bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Develop key qualities to become a more effective supervisor
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: January 2015

Administrators are often expected to supervise other staff members. And although they're eager to become effective supervisors, most receive little to no training in supervision skills. So they often end up supervising the way they were supervised, for better or worse. That's according to Sarah Marshall, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Central Michigan University.
Synthesis, characterization, rheological and thermal behavior of metallocene ethylene − norbornene copolymers with low norbornene content using pentafluorophenol modified methylaluminoxane
Authors: Manteghi Amin , Arabi Hassan , Jahani Yousef
Published: January 2015

Ethylene − norbornene copolymers were synthesized using rac‐ethylene bis(indenyl) zirconium dichloride/pentafluorophenol modified methylaluminoxane. First, the effect of using a modifier in combination with a low ratio of Al/Zr on the catalyst activity and co‐monomer incorporation was studied. The results of copolymerization reveal a 20% co‐monomer incorporation improvement and a rise of activity by 2‐fold in the presence of the modifier. Rheological measurements show a higher molecular weight in copolymers synthesized using modified methylaluminoxane. The alternative and dyad block microstructures of copolymers become possible in the case of a norbornene content of more than 14 mol%. Second, the effect of co‐monomer content on the rheological and thermal behavior of the synthesized copolymers was investigated. The results of the rheological study indicate a lower molecular weight in samples containing a higher norbornene content. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis confirms the influence of different microstructures on the glass transition temperature. The crystal structure of copolymers having a higher molecular weight is emphasized using wide angle X‐ray scattering and DSC even with a greater incorporation of norbornene. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Effect of a double‐structured microporous polymer support on the catalytic activity, stability and aggregation behavior of immobilized enzymes
Authors: Yang Haijie , Wang Lei , Chen Shuli , Wang Mian , Feng Zhiwei
Published: January 2015

A double‐structured microporous polymer composite support consisting of a microporous skeleton for protection of immobilized enzymes and a gel‐like polymer bearing different functionalities has been synthesized for immobilization of various enzymes. Among three approaches based on two types of interactions (physical and chemical), we found that under our experimental conditions the covalent bonding between amine moieties of enzymes and epoxide groups of the support was the best, with enzyme leaching being reduced to as low as zero for nine enzymes and catalytic activities increased by factors of 1–4 for two lipases. The improvement in catalytic activity could be attributed to the amphiphilic soft gel which might create a kind of lipid–water interface or microenvironment in aqueous solution, favoring the interfacial activation of certain lipases. Furthermore, the thermal and operational stability, and reusability of all the enzymes could be enhanced to varying degrees. We also found that enzyme aggregates of different sizes could be formed on the spherical support surface at quite low enzyme concentrations, which might also influence the final catalytic activities of the immobilized enzymes. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Photorefractive performance of poly(triarylamine)‐Based polymer composites: An approach from the photoconductive properties
Authors: Tsutsumi Naoto , Kinashi Kenji , Masumura Kento , Kono Kenji
Published: January 2015

Photorefractive (PR) and photoconductive properties of methyl‐substituted poly(triarylamine) (PTAA) based PR composite is presented. PR composite consisted of PTAA, piperidinodicyanostyrene, (2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl)diphenylamine, and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester. Photocurrent is simultaneously measured when a transient degenerate four wave mixing is recorded. Diffraction efficiency of 16.6%, response time of 5 ms, and sensitivity of 43 cm2 J−1 are measured under an applied field of 45 V μm−1 and 632.8 nm illumination with the intensity of 1.5 W cm−2. Response time of 10.2 ms with diffraction efficiency of 47.0% is obtained under a same field and 532 nm illumination with the intensity of 0.427 W cm−2. Higher diffraction and faster response is due to the large photocurrent in the order of hundreds μA measured. The resultant trap density is in the order of 1014 cm−3. Thus, space–charge field less than 1 V μm−1 is evaluated, which limits the PR response. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 502–508
A p‐Menth‐1‐ene‐4,7‐diol (EC‐1) from Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dhnh. Triggers Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Changes in Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma Cells
Authors: Islam Farhadul , Khanam Jahan Ara , Khatun Mahbuba , Zuberi Natasha , Khatun Laboni , Kabir Syed Rashel , Reza Md Abu , Ali MM , Rabbi M A , Gopalan Vinod , Lam Alfred King‐Yin
Published: January 2015

