bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mercury and other trace elements in Ohio River fish collected near coal-fired power plants: Interspecific patterns and consideration of consumption risks
Authors: Reash Robin J , Brown Lauren , Merritt Karen 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Many coal-fired electric generating facilities in the United States are discharging higher loads of Hg, Se, and other chemicals to receiving streams due to the installation of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) air pollution control units. There are regulatory concerns about the potential increased uptake of these bioaccumulative trace elements into food webs. We evaluated the concentrations of As, total Hg (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and Se in Ohio River fish collected proximal to coal-fired power plants, of which 75% operate FGD systems. Fillet samples (n = 50) from 6 fish species representing 3 trophic levels were analyzed. Geometric mean fillet concentrations of THg (wet wt), MeHg (wet wt), and Se (dry wt) in 3 species were 0.136, 0.1181, and 3.19 mg/kg (sauger); 0.123, 0.1013, and 1.56 mg/kg (channel catfish); and 0.127, 0.0914, and 3.30 mg/kg (hybrid striped bass). For all species analyzed, only 3 fillet samples (6% of total) had MeHg concentrations that exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) human health criterion (0.3 mg/kg wet wt); all of these were freshwater drum aged ≥19 y. None of the samples analyzed exceeded the USEPA proposed muscle and whole body Se thresholds for protection against reproductive effects in freshwater fish. All but 8 fillet samples had a total As concentration less than 1.0 mg/kg dry wt. Mean Se health benefit values (HBVSe) for all species were ≥ 4, indicating that potential Hg-related health risks associated with consumption of Ohio River fish are likely to be offset by adequate Se concentrations. Overall, we observed no measurable evidence of enhanced trace element bioaccumulation associated with proximity to power plant FGD facilities, however, some enhanced bioaccumulation could have occurred in the wastewater mixing zones. Furthermore, available evidence indicates that, due to hydraulic and physical factors, the main stem Ohio River appears to have low net Hg methylation potential. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2015;11:474–480. © 2015 SETAC
Key Points
Fish collected near coal-fired power plants on the Ohio River had, overall, low fillet concentrations of As, THg, MeHg, and Se. Six percent of analyzed samples exceeded USEPA's MeHg human health criterion, whereas none of the samples had tissue Se concentrations that exceeded USEPA's draft fish tissue criteria. Due to Se health benefit values (HBV-Se) exceeding 1.0 for all species, our results suggest that potential human health risks from ingesting Ohio River fish having high THg concentrations is offset by adequate Se content.
Solid‐state fermentation process model reparametrization procedure for parameters estimation using particle swarm optimization
Authors: da Silveira Christian L , Mazutti Marcio A , Salau Nina PG 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBACKGROUNDSolid‐state fermentation is a well‐known bioprocess. The development of a solid‐state fermentation reactor faces difficulties in controlling temperature gradients inside the bed. To understand this behavior, a good phenomenological model must be used. Furthermore, the model parameters must be obtained by a reliable and robust parameters estimation procedure, since often the model parameters are not available in the literature.RESULTSThe heuristic particle swarm optimization (PSO) method was used to estimate the parameters of the reparametrized model through the minimization of a nonlinear‐square objective function, since it is less sensitive to initial guesses than derivative based methods. Statistical analyses were made to evaluate the parameter estimation quality. Also, simulations with the reparametrized model were performed. All the analyses have revealed the great accuracy of the proposed model, predicting with very small residuals (errors) several experimental data sets of a solid‐state fermentation process.CONCLUSIONParameter models reparametrization procedure can be a very useful mathematical tool to obtain accurate and reliable models with fewer parameters to be estimated, providing less parameters correlation and increasing the degrees of freedom to perform the statistical analysis. In addition, the particle swarm optimization was found to be a very robust and efficient parameter estimation method. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Hydrogenation of biomass‐derived levulinic acid to γ‐valerolactone over copper catalysts supported on ZrO2
