bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Serum Preptin and Amylin Values in Psoriasis Vulgaris and Behçet's Patients
Authors: Dogan Fatma Baskaya , Cicek Demet , Aydin Suleyman , Dertlioglu Selma Bakar , Halisdemir Nurhan , Ucak Haydar , Demir Betul , Erden Ilker 
Published: December 2014

BackgroundInsulin resistance is found in both psoriasis and Behçet's disease. No study has yet explored whether preptin and amylin, two hormones associated with insulin resistance, are involved in the insulin resistance observed in patients with psoriasis and Behçet's disease.ObjectivesWe aimed to explore how the amounts of preptin and amylin change in psoriasis and Behçet's disease and whether they are involved in the etiopathology of these two diseases, by comparing hormone levels in patients and healthy controls.MethodsThe study registered 30 patients with psoriasis, 30 patients with Behçet's disease, and 30 healthy volunteers (as a control group). Fasting blood sugar, triglyceride, LDL, VLDL, HDL, total cholesterol, HbA1c, C‐peptide, insulin, and serum preptin and amylin levels were measured in all subjects.ResultsSerum preptin and amylin levels were significantly lower in the patients with psoriasis and Behçet's disease than in the control group (P < 0.001, P = 0.004, and P = 0.008, respectively). A comparison of the serum preptin and amylin levels between the patients with psoriasis and Behçet's disease did not reveal a statistically significant difference. Serum insulin level and The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) index were significantly lower in the psoriasis patient group relative to the control group (P = 0.02 and P = 0.03, respectively), while the values for the Behçet's disease group did not differ significantly from those for the control groupConclusionsSerum levels of preptin and amylin were significantly lower in patients with psoriasis and Behçet's disease, indicating that these hormones may be a factor for development of metabolic syndrome in these two diseases.
Enzymatic treatment applied as a final stage in E. globulus kraft pulp bleaching
Authors: Sousa Joana IT , Moura Ana IG , Evtuguin Dmitry V , Carvalho M Graça VS 
Published: December 2014

AbstractBACKGROUNDBrightness stability of bleached chemical pulps is often associated with the final bleaching stages that should provide the removal of chromogenic species responsible for brightness reversion without compromising the papermaking potential. Aiming at promoting higher brightness stability, a partially bleached Eucalyptus globulus pulp (DED) of c. 88% ISO brightness was involved in a study of a final enzymatic stage (X) alternative to conventional chlorine dioxide (D) and hydrogen peroxide (P) bleaching stages (DEDX vs. DEDD and DEDX vs. DEDP). X stage was also applied before and after the final P or D stages (DEDDX/DEDXD and DEDPX/DEDXP) to produce high brightness pulps (c. 91%).RESULTSX stage with xylanase Pulpzyme HC allowed an increase of c. 1.5% in pulp brightness while decreasing the brightness reversion and a concomitant pulp yield loss of only 0.5%. Significant chemical savings were obtained in the final D (70%) or P (45%) stages to achieve targeted final brightness of c. 91%. DEDXD or DEDXP sequences had advantage over DEDDX and DEDPX, respectively, in terms of brightness stability of fully bleached pulps.CONCLUSIONSXylanase interferes with structures responsible for the brightness reversion. X stage allows production of pulp with extra brightness in sequences with a final P stage. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
The usage of different forms of ferrate (VI) ion for amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin removal: density functional theory based modelling of redox decomposition
Authors: Barışçı Sibel , Ulu Feride , Sillanpää Mika , Dimoglo Anatholy 
Published: December 2014

AbstractBACKGROUNDDecomposition of amoxicillin (AMX) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) in aqueous suspensions by two forms of ferrate (VI) were investigated. The effect of the initial concentration of antibiotics, pH, and ferrate (VI) dosage were examined. Model calculations were made by the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method (RB3LYP) taking into account the environmental parameters. LanL2DZ and 6‐311G++(d, p) were taken as basic functions for the calculations. This was followed by analysis of two redox decomposition mechanisms of the ferrate ion, with the O2 molecule formation and electron density distribution, and the reaction mechanism of superoxide particle formation, which participates in the AMX and CIP oxidation process.RESULTSFerrate (VI) degraded CIP more effciently than AMX in both forms. Electrogenerated ferrate (VI) was more efficient than direct use of its solid form. The removal efficiencies of CIP and AMX by electrogenerated ferrate (VI) were 80.9% and 63.7%, respectively.CONCLUSIONThis study demonstrates that ferrate (VI), with its high oxidizing capacity and coagulation effect, could be applied to the removal of antibiotics in wastewater treatment. The results of the AMX and CIP electron structure calculations demonstrate that electron transfer to the molecules leads to the formation of meta‐stable states and causes the molecules to fragment. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Value of sonographic anterior‐posterior renal pelvis measurements before and after voiding for predicting vesicoureteral reflux in children
