bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Illness representations and psychological distress in Indian patients with cancer: does being aware of one's cancer diagnosis make a difference?
Authors: Chittem Mahati , Norman Paul , Harris Peter R.
Published: May 2015

Background

This study applied the Common Sense Model of illness representations to understand the psychological reactions of Indian patients with cancer who report being aware or unaware of their cancer diagnosis.

Methods

Adult Indian patients with cancer (N = 329) were asked about their understanding of their illness (to assess awareness of a cancer diagnosis), and then completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale.

Results

Patients who reported being unaware of their cancer diagnosis (54.1%) experienced higher levels of anxiety and depression. After controlling for awareness, education, income, cancer symptoms, and cancer stage, illness perceptions accounted for significant amounts of variance in anxiety (∆R2 = 0.42) and depression (∆R2 = 0.33). Illness coherence mediated the relationship between awareness of a cancer diagnosis and anxiety. Moderated regression analyses indicated that several relationships between illness perceptions and anxiety/depression were stronger among patients who reported being unaware of their cancer diagnosis.

Conclusions

The Common Sense Model provides a useful framework for explaining the psychological reactions of Indian patients with cancer to their illness, particularly for those who report being unaware of their cancer diagnosis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular methods (digital PCR and real‐time PCR) for the quantification of low copy DNA of Phytophthora nicotianae in environmental samples
Authors: Blaya Josefa , Lloret Eva , Santísima‐Trinidad Ana B , Ros Margarita , Pascual Jose A
Published: May 2015

BACKGROUND

Currently, real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is the technique most often used to quantify pathogen presence. Digital PCR (dPCR) is a new technique with the potential to have a substantial impact on plant pathology research owing to its reproducibility, sensitivity and low susceptibility to inhibitors. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using dPCR and qPCR to quantify Phytophthora nicotianae in several background matrices, including host tissues (stems and roots) and soil samples.

RESULTS

In spite of the low dynamic range of dPCR (3 logs compared with 7 logs for qPCR), this technique proved to have very high precision applicable at very low copy numbers. The dPCR was able to detect accurately the pathogen in all type of samples in a broad concentration range. Moreover, dPCR seems to be less susceptible to inhibitors than qPCR in plant samples. Linear regression analysis showed a high correlation between the results obtained with the two techniques in soil, stem and root samples, with R2 = 0.873, 0.999 and 0.995 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that dPCR is a promising alternative for quantifying soil‐borne pathogens in environmental samples, even in early stages of the disease. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Rapid model exploration for complex hierarchical data: application to pharmacokinetics of insulin aspart
Authors: Goudie Robert J. B. , Hovorka Roman , Murphy Helen R. , Lunn David
Published: May 2015

We consider situations, which are common in medical statistics, where we have a number of sets of response data, from different individuals, say, potentially under different conditions. A parametric model is defined for each set of data, giving rise to a set of random effects. Our goal here is to efficiently explore a range of possible ‘population’ models for the random effects, to select the most appropriate model. The range of possible models is potentially vast, because the random effects may depend on observed covariates, and there may be multiple credible ways of partitioning their variability. Here, we consider pharmacokinetic (PK) data on insulin aspart, a fast acting insulin analogue used in the treatment of diabetes. PK models are typically nonlinear (in their parameters), often complex and sometimes only available as a set of differential equations, with no closed‐form solution. Fitting such a model for just a single individual can be a challenging task. Fitting a joint model for all individuals can be even harder, even without the complication of an overarching model selection objective. We describe a two‐stage approach that decouples the population model for the random effects from the PK model applied to the response data but nevertheless fits the full, joint, hierarchical model, accounting fully for uncertainty. This allows us to repeatedly reuse results from a single analysis of the response data to explore various population models for the random effects. This greatly expedites not only model exploration but also cross‐validation for the purposes of model criticism. © 2015 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
A family of likelihood functions to make inferences about the reliability parameter for many stress‐strength distributions
Authors: Montoya José A. , Figueroa Gudelia
Published: May 2015

Many research papers in statistical literature address the estimation of the reliability parameter in stress‐strength models, considering different types of distributions for stress and for strength. We have found that for many of these distributions, their corresponding profile likelihood functions of the reliability parameter can be grouped in a family of likelihood functions, with a simple algebraic structure that facilitates making inferences about this parameter. The novel family of likelihood functions, proposed here, maximum likelihood estimation procedures and suitable reparameterizations, were used to obtain a simple closed‐form expression for the likelihood confidence interval of the reliability parameter. This new approach is particularly useful when small and/or unequal sample sizes are involved. Simulation studies for some distributions were carried out to illustrate the performance of the likelihood confidence intervals for the reliability parameter, and adequate coverage frequencies were obtained. The simplicity of our unifying proposal is shown here using three stress‐strength distributions that have been analysed individually in statistical literature. However, there are many distributions for which inferences about the reliability parameter could be easily obtained using the proposed family. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Metal‐Dependent Topologies and Water Aggregations in Copper and Nickel Carboxycinnamate Coordination Polymers with a Long‐Spanning Dipyridylamide Ligand
Authors: Rogers Ciana M. , Glatz Erika J. , LaDuca Robert L.
Published: May 2015

