bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Soil nitrogen dynamics after slurry injection in field trials: Evaluation of a soil sampling strategy
Authors: Westerschulte Matthias , Federolf Carl‐Philipp , Pralle Herbert , Trautz Dieter , Broll Gabriele , Olfs Hans‐Werner 
Published: October 2015

AbstractSlurry injection below maize seeds is a rather new application technique developed to improve the nitrogen use efficiency of liquid organic manure. To enable the characterization of the spatial and temporal soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) dynamics after slurry injection, the present study aims to develop an appropriate soil sampling strategy. Three consecutive experiments were conducted. The first testing of the soil sampling approach was conducted in an existing field trial where the slurry was injected down to a depth of 12 cm (upper rim) below the soil surface. The soil profile (75 cm wide) centered below the maize row was sampled grid‐like to a depth of 90 cm. Around the injection zone, soil monoliths (SM) were sampled using a purpose‐built soil shovel. Below the SMs and in the interrow space (15 and 30 cm distance to the row) a standardized auger procedure was performed. The second experiment aimed at improving the sampling strategy with a focus on sample homogenization quality and necessary sample sizes per pooled sample. Furthermore, the risk of a carryover of slurry components along the soil core due to drilling an auger through a slurry band was analyzed. In the third experiment this improved sampling strategy was validated. Results from the first testing of the sampling procedure showed that the strategy is suitable, although some problems occurred (especially the high spread in values among the replications causing high coefficients of variation (CV) of mostly 40–60%). The improvement trial revealed that due to the high gradient of SMN concentration in the direct range of the injection zone an intensive homogenization of these samples is required. Suitable sample sizes (twelve auger samples and six soil monolith samples per pooled sample) have to be collected to obtain reliable SMN values. Drilling an auger through a slurry band to sample subjacent soil layers has to be avoided. Following this enhanced sampling strategy, in the final validation trial the spread in values were considerably reduced and resulted in CV values of mostly < 20%. The developed sampling strategy enables the characterization of the spatial and temporal SMN dynamics when slurry has been band‐injected below a maize row. The method can be transferred to other row crops and different slurry injection spacing.
Effect of HCO $ _3^ - $ on rice growth and iron uptake under flood irrigation and drip irrigation with plastic film mulch
Authors: Zhang Xinjiang , Zhang Shujie , Zhao Honghua , Zhu Qichao , Bai Ruxiao , Yang Yuzhen , Wang Mei , Wang Juan , Wei Changzhou 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThere has been a partial shift away from conventional flood irrigation (FI) practices for rice (Oryza stativaL.) production in water‐scarce northern China. Drip irrigation with plastic film mulch (DI‐PFM) can maintain high rice yields with significant water savings. However, rice seedlings often develop chlorosis when grown with DI‐PFM on calcareous soil. Bicarbonate is a concern with regard to chlorosis in calcareous soil. The objective of this simulation experiment was to determine the effect of irrigation method and irrigation water HCO$ _3^ - $concentration on (1) soil pH and DTPA‐Fe concentration, (2) chlorophyll, total Fe, and active Fe concentrations of rice leaves, and (3) rice root and shoot biomass. The experiment consisted of four treatments: FI with water containing either 2 or 10 mM HCO$ _3^ - $(referred to as FI‐2 and FI‐10, respectively) and DI‐PFM with water containing 2 or 10 mM HCO$ _3^ - $(referred to as DI‐2 and DI‐10, respectively). The results show that the HCO$ _3^ - $concentrations of the soil solution were greater under FI than under DI‐PFM, because more irrigation water was applied in the FI system. Soil pH increased as the HCO$ _3^ - $concentration of the irrigation water increased. The increase in soil pH was greater in DI‐PFM than in FI. Soil DTPA‐Fe concentration, leaf SPAD values, leaf total Fe concentration, leaf active Fe concentration, shoot biomass, and root biomass decreased as the HCO$ _3^ - $concentration of the irrigation water increased. The decreases were less under DI‐PFM than under FI. Overall, the results indicate that rice plants are more sensitive to the HCO$ _3^ - $concentration of irrigation water under FI than under DI‐PFM.
Comparative study of a‐IGZO TFTs with direct current and radio frequency sputtered channel layers
Authors: Deng Wei , Xiao Xiang , He Xin , Lee Chia‐Yu , Zhang Shengdong 
Published: October 2015

