bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Catch per unit effort and some water quality parameters of Lake Kalgwai Jigawa state, Nigeria
Authors: Solomon Shola G. , Ayuba Victoria O. , Tahir Musa A. , Okomoda Victor T. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis study investigated the catch per unit effort and water quality of Lake Kalgwai Jigawa state, Nigeria for the period of 10 month (July 2012‐June 2013). The man hours, gears used, and fish catches of the Lake was determined by assessing the fishermen operating on three major landing sites of the Lake, namely Marke (Site I), Dingare (Site II), and Kalgwai (Site III). Water samples from the landing sites were collected and analyzed. Concentration of fishers ranged from 41 (April) to 51 (September). The highest number of fishing hour was observed in August (64 hr), whereas the lowest was in March (49 hr). The average catch per fisher per day ranged from 107 kg/day (December) to 144 kg/day (August) during the study period. An average of 25 days was spent fishing in each month. The result also indicated similarities in the water qualities of all the three sampling sites per months. Based on the result gotten it was concluded that lake Kalgwa is not over fished and water quality are within recommended ranges for fish production.
Integrating genome‐wide association study summaries and element‐gene interaction datasets identified multiple associations between elements and complex diseases
Authors: He Awen , Wang Wenyu , Prakash N. Tejo , Tinkov Alexey A. , Skalny Anatoly V. , Wen Yan , Hao Jingcan , Guo Xiong , Zhang Feng 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTChemical elements are closely related to human health. Extensive genomic profile data of complex diseases offer us a good opportunity to systemically investigate the relationships between elements and complex diseases/traits. In this study, we applied gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) approach to detect the associations between elements and complex diseases/traits though integrating element‐gene interaction datasets and genome‐wide association study (GWAS) data of complex diseases/traits. To illustrate the performance of GSEA, the element‐gene interaction datasets of 24 elements were extracted from the comparative toxicogenomics database (CTD). GWAS summary datasets of 24 complex diseases or traits were downloaded from the dbGaP or GEFOS websites. We observed significant associations between 7 elements and 13 complex diseases or traits (all false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05), including reported relationships such as aluminum vs. Alzheimer's disease (FDR = 0.042), calcium vs. bone mineral density (FDR = 0.031), magnesium vs. systemic lupus erythematosus (FDR = 0.012) as well as novel associations, such as nickel vs. hypertriglyceridemia (FDR = 0.002) and bipolar disorder (FDR = 0.027). Our study results are consistent with previous biological studies, supporting the good performance of GSEA. Our analyzing results based on GSEA framework provide novel clues for discovering causal relationships between elements and complex diseases.
A deeper look at two concepts of measuring gene–gene interactions: logistic regression and interaction information revisited
Authors: Mielniczuk Jan , Teisseyre Paweł 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTDetection of gene–gene interactions is one of the most important challenges in genome‐wide case–control studies. Besides traditional logistic regression analysis, recently the entropy‐based methods attracted a significant attention. Among entropy‐based methods, interaction information is one of the most promising measures having many desirable properties. Although both logistic regression and interaction information have been used in several genome‐wide association studies, the relationship between them has not been thoroughly investigated theoretically. The present paper attempts to fill this gap. We show that although certain connections between the two methods exist, in general they refer two different concepts of dependence and looking for interactions in those two senses leads to different approaches to interaction detection. We introduce ordering between interaction measures and specify conditions for independent and dependent genes under which interaction information is more discriminative measure than logistic regression. Moreover, we show that for so‐called perfect distributions those measures are equivalent. The numerical experiments illustrate the theoretical findings indicating that interaction information and its modified version are more universal tools for detecting various types of interaction than logistic regression and linkage disequilibrium measures.