Hydrothermal reaction of the requisite metal nitrate, carboxycinnamic acid (H2cca), and the long‐spanning dipyridylamide bis(4‐pyridylformyl)piperazine (4‐bpfp) generate crystalline coordination polymers whose topology depends critically on the metal coordination geometric preference. These two new phases were structurally characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. {[Cu(cca)(4‐bpfp)]·2.5H2O}n (1) manifests a non‐interpenetrated 6‐connected pcu net based on chain motifs featuring carboxylate‐bridged {Cu2(OCO)2} dinuclear units, with embedded D(5) water molecule chains. {[Ni(cca)(4‐bpfp)(H2O)2]·3H2O}n (2) displays an acentric twofold interpenetrated 4‐connected 66 dia network topology with entrapped R(4)A(1) water molecule rings. Variable temperature magnetic studies performed on 1 revealed very weak antiferromagnetic coupling within its dinuclear units. Thermal properties of these two new materials are also discussed.
Hydrothermal Studies in the System Hg/Se/Te/O: The First TeIV/SeVI Oxocompounds Hg3SeTe2O10 and Hg3SeTe4O14, and the Mixed‐valent Hg5Se2O8
Authors: Weil Matthias , Shirkanlou Mahdi
Published: May 2015

Reactions of HgII‐, TeIV‐, and SeVI‐containing starting materials under moderate hydrothermal conditions (230 °C, one week) resulted in the formation of the mercuric oxotellurate(IV)/oxoselenate(VI) phases Hg3SeTe2O10 and Hg3SeTe4O14. The mixed‐valent phase Hg5Se2O8 containing mercury in oxidation states +I and +II as well as selenium in oxidation states +IV and +VI also formed under these conditions. The crystal structures of the three compounds were determined from single‐crystal X‐ray data. All structures contain building blocks characteristic for HgI or HgII cations and for oxochalcogenate anions of SeIV, SeVI, or TeIV. Whereas the oxoselenate(VI) and oxotellurate(IV) anions are isolated in the structure of Hg3SeTe2O10, the higher TeO2 content in the structure of Hg3SeTe4O14 leads to a condensation of the corresponding anions. The crystal structure of Hg5Se2O8 is described in terms of oxo‐centered [OHg4] tetrahedra.
Mitochondrial transcript maturation and its disorders
Authors: Van Haute Lindsey , Pearce Sarah F. , Powell Christopher A. , D'Souza Aaron R. , Nicholls Thomas J. , Minczuk Michal
Published: May 2015

Mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiencies exhibit a wide spectrum of clinical presentations owing to defective mitochondrial energy production through oxidative phosphorylation. These defects can be caused by either mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or mutations in nuclear genes coding for mitochondrially‐targeted proteins. The underlying pathomechanisms can affect numerous pathways involved in mitochondrial biology including expression of mtDNA‐encoded genes. Expression of the mitochondrial genes is extensively regulated at the post‐transcriptional stage and entails nucleolytic cleavage of precursor RNAs, RNA nucleotide modifications, RNA polyadenylation, RNA quality and stability control. These processes ensure proper mitochondrial RNA (mtRNA) function, and are regulated by dedicated, nuclear‐encoded enzymes. Recent growing evidence suggests that mutations in these nuclear genes, leading to incorrect maturation of RNAs, are a cause of human mitochondrial disease. Additionally, mutations in mtDNA‐encoded genes may also affect RNA maturation and are frequently associated with human disease. We review the current knowledge on a subset of nuclear‐encoded genes coding for proteins involved in mitochondrial RNA maturation, for which genetic variants impacting upon mitochondrial pathophysiology have been reported. Also, primary pathological mtDNA mutations with recognised effects upon RNA processing are described.
A STOCHASTIC FRONTIER ANALYSIS TO EXAMINE RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PEANUTS
Authors: AFFUSO ERMANNO , HITE DIANE , WILSON NORBERT W.L.
Published: May 2015

Pesticide applications are essential for peanut production to control insects, weeds, and other plant pathogens and for a profitable operation. We use a stochastic frontier analysis/primal system approach to test the hypothesis of the overuse of fungicides among peanut farmers. With nationally representative data available from the Agricultural and Resource Management Survey, we find evidence that U.S. peanut growers used excessive amounts of fungicides to prevent fungal infections. If those farmers adopt a new cultivar resistant to fungal pathogens, they could reduce the total cost of chemicals up to 36.2%. The reduction in fungicide use would have spillover environmental benefits.
Japanese Party Politics at a Crossroads?
Authors: Nyblade Benjamin
Published: May 2015

In 2009, the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan, which had successfully formed governments either alone or as the largest partner in a coalition government for all but a single year since 1955, suffered a devastating electoral defeat when the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) won nearly two-thirds of the seats available in the House of Representatives. The landslide DPJ victory was seen by many commentators and academics as the culmination of a decade-long trend toward two-party politics, driven in large part by party and voter adaptation to the electoral reforms of the 1990s, which introduced single-member districts as the means for electing a majority of members of parliament. The three books reviewed in this essay were written primarily in the two years following the 2009 DPJ victory, and each attempts, in quite distinct ways, to update our accounts of electoral and party politics and policymaking in Japan to account for the changes in Japanese politics in the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Pharmacokinetics of intravenous sildenafil in children with palliated single ventricle heart defects: effect of elevated hepatic pressures
Authors: Hill Kevin D. , Sampson Mario R. , Li Jennifer S. , Tunks Robert D. , Schulman Scott R. , Cohen-Wolkowiez Michael
Published: May 2015

Aims

Sildenafil is frequently prescribed to children with single ventricle heart defects. These children have unique hepatic physiology with elevated hepatic pressures, which may alter drug pharmacokinetics. We sought to determine the impact of hepatic pressure on sildenafil pharmacokinetics in children with single ventricle heart defects.