Anticancer activities of p‐menth‐1‐ene‐4,7‐diol (EC‐1) isolated from Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dhnh. were studied on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells by MTT (3‐[4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. Anticancer activities also analyzed in EAC‐bearing mice by assessment of cancer growth inhibition, changes in cancer volume, changes in life span, and hematological parameters. Apoptosis was analyzed by fluorescence microscope, DNA fragmentation assay, and flow cytometry. The expression of apoptosis‐related genes, Bcl‐2, Bcl‐X, PARP‐1, p53, and Bax, were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). EC‐1 significantly inhibited proliferation of EAC cells in vivo and restored the altered hematological parameters of EAC‐bearing mice. Cytological observation by fluorescence microscope showed apoptosis of EAC cells upon treatment with EC‐1. Also, DNA fragmentation assay revealed EAC cells' apoptosis following EC‐1 treatment. Increased mRNA expressions of p53 and Bax genes and negative expressions of Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐X were observed in cells treated with EC‐1. These findings confirmed the induction of apoptosis by EC‐1. In addition, MTT assay showed dose‐dependent anticancer activity of EC‐1 against EAC cell. Cell cycle analysis revealed that EC‐1 treatment caused suppression of EAC cells at S phase. To conclude, EC‐1 is a novel anticancer compound and showed antiproliferative and apoptotic activities in cellular and mice models. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Job Demands and Job Control as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms: Moderating Effects of Negative Childhood Socioemotional Experiences
Authors: Pulkki‐Råback Laura , Elovainio Marko , Virtanen Marianna , Kivimäki Mika , Hintsanen Mirka , Hintsa Taina , Jokela Markus , Puttonen Sampsa , Joensuu Matti , Lipsanen Jari , Raitakari Olli T. , Keltikangas‐Järvinen Liisa
Published: January 2015

There have been calls to know more about vulnerability factors that may predispose to adverse health outcomes at work. We examined if childhood adverse experiences would affect vulnerability to psychosocial stress factors at work. A nationally representative sample of 1546 Finnish men and women was followed up from childhood to adulthood. Childhood adverse experiences consisted of socioeconomic and emotional factors. Job demands and job control were measured 21 years later, and depressive symptoms were measured 21 and 27 years after the childhood measurements. Job demands predicted depressive symptoms over 6 years, and the association was modified by childhood emotional adversity. Participants with three or more emotional adversities in childhood had more depressive symptoms in response to high job demands compared with participants with zero or one emotional adversities in childhood (Betas = −1.40 and −2.01, ps < 0.05 and <0.01). No such moderating effect by childhood adverse experiences was found for the association between job control and depressive symptoms. Although modest in effect size, these findings provide a developmental viewpoint for understanding the role of childhood experiences in work‐related stress factors. Such knowledge can enhance understanding of individual differences in vulnerability to the demands of working life. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pak2 Regulates Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Proliferation, Survival, and Differentiation
Authors: Zeng Yi , Broxmeyer Hal E. , Staser Karl , Chitteti Brahmananda Reddy , Park Su-Jung , Hahn Seongmin , Cooper Scott , Sun Zejin , Jiang Li , Yang XianLin , Yuan Jin , Kosoff Rachelle , Sandusky George , Srour Edward F. , Chernoff Jonathan , Clapp D. Wade
Published: January 2015

p21-Activated kinase 2 (Pak2), a serine/threonine kinase, has been previously shown to be essential for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) engraftment. However, Pak2 modulation of long-term hematopoiesis and lineage commitment remain unreported. Using a conditional Pak2 knockout mouse model, we found that disruption of Pak2 in HSCs induced profound leukopenia and a mild macrocytic anemia. Although loss of Pak2 in HSCs leads to less efficient short- and long-term competitive hematopoiesis than wild-type cells, it does not affect HSC self-renewal per se. Pak2 disruption decreased the survival and proliferation of multicytokine stimulated immature progenitors. Loss of Pak2 skewed lineage differentiation toward granulocytopoiesis and monocytopoiesis in mice as evidenced by (a) a three- to sixfold increase in the percentage of peripheral blood granulocytes and a significant increase in the percentage of granulocyte-monocyte progenitors in mice transplanted with Pak2-disrupted bone marrow (BM); (b)Pak2-disrupted BM and c-kit+ cells yielded higher numbers of more mature subsets of granulocyte-monocyte colonies and polymorphonuclear neutrophils, respectively, when cultured in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Pak2 disruption resulted, respectively, in decreased and increased gene expression of transcription factors JunB and c-Myc, which may suggest underlying mechanisms by which Pak2 regulates granulocyte-monocyte lineage commitment. Furthermore, Pak2 disruption led to (a) higher percentage of CD4+CD8+ double positive T cells and lower percentages of CD4+CD8− or CD4−CD8+ single positive T cells in thymus and (b) decreased numbers of mature B cells and increased numbers of Pre-Pro B cells in BM, suggesting defects in lymphopoiesis. Stem Cells  2015;33:1630–1641
Automated metamorphic testing of variability analysis tools
Authors: Segura Sergio , Durán Amador , Sánchez Ana B. , Berre Daniel Le , Lonca Emmanuel , Ruiz‐Cortés Antonio
Published: January 2015

Variability determines the capability of software applications to be configured and customized. A common need during the development of variability‐intensive systems is the automated analysis of their underlying variability models, for example, detecting contradictory configuration options. The analysis operations that are performed on variability models are often very complex, which hinders the testing of the corresponding analysis tools and makes difficult, often infeasible, to determine the correctness of their outputs, that is, the well‐known oracle problem in software testing. In this article, we present a generic approach for the automated detection of faults in variability analysis tools overcoming the oracle problem. Our work enables the generation of random variability models together with the exact set of valid configurations represented by these models. These test data are generated from scratch using stepwise transformations and assuring that certain constraints (a.k.a. metamorphic relations) hold at each step. To show the feasibility and generalizability of our approach, it has been used to automatically test several analysis tools in three variability domains: feature models, common upgradeability description format documents and Boolean formulas. Among other results, we detected 19 real bugs in 7 out of the 15 tools under test. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The efficacy of a selamectin (Stronghold®) spot on treatment in the prevention of Bartonella henselae transmission by Ctenocephalides felis in cats, using a new high-challenge model
Authors: Bouhsira Emilie , Franc Michel , Lienard Emmanuel , Bouillin Corinne , Gandoin Christelle , Geurden Thomas , Becskei Csilla , Jacquiet Philippe , Thomas Anne , Boulouis Henri Jean
Published: January 2015

