bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The mismatch between current statistical practice and doctoral training in ecology
Authors: Touchon Justin C. , McCoy Michael W. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractEcologists are studying increasingly complex and important issues such as climate change and ecosystem services. These topics often involve large data sets and the application of complicated quantitative models. We evaluated changes in statistics used by ecologists by searching nearly 20,000 published articles in ecology from 1990 to 2013. We found that there has been a rise in sophisticated and computationally intensive statistical techniques such as mixed effects models and Bayesian statistics and a decline in reliance on approaches such as ANOVA or t tests. Similarly, ecologists have shifted away from software such as SAS and SPSS to the open source program R. We also searched the published curricula and syllabi of 154 doctoral programs in the United States and found that despite obvious changes in the statistical practices of ecologists, more than one‐third of doctoral programs showed no record of required or optional statistics classes. Approximately one‐quarter of programs did require a statistics course, but most of those did not cover contemporary statistical philosophy or advanced techniques. Only one‐third of doctoral programs surveyed even listed an optional course that teaches some aspect of contemporary statistics. We call for graduate programs to lead the charge in improving training of future ecologists with skills needed to address and understand the ecological challenges facing humanity.
Seismic analysis of a curved bridge considering deck‐abutment pounding interaction: an analytical investigation on the post‐impact response
Authors: Banerjee Arnab , Chanda Avishek , Das Raj 
Published: August 2016

SummaryHorizontal curved bridges are very common at intersections and at the changing angle of bridge alignment. Almost in every previous earthquake report, it can be seen that the columns of a curved segment experience torsional damage, and the curved decks are unseated from the abutment support. The main reason behind that phenomenon is the in‐plane deck rotation which results because of the complex dynamic coupling between two longitudinal directional vibrations. The curved decks are susceptible to deck rotation because in a curved segment, the centre of mass and the centre of stiffness generally lie outside the bridge deck and are not located at the same point. The pounding with the abutment often increases the rotational tendency of the deck. In this paper, a classical mechanics‐based approach is adopted to analytically estimate the deck rotation potential of curved bridge considering the deck‐abutment pounding interaction. The deck‐abutment pounding is modelled using non‐smooth techniques considering the Newton's impact law in the normal and Coulomb's friction in the tangential direction. Within the scope of this paper, a parametric study is performed to get the ideal combination of the column and bent arrangement and the gap distance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A modified Galerkin/finite element method for the numerical solution of the Serre‐Green‐Naghdi system
Authors: Mitsotakis D. , Synolakis C. , McGuinness M. 
Published: August 2016

SummaryA new modified Galerkin/finite element method is proposed for the numerical solution of the fully nonlinear shallow water wave equations. The new numerical method allows the use of low‐order Lagrange finite element spaces, despite the fact that the system contains third order spatial partial derivatives for the depth averaged velocity of the fluid. After studying the efficacy and the conservation properties of the new numerical method, we proceed with the validation of the new numerical model and boundary conditions by comparing the numerical solutions with laboratory experiments and with available theoretical asymptotic results. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A W‐test collapsing method for rare‐variant association testing in exome sequencing data
Authors: Sun Rui , Weng Haoyi , Hu Inchi , Guo Junfeng , Wu William K. K. , Zee Benny Chung‐Ying , Wang Maggie Haitian 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACTAdvancement in sequencing technology enables the study of association between complex disorder phenotypes and single‐nucleotide polymorphisms with rare mutations. However, the rare genetic variant has extremely small variance and impairs testing power of traditional statistical methods. We introduce a W‐test collapsing method to evaluate rare‐variant association by measuring the distributional differences between cases and controls through combined log of odds ratio within a genomic region. The method is model‐free and inherits chi‐squared distribution with degrees of freedom estimated from bootstrapped samples of the data, and allows for fast and accurate P‐value calculation without the need of permutations. The proposed method is compared with the Weighted‐Sum Statistic and Sequence Kernel Association Test on simulation datasets, and showed good performances and significantly faster computing speed. In the application of real next‐generation sequencing dataset of hypertensive disorder, it identified genes of interesting biological functions associated to metabolism disorder and inflammation, including the MACROD1, NLRP7, AGK, PAK6, and APBB1. The proposed method offers an efficient and effective way for testing rare genetic variants in whole exome sequencing datasets.
Winter Turf Growing Season Elongation Characteristics of a Thermosyphon Unit that Uses a Shallow Geothermal Source
Authors: Zhou Feng , Ma Guoyuan , Zhang Xiaolin 
Published: August 2016

