bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mitigation measures for fish habitat improvement in Alpine rivers affected by hydropower operations
Authors: Person Emilie , Bieri Martin , Peter Armin , Schleiss Anton J. 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTIn mountainous areas, high‐head‐storage hydropower plants produce peak load energy. The resulting unsteady water release to rivers, called hydropeaking, alters the natural flow regime. Mitigating the adverse impacts of hydropeaking on aquatic ecosystems has become a crucial step in recent water policies.We developed a novel economic‐ecological diagnostic and intervention method to assess hydropeaking mitigation measures for fish habitat improvement. This method was applied to an Alpine river downstream of a complex storage hydropower scheme. The approach comprises (1) a hydropower operation model of flow regime generation and cost estimates for different mitigation measures, (2) a two‐dimensional hydrodynamic model to simulate the flow conditions in representative river reaches and (3) a dynamic fish habitat simulation tool to assess the sub‐daily changes in habitat conditions of three brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) life stages (adult, spawning and young‐of‐the‐year). Simulations showed that operational measures such as limiting maximum turbine discharge, increasing residual flow and limiting drawdown range incur high costs in relation to their ecological effectiveness. Compensation basins and powerhouse outflow deviation achieved the best cost–benefit ratio. Hydropeaking impact was strongly dependent on river morphology. Monotonous river reaches exhibited low habitat suitability for peak discharge, whereas a braided morphology provided high in‐stream structure and thus suitable habitat for unsteady flow conditions.The interdisciplinary approach to economic and habitat rating informs decision makers regarding the effectiveness of measures implemented to mitigate the environmental impacts associated with fluctuating hydropower operations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
C–H Metalation Reaction of Diarylamine and Carbazole by Alkylaluminum Complexes at the Heteroatom‐Bridged Dimeric Aluminum Core
Authors: Yamamoto Koji , Shibata Yu , Kashiwa Yuki , Kondo Ai , Tsurugi Hayato , Mashima Kazushi 
Published: April 2013

AbstractDirect metalation reactions of diphenylamine and carbazole by using an amido‐bridged dinuclear Al2 complex proceeded across two aluminum atoms while maintaining the dinuclear structure. In contrast, an aryloxido‐bridged dinuclear aluminium complex was inert to the C–H metalation reaction. Such different reactivity of the alkylaluminum complexes with an [Al2O2] or [Al2N2] core was attributed to the space available for the secondary amine substrates to approach the Al–Me moiety: the flexibility provided by the bridging amido ligand forms an Al2N2 core with both a planar and butterfly shape, which creates enough space for the Al–Me moiety to activate the amines.
Effect of support rotation on triple friction pendulum bearing behavior
Authors: Becker Tracy C. , Mahin Stephen A. 
Published: April 2013

SUMMARYThis paper presents numerical modeling techniques to capture the behavior of the triple friction pendulum (TFP) isolation bearing when rotation is permitted about the horizontal axes of the top and bottom components. This paper builds on a previous model for the TFP bearing presented by the authors that is based on the kinematic and constitutive relationships of the individual components of the TFP bearing. The effect of rotation on cyclic bearing behavior and seismic system behavior are investigated numerically for two cases: constant support rotation and variable support rotation. It is found that constant support rotations should be limited in amplitude to ensure standard TFP bearing behavior. Results suggest that flexible supports may not have a large effect on global structure performance as long as typical deformation limits for the supporting members are met. In cases of both constant support rotations and flexible supports, the hardening stages of TFP bearing behavior are diminished. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pollution as a threat factor to urban food security in metropolitan Kano, Nigeria
