bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nomograms incorporating serum C‐reactive protein effectively predict mortality before and after surgical treatment of renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Hsiao Wayland , Herrel Lindsey A , Yu Changhong , Kattan Michael W , Canter Daniel J , Carthon Bradley C , Ogan Kenneth , Master Viraj A 
Published: November 2014

ObjectivesTo incorporate C‐reactive protein into nomograms estimating survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma.MethodsPatients undergoing surgery for renal cell carcinoma from 2005–2012 were studied retrospectively. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression and competing risks regression models including stage, grade, C‐reactive protein levels and presence of metastatic disease were constructed. Outcomes analyzed include overall mortality overall mortality and renal cell carcinoma‐specific mortality.ResultsThe cohort included 516 patients with a mean follow up of 1.7 years (SD 1.4 years). One‐ and 3‐year renal cell carcinoma‐specific mortality was 8.8% and 13.5%, respectively. Four nomograms were generated using overall mortality and renal cell carcinoma‐specific mortality as end‐points, two each for pre‐ and postoperative counseling. The factor with the largest effect on all nomograms was preoperative C‐reactive protein. Based on the internal validation with bootstrapping, the concordance indices for renal cell carcinoma‐specific mortality in the preoperative nomogram, postoperative nomogram, and the Mayo Clinic stage, size, grade and necrosis score were 0.889, 0.893, and 0.832, respectively (P = 0.005 and 0.002 comparing with stage, size, grade and necrosis scores for preoperative or postoperative nomograms). For overall mortality, the preoperative nomogram, postoperative nomogram, and stage, size, grade and necrosis score showed concordance indices of 0.866, 0.897, and 0.828, respectively (P = 0.123 and 0.008 compared with stage, size, grade and necrosis score for preoperative or postoperative nomograms).ConclusionsWe have generated nomograms incorporating serum C‐reactive protein levels that effectively predict overall mortality and renal cell carcinoma specific mortality. Our findings warrant external validation.
Physiological and Molecular Characterization of Faba bean (Vicia fabaL.) Genotypes for Adaptation to Drought Stress
Authors: Alghamdi S. S. , Al‐Shameri A. M. , Migdadi H. M. , Ammar M. H. , El‐Harty E. H. , Khan M. A. , Farooq M. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractFaba bean (Vicia fabaL.) is one of the most important and drought sensitive grain legumes. Drought stress is thus one of major constraints in global faba bean production. In this study, twenty local and exotic faba bean genotypes were characterized on physiological and molecular basis. Seeds of faba bean genotypes (six per pot) were sown in poly venyl chloride pots. After seedling emergence, soil moisture was maintained at 100%, 50% and 25% of field capacity designated as well watered, moderate drought and severe drought, respectively. Drought stress significantly influenced the leaf area, leaf temperature, stomatal conductance, relative leaf water contents, grain yield and water‐use efficiency. Faba bean genotypes also differed for the leaf area, leaf temperature, relative leaf water contents, grain yield and water‐use efficiency. Faba bean genotypes Kamline and L.4 were better equipped to curtail water loss, maintain tissue water status, produce stable grain yield and had better water‐use efficiency under mild and severe drought stress, and may be used in breeding programmes. Amplified fragment length polymorphism markers showed high potential in detecting polymorphism and estimating genetic diversity among faba bean genotypes. Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean cluster analysis of the genotypes illustrated considerable association between molecular diversity, genetic background and geographic origin. In crux, high polymorphic rate and polymorphism information content values, together with the low genetic similarity observed among tested genotypes suggests a high level of heterogeneity, which may be used in breeding programmes to assemble different drought tolerance mechanisms in one genotype.
Domain Structure of Poled (K0.50Na0.50)1−xLixNbO3 Ceramics with Different Stabilities
Authors: Zhang Jialiang , Tian Xing , Gao Yong , Yao Weizeng , Qin Yalin , Su Wenbin 
Published: November 2014

Domain structure of several poled (K0.50Na0.50)1−xLixNbO3 ceramics (with chemical compositions of x = 0.03, 0.065, and 0.08, respectively) was investigated by means of observing the domain patterns with an acid‐etching technique. Among the three ceramics, the one with x = 0.03 is of orthorhombic phase and the other two are of tetragonal phase at room temperature. It was found that these ceramics possess distinctly different features of domain patterns and show a large difference in the time‐aging stability of piezoelectric properties. For the ceramic with x = 0.03, domain patterns consist of simply one single set or a few sets of parallel stripes inside the polycrystalline grains. In contrast, for those with x = 0.065 or 0.08, herringbone‐type patterns and a large number of watermarks are additionally observed. Furthermore, the ceramic with x = 0.03 was confirmed to have a much better time‐aging stability of piezoelectric properties than the other two. The results indicate that domain structure is more stable in orthorhombic phase than in tetragonal phase.
The Role of Al in Cross‐Linking of Alkali‐Activated Slag Cements
Authors: Myers Rupert J. , Bernal Susan A. , Gehman John D. , van Deventer Jannie S.J. , Provis John L. 
Published: November 2014

The structural development of a calcium (sodium) aluminosilicate hydrate (C–(N‐)A–S–H) gel system, obtained through the reaction of sodium metasilicate and ground granulated blast furnace slag, is assessed by high‐resolution 29Si and 27Al MAS NMR spectroscopy during the first 2 yr after mixing. The cements formed primarily consist of C–(N‐)A–S–H gels, with hydrotalcite and disordered alkali aluminosilicate gels also identified in the solid product assemblages. Deconvolution of the 27Al MAS NMR spectra enables the identification of three distinct tetrahedral Al sites, consistent with the 29Si MAS NMR data, where Q3(1Al), Q4(3Al), and Q4(4Al) silicate sites are identified. These results suggest significant levels of cross‐linking in the C–(N‐)A–S–H gel and the presence of an additional highly polymerized aluminosilicate product. The mean chain length, extent of cross‐linking, and Al/Si ratio of the C–(N‐)A–S–H gel decrease slightly over time. The de‐cross‐linking effect is explained by the key role of Al in mixed cross‐linked/non‐cross‐linked C–(N‐)A–S–H gels, because the cross‐linked components have much lower Al‐binding capacities than the noncross‐linked components. These results show that the aluminosilicate chain lengths and chemical compositions of the fundamental structural components in C–(N‐)A–S–H gels vary in a way that is not immediately evident from the overall bulk chemistry.
Northern Hemisphere origins of the amphi‐Pacific tropical plant family Symplocaceae
Authors: Fritsch Peter W. , Manchester Steven R. , Stone R. D. , Cruz Boni C. , Almeda Frank 
Published: November 2014

AbstractAimWe sought to reconstruct the historical biogeography of the amphi‐Pacific tropical disjunct plant family Symplocaceae in the context of competing Northern Hemisphere (boreotropical) versus Southern Hemisphere (West Gondwanan) hypotheses for its origin and spread.LocationAmericas, western Pacific Rim, fossil localities in Europe.MethodsWe derived a dated phylogeny using a relaxed clock on a data set of 114 terminals, four genic regions (three plastid regions and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region) and six fossil calibrations. We inferred ancestral geographical ranges with maximum likelihood under a dispersal–extinction–cladogenesis model, with the probability of dispersal constrained by areal distance and palaeogeography.ResultsWe inferred a Eurasian origin for crown‐node Symplocaceae at c. 52 Ma, followed by dispersal to North America (including Mesoamerica) at c. 52–38 Ma. Most of the highest likelihood intra‐American dispersals recovered in the analysis trended from north to south, with none from south to north. Six intra‐American dispersals were inferred to have originated in North America, with lineages either terminating in the Antilles or migrating to South America at various times. One additional North American lineage emigrated back to Eurasia in the late Miocene.Main conclusionsThe predominantly southwards American migrations inferred here for the Symplocaceae conform to the boreotropics hypothesis, apparently driven by cooling and drying climates in the later Cenozoic. The inferred Eurasian origin for the family corroborates a more specific European origin, as suggested independently by its fossil fruit record. Of the lineages ultimately arriving in South America from North America, two are inferred to have migrated through the Antilles (by island‐hopping) and three through Mesoamerica. The timing of one of the Mesoamerican events, inferred to be between 8.9 and 7.5 Ma, implies over‐water dispersal under the prevailing model of Isthmus of Panama formation, but also accords with overland migration under a model of earlier formation.
Unearthing the historical biogeography of Mediterranean earthworms (Annelida: Hormogastridae)
Authors: Novo Marta , Fernández Rosa , Fernández Marchán Daniel , Trigo Dolores , Díaz Cosín Darío J. , Giribet Gonzalo 
Published: November 2014

AbstractAimThe genetic diversity and distribution of earthworm species in the Mediterranean Basin has been influenced by their low vagility, as well as by the basin's complex geological and climatic history. Within this context, our objective was to evaluate the evolutionary history of hormogastrid earthworms by exploring their phylogeny, reconstructing ancestral areas and identifying potential vicariance and dispersal events.LocationWestern Mediterranean region, encompassing the geographical range of the family Hormogastridae (four genera, 30 species and subspecies).MethodsWe sampled the easternmost area of the hormogastrid range and integrated 606 new sequences with all the molecular data available from previous studies on the westernmost area. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers were amplified and sequenced, and the hormogastrid phylogeny (using Bayesian and likelihood methods) and networks were investigated. Ancestral‐area reconstructions were implemented inrasp.ResultsAncestral‐area reconstructions provided similar results for alternative phylogenetic hypotheses, placing the origin of Hormogastridae between southern France and the north‐eastern Iberian Peninsula, and highlighting north–central Sardinia as a key ancestral area for diversification of eastern Hormogastridae (Hormogaster rediiandH. samnitica). Multiple vicariance and dispersal events were detected, indicating a complex evolutionary history. Sardinian populations ofH. samniticaandH. rediiwere not monophyletic but were related to populations from other areas, suggesting that Sardinia is a more complex biogeographical region than anticipated. Our results identified a phylogenetic relationship between the southern Sardinian fauna and that of Sicily, as well as relationships between the fauna of north‐eastern Sardinia and those of the Italian Peninsula and the Tuscan Archipelago.Main conclusionsOur results suggest a complex evolutionary history for hormogastrid earthworms, showing the possibility of many dispersal and vicariance events and multiple faunal interchanges between land‐masses, which may reflect the biogeographical complexity of the Mediterranean Basin.
TLR3 engagement induces IRF‐3‐dependent apoptosis in androgen‐sensitive prostate cancer cells and inhibits tumour growth in vivo
Authors: Gambara Guido , Desideri Marianna , Stoppacciaro Antonella , Padula Fabrizio , De Cesaris Paola , Starace Donatella , Tubaro Andrea , del Bufalo Donatella , Filippini Antonio , Ziparo Elio , Riccioli Anna 
Published: December 2014

AbstractToll‐like receptors (TLRs) are a family of highly conserved transmembrane proteins expressed in epithelial and immune cells that recognize pathogen associated molecular patterns. Besides their role in immune response against infections, numerous studies have shown an important role of different TLRs in cancer, indicating these receptors as potential targets for cancer therapy. We previously demonstrated that the activation of TLR3 by the synthetic double‐stranded RNA analogue poly I:C induces apoptosis of androgen‐sensitive prostate cancer (PCa) LNCaP cells and, much less efficiently, of the more aggressive PC3 cell line. Therefore, in this study we selected LNCaP cells to investigate the mechanism of TLR3‐mediated apoptosis and the in vivo efficacy of poly I:C‐based therapy. We show that interferon regulatory factor‐3 (IRF‐3) signalling plays an essential role in TLR3‐mediated apoptosis in LNCaP cells through the activation of the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. Interestingly, hardly any apoptosis was induced by poly I:C in normal prostate epithelial cells RWPE‐1. We also demonstrate for the first time the direct anticancer effect of poly I:C as a single therapeutic agent in a well‐established human androgen‐sensitive PCa xenograft model, by showing that tumour growth is highly impaired in poly I:C‐treated immunodeficient mice. Immunohistochemical analysis of PCa xenografts highlights the antitumour role of poly I:C in vivo both on cancer cells and, indirectly, on endothelial cells. Notably, we show the presence of TLR3 and IRF‐3 in both human normal and PCa clinical samples, potentially envisaging poly I:C‐based therapy for PCa.
Grain‐oriented segmentation of images of porous structures using ray casting and curvature energy minimization
Authors: LEE H.‐G. , CHOI M.‐K. , LEE S.‐C. 
Published: November 2014

SummaryWe segment an image of a porous structure by successively identifying individual grains, using a process that requires no manual initialization. Adaptive thresholding is used to extract an incomplete edge map from the image. Then, seed points are created on a rectangular grid. Rays are cast from each point to identify the local grain. The grain with the best shape is selected by energy minimization, and the grain is used to update the edge map. This is repeated until all the grains have been recognized. Tests on scanning electron microscope images of titanium oxide and aluminium oxide show that their process achieves better results than five other contour detection techniques.
Hepatitis C virus long‐term persistence in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with haemophilia. Detection of occult genotype 1
Authors: Parodi C. , García G. , Monzani M. C. , Culasso A. , Aloisi N. , Corti M. , Campos R. , de E de Bracco M. M. , Baré P. 
Published: November 2014

SummaryPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from chronic hepatitis C virus‐infected persons can harbour viral variants that are not detected in plasma samples. We explored the presence and persistence of HCV genotypes in plasma and PBMC cultures from 25 HCV‐monoinfected and 25 HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients with haemophilia. Cell cultures were performed at different time points between 1993 and 2010‐2011, and the HCV genome was examined in culture supernatants. Sequential plasma samples were studied during the same time period. Analysing sequential plasma samples, 21% of patients had mixed‐genotype infections, while 50% had mixed infections determined from PBMC culture supernatants. HIV coinfection was significantly associated with the presence of mixed infections (OR = 4.57, P = 0.02; 95% CI = 1.38–15.1). In our previous study, genotype 1 was found in 72% of 288 patients of this cohort. Similar results were obtained with the sequential plasma samples included in this study, 69% had genotype 1. However, when taking into account plasma samples and the results from PBMC supernatants, genotype 1 was identified in 94% of the population. The PBMC‐associated variants persisted for 10 years in some subjects, emphasizing their role as long‐term reservoirs. The presence of genotype 1 in PBMC may be associated with therapeutic failure and should not be disregarded when treating haemophilic patients who have been infected by contaminated factor concentrates. The clinical implications of persistent lymphotropic HCV variants deserve further examination among multiple exposed groups of HCV‐infected patients.
Influence of habitat and host morphology on macrofaunal assemblages associated with the sponge Halichondria melanadocia in an estuarine system of the southern Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Ávila Enrique , Ortega‐Bastida Alma Lilia 
Published: November 2014

AbstractSponges are inhabited by a wide variety of organisms and have been regarded as one of the richest biotopes in tropical seas. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the host morphology and selected environmental conditions on macrofaunal assemblages associated with the sponge Halichondria melanadocia in an estuarine system of the southern Gulf of Mexico. This sponge exhibits different growth forms when it inhabits mangrove prop roots of Rhizophora mangle (thickly encrusting form) and adjacent seagrass beds (massive, amorphous or ramose form). From a total of 50 sponge specimens collected in each habitat, a total of eight taxa (of epi‐ and endobionts) was found associated with this sponge, with polychaetes, echinoderms and crustaceans the most abundant groups. In both morphotypes (thickly‐encrusting and massive‐ramose forms), taxon richness was positively related to sponge volume and oscular diameter. The overall mean abundance of associated fauna was also positively related to sponge volume in both morphotypes and with the oscular diameter (in the seagrass morphotype only). These findings suggest that H. melanadocia constitutes an important microhabitat for a wide variety of fauna, independent of its morphology and habitat type. However, when comparing the two morphotypes, the mangrove individuals, despite having smaller sizes, smaller oscular diameter and less structural complexity, displayed an overall mean abundance of fauna 17 times higher [0.36 ± 0.18 individuals (ind.)·ml·sponge−1] than that recorded in the seagrass individuals (0.021 ± 0.01 ind.·ml·sponge−1). There were also marked differences in the proportions of the major taxonomic groups; in fact, some of them were found exclusively in one morphotype. The variability recorded in the composition and abundance of associated fauna between the morphotypes seems to be influenced by differences in sponge morphology, environmental conditions (e.g. sedimentation rate and light intensity), substrate orientation and the fauna inhabiting the surrounding area.
Fine‐scale phylogeography reveals cryptic biodiversity in Pederson's cleaner shrimp,Ancylomenes pedersoni(Crustacea: Caridea: Palaemonidae), along the Florida Reef Tract
Authors: Titus Benjamin M. , Daly Marymegan 
Published: November 2014