Bartonella henselaeis the causative agent of cat scratch disease in humans, which is recognized as an emerging zoonotic disease.Ctenocephalides felisis the main vector, and transmission ofB. henselaeinfection between cats and humans occurs mainly through infected flea feces. Control of feline infestation with this arthropod vector therefore provides an important strategy for the prevention of infection of both humans and cats. In the present study, a new challenge model is used to evaluate the efficacy of selamectin (Stronghold®spot on) in the prevention ofB. henselaetransmission byC. felis. In this new challenge model, domestic cats were infected by direct application ofB. henselae-positive fleas. The fleas used for infestation were infected by feeding on blood that contained in vitro-culturedB. henselae. The direct application of the fleas to the animals and the use of differentB. henselaestrains ensured a high and consistent challenge. Two groups of six cats were randomly allocated on pre-treatment flea counts to either control (untreated cats) or the selamectin-treated group with one pipette per cat according to the label instruction. Stronghold (selamectin 6 % spot on solution) was administered on days 0 and 32. On days 3, 10, 19, 25, and 31, each cat was infested by direct application of 20 fleas that fed on blood inoculated withB. henselae. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on pooled fleas confirmed that the fleas were infected. Blood samples were collected from each cat on days −3 (prior to flea infestation and treatment), 9, 17, 24, 30, 37, and 44 and assayed forB. henselaeantibodies using an indirect immunofluorescence (IFA), for the presence of bacteria by bacterial culture and forB. henselaeDNA presence by PCR. Cats were also assessed on a daily basis for general health. There were no abnormal health observations during the study and none of the animals required concomitant treatment. None of the cats displayed any clinical signs of bartonellosis during the study. In the untreated group, all cats became bacteremic within 17 to 44 days. None of the selamectin-treated cats became positive during the study. It was concluded that Stronghold®spot on administered to cats was efficacious in the prevention of the transmission ofB. henselaeby fleas to cats in a high-challenge model.
Analysis of Four Recruitment Methods for Obtaining Normative Data through a Web-Based Questionnaire: A Pilot Study
Authors: Nolte Michael T. , Shauver Melissa J. , Chung Kevin C.
Published: January 2015

Background

Quality normative data requires a diverse sample of participants and plays an important role in the appropriate use of health outcomes. Using social media and other online resources for survey recruitment is a tempting prospect, but the effectiveness of these methods in collecting a diverse sample is unknown. The purpose of this study is to pilot test four methods of recruitment to determine their ability to produce a sample representative of the general US population.

Methods

This project is part of a larger study to gather normative data for the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ). We used flyers, e-mail, Facebook, and an institution-specific clinical research recruitment Web site to direct participants to complete an online version of the MHQ. Participants also provided comorbidity and demographic information.

Results

The institution-specific recruitment Web site yielded the greatest number of respondents in an age distribution that mirrored the US population. Facebook was effective for recruiting young adults, and e-mail was successful for recruiting the older adults. None of the methods was successful in reaching an ethnically diverse sample.

Conclusions

Obtaining normative data that is truly representative of the US population is a difficult task. The use of any one recruitment method is unlikely to result in a representative sample, but a greater understanding of these methods will empower researchers to use them to target specific populations. This pilot analysis provides support for the use of Facebook and clinical research sites in addition to traditional methods of e-mail and paper flyers.
The Influence of Dominant Limb Involvement on DASH and QuickDASH
Authors: Kachooei Amir Reza , Moradi Ali , Janssen Stein Jasper , Ring David
Published: January 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine whether involvement of the dominant limb affects Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores.

Methods

A convenience sample of 948 patients from 12 prospective studies that recorded hand dominance, affected side, diagnosis, and a DASH or QuickDASH score was used to assess the influence of involvement of the dominant limb on DASH scores. Diagnosis was categorized as traumatic and nontraumatic. Region was categorized as hand and wrist, elbow, and arm and shoulder.

Results

In bivariate analysis, involvement of the dominant limb, diagnosis, region, and sex had significant influence on DASH/QuickDASH score. In multivariable analysis, dominant hand condition, traumatic diagnosis, arm and shoulder involvement, and female sex were associated with significantly higher DASH scores (more disability), but accounted for only 10 % of the variability in scores.

Conclusion

Upper extremity disability as measured by the DASH is slightly, but significantly greater when the dominant limb is involved. Level of evidence: Prognostic level II
SAPHO syndrome: A review
Authors: Rukavina Iva
Published: January 2015

Introduction

Synovitis–acne–pustulosis–hyperostosis–osteitis (SAPHO) is an acronym for various osteoarticular and dermatological manifestations that can appear in the same patient. It is a rare syndrome, but since its awareness has increased, there have been more and more such reports in the literature.