AbstractLow temperature stress is an important factor for turf growth in the northern high‐latitude environment. A thermosyphon temperature controlling unit with a shallow geothermal source was proposed by analyzing present techniques to prolong the turf growing season in winter. Thermosyphon unit prototypes were developed and tested in a water park. The relations between ambient temperature, depth, material, structure, underground temperature, and root temperature were studied experimentally. The thermosyphon unit performance was analyzed. Results indicate that underground and root temperatures remain almost constant with an hourly ambient temperature. The root temperature remains steady due to the thermosyphon unit application. The underground temperature increases with the depth increase, and the increment is at most 1 °C. The root temperature of a copper thermosyphon unit is higher than that of a steel thermosyphon unit, and the temperature difference can reach 2 °C. The root temperature of a type I thermosyphon unit is higher than that of a type II, and the temperature increase is less than 1 °C. The root temperature variation due to the thermosyphon material is smaller with the increase in depth.
Plasmin Prevents Dystrophic Calcification After Muscle Injury
Authors: Mignemi Nicholas A , Yuasa Masato , Baker Courtney E , Moore Stephanie N , Ihejirika Rivka C , Oelsner William K , Wallace Christopher S , Yoshii Toshitaka , Okawa Atsushi , Revenko Alexey S , MacLeod A Robert , Bhattacharjee Gourab , Barnett Joey V , Schwartz Herbert S , Degen Jay L , Flick Matthew J , Cates Justin M , Schoenecker Jonathan G 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACT

Extensive or persistent calcium phosphate deposition within soft tissues after severe traumatic injury or major orthopedic surgery can result in pain and loss of joint function. The pathophysiology of soft tissue calcification, including dystrophic calcification and heterotopic ossification (HO), is poorly understood; consequently, current treatments are suboptimal. Here, we show that plasmin protease activity prevents dystrophic calcification within injured skeletal muscle independent of its canonical fibrinolytic function. After muscle injury, dystrophic calcifications either can be resorbed during the process of tissue healing, persist, or become organized into mature bone (HO). Without sufficient plasmin activity, dystrophic calcifications persist after muscle injury and are sufficient to induce HO. Downregulating the primary inhibitor of plasmin (α2-antiplasmin) or treating with pyrophosphate analogues prevents dystrophic calcification and subsequent HO in vivo. Because plasmin also supports bone homeostasis and fracture repair, increasing plasmin activity represents the first pharmacologic strategy to prevent soft tissue calcification without adversely affecting systemic bone physiology or concurrent muscle and bone regeneration. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Meropenem in Nonobese, Obese, and Morbidly Obese Patients
Authors: Chung Eun Kyoung , Cheatham S. Christian , Fleming Megan R. , Healy Daniel P. , Kays Michael B. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe study objective was to evaluate meropenem population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in nonobese, obese, and morbidly obese patients. Forty adult patients—11 nonobese (body mass index [BMI] < 30 kg/m2), 9 obese (30 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 40 kg/m2), and 20 morbidly obese (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)—received meropenem 500 mg every 6 hours (q6h), q8h, or q12h or 1 g q6h or q8h, infused over 0.5 hour. Population pharmacokinetic modeling was performed using NONMEM, and 5000‐patient Monte‐Carlo simulations were performed to calculate probability of target attainment (PTA) for 5 dosing regimens, infused over 0.5 and 3 hours, using fT>MIC of 40%, 54%, and 100% of the dosing interval. A 2‐compartment linear‐elimination model best described the serum concentration‐time data, and creatinine clearance was significantly associated with systemic clearance. Pharmacokinetic parameters were not significantly different among patient groups. In patients with creatinine clearances ≥50 mL/min, all simulated dosing regimens achieved >90% PTA at 40% fT>MIC in all patient groups at MICs ≤2 mg/L. Only 500 mg q8h, infused over 0.5 hour, did not achieve >90% PTA at 54% fT>MIC in nonobese and morbidly obese patients. At 100% fT>MIC, 1 g q6h and 2 g q8h, infused over 3 hours, reliably achieved >90% PTA in all patient groups. Meropenem pharmacokinetics are comparable among nonobese, obese, and morbidly obese patients. Standard dosing regimens provide adequate pharmacodynamic exposures for susceptible pathogens at 40% and 54% fT>MIC, but prolonged infusions of larger doses are needed for adequate exposures at 100% fT>MIC. Dosage adjustments based solely on body weight are unnecessary.
Simultaneous bisphenol F degradation, heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification by a bacterial consortium
Authors: Lu Hong , Weng Zihang , Wei Hao , Zhou Jiti , Wang Jing , Liu Guangfei , Guo Wanqian 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBACKGROUNDTraditional aerobic autotrophic nitrification and anoxic heterotrophic denitrification have many limitations. Recently, the simultaneous heterotrophic nitrification–aerobic denitrification (HN‐AD) process has received increasing attention. Thus, the possibility of the simultaneous removal of bisphenols and NH4+‐N via HN‐AD was investigated.RESULTSA bisphenols‐degrading bacterial consortium was enriched and capable of degrading 50 mg L−1 bisphenol A, 300 mg L−1 4,4‐dihydroxybenzophenone, 375 mg L−1 bisphenol F (BPF) and 10 mg L−1 bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)sulfide under aerobic conditions. Further studies showed that the bacterial consortium could completely degrade 300 mg L−1 BPF and remove NH4+‐N at 35 °C with 150 rpm at the C/N ratio of over 10. Moreover, BPF mineralization and NH4+‐N reduction to N2 were observed. Clone library analysis indicated that Salmonella enterica, Enterobacter,Citrobacter and Pseudomonas could cooperate to degrade BPF and reduce NH4+‐N to N2. Among these species, the isolated Pseudomonas sp. HS‐2 was capable of simultaneous BPF degradation and NH4+‐N removal via HN‐AD.CONCLUSIONThe experimental results demonstrated that the enriched bacterial consortium and the isolated strain HS‐2 could simultaneously remove BPF and NH4+‐N via HN‐AD, indicating that this is a potential way for the treatment of wastewaters containing these compounds. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Electrochemical mechanism of tin membrane electro‐deposition in chloride solutions
Authors: Lei Jie , Yang Jian‐guang 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBACKGROUNDA new membrane electro‐deposition based process for tin recovery from stannous solid waste was introduced. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CHR) was applied to investigate the electrodeposition of tin(II) from a stannous chloride acid electrolyte containing an amine non‐ionic surfactant by using a membrane cell.RESULTSElectrochemical mechanism analysis results showed that 0.3% vol. amine non‐ionic surfactant facilitated ions diffusion by increasing the diffusion coefficient from 8.32E‐12 m2 s−1 to 2.85E‐11 m2 s−1, and inhibited tin(II) ions reduction as well as tin nucleation and hydrogen evolution. The applied ionic membrane did not hinder tin electrodeposition, while tin(II) ions reduction and hydrogen evolution was weakened with increasing HCl concentration from 1.5 to 4.5 mol L−1 and Sn2+ concentration increased from 20 to 80 g L−1.CONCLUSIONSThe tin(II) reduction process is proved to be irreversible and diffusion‐controlled, while the nucleation and growth of tin was involved in the process of diffusion for the proton reduction occuring in parallel with tin electrodeposition, and the process follows the mechanism of three‐dimensional instantaneous nucleation and subsequent grain growth limited by diffusion. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
In vivo magnetic resonance elastography to estimate left ventricular stiffness in a myocardial infarction induced porcine model
Authors: Mazumder Ria , Schroeder Samuel , Mo Xiaokui , Litsky Alan S. , Clymer Bradley D. , White Richard D , Kolipaka Arunark 
Published: August 2016