Authors: Dawaki Mansur U. , Dikko Abubakar U. , Noma Samaila S. , Aliyu Umar A. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThis study evaluated the potentials of pollution due to urban agriculture to pose risk to food security in Kano, Nigeria. Two sites irrigated with industrial and domestic wastewaters at Challawa and Jakara, respectively, were sampled for soil, water, and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). The samples were analyzed for Pb, Cd, Cr, and Cu being metals which when present in food may pose human health hazard. The values were compared with samples from a control site not associated with wastewater at Watari. The sites were each segmented into up, mid, and downstream sectors. Results showed that the two sites and the control were contaminated with Cu (pollution indexes [PI] = 0.14, 0.16, and 0.14, respectively). Domestic wastewater site was slightly polluted (PI = 1.09) while industrial wastewater site and the control were contaminated (PI = 0.8 and 0.54, respectively) with Pb. The two sites were excessively polluted with Cd and slightly polluted with Cr. The control was contaminated with both (PI = 0.74 and 0.06 for Cd and Cr, respectively). Metal levels in the waters of the sites and the control were higher than the recommended threshold for irrigation water. There was significant positive correlation between Pb, Cr, and Cd in water and in soil; while Cu in soil and in water negatively correlated. There was high metal transfer from soil to plants at the domestic wastewater site (Metal transfer factor Pb = 1.602, Cr = 1.126, and Cu = 1.834). Plants' accumulated concentrations were also high at the domestic wastewater site (Pb = 26.21 mg/kg, Cd = 1.03 mg/kg, Cr = 28.63, and Cu = 2.66 mg/kg). The plants' metal concentrations at the domestic wastewater site exceeded the allowable limits in vegetables. The human ingestion risk was in the order of Jakara > Challawa > Watari.
Sex differences in the effect of four second‐generation antipsychotics on QTc interval in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Suzuki Yutaro , Sugai Takuro , Fukui Naoki , Watanabe Junzo , Ono Shin , Tsuneyama Nobuto , Saito Mami , Someya Toshiyuki 
Published: April 2013

ObjectiveWe examined sex differences in the effect of olanzapine (OLZ), risperidone (RIS), aripiprazole (ARP), or quetiapine (QTP) on mean corrected QT (QTc) intervals among 222 patients with schizophrenia.MethodsSubjects were patients with schizophrenia who were treated with either OLZ (n = 69), RIS (n = 60), ARP (n = 62), or QTP (n = 31). Electrocardiographic measurements were conducted, and the QT interval was corrected using Bazett's correction formula.ResultsThe mean QTc interval of the QTP group was significantly longer than that of the RIS group (p = 0.002) or ARP group (p = 0.029). The mean QTc interval of the OLZ group was also significantly longer than that of the RIS group (p = 0.006). In female participants, the difference in the mean QTc interval among the four second‐generation antipsychotic (SGA) groups was statistically significant (p = 0.002), whereas in male patients, there was no significant difference in the mean QTc interval among the four SGA groups. Post hoc analyses showed that sex differences in QTc interval were observed only in OLZ treatment group (p = 0.007).ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate sex differences in the effect of four SGAs on the QTc interval. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mass Informatics: From Mass Spectrometry Peaks to Biological Pathways
Authors: Askenazi Manor , Linial Michal 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn this review we will introduce the field of mass informatics, a branch of bioinformatics concerned with the analysis of data from mass spectrometry. As we shall demonstrate, this short definition hides a surprisingly diverse and challenging topic, driven by the remarkable versatility of the mass spectrometer. We first introduce the essential properties of the mass spectrum and highlight its key differences from the more common data types in high‐throughput bioinformatics (sequence, microarray and image data). We then explore the breadth of biochemistry accessible through the associated algorithmic challenge of spectral identification. Finally, we demonstrate instances where data‐mining techniques can be applied to large‐scale spectral libraries, thereby extracting latent biological insight.