Methods

A population pharmacokinetic model was developed using data from 20 single ventricle children receiving single-dose intravenous sildenafil during cardiac catheterisation. Non-linear mixed effect modelling was used for model development, and covariate effects were evaluated based on estimated precision and clinical significance.

Results

The analysis included a median (range) of 4 (2–5) pharmacokinetic samples per child. The final structural model was a two-compartment model for sildenafil with a one-compartment model for des-methyl-sildenafil (active metabolite), with assumed 100% sildenafil to des-methyl-sildenafil conversion. Sildenafil clearance was unaffected by hepatic pressure (clearance=0.62 L/hour/kg); however, clearance of des-methyl-sildenafil (1.94×(hepatic pressure/9)−1.33 L/hour/kg) was predicted to decrease ~7-fold as hepatic pressure increased from 4 to 18 mmHg. Predicted drug exposure was increased by ~1.5-fold in subjects with hepatic pressures ⩾10 versus <10 mmHg (median area under the curve=533 versus 792 µg*h/L).

Discussion

Elevated hepatic pressure delays clearance of the sildenafil metabolite – des-methyl-sildenafil – and increases drug exposure. We speculate that this results from impaired biliary clearance. Hepatic pressure should be considered when prescribing sildenafil to children. These data demonstrate the importance of pharmacokinetic assessments in patients with unique cardiovascular physiology that may affect drug metabolism.
Cognate status, syllable position and word length on bilingual Tip-Of-the-Tongue states induction and resolution
Authors: PUREZA RITA , SOARES ANA PAULA , COMESAÑA MONTSERRAT
Published: May 2015

This study explores the role of cognate status, syllable position, and word length in Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) states induction and resolution for European Portuguese (EP; L1) – English (L2) bilinguals (and EP monolinguals as control). TOTs were induced using a picture naming task in L1 and L2 followed by a lexical decision task. Here, the first or the last syllable of the target word (or none for control) was embedded in pseudowords (syllabic pseudohomophones) in order to test its effect in TOT resolution. Bilinguals presented more TOTs in L2 than in L1, especially for noncognate words. Longer words showed more TOTs than shorter words, though only in L1. TOT resolution was higher for cognates in L2 and higher when primed by the first than by the last syllable. Finally, longer cognates showed more TOT resolution than shorter cognates, irrespective of the language. Results are discussed in light of TOT's main hypothesis.
Acetylation of Beclin 1 inhibits autophagosome maturation and promotes tumour growth
Authors: Sun Ting , Li Xuan , Zhang Peng , Chen Wen-Dan , Zhang Hai-liang , Li Dan-Dan , Deng Rong , Qian Xiao-Jun , Jiao Lin , Ji Jiao , Li Yun-Tian , Wu Rui-Yan , Yu Yan , Feng Gong-Kan , Zhu Xiao-Feng
Published: May 2015

Beclin 1, a protein essential for autophagy, regulates autophagy by interacting with Vps34 and other cofactors to form the Beclin 1 complex. Modifications of Beclin 1 may lead to the induction, inhibition or fine-tuning of the autophagic response under a variety of conditions. Here we show that Beclin 1 is acetylated by p300 and deacetylated by SIRT1 at lysine residues 430 and 437. In addition, the phosphorylation of Beclin 1 at S409 by CK1 is required for the subsequent p300 binding and Beclin 1 acetylation. Beclin 1 acetylation inhibits autophagosome maturation and endocytic trafficking by promoting the recruitment of Rubicon. In tumour xenografts, the expression of 2KR mutant Beclin 1 (substitution of K430 and K437 to arginines) leads to enhanced autophagosome maturation and tumour growth suppression. Therefore, our study identifies an acetylation-dependent regulatory mechanism governing Beclin 1 function in autophagosome maturation and tumour growth.
Formation of As-As Interlayer Bonding in the collapsed tetragonal phase of NaFe2As2 under pressure
Authors: Stavrou Elissaios , Chen Xiao-Jia , Oganov Artem R. , Wang A. F. , Yan Y. J. , Luo X. G. , Chen X. H. , Goncharov Alexander F.
Published: May 2015

NaFe2As2 is investigated experimentally using powder x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy at pressures up to 23 GPa at room temperature and using ab-initio calculations. The results reveal a pressure-induced structural modification at 4 GPa from the starting tetragonal to a collapsed tetragonal phase. We determined the changes in interatomic distances under pressure that allowed us to connect the structural changes and superconductivity. The transition is related to the formation of interlayer As-As bonds at the expense of weakening of Fe-As bonds in agreement with recent theoretical predictions.
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction and Spiral Order in Spin-orbit Coupled Optical Lattices
Authors: Gong Ming , Qian Yinyin , Yan Mi , Scarola V. W. , Zhang Chuanwei
Published: May 2015

We show that the recent experimental realization of spin-orbit coupling in ultracold atomic gases can be used to study different types of spin spiral order and resulting multiferroic effects. Spin-orbit coupling in optical lattices can give rise to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) spin interaction which is essential for spin spiral order. By taking into account spin-orbit coupling and an external Zeeman field, we derive an effective spin model in the Mott insulator regime at half filling and demonstrate that the DM interaction in optical lattices can be made extremely strong with realistic experimental parameters. The rich finite temperature phase diagrams of the effective spin models for fermions and bosons are obtained via classical Monte Carlo simulations.
Dynamic near-field optical interaction between oscillating nanomechanical structures
Authors: Ahn Phillip , Chen Xiang , Zhang Zhen , Ford Matthew , Rosenmann Daniel , Jung II Woong , Sun Cheng , Balogun Oluwaseyi
Published: May 2015

