bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A new model for netrin1 in commissural axon guidance
Authors: Morales Daniel 
Published: July 2017

AbstractNow‐classic experiments characterized netrin1 as a major player in commissural axon guidance in the spinal cord. The data suggest a chemotactic model in which netrin1 expression in the floor plate forms a concentration gradient that attracts commissural axons. New research published independently in Neuron and in Nature tests this model by deleting netrin1 specifically in the floor plate. Surprisingly, these conditional mutant mice have no overt commissure defects. The authors report that netrin1 decorates the pial surface of the spinal cord and hindbrain, likely deposited by radial processes of progenitor cells in the ventricular zone. They find that deletion of the cue exclusively in the ventricular zone causes commissural axons to take aberrant trajectories, suggesting a short range, haptotactic guidance mechanism as opposed to chemotaxis. This minireview aims to summarize the classic and the new findings and offer some interpretations of the data.
Assessment of the potential of the multi‐enzyme producer Bacillus amyloliquefaciens US573 as alternative feed additive
Authors: Farhat‐Khemakhem Ameny , Blibech Monia , Boukhris Ines , Makni Mohamed , Chouayekh Hichem 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDRecently, probiotics have increasingly been used as feed additives in poultry diets as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters fostering resistance development.RESULTSThis study was aimed at assessing the potential of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens US573 as a direct‐fed microbial. The US573 strain was found to be free of harmful enzymatic activities and sensitive to antibiotics. In addition, it showed a good acid and bovine bile tolerance, high adhesion efficacy to chicken enterocytes, and an ability to form biofilms, which may favor its survival and persistence in the animal gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, besides the previously described extremely salt‐tolerant and highly thermostable phytase, the US573 strain secretes xylanase, β‐glucanase and amylase activities useful in neutralizing antinutritional factors and maximizing the absorption of nutrients. The secretion of such enzymes may be responsible for the good performance of the US573 isolate in the digestibility of wheat in vitro. Indeed, using the vegetative cells, a yield of wheat dry matter digestibility of approximately 48% was achieved, which is slightly lower than the commercial feed additive Rovabio used as a reference (56.73% digestibility).CONCLUSIONThe obtained results illustrate the potential of US573 strain as a promising direct‐fed microbial candidate for application in the poultry industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
The prognostic utility of baseline alpha‐fetoprotein for hepatocellular carcinoma patients
Authors: Silva Jack P. , Gorman Richard A. , Berger Nicholas G. , Tsai Susan , Christians Kathleen K. , Clarke Callisia N. , Mogal Harveshp , Gamblin T. Clark 
Published: July 2017

IntroductionAlpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) has a valuable role in postoperative surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence. The utility of pretreatment or baseline AFP remains controversial. The present study hypothesized that elevated baseline AFP levels are associated with worse overall survival in HCC patients.MethodsAdult HCC patients were identified using the National Cancer Database (2004‐2013). Patients were stratified according to baseline AFP measurements into the following groups: Negative (<20), Borderline (20‐199), Elevated (200‐1999), and Highly Elevated (>2000). The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), which was analyzed by log‐rank test and graphed using Kaplan‐Meier method. Multivariate regression modeling was used to determine hazard ratios (HR) for OS.ResultsOf 41 107 patients identified, 15 809 (33.6%) were Negative. Median overall survival was highest in the Negative group, followed by Borderline, Elevated, and Highly Elevated (28.7 vs 18.9 vs 8.8 vs 3.2 months; P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, overall survival hazard ratios for the Borderline, Elevated, and Highly Elevated groups were 1.18 (P = 0.267), 1.94 (P < 0.001), and 1.77 (P = 0.007), respectively (reference Negative).ConclusionBaseline AFP independently predicted overall survival in HCC patients regardless of treatment plan. A baseline AFP value is a simple and effective method to assist in expected survival for HCC patients.
Multicenter analysis of transanal tube placement for prevention of anastomotic leak after low anterior resection
Authors: Goto Saori , Hida Koya , Kawada Kenji , Okamura Ryosuke , Hasegawa Suguru , Kyogoku Takahisa , Ota Shuichi , Adachi Yukito , Sakai Yoshiharu 
Published: July 2017

