bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Canopy interception by a spruce forest in the upper reach of Heihe River basin, Northwestern China
Authors: Peng Huanhua , Zhao Chuanyan , Feng Zhaodong , Xu Zhonglin , Wang Chao , Zhao Yang 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe aim of this study is to understand the canopy interception of Qinghai spruce forest under conditions of different precipitation characteristics and canopy structures in the upper reach of Heihe River basin, northwestern China. On the basis of a continuous record covering our investigating period by an automatic throughfall‐collecting system, we analysed the relationships between the canopy interception and the precipitation characteristics. Our results support the well‐established exponential decay relationship between the gross precipitation and the interception percentage after the canopy is saturated. But our results sufficiently illustrate a notable point that the variations in the interception percentage are almost independent from the variations in the gross precipitation before the canopy is saturated. Our examination into the relationship between the interception and the 10‐min average intensity of precipitation demonstrates a divergent relationship, and the divergent relationship is bracketed by an upper ‘dry line’ indicating that 100% of gross precipitation was intercepted before saturation and by a lower ‘wet line’ suggesting that the actual canopy storage capacity reached the maximum and evaporation was the only component of the interception. To search for the relationship between canopy structures and interception, we grouped the canopy covers over the 90 throughfall‐collecting tanks into ten categories ranging from 0 (no cover) to 0.9 (nearly completely covered), and the corresponding canopy interception was calculated by subtracting the averaged throughfall of each canopy‐cover category from the gross precipitation. The results show that the interception percentage increases faster with increasing canopy cover under intermediate rainfall conditions than that under heavy rainfall conditions. Unexpectedly, under light rainfall conditions the increasing rate of interception percentage with increasing canopy cover and also with increasing plant area index is not faster than that under the intermediate rainfall conditions simply because the tank‐measured percentage of interception was extremely high at near‐zero canopy cover conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New test strategy for dung beetles during the authorization process of parasiticides
Authors: Adler Nicole , Bachmann Jean , Römbke Jörg 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
According to European legislation, an environmental risk assessment (ERA) of veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) for dung fauna is required in the authorization process, if the substance acts as a parasiticide for the treatment of pasture animals. In the past, however, the demonstration of the environmental safety of those VMPs for dung fauna was strongly hampered by the fact that no standardized tests were available. Therefore, starting with recommendations from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) advisory group, dung organism toxicity test standardization (DOTTS) test systems for phase II Tier A standardized tests on the mortality of dung fly and dung beetle larvae were developed and published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2008 and 2010. If a risk is identified for dung organisms in phase II Tier A of the ERA process, further tests are required for Tier B. So far, however, no advice is given for such studies in the existing guidelines. Therefore, 4 workshops took place between 2007 and 2009 with international dung fauna experts (Aveiro-Group) to find an appropriate test strategy for dung fauna organisms beyond Tier A mortality testing. For the first time, 2 different Tier B extended laboratory test approaches for dung beetles and test strategies for scenarios beyond Tier B are described in more detail. In case the risk assessment is still not clear, further options for Tier C (i.e., field studies) or Tier D (modeling) are briefly presented. Finally, the role of uncertainty and variability of test results is discussed, including recommendations for assessment factors for the different tiers to be used when assessing the risk of VMPs on dung organisms. The approach, especially the test strategy, will help industry, consultants, and assessors appropriately assess the environmental risk assessments during the authorization procedure of parasiticides. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2013;9:524–530. © 2013 SETAC
Rapid Genotypic Detection of rpoB and katG Gene Mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clinical Isolates from Northern India as Determined by MAS‐PCR
Authors: Gupta Anamika , Prakash Pradyot , Singh Surya K. , Anupurba Shampa 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundThere is a growing need to develop rapid laboratory research methods to counter the menace of drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR‐TB) cases worldwide especially in developing countries. The present study was undertaken to investigate the type and frequency of rpoB and katG mutations in rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) resistant strains respectively of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) circulating in Northern India and to explore the utility of multiplex‐allele‐specific (MAS)‐PCR assay for detection of drug‐resistant MTB isolates in low resource set up. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 27:31–37, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.MethodsPhenotypic and genotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) was performed on 354 MTB isolates.ResultsMutation in rpoB gene was found most frequently at codons 531, 526 and 516 (59.83%, 45.29% and 22.22%, respectively). Further, combinations of 2–3 point mutations were also observed in 19.66% of RIF‐resistant MTB strains. The frequency of mutations in katG gene was found at codon 315 among 82.95% of the INH‐resistant MTB isolates. MAS‐PCR detected rpoB and katG mutations in phenotypically resistant isolates with sensitivities of 93% and 83% respectively.ConclusionMAS‐PCR assays can be used for rapid detection of drug‐resistant TB strains in routine diagnostic practice, enabling early administration of appropriate treatment regimens to the affected patients.
