bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation late in development increases the toxicity of oil to mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) embryos
Authors: Sweet Lauren E. , Magnuson Jason , Garner T. Ross , Alloy Matthew M. , Stieglitz John D. , Benetti Daniel , Grosell Martin , Roberts Aaron P. 
Published: November 2016

Abstract

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 overlapped with the spawning of many pelagic fish species in the Gulf of Mexico, including mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released during the spill have been shown to cause photo-induced toxicity under ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In the present study, mahi-mahi embryos were exposed to high-energy water accommodated fractions of source and naturally weathered oils for up to 48 h. The timing of co-exposure with UV radiation varied between an early development exposure for 8 h or a late development exposure for 8 h. The UV co-exposure had a photo-induced toxic effect on hatching success for all oil types and exposure scenarios. A more sensitive developmental window to photo-induced toxicity was observed when UV exposure occurred late in development. Source Oil B was over 6-fold more toxic, and Massachusetts source oil was 1.6-fold more toxic when the embryos were co-exposed to UV light late in development. Furthermore, weathered oil from the surface co-exposure with UV late in development resulted in bradycardia in the mahi-mahi. The present study provides evidence that the developmental window when UV co-exposure occurs has a significant effect on the degree of photo-induced toxicity of oil and that UV co-exposure may exacerbate long-term cardiac effects in developing fish. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1592–1598. © 2016 SETAC
Mercury exposure may influence fluctuating asymmetry in waterbirds
Authors: Herring Garth , Eagles-Smith Collin A. , Ackerman Joshua T. 
Published: November 2016

Abstract

Variation in avian bilateral symmetry can be an indicator of developmental instability in response to a variety of stressors, including environmental contaminants. The authors used composite measures of fluctuating asymmetry to examine the influence of mercury concentrations in 2 tissues on fluctuating asymmetry within 4 waterbird species. Fluctuating asymmetry increased with mercury concentrations in whole blood and breast feathers of Forster's terns (Sterna forsteri), a species with elevated mercury concentrations. Specifically, fluctuating asymmetry in rectrix feather 1 was the most strongly correlated structural variable of those tested (wing chord, tarsus, primary feather 10, rectrix feather 6) with mercury concentrations in Forster's terns. However, for American avocets (Recurvirostra americana), black-necked stilts (Himantopus mexicanus), and Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia), the authors found no relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and either whole-blood or breast feather mercury concentrations, even though these species had moderate to elevated mercury exposure. The results indicate that mercury contamination may act as an environmental stressor during development and feather growth and contribute to fluctuating asymmetry of some species of highly contaminated waterbirds. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1599–1605. Published 2016 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Relative validation of a short questionnaire to assess the dietary habits of pregnant American Indian women
Authors: Hartman Terryl J. , Elliott Amy J. , Angal Jyoti , Block Torin , Ferranti Erin P. , Mitchell Diane C. , Nickleach Dana C. , Norris Jean C. , Breslow Rosalind A. ,   the PASS Research Network
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe objective of this study was to compare a short dietary screener developed to assess diet quality with interviewer‐administered telephone 24‐hour dietary recalls in a population of pregnant Northern Plains (NP) American Indian women. Participants were recruited from NP clinical sites of the Prenatal Alcohol and SIDS and Stillbirth (PASS) Network, as part of a large, prospective, multidisciplinary study. Prenatal PASS participants who enrolled prior to 24 weeks gestation were eligible to participate. Repeated 24‐hour dietary recalls were collected using the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) software and a short dietary screener was administered intended to capture usual dietary intake during pregnancy. The available recalls were averaged across days for analysis. Items were grouped from the recalls to match the food group data estimates for the screener (e.g., total vegetables, total fruit, total dairy, total and whole grains). Deattenuated Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between the two data sources after correcting for the within‐person variation in the 24‐hour recall data. A total of 164 eligible women completed the screener and at least two 24‐hour dietary recalls and were included in the analyses. Pearson deattenuated correlation coefficients between the diet screener and the dietary recalls for the majority of food groups were 0.40 or higher. This short diet screener to assess usual diet appears to be a valid instrument for use in evaluating diet quality among pregnant American Indian women.
Computational modelling of wear – application to structured surfaces of elastoplastic tools
Authors: Berthelsen Rolf , Wilbuer Hendrik , Holtermann Raphael , Menzel Andreas 
Published: November 2016

