bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oxytocin modulation of neural circuits for social behavior
Authors: Marlin Bianca J. , Froemke Robert C. 
Published: September 2016

ABSTRACTOxytocin is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that has gained attention for the effects on social behavior. Recent findings shed new light on the mechanisms of oxytocin in synaptic plasticity and adaptively modifying neural circuits for social interactions such as conspecific recognition, pair bonding, and maternal care. Here, we review several of these newer studies on oxytocin in the context of previous findings, with an emphasis on social behavior and circuit plasticity in various brain regions shown to be enriched for oxytocin receptors. We provide a framework that highlights current circuit‐level mechanisms underlying the widespread action of oxytocin. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 169–189, 2017
Emissions of methane from northern peatlands: a review of management impacts and implications for future management options
Authors: Abdalla Mohamed , Hastings Astley , Truu Jaak , Espenberg Mikk , Mander Ülo , Smith Pete 
Published: September 2016

AbstractNorthern peatlands constitute a significant source of atmospheric methane (CH4). However, management of undisturbed peatlands, as well as the restoration of disturbed peatlands, will alter the exchange of CH4 with the atmosphere. The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to collate and analyze published studies to improve our understanding of the factors that control CH4 emissions and the impacts of management on the gas flux from northern (latitude 40° to 70°N) peatlands. The analysis includes a total of 87 studies reporting measurements of CH4 emissions taken at 186 sites covering different countries, peatland types, and management systems. Results show that CH4 emissions from natural northern peatlands are highly variable with a 95% CI of 7.6–15.7 g C m−2 year−1 for the mean and 3.3–6.3 g C m−2 year−1 for the median. The overall annual average (mean ± SD) is 12 ± 21 g C m−2 year−1 with the highest emissions from fen ecosystems. Methane emissions from natural peatlands are mainly controlled by water table (WT) depth, plant community composition, and soil pH. Although mean annual air temperature is not a good predictor of CH4 emissions by itself, the interaction between temperature, plant community cover, WT depth, and soil pH is important. According to short‐term forecasts of climate change, these complex interactions will be the main determinant of CH4 emissions from northern peatlands. Drainage significantly (p < .05) reduces CH4 emissions to the atmosphere, on average by 84%. Restoration of drained peatlands by rewetting or vegetation/rewetting increases CH4 emissions on average by 46% compared to the original premanagement CH4 fluxes. However, to fully evaluate the net effect of management practice on the greenhouse gas balance from high latitude peatlands, both net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and carbon exports need to be considered.
Sexual function of patients with heart failure: facts and numbers
Authors: Jaarsma Tiny 
Published: September 2016

AbstractApproximately 60% to 87% of patients with heart failure (HF) report sexual problems, and numbers as low as 31% of HF patients younger than 70 have normal sexual function. When compared with healthy elders, the amount of perceived sexual dysfunction might be similar (around 56%), but patients with HF are reporting more erectile dysfunction (ED) and also perceive that their HF symptoms (20%) or HF medication (10%) is the cause for their problems. The prevalence of ED is highly prevalent in men with cardiac disease and reported in up to 81% of cardiac patients, compared with 50% in the general older population. In total 25–76% of women with HF report sexual problems or concerns.The physical effort related to sexual activity in cardiac patients can be compared to mild to moderate physical activity. The related energy expenditure of sexual activity falls in the range of three to five metabolic units (METs), which can be compared to the energy needed to climb three flights of stairs, general housework, or gardening.Information about sexual activity is often overlooked by health care professionals treating HF patients. Advice and counselling about this subject are needed to decrease worries of patients and partners, avoid skipping medication because of fear for side effects, or prevent inappropriate use of potency enhancing drugs or herbs.
Influence of partial pork backfat replacement by fish oil on nutritional and technological properties of liver pâté
Authors: Domínguez Rubén , Pateiro Mirian , Sichetti Munekata Paulo Eduardo , Bastianello Campagnol Paulo Cezar , Lorenzo José M. 
Published: September 2016

