bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Treatment of wastewater from syngas wet scrubbing: Model‐based comparison of phenol biodegradation basin configurations
Authors: Akhlas Junaid , Bertucco Alberto , Ruggeri Fabio , Collodi Guido 
Published: March 2017

AbstractA treatment process for the biological removal of phenol from wastewater generated from the wet scrubbing of syngas is discussed with the objective of reducing Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) for the process. In phenol biodegradation, a major challenge is posed by the inhibitory effect of high inlet phenol concentrations on the functioning of degrading microorganisms, leading to excessively high HRT values. This study provides a theoretical insight on the effect of reactor configuration and operation mode on the residence time for high strength phenolic wastewaters. Two pre‐treated wastewater streams mainly contaminated with phenol, with different flow rates and phenol concentrations, have been considered for evaluation in this work. Various configurations to remove phenol have been studied and compared. The kinetics in the reactors have been estimated using the Haldane‐Andrews equation for a variety of microorganisms. The configurations which require minimum residence time for a given extent of phenol biodegradation are those employing two reactors in series with a certain reflux stream. Gulosibacter sp. YZ4 is found to be the most effective microorganism in removing phenol within the minimum retention period.
Multiscale mapping of species diversity under changed land use using imaging spectroscopy
Authors: Paz‐Kagan Tarin , Caras Tamir , Herrmann Ittai , Shachak Moshe , Karnieli Arnon 
Published: March 2017

AbstractLand use changes are one of the most important factors causing environmental transformations and species diversity alterations. The aim of the current study was to develop a geoinformatics‐based framework to quantify alpha and beta diversity indices in two sites in Israel with different land uses, i.e., an agricultural system of fruit orchards, an afforestation system of planted groves, and an unmanaged system of groves. The framework comprises four scaling steps: (1) classification of a tree species distribution (SD) map using imaging spectroscopy (IS) at a pixel size of 1 m; (2) estimation of local species richness by calculating the alpha diversity index for 30‐m grid cells; (3) calculation of beta diversity for different land use categories and sub‐categories at different sizes; and (4) calculation of the beta diversity difference between the two sites. The SD was classified based on a hyperspectral image with 448 bands within the 380–2500 nm spectral range and a spatial resolution of 1 m. Twenty‐three tree species were classified with high overall accuracy values of 82.57% and 86.93% for the two sites. Significantly high values of the alpha index characterize the unmanaged land use, and the lowest values were calculated for the agricultural land use. In addition, high values of alpha indices were found at the borders between the polygons related to the “edge‐effect” phenomenon, whereas low alpha indices were found in areas with high invasion species rates. The beta index value, calculated for 58 polygons, was significantly lower in the agricultural land use. The suggested framework of this study succeeded in quantifying land use effects on tree species distribution, evenness, and richness. IS and spatial statistics techniques offer an opportunity to study woody plant species variation with a multiscale approach that is useful for managing land use, especially under increasing environmental changes.
Toxicological effects of fungicide mixtures on the amphipod Austrochiltonia subtenuis
Authors: Vu Hung T. , Keough Michael J. , Long Sara M. , Pettigrove Vincent J. 
Published: March 2017