AbstractSheet bulk metal forming processes are applied in order to produce tailored workpieces at high quality. Thereby, effort is made to optimise frictional and wear behaviour by designing the structures of the contact surfaces. Numerical process analysis can evoke a deeper under‐standing of the functionality of such surface structures. In this contribution, a finite element framework for the simulation of wear and the determination of effective frictional behaviour of structured surfaces at finite deformations is proposed. The modelling of wear is realised by pre‐ and postprocessing of an underlying representative contact problem at the meso‐scale. Thereby, elasto‐plastic material behaviour is assumed. A number of simulations with different parameterisations of a sinusoidal contact surface are carried out in order to demonstrate the influence of surface topology, which additionally depends on the state of wear, on the effective frictional behaviour. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Practical aspects of gene regulatory inference via conditional inference forests from expression data
Authors: Bessonov Kyrylo , Van Steen Kristel 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTGene regulatory network (GRN) inference is an active area of research that facilitates understanding the complex interplays between biological molecules. We propose a novel framework to create such GRNs, based on Conditional Inference Forests (CIFs) as proposed by Strobl et al. Our framework consists of using ensembles of Conditional Inference Trees (CITs) and selecting an appropriate aggregation scheme for variant selection prior to network construction. We show on synthetic microarray data that taking the original implementation of CIFs with conditional permutation scheme (CIFcond) may lead to improved performance compared to Breiman's implementation of Random Forests (RF). Among all newly introduced CIF‐based methods and five network scenarios obtained from the DREAM4 challenge, CIFcond performed best. Networks derived from well‐tuned CIFs, obtained by simply averaging P‐values over tree ensembles (CIFmean) are particularly attractive, because they combine adequate performance with computational efficiency. Moreover, thresholds for variable selection are based on significance levels for P‐values and, hence, do not need to be tuned. From a practical point of view, our extensive simulations show the potential advantages of CIFmean‐based methods. Although more work is needed to improve on speed, especially when fully exploiting the advantages of CITs in the context of heterogeneous and correlated data, we have shown that CIF methodology can be flexibly inserted in a framework to infer biological interactions. Notably, we confirmed biologically relevant interaction between IL2RA and FOXP1, linked to the IL‐2 signaling pathway and to type 1 diabetes.
Past sexual behaviors and risks of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a case–case comparison
Authors: Schnelle Christoph , Whiteman David C. , Porceddu Sandro V. , Panizza Benedict J. , Antonsson Annika 
Published: November 2016

The incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) is increasing and is believed to reflect changing sexual practices in recent decades. For this case–case comparative study, we collected medical and life‐style information and data on sexual behavior from 478 patients treated at the head and neck clinic of a tertiary hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Patients were grouped as (i) oropharyngeal SCC (n = 96), (ii) oral cavity, larynx and hypopharynx SCC (“other HNSCCs,” n = 96), (iii) other SCCs (n = 141), and (iv) other diagnoses (n = 145). We fitted multivariable logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with lifestyle factors and sexual behaviors. Compared to the other three patient groups, the oropharyngeal SCC patients had overall more sexual lifetime partners (kissing, oral sex and sexual intercourse). Oropharyngeal SCC patients were significantly more likely to have ever given oral sex compared to the other three patient groups—93% of oropharyngeal SCC patients, 64% of other HNSCC patients, and 58% of patients with other SCC or other diagnoses. Oropharyngeal SCC patients were significantly more likely to have given oral sex to four or more partners when compared to patients with other HNSCC (odds ratio [OR] 11.9; 95% CI 3.5–40.1), other SCC (OR 16.6; 95% CI 5.3–52.0) or patients with other diagnoses (OR 25.2; 95% CI 7.8–81.7). The very strong associations reported here between oral sex practices and risks of oropharyngeal SCC support the hypothesis that sexually transmitted HPV infections cause some of these cancers.
First‐principles Study of Perovskite Ultrathin Films: Stability and Confinement Effects
Authors: Arrigoni Marco , Kotomin Eugene A. , Maier Joachim 
Published: November 2016