Circadian events in human diseases and in cytochrome P450‐related drug metabolism and therapy
Authors: Košir Rok , Španinger Klemen , Rozman Damjana 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe biochemical basis of the mammalian circadian clock can be described by transcriptional–translational feedback loops with a period of about 24 h. Crucial endogenous factors are under circadian control (i.e., body temperature, blood pressure, hormone secretion and metabolite levels). Also, drug metabolism, including phases I–III and the drug‐responsive nuclear receptors, is controlled by the clock. Disturbances in circadian rhythm in humans can lead to pathologies, which is exemplified by increased cancer risk in long‐term shift workers. On the other hand, best tolerability of drugs with minimum side effects can be achieved if the timing of drug treatment is synchronized with the patients' individual clock. The aim of this review is to underline the importance of accepting the individuals' endogenous clock which can contribute to personalized, patient‐friendly optimization of drug therapies. © 2013 IUBMB Life, 65(6)487:–496, 2013.
Homer Proteins in Ca2+ Entry
Authors: Jardin Isaac , López José J. , Berna‐Erro Alejandro , Salido Ginés M. , Rosado Juan A. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe Homer family of proteins consists of three adaptor proteins, Homer1, Homer2 and Homer3, each with various isoforms. Homer1 family presents an EVH1 domain, a coiled coil domain and two leucine zipper domains. Homer proteins regulate a number of Ca2+‐handling proteins, including transient receptor potential channels and other Ca2+‐permeable channels, ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors, shank scaffolding proteins or endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channels. This review article focuses on the association of Homer 1 proteins with Ca2+‐handling proteins and their role on intracellular Ca2+‐homeostasis. © 2013 IUBMB Life, 65(6):–, 2013
Overexpressed nuclear BAG‐1 in human hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to doxorubicin
Authors: Ni Wenkai , Chen Buyou , Zhou Guoxiong , Lu Cuihua , Xiao Mingbing , Guan Chengqi , Zhang Yixing , He Song , Shen Aiguo , Ni Runzhou 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBcl‐2‐associated athanogene‐1 (BAG‐1) is a multifunctional anti‐apoptotic protein which regulates an array of cellular processes, including apoptosis, signaling, proliferation, transcription, and cell motility and has been reported to be over‐expressed in a number of human malignancies. To investigate the possible involvement of BAG‐1 in tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we performed Western blot analysis in eight paired samples of HCC and adjacent peritumoral tissues and immunohistochemistry in 65 paraffin sections of HCC, which both showed an enhanced expression of nuclear BAG‐1 isoform in HCC tissues. Statistical analysis confirmed that overexpression of nuclear BAG‐1 in HCC tissues was significantly associated with histological grading (P < 0.001), poor prognosis (P = 0.004), and was found to be an independent prognostic indicator for HCC (P = 0.023). We also noted that BAG‐1 was overexpressed in four HCC cell lines compared with a normal hepatocyte cell line, and BAG‐1 overexpression increased resistance of HCC cells to doxorubicin, a common chemotherapeutic agent for HCC. Furthermore, we observed that knock down of BAG‐1 with siRNA in HepG2 cells increased the chemosensitivity of cells, a process mediated through inhibition of doxorubicin‐triggered NF‐κB activation; and knock down of BAG‐1 suppressed proliferation and cell cycle transition of HepG2 cells. In consequence, our results for the first time indicated that BAG‐1 was dysregulated in HCC and suppression of BAG‐1 expression which resulted in inhibiting of NF‐κB signaling might be developed into a new strategy in HCC therapy. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 2120–2130, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The impact of penicillin skin testing on clinical practice and antimicrobial stewardship
Authors: Rimawi Ramzy H. , Cook Paul P. , Gooch Michael , Kabchi Badih , Ashraf Muhammad S. , Rimawi Bassam H. , Gebregziabher Mulugeta , Siraj Dawd S. 
Published: April 2013

BACKGROUNDPenicillin skin testing (PST) is a simple and reliable way of diagnosing penicillin allergy. After being off the market for 4 years, penicilloyl‐polylysine was reintroduced in 2009 as PRE‐PEN. We describe the negative predictive value (NPV) of PST and the impact on antibiotic selection in a sample of hospitalized patients with a reported history of penicillin allergy.METHODSWe introduced a quality improvement process at our 861‐bed tertiary care hospital that used PST to guide antibiotic usage in patients with a history consistent with an immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐mediated reaction to penicillin. Subjects with a negative PST were then transitioned to a β‐lactam agent for the remainder of their therapy. NPV of skin testing was established at 24‐hour follow‐up. We are reporting the result of 146 patients tested between March 2012 and July 2012.RESULTSA total of 146 patients with a history of penicillin allergy and negative PST were treated with β‐lactam antibiotics. Of these, only 1 subject experienced an allergic reaction to the PST. The remaining 145 patients tolerated a full course of β‐lactam therapy without an allergic response, giving the PST a 100% NPV. We estimated that PST‐guided antibiotic alteration for these patients resulted in an estimated annual savings of $82,000.CONCLUSIONPatients with a history of penicillin allergy who have a negative PST result are at a low risk of developing an immediate‐type hypersensitivity reaction to β‐lactam antibiotics. The increased use of PST may help improve antibiotic stewardship in the hospital setting. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2013;8:341–345. © 2013 Society of Hospital Medicine
A typology for intraseasonal oscillations
Authors: Pohl Benjamin , Camberlin Pierre 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTThis descriptive study attempts to document the diversity of intraseasonal oscillations (ISO) propagative and spatial patterns, as inferred from outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) variability. Main ISO events over the Indo‐Pacific Warm Pool are first extracted using a local mode analysis (LMA) applied on the 20–120‐d filtered OLR on the 1979–2008 period. One hundred and sixty‐nine individual ISO are detected. Their propagative patterns are then objectively regrouped into a few types using a hierarchical agglomerative classification. Three alternative partitionings are retained, depending on the level of details expected from the typology. ISO events first regroup naturally into two well‐separated classes, identifying boreal summer northward‐propagating events and boreal winter eastward‐propagating ones. Retaining a larger number of classes shows that the diversity of the ISO patterns is primarily modulated by the seasonal cycle, with the most pronounced convective perturbations roughly located at the latitude of the Inter‐tropical Convergence Zone in the tropics. When a sufficient number of types are considered, one can obtain several types of ISO events for a given season. Apart from seasonality, the variability in the ISO appears to be related to surface conditions, such as sea surface temperature. Analysis of the differences between the types suggests that the ‘canonical’ ISO, often considered in the literature, is actually rather rare and moderately representative of the propagative events taken individually.
A novel l‐isoleucine‐4′‐dioxygenase and l‐isoleucine dihydroxylation cascade in Pantoea ananatis
Authors: Smirnov Sergey V. , Sokolov Pavel M. , Kotlyarova Veronika A. , Samsonova Natalya N. , Kodera Tomohiro , Sugiyama Masakazu , Torii Takayoshi , Hibi Makoto , Shimizu Sakayu , Yokozeki Kenzo , Ogawa Jun 
Published: April 2013

AbstractA unique operon structure has been identified in the genomes of several plant‐ and insect‐associated bacteria. The distinguishing feature of this operon is the presence of tandem hilA and hilB genes encoding dioxygenases belonging to the PF13640 and PF10014 (BsmA) Pfam families, respectively. The genes encoding HilA and HilB from Pantoea ananatis AJ13355 were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The culturing of E. coli cells expressing hilA (E. coli‐HilA) or both hilA and hilB (E. coli‐HilAB) in the presence of l‐isoleucine resulted in the conversion of l‐isoleucine into two novel biogenic compounds: l‐4′‐isoleucine and l‐4,4′‐dihydroxyisoleucine, respectively. In parallel, two novel enzymatic activities were detected in the crude cell lysates of the E. coli‐HilA and E. coli‐HilAB strains: l‐isoleucine, 2‐oxoglutarate: oxygen oxidoreductase (4′‐hydroxylating) (HilA) and l‐4′‐hydroxyisoleucine, 2‐oxoglutarate: oxygen oxidoreductase (4‐hydroxylating) (HilB), respectively. Two hypotheses regarding the physiological significance of C‐4(4′)‐hydroxylation of l‐isoleucine in bacteria are also discussed. According to first hypothesis, the l‐isoleucine dihydroxylation cascade is involved in synthesis of dipeptide antibiotic in P. ananatis. Another unifying hypothesis is that the C‐4(4′)‐hydroxylation of l‐isoleucine in bacteria could result in the synthesis of signal molecules belonging to two classes: 2(5H)‐furanones and analogs of N‐acyl homoserine lactone.