PurposeTo estimate change in left ventricular (LV) end‐systolic and end‐diastolic myocardial stiffness (MS) in pigs induced with myocardial infarction (MI) with disease progression using cardiac magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and to compare it against ex vivo mechanical testing, LV circumferential strain, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relaxometry parameters (T1, T2, and extracellular volume fraction [ECV]).Materials and MethodsMRI (1.5T) was performed on seven pigs, before surgery (Bx), and 10 (D10), and 21 (D21) days after creating MI. Cardiac MRE‐derived MS was measured in infarcted region (MIR) and remote region (RR), and validated against mechanical testing‐derived MS obtained postsacrifice on D21. Circumferential strain and MRI relaxometry parameters (T2, T1, and ECV) were also obtained. Multiparametric analysis was performed to determine correlation between cardiac MRE‐derived MS and 1) strain, 2) relaxometry parameters, and 3) mechanical testing.ResultsMean diastolic (D10: 5.09 ± 0.6 kPa; D21: 5.45 ± 0.7 kPa) and systolic (D10: 5.72 ± 0.8 kPa; D21: 6.34 ± 1.0 kPa) MS in MIR were significantly higher (P < 0.01) compared to mean diastolic (D10: 3.97 ± 0.4 kPa; D21: 4.12 ± 0.2 kPa) and systolic (D10: 5.08 ± 0.6 kPa; and D21: 5.16 ± 0.6 kPa) MS in RR. The increase in cardiac MRE‐derived MS at D21 (MIR) was consistent and correlated strongly with mechanical testing‐derived MS (r(diastolic) = 0.86; r(systolic) = 0.89). Diastolic MS in MIR demonstrated a negative correlation with strain (r = 0.58). Additionally, cardiac MRE‐derived MS demonstrated good correlations with post‐contrast T1 (r(diastolic) = –0.549; r(systolic) = –0.741) and ECV (r(diastolic) = 0.548; r(systolic) = 0.703), and no correlation with T2.ConclusionAs MI progressed, cardiac MRE‐derived MS increased in MIR compared to RR, which significantly correlated with mechanical testing‐derived MS, T1 and ECV.Level of Evidence: 1J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:1024–1033
Prognostic value of biventricular mechanical parameters assessed using cardiac magnetic resonance feature‐tracking analysis to predict future cardiac events
Authors: Yang Li Tan , Yamashita Eiji , Nagata Yasufumi , Kado Yuichiro , Oshima Shigeru , Otsuji Yutaka , Takeuchi Masaaki 
Published: August 2016

PurposeTo study and compare the prognostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking (MR‐FT) of biventricular strain parameters with a conventional method.Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively enrolled 364 patients undergoing clinically indicated cardiac MR examinations (1.5 or 3T scanner). Standard steady‐state free precession (SSFP) images were used for analysis. Left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) ejection fraction (EF) were measured using conventional disk‐area summation methods. Biventricular strain parameters were measured using MR‐FT. All patients were followed to record major adverse cardiac events (MACEs).ResultsThe correlations between LV volumes and LVEF using both methods were excellent (r = 0.87–0.98). RV strain parameters were modestly correlated with RVEF (r = 0.44–0.63). During a median follow‐up of 15 months, 36 patients developed MACEs. All MR‐FT‐derived parameters except for RV global longitudinal strain were significantly associated with future MACEs (P < 0.05) in univariate analysis. In stepwise Cox proportional hazard models, RV global radial strain (RVGRS) provided incremental prognostic value in models adjusted for age, gender, conventional LVEF (hazard ratio 0.93; P = 0.029) or RVEF (hazard ratio 0.93; P = 0.038). LV global transverse strain (LVGTS) also offered additional value over age, gender, conventional LVEF (hazard ratio 0.94; P = 0.041), or RVEF (hazard ratio 0.94; P = 0.004). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed significant survival differences in subgroups stratified by the median value of LVGTS, RVGRS, and LVEF using MR‐FT (all log‐rank P < 0.05).ConclusionDeformation analysis of both ventricles using MR‐FT provided significant prognostic power similar to parameters obtained using conventional methods. MR‐FT is a promising alternative both for ventricular chamber quantification and for providing information of future cardiac events.Level of Evidence: 3J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:1034–1045
Rapid Phase Separation in Aqueous Solution of Temperature‐Sensitive Poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide)
Authors: Matsumoto Mitsuhiro , Wakabayashi Ryo , Tada Takanori , Asoh Taka‐Aki , Shoji Tatsuya , Kitamura Noboru , Tsuboi Yasuyuki 
Published: August 2016

