bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Significant impact of biochemical recurrence on overall mortality in patients with high‐risk prostate cancer after carbon‐ion radiotherapy combined with androgen deprivation therapy
Authors: Kasuya Goro , Ishikawa Hitoshi , Tsuji Hiroshi , Nomiya Takuma , Makishima Hirokazu , Kamada Tadashi , Akakura Koichiro , Suzuki Hiroyoshi , Shimazaki Jun , Haruyama Yasuo , Kobashi Gen , Tsujii Hirohiko ,   for the Working Group for Genitourinary Tumors
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUNDWhether biochemical recurrence (BR) is a significant predictive factor of mortality after definitive radiation therapy for prostate cancer remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relation between BR and overall mortality (OAM) in high‐risk prostate cancer patients who were treated with carbon‐ion radiotherapy (CIRT) and had long‐term follow‐up in 2 prospective trials.METHODSIn the 2 phase 2 clinical trials, which involved 466 prostate cancer patients who received 63.0 to 66.0 Gy of CIRT (relative biological effect) in 20 fractions between 2000 and 2007, 324 patients who were deemed to be at high risk on the basis of the modified D'Amico classification criteria and received CIRT along with androgen‐deprivation therapy (ADT) were examined. The OAM rate was adjusted for the ADT duration, and multivariate analyses using a Cox proportional hazards model were performed for OAM with BR as a time‐dependent covariate.RESULTSThe median follow‐up period was 107.4 months, and the 5‐ and 10‐year OAM rates after adjustments for the ADT duration were 7.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.0%‐9.4%) and 23.9% (95% CI, 16.4%‐26.2%), respectively. A multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of BR (hazard ratio, 2.82; 95% Cl, 1.57‐5.08; P = .001) was one of the predictive factors for OAM. On the other hand, the duration of ADT had no impact on OAM.CONCLUSIONSBR after CIRT combined with ADT is an independent predictive factor for OAM in high‐risk prostate cancer patients. The results of this study could be applied to other high‐dose radiation therapies. Cancer 2016;122:3225–31. © 2016 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Extracellular‐DNA‐Targeting Nanomaterial for Effective Elimination of Biofilm
Authors: Thiyagarajan Durairaj , Das Gopal , Ramesh Aiyagari 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe inherent resistance ofStaphylococcus aureusbiofilm to antibiotics demands a novel paradigm in antibiofilm therapeutics. An albumin‐based nanocarrier loaded with an amphiphilic cargo (C1‐HNC) described herein renders facile release of the payload in the biofilm matrix, which subsequently cleaves extracellular DNA (eDNA) and mounts a concurrent attack on underlying cells, resulting in dramatic annihilation ofS. aureusbiofilm. Significant cleavage ofS. aureusbiofilm eDNA is manifested upon treatment with C1‐HNC and, in comparison with the therapeutic enzyme DNase, C1‐HNC exhibits superior activity againstS. aureusbiofilm. Interestingly, C1‐HNC is nontoxic to a model human cell line. By virtue of its potent activity against eDNA and the underlying cells, the nontoxic nanomaterial is a promising therapeutic material against biofilm.
North African hybrid sparrows (Passer domesticus,P. hispaniolensis) back from oblivion – ecological segregation and asymmetric mitochondrial introgression between parental species
Authors: Ait Belkacem Abdelkrim , Gast Oliver , Stuckas Heiko , Canal David , LoValvo Mario , Giacalone Gabriele , Päckert Martin 
Published: June 2016

AbstractA stabilized hybrid form of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the Spanish sparrow (P. hispaniolensis) is known asPasser italiaefrom the Italian Peninsula and a few Mediterranean islands. The growing attention for the Italian hybrid sparrow and increasing knowledge on its biology and genetic constitution greatly contrast the complete lack of knowledge of the long‐known phenotypical hybrid sparrow populations from North Africa. Our study provides new data on the breeding biology and variation of mitochondrialDNAin three Algerian populations of house sparrows, Spanish sparrows, and phenotypical hybrids. In two field seasons, the two species occupied different breeding habitats: Spanish sparrows were only found in rural areas outside the cities and bred in open‐cup nests built in large jujube bushes. In contrast, house sparrows bred only in the town centers and occupied nesting holes in walls of buildings. Phenotypical hybrids were always associated with house sparrow populations. House sparrows and phenotypical hybrids started breeding mid of March, and most pairs had three successive clutches, whereas Spanish sparrows started breeding almost one month later and had only two successive clutches. Mitochondrial introgression is strongly asymmetric because about 75% of the rural Spanish sparrow population carried house sparrow haplotypes. In contrast, populations of the Italian hybrid form,P. italiae, were genetically least diverse among all study populations and showed a near‐fixation of house sparrow haplotypes that elsewhere were extremely rare or that were even unique for the Italian Peninsula. Such differences between mitochondrial gene pools of Italian and North African hybrid sparrow populations provide first evidence that different demographic histories have shaped the extant genetic diversity observed on both continents.
