bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Same day HIV diagnosis and antiretroviral therapy initiation affects retention in Option B+ prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission services at antenatal care in Zomba District, Malawi
Authors: Chan Adrienne K , Kanike Emmanuel , Bedell Richard , Mayuni Isabel , Manyera Ruth , Mlotha William , Harries Anthony D , van Oosterhout Joep J , van Lettow Monique 
Published: March 2016

IntroductionData from the Option B+ prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission (PMTCT) program in Malawi show considerable variation between health facilities in retention on antiretroviral therapy (ART). In a programmatic setting, we studied whether the “model of care,” based on the degree of integration of antenatal care (ANC), HIV testing and counselling (HTC) and ART service provision–influenced uptake of and retention on ART.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnant women seeking ANC at rural primary health facilities in Zomba District, Malawi. Data were extracted from standardized national ANC registers, ART registers and ART master cards. The “model of care” of Option B+ service delivery was determined at each health facility, based on the degree of integration of ANC, HTC and ART. Full integration (Model 1) of HTC and ART initiation at ANC was compared with integration of HTC only into ANC services (Model 2) with subsequent referral to an existing ART clinic for treatment initiation.Results and discussionA total of 10,528 women were newly registered at ANC between October 2011 and March 2012 in 23 rural health facilities (12 were Model 1 and 11 Model 2). HIV status was ascertained in 8,572 (81%) women. Among 914/8,572 (9%) HIV‐positive women enrolling at ANC, 101/914 (11%) were already on ART; of those not on treatment, 456/813 (56%) were started on ART. There was significantly higher ART uptake in Model 1 compared with Model 2 sites (63% vs. 51%; p=0.001), but significantly lower ART retention in Model 1 compared with Model 2 sites (79% vs. 87%; p=0.02). Multivariable analysis showed that initiation of ART on the same day as HIV diagnosis, but not model of care, was independently associated with reduced retention in the first six months (adjusted odds ratio 2.27; 95% CI: 1.34–3.85; p=0.002).ConclusionsHIV diagnosis and treatment on the same day was associated with reduced retention on ART, independent of the level of PMTCT service integration at ANC.
Ultracompact 100 Gbps coherent receiver monolithically integrated on silicon
Authors: Tu Zhijuan , Gong Pan , Zhou Zhiping , Wang Xingjun 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
This work describes an ultracompact coherent receiver monolithically integrated on silicon. The coherent receiver integrates one 1D grating coupler, one 2D grating coupler, two 90° hybrids, and eight Ge photodetectors in an area of only 1.3 × 1.4 mm2, which is about half the size of the smallest previously reported receiver. The design and performances of the components and the integrated coherent receiver are presented. The receiving of 100 Gbps polarization-division-multiplexed quadrature phase-shift keying (PDM-QPSK) signals is also successfully demonstrated.
Wireless image-data transmission from an implanted image sensor through a living mouse brain by intra body communication
Authors: Hayami Hajime , Takehara Hiroaki , Nagata Kengo , Haruta Makito , Noda Toshihiko , Sasagawa Kiyotaka , Tokuda Takashi , Ohta Jun 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Intra body communication technology allows the fabrication of compact implantable biomedical sensors compared with RF wireless technology. In this paper, we report the fabrication of an implantable image sensor of 625 µm width and 830 µm length and the demonstration of wireless image-data transmission through a brain tissue of a living mouse. The sensor was designed to transmit output signals of pixel values by pulse width modulation (PWM). The PWM signals from the sensor transmitted through a brain tissue were detected by a receiver electrode. Wireless data transmission of a two-dimensional image was successfully demonstrated in a living mouse brain. The technique reported here is expected to provide useful methods of data transmission using micro sized implantable biomedical sensors.