Abstract

Approaches to assess the toxicity of mixtures often use predictive models with acute mortality as an endpoint at relatively high concentrations. However, these approaches do not reflect realistic situations where organisms could be exposed to chemical mixtures over long periods at low concentrations at which no significant mortalities occur. The present study investigated chronic effects of 2 common fungicides, Filan® (active ingredient [a.i]) boscalid) and Systhane™ (a.i. myclobutanil), on the amphipod Austrochiltonia subtenuis at environmentally relevant concentrations under laboratory conditions. Sexually mature amphipods were exposed singly and in combination to Filan (1, 10, and 40 μg a.i./L) and Systhane (3 μg a.i./L) over 28 d. Survival, growth, a wide range of reproduction endpoints, and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity were measured at the end of the experiment. Both fungicides had significant independent effects on male growth, sex ratio, and juvenile size. Filan mainly affected female growth and the number of embryos per gravid female, whereas Systhane mainly affected the time for females to become gravid. The combined effects of these fungicides on numbers of gravid females and juveniles were antagonistic, causing a 61% reduction in the number of gravid females and a 77% reduction in the number of juveniles produced at the highest concentrations (40 μg a.i./L of boscalid and 3 μg a.i./L of myclobutanil) compared with the controls. There were no significant effects on survival or GST activity. The present study demonstrated that the effects of mixtures were endpoint dependent and that using a variety of endpoints should be considered for a comprehensive understanding of mixture effects. Also, chronic studies are more informative than acute studies for environmentally relevant fungicide concentrations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2651–2659. © 2017 SETAC
Market environment and Medicaid acceptance: What influences the access gap?
Authors: Bond Amelia , Pajerowski William , Polsky Daniel , Richards Michael R. 
Published: March 2017

SummaryThe U.S. health care system is undergoing significant changes. Two prominent shifts include millions added to Medicaid and greater integration and consolidation among firms. We empirically assess if these two industry trends may have implications for each other. Using experimentally derived (“secret shopper”) data on primary care physicians' real‐world behavior, we observe their willingness to accept new privately insured and Medicaid patients across 10 states. We combine this measure of patient acceptance with detailed information on physician and commercial insurer market structure and show that insurer and provider concentration are each positively associated with relative improvements in appointment availability for Medicaid patients. The former is consistent with a smaller price discrepancy between commercial and Medicaid patients and suggests a beneficial spillover from greater insurer market power. The findings for physician concentration do not align with a simple price bargaining explanation but do appear driven by physician firms that are not vertically integrated with a health system. These same firms also tend to rely more on nonphysician clinical staff.
Polyester fibers can be rendered calcium phosphate‐binding by surface functionalization with bisphosphonate groups
Authors: Polini Alessandro , Petre Daniela Geta , Iafisco Michele , de Lacerda Schickert Sonia , Tampieri Anna , van den Beucken Jeroen , Leeuwenburgh Sander C.G. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractFibers are often used as structural elements to improve the mechanical properties of materials such as brittle ceramic matrices by facilitating the dissipation of energy. However, this energy dissipation is mainly controlled by the interface between the two components, and a poorly designed fiber–matrix interface strongly reduces the efficacy of fiber reinforcement. Here, we present a versatile approach to control the affinity of biocompatible fibers to calcium‐containing matrices to maximize the efficacy of reinforcement of calcium phosphates‐based bioceramics by means of polymeric fibers. To this end, polyester fibers of tunable length were produced by electrospinning and aminolysis, followed by covalent attachment of alendronate, a bisphosphonate molecule with strong calcium‐binding affinity, to the surface of the fibers. The proposed method allowed for selective control over the amount of alendronate conjugation, thereby improving the affinity of polyester fibers toward calcium phosphate bioceramics. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2335–2342, 2017.
The Generation and Validation of a 20‐Genes Model Influencing the Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Xie Xiao‐Jun , Liu Ping , Cai Chu‐Dong , Zhuang Ying‐Ru , Zhang Li , Zhuang Hai‐Wen 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTColorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor with high incidence affecting the digestive system. This study aimed to identify the key genes relating to prognosis of colorectal cancer and to construct a prognostic model for its risk evaluation. Gene expression profiling of colorectal cancer patients, GSE17537, was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO). A total of 55 samples from patients ranging from stages 1 to 4 were available. Differentially expressed genes were screened, with which single factor survival analysis was performed to identify the response genes. Interacting network and KEGG enrichment analysis of responsive genes were performed to identify key genes. In return, Fisher enrichment analysis, literature mining, and Kaplan–Meier analysis were used to verify the effectiveness of the prognostic model. The 20‐gene model generated in this study posed significant influences on the prognoses (P = 9.691065e‐09). Significance was verified via independent dataset GSE38832 (P = 9.86581e‐07) and GSE17536 (P = 2.741e‐08). The verified effective 20‐gene model could be utilized to predict prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer and would contribute to post‐operational treatment and follow‐up strategies. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3675–3685, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Assessment of frozen section margin analysis during olfactory neuroblastoma surgery
Authors: Ishii Masaru , Bishop Justin A. , Gallia Gary L. 
Published: March 2017