BackgroundAnastomotic leak (AL) is a serious complication of low anterior resection (LAR). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of transanal tube placement for prevention of AL.MethodsThis multicenter retrospective cohort study enrolled 328 consecutive patients who underwent LAR for rectal cancer at participating hospitals from 2009 to 2014. Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for confounding factors.ResultsA transanal tube was placed in 205 patients (TA group) and not placed in 123 patients (non‐TA group). Symptomatic AL occurred in 36 cases (11%), with significantly higher incidence of symptomatic AL in the non‐TA group than in the TA group (15% vs 8.3%, odds ratio [OR] 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01‐4.06). After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate analysis revealed that placement of a transanal tube could decrease the incidence of symptomatic AL (adjusted OR 0.37, 95%CI 0.15‐0.91). There was no significant difference in postoperative morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay, or local recurrence rate between the two groups. Local recurrence rate tended to be higher in patients with symptomatic AL (3/36) than in those without it (10/292).ConclusionsTransanal tube placement is effective for decreasing the incidence of symptomatic AL after LAR.
Improvement and persistent disparities in completion lymph node dissection: Lessons from the National Cancer Database
Authors: Chu Brian S. , Koffi Wima , Hoehn Richard S. , Ertel Audrey , Shah Shimul A. , Ahmad Syed A. , Sussman Jeffrey J. , Neuman Heather B. , Abbott Daniel E. 
Published: July 2017

BackgroundCompletion lymph node dissection (CLND) is recommended for melanoma patients with positive sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNB); however, 50% do not undergo CLND. We sought to determine CLND trends over time, and factors contributing to variability.MethodsThe NCDB was queried for patients undergoing wide local excision (WLE), with or without SLNB and CLND. Cohorts were created based on demographic/socioeconomic variables and era of treatment (Era 1: 2003‐07, Era 2: 2008‐12). Univariate and multivariate analyses identified factors associated with performance of or trends in CLND.Results122 849 underwent WLE with SLNB. Of 24 267 (19.8%) with +SLNB, 13 594 (56.0%) continued to CLND. In multivariate analyses, Medicaid (OR 0.78; P = 0.04) or Medicare (OR 0.79; P < 0.01) in Era 1 and patients without insurance in Era 2 (OR 0.78; P = 0.01) underwent less CLND. In both eras, Blacks (OR 0.45; P < 0.01, OR 0.59; P < 0.01), head/neck lesions (OR 0.72; P < 0.01, OR 0.66; P < 0.01) and lower extremity lesions (OR 0.75; P < 0.01, OR 0.72; P < 0.01) underwent less CLND. However, Blacks experienced greatest increase in CLND usage (+9.2%).ConclusionsCLND usage continues to be low and racial/socioeconomic disparities persist. Until the results of MSLT‐2 become available, continued focus on understanding poor adherence to, and improving rates of CLND is necessary.
Nitrogen excretion by copepods and its effect on ammonia‐oxidizing communities from a coastal upwelling zone
Authors: Valdés Valentina , Fernandez Camila , Molina Veronica , Escribano Rubén 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe role of zooplankton in microbial nitrogen turnover in marine environments is poorly understood. Here, we present results from two experiments designed to determine the excretion rate of ammonium and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) by dominant copepods, Acartia tonsa and Paracalanus cf indicus, fed with two natural sized‐fractioned diets (20–150 μm and < 20 μm), and its possible effects on the transcriptional activity of ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA), a functional marker for ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), as a response to the input of ammonium and DON by copepod excretion, during autumn and winter in central/southern Chile. Our results reveal that DON was the main excretion product, with rates up to 3.7 μmol L−1 h−1. DON production increased in copepods fed with the small‐sized food. Ammonium was also excreted, with rates up to 0.08 μmol L−1 h−1 in autumn and 0.4 μmol L−1 h−1 in winter, and rapidly consumed by the microbial community, decreasing down to 0.07 μmol L−1 between the initial time to 4 h. Ammonium consumption coincided with increased AOB and AOA amoA transcript copies in copepods fed with the larger‐sized food, while a different microbial community, probably heterotrophic, reacted to nitrogen input via excretion by copepods fed with the smaller‐sized food in autumn. AOA‐A was transcriptionally active in winter with nearly zero ammonium concentration, suggesting that AOA outcompete AOB when ammonium becomes limited. We conclude that nitrogen excreted by copepods can be used directly by microbial communities, including nitrifying ones. Zooplankton excretion may thus provide significant remineralized nitrogen for new and regenerated production in the upper ocean.
Autoinducer Sensing Microarrays by Reporter Bacteria Encapsulated in Hybrid Supramolecular‐Polysaccharide Hydrogels
Authors: Li Ping , Dou Xiaoqiu , Müller Mareike , Feng Chuanliang , Chang Matthew Wook , Frettlöh Martin , Schönherr Holger 
Published: July 2017