Authors: Balla Putrakumar , Perupogu Vijayanand , Vanama Pavan Kumar , Komandur VR Chary 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDThe utilization of biomass and agricultural wastes for production of biofuels is of interest as a research topic, since it could provide a cheaper process due to the wide availability and low cost of raw materials.RESULTSIn this work the vapor phase hydrogenation of levulinic acid to γ‐valerolactone over copper catalysts supported on ZrO2 was investigated. The catalysts were prepared by a wet impregnation method with Cu loadings varying from 2 to 20 wt% and characterized by various physico‐chemical techniques. It was observed that copper dispersion and particle size obtained using a N2O decomposition method are in agreement with the findings derived from XRD and TPR. The catalytic functionalities are discussed in relation to the dispersion of copper and other structural properties of Cu species supported on ZrO2. A comparison of catalytic results of Cu/ZrO2 was made with CuO supported on Al2O3, SiO2 and TiO2.CONCLUSIONSIncorporation of 5 wt% copper on ZrO2 resulted in well dispersed copper oxide on the support, evidenced by XRD, TPR and N2O decomposition studies. This catalyst exhibited good conversion (81%) of levulinic acid with good selectivity (83%) towards γ‐valerolactone. The activity results are directly related to the dispersion of copper and acidity. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Approximations to m‐Colored Complete Infinite Hypergraphs
Authors: Kittipassorn Teeradej , Narayanan Bhargav P. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractGiven an edge coloring of a graph with a set of m colors, we say that the graph is exactly m‐colored if each of the colors is used. In 1999, Stacey and Weidl, partially resolving a conjecture of Erickson from 1994, showed that for a fixed natural number and for all sufficiently large k, there is a k‐coloring of the complete graph on such that no complete infinite subgraph is exactly m‐colored. In the light of this result, we consider the question of how close we can come to finding an exactly m‐colored complete infinite subgraph. We show that for a natural number m and any finite coloring of the edges of the complete graph on with m or more colors, there is an exactly ‐colored complete infinite subgraph for some satisfying ; this is best possible up to the additive constant. We also obtain analogous results for this problem in the setting of r‐uniform hypergraphs. Along the way, we also prove a recent conjecture of the second author and investigate generalizations of this conjecture to r‐uniform hypergraphs.
An effective hybrid displacement function element method for solving the edge effect of Mindlin–Reissner plate
Authors: Shang Yan , Cen Song , Li Chen‐Feng , Huang Jun‐Bin 
Published: January 2015

SummaryIn bending problems of Mindlin–Reissner plate, the resultant forces often vary dramatically within a narrow range near free and soft simply‐supported (SS1) boundaries. This is so‐called the edge effect or the boundary layer effect, a challenging problem for conventional finite element method. In this paper, an effective finite element method for analysis of such edge effect is developed. The construction procedure is based on the hybrid displacement function (HDF) element method [1], a simple hybrid‐Trefftz stress element method proposed recently. What is different is that an additional displacement function f related to the edge effect is considered, and its analytical solutions are employed as the additional trial functions for the first time. Furthermore, the free and the SS1 boundary conditions are also applied to modify the element assumed resultant fields. Then, two new special elements, HDF‐P4‐Free and HDF‐P4‐SS1, are successfully constructed. These new elements are allocated along the corresponding boundaries of the plate, while the other region is modeled by the usual HDF plate element HDF‐P4‐11 β [1]. Numerical tests demonstrate that the present method can effectively capture the edge effects and exactly satisfy the corresponding boundary conditions by only using relatively coarse meshes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A control volume mixed finite element formulation for tetrahedral elements
Authors: Naff Richard L. 