Objectives1) assess the performance of the intraoperative frozen section procedure to correctly classify biopsies obtained during olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) surgery; 2) define the relationship between posttest probabilities and pretest probabilities from frozen section analysis; and 3) review incorrectly classified specimens.Study DesignStudy of diagnostic accuracy.MethodsWe searched our institution's pathology database for patients who had ONB surgery between January 1, 2000 and November 16, 2012. We only included patients who had a definitive diagnosis of ONB prior to surgery and frozen sections obtained during surgery. All frozen sections in this study had corresponding permanent sections available to serve as a gold standard. This database was analyzed to obtain classification statistics. The confidence intervals for classification performance were obtained using the bootstrap sampling method. Confidence intervals for posttest probability curves were derived using the Taylor series expansion. Finally, we obtained and reviewed the slides from ambiguous or incorrect reads.ResultsA total of 459 specimens from 33 patients were analyzed. We found the following performance characteristics: sensitivity: 0.89 (0.81, 0.94); specificity: 0.96 (0.94, 0.98); accuracy: 0.95 (0.92, 0.96); likelihood ratio positive: 24.4 (14.5, 44.1); prevalence: 0.20 (0.17, 0.25); positive predictive value: 0.86 (0.78, 0.92); and negative predictive value: 0.97 (0.95, 0.99). Histopathologic review revealed that crush artifacts and inadequate specimen size were major sources of incorrect reads.ConclusionWe found frozen section assessment of ONB specimens to be an excellent tool for the assessment of intraoperative margins.Level of EvidenceNA. Laryngoscope, 127:1735–1741, 2017
Defected ground structure based wideband microstrip low‐pass filter for wireless communication
Authors: Vala Alpesh , Patel Amit , Goswami Riddhi , Mahant Keyur 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTThis article represents microstrip low‐pass filter using defected ground structure (DGS) for the wireless communication application. DGS is used as the basic building block for the realisation of a low‐pass filter. A low‐Pass filter with a −3 dB cutoff frequency of 3.5 GHz has been designed and simulated using high frequency structure simulator. Tuning of frequency is carried out by changing the dimension of DGS. An equivalent LC circuit of proposed structure is derived and simulated it with advanced design system software. Proposed low‐pass filter has been fabricated and provides better performance with compact size; it can be used in wireless communication application such as PCS‐1900, UMTS, Bluetooth, WLAN, Wi‐max, IMS, and RFID etc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:993–996, 2017
Compact UWB mimo antenna with band‐notched characteristic
Authors: Malekpour Narges , Amin Honarvar M. , Dadgarpur Abdolmehdi , Virdee Bal S. , Denidni Tayeb A. 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTA compact UWB–MIMO antenna with WLAN band notched characteristic is presented. UWB coverage is achieved with two closely spaced planar–monopole elements on the top side of the dielectric substrate with a truncated ground‐plane etched on the bottom side. Isolation between the antennas is achieved by creating a current path to decouple energy between the radiation elements using a T‐shaped ground stub. Notched frequency band between 5.15 and 5.85 GHz is achieved with a parasitic rectangular strip on the bottom side, which is connected to the radiating patch through a via hole. This approach yields a highly compact antenna design having dimensions of 22 × 29 × 0.8 mm3. Simulated and measured results confirm the antenna has an impedance bandwidth of 7.6 GHz from 3.0 to 10.6 GHz making it suitable for UWB MIMO systems. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:1037–1041, 2017
Parameter estimation using weighted total least squares in the two‐compartment exchange model
Authors: Garpebring Anders , Löfstedt Tommy 
Published: March 2017