AbstractA generally applicable strategy to obtain mechanically robust hydrogels for the incorporation and containment of functional reporter bacteria for the microarray and microparticle‐based detection and signaling of N‐acyl homoserine lactone autoinducers (3OC12HSL) at relevant concentrations is reported. For reinforcing hydrogels of 1,4‐bi(phenylalanine‐diglycol)‐benzene (PDB), a hybrid hydrogel is formed by the combination of PDB self‐assembly with Ca2+ mediated alginate crosslinking. The different assembly mechanisms are shown not to interfere with each other and despite the more than four‐fold increased moduli of the hydrogels, diffusion of autoinducers into the gels remains efficient and Escherichia coli pLuxR‐green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter bacteria are proliferating. Templating affords reporter bacteria‐loaded hydrogels with controllable shape and size. Upon exposure to 3OC12HSL, the embedded bacteria exhibit an up to 12 ± 3 times increase in fluorescence intensity due to autoinducer‐triggered GFP expression. This approach can serve as a potentially generally applicable strategy to sensitively detect bacteria via their secreted autoinducers.
Light‐Switchable Supramolecular Self‐Assembly of Soft Colloids
Authors: Wang Ping , Yang Qiaofeng , Ye Zhipeng , Zhao Chuanzhuang , Yang Jingfa 
Published: July 2017

AbstractSelf‐assembly is an efficient strategy of constructing microgel‐based intelligent materials. However, it remains a challenge to realize the reversible self‐assembly of microgels. Herein, a method to guide the self‐assembly of soft colloids with light‐stimuli is proposed, utilizing the light‐responsive host–guest interaction between an azobenzene functionalized nanogel (the guest colloid) and an α‐cyclodextrin functionalized microgel (the host colloid). The two colloids can form a stable colloid cluster when the surface of the host colloid is fully packed with the guest colloids. The colloid cluster can disassemble when irradiated with UV light and reassemble when irradiated with visible light. The reversible colloidal self‐assembly can be controlled by the interplay between the supramolecular and covalent crosslinking, and can also be adjusted by the addition of competitive host molecules. Besides the light‐sensitivity, the colloid cluster inherits the deformability and temperature‐sensitivity from its parent colloids. These features are different from the supramolecular self‐assembly of hard colloids or macroscopic gels, and manifest the as‐prepared colloid cluster potential building blocks of light‐responsive materials.
AirNet: An Edge‐Fabric abstraction model to manage software‐defined networks
Authors: Aouadj Messaoud , Lavinal Emmanuel , Desprats Thierry , Sibilla Michelle 
Published: July 2017

SummarySoftware‐defined networking (SDN) is one of the most significant initiatives to make current networks easier to configure, test, debug, and evolve. Within an SDN ecosystem, the Northbound interface is used by operators to define policies and to program the control plane, it thus represents a major challenge. Ideally, this northbound interface should allow administrators to describe, as simply as possible, network services and their interactions, rather than specifying how and on what physical device they need to be deployed. In this article, we propose a new network control language, called AirNet, which is built on top of an abstraction model whose main feature is to provide a clear separation between edge and core network devices. Thus, logical boundaries between different types of policies will exist (control, data, and transport services), ensuring modularity and reusability of the control program. An implementation of the AirNet language has also been done, which includes in particular a hypervisor that achieves the composition of the control policies on the virtual network and their mapping on the physical infrastructure. Finally, several experiments showing promising results have been conducted on different use cases.
An efficient mixed variational reduced‐order model formulation for nonlinear analyses of elastic shells
Authors: Magisano D. , Liang K. , Garcea G. , Leonetti L. , Ruess M. 
Published: July 2017