Aims

The objectives of this review are to summarize the current state of knowledge on pediatric and adult-onset SAPHO syndrome, and to discuss treatment strategies that should be considered.

Results

The SAPHO syndrome can affect patients of any age, and its etiology is still not known. The syndrome has its cognizable radiological characteristics that are most important in making the diagnosis. There are several diagnostic criteria as well, but they need further validation. No standard treatment protocols are available and current treatment options are not evidenced-based due to the rarity of the syndrome. Therapy is empirical and aimed at easing pain and modifying the inflammatory process. It includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as the first-line agents. Antibiotics, corticosteroids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, biologicals targeting tumor necrosis factor alpha or interleukin-1, and bisphosphonates have all been used with variable success. Surgery is reserved to treat complications. Even though it is a disease with good long-term prognosis, its treatment remains a challenge and the results are known to be disappointing, especially with the skin component of the disease.

Conclusion

It is expected that these patients present at the time of diagnosis and the treatment should be as early, effective, and safe as possible in order to prevent osteoarticular progression and to limit the adverse events associated with pharmacological drugs.
Constructing projective varieties in weighted flag varieties II
Authors: QURESHI MUHAMMAD IMRAN
Published: January 2015

We give the construction of weighted Lagrangian GrassmannianswLGr(3,6) and weighted partialA3flag varietywFL1,3coming from the symplectic Lie group Sp(6, ℂ) and the general linear group GL(4, ℂ) respectively. We give general formulas for their Hilbert series in terms of Lie theoretic data. We use them as key varieties (Format) to construct some families of polarized 3-folds in codimension 7 and 9. Finally, we list all the distinct weighted flag varieties in codimension (4 ⩽c⩽ 10.
Severely impaired health status of non-notified Q fever patients leads to an underestimation of the true burden of disease
Authors: VAN LOENHOUT J. A. F. , WIELDERS C. C. H. , MORROY G. , COX M. J. M. , VAN DER HOEK W. , HAUTVAST J. L. A. , PAGET W. J. , VAN DER VELDEN J.
Published: January 2015

Q fever patients are often reported to experience a long-term impaired health status, including fatigue, which can persist for many years. During the large Q fever epidemic in The Netherlands, many patients with a laboratory-confirmedCoxiella burnetiiinfection were not notified as acute Q fever because they did not fulfil the clinical criteria of the acute Q fever case definition (fever, pneumonia and/or hepatitis). Our study assessed and compared the long-term health status of notified and non-notified Q fever patients at 4 years after onset of illness, using the Nijmegen Clinical Screening Instrument (NCSI). The study included 448 notified and 193 non-notified Q fever patients. The most severely affected subdomain in both patient groups was ‘Fatigue’ (50·5% of the notified and 54·6% of the non-notified patients had severe fatigue). Long-term health status did not differ significantly between the notified and non-notified patient groups, and patients scored worse on all subdomains compared to a healthy reference group. Our findings suggest that the magnitude of the 2007–2009 Q fever outbreak in The Netherlands was underestimated when only notified patients according to the European Union case definition are considered.
Identifying early pathways of risk and resilience: The codevelopment of internalizing and externalizing symptoms and the role of harsh parenting
Authors: Wiggins Jillian Lee , Mitchell Colter , Hyde Luke W. , Monk Christopher S.
Published: January 2015

Psychological disorders co-occur often in children, but little has been done to document the types of conjoint pathways internalizing and externalizing symptoms may take from the crucial early period of toddlerhood or how harsh parenting may overlap with early symptom codevelopment. To examine symptom codevelopment trajectories, we identified latent classes of individuals based on internalizing and externalizing symptoms across ages 3–9 and found three symptom codevelopment classes: normative symptoms (low), severe-decreasing symptoms (initially high but rapidly declining), and severe symptoms (high) trajectories. Next, joint models examined how parenting trajectories overlapped with internalizing and externalizing symptom trajectories. These trajectory classes demonstrated that, normatively, harsh parenting increased after toddlerhood, but the severe symptoms class was characterized by a higher level and a steeper increase in harsh parenting and the severe-decreasing class by high, stable harsh parenting. In addition, a transactional model examined the bidirectional relationships among internalizing and externalizing symptoms and harsh parenting because they may cascade over time in this early period. Harsh parenting uniquely contributed to externalizing symptoms, controlling for internalizing symptoms, but not vice versa. In addition, internalizing symptoms appeared to be a mechanism by which externalizing symptoms increase. Results highlight the importance of accounting for both internalizing and externalizing symptoms from an early age to understand risk for developing psychopathology and the role harsh parenting plays in influencing these trajectories.
Integral constraints in multiple-scales problems
Authors: CHAPMAN S. J. , MCBURNIE S. E.
Published: January 2015

Asymptotic homogenisation via the method of multiple scales is considered for problems in which the microstructure comprises inclusions of one material embedded in a matrix formed from another. In particular, problems are considered in which the interface conditions include a global balance law in the form of an integral constraint; this may be zero net charge on the inclusion, for example. It is shown that for such problems care must be taken in determining the precise location of the interface; a naive approach leads to an incorrect homogenised model. The method is applied to the problems of perfectly dielectric inclusions in an insulator, and acoustic wave propagation through a bubbly fluid in which the gas density is taken to be negligible.
Climate variability and international migration: an empirical analysis
Authors: Coniglio Nicola D. , Pesce Giovanni
Published: January 2015