PurposeThe linear least squares (LLS) estimator provides a fast approach to parameter estimation in the linearized two‐compartment exchange model. However, the LLS method may introduce a bias through correlated noise in the system matrix of the model. The purpose of this work is to present a new estimator for the linearized two‐compartment exchange model that takes this noise into account.MethodTo account for the noise in the system matrix, we developed an estimator based on the weighted total least squares (WTLS) method. Using simulations, the proposed WTLS estimator was compared, in terms of accuracy and precision, to an LLS estimator and a nonlinear least squares (NLLS) estimator.ResultsThe WTLS method improved the accuracy compared to the LLS method to levels comparable to the NLLS method. This improvement was at the expense of increased computational time; however, the WTLS was still faster than the NLLS method. At high signal‐to‐noise ratio all methods provided similar precisions while inconclusive results were observed at low signal‐to‐noise ratio.ConclusionThe proposed method provides improvements in accuracy compared to the LLS method, however, at an increased computational cost. Magn Reson Med 79:561–567, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Utilising a Suite of Isotopic and Elemental Tracers to Constrain Cryoturbation Rates and Patterns in a Non‐sorted Circle
Authors: Jelinski Nicolas A. , Yoo Kyungsoo , Klaminder Jonatan 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe empirical quantification of rates of material movement in cryoturbated soils has lagged behind the physical and chemical characterisation of these materials. We applied a novel suite of elemental (C, Hg), stable isotope (13C) and radioisotope (137Cs, 210Pb, 14C, 10Be) tracers in conjunction with analytical and numerical models to constrain the rates and patterns of soil movement due to cryoturbation in a non‐sorted circle (NSC) near Abisko, Sweden. We present the first observations of the variability of 10Be across a patterned‐ground feature, which facilitate the interpretation of subsurface peaks in soil organic carbon, Hg and 13C and provide constraints on the surficial histories of cryoturbated materials. Apparent rates of surficial lateral movement across the NSC estimated from 137Cs and 210Pb (0–2.55 cm year−1) decreased with distance from its centre and were an order of magnitude greater than rates of subduction and subsurface movement estimated from 14C (0.04–0.27 cm year−1). Novel estimates of the original surficial residence times of cryoturbated parcels based on excess 10Be and Hg inventories ranged from 238 to 3940 years. Our results demonstrate the utility of the spatially explicit application of elemental and radioisotopic tracer suites to constrain cryoturbation rates in Arctic patterned ground. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On contribution of known atomic partial charges of protein backbone in electrostatic potential density maps
Authors: Wang Jimin 
Published: March 2017

AbstractPartial charges of atoms in a molecule and electrostatic potential (ESP) density for that molecule are known to bear a strong correlation. In order to generate a set of point‐field force field parameters for molecular dynamics, Kollman and coworkers have extracted atomic partial charges for each of all 20 amino acids using restrained partial charge‐fitting procedures from theoretical ESP density obtained from condensed‐state quantum mechanics. The magnitude of atomic partial charges for neutral peptide backbone they have obtained is similar to that of partial atomic charges for ionized carboxylate side chain atoms. In this study, the effect of these known atomic partial charges on ESP is examined using computer simulations and compared with the experimental ESP density recently obtained for proteins using electron microscopy. It is found that the observed ESP density maps are most consistent with the simulations that include atomic partial charges of protein backbone. Therefore, atomic partial charges are integral part of atomic properties in protein molecules and should be included in model refinement.
The Formation of Char, Gaseous and Liquid Products during Lignin Carbonization in Super‐ and Subcritical Solvents
Authors: Luo Jia , Yang Yating , Yang Xingxia , Han Bo , Bao Guirong , Li Jing 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe carbonization of lignin was performed using different solvents including ethanol, water and 50 vol% ethanol/water mixture under super‐ and subcritical conditions at 260 °C. The chars from lignin carbonization in supercritical ethanol provided low O/C ratio (0.09‐0.14) and considerable content of surface oxygen‐containing group (0.18‐0.32 mmol g−1). Supercritical ethanol substantially participated in lignin carbonization, while the activity of ethanol was also influenced by the chemical structure of lignin. High carbon recovery of 103.8 % for chars was obtained from dealkaline lignin with guaiacyl characteristics, accompained with the production of H2 and high valuable C6‐C10 esters.
Efficient Charge Separation of In‐Situ Nb‐Doped TiO2 Nanowires for Photoelectrochemical Water–splitting
Authors: Tian Zhangliu , Cui Houlei , Xu Jijian , Zhu Guilian , Shao Feng , He Jianqiao , Huang Fuqiang 
Published: March 2017