Magnetic reconnection in Saturn's magnetotail: A comprehensive magnetic field survey
Authors: Smith A. W. , Jackman C. M. , Thomsen M. F. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractReconnection within planetary magnetotails is responsible for locally energizing particles and changing the magnetic topology. Its role in terms of global magnetospheric dynamics can involve changing the mass and flux content of the magnetosphere. We have identified reconnection related events in spacecraft magnetometer data recorded during Cassini's exploration of Saturn's magnetotail. The events are identified from deflections in the north‐south component of the magnetic field, significant above a background level. Data were selected to provide full tail coverage, encompassing the dawn and dusk flanks as well as the deepest midnight orbits. Overall 2094 reconnection related events were identified, with an average rate of 5.0 events per day. The majority of events occur in clusters (within 3 h of other events). We examine changes in this rate in terms of local time and latitude coverage, taking seasonal effects into account. The observed reconnection rate peaks postmidnight with more infrequent but steady loss seen on the dusk flank. We estimate the mass loss from the event catalog and find it to be insufficient to balance the input from the moon Enceladus. Several reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. The reconnection X line location appears to be highly variable, though a statistical separation between events tailward and planetward of the X line is observed at a radial distance of between 20 and 30RS downtail. The small sample size at dawn prevents comprehensive statistical comparison with the dusk flank observations in terms of flux closure.
An adaptive lattice Boltzmann scheme for modeling two‐fluid‐phase flow in porous medium systems
Authors: Dye Amanda L. , McClure James E. , Adalsteinsson David , Miller Cass T. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractWe formulate a multiple‐relaxation‐time (MRT) lattice‐Boltzmann method (LBM) to simulate two‐fluid‐phase flow in porous medium systems. The MRT LBM is applied to simulate the displacement of a wetting fluid by a nonwetting fluid in a system corresponding to a microfluidic cell. Analysis of the simulation shows widely varying time scales for the dynamics of fluid pressures, fluid saturations, and interfacial curvatures that are typical characteristics of such systems. Displacement phenomena include Haines jumps, which are relatively short duration isolated events of rapid fluid displacement driven by capillary instability. An adaptive algorithm is advanced using a level‐set method to locate interfaces and estimate their rate of advancement. Because the displacement dynamics are confined to the interfacial regions for a majority of the relaxation time, the computational effort is focused on these regions. The proposed algorithm is shown to reduce computational effort by an order of magnitude, while yielding essentially identical solutions to a conventional fully coupled approach. The challenges posed by Haines jumps are also resolved by the adaptive algorithm. Possible extensions to the advanced method are discussed.
Impacts of introducedRangiferon ecosystem processes of maritime tundra on subarctic islands
Authors: Ricca Mark A. , Miles A. Keith , Van Vuren Dirk H. , Eviner Valerie T. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractIntroductions of mammalian herbivores to remote islands without predators provide a natural experiment to ask how temporal and spatial variation in herbivory intensity alter feedbacks between plant and soil processes. We investigated ecosystem effects resulting from introductions ofRangifer tarandus(hereafter “Rangifer”) to native mammalian predator‐ and herbivore‐free islands in the Aleutian archipelago of Alaska. We hypothesized that the maritime tundra of these islands would experience either: (1) accelerated ecosystem processes mediated by positive feedbacks between increased graminoid production and rapid nitrogen cycling; or (2) decelerated processes mediated by herbivory that stimulated shrub domination and lowered soil fertility. We measured summer plant and soil properties across three islands representing a chronosequence of elapsed time post‐Rangiferintroduction (Atka: ~100 yr; Adak: ~50; Kagalaska: ~0), with distinct stages of irruptive population dynamics ofRangifernested within each island (Atka: irruption, K‐overshoot, decline, K‐re‐equilibration; Adak: irruption, K‐overshoot; Kagalaska: initial introduction). We also measuredRangiferspatial use within islands (indexed by pellet group counts) to determine how ecosystem processes responded to spatial variation in herbivory. Vegetation community response to herbivory varied with temporal and spatial scale. When comparing temporal effects using the island chronosequence, increased time since herbivore introduction led to more graminoids and fewer dwarf‐shrubs, lichens, and mosses. Slow‐growingCladonialichens that are highly preferred winter forage were decimated on both long‐termRangifer‐occupied islands. In addition, linear relations between more concentratedRangiferspatial use and reductions in graminoid and forb biomass within islands added spatial heterogeneity to long‐term patterns identified by the chronosequence. These results support, in part, the hypothesis thatRangiferpopulation persistence on islands is facilitated by successful exploitation of graminoid biomass as winter forage after palatable lichens are decimated. However, the shift from shrubs to graminoids was expected to enhance rates of nitrogen cycling, yet rates of net N‐mineralization,pools, and soil δ15N declined markedly along the chronosequence and were weakly associated with spatial use within islands. Overall plant and soil patterns were disrupted but responded differently to intermediate (50 yr) and long‐term (100 yr) herbivory, and were correlated with distinct stages of irruptive population dynamics.