Discussion on the effectiveness of cement replacement for carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction in concrete
Authors: Şanal İrem 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe environmental impact of concrete has become a significant matter of interest because many ready‐mix concrete producers are now requiring sustainability. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are often used as an evaluation parameter to identify the environmental impacts of concrete production. However, there are very few reliable estimates available for the practical determination of CO2 emissions in terms of all concrete constituents at concrete production stage. The aim of this study is therefore to provide data collected from raw‐material manufacturers and ready‐mix concrete plants so that practical estimates can be made for CO2 emissions and resulting environmental impacts. Results will be evaluated in terms of raw materials, production, and transportation, in order to identify the potentially significant sources of CO2 emissions. Emission results from the concrete production with ordinary Portland cement, blended cement and cement replacement with fly ash and slag were also examined, in order to gain further understanding of their efficiency in reducing CO2 emissions. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Affective and cooperative social interactions modulate effective connectivity within and between the mirror and mentalizing systems
Authors: Arioli Maria , Perani Daniela , Cappa Stefano , Proverbio Alice Mado , Zani Alberto , Falini Andrea , Canessa Nicola 
Published: December 2017

AbstractDecoding the meaning of others’ actions, a crucial step for social cognition, involves different neural mechanisms. While the “mirror” and “mentalizing” systems have been associated with, respectively, the processing of biological actions versus more abstract information, their respective contribution to intention understanding is debated. Processing social interactions seems to recruit both neural systems, with a different weight depending on cues emphasizing either shared action goals or shared mental states. We have previously shown that observing cooperative and affective social interactions elicits stronger activity in key nodes of, respectively, the mirror (left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), superior parietal cortex (SPL), and ventral/dorsal premotor cortex (vPMC/dPMC)) and mentalizing (ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)) systems. To unveil their causal organization, we investigated the effective connectivity underlying the observation of human social interactions expressing increasing cooperativity (involving left pSTS, SPL, and vPMC) versus affectivity (vmPFC) via dynamic causal modeling in 36 healthy human subjects. We found strong evidence for a model including the pSTS and vPMC as input nodes for the observed interactions. The extrinsic connectivity of this model undergoes oppositely valenced modulations, with cooperativity promoting positive modulations of connectivity between pSTS and both SPL (forward) and vPMC (mainly backward), and affectivity promoting reciprocal positive modulations of connectivity between pSTS and vmPFC (mainly backward). Alongside fMRI data, such divergent effective connectivity suggests that different dimensions underlying the processing of social interactions recruit distinct, although strongly interconnected, neural pathways associated with, respectively, the bottom–up visuomotor processing of motor intentions, and the top–down attribution of affective/mental states.
Complex patterns of catchment solute–discharge relationships for coastal plain rivers
Authors: Diamond Jacob S. , Cohen Matthew J. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractRiverine solute versus discharge (C–Q) relationships provide information about the magnitude and dynamics of material fluxes from landscapes. We analysed long‐term patterns of C–Q relationships for 44 rivers in Florida across a suite of geogenic, nutrient, and organic solutes and investigated land cover, watershed size, and surficial geology as controls on these patterns. Solute concentrations generally exhibited far less variability than did discharge, with coherent solute‐specific behaviours repeated across watersheds. Geogenic solutes generally diluted with increasing discharge, whereas organic solutes generally enriched; patterns for nutrients were highly variable across watersheds, but on average exhibited chemostasis. Despite strong evidence of both geologic and land cover controls on solute flow‐weighted concentrations, these variables were poor predictors of C–Q slopes (β) or relative coefficients of variation (CVC:CVQ). CVC:CVQ generally increased with watershed size, and wetland area appeared to influence C–Q patterns for base cations and organic solutes. Perhaps most importantly, we observed significant slope breaks in C–Q association in approximately half of our observations, challenging the generality of using single power functions to describe catchment solute export patterns. For all solutes except phosphorus (P), C–Q slopes decreased above statistically identified breaks (slopes for P increased), with breaks consistently at or near median flow (i.e., 50% flow exceedance probability). This common pattern significantly impacts solute load estimates; failing to account for slope breaks overestimates nitrate and total organic carbon loads as much as 125% and underestimates P loads as much as 35%. In addition to challenging generic power‐law characterization of C–Q relationships for these coastal plain rivers, and exploring the load estimate consequences thereof, our study supports emerging insights about watershed hydrochemical behaviours across a wide array of solutes.