Near-field optical techniques exploit light-matter interactions at small length scales for mechanical sensing and actuation of nanomechanical structures. Here, we study the optical interaction between two mechanical oscillators—a plasmonic nanofocusing probe-tip supported by a low frequency cantilever and a high frequency nanomechanical resonator—and leverage their interaction for local detection of mechanical vibrations. The plasmonic nanofocusing probe provides a confined optical source to enhance the interaction between the two oscillators. Dynamic perturbation of the optical cavity between the probe-tip and the resonator leads to nonlinear modulation of the scattered light intensity at the sum and difference of their frequencies. This double-frequency demodulation scheme is explored to suppress unwanted background and to detect mechanical vibrations with a minimum detectable displacement sensitivity of 0.45 pm/Hz1/2, which is limited by shot noise and electrical noise. We explore the demodulation scheme for imaging the bending vibration mode shape of the resonator with a lateral spatial resolution of 20 nm. We also demonstrate the time-resolved aspect of the local optical interaction by recording the ring-down vibrations of the resonator at frequencies of up to 129 MHz. The near-field optical technique is promising for studying dynamic mechanical processes in individual nanostructures.
Information processing via physical soft body
Authors: Nakajima Kohei , Hauser Helmut , Li Tao , Pfeifer Rolf
Published: May 2015

Soft machines have recently gained prominence due to their inherent softness and the resulting safety and resilience in applications. However, these machines also have disadvantages, as they respond with complex body dynamics when stimulated. These dynamics exhibit a variety of properties, including nonlinearity, memory and potentially infinitely many degrees of freedom, which are often difficult to control. Here, we demonstrate that these seemingly undesirable properties can in fact be assets that can be exploited for real-time computation. Using body dynamics generated from a soft silicone arm, we show that they can be employed to emulate desired nonlinear dynamical systems. First, by using benchmark tasks, we demonstrate that the nonlinearity and memory within the body dynamics can increase the computational performance. Second, we characterize our system’s computational capability by comparing its task performance with a standard machine learning technique and identify its range of validity and limitation. Our results suggest that soft bodies are not only impressive in their deformability and flexibility but can also be potentially used as computational resources on top and for free.
Cell Size Modulates Oscillation, Positioning and Length of Mitotic Spindles
Authors: Jiang Hongyuan
Published: May 2015

Mitotic spindle is the main subcellular structure that accomplishes the chromosome segregation between daughter cells during cell division. However, how mitotic spindles sense and control their size, position and movement inside the cell still remains unclear. In this paper, we focus on the size effects of mitotic spindles, i.e., how cell size controls various interesting phenomena in the metaphase, such as oscillation, positioning and size limit of mitotic spindles. We systematically studied the frequency doubling phenomenon during chromosome oscillation and found that cell size can regulate the period and amplitude of chromosome oscillation. We found that the relaxation time of the positioning process increases exponentially with cell size. We also showed that the stabler microtubule-kinetochore attachments alone can directly lead to an upper limit of spindle size. Our work not only explains the existing experimental observations, but also provides some interesting predictions that can be verified or rejected by further experiments.
Electronic Band Structure and Sub-band-gap Absorption of Nitrogen Hyperdoped Silicon
Authors: Zhu Zhen , Shao Hezhu , Dong Xiao , Li Ning , Ning Bo-Yuan , Ning Xi-Jing , Zhao Li , Zhuang Jun
Published: May 2015

We investigated the atomic geometry, electronic band structure and optical absorption of nitrogen hyperdoped silicon based on first-principles calculations. The results show that all the paired nitrogen defects we studied do not introduce intermediate band, while most of single nitrogen defects can introduce intermediate band in the gap. Considering the stability of the single defects and the rapid resolidification following the laser melting process in our sample preparation method, we conclude that the substitutional nitrogen defect, whose fraction was tiny and could be neglected before, should have considerable fraction in the hyperdoped silicon and results in the visible sub-band-gap absorption as observed in the experiment. Furthermore, our calculations show that the substitutional nitrogen defect has good stability, which could be one of the reasons why the sub-band-gap absorptance remains almost unchanged after annealing.
Eye closure enhances dark night perceptions
Authors: Brodoehl Stefan , Klingner Carsten M. , Witte Otto W.
Published: May 2015

We often close our eyes when we explore objects with our fingers to reduce the dominance of the visual system over our other senses. Here we show that eye closure, even in complete darkness, results in improved somatosensory perception due to a switch from visual predominance towards a somatosensory processing mode. Using a tactile discrimination task and functional neuroimaging (fMRI) data were acquired from healthy subjects with their eyes opened and closed in two environments: under ambient light and in complete darkness. Under both conditions the perception threshold decreased when subjects closed their eyes and their fingers became more sensitive. In complete darkness, eye closure significantly increased occipital blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activity in the somatosensory and secondary visual processing areas. This change in brain activity was associated with enhanced coupling between the sensory thalamus and somatosensory cortex; connectivity between the visual and somatosensory areas decreased. The present study demonstrates that eye closure improves somatosensory perception not merely due to the lack of visual signals; instead, the act of closing the eyes itself alters the processing mode in the brain: with eye closure the brain switches from thalamo-cortical networks with visual dominance to a non-visually dominated processing mode.
Effects of drug-resistant mutations on the dynamic properties of HIV-1 protease and inhibition by Amprenavir and Darunavir
Authors: Yu Yuqi , Wang Jinan , Shao Qiang , Shi Jiye , Zhu Weiliang
Published: May 2015

