bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stem cell transplantation compared with melphalan plus dexamethasone in the treatment of immunoglobulin light‐chain amyloidosis
Authors: Gertz Morie A. , Lacy Martha Q. , Dispenzieri Angela , Buadi Francis K. , Dingli David , Hayman Suzanne R. , Kumar Shaji K. , Leung Nelson , Lust John , Rajkumar S. Vincent , Russell Stephen J. , Suman Vera J. , Le‐Rademacher Jennifer G. , Hogan William J. 
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUNDAutologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) is a common management strategy for select patients with immunoglobulin light‐chain amyloidosis, but no trials have documented improved overall survival.METHODSEighty‐nine patients with biopsy‐proven immunoglobulin light‐chain amyloidosis were allowed to select treatment with melphalan plus dexamethasone (n = 34) or SCT (n = 55); all patients were transplant eligible. Treatment preference resulted in imbalanced study arms. Patients who selected SCT were younger, more frequently had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score less than 2, had lower‐stage amyloidosis, and had a lower incidence of cardiac amyloidosis.RESULTSPatients receiving melphalan plus dexamethasone had a 3‐year progression‐free survival rate of 29.1% and an overall survival rate of 58.8%. Patients undergoing SCT had a 3‐year progression‐free survival rate of 51.7% and an overall survival rate of 83.6%. An attempt to match patients between the 2 arms in terms of risk produced 24 matched triplet sets (2 SCT patients for each melphalan‐dexamethasone patient); there was no difference in hematologic response, but there was better survival after autologous SCT. A propensity score–matched analysis of the cohorts (melphalan plus dexamethasone vs SCT) showed an overall mortality hazard ratio of 2.56 (P < .01).CONCLUSIONSAlthough the study had limitations, similar hematologic responses and improved survival were observed after SCT versus melphalan plus dexamethasone. Cancer 2016;122:2197–205. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
A new method to evaluate a corresponding colors dataset based on its two derived transforms
Authors: Cai Shengyan , Chen Qianwen , Wang Haifeng 
Published: May 2016

AbstractCorresponding colors datasets are crucial in the study of chromatic adaptation transformations (CATs). A transform can be derived from a corresponding colors dataset. In this article, a second transform is derived by exchanging the two groups of tristimulus values of a dataset. Based on the two transforms a new method is proposed to evaluate a corresponding colors dataset. The evaluation criteria include the prediction difference between the two transforms and their prediction errors with visual results altogether. By the new method, nine superior datasets and four inferior datasets were picked from the 25 solo existing datasets. The research also included mixing different solo datasets and investigated their effectiveness. The results show that mixed datasets comprised of datasets with same illuminants and media have a certain value to derive CATs. Finally, 10 superior transforms derived in the experiment were compared with the four CATs recommended by the CIE. The results indicate that three of four CATs recommended by the CIE are superior to any sharpening transform derived in this experiment, but CIECAT94 is inferior to any one of them conversely. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 42, 150–155, 2017
Development of a robust immuno‐S‐FISH protocol using imaging flow cytometry
Authors: Fuller Kathryn A. , Bennett Sophia , Hui Henry , Chakera Aron , Erber Wendy N. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractFluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a microscopy technique which uses a fluorescent probe to detect DNA sequences and is generally performed on metaphase spreads or interphase nuclei of intact cells on a slide. In a diagnostic laboratory, cells are hybridized with fluorescent probes and up to 200 cells counted for the number of cells with probe “spots.” Recent modifications to standard FISH include immuno‐FISH, where chromosomal abnormalities are detected only in cells by their phenotype, and S‐FISH where probe hybridization is performed on whole cells in suspension. Here we describe the development of an immuno‐S‐FISH method that combines immunophenotyping and FISH analysis of cells in suspension followed by analysis on an imaging flow cytometer. This single platform technique couples microscopy with flow cytometry and “spot” detection of bound FISH probe. Automated immuno‐S‐FISH enables large numbers of analyzed cells to be identified by phenotype and assessed for specific chromosomal determinants by FISH. This novel robust method enables quantitative cell population analysis and “spot” counting for large numbers of cells. We report method optimization of this imaging immuno‐S‐FISH flow cytometry protocol which has capability for many clinical applications. © 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
A rapid method to verify single‐cell deposition setup for cell sorters
Authors: Rodrigues Olivia Roos , Monard Simon 
Published: May 2016