Authors: Demir Senay , Tokmak Naime , Cengiz Nurcan , Noyan Aytul 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTPurposeVoiding cystourethrography (VCUG) is the gold standard for diagnosing vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), but it is important to minimize the use of VCUG because of the urinary catheterization and radiation exposure required. Ultrasound (US) observations suggest that pelvicalyceal dilatation varies according to the degree of bladder fullness in children with urinary tract infection. The aim of this study was to assess whether anterior‐posterior (AP) measurements of the renal pelvis on US before and after voiding can be used as a screening tool while predicting the presence of VUR in children.MethodsThe subjects were toilet‐trained children older than 4 years who required VCUG. Two groups were established based on the VCUG results: a VUR group of 40 kidney units (each unit defined as calyces and ureter) that exhibited different severities of reflux, and a control group of 68 kidney units unaffected by VUR. Prior to VCUG, US AP measurements of the renal pelvis of each kidney unit were recorded when the urinary bladder was full and again after bladder emptying. The change in AP measurement from before to after voiding was compared between the two groups.ResultsThe mean change in AP measurements from before to after voiding in the VUR group was significantly greater than that in the control group (p = 0.003).ConclusionsComparing US AP measurements of the renal pelvis before and after voiding is useful for identifying children who are suspected to have VUR and thus require immediate VCUG. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 43:490–494 2015
Brooks' Theorem and Beyond
Authors: Cranston Daniel W. , Rabern Landon 
Published: December 2014

AbstractWe collect some of our favorite proofs of Brooks' Theorem, highlighting advantages and extensions of each. The proofs illustrate some of the major techniques in graph coloring, such as greedy coloring, Kempe chains, hitting sets, and the Kernel Lemma. We also discuss standard strengthenings of vertex coloring, such as list coloring, online list coloring, and Alon–Tarsi orientations, since analogs of Brooks' Theorem hold in each context. We conclude with two conjectures along the lines of Brooks' Theorem that are much stronger, the Borodin–Kostochka Conjecture and Reed's Conjecture.
Influence of landscape features on spatial genetic structure of white‐tailed deer in human‐altered landscapes
Authors: Locher Alexandra , Scribner Kim T. , Moore Jennifer A. , Murphy Brittany , Kanefsky Jeannette 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTPredictive relationships between estimates of functional population connectivity and physical and biotic landscape features can provide important insights into present and future population responses to human‐mediated landscape change. Quantification of associations between landscape features and dispersal or genetic surrogates such as gene flow among areas can be particularly challenging for continuously distributed and highly mobile wildlife species. We assessed the relative influence of natural and human‐altered landscape features on white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) spatial genetic structure (SGS) in southern Michigan (USA) using 7 microsatellite markers assayed for 326 adult individuals from 21 contiguous counties (33,284 km2). We used previously collected telemetry data to quantify probabilities of habitat occupancy and seasonal movements that allowed selection and weighting of landscape features to create habitat suitability indices (HSI). We assigned individuals to groups (n = 13) for statistical analyses quantifying relationships between measures of SGS (response variable) with Euclidean distance, least cost distances parameterized using HSI, and presence of natural (rivers) and man‐made (roads) barriers to dispersal. Over the entire study area, genetic differentiation was significant (meanFst = 0.019,P < 0.001) and increased with increasing inter‐group geographic distance (r2 = 0.381;P < 0.05). We identified features in the landscape matrix between groups including rivers, high traffic roads, and habitats of intermediate HSI as inhibiting gene flow. Low HSI was associated with low between‐groupFstand appeared to facilitate gene flow. Quantification of the relative importance of man‐made barriers (roads) and habitat suitability to SGS for white‐tailed deer emphasizes the importance of joint use of ecological and genetic analyses in conservation and control efforts for abundant and mobile wildlife species. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.