SummaryThe Koiter‐Newton method had recently demonstrated a superior performance for nonlinear analyses of structures, compared to traditional path‐following strategies. The method follows a predictor‐corrector scheme to trace the entire equilibrium path. During a predictor step, a reduced‐order model is constructed based on Koiter's asymptotic postbuckling theory that is followed by a Newton iteration in the corrector phase to regain the equilibrium of forces. In this manuscript, we introduce a robust mixed solid‐shell formulation to further enhance the efficiency of stability analyses in various aspects. We show that a Hellinger‐Reissner variational formulation facilitates the reduced‐order model construction omitting an expensive evaluation of the inherent fourth‐order derivatives of the strain energy. We demonstrate that extremely large step sizes with a reasonable out‐of‐balance residual can be obtained with substantial impact on the total number of steps needed to trace the complete equilibrium path. More importantly, the numerical effort of the corrector phase involving a Newton iteration of the full‐order model is drastically reduced thus revealing the true strength of the proposed formulation. We study a number of problems from engineering and compare the results to the conventional approach in order to highlight the gain in numerical efficiency for stability problems.
Molecular breakdown: a comprehensive view of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)‐rearranged non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Noh Ka‐Won , Lee Mi‐Sook , Lee Seung Eun , Song Ji‐Young , Shin Hyun‐Tae , Kim Yu Jin , Oh Doo Yi , Jung Kyungsoo , Sung Minjung , Kim Mingi , An Sungbin , Han Joungho , Shim Young Mog , Zo Jae Ill , Kim Jhingook , Park Woong‐Yang , Lee Se‐Hoon , Choi Yoon‐La 
Published: July 2017

AbstractMost anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)‐rearranged non‐small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) show good clinical response to ALK inhibitors. However, some ALK‐rearranged NSCLC patients show various primary responses with unknown reasons. Previous studies focused on the clinical aspects of ALK fusions in small cohorts, or were conducted in vitro and/or in vivo to investigate the function of ALK. One of the suggested theories describes how echinoderm microtubule‐associated protein‐like 4 (EML4)–ALK variants play a role towards different sensitivities in ALK inhibitors. Until now, there has been no integrated comprehensive study that dissects ALK at the molecular level in a large scale. Here, we report the largest extensive molecular analysis of 158 ALK‐rearranged NSCLCs and have investigated these findings in a cell line construct experiment. We discovered that NSCLCs with EML4–ALK short forms (variant 3/others) had more advanced stage and frequent metastases than cases with the long forms (variant 1/others) (p = 0.057, p < 0.05). In vitro experiments revealed that EML4–ALK short forms show lower sensitivity to ALK inhibitors than do long forms. Clinical analysis also showed a trend for the short forms showing worse PFS. Interestingly, we found that breakpoints of ALK are evenly distributed mainly in intron 19 and almost all of them undergo a non‐homologous end‐joining repair to generate ALK fusions. We also discovered four novel somatic ALK mutations in NSCLC (T1151R, R1192P, A1280V, and L1535Q) that confer primary resistance; all of them showed strong resistance to ALK inhibitors, as G1202R does. Through targeted deep sequencing, we discovered three novel ALK fusion partners (GCC2, LMO7, and PHACTR1), and different ALK fusion partners showed different intracellular localization. With our findings that the EML4–ALK variants, new ALK somatic mutations, and novel ALK‐fusion partners may affect sensitivity to ALK inhibitors, we stress the importance of targeted therapy to take the ALK molecular profiling into consideration. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Alteplase for Acute Ischemic Stroke after Heparin Reversal with Protamine: A Case Report and Review
Authors: Fontaine Gabriel V. , Smith Shawn M. 
Published: July 2017

Few patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are eligible for alteplase, especially those receiving ongoing anticoagulation. We describe the first reported case of a patient receiving full‐dose intravenous (IV) alteplase for AIS after heparin reversal with protamine. A 73‐year‐old man presented with AIS. He was treated with IV heparin, tirofiban, loading‐dose prasugrel, and aspirin before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for placement of a right coronary artery stent. One hour following PCI, he abruptly developed left hemiparesis and dysphagia. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 12, and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) was longer than 150 seconds. Head computed tomography (CT) showed no acute pathology, and CT angiogram showed no large‐vessel occlusion amenable to mechanical thrombectomy. Repeat aPTT, obtained 45 minutes later, was 110 seconds, at which time protamine 40 mg IV was administered. At 144 minutes from last known well time, full‐dose IV alteplase (0.9 mg/kg) was administered. Follow‐up head imaging at 25 hours showed right pontine and cerebellar AIS with no evidence of hemorrhage. The patient was discharged to inpatient rehabilitation 2 days later. Modified Rankin Scale at 3 months was 3, improved from 5 at discharge. Given the lack of adverse events associated with IV alteplase in our patient, we advocate cautious evaluation for potential reversal of acutely administered anticoagulation to facilitate alteplase administration in severely disabled patients who are not eligible for mechanical intervention and would have been excluded from definitive AIS treatment.
High Rate and Long Cycle Life of a CNT/rGO/Si Nanoparticle Composite Anode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Wang Sizhe , Liao Jiaxuan , Wu Mengqiang , Xu Ziqiang , Gong Feng , Chen Cheng , Wang Yuesheng , Yan Xingbin 
Published: July 2017