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to investigate the dynamic properties of wild-type HIV-1 protease and its two multi-drug-resistant variants (Flap + (L10I/G48V/I54V/V82A) and Act (V82T/I84V)) as well as their binding with APV and DRV inhibitors. The hydrophobic interactions between flap and 80 s (80’s) loop residues (mainly I50-I84’ and I50’-I84) play an important role in maintaining the closed conformation of HIV-1 protease. The double mutation in Act variant weakens the hydrophobic interactions, leading to the transition from closed to semi-open conformation of apo Act. APV or DRV binds with HIV-1 protease via both hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions. The hydrophobic interactions from the inhibitor is aimed to the residues of I50 (I50’), I84 (I84’) and V82 (V82’) which create hydrophobic core clusters to further stabilize the closed conformation of flaps and the hydrogen bonding interactions are mainly focused with the active site of HIV-1 protease. The combined change in the two kinds of protease-inhibitor interactions is correlated with the observed resistance mutations. The present study sheds light on the microscopic mechanism underlying the mutation effects on the dynamics of HIV-1 protease and the inhibition by APV and DRV, providing useful information to the design of more potent and effective HIV-1 protease inhibitors.
Cooperative Transmembrane Penetration of Nanoparticles
Authors: Zhang Haizhen , Ji Qiuju , Huang Changjin , Zhang Sulin , Yuan Bing , Yang Kai , Ma Yu-qiang
Published: May 2015

Physical penetration of lipid bilayer membranes presents an alternative pathway for cellular delivery of nanoparticles (NPs) besides endocytosis. NPs delivered through this pathway could reach the cytoplasm, thereby opening the possibility of organelle-specific targeting. Herein we perform dissipative particle dynamics simulations to elucidate the transmembrane penetration mechanisms of multiple NPs. Our simulations demonstrate that NPs’ translocation proceeds in a cooperative manner, where the interplay of the quantity and surface chemistry of the NPs regulates the translocation efficiency. For NPs with hydrophilic surfaces, the increase of particle quantity facilitates penetration, while for NPs with partly or totally hydrophobic surfaces, the opposite highly possibly holds. Moreover, a set of interesting cooperative ways, such as aggregation, aggregation-dispersion and aggregation-dispersion-reaggregation of the NPs, are observed during the penetration process. We find that the penetration behaviors of multiple NPs are mostly dominated by the changes of the NP-membrane force components in the membrane plane direction, in addition to that in the penetration direction, suggesting a different interaction mechanism between the multiple NPs and the membrane compared with the one-NP case. These results provide a fundamental understanding in the underlying mechanisms of cooperative penetration of NPs and shed light on the NP-based drug and gene delivery.
Landscape of the lipidome and transcriptome under heat stress in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Higashi Yasuhiro , Okazaki Yozo , Myouga Fumiyoshi , Shinozaki Kazuo , Saito Kazuki
Published: May 2015

Environmental stress causes membrane damage in plants. Lipid studies are required to understand the adaptation of plants to climate change. Here, LC-MS-based lipidomic and microarray transcriptome analyses were carried out to elucidate the effect of short-term heat stress on the Arabidopsis thaliana leaf membrane. Vegetative plants were subjected to high temperatures for one day and then grown under normal conditions. Sixty-six detected glycerolipid species were classified according to patterns of compositional change by Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Triacylglycerols, 36:4- and 36:5-monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, 34:2- and 36:2-digalactosyldiacylglycerol, 34:1-, 36:1- and 36:6-phosphatidylcholine and 34:1-phosphatidylethanolamine increased by the stress and immediately decreased during recovery. The relative amount of one triacylglycerol species (54:9) containing α-linolenic acid (18:3) increased under heat stress. These results suggest that heat stress in Arabidopsis leaves induces an increase in triacylglycerol levels, which functions as an intermediate of lipid turnover and results in a decrease in membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids. Microarray data revealed candidate genes responsible for the observed metabolic changes.
Habitat stability, predation risk and ‘memory syndromes’
Authors: Dalesman S. , Rendle A. , Dall S.R.X.
Published: May 2015

Habitat stability and predation pressure are thought to be major drivers in the evolutionary maintenance of behavioural syndromes, with trait covariance only occurring within specific habitats. However, animals also exhibit behavioural plasticity, often through memory formation. Memory formation across traits may be linked, with covariance in memory traits (memory syndromes) selected under particular environmental conditions. This study tests whether the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, demonstrates consistency among memory traits (‘memory syndrome’) related to threat avoidance and foraging. We used eight populations originating from three different habitat types: i) laboratory populations (stable habitat, predator-free); ii) river populations (fairly stable habitat, fish predation); and iii) ditch populations (unstable habitat, invertebrate predation). At a population level, there was a negative relationship between memories related to threat avoidance and food selectivity, but no consistency within habitat type. At an individual level, covariance between memory traits was dependent on habitat. Laboratory populations showed no covariance among memory traits, whereas river populations showed a positive correlation between food memories and ditch populations demonstrated a negative relationship between threat memory and food memories. Therefore, selection pressures among habitats appear to act independently on memory trait covariation at an individual level and the average response within a population.
Fractal features of soil particle size distribution in newly formed wetlands in the Yellow River Delta
Authors: Yu Junbao , Lv Xiaofei , Bin Ma , Wu Huifeng , Du Siyao , Zhou Mo , Yang Yanming , Han Guangxuan
Published: May 2015