AbstractStudying single cells reveals biology that cannot be explored using bulk techniques. Cell sorters provide the opportunity of separating single cells either for cell culture or for downstream molecular applications such as qPCR to study specific gene expression and single cell mRNA sequencing. Some of these molecular studies can be expensive so the investigator will often want reassurance that the cell sorter can reliably deposit a single droplet into each well of a 96‐well or 384‐well plate. Such plates may contain very small volumes of fluid as reducing the volume of fluid used can reduce the cost of the assay. To miss some of the wells could leave the data set incomplete requiring costly repetition. To verify this by microscopy is at best very time consuming and at worst impossible. Here, an inexpensive colorimetric method is described for verifying whether a well, in either a 96‐ or 384‐well plate, did receive a single sorted droplet from a cell sorter into the fluid at the bottom of the well. The droplet consists of particles suspended in an enzymatic solution, horseradish peroxidase, which is deposited into microtiter plate wells containing a substrate, 3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethylbenzidine. This method requires no special equipment or expertise and is rapid enough to be performed directly prior to the single‐cell sorting experiment. © 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Tree‐ring isotopes reveal drought sensitivity in trees killed by spruce beetle outbreaks in south‐central Alaska
Authors: Csank Adam Z. , Miller Amy E. , Sherriff Rosemary L. , Berg Edward E. , Welker Jeffrey M. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractIncreasing temperatures have resulted in reduced growth and increased tree mortality across large areas of western North American forests. We use tree‐ring isotope chronologies (δ13C and δ18O) from live and dead trees from four locations in south‐central Alaska, USA, to test whether white spruce trees killed by recent spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) outbreaks showed evidence of drought stress prior to death. Trees that were killed were more sensitive to spring/summer temperature and/or precipitation than trees that survived. At two of our sites, we found greater correlations between the δ13C and δ18O chronologies and spring/summer temperatures in dead trees than in live trees, suggesting that trees that are more sensitive to temperature‐induced drought stress are more likely to be killed. At one site, the difference between δ13C in live and dead trees was related to winter/spring precipitation, with dead trees showing stronger correlations between δ13C and precipitation, again suggesting increased water stress in dead trees. At all sites where δ18O was measured, δ18O chronologies showed the greatest difference in climate response between live and dead groups, with δ18O in live trees correlating more strongly with late winter precipitation than dead trees. Our results indicate that sites where trees are already sensitive to warm or dry early growing‐season conditions experienced the most beetle‐kill, which has important implications for forecasting future mortality events in Alaska.
Biomarkers reveal sea turtles remained in oiled areas following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Authors: Vander Zanden Hannah B. , Bolten Alan B. , Tucker Anton D. , Hart Kristen M. , Lamont Margaret M. , Fujisaki Ikuko , Reich Kimberly J. , Addison David S. , Mansfield Katherine L. , Phillips Katrina F. , Pajuelo Mariela , Bjorndal Karen A. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractAssessments of large‐scale disasters, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, are problematic because while measurements of post‐disturbance conditions are common, measurements of pre‐disturbance baselines are only rarely available. Without adequate observations of pre‐disaster organismal and environmental conditions, it is impossible to assess the impact of such catastrophes on animal populations and ecological communities. Here, we use long‐term biological tissue records to provide pre‐disaster data for a vulnerable marine organism. Keratin samples from the carapace of loggerhead sea turtles record the foraging history for up to 18 years, allowing us to evaluate the effect of the oil spill on sea turtle foraging patterns. Samples were collected from 76 satellite‐tracked adult loggerheads in 2011 and 2012, approximately one to two years after the spill. Of the 10 individuals that foraged in areas exposed to surface oil, none demonstrated significant changes in foraging patterns post spill. The observed long‐term fidelity to foraging sites indicates that loggerheads in the northern Gulf of Mexico likely remained in established foraging sites, regardless of the introduction of oil and chemical dispersants. More research is needed to address potential long‐term health consequences to turtles in this region. Mobile marine organisms present challenges for researchers to monitor effects of environmental disasters, both spatially and temporally. We demonstrate that biological tissues can reveal long‐term histories of animal behavior and provide critical pre‐disaster baselines following an anthropogenic disturbance or natural disaster.