Published: January 2015

SummaryThe control‐volume mixed finite element method is formulated for and applied to a computational domain consisting of a tetrahedral partitioning to solve the steady groundwater flow equations. Test functions consistent with piecewise constant and piecewise linear pressure distributions are used in the formulation. Comparisons are made with a standard mixed finite element formulation using lowest‐order Raviart Thomas basis functions. Results suggest that the control‐volume based formulation is a viable alternative to the standard formulation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Loss of PTEN promotes podocyte cytoskeletal rearrangement, aggravating diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Lin Jamie S , Shi Yuanyuan , Peng Hui , Shen Xiaojie , Thomas Sandhya , Wang Yanlin , Truong Luan D , Dryer Stuart E , Hu Zhaoyong , Xu Jing 
Published: January 2015

AbstractIn diabetic nephropathy (DN), podocyte cytoskeletal rearrangement occurs followed by podocyte effacement and the development of proteinuria. PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue) is a ubiquitously expressed phosphatase that plays a critical role in cell proliferation, cytoskeletal rearrangement, and motility. In mouse models of diabetes mellitus, PTEN expression is reportedly decreased in mesangial cells, contributing to expansion of the mesangial matrix, but how PTEN in the podocyte influences the development of DN is unknown. We observed that PTEN expression is down‐regulated in the podocytes of diabetic db/db mice and patients with DN. In cultured podocytes, PTEN inhibition caused actin cytoskeletal rearrangement and this response was associated with unbalanced activation of the small GTPases Rac1/Cdc42 and RhoA. In mice treated with PTEN inhibitor, actin cytoskeletal rearrangement occurred in podocytes and was accompanied by increased albumin excretion. We also created mice with an inducible deletion of PTEN selectively in podocytes. These mice exhibited increased albumin excretion and moderate foot process effacement. When the mice were challenged with a high fat diet, podocyte‐specific knockout of PTEN resulted in substantially increased proteinuria and glomeruloclerosis compared to control mice fed a high fat diet or mice with PTEN deletion fed a normal diet. These results indicate that PTEN is involved in the regulation of cytoskeletal rearrangement in podocytes and that loss of PTEN predisposes to the development of proteinuria and DN. Copyright © 2015 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Change in structure and ligand binding properties of hyperstable cytochrome c555 from Aquifex aeolicus by domain swapping
Authors: Yamanaka Masaru , Nagao Satoshi , Komori Hirofumi , Higuchi Yoshiki , Hirota Shun 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACTCytochrome c555 from hyperthermophilic bacteria Aquifex aeolicus (AA cyt c555) is a hyperstable protein belonging to the cyt c protein family, which possesses a unique long 310‐α‐310 helix containing the heme‐ligating Met61. Herein, we show that AA cyt c555 forms dimers by swapping the region containing the extra 310‐α‐310 helix and C‐terminal α‐helix. The asymmetric unit of the crystal of dimeric AA cyt c555 contained two dimer structures, where the structure of the hinge region (Val53–Lys57) was different among all four protomers. Dimeric AA cyt c555 dissociated to monomers at 92 ± 1°C according to DSC measurements, showing that the dimer was thermostable. According to CD measurements, the secondary structures of dimeric AA cyt c555 were maintained at pH 2.2–11.0. CN‐ and CO bound to dimeric AA cyt c555 in the ferric and ferrous states, respectively, owing to the flexibility of the hinge region close to Met61 in the dimer, whereas these ligands did not bind to the monomer under the same conditions. In addition, CN‐ and CO bound to the oxidized and reduced dimer at neutral pH and a wide range of pH (pH 2.2–11.0), respectively, in a wide range of temperature (25–85°C), owing to the thermostability and pH tolerance of the dimer. These results show that the ligand binding character of hyperstable AA cyt c555 changes upon dimerization by domain swapping.