Positive Bias in Mycophenolic Acid Concentrations Determined by the CEDIA Assay Compared to HPLC‐UV Method: Is CEDIA Assay Suitable for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Mycophenolic Acid?
Authors: Dasgupta Amitava , Johnson Myrtle 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundBoth immunoassays and chromatographic methods are available for therapeutic drug monitoring of mycophenolic acid (MPA), an immunosuppressant. We studied the suitability of cloned enzyme donor immunoassay (CEDIA) assay for routine monitoring of MPA by comparing values obtained by the CEDIA assay with corresponding values obtained by using a high‐performance liquid chromatography combined with ultraviolet detection (HPLC‐UV) method. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 27:77–80, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.MethodsWe compared MPA concentrations obtained by a reference HPLC‐UV method and CEDIA assay on Hitachi 917 analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN) using 60 patient specimens (18 liver transplant recipient and 42 kidney transplant recipients).ResultsWhen MPA concentrations in all 60 transplant recipients obtained by the HPLC‐UV (x‐axis) method were compared with corresponding values obtained by the CEDIA method (y‐axis), the following regression equation was obtained: y = 1.1558x + 0.2876 (r = 0.97). Interestingly, much lower bias was observed in 42 renal transplant recipients as revealed by the following regression equation; y = 1.1181x + 0.2745 (r = 0.98). However, more significant positive bias was observed in 18 liver transplant recipients as following regression equation as observed: y = 1.3337x + 0.1493 (r = 0.94).ConclusionsWe conclude that MPA concentrations determined by the CEDIA assay showed significant positive bias compared to HPLC‐UV method. Therefore, caution must be exercised in interpreting therapeutic drug monitoring result of MPA if CEDIA assay is used.
Optimization of lipid production for algal biodiesel in nitrogen stressed cells of Dunaliella salina using FTIR analysis
Authors: Liu Junying , Mukherjee Joy , Hawkes Jeremy J. , Wilkinson Stephen J. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractBackgroundLarge improvements in productivity are required to make massive scale biodiesel production from microalgae an economic reality. Although the maximum neutral lipid content of microalgae has received much attention as a target for optimization, there are other factors that are equally important. These are (1) the rates of accumulation of both biomass and lipids and (2) the maximum densities of algal cells that can be sustained in continuous cultivation. The combined effect of these factors for lipid production has not been thoroughly examined in Dunaliella species. Hence this study examines the rates of growth and lipid accumulation in Dunaliella salina using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) under several combinations of temperatures and cell densities.ResultsThe FTIR signal at 2926 cm−1 (rather than 1740 cm−1) is better for measuring lipids and the PCA of the full spectrum showed a clear separation between the nitrogen replete and nitrogen depleted cells. As expected, cells subjected to nitrogen starvation (N‐depleted) showed very little growth compared to the N‐replete cells. N‐depleted cells achieved a final lipid content that was 78% more than the N‐replete samples at 26 °C, while the differential for 16 °C was 28%. However, the slower growth rates caused by the stress of nitrogen starvation meant that the total lipid production over the starvation period was lower for many samples. Indeed, the only stress condition that gave significantly higher total lipid production was the highest cell density studied at 26 °C.ConclusionFor optimization of lipid productivity for biodiesel, the trade‐off between lipid content, growth rate and cell density needs to be considered. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry
A Polymer Network Prepared by the Thiol‐yne Photocrosslinking of a Liquid Crystalline Dendrimer
Authors: Cervera‐Procas Ramón , Sánchez‐Somolinos Carlos , Serrano José L. , Omenat Ana 
Published: January 2013

AbstractA polymer network is prepared by the thiol‐yne photopolymerization of multifunctional dendrimer with a tetrathiol crosslinker. The network obtained shows a liquid crystalline phase at room temperature, which has been characterized by optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X‐ray diffraction. Photoinduced deformation of uniaxially aligned free‐standing films of the photocrosslinked material has been demonstrated.
Disrupted cerebellar connectivity reduces whole‐brain network efficiency in multiple system atrophy
Authors: Lu Chia‐Feng , Soong Bing‐Wen , Wu Hsiu‐Mei , Teng Shin , Wang Po‐Shan , Wu Yu‐Te 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACTMultiple system atrophy of the cerebellar type is a sporadic neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. We hypothesized that the white matter degeneration of the cerebellum and pons in this disease may cause a breakdown of cerebellar structural networks and further reduce the network efficiency of cerebellar‐connected cerebral regions. Diffusion tensor tractography was used to construct the structural networks of 19 cerebellar‐type multiple system atrophy patients, who were compared with 19 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Graph theory was used to assess the small‐world properties and topological organization of structure networks in both the control and patient groups. Our results showed that the cerebellar‐type multiple system atrophy patients exhibited altered small‐world architecture with significantly increased characteristic shortest path lengths and decreased clustering coefficients. We also found that white matter degeneration in the cerebellum was characterized by reductions in network strength (number and integrity of fiber connections) of the cerebellar regions, which further induced extensively decreased network efficiency for numerous cerebral regions. Finally, we found that the reductions in nodal efficiency of the cerebellar lobules and bilateral sensorimotor, prefrontal, and basal ganglia regions negatively correlated with the severity of ataxia for the cerebellar‐type multiple system atrophy patients. This study demonstrates for the first time that the brains of cerebellar‐type multiple system atrophy patients exhibit disrupted topological organization of white matter structural networks. Thus, this study provides structural evidence of the relationship between abnormalities of white matter integrity and network efficiency that occurs in cerebellar‐type multiple system atrophy. © 2013 Movement Disorder Society
Characterization of thiol‐conjugated metabolites of ginger components shogaols in mouse and human urine and modulation of the glutathione levels in cancer cells by [6]‐shogaol
Authors: Chen Huadong , Soroka Dominique N. , Hu Yuhui , Chen Xiaoxin , Sang Shengmin 
Published: January 2013

ScopeShogaols, a series of major constituents in dried ginger with the most abundant being [6]‐, [8]‐, and [10]‐shogaols, show much higher anticancer potencies than gingerols. Previously, we reported the mercapturic acid pathway as a major metabolic route for [6]‐shogaol in mice. However, it is still unclear how the side chain length affects the metabolism of shogaols and how shogaols are metabolized in humans.Methods and resultsWe first investigate the metabolism of [10]‐shogaol in mouse urine, and then investigate the biotransformation of shogaols in human urine. Our results show that eight major thiol‐conjugated metabolites of [10]‐shogaol were detected in mouse urine, while six major thiol‐conjugated metabolites of [6]‐shogaol, two thiol‐conjugated metabolites of [8]‐shogaol, and two thiol‐conjugated metabolites of [10]‐shogaol were detected in urine collected from human after drinking ginger tea, using LC/ESI‐MS/MS. Our results clearly indicate the mercapturic acid pathway is a major metabolic route for [10]‐shogaol in mice and for shogaols in human. Furthermore, we also investigated the regulation of glutathione (GSH) by [6]‐shogaol in human colon cancer cells HCT‐116. Our results show [6]‐shogaol, after initially depleting glutathione levels, can subsequently restore and increase GSH levels over time.ConclusionShogaols are metabolized extensively in mouse and human to form thiol‐conjugated metabolites and GSH might play an important role in the cancer‐preventive activity of ginger.