Landscape‐scale consequences of differential tree mortality from catastrophic wind disturbance in the Amazon
Authors: Rifai Sami W. , Urquiza Muñoz José D. , Negrón‐Juárez Robinson I. , Ramírez Arévalo Fredy R. , Tello‐Espinoza Rodil , Vanderwel Mark C. , Lichstein Jeremy W. , Chambers Jeffrey Q. , Bohlman Stephanie A. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWind disturbance can create large forest blowdowns, which greatly reduces live biomass and adds uncertainty to the strength of the Amazon carbon sink. Observational studies from within the central Amazon have quantified blowdown size and estimated total mortality but have not determined which trees are most likely to die from a catastrophic wind disturbance. Also, the impact of spatial dependence upon tree mortality from wind disturbance has seldom been quantified, which is important because wind disturbance often kills clusters of trees due to large treefalls killing surrounding neighbors. We examine (1) the causes of differential mortality between adult trees from a 300‐ha blowdown event in the Peruvian region of the northwestern Amazon, (2) how accounting for spatial dependence affects mortality predictions, and (3) how incorporating both differential mortality and spatial dependence affect the landscape level estimation of necromass produced from the blowdown. Standard regression and spatial regression models were used to estimate how stem diameter, wood density, elevation, and a satellite‐derived disturbance metric influenced the probability of tree death from the blowdown event. The model parameters regarding tree characteristics, topography, and spatial autocorrelation of the field data were then used to determine the consequences of non‐random mortality for landscape production of necromass through a simulation model. Tree mortality was highly non‐random within the blowdown, where tree mortality rates were highest for trees that were large, had low wood density, and were located at high elevation. Of the differential mortality models, the non‐spatial models overpredicted necromass, whereas the spatial model slightly underpredicted necromass. When parameterized from the same field data, the spatial regression model with differential mortality estimated only 7.5% more dead trees across the entire blowdown than the random mortality model, yet it estimated 51% greater necromass. We suggest that predictions of forest carbon loss from wind disturbance are sensitive to not only the underlying spatial dependence of observations, but also the biological differences between individuals that promote differential levels of mortality.
Spreaders, igniters, and burning shrubs: plant flammability explains novel fire dynamics in grass‐invaded deserts
Authors: Fuentes‐Ramirez Andres , Veldman Joseph W. , Holzapfel Claus , Moloney Kirk A. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractNovel fire regimes are an important cause and consequence of global environmental change that involve interactions among biotic, climatic, and human components of ecosystems. Plant flammability is key to these interactions, yet few studies directly measure flammability or consider how multiple species with different flammabilities interact to produce novel fire regimes. Deserts of the southwesternUnited Statesare an ideal system for exploring how novel fire regimes can emerge when fire‐promoting species invade ecosystems comprised of species that did not evolve with fire. In these deserts, exotic annual grasses provide fuel continuity across landscapes that did not historically burn. These fires often ignite a keystone desert shrub, the fire‐intolerant creosote bush,Larrea tridentata(DC.) Coville. Ignition ofLarreais likely catalyzed by fuels produced by native plants that grow beneath the shrubs. We hypothesize that invasive and native species exhibit distinct flammability characteristics that in combination determine spatial patterns of fire spread and intensity. We measured flammability metrics ofLarrea, two invasive grasses,Schismus arabicusandBromus madritensis, and two native plants, the sub‐shrubAmbrosia dumosaand the annual herbAmsinckia menziesii. Results of laboratory experiments show that the grasses carry fire quickly (1.32 cm/s), but burn for short duration (0.5 min) at low temperatures. In contrast, native plants spread fire slowly (0.12 cm/s), but burn up to eight times longer (4 min) and produced hotter fires. Additional experiments on the ignition requirements ofLarreasuggest that native plants burn with sufficient temperature and duration to ignite deadLarreabranches (time to ignition, 2 min; temperature at ignition 692°C). Once burning, these dead branches ignite living branches in the upper portions of the shrub. Our study provides support for a conceptual model in which exotic grasses are “spreaders” of fire and native plants growing beneath shrubs are “igniters” of deadLarreabranches. Once burning, flames produced by dead branches engulf the entire shrub, resulting in locally intense fires without historical precedent in this system. We suggest that fire models and conservation‐focused management could be improved by incorporating the distinct flammability characteristics and spatial distributions of spreaders, igniters, and keystone shrubs.