The characteristic of particle size distribution (PSD) in the newly formed wetlands in coast has seldom been studied. We applied fractal-scaling theory in assessing soil particle size distribution (PSD) features of newly formed wetlands in the Yellow River Delta (YRD), China. The singular fractal dimensions (D) values ranged from 1.82 to 1.90, the capacity dimension (D0) values ranged from 0.84 to 0.93 and the entropy dimension (D1) values ranged from 0.66 to 0.84. Constrained corresponding analysis revealed that 43.5% of the variance in soil PSD can be explained by environmental factors, including 14.7% by seasonal variation, 8.6% by soil depth and 8.0% by vegetation type. The fractal dimensions D and D1 were sensitive with fine particles with size ranging less than 126 μm and D0 was sensitive with coarse particles with size ranging between 126 μm to 2000 μm. Fractal analysis makes full use of soil PSD information and offers a useful approach to quantify and assess the soil physical attributes in the newly formed wetland.
Giant Electroresistive Ferroelectric Diode on 2DEG
Authors: Kim Shin-Ik , Jin Gwon Hyo , Kim Dai-Hong , Keun Kim Seong , Choi Ji-Won , Yoon Seok-Jin , Jung Chang Hye , Kang Chong-Yun , Kwon Beomjin , Bark Chung-Wung , Hong Seong-Hyeon , Kim Jin-Sang , Baek Seung-Hyub
Published: May 2015

Manipulation of electrons in a solid through transmitting, storing and switching is the fundamental basis for the microelectronic devices. Recently, the electroresistance effect in the ferroelectric capacitors has provided a novel way to modulate the electron transport by polarization reversal. Here, we demonstrate a giant electroresistive ferroelectric diode integrating a ferroelectric capacitor into two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at oxide interface. As a model system, we fabricate an epitaxial Au/Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructure, where 2DEG is formed at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. This device functions as a two-terminal, non-volatile memory of 1 diode-1 resistor with a large I+/I− ratio (>108 at ±6 V) and Ion/Ioff ratio (>107). This is attributed to not only Schottky barrier modulation at metal/ferroelectric interface by polarization reversal but also the field-effect metal-insulator transition of 2DEG. Moreover, using this heterostructure, we can demonstrate a memristive behavior for an artificial synapse memory, where the resistance can be continuously tuned by partial polarization switching and the electrons are only unidirectionally transmitted. Beyond non-volatile memory and logic devices, our results will provide new opportunities to emerging electronic devices such as multifunctional nanoelectronics and neuromorphic electronics.
Spin Polarization Inversion at Benzene-Absorbed Fe4N Surface
Authors: Zhang Qian , Mi Wenbo , Wang Xiaocha , Wang Xuhui
Published: May 2015

We report a first-principle study on electronic structure and simulation of the spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy graphic of a benzene/Fe4N interface. Fe4N is a compound ferromagnet suitable for many spintronic applications. We found that, depending on the particular termination schemes and interface configurations, the spin polarization on the benzene surface shows a rich variety of properties ranging from cosine-type oscillation to polarization inversion. Spin-polarization inversion above benzene is resulting from the hybridizations between C pz and the out-of-plane d orbitals of Fe atom.
Fast immuno-labeling by electrophoretically driven infiltration for intact tissue imaging
Authors: Li Jun , Czajkowsky Daniel M. , Li Xiaowei , Shao Zhifeng
Published: May 2015

Recently developed tissue clearing techniques, where the tissue is embedded within a hydrogel, have revolutionized our ability to resolve fine cellular structures in nearly intact tissues. However, the slow rate of penetration of antibodies within this hydrogel-tissue matrix has become a significantly limiting factor in many experiments, as thick tissues often require weeks to months to be adequately labeled. Increasing the pore size of this matrix has been investigated as a possible solution, but with only modest success. Here, we have systematically examined the diffusional behavior of antibodies and other typically used immuno-labels within this hydrogel-tissue matrix and, surprisingly, found that infiltration occurs at rates similar to those of diffusion in free solution. Therefore, changing the pore size of the matrix would be expected to afford only limited improvement and, instead, some means of active transport is necessary. We show that an electrophoretically-driven approach decreases the delivery time of antibodies by more than 800-fold over simple diffusion, without incurring structural damage. These results, together with the high quality of the images obtained with this method, demonstrate the advantage of this approach, thus significantly broadening the practical range of samples that can now be investigated by whole-mount tissue clearing methods.
Facile synthesis of borofragments and their evaluation in activity-based protein profiling
Authors: Adachi Shinya , Cognetta 3rd Armand B. , Niphakis Micah J. , He Zhi , Zajdlik Adam , St. Denis Jeffrey D. , Scully Conor C. G. , Cravatt Benjamin F. , Yudin Andrei K.
Published: May 2015

We describe chemistry that allows synthesis and evaluation of borofragments via conjugation of boron warheads with heterocycles of biological significance.
Effect of tannic acid–fish scale gelatin hydrolysate hybrid nanoparticles on intestinal barrier function and α-amylase activity
Authors: Wu Shao-Jung , Ho Yi-Cheng , Jiang Shun-Zhou , Mi Fwu-Long
Published: May 2015

Tannic acid/FSGH nanoparticles can ameliorate Cu2+ ion induced intestinal epithelial TJ dysfunction without severely inhibiting the activity of digestive enzymes.
Traction stress analysis and modeling reveal that amoeboid migration in confined spaces is accompanied by expansive forces and requires the structural integrity of the membrane–cortex interactions
Authors: Yip Ai Kia , Chiam Keng-Hwee , Matsudaira Paul
Published: May 2015