Seeing through porous media: An experimental study for unveiling interstitial flows
Authors: Rubol Simonetta , Tonina Daniele , Vincent Lionel , Sohm Jill A. , Basham William , Budwig Ralph , Savalia Pratixa , Kanso Eva , Capone Douglas G. , Nealson Kenneth H. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWe describe a novel inexpensive method, utilizing particle image velocimetry (PIV) and refractive index‐matching (RIM) for visualizing and quantifying the flow field within bio‐amended porous media. To date, this technique has been limited to idealized particles, whose refractive index does not match that of fresh water and thus requires specialized and often toxic or hazardous fluids. Here, we use irregularly shaped grains made of hydrogel as the solid matrix and water as the fluid. The advantage of using water is that it provides, for the first time, the opportunity to study both hydraulic and biological processes, which typically occur in soils and streambeds. By using RIM coupled with PIV (RIM‐PIV), we measured the interstitial flow field within a cell packed with granular material consisting of hydrogel grains in a size range of 1–8 mm, both in the presence and in the absence of Sinorhizobium meliloti bacteria (strain Rm8530). We also performed experiments with fluorescent tracer (fluorescein) and fluorescent microbes (Shewanella GPF MR‐1) to test the capability of visualizing solute transport and microbial movements. Results showed that the RIM‐PIV can measure the flow field for both biofilm‐free and biofilm‐covered hydrogel grains. The fluorescent tracer injection showed the ability to visualize both physical (concave surfaces and eddies) and biological (biofilms) transient storage zones, whereas the fluorescent microbe treatment showed the ability to track microbial movements within fluids. We conclude that the proposed methodology is a promising tool to visualize and quantify biofilm attachment, growth, and detachment in a system closer to natural conditions than a 2D flow cell experiment.
Paraquat and MPTP alter microRNA expression profiles, and downregulated expression of miR‐17‐5p contributes to PQ‐induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration
Authors: Wang Qingqing , Zhan Yanting , Ren Nan , Wang Zhangjing , Zhang Qunwei , Wu Siying , Li Huangyuan 
Published: December 2017

AbstractRecent evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in neurodegenerative diseases. However, the toxic effects of paraquat (PQ) and 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on miRNA expression profiles in dopaminergic neurons have not been investigated. In the present study, we used microarray analysis to show that PQ and MPTP induce alterations of miRNA expression in neuro‐2a cells. The results reveal that treatment with 300 μm PQ caused miRNA deregulation, such that 60 miRNAs were upregulated and 228 miRNAs were downregulated. Following treatment with 300 μm MPTP, a total of 576 miRNAs were dysregulated, of which 506 were upregulated and 70 were downregulated. Alterations in the expression of miR‐17‐5p, miR‐210‐3p, miR‐374‐5p, miR‐378‐3p and miR‐503‐5p were verified by real‐time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Moreover, overexpression of miR‐17‐5p in Neuro‐2a cells enhanced cell proliferation, suppressed apoptosis and promoted S phase transition of the cell cycle after PQ treatment. Taken together, our study demonstrates that characteristic changes in miRNA expression profiles occur after PQ and MPTP treatment, which suggests that miRNAs may be involved in the development of PQ‐ and MPTP‐induced neurodegeneration. Downregulated miR‐17‐5p expression contributes to PQ‐induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration.