Is international migration an adaptation strategy to sudden or gradual climatic shocks? In this paper we investigate the direct and the indirect role of climatic shocks in developing countries as a determinant of out-migration flows toward rich OECD countries in the period 1990–2001. Contrarily to the bulk of existing studies, we use a macro approach and explicitly consider the heterogeneity of climatic shocks (type, size, sign of shocks and seasonal effects). Our results show that the occurrence of adverse climatic events in origin countries has significative direct and indirect effects on out-migration from poor to rich countries.
Health-Related Quality of Life and Social Support in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Cassarino-Perez Luciana , Dell’Aglio Débora Dalbosco
Published: January 2015

This study investigated the correlations between health-related quality of life and social support in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Participants were 102 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old, who were patients of a healthcare program in the city of Porto Alegre, south of Brazil. Two questionnaires, the KIDSCREEN-52 and the Brazilian version of Social Support Appraisals, were used to evaluate health-related quality of life and social support. Results showed good quality of life and social support levels. Strong correlations were verified between social support and three of the KIDSCREEN-52 dimensions: psychological well-being (r = .63; p < .01); peers and social support (r = .67; p < .01) and school environment (r = .64; p < .01). Analysis of linear regression showed that gender, age and social support are variables associated with health-related quality of life, explaining 52.6% of variance. Results revealed the impact of the disease to young people, and can help to find strategies to improve care in these cases.
Controlling the fire — tissue‐specific mechanisms of effector regulatory T‐cell homing
Authors: Chow Zachary , Banerjee Ashish , Hickey Michael J
Published: January 2015

Regulatory T cells have essential roles in regulating immune responses and limiting inappropriate inflammation. Evidence now indicates that to achieve this function, regulatory T cells must be able to migrate to the most appropriate locations within both lymphoid and non‐lymphoid organs. This function is achieved via the spatiotemporally controlled expression of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors, varying according to the developmental stage of the regulatory T cell and the location and environment where they undergo activation. In this Review, we summarise information on the roles of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors in mediating regulatory T‐cell migration and function throughout the body under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions. In addition, we review recent studies that have used in vivo imaging to examine the actions of regulatory T cells in vivo, in lymph nodes, in the microvasculature and in the interstitium of peripheral organs. These studies reveal that the capacity of regulatory T cells to undergo selective migration serves a critical role in their ability to suppress immune responses. As such, the cellular and molecular requirements of regulatory T‐cell migration need to be completely understood to enable the most effective use of these cells in clinical settings.
Multifaceted role of the ubiquitin ligase Itch in immune regulation
Authors: Venuprasad K , Zeng Minghui , Baughan Scott L , Massoumi Ramin
Published: January 2015

The HECT‐type E3 ligase Itch is increasingly being shown to have a vital role in immune regulation. Itch deficiency leads to deleterious inflammatory disorders both in mice and humans. By adding ubiquitin to the key signaling intermediates, Itch functions as a critical regulator of lymphocyte‐cell activation, differentiation and immune tolerance. Also, Itch cooperates with deubiquitinating enzymes such as A20 and Cyld to terminate NF‐κB signaling and prevent chronic inflammation. This review summarizes recent advances that highlight Itch's role in lymphocyte function and explores recent insights regarding its role as a regulator of inflammatory signaling.
Engineering two-dimensional superconductivity and Rashba spin–orbit coupling in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 quantum wells by selective orbital occupancy
Authors: Herranz Gervasi , Singh Gyanendra , Bergeal Nicolas , Jouan Alexis , Lesueur Jérôme , Gázquez Jaume , Varela María , Scigaj Mateusz , Dix Nico , Sánchez Florencio , Fontcuberta Josep
Published: January 2015

The discovery of two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) at oxide interfaces—involving electrons in narrow d-bands—has broken new ground, enabling the access to correlated states that are unreachable in conventional semiconductors based on s- and p- electrons. There is a growing consensus that emerging properties at these novel quantum wells—such as 2D superconductivity and magnetism—are intimately connected to specific orbital symmetries in the 2DEG sub-band structure. Here we show that crystal orientation allows selective orbital occupancy, disclosing unprecedented ways to tailor the 2DEG properties. By carrying out electrostatic gating experiments in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 wells of different crystal orientations, we show that the spatial extension and anisotropy of the 2D superconductivity and the Rashba spin–orbit field can be largely modulated by controlling the 2DEG sub-band filling. Such an orientational tuning expands the possibilities for electronic engineering of 2DEGs at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces.
Enhanced cellular uptake of engineered spider silk particles
Authors: Elsner Martina B. , Herold Heike M. , Müller-Herrmann Susanne , Bargel Hendrik , Scheibel Thomas
Published: January 2015

Drug delivery systems allow tissue/cell specific targeting of drugs in order to reduce total drug amounts administered to an organism and potential side effects upon systemic drug delivery.
Under the lens: carbon nanotube and protein interaction at the nanoscale
Authors: Marchesan S. , Prato M.
Published: January 2015

