bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Circulating Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Bone Mineral Density: Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Larsson Susanna C , Melhus Håkan , Michaëlsson Karl 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT

There is considerable discussion of the importance for increased serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (S-25OHD) concentration associated with adequacy for bone health. Accordingly, whether long-term high S-25OHD concentration in general positively affects bone mineral density (BMD) is uncertain. We used a Mendelian randomization design to determine the association between genetically increased S-25OHD concentrations and BMD. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in or near genes encoding enzymes and carrier proteins involved in vitamin D synthesis or metabolism were used as instrumental variables to genetically predict 1 standard deviation increase in S-25OHD concentration. Summary statistics data for the associations of the S-25OHD-associated SNPs with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-derived femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD were obtained from the Genetic Factors for Osteoporosis (GEFOS) Consortium (32,965 individuals) and ultrasound-derived heel estimated BMD from the UK Biobank (142,487 individuals). None of the SNPs were associated with BMD at Bonferroni-corrected significance level, but there was a suggestive association between rs6013897 near CYP24A1 and femoral neck BMD (p = 0.01). In Mendelian randomization analysis, genetically predicted 1 standard deviation increment of S-25OHD was not associated with higher femoral neck BMD (SD change in BMD 0.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] –0.03 to 0.07; p = 0.37), lumbar spine BMD (SD change in BMD 0.02; 95% CI –0.04 to 0.08; p = 0.49), or estimated BMD (g/cm2 change in BMD –0.03; 95% CI –0.05 to –0.01; p = 0.02). This study does not support a causal association between long-term elevated S-25OHD concentrations and higher BMD in generally healthy populations. These results suggest that more emphasis should be placed on the development of evidence-based cut-off points for vitamin D inadequacy rather than a general recommendation to increase S-25OHD. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Inhibition of glycolytic metabolism in glioblastoma cells by Pt3glc combinated with PI3K inhibitor via SIRT3‐mediated mitochondrial and PI3K/Akt–MAPK pathway
Authors: Wang Gang , Fu Xing‐Li , Wang Jun‐Jie , Guan Rui , Sun Yan , Tony To Shing‐shun 
Published: January 2018

AbstractGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant and aggressive glioma with abnormal expression of genes that mediate glycolytic metabolism and tumor cell growth. Petunidin‐3‐O‐glucoside (Pt3glc) is a kind of anthocyanin in the red grape and derived beverages, representing the most common naturally occurring anthocyanins with a reduced incidence of cancer and heart diseases. In this study, whether Pt3glc could effectively regulate glycolysis to inhibit GBM cell was investigated by using the DBTRG‐05MG cell lines. Notably, Pt3glc displayed potent antiproliferative activity and significantly changed the protein levels related to both glycolytic metabolism and GBM cell survival. The expression of the proapoptotic protein Bcl‐2‐associated X protein was increased with concomitant reduction on the levels of the antiapoptotic protein B‐cell lymphoma 2 and caspase‐3 activity. Furthermore, the levels of survival signaling proteins, such as protein kinase B (Akt) and phospho‐Akt (Scr473), extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) and phospho‐ERK, were significantly decreased by Pt3glc in combination with the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K) inhibitor of LY294002. Most importantly, the levels of Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) and phosphorylated p53 were also downregulated, indicating that Pt3glc combinated with PI3K inhibitor could induce GBM cell death may act via the SIRT3/p53‐mediated mitochondrial and PI3K/Akt‐ERK pathways. Our findings thus provide rational evidence that the combination of Pt3glc with PI3K inhibitor, which target alternative pathways in GBM cells, may be a useful adjuvant therapy in glioblastoma treatment.