Temporal dynamics of the reponses by African mammals to prescribed fire
Authors: Green David S. , Roloff Gary J. , Heath Brian R. , Holekamp Kay E. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTPrescribed fire is an important management tool in east Africa as a way to improve foraging conditions for herbivores, and to make wildlife easier for tourists to observe and photograph. Although past research has investigated the factors influencing herbivore use of post‐fire vegetation, the temporal dynamics of these effects have seldom been documented, and use of burned areas by African carnivores has not been evaluated. Between 2008 and 2011, we studied responses of 8 common herbivores and 8 carnivore species to burns in the Mara‐Serengeti ecosystem in southwestern Kenya by monitoring mammal abundance on 4 transects from up to 136 days before burning, and up to 748 days after burning. Among herbivores, zebra, warthog, Thomson's gazelle, Grant's gazelle, and topi, occurred in higher densities in burned than unburned areas. Impala and wildebeest showed trends toward occurring in higher densities in burned areas. These effects lasted up to 120 days for Thomson's gazelle, but we did not observe a specific temporal relationship to burning in the other 5 herbivore species. Both small and large carnivores were more likely to be observed along transects after than before burns; we observed small carnivores including black‐backed jackals, side‐striped jackals, bat‐eared foxes, and banded mongoose in greater numbers up to 365 days after burns but observed large carnivores, including African lions, spotted hyenas, leopards, and cheetahs, in greater numbers only for up to 120 days after burns. Our results indicate that wildlife responses to prescribed fire last ≤1 year in this region. Although burning stimulates vegetation growth and improves wildlife visibility, managers should recognize that wildlife responses might not persist for more than a few months in tropical African savannas like the one monitored here. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.
Evaluating habitat suitability models for nesting white‐headed woodpeckers in unburned forest
Authors: Latif Quresh S. , Saab Victoria A. , Mellen‐Mclean Kim , Dudley Jonathan G. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTHabitat suitability models can provide guidelines for species conservation by predicting where species of interest are likely to occur. Presence‐only models are widely used but typically provide only relative indices of habitat suitability (HSIs), necessitating rigorous evaluation often using independently collected presence‐absence data. We refined and evaluated presence‐only habitat suitability models for nesting white‐headed woodpeckers (Picoides albolarvatus), a narrowly distributed species of conservation concern that occupies dry conifer forests of the Inland Pacific Northwest, USA. We developed 2 models using Mahalanobis D2 and Maxent techniques from nest location datasets collected on the eastside of the Cascade Mountain Range, Oregon (1 dataset in 1997–2004 and another, sampling a broader spatial extent, in 2010–2011). Consistent with known ecology of white‐headed woodpeckers, both HSI models related positively with percent ponderosa pine, moderate levels of canopy cover (approx. 40%), and moderate‐to‐high levels of heterogeneity in forest structure. Unlike Mahalanobis HSIs, however, Maxent HSIs were consistently and positively related with nest prevalence and positively related with habitat use estimated with independent point count data. Locations with high Maxent HSIs were characterized by canopy openings adjacent to closed canopy forests. The fact that this habitat feature was described by Maxent HSIs but not by Mahalanobis HSIs possibly explains why Maxent HSIs better predicted white‐headed woodpecker occurrence. Additionally, we used presence‐absence data for model evaluation that sampled a broader spatial extent than nest surveys and therefore allowed us to demonstrate the generality of Maxent HSIs. Additional nest location data collected across a broader portion of the species range would be valuable for further model improvement and evaluation, but until such data are available, we recommend use of Maxent HSIs to guide habitat conservation and restoration efforts in unburned dry forests of Oregon. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