The combination of the very different chemical natures of carbon nanotubes and proteins gives rise to systems with unprecedented performance.
Cationic fluorescent polymer core–shell nanoparticles for encapsulation, delivery, and non-invasively tracking the intracellular release of siRNA
Authors: Yu Ji-Cheng , Zhu Sha , Feng Pei-Jian , Qian Cheng-Gen , Huang Jun , Sun Min-Jie , Shen Qun-Dong
Published: January 2015

Nanocarriers with core–shell structure for delivery and non-invasively tracking the intracellular release of siRNA are developed.
Low temperature solution processed ZnO/CuO heterojunction photocatalyst for visible light induced photo-degradation of organic pollutants
Authors: Pal Shreyasi , Maiti Soumen , Maiti Uday Narayan , Chattopadhyay Kalyan Kumar
Published: January 2015

Morphology controlled hierarchical ZnO/CuO architecture was obtained on both flexible and rigid substrates, which exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance by virtue of favourable heterojunction formation at nanostructure interfaces.
The lowest triplet states of bridged cis-2,2′-bithiophenes – theory vs. experiment
Authors: Andrzejak Marcin , Szczepanik Dariusz W. , Orzeł Łukasz
Published: January 2015

High levelab initiocalculations, theoretical modeling, and experimental reinvestigation lead to quantitative reproduction of the phosphorescence spectra of three bridgedcis-2,2′-bithiophenes.
Hydrogen bonding in ionic liquids
Authors: Hunt Patricia A. , Ashworth Claire R. , Matthews Richard P.
Published: January 2015

Doubly ionic H-bonds are not a rare or esoteric form of the H-bond, rather they constitute a broad class found commonly within ionic liquids, which has yet to be fully explored.
Toxicity of particulate matter from incineration of nanowaste
Authors: Vejerano Eric P. , Ma Yanjun , Holder Amara L. , Pruden Amy , Elankumaran Subbiah , Marr Linsey C.
Published: January 2015

This study assesses the oxidative potential, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity of particulate matter produced from the incineration of a variety of nanomaterials in waste.
Synthesis of tetrasubstituted propargylamines from cyclohexanone by solvent-free copper(ii) catalysis
Authors: Palchak Zachary L. , Lussier Daniel J. , Pierce Conor J. , Larsen Catharine H.
Published: January 2015

By heating copper(ii) chloride with cyclohexanone, an amine, and a terminal alkyne, this multicomponent coupling proceeds in high yield with no waste from excess starting materials, solvents, ligands, or other additives. The reaction is found to be first order in catalyst and in each starting material.
Single nanowire manipulation within dielectrophoretic force fields in the sub-crossover frequency regime
Authors: Palapati N. K. R. , Pomerantseva E. , Subramanian A.
Published: January 2015

This paper shows quantitatively that the use of low-magnitude force-fields, which are characteristic of sub-crossover DEP frequencies, provides new pathways for controllable electrokinetic nanomanipulation and capture of single nanowires.
Laser-ablated titania nanoparticles for aqueous processed hybrid solar cells
Authors: Körstgens V. , Pröller S. , Buchmann T. , Moseguí González D. , Song L. , Yao Y. , Wang W. , Werhahn J. , Santoro G. , Roth S. V. , Iglev H. , Kienberger R. , Müller-Buschbaum P.
Published: January 2015

The active layer of hybrid solar cells is realized with titanium dioxide nanoparticles by laser ablation in liquid and a water-soluble polythiophene.
Micropatterning of nanoenergetic films of Bi2O3/Al for pyrotechnics
Authors: Patel Vinay Kumar , Ganguli Anurup , Kant Rishi , Bhattacharya Shantanu
Published: January 2015

Nanoenergetic films of Bi2O3/Al were micropatterned at a high resolution of ∼5 microns on a silicon substrate exhibiting a high heat of reaction, low initiation temperature and excellent pressure–time characteristics for pyrotechnics applications.
Direct manipulation of particle size and morphology of ordered mesoporous silica by flow synthesis
Authors: Ng T. N. , Chen X. Q. , Yeung K. L.
Published: January 2015

Flow-synthesis of mesoporous silica allows deliberate and precise control over the size and shapes and enables the preparation of complex microstructures (i.e., hollow spheres).
A novel biocompatible double network hydrogel consisting of konjac glucomannan with high mechanical strength and ability to be freely shaped
Authors: Li Zhiyong , Su Yunlan , Xie Baoquan , Liu Xianggui , Gao Xia , Wang Dujin
Published: January 2015

A novel physically linked double-network (DN) hydrogel was prepared by natural polymer KGM and synthetic polymer PAAm. The DN hydrogels exhibit good mechanical properties, cell adhesion properties, and can be freely shaped, making such hydrogels promising for tissue engineering scaffolds.
Fake measurement identification in power substations based on correlation between data and distance of the evidence
Authors: Yasinzadeh Mohammad , Seyedi Heresh
Published: January 2015