Interactive influences of climate change and agriculture on aquatic habitat in a Pacific Northwestern watershed
Authors: DeBano Sandra J. , Wooster David E. , Walker Jonathan R. , McMullen Laura E. , Horneck Donald A. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractClimate change and agricultural intensification are two potential stressors that may pose significant threats to aquatic habitats in the inland Pacific Northwest over the next century. Climate change may impact running water through numerous pathways, including effects on water temperature and stream flow. In certain regions of the Pacific Northwest, agricultural activities, such as crop production, may become more profitable if water projects result in more irrigation water. If so, riparian buffers in these areas may be converted into cropland, which may in turn affect aquatic habitats through increases in sediment and agrochemical runoff into streams. We used currently available downscaled temperature and hydrology data in combination with a habitat quality framework developed for Pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.) to predict how different levels of each stressor, alone and in combination, may impact aquatic habitats in an inland Pacific Northwest watershed dominated by high‐value agriculture—the Umatilla Subbasin. We developed spatially explicit predictions for how changes in stream flow and water temperature associated with three climate change scenarios and loss of riparian buffers in two agricultural intensification scenarios may impact aquatic habitats. We also examined the cumulative effects of the interaction of extreme climate change and agricultural intensification scenarios. Our results show that all three climate change scenarios are expected to primarily impact aquatic habitat in the upper Subbasin. In contrast, agricultural intensification scenarios did not have large impacts on temperature, but are predicted to affect other water quality variables in the lower Subbasin. A moderate scenario of agricultural intensification had relatively little effect on aquatic habitat, whereas the removal of all riparian buffers in agriculturally viable areas had a substantially negative effect on sediment, embeddedness, and large woody debris in the lower Subbasin. Interactions between the most extreme climate change and agricultural intensification scenarios reflected a complementarity of effects, with climate change primarily affecting the upper Subbasin and agricultural intensification primarily impacting the lower Subbasin. This work suggests that the Umatilla Subbasin and similar watersheds will present a challenging habitat for warm water‐ and pollution‐intolerant species in the coming century.
Seasonal habitat‐based density models for a marine top predator, the harbor porpoise, in a dynamic environment
Authors: Gilles A. , Viquerat S. , Becker E. A. , Forney K. A. , Geelhoed S. C. V. , Haelters J. , Nabe‐Nielsen J. , Scheidat M. , Siebert U. , Sveegaard S. , van Beest F. M. , van Bemmelen R. , Aarts G. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractEffective species conservation and management requires information on species distribution patterns, which is challenging for highly mobile and cryptic species that may be subject to multiple anthropogenic stressors across international boundaries. Understanding species–habitat relationships can improve the assessment of trends and distribution by explicitly allowing high‐resolution data on habitats to inform abundance estimation and the identification of protected areas. In this study, we aggregated an unprecedented set of survey data of a marine top predator, the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), collected in theUK(SCANS II, Dogger Bank), Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark, to develop seasonal habitat‐based density models for the central and southern North Sea. Visual survey data were collected over 9 yr (2005–2013) by means of dedicated line‐transect surveys, taking into account the proportion of missed sightings. Generalized additive models of porpoise density were fitted to 156,630 km of on‐effort survey data with 14,356 sightings of porpoise groups. Selected predictors included static and dynamic variables, such as depth, distance to shore and to sandeel (Ammodytesspp.) grounds, sea surface temperature (SST), proxies for fronts, and day length. Day length and the spatial distribution of dailySSTproved to be good proxies for “season,” allowing predictions in both space and time. The density models captured seasonal distribution shifts of porpoises across international boundaries. By combining the large‐scale internationalSCANS IIsurvey with the more frequent, small‐scale national surveys, it has been possible to provide seasonal maps that will be used to assist theEUHabitats and Marine Strategy Framework Directives in effectively assessing the conservation status of harbor porpoises. Moreover, our results can facilitate the identification of regions where human activities and disturbances are likely to impact the population and are especially relevant for marine spatial planning, which requires accurate fine‐scale maps of species distribution to assess risks of increasing human activities at sea.