Association of polymorphism in the VEGFA gene 3′‐UTR +936T/C with susceptibility to biliary atresia in a Southern Chinese Han population
Authors: Liu Fei , Zeng Jixiao , Zhu Deli , Zhang Ruizhong , Xu Xiaogang , Wang Mengmeng , Zhang Yan , Xia Huimin , Feng Zhichun 
Published: December 2017

BackgroundBiliary atresia (BA) is a neonatal disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the bile ducts and progressive aggravation of jaundice, but with a poor prognosis and high mortality. The etiology of BA is still uncertain which may be related to gene defect, virus infection, immune disorder, gene polymorphism. As a proinflammatory cytokine, VEGFA gene polymorphism (rs3025039) has been shown to be related to the pathogenesis of BA in Taiwanese population.MethodsWe investigated the association between VEGFA gene polymorphism (rs3025039) and BA susceptibility using the largest case‐control cohort, totaling with 506 BA patients and 1473 healthy controls in a Southern Chinese Han population. VEGFA gene polymorphism (rs3025039) was genotyped using the MassARRAY iPLEX Gold system (Sequenom). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to access the association between the VEGFA gene polymorphism (rs3025039) and BA risk.ResultsNo significant association was found between the VEGFA gene polymorphism (rs3025039) and BA risk in the overall analysis.ConclusionThese results suggest that VEGFA gene polymorphism (rs3025039) may not be associated with the risk of BA in the Southern Chinese Han population.
Exploring the link between perfectionism and depressive symptoms: Contribution of rumination and defense styles
Authors: Senra Carmen , Merino Hipólito , Ferreiro Fátima 
Published: December 2017

AbstractObjectiveThis study investigated the mediating and moderating roles of emotion‐focused coping strategies (rumination and immature defenses) in the relationship between perfectionism and depressive symptoms in a Spanish community sample.Method438 participants (67.4% female; mean age = 36.94 years) completed self‐reports assessing perfectionism, rumination, immature defenses and depression. Multiple mediation, moderation and moderated mediation analyses were conducted.ResultsBrooding‐rumination and immature defenses mediated the relationship between perfectionism and depressive symptoms. Also, brooding‐rumination moderated the impact of perfectionism on depressive symptoms. The mediating effect of brooding in the relationship between perfectionism and depressive symptoms turned out to be moderated by immature defenses, such that the vulnerability link between perfectionism and depressive symptoms through brooding was stronger in individuals scoring high on immature defenses.ConclusionBrooding‐rumination and immature defenses may be essential mechanisms to explain the paths and conditions whereby maladaptive perfectionism gives rise to depression.
Sharp Dirac's theorem for DP‐critical graphs
Authors: Bernshteyn Anton , Kostochka Alexandr 
Published: December 2017

AbstractCorrespondence coloring, or DP‐coloring, is a generalization of list coloring introduced recently by Dvořák and Postle [11]. In this article, we establish a version of Dirac's theorem on the minimum number of edges in critical graphs [9] in the framework of DP‐colorings. A corollary of our main result answers a question posed by Kostochka and Stiebitz [15] on classifying list‐critical graphs that satisfy Dirac's bound with equality.
Immunotherapy for cardiovascular disease
Authors: Martini Elisa , Stirparo Giuliano Giuseppe , Kallikourdis Marinos 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
Heart failure (HF), the final stage of pathological cardiac hypertrophy, is a major cause of hospitalization and mortality. The role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of HF has been extensively studied, with great emphasis on proinflammatory cytokines. Yet, clinical trials targeting these cytokines failed to become a credible therapeutic strategy for HF. More recent studies are increasingly highlighting an active role for T cells in the progression of HF pathology. As a result, a number of novel immunotherapy strategies are emerging for the treatment of HF and other cardiovascular diseases, via the targeting of adaptive immunity. Here we provide an overview of the background, details, and expected outcomes of these attempts.