Effect of sex steroid hormone fluctuations in the pathophysiology of male‐retinal pigment epithelial cells
Authors: Astarita Carlo , D'Angelo‐Maansson Barbara , Massaro‐Giordano Mina , Alba Maria P. , Boffo Silvia , Macchi Ilaria , Giordano Antonio , Macaluso Marcella 
Published: January 2018

Gender‐based differences may influence the occurrence of several ocular conditions suggesting the possibility that fluctuations in sex steroid homeostasis may have direct effects on the eye physiology. Here, we evaluated the effect of sex steroid hormone fluctuations in male retinal pigment epithelial cells, RPEs (ARPE‐19). To mimic hormonal fluctuations occurring during aging, we exposed ARPE‐19 to acute, prolonged or chronic estradiol, and progesterone challenges. We found that chronic estradiol treatment promotes a remarkable necrosis of RPE cells, and does not affect pRb2/p130 or PAI‐2 sub‐cellular localization. In contrast, chronic progesterone exposure induces nuclear subcellular rearrangement of pRb2/p130, co‐immunolocalization of pRb2/p130 with PAI‐2, and accumulation of cells in G2/M phase, which is accompanied by a remarkable reduction of necrosis in favour of apoptosis activation.This study has a high clinical significance since it considers sex steroid fluctuations as inducers of milieu change in the retina able to influence pathological situations occurring with aging in non‐reproductive systems such as the eye. Exogenous administration of physiologically significant amounts of sex hormones for long periods of time is a common clinical practice for transgender patients seeking sex reassignment. In particular, our study offers the unique opportunity to unravel the effects of sex hormones, not only in determining gender differences but also in affecting the physiology of non‐reproductive systems, such as the eye, in the underserved transgender community.
The creation of a postcolonial subject: The Chicago and Ateneo de Manila schools and the Peace Corps in the Philippines, 1960–1970
Authors: Wirth Christa 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIn the 1950s and 1960s scholars from the University of Chicago and the Ateneo de Manila created social scientific knowledge that helped establish the Peace Corps as a Cold War institution in the Philippines. Central were the social scientists at the University of Chicago and the Ateneo de Manila University who established a knowable postcolonial subject: “the Filipino,” which resulted from their research on Philippine values. In this context, the Ateneo/Chicago social scientists developed the “SIR,” the “smooth interpersonal relation” model that entails the notion that Filipinos and Filipinas particularly valued this nonconfrontational skill set among people. The SIR model was taught by social science experts to early Peace Corps volunteers as they prepared for their assignments in the Philippines. The article shows how the SIR model could cause distress and confusion as it was applied by Peace Corps volunteers in the Philippines.
Risk Preferences and Farmers' Livelihood Strategies: A Case Study from Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Alemayehu Molla , Beuving Joost , Ruben Ruerd 
Published: January 2018

AbstractLow‐return livelihood strategies are crucial drivers of food insecurity that may cause irreversible long‐term damage to livelihoods. Experiments and survey results were used to examine the relative importance of risk preference and socio‐economic characteristics for households' decision to engage in specific livelihood strategies in rural Ethiopia. Agricultural intensification and diversification are prevailing strategies, and farming households who participate in non‐farm activities are better off than others. Education, information access, household income and cooperative membership correlate significantly with high participation rates in non‐farm activities and on‐farm diversification. Risk preference is an especially important barrier to households' participation in these strategies. Therefore, policy interventions that help to expand farmers' asset base and reduce entry barriers to these strategies are required to improve smallholders' welfare. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The enabling role of institutional entrepreneurs in the adoption of IPSAS within a transitional economy: The case of Estonia
Authors: Argento Daniela , Peda Peeter , Grossi Giuseppe 
Published: January 2018

SummaryIn the light of neoinstitutional theory and by adopting case study research methodology, this article explains the adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards for modernizing public sector accounting in Estonia. This article reveals that the smooth—yet gradual—adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards‐compliant accounting systems was enabled by the involvement of powerful actors (i.e., institutional entrepreneurs) with foreign and/or business backgrounds. In addition, the change in public sector accounting in Estonia was facilitated by the developments in its international positioning, characterized by the transition from a Soviet communist to a market economy and subsequent European Union membership and by the absence of past accounting practices, which could potentially hinder the change.