Intraguild predator drives forest edge avoidance of a mesopredator
Authors: Michel Vanja T. , Jiménez‐Franco María Victoria , Naef‐Daenzer Beat , Grüebler Martin U. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractInteractions between top predators and mesopredators of the same guild often result in habitat segregation restricting interactions to shared habitat edges. Although negative edge effects are recognized as important spatial patterns in the ecology of fragmented landscapes, the underlying mechanisms of predator–prey interactions resulting in negative edge effects remain unknown. To disentangle top‐down effects of intraguild predators and bottom‐up effects of shared resources on mesopredator spatial distribution, we recorded the occurrence of tawny owls Strix aluco in forests and their prey, the little owl Athene noctua in adjacent open areas over 2 yr across 687 km2 in Southern Germany. We developed a new, asymmetrical dynamic two‐species occupancy model investigating spatial interactions while accounting for imperfect detection. Little owl occupancy was strongly reduced within 150 m of forests, but only in the presence of tawny owls. Analysis of over 30 000 telemetry locations of 275 little owls showed that little owls strongly avoided areas closer than 150 m from the forest during range use. These results suggest that the negative edge effect is due to forest edge avoidance rather than direct predation. Potential confounding mechanisms such as food depletion or habitat avoidance at forest edges can be ruled out. Thus, top‐down effects caused by avoidance of intraguild top predators shape the spatial distribution of mesopredators such as the little owl. While habitat complexity mitigates multitrophic interactions within habitats, it is expected to reinforce multitrophic interactions between habitats, potentially leading to the suppression of mesopredators from suitable habitats.
Accounting for residential propagule pressure improves prediction of urban plant invasion
Authors: Davis Amy J. S. , Singh Kunwar K. , Thill Jean‐Claude , Meentemeyer Ross K. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractPlant invasions substantially impact the ecosystem services provided by forests in urbanizing regions. Knowing where invasion risk is greatest helps target early detection and eradication efforts, but developing an accurate predictive model of invasive species presence and spread on the basis of habitat suitability remains a challenge due to spatial variation in propagule pressure (the number of individuals released) which is likely conflated with suitability. In addition to neighborhood propagule pressure that originates with propagules dispersing from naturalized populations within invaded habitats, we expect residential propagule pressure arising from the widespread use of exotic plants in the yards of single‐family residences to be an important driver of invasions, and to notably improve the predictive accuracy of species distribution models (SDMs). To this end, we collected presence/absence data for a widespread forest invader, Ligustrum sinense (Chinese privet), from 400 stratified random plots located along an urban gradient across the Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan area. We assessed the relative contribution of residential propagule pressure and neighborhood propagule pressure to improving the predictive performance of a probit SDM for Chinese privet that only contains environmental predictors. Our results indicate that, although the environment‐only model predicted the highest geographic area to be at risk of invasion by privet, it also had the highest rate of failure to accurately predict observed privet occurrences as indicated by the omission (incorrectly predicted absence) and commission (incorrectly predicted presence) error rates. Accounting for residential propagule pressure substantially improved model performance by reducing the omission error by nearly 50%, thereby improving upon the ability of the model to predict privet invasion in suboptimal habitat. Given that this increase in detection was accompanied by a decrease in the geographic area predicted at risk, we conclude that SDMs for invasive exotic shrubs and potentially for other synanthropic generalist plants may be highly inefficient when residential propagule pressure is not accounted for. Accounting for residential propagule pressure in models of invasive plants results in a more focused and accurate prediction of the area at risk, thus enabling decision makers to feasibly prioritize regional scale monitoring and control efforts.