AbstractIn this work, a comparative study of electrical properties and gate‐bias stress stability between direct current (DC)‐sputtered and radio frequency (RF)‐sputtered amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide thin film transistors (a‐IGZO TFTs) is conducted. The RF‐sputtered a‐IGZO TFTs show higher field‐effect mobility and steeper sub‐threshold slope. The DC‐sputtered ones show a better uniformity of threshold voltage, enhanced stability under both positive bias stress and negative bias illumination stress. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization of the a‐IGZO films reveals that the concentration of oxygen vacancies and electron density in the RF‐sputtered a‐IGZO film is higher than that in the DC‐sputtered one, which probably accounts for the differences of electrical properties between the RF‐sputtered and DC‐sputtered a‐IGZO TFTs.
Allelic variants of the Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) gene in a South African study group
Authors: Logan Murray , Van der Merwe Maria‐Teresa , Dodgen Tyren M. , Myburgh Renier , Eloff Arinda , Alessandrini Marco , Pepper Michael S. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractObesity is a global epidemic that results in significant morbidity and mortality. Mutations in the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) gene, which codes for a G‐protein‐coupled receptor responsible for postprandial satiety signaling, have been associated with monogenic obesity. The prevalence of obesity is on the increase in South Africa, and it is hypothesized that mutations in MC4R are a contributing factor. The aim of this study was to perform a retrospective assessment of the relationship between allelic variants of MC4R and BMI in a South African study cohort. DNA was isolated from a demographically representative cohort of 297 individuals and the entire MC4R gene sequenced by Sanger sequencing. Eight previously reported MC4R variants were identified in 42 of the 297 (14.1%) study participants. The most frequently observed MC4R alleles were V103I (4.0%), I170V (1.5%), and I198I (1.2%), while the remaining five variants together constituted 1.18%. Five compound heterozygotes were also detected. Although MC4R variants were rare, the majority of variation was observed in individuals of Black African ancestry. No statistically significant associations with BMI were reported. Given that lifestyle interventions have limited success in decreasing obesity, there is an urgent need to perform large‐scale population studies to further elucidate the molecular underpinnings of this disease.
Hydrogen‐Bonded Macrocyclic Supramolecular Systems in Solution and on Surfaces
Authors: Mayoral María J. , Bilbao Nerea , González‐Rodríguez David 
Published: October 2015

AbstractCyclization into closed assemblies is the most recurrent approach to realize the noncovalent synthesis of discrete, well‐defined nanostructures. This review article particularly focuses on the noncovalent synthesis of monocyclic hydrogen‐bonded systems that are self‐assembled from a single molecule with two binding‐sites. Taking advantage of intramolecular binding events, which are favored with respect to intermolecular binding in solution, can afford quantitative amounts of a given supramolecular species under thermodynamic control. The size of the assembly depends on geometric issues such as the monomer structure and the directionality of the binding interaction, whereas the fidelity achieved relies largely on structural preorganization, low degrees of conformational flexibility, and templating effects. Here, we discuss several examples described in the literature in which cycles of different sizes, from dimers to hexamers, are studied by diverse solution or surface characterization techniques.
Can a single dose response predict the effect of montelukast on exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction?
Authors: Kersten Elin T.G. , Akkerman‐Nijland Anne M. , Driessen Jean M.M. , Diamant Zuzana , Thio Bernard J. 
Published: October 2015