The effect of pork backfat replacement by fish oil (with high content ofn‐3 long chain fatty acids) on proximate composition, physicochemical properties (pH, color, and texture parameters), nutritional properties (fatty acid profile and nutritional indices), and oxidative stability of liver pâté was assessed. For the present study, three different batches were manufactured: control (CO) with 100% of pork backfat and FO50 and FO75 where the pork backfat was replaced with 50 and 75% by fish oil, respectively. The fat replacement by fish oil was accompanied by an increase in fat and cholesterol content, and a decrease in moisture and protein levels. Color parameters were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the partial replacement of pork backfat by fish oil, the FO75 batches presented the highest redness, and yellowness values. On the other hand, hardness and gumminess decreased (P < 0.001) as increased fish oil addition. The SFA amount in the modified pâté decreased by 3.2–4.6% and PUFA content increased by 6.2–9.5% compared to the CO treatment. Finally, the highest lipid oxidation‐derived volatiles obtained in modified pâté could be related with the different levels of polyunsaturation among batches.Practical applications:Lipid modification of pâté by substitution of pork backfat with fish oil has been shown to be a good strategy to improve their nutritional quality. A decrease in saturated fats and an increase in unsaturated fats when pork backfat was partially replaced by fish oil were obtained. This change could be considered as the main factor responsible of the lowest values of hardness achieved in modified pâtés. This study contributed to prepare a better product for final consumers who are become increasingly health conscious and demand high quality food products.The effect of pork backfat replacement by fish oil on chemical composition, nutritional properties, and oxidative stability of liver pâté was studied. Lipid modification of pâté has been shown to be a good strategy to improve their nutritional quality (decrease saturated fats and increase unsaturated fats). However, the high level of polyunsaturation increase lipid oxidation‐derived volatiles. Finally, this study contributed to prepare a better product for final consumers who are become increasingly health conscious and demand high quality food products.
A New Route for the Enzymeless Trace Level Detection of Creatinine Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide/Silver Nanocomposite Biosensor
Authors: Viswanath K. Balaji , Devasenathipathy Rajkumar , Wang Sea‐Fue , Vasantha V. S. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractRenal insufficiencies and muscle diseases can be easily identified from the concentration of creatinine in blood and urine. Although various chemical sensors have been developed to detect creatinine, selectivity and robustness of chemical sensors are the main obstacles for many researchers. To overcome these difficulties, finding a suitable chemical biosensor with long‐term stability, low cost, high sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of creatinine is immensely desirable. Herein, we have developed a novel enzymeless creatinine biosensor for the trace level detection of creatinine using reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/ silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) which was prepared by simple one step electrochemical potentiodyanamic method. The anodic peak current of AgNPs gradually decreased when the concentration of creatinine was increased. Based on the decrease of anodic peak current, we have introduced a new platform for the detection of creatinine. The adsorption of creatinine on AgNPs was confirmed by various techniques. The newly proposed biosensor exhibited a very low detection limit of 0.743 pM with linear range from 10 pM to 120 pM. The demonstrated sensor can detect creatinine even in the presence of other interfering biomolecules such as glucose, ascorbic acid, uric acid, urea and creatine.
Binderless Solution Processed Zn Doped Co3O4 Film on FTO for Rapid and Selective Non‐enzymatic Glucose Detection
Authors: Chowdhury Mahabubur , Cummings Franscious , Kebede Mesfin , Fester Veruscha 
Published: September 2016

AbstractA simple solution based deposition process has been used to fabricate Zn doped Co3O4 electrode as an electrocatalyst for non‐enzymatic oxidation of glucose. XRD, HRTEM, SEM, EELS, AFM, EIS was used to characterise the electrode. The addition of Zn as dopant on Co3O4 resulted in enhanced electrochemical performance of Zn:Co3O4 material compared to pristine Co3O4 due to increased charge transferability. The as prepared electrode showed fast response (<7 s) time, good sensitivity (193 μA mM−1 cm−2) in the linear range of 5 μM–0.62 mM, good selectivity towards glucose at a relatively lower applied potential of +0.52 V in 0.1 M NaOH solution. A detection limit of ∼2 μM was measured for the Zn:Co3O4 electrode. The applied fabrication method resulted in good inter and intra electrode reproducibility as was shown by the lower relative standard deviation values (R.S.D). The electrode retained 70 % of initial current response after 30 days. Although the as prepared Zn:Co3O4 electrodes did not result in highest reported sensitivity, and lowest limit of detection; the ease of fabrication and scalability of production, good inter and intra electrode reproducibility makes it a potential candidate for commercial application as glucose sensor.
A New Approach for Decreasing the Detection Limit of Gentamicin Ion‐selective Electrodes by Incorporation of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs)/Lipophilic Anionic Additives
Authors: Khalil M. M. , El‐aziz G. M. Abed 
Published: September 2016