Usefulness of Preoperative Plasma Fibrinogen Versus Other Prognostic Markers for Predicting Gastric Cancer Recurrence
Authors: Yamamoto Masaaki , Kurokawa Yukinori , Miyazaki Yasuhiro , Makino Tomoki , Takahashi Tsuyoshi , Yamasaki Makoto , Nakajima Kiyokazu , Takiguchi Shuji , Mori Masaki , Doki Yuichiro 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackgroundHypercoagulation is associated with tumor progression and metastasis in various types of malignancy. We compared the prognostic value of preoperative plasma fibrinogen level with those of other prognostic markers in patients with gastric cancer and assessed whether fibrinogen level was an independent prognostic indicator.MethodsWe collected preoperative data from 609 consecutive patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy. A receiver operating curve (ROC) was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 (CA19‐9), C‐reactive protein (CRP), platelet count, platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and fibrinogen level in predicting recurrence. Recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between the normal and high fibrinogen groups.ResultsIn the ROC analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.534 for CEA, 0.552 for CA19‐9, 0.587 for CRP, 0.565 for platelet count, 0.567 for PLR, 0.522 for NLR, and 0.692 for fibrinogen. Plasma fibrinogen level increased with tumor stage. The high fibrinogen (≥350 mg/dl) group had significantly worse RFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p < 0.001) than the normal fibrinogen (<350 mg/dl) group. Cox multivariate analysis of RFS revealed that fibrinogen level was an independent prognostic factor (p < 0.001) in addition to sex, pT stage, and pN stage.ConclusionsPreoperative plasma fibrinogen level had the highest predictive value for recurrence among seven known prognostic markers. Since fibrinogen level is an independent factor for RFS, it would be useful for predicting prognosis after gastric cancer surgery.
Uncoupling EPA and DHA in Fish Nutrition: Dietary Demand is Limited in Atlantic Salmon and Effectively Met by DHA Alone
Authors: Emery James A. , Norambuena Fernando , Trushenski Jesse , Turchini Giovanni M. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractDue to the scarcity of marine fish oil resources, the aquaculture industry is developing more efficient strategies for the utilization of dietary omega‐3 long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n‐3 LC‐PUFA). A better understanding of how fish utilize EPA and DHA, typically provided by fish oil, is needed. However, EPA and DHA have different physiological functions, may be metabolized and incorporated into tissues differently, and may vary in terms of their importance in meeting the fatty acid requirements of fish. To address these questions, Atlantic salmon were fed experimental diets containing, as the sole added dietary lipid source, fish oil (positive control), tallow (negative control), or tallow supplemented with EPA, DHA, or both fatty acids to ~50 or 100 % of their respective levels in the positive control diet. Following 14 weeks of feeding, the negative control diet yielded optimum growth performance. Though surprising, these results support the notion that Atlantic salmon requirements for n‐3 LC‐PUFA are quite low. EPA was largely β‐oxidized and inefficiently deposited in tissues, and increasing dietary levels were associated with potential negative effects on growth. Conversely, DHA was completely spared from catabolism and very efficiently deposited into flesh. EPA bioconversion to DHA was largely influenced by substrate availability, with the presence of preformed DHA having little inhibitory effect. These results clearly indicate EPA and DHA are metabolized differently by Atlantic salmon, and suggest that the n‐3 LC‐PUFA dietary requirements of Atlantic salmon may be lower than reported and different, if originating primarily from EPA or DHA.