Spatial extent of neighboring plants influences the strength of associational effects on mammal herbivory
Authors: Champagne Emilie , Tremblay Jean‐Pierre , Côté Steeve D. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThere is high variability in the level of herbivory between individual plants from the same species with potential effects on population dynamics, community composition, and ecosystem structure and function. This variability can be partly explained by associational effects (i.e., the impact of the presence of neighboring plants on the level of herbivory experienced by a focal plant) but it is still unclear how the spatial scale of plant neighborhood modulates foraging choice of herbivores, an inherently spatial process in itself. Using a meta‐analysis, we investigated how spatial scale modifies associational effects on the susceptibility to browsing by herbivores with movement capacities similar to deer. From 2496 articles found in literature databases, we selected 46 studies providing a total of 168 differences of means in damage by herbivores or survival to woody plants (mostly) with and without neighboring plants. Spatial scales were reported as distance between plants or as plot size. We estimated the relationships between the effect sizes and spatial scale, type of associational effects, and nature of the experiment using meta‐analysis mixed models. The strength of associational effects declined with increasing plot size, regardless of the type of associational effects. Associational defenses (i.e., decrease in herbivory for focal plants associated with unpalatable neighbors) had stronger magnitude than associational susceptibilities. The high remaining heterogeneity among studies suggests that untested factors modulate associational effects, such as nutritional quality of focal and neighboring plants, density of herbivores, timing of browsing, etc. Associational effects are already considered in multiple restoration contexts worldwide, but a better understanding of these relationships could improve their use in conservation, restoration, and forest exploitation when browsing is a concern. This study is the first to investigate spatial patterns of associational effects across species and ecosystems, an issue that is essential to determine differential herbivory damages among plants.
Shifts in vegetation phenology along flyways entail varying risks of mistiming in a migratory songbird
Authors: Emmenegger Tamara , Hahn Steffen , Arlettaz Raphaël , Amrhein Valentin , Zehtindjiev Pavel , Bauer Silke 
Published: June 2016

AbstractLong‐term shifts in vegetation phenology generally follow the pattern of global warming. Yet, topographical complexity and biome diversity cause uneven spatial trends in the phenological response of vegetation to climate change. If phenology changes similarly along migration routes, individuals may adequately respond by shifting the whole migration schedule to still time life history with local phenological events. On the contrary, phenological shifts that differ in direction or magnitude between sites can enhance the risk of mistiming, resulting in reduced survival and reproductive success and eventually population declines. We identified the direction and magnitude of long‐term shifts in vegetation phenology along avian migration routes, using remotely sensed vegetation data over 29 yr (1982–2010) to estimate the risk of mistiming for different sets of assumptions concerning cues and adaptability of migration timing. For this study, we used individual series of non‐breeding, spring stopover and breeding sites (determined by light‐level geolocation) of three European populations of Luscinia megarhynchos (Common Nightingale), an insectivorous Palearctic long‐distance migrant. The breeding populations in France, Italy, and Bulgaria are representatives for populations migrating on the western, central, and eastern flyway toward sub‐Saharan Africa. The direction and magnitude of phenological shifts differed between migration stages and across flyways and under most sets of assumptions, the resulting risk of mistiming was higher in the Western compared to Central and Eastern flyway. We emphasize that estimates for the risk of mistiming as resulting from phenological shifts highly depend on the cues that migrants use to time migratory progression and on the adaptive potential of the particular migratory species to react to phenological shifts.
Transitions and invasion along a grazing gradient in experimental California grasslands
Authors: Stein Claudia , Harpole William Stanley , Suding Katharine N. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractResilience‐based frameworks, founded upon the existence of multiple attractors and regime shifts, have long been applied to complex dynamics of semiarid systems. Utilizing seed addition tests in experimental plantings along grazing gradients, we applied an increase‐when‐rare criterion to identify bidirectional (states can invade each other) and directional (only one state can invade) transitions among vegetation states characteristic of California grasslands over five years. Annual forage and medusahead grasslands were able to invade each other at all grazing intensities, indicating coexistence. Directional transitions involving invasion of native bunchgrass by other species occurred as grazing intensity increased; recovery (transitions to natives) did not occur at low grazing. While directional transitions at some grazing intensities were accompanied by state persistence at others, we found little evidence for persistence of alternative states at any grazing intensity. Our results suggest that grazing can affect resilience by causing hard‐to‐reverse transitions, but rarely produces alternative states. However, variation in precipitation seems to dominate grazing responses, supporting the applicability of the nonequilibrium concept in our study system.