CopM is a novel copper‐binding protein involved in copper resistance in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Authors: Giner‐Lamia Joaquín , López‐Maury Luis , Florencio Francisco J. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractCopper resistance system in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 comprises two operons, copMRS and copBAC, which are expressed in response to copper in the media. copBAC codes for a heavy‐metal efflux–resistance nodulation and division (HME‐RND) system, while copMRS codes for a protein of unknown function, CopM, and a two‐component system CopRS, which controls the expression of these two operons. Here, we report that CopM is a periplasmic protein able to bind Cu(I) with high affinity (KD ~3 × 10−16). Mutants lacking copM showed a sensitive copper phenotype similar to mutants affected in copB, but lower than mutants of the two‐component system CopRS, suggesting that CopBAC and CopM constitute two independent resistance mechanisms. Moreover, constitutive expression of copM is able to partially suppress the copper sensitivity of the copR mutant strain, pointing out that CopM per se is able to confer copper resistance. Furthermore, constitutive expression of copM was able to reduce total cellular copper content of the copR mutant to the levels determined in the wild‐type (WT) strain. Finally, CopM was localized not only in the periplasm but also in the extracellular space, suggesting that CopM can also prevent copper accumulation probably by direct copper binding outside the cell.
Miniaturized Cultivation of Microbiota for Antimalarial Drug Discovery
Authors: Waterman Carrie , Calcul Laurent , Beau Jeremy , Ma Wai Sheung , Lebar Matthew D. , von Salm Jacqueline L. , Harter Charles , Mutka Tina , Morton Lindsay C. , Maignan Patrick , Barisic Betty , van Olphen Alberto , Kyle Dennis E. , Vrijmoed Lilian , Pang Ka‐Lai , Pearce Cedric J. , Baker Bill J. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThe ongoing search for effective antiplasmodial agents remains essential in the fight against malaria worldwide. Emerging parasitic drug resistance places an urgent need to explore chemotherapies with novel structures and mechanisms of action. Natural products have historically provided effective antimalarial drug scaffolds. In an effort to search nature's chemical potential for antiplasmodial agents, unconventionally sourced organisms coupled with innovative cultivation techniques were utilized. Approximately 60,000 niche microbes from various habitats (slow‐growing terrestrial fungi, Antarctic microbes, and mangrove endophytes) were cultivated on a small‐scale, extracted, and used in high‐throughput screening to determine antimalarial activity. About 1% of crude extracts were considered active and 6% partially active (≥67% inhibition at 5 and 50 μg/mL, respectively). Active extracts (685) were cultivated on a large‐scale, fractionated, and screened for both antimalarial activity and cytotoxicity. High interest fractions (397) with an IC50 < 1.11 μg/mL were identified and subjected to chromatographic separation for compound characterization and dereplication. Identifying active compounds with nanomolar antimalarial activity coupled with a selectivity index tenfold higher was accomplished with two of the 52 compounds isolated. This microscale, high‐throughput screening project for antiplasmodial agents is discussed in the context of current natural product drug discovery efforts.