AbstractSi nanoparticle (Si‐NP) composite anode with high rate and long cycle life is an attractive anode material for lithium‐ion battery (LIB) in hybrid electric vehicle (HEV)/pure electric vehicle (PEV). In this work, a carbon nanotube (CNT)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Si nanoparticle composite with alternated structure as Li‐ion battery anode is prepared. In this structure, rGO completely wraps the entire Si/CNT networks by different layers and CNT networks provide fast electron transport pathways with reduced solid‐state diffusion, so that the stable solid‐electrolyte interphase layer can form on the whole surface of the matrix instead of on single Si nanoparticle, which ensure the high cycle stability to achieve the excellent cycle performance. As a result, the CNT/rGO/Si‐NP anode exhibits high performances with long cycle life (≈455 mAh g−1 at 15 A g−1 after 2000 cycles), high specific charge capacity (≈2250 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1, ≈650 mAh g−1 at 15 A g−1), and fast charge/discharge rates (up to 16 A g−1). This nanostructure anode with facile and low‐cost synthesis method, as well as excellent electrochemical performances, makes it attractive for the long life cycles at high rate of the next generation LIB applications in HEV/PEV.
A Facile Strategy to Synthesize Cobalt‐Based Self‐Supported Material for Electrocatalytic Water Splitting
Authors: Gu Li , Zhu Han , Yu DanNi , Zhang SongGe , Chen Jiawei , Wang Juan , Wan Meng , Zhang Ming , Du MingLiang 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDesigning and developing active, robust, and noble‐metal‐free catalysts with superior stability for electrocatalytic water splitting is of critical importance but remains a grand challenge. Here, a facile strategy is provided to synthesize a series of Co‐based self‐supported electrode materials by combining electrospinning and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technologies. The Co, Co3O4, Co9S8 nanoparticles (NPs) are formed in situ simultaneously with the formation of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) during the CVD process, respectively. The Co‐based NPs are uniformly distributed through the CNFs and they can be directly used as the electrode materials for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acid and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline. The Co9S8/CNFs membrane exhibits the best HER activity with overpotential of 165 mV at j = 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of 83 mV dec−1 and OER activity with overpotential of 230 mV at j = 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of 72 mV dec−1. The onion‐like graphitic layers formed around the NPs not only improve the electrical conductivity of the electrode but also prevent the separation of the NPs from the carbon matrix as well as the aggregation.
Strong UV Emission from Colloidal Eu2+‐Doped BaSO4 Nanoparticles: A Material for Enhancing the Photocatalytic Activity of Carbon Dots
Authors: Hazra Chanchal , Samanta Tuhin , Ganguli Sagar , Mahalingam Venkataramanan 
Published: July 2017

AbstractIn this article, we report a facile microwave‐assisted green synthetic route for the preparation of highly luminescent water dispersible polyacrylic acid‐coated europium (Eu2+)‐doped BaSO4 nanoparticles at low temperature for the first time. Polyacrylic acid coating over nanoparticles renders them water dispersible. Upon ultraviolet (UV) (250 nm) excitation, europium‐doped BaSO4 nanoparticles exhibit a strong and broad UV luminescence near at 368 nm. This emission peak is quite strong and has a relative luminescence quantum yield (QY) of 53 %. The high QY of the UV emission from the nanoparticles is explored for the enhancement of the visible photocatalytic properties of the carbon dots (Cdots). In fact, faster degradation of the Rhodamine B is noted for the mixture containing both Eu2+‐doped BaSO4 nanoparticles and cetyl trimethylamonium bromide capped carbon dots. This is attributed to the strong overlap of the UV emission of Eu2+ with the absorption spectrum of Cdots leading to high energy transfer efficiency (∼64 %). The energy transfer process is supported by the observation of lower dye degradation for the diluted colloidal mixtures where the average distance between Eu2+ in BaSO4 to Cdots nanoparticles is increased.