Do Non‐State Perspectives Matter for Treaty Ratification and Implementation? The case of the European Consultation on the Nagoya protocol
Authors: Orsini Amandine 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThis article investigates what happens when governmental actors foster the participation of non‐state actors (NSAs) in treaty ratification and implementation decisions. NSAs, being non‐governmental organizations, business groups, citizens, or research institutions, among others, represent interests that will be ultimately impacted by policy choices. While governments have long consulted them on an ad hoc basis, a ‘deliberative turn’ happened in the 2000s to encourage their involvement, for greater legitimacy and transparency through, among others, the use of public consultations. This proactive turn raises questions about public consultations: are such instruments effective? Do they encourage new thinking? Do they matter for final decisions? This article answers these questions by investigating, using lexicometry as main research tool, the public consultation organized by the European Commission in 2011 before the ratification of the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit sharing by the European Union in 2014. The results are mixed. Although the studied public consultation favoured the expression of small national NSAs, the process remains poorly inclusive. NSAs did not propose any fresh ideas on the access and benefit sharing issue and their final influence on European decision‐makers is blurred by the diversity of interests expressed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Barriers to goals of care discussions with hospitalized patients with advanced heart failure: feasibility and performance of a novel questionnaire
Authors: Aleksova Natasha , Demers Catherine , Strachan Patricia H. , MacIver Jane , Downar James , Fowler Robert , Heyland Daren K. , Ross Heather J. , You John J. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractAimsGood end‐of‐life communication and decision‐making are important to patients with advanced heart failure (HF) and their families, but their needs remain unmet. In this pilot study, we describe the feasibility and performance of a novel questionnaire aimed at identifying barriers and solutions to improve communication and decision‐making about goals of care for hospitalized patients with advanced HF.MethodsWe distributed questionnaires to staff cardiologists, cardiology trainees, and cardiology nurses who provide care for HF patients at a Canadian teaching hospital. The questionnaire asked about the importance of various barriers to goals of care discussions. It also asked participants to rank their willingness to engage in goals of care discussions and their views on other clinicians could engage in such discussions.ResultsOf 76 clinicians, 44 (58%) completed the questionnaire (median completion time, 17 min). Individual survey questions had few missing responses (0% to 2%) for questions about barriers to goals of care discussions. There was appreciable discrimination of the importance of different barriers (mean scores 2.2 to 6.0 on a 7‐point scale). Preliminary data suggest that clinicians perceive patient and family factors, such as difficulty accepting a poor prognosis, as the most important barriers preventing goals of care discussions.ConclusionsIn this pilot study, we have demonstrated the feasibility of a novel questionnaire to be used in a larger multi‐centre study of end‐of‐life HF care. Essential information will be obtained to inform the design and evaluation of interventions that seek to improve communication and decision‐making about goals of care with HF patients.
Contribution to the Modeling and Simulation of the Iron‐Based Chemical Looping Combustion Process
Authors: Cormos Ana‐Maria , Chisalita Dora‐Andreea 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are directly linked to climate change. Given that most of the world's electric energy comes from fossil‐fuel power plants, which produce a large amount of greenhouse gas (i.e., CO2), carbon capture and storage technologies seem to be a viable solution to reduce CO2 emissions. To investigate fossil‐fuel chemical looping combustion in fluidized bed columns, a dynamic mathematical model was herein developed. The complex phenomena taking place in the iron‐based chemical looping combustion process are described by assuming a pseudo‐homogeneous system and a plug–flow regime for the fluidized columns. The mass and energy balance equations were written by using partial differential equations for both the gaseous and solid phases present in the process. The distribution and temperatures profiles of the gaseous and solid components as well as a study on the influence of the superficial gas velocity on the particle distribution were generated by model simulation. This computational approach allows for significant progress in the systematic analysis of chemical looping combustion to assess its potential for integration into the next generation of fossil‐fuel power plants.
VirtuWind: virtual and programmable industrial network prototype deployed in operational wind park
Authors: Mahmoodi Toktam , Kulkarni Vivek , Kellerer Wolfgang , Mangan Peter , Zeiger Florian , Spirou Spiros , Askoxylakis Ioannis , Vilajosana Xavier , Einsiedler Hans Joachim , Quittek Jürgen 
Published: June 2016

AbstractWith anticipated exponential growth of connected devices, future industrial networks require an open solutions architecture facilitated by standards and a strong ecosystem. Such solutions should also deal with range of quality of service requirements imposed by industrial networks. Preserving strict quality of service is particularly challenging when services pass across domains of multiple provides. VirtuWind aims to develop and demonstrate a Software Defined Networking and Network Function Virtualization ecosystem, based on an open, modular and secure framework to address stringent requirements of the industrial networks. A prototype of the framework for intra‐domain and inter‐domain scenarios will be showcased in real Wind Parks, as a representative use case of industrial networks. This paper details this vision and explains steps forward. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.