AbstractPopulations of continuously distributed marine organisms that disperseviapelagic larvae are often assumed to exist in a state of genetic panmixia because of their potential ability for long‐distance dispersal. However, obligate symbionts may have more restricted gene flow due to recruitment limitations, making host specificity an important potential driver of biodiversity. To explore the tension between broad dispersal ability and limited recruitment potential, we used sequences of mtDNA cytochromecoxidase subunit I (COI) to assess the fine‐scale phylogeography of the cleaner shrimp,Ancylomenes pedersoni, an obligate symbiont of sea anemones, along 300 km of the Florida Reef Tract (FRT). The results indicate high genetic diversity withinA. pedersonipopulations along the FRT. Pair‐wise ϕSTvalues indicate significant genetic structuring between northern (Fort Lauderdale and Upper Keys) and southwestern (Lower Keys) populations, with significant isolation by distance. Two divergent COI haplotype lineages were detected through statistical parsimony analysis: one evenly distributed across the entire FRT (Clade 1) and one found primarily in two sample localities in the Lower Keys (Clade 2). Phylogenetic analyses using 16S‐rDNAindicates that this genetic diversity is of paraphyletic origin, and possibly the result of multiple colonization events. These results reveal a complex demographic and evolutionary history forA. pedersonipopulations and provide the first evidence of highly divergent intra‐specific lineages independently colonizing the FRT. Because the FRT is a highly impacted coral reef system, understanding phylogeographic patterns along it has value beyond documentation of the factors that generate genetic diversity in tropical reef systems: these data are critical for creating scientifically based management strategies.
Whale killers: Prevalence and ecological implications of killer whale predation on humpback whale calves off Western Australia
Authors: Pitman Robert L. , Totterdell John A. , Fearnbach Holly , Ballance Lisa T. , Durban John W. , Kemps Hans 
Published: November 2014

AbstractReports of killer whales (Orcinus orca) preying on large whales have been relatively rare, and the ecological significance of these attacks is controversial. Here we report on numerous observations of killer whales preying on neonate humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off Western Australia (WA) based on reports we compiled and our own observations. Attacking killer whales included at least 19 individuals from three stable social groupings in a highly connected local population; 22 separate attacks with known outcomes resulted in at least 14 (64%) kills of humpback calves. We satellite‐tagged an adult female killer whale and followed her group on the water for 20.3 h over six separate days. During that time, they attacked eight humpback calves, and from the seven known outcomes, at least three calves (43%) were killed. Overall, our observations suggest that humpback calves are a predictable, plentiful, and readily taken prey source for killer whales and scavenging sharks offWAfor at least 5 mo/yr. Humpback “escorts” vigorously assisted mothers in protecting their calves from attacking killer whales (and a white shark,Carcharodon carcharias). This expands the purported role of escorts in humpback whale social interactions, although it is not clear how this behavior is adaptive for the escorts.
Immature euphausiids do not appear to be prey for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) during spring and summer in Southeast Alaska
Authors: Szabo Andrew 
Published: November 2014

AbstractHumpbacks whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have shown a remarkable recovery in the North Pacific, raising concerns regarding their impact on marine communities. In Southeast Alaska, humpbacks feed heavily on euphausiids; however, it remains unclear whether they target immature individuals despite evidence that they do so elsewhere. I evaluate the hypothesis that humpbacks target immature euphausiids in late spring‐summer in Southeast Alaska. Plankton samples were collected at random sites (n = 44) and near whales (n = 53) between 8 June and 9 September 2008 in Frederick Sound and Stephens Passage. The proportion of samples containing immature euphausiids, and immature euphausiid abundance within those samples, were compared between the two sample types. Similar analyses were conducted for adult euphausiids (prey) and calanoid copepods (nonprey) for comparison. I found no statistical difference between the whale and random samples with respect to the occurrence or numerical density of immature euphausiids, which is consistent with the hypothesis that whales did not target them in 2008. Smaller size, insufficient numerical densities and lower energy density of immature euphausiids are suggested as possible reasons. These findings can assist in resolving regional humpback abundance and distribution patterns, and can contribute to an understanding of the trophic interactions characterizing the local ecosystem.