Clinical experience of laboratory follow‐up with noninvasive prenatal testing using cell‐free DNA and positive microdeletion results in 349 cases
Authors: Schwartz S. , Kohan M. , Pasion R. , Papenhausen P. R. , Platt L. D. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractObjectiveScreening via noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) involving the analysis of cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) from plasma has become readily available to screen for chromosomal and DNA aberrations through maternal blood. This report reviews a laboratory's experience with follow‐up of positive NIPT screens for microdeletions.MethodsPatients that were screened positive by NIPT for a microdeletion involving 1p, 4p, 5p, 15q, or 22q who underwent diagnostic studies by either chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis were evaluated.ResultsThe overall positive predictive value for 349 patients was 9.2%. When a microdeletion was confirmed, 39.3% of the cases had additional abnormal microarray findings. Unrelated abnormal microarray findings were detected in 11.8% of the patients in whom the screen positive microdeletion was not confirmed. Stretches of homozygosity in the microdeletion were frequently associated with a false positive cfDNA microdeletion result.ConclusionsOverall, this report reveals that while cfDNA analysis will screen for microdeletions, the positive predictive value is low; in our series it is 9.2%. Therefore, the patient should be counseled accordingly. Confirmatory diagnostic microarray studies are imperative because of the high percentage of false positives and the frequent additional abnormalities not delineated by cfDNA analysis.
Transcriptomic insight into pathogenicity‐associated factors ofConidiobolus obscurus, an obligate aphid‐pathogenic fungus belonging to Entomopthoromycota
Authors: Wang Jianghong , Zhou Xiang , Guo Kai , Zhang Xinqi , Lin Haiping , Montalva Cristian 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDConidiobolus obscurusis a widespread fungal entomopathogen with aphid biocontrol potential. This study focused on ade novotranscriptomic analysis ofC. obscurus.RESULTSA number of pathogenicity‐associated factors were annotated for the first time from the assembled 17 231 fungal unigenes, including those encoding subtilisin‐like proteolytic enzymes (Pr1s), trypsin‐like proteases, metalloproteases, carboxypeptidases and endochitinases. Many of these genes were transcriptionally up‐regulated by at least twofold in mycotized cadavers compared with thein vitrofungal cultures. The resultant transcriptomic database was validated by the transcript levels of three selected pathogenicity‐related genes quantified from differentin vivoandin vitromaterial in real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The involvement of multiple Pr1 proteases in the first stage of fungal infection was also suggested. Interestingly, a unique cytolytic (Cyt)‐like δ‐endotoxin gene was highly expressed in both mycotized cadavers and fungal cultures, and was more or less distinct from its homologues in bacteria and other fungi.CONCLUSIONOur findings provide the first global insight into various pathogenicity‐related genes in this obligate aphid pathogen and may help to develop novel biocontrol strategy against aphid pests. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Mass trapping designs for organic control of the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
Authors: Piñero Jaime C , Dudenhoeffer Austen P 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn some regions of North America, damage caused by the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, has been increasing as beetle populations continue to become established and expand. This poses a pest management challenge for crop farmers, in particular organic producers. From 2014 to 2016 we evaluated the ability of novel mass trapping systems to capture P. japonica in elderberry and blueberry orchards in Missouri, USA.RESULTSAcross a 3‐year period in two locations, the mass trapping systems collected 10.3 million P. japonica adults while season‐long adult densities on crop plants were comparatively low (elderberry: 0.5–3.7 per plant; blueberry: 0.01–0.07 per plant). Damage by P. japonica averaged 6.8% per plant in elderberry and 0.12% in blueberry. In 2015 and 2016, large‐capacity bins with increased ventilation captured similar beetle numbers as did 1.2‐m‐long mesh socks (single design used in 2014), and these two trap designs outperformed non‐ventilated bins.CONCLUSIONThe mass trapping designs captured high numbers of adult P. japonica, while comparatively few adults and little damage to the foliage were recorded on plants. Mass trapping may provide effective alternative management options for P. japonica with less or no insecticides applied to the crop. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Fenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl resistance conferred by cytochrome P450s and target site mutation in Alopecurus japonicus