SummaryRationaleExercise‐induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) can be prevented by a single dose of montelukast (MLK). The effect is variable, similar to the variable responsiveness observed after daily treatment with MLK. We hypothesized that the effect of a single MLK‐dose (5 or 10 mg) on EIB could predict the clinical effectiveness of longer term once daily treatment.MethodsThis was a prospective, open‐label study. Twenty‐four asthmatic adolescents (12–17 years) suboptimally controlled by low‐dose inhaled corticosteroids, with ≥10% post‐exercise fall in FEV1, were included. They performed an exercise test at baseline, 20 hr after a single MLK‐dose and 40–44 hr after the last dose of 4 weeks once daily treatment. The correlations between the effect of a single dose and 4 weeks treatment on area under the curve (AUC) and maximum % fall in FEV1 were calculated.ResultsAUC0–20 min decreased significantly after a single MLK‐dose (P = 0.001, CI: 64.9–218.2), but not after 4 weeks of treatment (P = 0.080, CI: −12.2 to 200.4). There was a moderate correlation between the effect of a single MLK‐dose and 4 weeks treatment on AUC0–20 min, r = 0.49 (P = 0.011), and maximum % fall in FEV1, r = 0.40 (P = 0.035).ConclusionThe protection provided by a single MLK‐dose against EIB only modestly predicts the effect of regular treatment against EIB in adolescent asthmatics on low‐dose inhaled corticosteroids. If used on a daily base, MLK offered clinically significant protection against EIB in two thirds of adolescents suboptimally controlled by low‐dose ICS. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016;51:470–477. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pharmacological implications of the Ca2+/cAMP signaling interaction: from risk for antihypertensive therapy to potential beneficial for neurological and psychiatric disorders
Authors: Caricati‐Neto Afonso , García Antonio G. , Bergantin Leandro Bueno 
Published: October 2015

AbstractIn this review, we discussed pharmacological implications of the Ca2+/cAMP signaling interaction in the antihypertensive and neurological/psychiatric disorders therapies. Since 1975, several clinical studies have reported that acute and chronic administration of L‐type voltage‐activated Ca2+ channels (VACCs) blockers, such as nifedipine, produces reduction in peripheral vascular resistance and arterial pressure associated with an increase in plasma noradrenaline levels and heart rate, typical of sympathetic hyperactivity. Despite this sympathetic hyperactivity has been initially attributed to adjust reflex of arterial pressure, the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in this apparent sympathomimetic effect of the L‐type VACCs blockers remained unclear for decades. In addition, experimental studies using isolated tissues richly innervated by sympathetic nerves (to exclude the influence of adjusting reflex) showed that neurogenic responses were completely inhibited by L‐type VACCs blockers in concentrations above 1 μmol/L, but paradoxically potentiated in concentrations below 1 μmol/L. During almost four decades, these enigmatic phenomena remained unclear. In 2013, we discovered that this paradoxical increase in sympathetic activity produced by L‐type VACCs blocker is due to interaction of the Ca2+/cAMP signaling pathways. Then, the pharmacological manipulation of the Ca2+/cAMP interaction produced by combination of the L‐type VACCs blockers used in the antihypertensive therapy, and cAMP accumulating compounds used in the antidepressive therapy, could represent a potential cardiovascular risk for hypertensive patients due to increase in sympathetic hyperactivity. In contrast, this pharmacological manipulation could be a new therapeutic strategy for increasing neurotransmission in psychiatric disorders, and producing neuroprotection in the neurodegenerative diseases.
Microparticle of drug and nanoparticle: a biosynthetic route
Authors: Sarkar Sounik , Dasgupta Anjan Kr. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractMicroparticles (MPs) have great potentiality in material science‐ based applications. Their use in biology is however limited to clinics and has rarely been exploited in the pharmaceutical context. Unlike nanoparticles (NPs), they are amenable to routine detection by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Though MPs can constitute a wide variety of materials, including ceramics, glass, polymers, and metals and can be synthesized by chemical process but wet processes for the preparation of microparticles have rarely been attemped. In this paper, a thrombotic route is shown to successfully generate biocompatible MP of a model anticancer drug (doxorubicin hydrochloride). Synthesis of MPs from platelets and drug loading in to these MPs was confirmed by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) was treated with these drug‐loaded MPs to investigate whether the loaded MPs have the capacity to deliver drug to the cancer cells. In addition, Magnetic force microscopy was used to detect the preparation of MPs loaded with magnetic NPs. The efficiency of the drug‐loaded MPs in inducing cytotoxicity in cancer cell line, shown to be significantly higher than the free drug itself. The drug‐loaded MP is shown to have a much higher cytotoxic propensity than the free drug applied at comparable doses. The thrombotic approach can also be applied to synthesize MP containing NPs which in turn can lead to generate a wide variety of new biocompatible materials.
Formation of protective deposits by anti‐erosive toothpastes—A microscopic study on enamel with artificial defects
Authors: Bradna Pavel , Vrbova Radka , Fialova Vlasta , Housova Devana , Gojisova Eva 
Published: October 2015

SummaryThis study investigated formation of protective deposits on the enamel surface after application of several anti‐erosive toothpastes with different active ingredients. NaF‐containing Sensodyne Pronamel, SnCl2/F‐based Elmex Erosion Protection and calcium phosphate‐based BioRepair Plus Sensitivity Control, SensiShield and Enamel Care toothpastes with claimed anti‐erosive properties were tested. Artificial saliva and Elmex Erosion Protection mouth rinse served as control groups. The toothpastes were applied 30 times by a toothbrush for 2 min per day, mouth rinse for 30 s on polished enamel of thirty five human molars (n = 5) with series of five rhomboid‐shaped indents of various length prepared by a Knoop indentor. After 15 and 30 applications, the shape of the indents and surface morphology was characterised using light and scanning electron microscopy. At the end of treatment, the samples were exposed to 0.2 wt. % citric acid (pH 3.30) to test resistance of the treated enamel to erosion. Pronounced differences were observed between protective properties of the toothpastes. While Sensodyne Pronamel and BioRepair Plus Sensitivity Control did not produce any protective deposits, Enamel Care formed a compact layer of deposits which protected the enamel surface against erosion. With Elmex Erosion Protection and SensiShield fractured indent edges and scratches on the treated enamel suggested that their abrasive properties prevailed over ability of active ingredients to form deposits. These results revealed that toothpastes with strong potential to form acid‐resistant deposits on the enamel surface and of low abrasivity should be used for effective prevention of enamel erosion. SCANNING 38:380–388, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Physiology of Penile Erection—A Brief History of the Scientific Understanding up till the Eighties of the 20th Century
Authors: van Driel Mels F. 
Published: October 2015

Abstract

Introduction
Understanding the physiology of penile erection is important for all who work in the field of sexual medicine.

Aim
The aim of this study was to highlight and analyze historical aspects of the scientific understanding of penile erection.

Methods
(i) Review of the chapters on the physiology of erection out of the author's collection of books dealing with male sexual functioning published in the German, French, Dutch, and English language in between 1780 and 1940. (ii) Review of the topic “physiology of penile erection” of relevant chapters of Classical writings on erectile dysfunction. An annotated collection of original texts from three millennia, including the study of all relevant references mentioned in these books.

Main Outcome Measure
The main outcome measure used for the study was the scientific understanding of the physiology of penile erection.

Results
In Antiquity, Galen considered penile erection as the result the accumulation of air. His ideas so dominated medieval medicine that nearly everyone then alive was a Galenist. The beginning of the Renaissance shows meaningful examples of experimental scientific work on the penis. Da Vinci correctly concluded that erections were caused by blood, and in the 18th century, Von Haller from Switzerland was the first who explained that erections were under the control of the nervous system. In the 19th century, a mindset that emphasized on experimentation determined a new direction, namely experimental physiology. Animal studies clarified that stimulation of the nervi erigentes-induced small muscle relaxation in the corpora cavernosa. Nearly all were published in the German language. That may be one of the reasons that the existence of the concept of smooth muscle relaxation remained controversial until the first World Congress on Impotence in 1984 in Paris.