Altered erector spinae activity and trunk motion occurs with moderate and severe unilateral hip OA
Authors: Moreside Janice , Wong Ivan , Rutherford Derek 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTPeople with hip osteoarthritis (OA) demonstrate altered movement patterns in the hip joint, as well as the pelvis and spine. While kinematic changes have been described in the literature, little is known about the associated erector spinae (ES) activity. Increased or prolonged ES activity may contribute to the low back pain often associated with hip OA. Using a cross‐sectional cohort study, 3D trunk motions and ES surface electromyography were recorded on 19 individuals with severe OA (SOA), 20 with moderate hip OA (MOA), and 19 asymptomatic (ASYM) individuals during treadmill walking, using standardized collection and processing procedures. Principal component analysis was used to derive electromyographic amplitude and temporal waveform features. Three‐dimensional thoracic motion in a global system, and thoraco‐lumbar motion was calculated. Various statistical analyses determined between group differences (α = 0.05). In the sagittal plane, thoracic motion was greater in the SOA group (p < 0.001), whereas the ASYM group used less thoraco‐lumbar motion than either OA group (p ≤ 0.002). Greater frontal plane angular excursion during early stance was found in the thoracic region in the SOA group (p ≤ 0.001) . With increasing OA severity, bilateral ES activity increased during the swing phase of gait (p < 0.001), whereas during stance, the SOA ipsilateral ES activity was higher than other groups (p < 0.001). Statement of clinical significance: with moderate and severe OA, sagittal, and frontal trunk motion increases during gait. ES activity during the entire gait cycle is more sustained with increased disease severity, which may aide our understanding of low back pain associated with hip OA. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1826–1832, 2018.
Dietary synbiotic incorporation as an alternative to antibiotic improves growth performance, intestinal morphology, immunity and antioxidant capacity of broilers
Authors: Chen Yueping , Wen Chao , Zhou Yanmin 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBACKGROUDThe present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary synbiotic supplementation as an alternative to antibiotics on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immunity and oxidative status of broilers. One‐day‐old male chicks were allocated to three treatments and given a basal diet free from antibiotic (Control group) and a basal diet supplemented with either chlortetracycline or synbiotic for 42 days, respectively.RESULTSCompared to the control group, the supplementation of synbiotic increased the average daily gain and gain:feed ratio of broilers from 22 to 42 days and 1 to 42 days of age, as well as the relative weight of the thymus and the secretory immunoglobulin A level in the jejunum and ileum at 42 days of age, with the values of these parameters being similar to the antibiotic group. Dietary synbiotic inclusion promoted the ratio of ileal villus height to crypt depth of broilers at 21 days of age. The supplementation of synbiotic also reduced the ileal malondialdehyde accumulation of broilers at 42 days of age to a level comparable with that of the antibiotic group.CONCLUSIONDietary synbiotic supplementation as an alternative to antibiotic could exert beneficial consequences on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immunity and the antioxidant capacity of broilers. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Effects of microwave‐assisted hot water treatments designed against Mexican fruit fly (Anastrepha ludens) on grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) quality
Authors: Soto‐Reyes Nohemi , López‐Malo Aurelio , Rojas‐Laguna Roberto , Gómez‐Salazar Julián Andrés , Sosa‐Morales María Elena 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDHot water treatment (HWT) against Anastrepha ludens was developed achieving 48 °C in the core of grapefruits and holding it for 6 min. After heating, the grapefruits were hydro‐cooled and stored at 23 °C and analyzed for 16 days. The effect of microwave‐assisted HWT (MW‐HWT) on grapefruit quality was analyzed and compared with the quality of fruits treated with HWT and control fruits (without treatment). The physicochemical properties and chemical composition of essential oil were analyzed.RESULTSMW‐HWT was equivalent to HWT according to accumulated heat calculations, with the advantage of being shorter. Treatments significantly affected the weight, color, maturity index, juice content, firmness, titratable acidity, pH, and ascorbic acid content of the grapefruits (P < 0.05), but had no effect on the total soluble solids (P > 0.05). The major components identified in the essential oil were d‐limonene and β‐myrcene, compounds responsible of the scent of the grapefruits.CONCLUSIONMW‐HWT was shorter (130 min) and had a lesser effect on the quality of the grapefruit when compared with fruits under HWT (188 min duration). Thus, this treatment could be considered as an alternative method against the Mexican fruit fly in grapefruit. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry