bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Soil Water Repellency Severity and its Spatio‐Temporal Variation in Burnt Eucalypt Plantations in North‐Central Portugal
Authors: Malvar Maruxa C. , Prats Sergio A. , Nunes João P. , Keizer Jan J. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractSoil water repellency (SWR) is a dynamic soil property that influences soil hydrology. The main goal of this work was to determine in situ spatial and temporal variations in SWR in six recently burnt eucalypt stands with different pre‐ and post‐fire management. The severity of SWR was measured in the field using the “molarity of an ethanol droplet test” during 1–2 years, at intervals of 1–2 weeks. Measurements were taken for the ash layer, soil surface and three different soil depths (2–3, 7–8 and 14–16 cm). The volumetric soil moisture content (SMC) was measured at the three deepest layers. The results showed that ploughing operations carried out several years before the fire did not have major impacts on the severity of SWR. The ash layer was predominately wettable, whereas the other soil layers were dominated by strong to extreme severity SWR. Furthermore, and starting at a soil depth of 3 cm, the severity of repellency decreased with increasing depth. The spatial variability within a slope was significant on half of the sampling days, indicating that wettable patches were present under median severely repellent conditions, possibly increasing hydrological connectivity within the slopes. Temporal SWR patterns were inversely related to antecedent rainfall and SMC. The SWR patterns were similar between sites, as well as for the different sampling depths within each site. Major changes in the median levels of repellency were registered in periods as short as 1–2 weeks, but measured rainfall and/or soil moisture conditions were insufficient to explain these changes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Are There Arid Land Soilscapes in Southwestern Europe?
Authors: Ibáñez Juan José , Pérez‐Gómez Rufino , Oyonarte Cecilio , Brevik Eric C. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractNo studies have proven the existence of soil assemblages typical of arid lands in Europe. This study was carried out in a representative territory of the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, Almería province, which is the driest part of Europe, to determine if soils characteristic of arid lands are present. In order to analyse the spatial distribution of soils, the authors made use of mathematical tools previously developed in biodiversity and pedodiversity analysis, such as richness, entropy indices, abundance distribution models, diversity‐area relationships and nested subset analysis. The study demonstrates that the soil types or pedotaxa are typical of mountainous arid lands. Shallow and weakly developed soils (e.g. Leptosols, Regosols and Arenosols), Calcisols, Gypsisols and Solonchaks, cover most of the study area, and pedodiversity analysis demonstrates that the pedotaxa spatial patterns follow the same regularities as in other areas, environments and scales. In view of the fact that the class of landscapes identified in this study is unique in Europe, the Tarbernas desert and other arid lands sites of the study area merit preservation as part of the European geological, geomorphological and pedological heritage. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improving the performance of J‐modulated ADEQUATE experiments through homonuclear decoupling and non‐uniform sampling
Authors: Saurí Josep , Parella Teodor , Williamson R. Thomas , Martin Gary E. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractHomonuclear 13C–13C couplings at natural abundance can be measured using the J‐modulated Adequate DoublE QUAntumTransfer Experiment (ADEQUATE) experiment. To somewhat ameliorate F1 digitization requirements, a scaling factor was incorporated into the original pulse sequence. Non‐uniform sampling provides an obvious avenue to further facilitate the acquisition of 1JCC and nJCC homonuclear coupling constant data. We introduce homonuclear decoupling (HD) analogous to that described for the 1,1‐HD‐ADEQUATE and 1,n‐HD‐ADEQUATE experiments and evaluate the combination of non‐uniform sampling and HD on the acquisition of both 1JCC and nJCC homonuclear 13C–13C coupling constants using ibuprofen as a model compound. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SENSE reconstruction for multiband EPI including slice‐dependent N/2 ghost correction
Authors: Hennel Franciszek , Buehrer Martin , von Deuster Constantin , Seuven Aline , Pruessmann Klaas P. 
Published: September 2015

PurposeSensitivity encoding (SENSE) reconstruction of multiband echo planar imaging (EPI) may cause artifacts when simultaneously excited slices require different phase correction to remove the EPI‐specific ghost shifted by half of the matrix size (N). We propose a simplified solution of this problem that combines SENSE unfolding with the EPI phase correction in the image domain.Theory and MethodsSlice‐dependent phase correction was included in equations linking folded slice images reconstructed separately from even and odd echoes of all receivers with the true images of each slice. Compared with the previously proposed combination of ghost suppression with SENSE based on a direct image fit to echo data, our method reduces the problem complexity by N2/4. It was applied to reconstruct images of phantoms and human brain.ResultsThe proposed method tolerates high differences of phase correction between slices, which may result, e.g., from anisotropic gradient delay. It suppresses artifacts better than standard SENSE even when the latter is repeated with the ghost correction targeting each of the slices and works significantly faster than the direct fit version of ghost‐correcting SENSE.ConclusionWith the proposed modification SENSE allows a rapid separation of slices simultaneously acquired with EPI even when the phase correction needed for each slice is different. Magn Reson Med 76:873–879, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Natural history of muscle cramps in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Caress James B. , Ciarlone Stephanie L. , Sullivan Elizabeth A. , Griffin Leah P. , Cartwright Michael S. 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Muscle cramping is a common symptom in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that lacks efficacious treatment. The natural history of this symptom is unknown, which hampers efforts to design optimal clinical trials. Methods: We surveyed early stage ALS patients about their experience with cramps each month by phone for up to 21 months. Results: Cramps developed in 95% of patients over the course of their disease. The number of cramps experienced by an individual varied widely from month‐to‐month and trended lower after the first year of illness (P = 0.26). Those with limb‐onset and age >60 years had more cramps than bulbar‐onset (P < 0.0001) and younger patients (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The high variability of the number of cramps experienced suggests that clinical trials will need to use crossover designs or large numbers of participants, even when the treatment effect is substantial. Muscle Nerve 53: 513–517, 2016
The Use of Animal Bone as Fuel in the Third Millennium BC Walled Enclosure of Castanheiro do Vento (Northern Portugal)
Authors: Costa C. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractExperiments on fire manipulation of bones as fuel demonstrated that animal bones are effective in the act of maintaining lasting combustion. These experiments are almost always applied to the studies in hunter–gather societies in prehistory, even though the use of bones as fuel is also known in historical times.Based on data and models resulting from these recent experiments, both in laboratory and in real hearths, I tested the hypothesis of the use of animal bone as fuel in the third/second millennium BC walled enclosure of Castanheiro do Vento, in northern Portugal. The faunal assemblage shows some specific characteristics such as a very low percentage of identifiable material and close to 90% of charred bones with a very high index of fragmentationI link the faunal analysis with the results of some experiments recently published. These experiments show the particularities of bone fuel combustion, specifically used in certain activities. Nevertheless, the interpretation of these activities in Castanheiro do Vento is difficult to achieve because of the preliminary state of the investigations. As an additional problem, the available interpretations in the literature concern mostly hunter–gather, and models do not take into account the complex societies of the third/second millennium BC. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predation risk modulates diet‐induced obesity in male C57BL/6 mice
Authors: Monarca Rita I. , da Luz Mathias Maria , Wang DeHua , Speakman John R. 
Published: September 2015

ObjectiveIn this study, the behavioral and physiological changes induced by experimentally varying the risk of predation in male mice fed a high‐fat diet were examined. In particular, the study aimed to assess whether the risk of being predated modulates the body weight gain, providing an ecological context for the obesity resistance observed in many species of small mammals.MethodsBody weight, food intake, physical activity, and core body temperature of 35 male C57BL/6 mice were monitored for 20 days, while feeding a high‐fat diet. A third of the animals were exposed to elevated risk of predation through exposure to the sounds of nocturnal predatory birds, and these were compared to animals exposed to a neutral noise or silence.ResultsMale mice exposed to predation risk had significantly lower weight gain than the neutral or silent groups. Reduced food intake and increased physical activity were the main proximal factors explaining this effect. The risk of predation also induced changes in boldness.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence supporting the role of predation risk on body weight gain of small mammals.
Emotional eating is associated with increased brain responses to food‐cues and reduced sensitivity to GLP‐1 receptor activation
Authors: van Bloemendaal Liselotte , Veltman Dick J. , ten Kulve Jennifer S. , Drent Madeleine L. , Barkhof Frederik , Diamant Michaela , IJzerman Richard G. 
Published: September 2015

ObjectiveThe neural correlates and pathophysiology of emotional eating are insufficiently known. Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1), a postprandial hormone, plays a role in feeding behavior by signaling satiety to the brain. GLP‐1 receptor agonists, used for treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), promote weight loss. This study investigated the association between emotional eating and responses to food‐cues in brain areas involved in satiety and reward processing, as well as GLP‐1 receptor agonist‐induced effects on these brain responses.MethodsT2DM patients with obesity, normoglycemic individuals with obesity, and lean individuals (n = 48) were studied in a randomized placebo‐controlled crossover study. Using functional MRI, we determined the relation between emotional eating and regional brain responses to visual food stimuli and acute effects of intravenous administration of the GLP‐1 receptor agonist exenatide on these responses.ResultsEmotional eating scores positively correlated with responses to food‐cues in lean subjects in the insula, in normoglycemic subjects with obesity in the insula, and in T2DM patients in the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, and insula. Emotional eating scores negatively correlated with exenatide‐induced reductions in responses to food‐cues in normoglycemic subjects with obesity in the amygdala and in T2DM patients in the insula.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that emotional eaters have altered brain responses to food‐cues and are less sensitive to the central effects of GLP‐1 receptor activation.
Quantitation of phenylpropanoids and iridoids in insulin‐sensitising extracts of Leonurus sibiricus L. (Lamiaceae)
Authors: Pitschmann Anna , Zehl Martin , Heiss Elke , Purevsuren Sodnomtseren , Urban Ernst , Dirsch Verena M. , Glasl Sabine 
Published: September 2015

AbstractIntroductionLeonurus sibiricus L. is regularly used in traditional Mongolian medicine including for the treatment of symptoms of diabetes mellitus.ObjectivesTo provide a validated quantitation method for the quality control of Leonurus sibiricus and to prove in vitro insulin‐sensitisation, thereby supporting the traditional use of Leonurus sibiricus.MethodologyPulverised Leonurus sibiricus material was either extracted with methanol or methanol:water (25:75, v/v). HPLC‐CAD (charged aerosol detector) separations were performed on a Luna Phenyl‐Hexyl column with water and acetonitrile (both modified with 0.1% formic acid) as mobile phase. Gradient elution was employed using theophylline as internal standard. Tentative peak identification was facilitated by HPLC‐MS. Validation was carried out according to ICH (International Conference on Harmonisation) guidelines. Potential insulin‐sensitisation of accordant extracts was assessed in glucose uptake experiments in C2C12 myocytes and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) enzyme assays.ResultsThirty‐six compounds were tentatively identified based on their retention times, UV spectra, MS fragments and data from literature. They comprise phenolcarboxylic acids, flavonoids, iridoid glycosides, and phenylpropanoids, among which acetylharpagide, ajugoside, lavandulifolioside, and verbascoside were selected for quantitation. The methanol extract contained 0.42% combined iridoids, and 1.58% combined phenylpropanoids. Validation showed good accuracy, intermediate precision and robustness. The methanol extract of Leonurus sibiricus led to a 1.5 fold increase in insulin‐stimulated cellular glucose uptake and inhibition of PTP1B by 40% at a concentration of 10 µg/mL.ConclusionHPLC‐CAD analysis allowed sensitive quantitation of the selected marker compounds in Leonurus sibiricus, thereby providing a reliable tool for its quality control. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dewetting and microphase separation in symmetric polystyrene‐block‐polyisoprene diblock copolymer ultrathin films
Authors: Cheng Gang , Perahia Dvora 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThe kinetics of surface structure evolution in ultrathin films of low‐molecular‐weight polystyrene‐block‐polyisoprene (Mw: 7300 g mol−1–7300 g mol−1) diblock copolymer at temperatures below the bulk order‐to‐disorder transition temperature are presented. Films with two different thicknesses were studied as a function of annealing temperature using atomic force microscopy. These film thicknesses enabled the investigation of the competition between microphase separation and dewetting that resulted in two different morphologies: long‐range bicontinuous structures and random holes. Three distinctive stages of structure evolution were observed in bicontinuous structure, with the underlying mechanism compared with spinodal dewetting. Thicker films presented holes on their surfaces upon annealing at elevated temperatures, and kinetics of formation of the holes were discussed. We found that the molecular mobility determined the rates of dewetting, while the microphase separation hardly affected the dewetting process. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Continuous flow synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) via a light‐mediated controlled radical polymerization
Authors: Melker Anna , Fors Brett P. , Hawker Craig J. , Poelma Justin E. 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTControlled radical polymerizations have significantly impacted the field of polymer science by facilitating the synthesis of polymers with greater control over molecular weight, structure, and dispersity (Ð). As these synthetic techniques continue to evolve, more degrees of control can be realized via external regulation. Recent work has demonstrated external regulation of a controlled radical polymerization process with light using a photoredox Ir‐catalyst. While light offers many advantages as a stimulus for polymerization, scaling up presents unique challenges such as shallow and uneven penetration of light through the reaction medium, which negatively impacts the rate of polymerization. This work addresses some of the challenges associated with scaling up light‐mediated controlled radical polymerizations by employing a continuous flow microreactor and selecting appropriate reactor materials for oxygen sensitive reactions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 2693–2698
Morphology re‐entry in asymmetric PS‐PI‐PS' triblock copolymer and PS homopolymer blends
Authors: Shi Weichao , Li Wei , Delaney Kris T. , Fredrickson Glenn H. , Kramer Edward J. , Ntaras Christos , Avgeropoulos Apostolos , Lynd Nathaniel A. 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTHere, we report the morphology variation in a series of PS‐b‐PI‐b‐PS' asymmetric triblock copolymer and PS homopolymer (hPS) blends, where PS' and PS are polystyrene blocks with a molecular weight ratio of approximately 0.11 and PI is poly(isoprene). We find that adding a small amount of hPS results in significant order–order transition (OOT) boundary deflection toward higher PS volume fractions fPS, which is accompanied by morphology re‐entry. For example, the neat triblock copolymer with a PS + PS' volume fraction of fPS = 0.38 exhibits a lamellar microphase; adding a small amount of hPS reverts the morphology into a hexagonal phase with PS cylinders, while further increasing the hPS fraction leads to normal OOTs from PS cylinders to lamellae, to PI cylinders and finally to spheres. The morphology variation reported here is significantly different from that reported in binary blends of diblock or symmetric triblock copolymer with homopolymer. While the domain features of the LAM structure can be correctly reproduced by self‐consistent field theory (SCFT), the observed morphology re‐entry is absent in the theoretical SCFT phase diagram. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 169–179
Developing clinically relevant biomarkers in inflammatory arthritis: A multiplatform approach for serum candidate protein discovery
Authors: McArdle Angela , Qasim Butt Aisha , Szentpetery Agnes , de Jager Wilco , de Roock Sytze , FitzGerald Oliver , Pennington Stephen R. 
Published: September 2015

PurposeTo identify candidate biomarkers that have the potential to distinguish between patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and explore the value of combining different protein discovery platforms for the development of a multiplexed protein biomarker panel.Experimental designSerum samples from 32 patients (PsA; n = 16 and RA; n = 16) defined as active, early onset, and treatment naïve were analyzed using unbiased label‐free LC‐MS/MS, a microsphere bead‐based immunoassay (Luminex xMAP) and an aptamer‐based assay (SOMAscan).ResultsLC‐MS/MS was used to quantify 324 proteins, while the Luminex xMAP targeted 48 proteins and SOMAscan supported the measurement of 1129 proteins. The combined data from these techniques gave reproducible quantification of 1501 proteins in total. Of these, 42 (LC‐MS/MS), 3 (Luminex xMAP), and 127 (SOMAscan) proteins were found to be differentially expressed between PsA and RA (p < 0.05).Conclusion and clinical relevanceUsing three different and potentially complementary proteomic platforms we identified a total of 172 proteins that are differentially expressed in patients with PsA compared to RA. These proteins collectively represent candidates for inclusion in a protein signature that could be developed as a diagnostic test to discriminate patients with PsA from RA and therefore be of clinical utility.
Experimental Investigation on High Strain Rate Tensile Behaviors of HTPB Propellant at Low Temperatures
Authors: Wang Zhejun , Qiang Hongfu , Wang Guang 
Published: September 2015

AbstractTo study the high strain rate tensile behaviors of hydroxyl‐terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) propellant at low temperatures, uniaxial tensile tests were conducted at different strain rates (0.4–42.86 s−1) and temperatures (233–298 K) using an INSTRON testing machine. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to observe the tensile fracture surfaces. Experimental results indicate that strain rate, temperature and test environment remarkably influence the tensile behaviors of HTPB propellant. The stress‐strain curves exhibit three different shapes. The elastic modulus and maximum tensile stress increase with decreasing temperature and increasing strain rate. However, the strain at maximum tensile stress decreases with increasing strain rate at low temperatures and there is a maximal value at 298 K and 14.29 s−1. The effects of strain rate, temperature and test environment on the tensile behaviors are closely related to the changes of properties and fracture mechanisms of HTPB propellant. The dominating fracture mechanism depends on not only temperature but also strain rate, and it changes from the dewetting and matrix tearing at room temperature and lower strain rate to the particle brittle fracture at low temperatures. Based on the time‐temperature superposition principle (TTSP), the master curves of mechanical parameters for HTPB propellant were obtained.
The loss of inhibitory C‐terminal conformations in disease associated P123H β‐synuclein
Authors: Janowska Maria K. , Baum Jean 
Published: September 2015

Abstractβ‐synuclein (βS) is a homologue of α‐synuclein (αS), the major protein component of Lewy bodies in patients with Parkinson's disease. In contrast to αS, βS does not form fibrils, mitigates αS toxicity in vivo and inhibits αS fibril formation in vitro. Previously a missense mutation of βS, P123H, was identified in patients with Dementia with Lewy Body disease. The single P123H mutation at the C‐terminus of βS is able to convert βS from a nontoxic to a toxic protein that is also able to accelerate formation of inclusions when it is in the presence of αS in vivo. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of these processes, we compare the conformational properties of the monomer forms of αS, βS and P123H‐βS, and the effects on fibril formation of coincubation of αS with βS, and with P123H‐βS. NMR residual dipolar couplings and secondary structure propensities show that the P123H mutation of βS renders it more flexible C‐terminal to the mutation site and more αS‐like. In vitro Thioflavin T fluorescence experiments show that P123H‐βS accelerates αS fibril formation upon coincubation, as opposed to wild type βS that acts as an inhibitor of αS aggregation. When P123H‐βS becomes more αS‐like it is unable to perform the protective function of βS, which suggests that the extended polyproline II motif of βS in the C‐terminus is critical to its nontoxic nature and to inhibition of αS upon coincubation. These studies may provide a basis for understanding which regions to target for therapeutic intervention in Parkinson's disease.
Optimizing GaN () hetero‐epitaxial templates grown on () sapphire
Authors: Pristovsek Markus , Frentrup Martin , Han Yisong , Humphreys Colin J. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThe hetero‐epitaxy of () GaN on () sapphire was optimized in metal–organic vapor phase epitaxy. Best results were obtained from an AlN nucleation followed by AlN and AlGaN layers, and inserting low‐temperature AlN interlayers (ILs) as well as a SiNx IL. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) of scans of the symmetric () reflection yielded an FWHM along [] and along [] together with a m rms roughness below 10 nm as determined by atomic force microscopy. The lowest threading dislocation density achieved was cm while the basal plane stacking fault density was in the lower cm range as determined by transmission electron microscopy. The suppression of the unwanted () phase was lower than 1 in 10,000 as judged from XRD.