Conclusions
As the Renaissance's innovative research defined neural and vascular physiologic phenomena responsible for penile erection. The concepts from animal experimentations in Europe in the 19th century significantly contributed to the current understanding of penile erection.
Dithiothreitol enhanced arsenic‐trioxide‐induced cell apoptosis in cultured oral cancer cells via mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: Tsai Chia‐Wen , Yang Mei‐Due , Hsia Te‐Chun , Chang Wen‐Shin , Hsu Chin‐Mu , Hsieh Yi‐Hsien , Chung Jing‐Gung , Bau Da‐Tian 
Published: October 2015

ABSTRACTArsenic is naturally occurring toxic metalloid and drinking As2O3 containing water are recognized to be related to increased risk of neurotoxicity, liver injury, blackfoot disease, hypertension, and cancer. On the contrary, As2O3 has been an ancient drug used in traditional Chinese medicine with substantial anticancer activities, especially in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia as well as chronic wound healing. However, the cytotoxicity and detail mechanisms of As2O3 action in solid cancer cells, such as oral cancer cells, are largely unknown. In this study, we have primarily cultured four pairs of tumor and nontumor cells from the oral cancer patients and treated the cells with As2O3 alone or combined with dithiothreitol (DTT). The results showed that 0.5 μM As2O3 plus 20 μM DTT caused a significant cell death of oral cancer cells but not the nontumor cells. Also As2O3 plus DTT upregulated Bax and Bak, downregulated Bcl‐2 and p53, caused a loss of mitochondria membrane potential in oral cancer cells. On the other way, As2O3 also triggered endoplasmic reticulum stress and increased the levels of glucose‐regulated protein 78, calpain 1 and 2. Our results suggest that DTT could synergistically enhance the effects of As2O3 on killing oral cancer cells while nontoxic to the nontumor cells. The combination is promising for clinical practice in oral cancer therapy and worth further investigations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 17–27, 2017.
Adjustment of wind farm power output through flexible turbine operation using wind farm control
Authors: Hur Sung‐ho , Leithead William E. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractWhen the installed capacity of wind power becomes high, the power generated by wind farms can no longer simply be that dictated by the wind speed. With sufficiently high penetration, it will be necessary for wind farms to provide assistance with supply‐demand matching. The work presented here introduces a wind farm controller that regulates the power generated by the wind farm to match the grid requirements by causing the power generated by each turbine to be adjusted. Further, benefits include fast response to reach the wind farm power demanded, flexibility, little fluctuation in the wind farm power output and provision of synthetic inertia. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Wnt and Notch signalling pathways in the developing cochlea: Formation of hair cells and induction of regenerative potential
Authors: Żak Magdalena , Klis Sjaak F.L. , Grolman Wilko 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe Wnt and Notch signalling pathways control proliferation, specification, and cell fate choices during embryonic development and in adult life. Hence, there is much interest in both signalling pathways in the context of stem cell biology and tissue regeneration. In the developing ear, the Wnt and Notch signalling pathways specify otic cells and refine the ventral boundary of the otic placode. Since both signalling pathways control events essential for the formation of sensory cells, such as proliferation and hair cell differentiation, these pathways could hold promise for the regeneration of hair cells in adult mammalian cochlea. Indeed, modulating either the Wnt or Notch pathways can trigger the regenerative potential of supporting cells. In the neonatal mouse cochlea, Notch‐mediated regeneration of hair cells partially depends on Wnt signalling, which implies an interaction between the pathways. This review presents how the Wnt and Notch signalling pathways regulate the formation of sensory hair cells and how modulating their activity induces regenerative potential in the mammalian cochlea.