AbstractIn this first‐principles study we investigate the atomic, electronic, and vibrational structure of BaZrO3(001) ultrathin films and surfaces, using a hybrid functional and a local Gaussian‐like basis set. The low‐index nonpolar (001) surface is known to be the most stable. We considered both possible kinds of nonpolar terminations (BaO and ZrO2) for the (001) surface. The systems were studied using a slab model. Ultrathin films were modeled using slabs with the number of atomic planes ranging from three to seven, whereas surfaces were modeled with much thicker slabs composed of 15 atomic planes. In order to estimate the Gibbs free energy at finite temperatures, lattice vibrational frequencies were also calculated. We found that phonons noticeably affect the relative thermodynamic stability of the two termination layers: while at room temperature the BaO termination has the lowest energy, at intermediate temperatures (500 K) both terminations can coexist, and at higher temperatures (900 K) the ZrO2‐terminated surface becomes the most stable. We considered the effect of two‐dimensional confinement on the structural, electronic, and vibrational properties of these ultrathin films. We found these confinement effects to be short ranged, with the properties of three‐plane films to be the only ones that noticeably differ from the bulk material. Finally, we briefly consider confinement effects in such ultrathin films containing neutral and fully charged oxygen vacancies (charge states 0 and +2). We show, in particular, how lattice vibrations affect the Gibbs formation energy of a neutral oxygen vacancy making it completely independent of the film thickness at high temperatures (1000 K), due to cancellation of enthalpy and entropy contributions.
Structural Biology of Calcitonin: From Aqueous Therapeutic Properties to Amyloid Aggregation
Authors: Kamgar‐Parsi Kian , Tolchard James , Habenstein Birgit , Loquet Antoine , Naito Akira , Ramamoorthy Ayyalusamy 
Published: November 2016