Electrospun core–shell nanofibers for drug encapsulation and sustained release
Authors: Maleki Mahboubeh , Latifi Masoud , Amani‐Tehran Mohammad , Mathur Sanjay 
Published: January 2013

AbstractFabrication of core–shell nanofibers by coaxial electrospinning system suited for drug delivery applications was investigated based on tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) as the core and poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) as the shell materials. Comparison of drug release from monolithic fibers (blend electrospinning) and core–shell structures was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the core–shell morphology. The nanofibrous webs are potentially interesting for wound healing purposes since they can be maintained for an adequate length of time to gradually disinfect a local area without the need of bandage renewal. Further, our studies showed the potential of core–shell nanostructures for sustained drug release, which also suppressed the burst release effect from 62 to 44% in the first 3 hours by adding only 1 wt% TCH to the polymeric shell. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Organomodification of montmorillonite and its effects on the properties of poly(butylene succinate) nanocomposites
Authors: Phua Y.J. , Chow W.S. , Mohd Ishak Z.A. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe pristine sodium montmorillonite (MMT) was organically modified with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) at different contents. The organoclay was characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray techniques, and thermogravimetric analysis. Then, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) nanocomposites were prepared by melt‐mixing process using maleic anhydride‐grafted PBS (PBS‐g‐MA) as compatibilizer. It was found that the mechanical properties of PBS nanocomposites filled with organoclay were apparently higher than that of the nanocomposite filled with MMT. This is attributed to the better filler–matrix interactions between PBS and the organoclay and the better filler dispersion. This is verifiable through the XRD, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The addition of PBS‐g‐MA further improved the mechanical properties. It was also found that our laboratory synthesized organoclay modified with HTAB has provided a better reinforcing efficiency when compared with the commercial octadecylamine‐modified organoclay. Besides that the thermal properties of PBS nanocomposites were studied through differential scanning calorimetry. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Light‐trapping properties of patch textures created using laser assisted texturing
Authors: Thorstensen Jostein , Foss Sean Erik , Gjessing Jo 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACTFor crystalline silicon solar cells, the efficient collection of light at wavelengths in the infrared is a challenge because of long absorption lengths. Especially for thinner wafers, an efficient light‐trapping scheme, such as the patch texture, is required for high short‐circuit current densities. We have measured the light‐trapping properties of patch textures produced by laser assisted texturing (LAST) on polished ⟨100⟩silicon wafers, and compared them with ray‐tracing simulations. Single‐sided random pyramid textures are created for comparison. Excellent agreement between simulations and measurements is achieved by employing diffuse scattering with a narrow angular distribution in the simulations, confirming the successful implementation of the process. We use our optical measurements of the textures for simulations of textures with rear reflectors, where we also investigate the influence on light‐trapping properties when varying geometry and reflectance properties. The results from the optical simulations are imported into the solar cell simulation program PC1D. For a 50  μm‐thick solar cell, we simulate an improvement in Jsc of up to 0.4  mA/cm2 when going from single‐sided random pyramid textures to patch textures, even when the performance of the texture is limited by process inaccuracies. Removing the physical inaccuracies of the laser system, the potential gain in Jsc on a 50  μm‐thick cell with a patch texture covering the complete wafer surface is 0.8  mA/cm2. We therefore conclude that the LAST method for creating patch textures is suitable to achieve an improved Jsc in thin monocrystalline silicon solar cells. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optical and electrical characterization of transparent conductive Gd‐doped AZO thin films
Authors: Liu Yen‐Shuo , Lin Yung‐Shun , Wei Yu‐Shan , Wei Chia‐Ying , Lee Po‐Ming , Liu Cheng‐Yi 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe Gd‐doped Al‐doped Zn oxide (AZO) thin films are prepared and characterized in this study. The findings show that when the Gd doping concentration exceeded a threshold of approximately 3–5 wt%, the resistivity of the Gd:AZO thin film was reduced to a point that was lower than the resistivity of the pure AZO thin film. The reduction in resistivity was caused by the increase of the carrier concentration. This study proposes that the increase in carrier concentration was caused by the additional Gd3+Zn2+ substitution reaction. After performing 10 wt% Gd doping, the transmittance of the Gd:AZO thin film in the near UV region was increased. Following an annealing process at 200 °C, the transmittance of the annealed 100‐nm Gd:AZO (10 wt%) thin films was over 80% at the 375 nm wavelength, which was approximately 40% higher than that of the annealed pure AZO thin film. The 600‐nm Gd:AZO (10 wt%) annealed at 200 °C is found to have the best figure of merit value (0.24 ohm−1) at 375 nm (near UV regime) among all studied Gd:AZO (10 wt%) thin films in this study.