Magnetic resonance imaging‐estimated placental perfusion in fetal growth assessment
Authors: Sohlberg S. , Mulic‐Lutvica A. , Olovsson M. , Weis J. , Axelsson O. , Wikström J. , Wikström A‐K. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate in‐vivo placental perfusion fraction, estimated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as a marker of placental function.MethodsA study population of 35 pregnant women, of whom 13 had pre‐eclampsia (PE), were examined at 22–40 weeks' gestation. Within a 24‐h period, each woman underwent an MRI diffusion‐weighted sequence (from which we calculated the placental perfusion fraction), venous blood sampling and an ultrasound examination including estimation of fetal weight, amniotic fluid index and Doppler velocity measurements. The perfusion fractions in pregnancies with and without fetal growth restriction were compared and correlations between the perfusion fraction and ultrasound estimates and plasma markers were estimated using linear regression. The associations between the placental perfusion fraction and ultrasound estimates were modified by the presence of PE (P  <  0.05) and therefore we included an interaction term between PE and covariates in the models.ResultsThe median placental perfusion fractions in pregnancies with and without fetal growth restriction were 21% and 32%, respectively (P = 0.005). The correlations between placental perfusion fraction and ultrasound estimates and plasma markers were highly significant (P = 0.002 and P = 0.0001, respectively). The highest coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.56) for placental perfusion fraction was found for a model that included pulsatility index in the ductus venosus, plasma level of soluble fms‐like tyrosine kinase‐1, estimated fetal weight and presence of PE.ConclusionThe placental perfusion fraction has the potential to contribute to the clinical assessment of cases with placental insufficiency. © 2015 Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Tracheobronchial Fistula During the Perioperative Period of Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Morita Masaru , Saeki Hiroshi , Okamoto Tatsuro , Oki Eiji , Yoshida Sei , Maehara Yoshihiko 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBackgroundTracheobronchial (TB) injury and fistula formation during the perioperative period of esophagectomy is a rare but life‐threatening complication.
MethodsWe examined the development of intraoperative TB injury and postoperative TB fistulas in consecutive 763 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy, including 494 patients who underwent transthoracic subtotal esophagectomy.ResultsTB injury and fistulas developed in two (0.4 %) and four patients (0.8 %), respectively, who received transthoracic esophagectomy. TB injury developed during the dissection of a tumor invading a major airway. Direct suturing of the laceration and covering it using a muscle flap was effective for one patient, while additional repair with a major pectoral muscle flap was needed in another patient. Postoperative TB fistulas developed due to peri‐tracheal infection in two patients, and conservative treatment with drainage was performed. In another two patients, gastro‐tracheal fistulas developed due to mechanical compression of staplers on the gastric tube, which was elevated via the posterior mediastinal route. The direct repair of the gastric tube and covering it with a major pectoral muscle flap resulted in the resolution of these fistulas.ConclusionCareful dissection with direct vision of the esophagus, as well as oversewing of the staplers on the gastric tube, is mandatory for preventing TB injury and fistula formation. Appropriate drainage is effective in cases with peri‐tracheal abscesses. If the TB fistula fails to heal within a 4‐ to 6‐week period, conservative management should be abandoned. Direct surgical intervention with coverage by a muscle flap is important for TB fistulas.
Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Interpretation Criteria for Assessment of Antibiotic Treatment Response in Pyogenic Spine Infection
Authors: Riccio Silvia A. , Chu Angel K.M. , Rabin Harvey R. , Kloiber Reinhard 
Published: January 2015

Purpose The objective of the study was to determine if fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) can assess the response of patients with pyogenic spine infection to antibiotic treatment in a clinically useful time frame. Methods Twenty-eight patients with suspected pyogenic spine infection had baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT. Patients with proven or probable infection were divided into good and poor responders to antibiotic therapy based on clinical criteria. These patients had a follow-up 18F-FDG PET/CT 6-8 weeks later. Results Six of 28 patients were deemed negative for infection based on 18F-FDG PET/CT. Two patients were excluded because of discrepancies in interpretation. Of the 20 patients deemed positive for infection, 13 had a pathogen isolated and all showed 18F-FDG uptake in bone and/or soft tissue at baseline. Patients with a poor clinical response to treatment had persistent 18F-FDG uptake in bone and/or soft tissue on follow-up. Patients with good clinical response had uptake confined to the margins of the destroyed disc. None of these patients had recurrent infection, even if antibiotics had already been discontinued at the time of the follow-up scan. Conclusions 18F-FDG uptake confined to the margins of a destroyed disc after antibiotic therapy of pyogenic spine infection must not be considered indicative of persistent infection and likely represents mechanically induced inflammation. 18F-FDG uptake in bone or soft tissue does indicate active infection. Quantification of activity could not reliably differentiate patients with active infection from those without active infection and those who had had a successful response to therapy. The pattern of activity is critical to accurate interpretation.