Ultrasound characterization of medial gastrocnemius tissue composition in children with spastic cerebral palsy
Authors: Pitcher Christian A. , Elliott Catherine M. , Panizzolo Fausto A. , Valentine Jane P. , Stannage Katherine , Reid Siobhán L. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACTIntroduction: In this study we aimed to characterize muscle composition of the medial gastrocnemius in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) using quantitative ultrasound.Methods: Forty children with SCP, aged 4–14 years, participated in this study. Children were grouped according to the gross motor function classification system (GMFCS I–V) and compared with a cohort of age‐ and gender‐matched, typically developing children (TD;n = 12). Ultrasound scans were taken of the medial gastrocnemius. Images were then characterized using grayscale statistics to determine mean echo intensity (EI) and the size and number of spatially connected homogeneous regions (i.e., blobs).Results: Significant differences in skeletal muscle composition were found between children with SCP and their TD peers. Children classified as GMFCS III consistently exhibited the highest EI and blob area.Conclusions: This study demonstrates altered tissue composition in children with SCP visualized using ultrasound. Further work is required to determine the pathophysiology contributing to these alterations in SCP.Muscle Nerve52:397–403, 2015
A non‐local continuum damage approach to model dynamic crack branching
Authors: Wolff Cyprien , Richart Nicolas , Molinari Jean‐François 
Published: December 2014

SummaryDynamic crack‐branching instabilities in a brittle material are studied numerically by using a non‐local damage model. PMMA is taken as our model brittle material. The simulated crack patterns, crack velocities, and dissipated energies compare favorably with experimental data gathered from the literature, as long as the critical strain for damage initiation as well as the parameters for a rate‐dependent damage law are carefully selected. Nonetheless, the transition from a straight crack propagation to the emergence of crack branches is very sensitive to the damage initiation threshold. The transition regime is thus a particularly interesting challenge for numerical approaches. We advocate using the present numerical study as a benchmark to test the robustness of alternative non‐local numerical approaches. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Validation of the Patient Advocacy Engagement Scale for Health Professionals
Authors: Jansson Bruce S. , Nyamathi Adeleine , Duan Lei , Kaplan Charles , Heidemann Gretchen , Ananias Debbie 
Published: December 2014

AbstractCodes of ethics of nursing, social work, and medicine, as well as Joint Commission Accreditation Standards, require members of these professions to engage in advocacy on behalf of patients. With use of expert panels, seven categories of patient problems in the healthcare milieu were identified: ethical rights, quality care, preventive care, culturally competent care, affordable/accessible care, mental health care, and care linked to patients' homes and communities. To measure the frequency with which healthcare professionals engage in patient advocacy related to these specific problems, the Patient Advocacy Engagement Scale (Patient‐AES) scale was developed and validated through analysis of responses of 297 professionals (94 social workers, 97 nurses, and 104 medical residents) recruited from the personnel rosters of eight acute‐care hospitals in Los Angeles County. Hospitals included public, not‐for‐profit, HMO, and church‐affiliated hospitals that served general hospital populations, veterans, cancer patients, and children. Results supported the validity of both the concept and the instrument. Construct validity was supported by testing the hypothesized seven‐factor solution through confirmatory factor analysis; 26 items loaded onto seven components. Pearson correlations for the overall scale and seven subscales in two administrations supported their test–retest stability. Cronbach α ranged from .55 to .94 for the seven subscales and .95 for the overall Patient‐AES. The Patient‐AES is, to our knowledge, the first scale that measures patient advocacy engagement by healthcare professionals in acute‐care settings related to a broad range of specific patient problems. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A comparison of distributed MPC schemes on a hydro‐power plant benchmark
Authors: Maestre J. M. , Ridao M. A. , Kozma A. , Savorgnan C. , Diehl M. , Doan M. D. , Sadowska A. , Keviczky T. , De Schutter B. , Scheu H. , Marquardt W. , Valencia F. , Espinosa J. 
Published: December 2014

SUMMARYIn this paper, we analyze and compare five distributed model predictive control (DMPC) schemes using a hydro‐power plant benchmark. Besides being one of the most important sources of renewable power, hydro‐power plants present very interesting control challenges. The operation of a hydro‐power valley involves the coordination of several subsystems over a large geographical area in order to produce the demanded energy while satisfying constraints on water levels and flows. In particular, we test the different DMPC algorithms using a 24‐h power tracking scenario in which the hydro‐power plant is simulated with an accurate nonlinear model. In this way, it is possible to provide qualitative and quantitative comparisons between different DMPC schemes implemented on a common benchmark, which is a type of assessment rare in the literature. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.