Neutrophil-like cells, confined between two non-fibronectin-coated gels, form blebs and generate expansive forces against opposing surfaces during amoeboid cell “chimneying”.
Metal–organic framework MIL-101(Cr) as a sorbent of porous membrane-protected micro-solid-phase extraction for the analysis of six phthalate esters from drinking water: a combination of experimental and computational study
Authors: Wang Ting , Wang Jian , Zhang Conglu , Yang Zhao , Dai Xinpeng , Cheng Maosheng , Hou Xiaohong
Published: May 2015

An attractive MIL-101(Cr) material was synthesized and applied as a sorbent in μ-SPE device for the pre-concentration of PAEs in drinking water for the first time.
Direct writing electrodes using a ball pen for paper-based point-of-care testing
Authors: Li Zedong , Li Fei , Hu Jie , Wee Wei Hong , Han Yu Long , Pingguan-Murphy Belinda , Lu Tian Jian , Xu Feng
Published: May 2015

A simple strategy to fabricate paper-based electrochemical devices has been developed by directly writing using a pressure-assisted ball pen.
A novel label-free biosensor based on self-assembled aptamer/GO architecture for sensitive detection of biomolecules
Authors: Huang Zhimei , Ge Jia , Liu Lan , Jiang Jianhui , Shen Guoli , Yu Ruqin
Published: May 2015

We developed a novel label-free biosensor for biomolecule detection based on the thioflavin T (ThT)-induced conformational change of guanine-rich oligonucleotides and self-assembled aptamer/GO nanosheet architecture.
A step toward simplified detection of serum albumin on SDS-PAGE using an environment-sensitive flavone sensor
Authors: Liu Bin , Pang Yi , Bouhenni Rachida , Duah Ernest , Paruchuri Sailaja , McDonald Lucas
Published: May 2015

The fluorescence pattern of proteins in the polyacrylamide gel by using flavone dye staining without the washing process.
Optically stimulated persistent luminescence of europium-doped LaAlO3 nanocrystals
Authors: Głuchowski Paweł , Stręk Wiesław , Lastusaari Mika , Hölsä Jorma
Published: May 2015

Persistent luminescence associated with Eu3+ in LaAlO3:Eu3+ nanocrystals can be observed and enhanced by optical stimulation.
Experimental and theoretical study of the oxidation of ventilation air methane over Fe2O3 and CuO
Authors: Jin Yonggang , Sun Chenghua , Su Shi
Published: May 2015

Oxygen vacancies may be generated and actively involved in the catalytic CH4 oxidation over metal oxides.
Unusual hydroxyl migration in the fragmentation of β-alanine dication in the gas phase
Authors: Piekarski Dariusz Grzegorz , Delaunay Rudy , Maclot Sylvain , Adoui Lamri , Martín Fernando , Alcamí Manuel , Huber Bernd A. , Rousseau Patrick , Domaracka Alicja , Díaz-Tendero Sergio
Published: May 2015

Experimental and theoretical investigations show that hydroxyl migration leads to unexpected fragmentation dynamics of β-alanine dication in the gas phase.
Mesoporous ZnCo2O4 nanoflakes grown on nickel foam as electrodes for high performance supercapacitors
Authors: Cheng Jinbing , Lu Yang , Qiu Kangwen , Yan Hailong , Hou Xiaoyi , Xu Jinyou , Han Lei , Liu Xianming , Kim Jang-Kyo , Luo Yongsong
Published: May 2015

Freestanding mesoporous ZnCo2O4 nanoflake electrodes exhibit a superior pseudocapacitive performance and long-life stability.
Metastable charge-transfer state of californium(iii) compounds
Authors: Liu Guokui , Cary Samantha K. , Albrecht-Schmitt Thomas E.
Published: May 2015

Energetics and dynamics of photoluminescence from the metastable charge transfer (CT) state of Cf(ii) in Cf (HDPA)3·H2O.
Effects of electronic structure on the hydration of PbNO3+ and SrNO3+ ion pairs
Authors: Cooper Richard J. , Heiles Sven , Williams Evan R.
Published: May 2015

Results from infrared photodissociation spectroscopy and theory show hydration of the ion pairs, PbNO3+ and SrNO3+, differ as a result of differences in electronic structure.
Remarkable conformational flexibility of aqueous 18-crown-6 and its strontium(ii) complex – ab initio molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Canaval Lorenz R. , Hadisaputra Saprizal , Hofer Thomas S.
Published: May 2015

QM/MM simulations of 18-crown-6 and its strontium(ii) complex indicate vivid backbone flexibility in aqueous medium.
Interplay of donor–acceptor interactions in stabilizing boron nitride compounds: insights from theory
Authors: Momeni Mohammad R. , Shulman Lisa , Rivard Eric , Brown Alex
Published: May 2015

The chemical bonds in donor–acceptor stabilized linear and cyclic (BN)n(n= 1–3) adducts are examined using natural bond orbital (NBO), atoms-in-molecules (AIM), and energy decomposition (EDA-NOCV) analyses.
Adiabatic ionization energies of the overlapped A2A1and B2E electronic states in CH3Cl+/CH3F+measured with double imaging electron/ion coincidence
Authors: Tang Xiaofeng , Garcia Gustavo A. , Nahon Laurent
Published: May 2015