In this study, a modified fake measurement identification approach is proposed. The accuracy of real‐time data plays a dominant role in power system security and stability. Hence, different methods have been proposed to diagnose bad data. The existing fake measurement identification method is an excellent method which uses abundant data in digital substations to diagnose fake measurement and lock the protective trip when protective relay is likely to malfunction because of the bad data. However, the existing method ignores the correlation between current transformers (CTs)/voltage transformers (VTs) which may result in low probability or uncertain conditions especially in the power systems with low fault currents. A modified method is proposed based on the distance of the evidence and the correlation between data which noticeably omits the negative impact of bad data and provides stronger decisions, compared with the existing method. It can also specify the CTs/VTs providing bad data, by assigning low correlation factor.
Design of an oscillator with low phase noise and medium output power in a 0.25 µm GaN‐on‐SiC high electron‐mobility transistors technology
Authors: Liu Hang , Zhu Xi , Boon Chirn Chye , Yi Xiang
Published: January 2015

To investigate the effects of both the drain and gate bias voltages on the performance of GaN high electron‐mobility transistors (HEMT) oscillator, a 0.25 µm GaN‐on‐SiC HEMT oscillator is presented in this study. Utilising the designed oscillator, the trade‐off between phase noise and output power is effectively investigated at the circuit level. As a result, the designed oscillator can provide low phase noise and medium output power simultaneously. The phase noise at VGS = −2.3 V and VDS = 3.3 V is measured to be −112 dBc/Hz and −143 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset and 1 MHz offset, respectively, from a 4.954 GHz carrier, with an output power of more than 14 dBm. Moreover, the output power can be boosted to 26 dBm, if a drain bias 16 V is used, while good phase noise of −132 dBc/Hz @ 1 MHz is still achievable. The achieved phase noise is low among all reported GaN HEMT oscillators. This work has successfully demonstrated that the monolithic oscillator fabricated in GaN‐on‐SiC HEMT technology features low phase noise as well as medium output power simultaneously.
A 0.6 V, low‐power and high‐gain ultra‐wideband low‐noise amplifier with forward‐body‐bias technique for low‐voltage operations
Authors: Pandey Sunil , Singh Jawar
Published: January 2015

A two‐stage common‐source (CS) low‐noise amplifier (LNA) that uses a forward‐body‐bias technique in N‐type metal–oxide semiconductor devices and intended to achieve a high gain and low power consumption is proposed in this study for ultra‐wideband (UWB) applications. Its first stage yields an exceptionally high gain because of high transconductance (gm1 = 16 mS) of the input device. It also shows simultaneous wideband input matching and low‐noise figure (NF) characteristics with the aid of source degenerated inductors. A simple source degenerated CS topology with the shunt‐peaking inductor Ld2 is designed as the second stage to enhance the gain response at high frequencies. Using a standard 90 nm complementary metal–oxide semiconductor process, the proposed UWB LNA achieves a gain S21 ≥ 20 dB in the frequency range of 3.1–10.6 GHz, while consuming only 12.6 mW power from a 0.6 V supply voltage. The simulation results show a minimum NF (NFmin) below 1.7 dB in the frequency range of 3.1–10.6 GHz and input return loss S11 < −10 dB in the frequency range of 3.5–10 GHz. When a two tone test is performed with a frequency spacing of 2 MHz, a high value of third‐order input intercept point of −8 dBm is also achieved.
Dispersive multidomain pseudospectral time‐domain method for full‐wave analysis of radio‐frequency invisible cloaks
Authors: Liu Wei
Published: January 2015

To implement full‐wave simulation of electromagnetic wave impinging invisible cloaks, an efficient multidomain pseudospectral time‐domain algorithm is developed in this study. The proposed method solves the same forms of Maxwell's equations in both the regular and cloaking areas, and then applies different methods to update the electric and magnetic field components, respectively. The new method requires less grid points per wavelength, meanwhile, the multidomain strategy relieves the complicated treatment of electric and magnetic field components based on Yee grids within finite‐difference time‐domain methods, and shows advantage of dealing with internal inhomogeneities within the cloaking materials. The results validated feasibility and efficiency of the proposed method in left‐hand materials.
Ultra‐wideband radar‐based accurate motion measuring: human body landmark detection and tracking with biomechanical constraints
Authors: Dai Xiaoxiao , Zhou Zhichong , Zhang Jun Jason , Davidson Bradley
Published: January 2015

The authors propose and investigate a methodology for accurate human motion measuring by detecting and tracking human body landmarks using ultra‐wideband (UWB) radars. The proposed method can estimate the markers’ positions and velocities in a two‐dimensional space based on range measurements from a single radar given a prior information about the markers’ initial states. The detection of multiple human body landmarks is achieved by moving target indication and a new out‐of‐band constant false alarm rate detection, and the multiple landmark tracking is accomplished by a novel iterative convex optimisation‐based approach with considerations of biomechanical constraints. The data association technique is then applied to validate and relate the detection results to target landmarks for generating range measurements, which are used for a convex optimisation‐based sequential estimation algorithm to estimate the accurate marker locations. It is noted that the proposed optimisation‐based sequential estimation is able to incorporate biomechanical constraints. In the field experiments, two radio frequency reflectors are attached to the wrist and the elbow of one human arm. It is demonstrated that detection and tracking of the moving trajectories of two markers are successfully achieved, and thus, the human arm motion is accurately measured using one UWB radar.
Removal of ordering ambiguity for a class of position dependent mass quantum systems with an application to the quadratic Liénard type nonlinear oscillators
Authors: Chithiika Ruby V. , Chandrasekar V. K. , Senthilvelan M. , Lakshmanan M.
Published: January 2015

