare the data obtained in both a fixed Eulerian frame and a frame relative to local coordinates defined in terms of the instantaneous plume edge. In an Eulerian frame we observe that the time-averaged distributions of vertical and horizontal velocity are self-similar, the vertical velocity being well represented by a Gaussian distribution. We condition these measurements on whether fluid is inside or outside of the plume, and whether fluid inside is mixed plume fluid or engulfed ambient fluid. We find that, on average, 5 % of the total vertical volume transport occurs outside the plume and this figure rises to nearly 14 % at heights between large-scale coherent structures. We show that the fluxes of engulfed fluid within the plume envelope are slightly larger than the vertical transport outside the plume – indicating that ambient fluid is engulfed into the plume envelope before being nibbled across the turbulent/non-turbulent interface (TNTI) and then ultimately irreversibly mixed. Our new measurements in the plume coordinate (following the meandering fluctuating plume) show the flow within the plume and in the nearby ambient fluid is strongly influenced by whether an eddy is present locally within the plume, or absent. When an eddy is present and the plume is wide, the vertical velocities near the plume edge are small and hence all vertical transport is inside the plume. In regions where the plume is narrow and there is no eddy, large vertical velocities and hence transport are observed outside the plume suggesting that pressure forces associated with the eddies accelerate ambient fluid which is then engulfed into the plume. Finally, we show that observing significant vertical velocities beyond the scalar edge of the plume does not suggest that the characteristic width of the velocity distribution is greater than that of the scalar field; on the contrary, we show our observations to be consistent with a buoyancy distribution that is up to 20 % wider than that of the velocity. Measurements in the plume coordinates show that the mixing of momentum across the plume results in a distribution for which the differential entropy is close to maximal and the mixing of momentum is uninhibited (i.e. not bounded) by the TNTI of the plume. Furthermore, our measurements suggest that the scalar mixing across the plume may also result in a distribution for which the differential entropy is close to maximal but, in contrast to the momentum, the scalar mixing is strictly bounded by the plume edge.