AbstractOne‐dimensional TiO2 nanowire is the top‐performing semiconductor among photoanodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting, but still limited to a fraction of the theoretically photocurrent because of modest charge transport and low charge separation properties. Here, we demonstrate high‐crystallized nanowires of Nb‐doped rutile TiO2 for significantly increasing electron carrier density through a convenient method. The optimized Nb‐doped TiO2 nanowires (0.5 mol% in the Nb/Ti ratio) yield a high value of charge separation efficiency (ηsep) of 97.39% at 1.23 VRHE, which is about 3 times as much as that of pristine sample (33.61% at 1.23 VRHE). Moreover, the photoanode of Nb‐doped TiO2 nanowires can achieve high charge transfer efficiency (ηtrans) (91.07% at 1.23 VRHE) without any oxygen evolution reaction catalysts. These results indicate that through appropriate amount of Nb doping can move the performance of TiO2 nanowires to their theoretical potential.
Positive and negative behavioral analysis in social networks
Authors: Squicciarini Anna , Rajtmajer Sarah , Griffin Christopher 
Published: March 2017

Use of online social networks has grown dramatically since the first Web 2.0 technologies were deployed in the early 2000s. Our ability to capture user data, in particular behavioral data has grown in concert with increased use of these social systems. In this study, we survey methods for modeling and analyzing online user behavior. We focus on negative behaviors (social spamming and cyberbullying) and mitigation techniques for these behaviors. We also provide information on the interplay between privacy and deception in social networks and conclude by looking at trending and cascading models in social media. WIREs Data Mining Knowl Discov 2017, 7:e1203. doi: 10.1002/widm.1203This article is categorized under:

Commercial, Legal, and Ethical Issues > Social Considerations
Effect of Different Wall Roughness on the Frictional Behavior of Rock Joints
Authors: Roy Debanjan Guha , Tripathy Ashutosh , Singh T. N. 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT
Rock discontinuities play a crucial and critical role on the deformational and failure behavior of the rock mass. In most investigations, both the surfaces of the rock joints are considered to have same roughness. But, in nature, the walls of a fresh joint is only expected to be complimentary and to have same roughness. Weathered and water percolating rock joint is most likely to develop different surface roughness on the two opposite walls. So, the shear strength and frictional response behavior derived from the single joint roughness coefficient (JRC) assumption cannot be used in such a condition. To address this shortcoming, we have prepared sandstone blocks with different surface roughness and conducted experiments in a tribometer. The static friction, shear stiffness and coefficient-of-friction of the joint surfaces were calculated and their changes with increasing normal load were noted. One of the major findings of this paper is that, shear strength of the joints may not have a direct correlation with the increasing JRC value of the individual joint walls. Hence, some of the joint walls having higher cumulative JRCs were found to show lower shear strength than those with lowers roughness. This is because, the opposing walls of such joints are not anymore complementary and the frictional resistance is completely controlled by the height and contact area of the asperites.
First Report of a Dipterocarpaceous Fossil Wood from Manipur
Authors: Rajkumar H. S. , Srivastava G. , Mehrotra R. C. , Keithellakpam D. S. , Soibam I. , Khaidem K. S. 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT
A fossil wood resembling Shorea and other allied genera of the Dipterocarpaceae is described from the Tipam Group of Manipur. This is for the first time any angiosperm wood is recorded from this state. The fossil collected from Jiribam district is considered as late Miocene in age. Its occurrence indicates warm and humid climate in the region during the deposition of the sediments.