Authors: Chen Guoqi , Xu Hongle , Zhang Teng , Bai Congqiang , Dong Liyao 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDAlopecurus japonicus is a serious grass weed species in wheat fields in eastern Asia, and has evolved strong resistance to acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACCase)‐inhibiting herbicides. Although target‐site resistance (TSR) to ACCase inhibitors in A. japonicus has been reported, non‐target site resistance (NTSR) has not. This study investigated both TSR and NTSR in a fenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl‐resistant A. japonicus population (AHFD‐3), which was collected in Feidong County, Anhui Province, China.RESULTSWe found that AHFD‐3 exhibited high resistance to fenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl and low resistance to flucarbazone‐sodium. The sensitivity of AHFD‐3 to fenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl increased significantly after treatment with cytochrome P450 (P450) inhibitors; however, such synergies between P450 inhibitors and fenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl were not found in two control populations. Sequences of the entire carboxyltransferase domain of A. japonicus ACCase were obtained, and AHFD‐3 plants showed an Asp‐2078‐Gly substitution in the ACCase. With the derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) method, we found that 85.4% of the plants of AHFD‐3 carried this mutation. The P450 content in AHFD‐3 plants was significantly higher than those of the two control populations after treatment with fenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl. Ten partial sequences of P450 genes in A. japonicus were cloned. Three P450 genes were up‐regulated 12 h after fenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl treatment, which were all from the P450 subfamily CYP72A. Moreover, a P450 gene from the P450 family CYP81 was up‐regulated after fenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl treatment in all populations studied.CONCLUSIONFenoxaprop‐P‐ethyl resistance in AHFD‐3 plants was conferred by up‐regulation of cytochrome P450s in the CYP72A subfamily and target site mutation of the ACCase gene. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Steady‐state ARL analysis of ARL‐unbiased EWMA‐RZ control chart monitoring the ratio of two normal variables
Authors: Tran Kim Phuc , Knoth Sven 
Published: January 2018

AbstractVery recently, control charts for monitoring the ratio of 2 normal variables have been investigated in statistical process control. In the two‐sided case, however, these control charts tend to be average run length (ARL) biased, in the sense that some out‐of‐control ARL values are larger than the in‐control ARL. This paper proposes an ARL‐unbiased EWMA control chart for monitoring of this kind of ratio with each subgroup consisting of n⩾1 sample units. Also, to study the long‐term properties of ARL‐unbiased EWMA‐RZ control chart, we investigate the steady‐state ARL. Several tables and figures are given to show the statistical properties of the proposed control charts. The comparison results show that the proposed ARL‐unbiased chart outperforms other two‐sided control charts in terms of the zero‐state and steady‐state ARL. An example illustrates the use of this chart on a real quality control problem from the food industry.
Mitigation of Fluoride from Brackish Water via Electrodialysis: An Environmentally Friendly Process
Authors: Sharma Prem P. , Yadav Vikrant , Maru Pravin D. , Makwana Babulal S. , Sharma Saroj , Kulshrestha Vaibhav 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPresent study reports the removal of fluoride from brackish water by electrodialysis (ED) process using indigenous ion exchange membranes. Defluoridation study was performed using in‐house made laboratory scale ED unit of effective area 200 cm2 using synthetic as well as real field sample. The effect of experimental conditions such as applied potential, brackishness in feed samples and fluoride concentration have been investigated during ED process. Experiments were performed with 2050 mg/L of salt concentration with 5, 10, 20 mg/L of fluoride in brackish water. Performance evolution study in terms of power consumption and current efficiency has also been studied to evaluate the suitability of the process for the defluoridation of brackish water. The experimental results revealed that the defluoridation performance increased as we increased potential. 2.0 volt/cell pair applied potential found to be optimum for defluoridation of brackish water in term of power consumption (1.2 kWh /kg) and current efficiency (87.0%) during electrodialysis. Study shows that ED system found to be suitable for defluoridation of brackish water.
Temperature Dependence of Uranium and Vanadium Adsorption on Amidoxime‐Based Adsorbents in Natural Seawater
Authors: Kuo Li‐Jung , Gill Gary A. , Tsouris Costas , Rao Linfeng , Pan Horng‐Bin , Wai Chien M. , Janke Christopher J. , Strivens Jonathan E. , Wood Jordana R. , Schlafer Nicholas , D'Alessandro Evan K. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractRecent advances in the development of amidoxime‐based adsorbents have made it highly promising for seawater uranium extraction. However, there is a great need to understand the influence of temperature on the uranium sequestration performance of the adsorbents in natural seawater. Here the apparent enthalpy and entropy of the sorption of uranium (VI) and vanadium (V) with amidoxime‐based adsorbents were determined in natural seawater tests at 8, 20, and 31 °C that cover a broad range of ambient seawater temperature. The sorption of U was highly endothermic, producing apparent enthalpies of 57 ± 6.0 and 59 ± 11 kJ mol−1 and apparent entropies of 314 ± 21 and 320 ± 36 J K−1 mol−1, respectively, for two adsorbent formulations. In contrast, the sorption of V showed a much smaller temperature sensitivity, producing apparent enthalpies of 6.1 ± 5.9 and −11 ± 5.7 kJ mol−1 and apparent entropies of 164 ± 20 and 103 ± 19 J K−1 mol−1, respectively. This new thermodynamic information suggests that amidoxime‐based adsorbents will deliver significantly increased U adsorption capacities and improved selectivity in warmer waters. A separate field study of seawater uranium adsorption conducted in a warm seawater site (Miami, FL, USA) confirm the observed strong temperature effect on seawater uranium mining. This strong temperature dependence demonstrates that the warmer the seawater where the amidoxime‐based adsorbents are deployed the greater the yield for seawater uranium extraction.