AbstractUnder appropriate conditions, peptides and proteins can assemble from their native state into prefibrillar oligomers and then mature into fibrillar aggregates. This transition forms the molecular basis of several pathologies, often related to the deposition of these amyloid fibrils. Several hormone peptides involved in fundamental biological processes have the tendency to self‐assemble into amyloid fibrils, resulting in a loss of their native functions, and more importantly, entailing devastating consequences, such as the formation of amyloid depositions. Calcitonin is a 32 amino‐acid hormone peptide that can be considered a molecular paradigm for the central events associated with hormone misfolding. Calcitonin in its native form is involved in various physiological functions, including mediating calcium homeostasis and maintaining bone structure. It is the latter function that has motivated the use of calcitonin as an aqueous therapeutic agent for the treatment of bone‐related pathologies such as osteoporosis and Paget's disease. Despite some success as a therapeutic, calcitonin's ability to control these diseases is limited by its aggregation along the canonical amyloid aggregation pathway, compromising its long‐term stability as a therapeutic agent. A better understanding of the misfolding process would not only provide the structural basis to improve calcitonin's long‐term stability and activity as a therapeutic, but also provide valuable insights into pathological aggregation of other amyloids. In this work, we review the physiological roles of calcitonin, its structure, and aggregation process, and consider the effects of calcitonin's structure on its role as a therapeutic.
Increase of Intracellular Cyclic AMP by PDE4 Inhibitors Affects HepG2 Cell Cycle Progression and Survival
Authors: Massimi Mara , Cardarelli Silvia , Galli Francesca , Giardi Maria Federica , Ragusa Federica , Panera Nadia , Cinque Benedetta , Cifone Maria Grazia , Biagioni Stefano , Giorgi Mauro 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTType 4 cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDE4) are major members of a superfamily of enzymes (PDE) involved in modulation of intracellular signaling mediated by cAMP. Broadly expressed in most human tissues and present in large amounts in the liver, PDEs have in the last decade been key therapeutic targets for several inflammatory diseases. Recently, a significant body of work has underscored their involvement in different kinds of cancer, but with no attention paid to liver cancer. The present study investigated the effects of two PDE4 inhibitors, rolipram and DC‐TA‐46, on the growth of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Treatment with these inhibitors caused a marked increase of intracellular cAMP level and a dose‐ and time‐dependent effect on cell growth. The concentrations of inhibitors that halved cell proliferation to about 50% were used for cell cycle experiments. Rolipram (10 μM) and DC‐TA‐46 (0.5 μM) produced a decrease of cyclin expression, in particular of cyclin A, as well as an increase in p21, p27 and p53, as evaluated by Western blot analysis. Changes in the intracellular localization of cyclin D1 were also observed after treatments. In addition, both inhibitors caused apoptosis, as demonstrated by an Annexin‐V cytofluorimetric assay and analysis of caspase‐3/7 activity. Results demonstrated that treatment with PDE4 inhibitors affected HepG2 cell cycle and survival, suggesting that they might be useful as potential adjuvant, chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agents in hepatocellular carcinoma. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1401–1411, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Extraction of phenolics from broom branches using green technologies
Authors: González Noelia , Otero Andrea , Conde Enma , Falqué Elena , Moure Andrés , Domínguez Herminia 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe effective exploitation of plants as a biorenewable resource has very important significance for sustainable development. Broom (Cytisus scoparius) has been used and associated with healthy benefits in the Iberian Peninsula for a long time. With this in mind, different technologies, alone or in combination, have been proposed to obtain valuable compounds from broom branches.RESULTSComposition showed a seasonal variation. Periods that lead to higher content of extractives were selected to design a combined autohydrolysis and supercritical CO2 extraction process for the production of antioxidants. The autohydrolysis process leads to higher yields than conventional solvent extraction and SC–CO2 extraction produced a raffinate with radical scavenging capacity comparable with ethanolic extracts. The major bioactive compounds identified in extracts were flavonoids, phenolic acids and phenolic aldehydes.CONCLUSIONSAn extraction process resulting from a combination of solvent extraction and autohydrolysis increased the extraction yields and the recovery of extracts containing bioactive compounds suitable for use in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. The knowledge gained from this study should be helpful to further exploit and apply this resource. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Alkalis in iron‐based Fischer–Tropsch synthesis catalysts: distribution, migration and promotion
Authors: Li Jifan , Cheng Xiaofan , Zhang Chenghua , Wang Jue , Dong Wensheng , Yang Yong , Li Yongwang 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBACKGROUNDAlkali metals are considered important chemical promoters used in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) iron‐based catalysts. The purpose of this study is to distinguish the relative effects of alkali metals on iron based FTS catalysts.RESULTSIt is found that Li and Na promoters can easily diffuse into/out the bulk of catalysts while K, Rb and Cs mostly concentrate on the catalyst surface. Alkalis also inhibited H2 adsorption, improved CO adsorption and dissociation, and suppressed the hydrogenation of carbon species on the surfaces of iron or iron carbides. Li and Na decreased the FTS activity while K, Rb and Cs largely increased the FTS activity of iron catalysts. The selectivities to methane and alkane were decreased while those to olefin and heavier hydrocarbons were increased by alkalis. Among these alkalis, potassium showed an optimal promotional effect on FTS performances.CONCLUSIONThe distributions of alkalis in catalysts were quite different owing to their atomic radii. The majority of Li and Na promoters diffused into the bulk of catalysts while K, Rb and Cs mostly concentrated on the catalyst surface. The selectivity of methane exhibits a parabola‐like trend with increasing atomic number of alkalis and reaches a minimum at KFeSi catalyst. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Structural and ultrastructural features of the Malpighian tubules of Dolycoris baccarum (Linnaeus 1758), (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)
Authors: Özyurt Nurcan , Amutkan Damla , Polat Irmak , Kocamaz Tenay , Candan Selami , Suludere Zekiye 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe morphology and ultrastructure of the Malpighian tubules of Dolycoris baccarum were analyzed by scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy in order to determine their functional organization. The Malpighian tubules are compared with similar structures of other insects based on cell structure and functional organization. The Malpighian tubules of D. baccarum extend from the midgut–hindgut region of the digestive tract. The Malpighian tubules are divided into two regions: the proximal segment is short and flattened and the distal segment is long, stringy in shape and free in hemolymph. The tubules are generally long and narrow. There is a large number of trachea around the tubules. They consist of a single layer of epithelial cells. It is observed in the TEM observation that the epithelial cells have numerous microvilli at the apical side of the cells. At the basal side of the cells, there is a great number of membrane foldings and mitochondria among them. Besides some spherites, mitochondria, lysosome‐like bodies, and large or small granules can be distinguished in the cells. With this study, we aimed to demonstrate the ultrastructure of the Malpighian tubules of D. baccarum and differences or similarities with other species.
Reconstructing with trace information: Does rapid identification information lead to better crime reconstructions?
Authors: de Gruijter Madeleine , de Poot Christianne , Elffers Henk 
Published: November 2016