AbstractTwo novel carbon paste electrodes based on gentamicin‐reineckate (GNS‐RN)/multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/sodium tetraphenyl borate (NaTPB) or potassium tetraphenylborate (KTPB) for potentiometric determination of gentamicin sulfate were constructed. Our endeavors of lowering the detection limit for gentamicin ion‐selective electrodes were described. The paper focused on gentamicin carbon paste electrodes based on GNS‐RN as electroactive material, o‐nitrophenyloctyl ether (o‐NPOE) as plasticizer and incorporation of MWCNTs and lipophilic anionic additives (NaTPB and KTPB) which lower the detection limit of the electrodes showing best results for determination of gentamicin ion. The characteristics of the electrodes, GNS‐RN+NaTPB+MWCNTs (sensor 1) and GNS‐RN+KTPB+ MWCNTs (sensor 2), were measured, showing favorable features as they provided measurements of the potential with near‐Nernstian slopes of 29.6±0.3 and 29.1±0.3 mV/decade over the concentration range of 1.0×10−6–1.0×10−2 mol L−1 and pH ranges 3.0–8.2 and 3.0–8.0 in short response times (6.5 sec). Importantly, the electrodes had low detection limits of 3.0×10−7and 3.4×10−7 mol L−1 for the two sensors, respectively. The sensors showed high selectivity for gentamicin ion with respect to a large number of interfering species. The electrodes were successfully applied for the potentiometric determination of GNS ions in pure state, pharmaceutical preparations and human urine with high accuracy and precision. The results of this study were compared with some previously published data using other analytical methods.
New Phenolic Compounds from the Roots of Lentil (Lens culinaris)
Authors: Żuchowski Jerzy , Pecio Łukasz , Reszczyńska Emilia , Stochmal Anna 
Published: September 2016

While lentil (Lens culinaris) seeds are phytochemically well characterized, very little is known about secondary metabolites from lentil roots. Our research on lentil roots led to isolation of five phenolic compounds and five group B soyasaponins. Their structures were established using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Four phenolics have not been hitherto described in the literature: 4‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl‐2‐methoxybenzoic acid, (αS)‐4,4′‐di‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl‐α,2′‐dihydroxydihydrochalcone, (αS)‐4′‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl‐α,2′,4‐trihydroxydihydrochalcone, and keto‐2‐hydroxyglycitein. The DPPH∙ radical‐scavenging activity of the purified phenolic compounds was additionally evaluated.
Design, Synthesis, and Bioassay of Novel Compounds of Isolongifolenone Oxime Derivatives
Authors: Zhang Wu , Wu Aiqun , Xu Haitang , Mo Yuxing , Chen Jie , Shen Liqun 
Published: September 2016

A succession of new isolongifolenone oxime derivatives have been designed and synthesized. The structures of these compounds were identified by IR, 1H‐NMR, 13C‐NMR, mass spectra, and elemental analysis. The bioassays of antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal activity were carried out. The in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated by the disk diffusion method, and the minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by the microdilution method, while the insecticidal activity was tested by the spraying method or the straw impregnation method. The results of bioassays showed that compound 3f was more active in resisting all the tested bacterial and fungal organisms when compared to the standard drug amoxicillin at the lowest concentration of 31.3 μg/ml. Compound 4, synthesized by Beckmann rearrangement reaction of isolongifone oxime, exerted moderate insecticidal activity against soybean aphid. Furthermore, compound 3m exhibited more activity in killing armyworms than the standard drug flucycloxuron at the concentration of 0.5 mg/l.
Anti‐inflammatory Activity of Two New Indole Alkaloids from the Stems of Nauclea officinalis
Authors: Chen De‐Li , Ma Guo‐Xu , He Min‐Jun , Liu Yang‐Yang , Wang Xiao‐Bing , Yang Xin‐Quan 
Published: September 2016