The carbon dioxide production rate assumption biases gastric emptying parameters in healthy adults
Authors: Markey Oonagh , Shafat Amir 
Published: January 2013

RATIONALEAn altered gastric emptying (GE) rate has been implicated in the aetiology of obesity. The 13C‐octanoic acid breath test (OBT) is frequently used to measure GE, and the cumulative percentage of 13C recovered (cPDR) is a common outcome measure. However, true cPDR in breath is dependent on accurate measurement of carbon dioxide production rate (). The current study aimed to quantify differences in the 13C OBT results obtained using directly measured (
) compared with (i) predicted from resting (
) and (ii) predicted from body surface area (
).METHODSThe GE rate of a high‐fat test meal was assessed in 27 lean subjects using the OBT. Breath samples were gathered during the fasted state and at regular intervals throughout the 6‐h postprandial period for determination of 13C‐isotopic enrichment by continuous‐flow isotope‐ratio mass spectrometry. The was measured directly from exhaled air samples and the PDR calculated by three methods. The bias and the limits of agreement were calculated using Bland‐Altman plots.RESULTSCompared with the
, the cPDR was underestimated by
(4.8%; p = 0.0001) and
(2.7%; p = 0.02). The GE Thalf was underestimated by
(13 min; p = 0.0001) and
(10 min; p = 0.01), compared with
.CONCLUSIONSThe findings highlight the importance of directly measuring production rates throughout the 13C OBT and could partly explain the conflicting evidence regarding the effect of obesity on GE rates. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric exploration of the high‐affinity binding of three natural alkaloids with the mRNA G‐quadruplex in the BCL2 5′‐untranslated region
Authors: Tan Wei , Yuan Gu 
Published: January 2013

RATIONALEThe BCL2 gene encodes an integral outer mitochondrial membrane protein (25 kDa) which regulates the apoptotic death of cells. There is a 25‐nucleotide G‐rich sequence in the 5'‐untranslated region (5'‐UTR) of the BCL2 mRNA, which can adopt a G‐quadruplex structure. Small molecules which could tightly bind to this structure have a potential function in the regulation of the expression of the BCL2 mRNA.METHODSThe 25‐mer oligonucleotide (5'‐G5CCGUG4UG3AGCUG4‐3') was synthesized by TaKaRa Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (TaKaRa, Dalian) with high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purification. Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) was used to probe the binding properties of natural small molecules (P) with the mRNA G‐quadruplex in the BCL2 5′‐UTR (BCL2Q). Collision‐induced dissociation (CID) mass spectrometry and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy were performed to evaluate the stabilization of the mRNA G‐quadruplex and its complexes.RESULTSThe results from ESI mass spectra showed that three natural alkaloids (nitidine, palmatine, and jatrorrizine) have high binding affinities to the mRNA G‐quadruplex with the binding stoichiometry ranging from 1:1 to 3:1. CID mass spectrometry results revealed that the G‐quadruplex‐ligand complex lost bases first rather than losing the binding molecules. Increases in the Tm values of the complexes of the G‐quadruplex with the natural alkaloids in the CD melting experiments demonstrated that the three small molecules can stabilize the G‐quadruplex structure.CONCLUSIONSThree natural small molecules were found to have very high binding affinities to the mRNA G‐quadruplex and stabilize this structure. The properties of these alkaloids revealed promising potentials to regulate the expression of the BCL2 protein from the posttranscriptional pathway. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.