Looking for my self: Identity‐driven attention allocation
Authors: Coleman Nicole Verrochi , Williams Patti 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThis research builds on the motivational aspects of identity salience, finding that social identities direct the allocation of attention in identity‐syntonic ways. Drawing from identity‐based motivation (Oyserman, 2009; Reed, et al., 2012) we suggest individuals use attention to enhance identity‐fit; selectively focusing on cues and stimuli that are identity‐consistent. In two studies we find that activating a social identity drives preferential attention toward identity‐relevant stimuli. Using a novel paradigm, Study 1 demonstrates that individuals strategically focus attention on identity‐consistent emotional stimuli, while also shifting attention away from identity‐inconsistent emotional stimuli. Using a dot‐probe paradigm, Study 2 extends these results to show that individuals allocate attention toward both emotional and non‐emotional (semantic associates) stimuli that are identity‐consistent, and away from those that are incompatible. Consistent with theories suggesting cognition and perception are constructed (James, 1890/1983) and that identities direct and influence meaning‐making (Oyserman, 2009; Reed et al., 2012), we find that social identities drive attention allocation, with identity‐consistent stimuli receiving greater attention; suggesting that an identity's sense‐making begins with motivated attention toward perceiving an identity‐consistent environment.
Presence of the Endangered Amur tigerPanthera tigris altaicain Jilin Province, China, detected using non-invasive genetic techniques
Authors: Caragiulo Anthony , Kang Yang , Rabinowitz Salisa , Dias-Freedman Isabela , Loss Simone , Zhou Xu-Wei , Bao Wei-Dong , Amato George 
Published: January 2015

AbstractChina is home to three subspecies of tigerPanthera tigrisbut there are no estimates of the size of any of the populations. We detected a population of the Endangered Amur tigerPanthera tigris altaicain Hunchun Nature Reserve in Jilin Province using both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear microsatellite loci. Four male and one female tigers were detected, indicating the potential for a small breeding group. However, genetic diversity was low overall, with six loci showing a heterozygote deficiency and a mean of 2.55 alleles per locus. This study is the first estimate of the wild Amur tiger population in China to use non-invasive techniques, and the presence of a female tiger indicates this is a potentially viable population. We provide baseline genetic diversity estimates to support monitoring of the population. The small number of tiger scats located indicates the importance of continuing the current conservation efforts for this tiger subspecies in Hunchun Nature Reserve. Such efforts include reducing poaching of tigers and their prey, and implementation of management plans to encourage the persistence and recovery of tigers in this area.
The development of the Australian environmental offsets policy: from theory to practice
Authors: MILLER KATHERINE L. , TREZISE JAMES A. , KRAUS STEFAN , DRIPPS KIMBERLEY , EVANS MEGAN C. , GIBBONS PHILIP , POSSINGHAM HUGH P. , MARON MARTINE 
Published: January 2015

SUMMARYEnvironmental offsetting involves compensating for the residual adverse impacts of an action on the environment by generating an equivalent benefit elsewhere. As the prevalence of environmental offsetting grows, so does the challenge of translating no-net-loss goals to workable policy. From 2011–2012, the Australian Government developed an Environmental Offsets Policy and an accompanying metric (the Offsets Assessment Guide) to support decision making about offset requirements under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Through extensive stakeholder consultation and in collaboration with academic researchers, the Guide was developed with the aim of accounting appropriately for ecological equivalence in a transparent and flexible manner. This paper outlines the Australian Government's environmental offset policy development process, and describes the approach adopted for evaluating the suitability of proposed offsets in meeting the policy goals. The Guide explicitly estimates the extent to which an offset will improve the target biota and/or avert future losses, the degree of confidence that the offset will be implemented successfully, and the time it will take to deliver a conservation benefit. Since implementation of the Environmental Offsets Policy and the Guide, there has been a shift in focus from estimating offset requirements based on simplistic area ratios, toward directly evaluating the components of an offset action that determine its environmental performance. Achieving a balance between scientific robustness and policy workability is an ongoing challenge. The Environmental Offsets Policy and Guide represent an important step towards consistency and transparency in environmental offset decision-making.