AbstractCurrently, promising new tools are under development that will enable crime scene investigators to analyze fingerprints or DNA‐traces at the crime scene. While these technologies could help to find a perpetrator early in the investigation, they may also strengthen confirmation bias when an incorrect scenario directs the investigation this early. In this study, 40 experienced Crime scene investigators (CSIs) investigated a mock crime scene to study the influence of rapid identification technologies on the investigation. This initial study shows that receiving identification information during the investigation results in more accurate scenarios. CSIs in general are not as much reconstructing the event that took place, but rather have a “who done it routine.” Their focus is on finding perpetrator traces with the risk of missing important information at the start of the investigation. Furthermore, identification information was mostly integrated in their final scenarios when the results of the analysis matched their expectations. CSIs have the tendency to look for confirmation, but the technology has no influence on this tendency. CSIs should be made aware of the risks of this strategy as important offender information could be missed or innocent people could be wrongfully accused.
Production, quality control, and determination of human absorbed dose of no carrier added 177Lu‐risedronate for bone pain palliation therapy
Authors: Salek Nafise , Mehrabi Mohsen , Shirvani Arani Simindokht , Bahrami Samani Ali , Erfani Mostafa , Vosoghi Sara , Ghannadi Maragheh Mohammad , Shamsaei Mojtaba 
Published: November 2016

In this study, the radiocomplexation of risedronic acid, a potent bisphosphonate with a no carrier added (NCA) 177Lu, was investigated and followed by quality control studies, biodistribution evaluation, and dosimetry study for human based on biodistribution data in Wistar rats. The moderate energy β− emitter, 177Lu (T½ = 6.7 days, Eβmax = 497 keV), has been considered as a potential agent for development of bone‐seeking radiopharmaceuticals. Because the specific activity of the radiolabeled carrier molecules should be high, the NCA radionuclides have an effective role in nuclear medicine. Many researchers illustrated an NCA 177Lu production; among these separation techniques, extraction chromatography has been considered more capable than other methods. The NCA 177Lu was produced with specific activity of 48 Ci/mg and radionuclidic purity of 99.99% by the irradiation of enriched 176Yb target in thermal neutron flux of 4 × 1013 n·cm−2·s−1 for 14 days. The NCA 177Lu was mixed to a desired amount of sodium risedronate (15 mg/mL, 200 μL) and incubated with stirring at 95°C for 30 minutes. The radiochemical purity of 177Lu‐risedronate was determined by radio thin‐layer chromatography, and high radiochemical purities (>97%) were obtained under optimized reaction conditions. The complex was injected to Wistar rats, and complex biodistribution was performed 4 hours to 7 days postinjections showing high bone uptake (9.8% ± 0.24% ID/g at 48 hours postinjection). Also, modeling the radiation dose delivery by RADAR software for the absorbed dose evaluation of each human organ showed a major accumulation of the radiocomplex in bone tissue.