We consider the problem of removal of ordering ambiguity in position dependent mass quantum systems characterized by a generalized position dependent mass Hamiltonian which generalizes a number of Hermitian as well as non-Hermitian ordered forms of the Hamiltonian. We implement point canonical transformation method to map one-dimensional time-independent position dependent mass Schrödinger equation endowed with potentials onto constant mass counterparts which are considered to be exactly solvable. We observe that a class of mass functions and the corresponding potentials give rise to solutions that do not depend on any particular ordering, leading to the removal of ambiguity in it. In this case, it is imperative that the ordering is Hermitian. For non-Hermitian ordering, we show that the class of systems can also be exactly solvable and is also shown to be iso-spectral using suitable similarity transformations. We also discuss the normalization of the eigenfunctions obtained from both Hermitian and non-Hermitian orderings. We illustrate the technique with the quadratic Liénard type nonlinear oscillators, which admit position dependent mass Hamiltonians.
Effect of Hartree-Fock exact exchange on intramolecular magnetic coupling constants of organic diradicals
Authors: Cho Daeheum , Ko Kyoung Chul , Ikabata Yasuhiro , Wakayama Kazufumi , Yoshikawa Takeshi , Nakai Hiromi , Lee Jin Yong
Published: January 2015

The intramolecular magnetic coupling constant (J) of diradical systems linked with five- or six-membered aromatic rings was calculated to obtain the scaling factor (experimental J/calculated J ratio) for various density functional theory (DFT) functionals. Scaling factors of group A (PBE, TPSSh, B3LYP, B97-1, X3LYP, PBE0, and BH&HLYP) and B (M06-L, M06, M06-2X, and M06-HF) were shown to decrease as the amount of Hartree-Fock exact exchange (HFx) increases, in other words, overestimation of calculated J becomes more severe as the HFx increases. We further investigated the effect of HFx fraction of DFT functional on J value, spin contamination, and spin density distributions by comparing the B3LYP analogues containing different amount of HFx. It was revealed that spin contamination and spin densities at each atom increases as the HFx increases. Above all, newly developed BLYP-5 functional, which has 5% of HFx, was found to have the scaling factor of 1.029, indicating that calculated J values are very close to that of experimental values without scaling. BLYP-5 has potential to be utilized for accurate evaluation of intramolecular magnetic coupling constant (J) of diradicals linked by five- or six-membered aromatic ring couplers.
Development of an aerodynamic measurement system for hypersonic rarefied flows
Authors: Ozawa T. , Fujita K. , Suzuki T.
Published: January 2015

A hypersonic rarefied wind tunnel (HRWT) has lately been developed at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in order to improve the prediction of rarefied aerodynamics. Flow characteristics of hypersonic rarefied flows have been investigated experimentally and numerically. By conducting dynamic pressure measurements with pendulous models and pitot pressure measurements, we have probed flow characteristics in the test section. We have also improved understandings of hypersonic rarefied flows by integrating a numerical approach with the HRWT measurement. The development of the integration scheme between HRWT and numerical approach enables us to estimate the hypersonic rarefied flow characteristics as well as the direct measurement of rarefied aerodynamics. Consequently, this wind tunnel is capable of generating 25 mm-core flows with the free stream Mach number greater than 10 and Knudsen number greater than 0.1.
On the motion of unsteady translating bubbles in an unbounded Hele-Shaw cell
Authors: Khalid A. H. , McDonald N. R. , Vanden-Broeck J.-M.
Published: January 2015

Unsteady propagating bubbles in an unbounded Hele-Shaw cell are considered numerically in the case of zero surface tension. The instability of elliptical bubbles and their evolution toward a stable circular boundary, with speed twice that of the fluid speed at infinity, is studied numerically and by stability analysis. Numerical simulations of bubbles demonstrate that the important role played by singularities of the Schwarz function of the bubble boundary in determining the evolution of the bubble. When the singularity lies close to the initial bubble, two types of topological change are observed: (i) bubble splitting into multiple bubbles and (ii) a finite fluid blob pinching off inside the bubble region.
On precise phase difference measurement approach using border stability of detection resolution
Authors: Bai Lina , Su Xin , Zhou Wei , Ou Xiaojuan
Published: January 2015

For the precise phase difference measurement, this paper develops an improved dual phase coincidence detection method. The measurement resolution of the digital phase coincidence detection circuits is always limited, for example, only at the nanosecond level. This paper reveals a new way to improve the phase difference measurement precision by using the border stability of the circuit detection fuzzy areas. When a common oscillator signal is used to detect the phase coincidence with the two comparison signals, there will be two detection fuzzy areas for the reason of finite detection resolution surrounding the strict phase coincidence. Border stability of fuzzy areas and the fluctuation difference of the two fuzzy areas can be even finer than the picoseconds level. It is shown that the system resolution obtained only depends on the stability of the circuit measurement resolution which is much better than the measurement device resolution itself.