The dynamic phase separation behavior in aqueous solutions of poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide) (PDEA), which is a representative thermoresponsive polymer, is studied using a laser temperature‐jump technique combined with transient photometry, with which the time constant for phase separation can be determined. Two components of the time constant (τfast and τslow) are clearly observed irrespective of the polymer concentration or molecular weight of the PDEA. Such a fast phase separation component (τfast) has never been observed in poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) systems. Furthermore, the slow phase separation process of PDEA is faster than that in a PNIPAM system. It is shown that the fast phase separation process for PDEA originates from polymer aggregates formed even below the cloud point. The phase separation mechanism of PDEA is similar to that of poly (alkyl vinyl ether), rather than PNIPAM.
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Ethylene Polymerization over Metallocene Catalysts Supported on Highly Fibrous Silica Nanoparticles
Authors: Lee Sangyool , Choi Kyu Yong 
Published: August 2016

The polymerization of ethylene over a metallocene catalyst supported on amorphous fibrous silica nanoparticles of 250–300 nm in diameter has been investigated. The fibrous silica nanoparticles with large surface area and open pore entrances offer minimal diffusion resistances for the catalyst immobilization onto the silica surface. These fibrous silica particles are synthesized using reverse micelles as a template to grow silica emanating outward as protrusions or platelets from a small silica core. The fibrous silica platelets are free of internal pores and the metallocene catalyst components are anchored onto the external surface of each silica platelet. With the progress of polymerization, partial fragmentation of silica platelets occurs but the main body of the fibrous silica nanoparticles remains intact and they grow into polymer particles of 3–5 μm. Since all the active sites are present on the external surface of the silica platelets, the catalyst activity has been found to be much higher than the conventional microporous silica particles‐supported catalyst with comparable surface area.image
On sequential approximate simultaneous analysis and design in classical topology optimization
Authors: Munro Dirk , Groenwold Albert A. 
Published: August 2016

SummaryWe study the simultaneous analysis and design (SAND) formulation of the ‘classical’ topology optimization problem subject to linear constraints on material density variables. Based on a dual method in theory, and a primal‐dual method in practice, we propose a separable and strictly convex quadratic Lagrange–Newton subproblem for use in sequential approximate optimization of the SAND‐formulated classical topology design problem.The SAND problem is characterized by a large number of nonlinear equality constraints (the equations of equilibrium) that are linearized in the approximate convex subproblems. The availability of cheap second‐order information is exploited in a Lagrange–Newton sequential quadratic programming‐like framework. In the spirit of efficient structural optimization methods, the quadratic terms are restricted to the diagonal of the Hessian matrix; the subproblems have minimal storage requirements, are easy to solve, and positive definiteness of the diagonal Hessian matrix is trivially enforced.Theoretical considerations reveal that the dual statement of the proposed subproblem for SAND minimum compliance design agrees with the ever‐popular optimality criterion method – which is a nested analysis and design formulation. This relates, in turn, to the known equivalence between rudimentary dual sequential approximate optimization algorithms based on reciprocal (and exponential) intervening variables and the optimality criterion method. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.