Heavy and frequent thinning promotes drought adaptation inPinus sylvestrisforests
Authors: Sohn Julia A. , Hartig Florian , Kohler Martin , Huss Jürgen , Bauhus Jürgen 
Published: May 2016

AbstractDroughts and their negative effects on forest ecosystems are projected to increase under climate change for many regions. It has been suggested that intensive thinning could reduce drought impacts on established forests in the short‐term. Most previous studies on the effect of thinning on drought impacts, however, have been confined to single forest sites. It is therefore still unclear how general and persisting the benefits of thinning are. This study assesses the potential of thinning to increase drought tolerance of the wide spread Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in Central Europe. We hypothesized (1) that increasing thinning intensity benefits the maintenance of radial growth of crop trees during drought (resistance) and its recovery following drought, (2) that those benefits to growth decrease with time elapsed since the last thinning and with stand age, and (3) that they may depend on drought severity as well as water limitations in pre‐ and post‐drought periods. To test these hypotheses, we assessed the effects of thinning regime, stand age, and drought severity on radial growth of 129 Scots pine trees during and after drought events in four long‐term thinning experiments in Germany. We found that thinning improved the recovery of radial growth following drought and to a lesser extent the growth resistance during a drought event. Growth recovery following drought was highest after the first thinning intervention and in recently and heavily thinned stands. With time since the last thinning, however, this effect decreased and could even become negative when compared to unthinned stands. Further, thinning helped to avoid an age‐related decline in growth resistance (and recovery) following drought. The recovery following drought, but not the resistance during drought, was related to water limitations in the drought period. This is the first study that analyzed drought‐related radial growth in trees of one species across several stands of different age. The interaction between thinning intensity and time since the last thinning underline the importance to distinguish between short‐ and long‐term effects of thinning. According to our analysis, only thinning regimes, with relatively heavy and frequent thinning interventions would increase drought tolerance in pine stands.
The ethological trap: functional and numerical responses of highly efficient invasive predators driving prey extinctions
Authors: Spencer Ricky‐John , Van Dyke James U. , Thompson Michael B. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractEcological traps are threats to organisms, and exist in a range of biological systems. A subset of ecological trap theory is the “ethological trap,” whereby behaviors canalized by past natural selection become traps when environments change rapidly. Invasive predators are major threats to imperiled species and their ability to exploit canalized behaviors of naive prey is particularly important for the establishment of the predator and the decline of the native prey. Our study uses ecological theory to demonstrate that invasive predator controls require shifts in management priorities. Total predation rate (i.e., total response) is the product of both the functional response and numerical response of predators to prey. Functional responses are the changes in the rate of prey consumption by individual predators, relative to prey abundance. Numerical responses are the aggregative rates of prey consumption by all predators relative to prey density, which change with predator density via reproduction or migration, in response to changes in prey density. Traditional invasive predator management methods focus on reducing predator populations, and thus manage for numerical responses. These management efforts fail to manage for functional responses, and may not eliminate impacts of highly efficient individual predators. We explore this problem by modeling the impacts of functional and numerical responses of invasive foxes depredating imperiled Australian turtle nests. Foxes exhibit exceptionally efficient functional responses. A single fox can destroy >95% of turtle nests in a nesting area, which eliminates juvenile recruitment. In this case, the ethological trap is the “Arribada” nesting strategy, an emergent behavior whereby most turtles in a population nest simultaneously in the same nesting grounds. Our models show that Arribada nesting events do not oversaturate foxes, and small numbers of foxes depredate all of the nests in a given Arribada. Widely scattering nests may reduce fox predation rates, but the long generation times of turtles combined with their rapid recent decline suggests that evolutionary responses in nesting strategy may be unlikely. Our study demonstrates that reducing populations of highly efficient invasive predators is insufficient for preserving native prey species. Instead, management must reduce individual predator efficiency, independent of reducing predator population size.
Characterization of waxes and residual oil recovered from sunflower oil winterization waste
Authors: Chalapud Mayra C. , Baümler Erica R. , Carelli Amalia A. 
Published: May 2016

Two filter cakes from the sunflower oil winterization process were used to recover, fractionate and characterize their oil and wax fractions. Both samples presented high lipid content (75.35 and 58.21% dry basis) composed of 88.1 and 89.1% oil and 11.9 and 8.9% waxes. Recovered oils had a very low free fatty acid content, differences in the degree of deterioration consistent with their fatty acid composition, and significant differences in their wax contents, which were in the order of crude sunflower oils (1356–604 mg/kg). Purified waxes were between 40 and 60 carbon atoms with a fatty alcohol and fatty acid distribution in the range of 18–34 and 14–34 carbon atoms, respectively. Significant differences were found between samples in their wax and fatty acid profiles according to differences between the hybrids studied. DSC thermograms presented differences in the onset temperature (71.98 and 75.15°C), melting peak (76.70 and 80.53°C), and melting enthalpies (202.77 and 204.35 J/g), with the lower values being exhibited by the sample with higher fatty acid unsaturation and lower content of waxes with more carbon atoms.Practical applications: Results revealed the potential use of this waste, reducing oil losses and recovering waxes with an adequate quality for their application in various industries. The characterization of the purified waxes is of extreme importance for their potential use in different industries and technologies. This is also of great environmental relevance, because the waste material generated by the winterization process could be reused, and thus gain added value.Waste samples consisting of wax, oil, and filter aid are fractionated using n‐hexane to obtain purified waxes and oil. The by‐products are characterized, quantified, and qualified for its potential use.