Two new indole alkaloid derivatives (1, 2), together with six known indole alkaloids (3 – 8) were isolated from the 70% EtOH/H2O extract of the stem of Nauclea officinalis. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive analyses of spectroscopic data (IR, MS, 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR). All the isolates were evaluated for their anti‐inflammatory activities on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7, and all the compounds showed significant inhibitory activities with the IC50 values of 0.82, 6.45, 9.75, 1.34, 3.40, 2.69, 1.58, and 1.96 μm, compared to the positive drug control group aminoguanidine with an IC50 value of 1.80 μm, especially compound 1 had the most significant activity.
Soil Organic Carbon and Inorganic Carbon Accumulation Along a 30‐year Grassland Restoration Chronosequence in Semi‐arid Regions (China)
Authors: Liu Yu , Dang Zhi‐Qiang , Tian Fu‐Ping , Wang Dong , Wu Gao‐Lin 
Published: September 2016

AbstractCarbon accumulation is an important research topic for grassland restoration. It is requisite to determine the dynamics of the soil carbon pools [soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC)] for understanding regional carbon budgets. In this study, we chose a grassland restoration chronosequence (cropland, 0 years; grasslands restored for 5, 15 and 30 years, i.e. RG5, RG15 and RG30, respectively) to compare the SOC and SIC pools in different soil profiles. Our results showed that SOC stock in the 0‐ to 100‐cm soil layer showed an initial decrease in RG5 and then an increase to net C gains in RG15 and RG30. Because of a decrease in the SIC stock, the percentage of SOC stock in the total soil C pool increased across the chronosequence. The SIC stock decreased at a rate of 0·75 Mg hm−2 y−1. The change of SOC was higher in the surface (0–10 cm, 0·40 Mg hm−2 y−1) than in the deeper soil (10–100 cm, 0·33 Mg hm−2 y−1) in RG5. The accumulation of C commenced >5 years after cropland conversion. Although the SIC content decreased, the SIC stock still represented a larger percentage of the soil C pool. Moreover, the soil total carbon showed an increasing trend during grassland restoration. Our results indicated that the soil C sequestration featured an increase in SOC, offsetting the decrease in SIC at the depth of 0–100 cm in the restored grasslands. Therefore, we suggest that both SOC and SIC should be considered during grassland restoration in semi‐arid regions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Resilience of Ethiopian Church Forests: Interpreting Aerial Photographs, 1938–2015
Authors: Scull Peter , Cardelús Catherine L. , Klepeis Peter , Woods Carrie L. , Frankl Amaury , Nyssen Jan 
Published: September 2016

AbstractChurch forests collectively represent the only surviving remnants of the original montane forest, serving as critical sanctuaries for many of Ethiopia's endangered and endemic plant and invertebrate taxa. Modern inventories of church forests suggest that they are vulnerable to degradation because of their small size and isolation. The aim of this study is to use historical air photos from the period of the Italian occupation of Ethiopia (1935–1941) to measure changes to church forests over a ~80‐year time span. We find little evidence that church forests in the study region around Debra Tabor in the northern Ethiopia highlands are declining in size. Rather, church forests have proven to be remarkably resilient on the landscape despite decades of dramatic change to the world around them. Our findings, therefore, highlight the effectiveness of religion‐based forest stewardship. Results also indicate, however, that while many church forests used to be buffered from intensive agricultural activity (e.g., cultivation and pasture) today, they find themselves significantly more isolated and vulnerable to edge effects as a result of a general decrease of trees and bushlands surrounding the forests. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Co‐existence of distinct Ostreococcus ecotypes at an oceanic front
Authors: Clayton Sophie , Lin Yun‐Chi , Follows Michael J. , Worden Alexandra Z. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractWestern boundary currents support high primary production and carbon export. Here, we performed a survey of photosynthetic picoeukaryotes in the North Pacific Ocean in four transects crossing the Kuroshio Front. Prasinophyte algae comprised 85% of 18S rRNA gene sequences for photosynthetic taxa in the <5 μm size fraction. The picoplanktonic (<2 μm) genera Micromonas and Ostreococcus comprised 30% and 51% of the total photosynthetic 18S rDNA sequences from five stations. Phylogenetic analysis showed that two Ostreococcus ecotypes, until now rarely found to co‐occur, were both present in the majority of samples. Ostreococcus ecotype OI reached 6,830 ± 343 gene copies mL−1, while Ostreococcus ecotype OII reached 50,190 ± 971 gene copies mL−1 based on qPCR analysis of the 18S rRNA gene. These values are higher than in studies of other oceanographic regions by a factor of 10 for OII. The data suggest that meso‐ and finer‐scale physical dynamics had a significant impact on the populations at the front, either by mingling ecotypes from different source regions at fine scales (∼10s km) or by stimulating their growth through vertical nutrient injections. We investigate this hypothesis with an idealized diffusion‐reaction model, and find that only a combination of mixing and positive net growth can explain the observed distributions and overlap of the two Ostreococcus ecotypes. Our field observations support larger‐scale numerical ocean simulations that predict enhanced biodiversity at western boundary current fronts, and suggest a strategy for systematically testing that hypothesis.
GaAs integrated quantum photonics: Towards compact and multi‐functional quantum photonic integrated circuits
Authors: Dietrich Christof P. , Fiore Andrea , Thompson Mark G. , Kamp Martin , Höfling Sven 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe recent progress in integrated quantum optics has set the stage for the development of an integrated platform for quantum information processing with photons, with potential applications in quantum simulation. Among the different material platforms being investigated, direct‐bandgap semiconductors and particularly gallium arsenide (GaAs) offer the widest range of functionalities, including single‐ and entangled‐photon generation by radiative recombination, low‐loss routing, electro‐optic modulation and single‐photon detection. This paper reviews the recent progress in the development of the key building blocks for GaAs quantum photonics and the perspectives for their full integration in a fully‐functional and densely integrated quantum photonic circuit.
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Modeling and experimental analysis in lifespan of a precision epoxy resin mold
Authors: Kuo C.‐C. , Chiang T.‐S. 
Published: September 2016

Micro‐hot embossing is a highly effective process for fabricating micro‐devices with microfeatures in polymeric materials. One of the most troublesome problems in precision machinery industry is the time and expense needed to produce a mold for microreplication. Epoxy resin mold has been successfully employed for microreplication using micro‐hot embossing. However, the junction of the groove and sprue of the backing plate has serious local stress concentration, leading to the reduction of lifespan of a precision epoxy resin mold during the micro‐hot embossing molding. This work presents an effective method for enhancing the lifespan of a precision epoxy resin mold using reduction of local stress concentration. The numerical models were developed for predicting the maximum stress using ANSYS software. The ANSYS simulations have been carried out and the predicted results show good agreement with experimental tests. The junction of the groove and sprue of the backing plate was machined with chamfer to revaluate lifespan of the epoxy resin mold using micro‐hot embossing molding. Micro‐hot embossing verification test showed that the lifespan of epoxy resin mold with chamfer is about 2.2 times that of the conventional epoxy resin mold.
Dynamic fatigue behaviour of a steatite ceramic
Authors: Costa Oliveira F. A. , Reboredo H. , Cruz Fernandes J. 
Published: September 2016

Dynamic fatigue of a low dielectric loss steatite was investigated. To this end, the values of n and B, the so‐called subcritical crack growth (SCG) parameters were experimentally determined. The steatite exhibited the expected dynamic fatigue behaviour, so that the stress corrosion susceptibility parameter, n, of 24 was obtained. In addition, the material/environment parameter B, which is a constant for a given test environment, was also attained. These parameters are instrumental in predicting the lifetime of components under stress. When the applied load is such that the resulting strength equals half of the inert strength (σi), defined as the strength of a sample tested in an inert environment or at a fast stress rate, i.e. where no subcritical crack growth occurs, the time to failure (tf) of the material was found to be ∼140 h.Measurement of the fracture toughness of steatite is also of upmost importance and so it was determined using three test methods. A value of KIc = 1.91 ± 0.29 MPa m1/2 was attained by the indentation fracture method through measurement of the cracks emanating from the Vickers indentation. This value is in good agreement with those determined using the KIsc (surface crack in flexure) test method (2.21 ± 0.07 MPa m1/2) and fractography analysis test method (2.00 ± 0.44 MPa m1/2). Differences in test procedure and analysis causing the values from each test method to be different are discussed.