Molecular Weight Determination of Palm Olein Polyols by Gel Permeation Chromatography Using Polyether Polyols Calibration
Authors: Mohd Noor Mohd Azmil , Sendijarevic Vahid , Hoong Seng Soi , Sendijarevic Ibrahim , Tuan Ismail Tuan Noor Maznee , Hanzah Nurul ‘Ain , Mohd Noor Norhayati , Poo Palam Kosheela Devi , Ghazali Razmah , Abu Hassan Hazimah 
Published: March 2016

AbstractNatural oil polyols have been intensively developed and successfully used for the production of various polymers, notably polyurethanes. The need to access the average molecular weight (MW) and the MW distribution (MWD) has led to the efforts to have a precise and reliable determination method. A series of commercial polyether polyols, with well‐defined MW, was used as a gel permeation chromatography (GPC) calibration standard to determine the MW of palm olein polyols. This GPC analysis was compared to the one calibrated against the commercially available polystyrene (PS) standards and to the number‐average molecular weight (Mn) obtained via vapor pressure osmometry (VPO) technique. For example, the Mn obtained for palm olein polyol E‐135 calibrated against polyether polyols was 2,537 Da, which was closer to the Mn via VPO (1,618 Da), than the Mn obtained using PS as calibration standards (3,836 Da). Hence, this GPC analysis using polyether polyols as calibration standards can offer reassured determination of MWD of palm olein polyols.
Hydrogenation of Sunflower Oil over M/SiO2 and M/Al2O3 (M = Ni, Pd, Pt, Co, Cu) Catalysts
Authors: Cepeda Emilio A. , Iriarte‐Velasco Unai , Calvo Beatriz , Sierra Irene 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThis work is aimed at evaluating the performance of several catalysts in the partial hydrogenation of sunflower oil. The catalysts are composed of noble (Pd and Pt) and base metals (Ni, Co and Cu), supported on both silica and alumina. The following order can be proposed for the effect of the metal on the hydrogenation activity: Pd > Pt > Ni > Co > Cu. At a target iodine value of 70 (a typical value for oleomargarine), the production of trans isomers is minimum for supported nickel catalysts (25.7–32.4 %, depending on the operating conditions). Regarding the effect of the support, Al2O3 allows for more active catalysts based on noble metals (Pd and Pt) and Co, the effect being much more pronounced for Pt. Binary mixtures of catalysts have been studied, in order to strike a balance between catalyst activity and product distribution. The results evidence that Pd/Al2O3–Co/SiO2 mixture has a good balance between activity and selectivity, and leads to a very low production of trans isomers (11.8 %) and a moderate amount of saturated stearic acid (13.5 %). Consequently, the utilization of cobalt‐based catalysts (or the addition of cobalt to other metallic catalysts) could be considered a promising alternative for the hydrogenation of edible oil.
NGR-tagged nano-gold: A new CD13-selective carrier for cytokine delivery to tumors
Authors: Curnis Flavio , Fiocchi Martina , Sacchi Angelina , Gori Alessandro , Gasparri Anna , Corti Angelo 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Colloidal gold (Au), a well-tolerated nanomaterial, is currently exploited for several applications in nanomedicine. We show that gold nanoparticles tagged with a novel tumor-homing peptide containing Asn-Gly-Arg (NGR), a ligand of CD13 expressed by the tumor neovasculature, can be exploited as carriers for cytokine delivery to tumors. Biochemical and functional studies showed that the NGR molecular scaffold/linker used for gold functionalization is critical for CD13 recognition. Using fibrosarcoma-bearing mice, NGR-tagged nanodrugs could deliver extremely low, yet pharmacologically active doses of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), an anticancer cytokine, to tumors with no evidence of toxicity. Mechanistic studies confirmed that CD13 targeting was a primary mechanism of drug delivery and excluded a major role of integrin targeting consequent to NGR deamidation, a degradation reaction that generates the isoAsp-Gly-Arg (isoDGR) integrin ligand. NGR-tagged gold nanoparticles can be used, in principle, as a novel platform for single- or multi-cytokine delivery to tumor endothelial cells for cancer therapy.