The overlapped A2A1and B2E electronic states of CH3Cl+have been separated and their adiabatic ionization energies have been measured from an electron and ion kinetic energy correlation diagram based on their different dissociation dynamics.
Alternation of aromatic–nonaromatic rings in belt-like structures. The behavior of [6.8]3cyclacene in magnetic fields
Authors: Camacho Gonzalez J. , Muñoz-Castro A.
Published: May 2015

The magnetic response of [6.8]cyclacene suggests a characteristic behavior given by its confinement into a belt-like structure.
Assembly, growth and nonlinear thermo-optical properties of nitropeptides
Authors: Bera Santu , Ambast Deepak K. S. , Pal Bipul , Haldar Debasish
Published: May 2015

Irrespective of having the same functional group, π-conjugated system, chirality and backbone conformation as nitropeptides 1 and 3, nitropeptide 2 that forms a hydrogen bond and π–π stacking assisted dimer exhibits self-phase modulation.
Novel compounds in the Zr–O system, their crystal structures and mechanical properties
Authors: Zhang Jin , Oganov Artem R. , Li Xinfeng , Dong Huafeng , Zeng Qingfeng
Published: May 2015

(a) Zr-graphene layers of semimetallic ZrO, (b) a massive Dirac cone existing in the 3D band structure of ZrO and (c) mechanical properties of Zr–O compounds.
Graphene allotropes under extreme uniaxial strain: an ab initio theoretical study
Authors: Fthenakis Zacharias G. , Lathiotakis Nektarios N.
Published: May 2015

We study ab intio the mechanical properties of selected planar allotropes of graphene, up to their fracture limit and examine strain as a possible factor for their synthesis.
Quasi-intrinsic colossal permittivity in Nb and In co-doped rutile TiO2nanoceramics synthesized through a oxalate chemical-solution route combined with spark plasma sintering
Authors: Han HyukSu , Dufour Pascal , Mhin Sungwook , Ryu Jeong Ho , Tenailleau Christophe , Guillemet-Fritsch Sophie
Published: May 2015

Homogeneous electrical properties of Nb and In co-doped NITO nanoceramic over the microstructure.
Recent advances in employing homoenolates generated by N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis in carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions
Authors: Menon Rajeev S. , Biju Akkattu T. , Nair Vijay
Published: May 2015

This tutorial review summarises the developments since 2011 in the area of nucleophilic heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalysed generation of homoenolates and their use in carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions.
Milk proteins as a source of tryptophan-containing bioactive peptides
Authors: Nongonierma Alice B. , FitzGerald Richard J.
Published: May 2015

Milk proteins are rich in Trp, which contributes to protein synthesis and is a precursor of biomolecules and bioactive peptides.
Cholesterol regulatory effects and antioxidant activities of protein hydrolysates from zebra blenny (Salaria basilisca) in cholesterol-fed rats
Authors: Ktari Naourez , Belguith-Hadriche Olfa , Ben Amara Ibtissem , Ben Hadj Aïda , Turki Mouna , Makni-Ayedi Fatma , Boudaouara Tahia , El Feki Abdelfattah , Boualga Ahmed , Ben Salah Riadh , Nasri Moncef
Published: May 2015

This study aims to explore the hypocholesterolemic effects and antioxidative activities of zebra blenny protein hydrolysates (ZBPHs) in rats fed with a hypercholesterolemic diet.
Sensitivity and intensity enhancement in open air mass spectrometry assisted with a continuous wave infrared laser
Authors: Lu Y. , Zhou Y. S. , Qiu W. , Huang X. , Gao Y. , Liu L. , Lei Y. T. , Zhang T. C. , Jiang L. , Silvain J. F. , Lu Y. F.
Published: May 2015

To improve signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in open air mass spectrometry, a laser-assisted, direct-analysis-in-real-time (DART) mass spectrometer (LA-DART-MS) was developed by integrating a continuous wave (CW) infrared (IR) laser into an open air DART-MS.
Capture and enumeration of mRNA transcripts from single cells using a microfluidic device
Authors: Walsh Matthew T. , Hsiao Alexander P. , Lee Ho Suk , Liu Zhixia , Huang Xiaohua
Published: May 2015

We report an integrated microfluidic device for direct capture and digital counting of polyadenylated mRNA molecules from single cells.
1,4-Benzenedisulfonic acid (H2BDS) as terephthalic acid analogue for the preparation of coordination polymers: the examples of M(BDS)(NMP)3(M = Mn, Fe, Co; NMP = N-methylpyrrolidone)
Authors: Zitzer Christina , Muesmann Thomas W. T. , Christoffers Jens , Wickleder Mathias S.
Published: May 2015

1,4-Benzenedisulfonic acid, the sulfo analogue of terephthalic acid, has been successfully used for building coordination polymers of Co, Mn, and Fe.
Rapid HPLC-DAD quantitation of sulfonamides in honey using poly(methacrylic acid-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolith modified with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate-grafted sodium titanate nanotubes
Authors: Qi Ruifang , Lv Xueju , Niu Qian , Hu Bin , Jia Qiong
Published: May 2015

Poly(methacrylic acid-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolith modified with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate-grafted sodium titanate nanotubes was prepared for microextraction of sulfonamides.
Ultra-fast electron capture by electrosterically-stabilized gold nanoparticles
Authors: Ghandi Khashayar , Findlater Alexander D. , Mahimwalla Zahid , MacNeil Connor S. , Awoonor-Williams Ernest , Zahariev Federico , Gordon Mark S.
Published: May 2015

Faster than electron solvation transfer to gold nanoparticles in water when stabilized by non-covalent bonds with strong intermolecular interactions.