Clay‐Based Solid Acid Catalyst for the Alkylation of p‐Cresol with tert‐Butyl Alcohol
Authors: Muraleedharan Lakshmy , Bellundagere  , Chandrashekara M. , Bangalore  , Prakash S. Jai , Yajnavalkya  , Bhat S. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDealuminated montmorillonite, prepared by p‐toluenesulphonic acid (pTSA) treatment, was found to be an efficient catalyst in the liquid phase alkylation of p‐cresol (PC) with tert‐butyl alcohol (TBA) in the synthesis of 2‐tert‐butyl p‐cresol (2‐TBC). Comparative studies revealed that catalytic activity of montmorillonite clay sample treated with 0.5 M pTSA (D3‐MMT) was superior to aluminium exchanged montmorillonite (Ex‐MMT) and zeolites (beta and HZSM‐5) during alkylation reaction under microwave irradiation. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG‐DTG) showed that the deactivation of zeolites was mainly due to coke formation. Correlation studies were made for D3‐MMT catalyst between volume accessibility factor (VAF) and PC conversion. These studies suggested that mesopores and types of acidities (Brønsted, Lewis and combination of both) generated after pTSA treatment were found to play role supplementing each other in enhancing the PC conversion. The regenerated catalyst recovered from the reaction mixture under microwave heating retained its catalytic activity after three cycles under optimized conditions.
Chemically Sustainable and Green One‐Pot Multicomponent Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Polycyclic N‐Fused‐Pyrrolidine Heterocycles
Authors: Yan Li‐Jun , Wang Jun‐Liang , Xu Dan , Burgess Kevin S. , Zhu Ai‐Fei , Rao Yan‐Ying , Chen Xue‐Bing , Wang Yong‐Chao 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAn eco‐friendly, highly‐eﬃcient, atom‐economical three‐component cascade reaction of acenaphthenequinone (8), β‐nitroolefins (9) and α‐amino acid (10) in MeOH/H2O is developed for the synthesis of novel functionalized polycyclic N‐fused‐pyrrolidine derivatives (11). All products are obtained by filtration in the absence of column chromatography and recrystallization. Due to its operational simplicity, this green and chemically sustainable reaction can be easily applied toward the design and synthesis of target molecules for the discovery of novel biologically active compounds.
Fabrication of Direct Z‐scheme α‐Fe2O3/FeVO4 Nanobelts with Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance
Authors: Wang Qinyu , Liu Zhendong , Lu Qifang , Guo Enyan , Wei Mingzhi 
Published: January 2018

AbstractA direct Z‐scheme type α‐Fe2O3/FeVO4 heterostructured photocatalyst with novel nanobelt structure just like the leaves of bryophyllum pinnatum has been successfully synthesized for the first time via integrating a facile electrospinning with annealing procedure. The as‐prepared products are characterized by XRD, FT‐IR, XPS, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, BET, PL, TOC, HPLC, EIS, Micro‐Raman and UV‐vis absorbance spectroscopy.The photocatalytic activity of α‐Fe2O3/FeVO4 nanobelts evaluated by themethylene blue (MB) degradation under visible light irradiation could be ascribed to the extended light absorption and improved charge separation efficiency. A reasonable Z‐scheme photocatalytic mechanism is proposed on the basis of structural and electrochemical characterization, which could well explain the enhanced migration rate of photogenerated carriers in α‐Fe2O3/FeVO4 heterojunctions.