A multimodal evaluation of microstructural white matter damage in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3
Authors: Guimarães Rachel P. , D'Abreu Anelyssa , Yasuda Clarissa L. , França Marcondes C. , Silva Beatriz H. B. , Cappabianco Fabio A.M. , Bergo Felipe P.G. , Lopes‐Cendes Iscia T. , Cendes Fernando 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTAlthough white matter damage may play a major role in the pathogenesis of spinocerebellar ataxia 3 (SCA3), available data rely exclusively upon macrostructural analyses. In this setting we designed a study to investigate white matter integrity. We evaluated 38 genetically‐confirmed SCA3 patients (mean age, 52.76 ± 12.70 years; 21 males) with clinical scales and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 38 healthy subjects as a control group (mean age, 48.86 ± 12.07 years, 20 male). All individuals underwent the same protocol for high‐resolution T1 and T2 images and diffusion tensor imaging acquisition (32 directions) in a 3‐T scanner. We used Tract‐Based Spatial Statistics (FSL 4.1.4) to analyze diffusion data and SPM8/DARTEL for voxel‐based morphometry of infratentorial structures. T2‐relaxometry of cerebellum was performed with in‐house–developed software Aftervoxel and Interactive Volume Segmentation (IVS). Patients' mean age at onset was 40.02 ± 11.48 years and mean duration of disease was 9.3 ± 2.7 years. Mean International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) and Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) scores were 32.08 ± 4.01 and 14.65 ± 7.33, respectively. Voxel‐based morphometry demonstrated a volumetric reduction of gray and white matter in cerebellum and brainstem (P <.001). We found reduced fractional anisotropy (P <.05) in the cerebellum and brainstem. There were also areas of increased radial diffusivity (P <.05) in the cerebellum, brainstem, thalamus, frontal lobes, and temporal lobes. In addition, we found decreased T2‐relaxation values in the white matter of the right cerebellar hemisphere. Microstructural white matter dysfunction, not previously reported, occurs in the cerebellum and brainstem of SCA3 patients. © 2013 Movement Disorder Society
Numerical approaches to thermally coupled perfect plasticity
Authors: Bartels Sören , Roubíček Tomáš 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe partial differential equations describing viscoelastic solids in Kelvin–Voigt rheology at small strains exhibiting also stress‐driven Prandtl‐Reuss perfect plasticity are considered and are coupled with a heat‐transfer equation through the dissipative heat produced by viscoplastic effects and through thermal expansion and corresponding adiabatic effects. Numerical discretization of the resulting thermodynamically consistent model is proposed by implicit time discretization, suitable regularization, and finite elements in space. Numerical stability is shown and computational simulations are reported to illustrate the practical performance of the method. In a quasistatic case, convergence is proved by careful successive limit passage. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2013
An efficient ETD method for pricing American options under stochastic volatility with nonsmooth payoffs
Authors: Yousuf M. , Khaliq A.Q.M. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBased on Cox and Matthews Exponential Time Differencing (ETD) approach, a fourth–order strongly–stable method having real distinct poles is developed and applied to solve American options under stochastic volatility with nonsmooth payoffs. A computationally efficient version of the method is constructed using partial fraction splitting technique. This approach requires to solve several backward Euler‐type linear systems at each time step. Numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the computational efficiency, accuracy, and reliability of the method. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2013