bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rehabilitation Act (1973)
Authors: Olaghere Ajima
Published: July 2017

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal law in the United States that protects people with disabilities, including individuals housed in federal, state, and local correctional facilities. Sections 502 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are widely considered as civil rights protections for inmates with mental and physical disabilities. These sections also increase access to services, programs, and activities for disabled prisoners, while also serving as a rubric for physical accommodation and an antidiscrimination policy for incarcerated individuals with disabilities.
Probation for Juveniles
Authors: Hong Chui Wing
Published: July 2017

Probation plays a vital role in the criminal justice system because it is the most common disposition imposed on offenders at the present time. Juveniles who are sentenced to probation typically are first‐time and less serious offenders. Probation also has increasingly been used as an alternative to custody for some persistent juvenile offenders. This entry includes an overview of the historical background and aims of probation for juvenile offenders. It also includes examples of how probation is administered and current trends in juvenile probation. Finally, it includes a discussion of why juvenile probation continues to be a court disposition.
Turkey, Corrections in
Authors: Donmez Mustafa
Published: July 2017

The Turkish correctional system finds its roots in the late period of the Ottoman Empire. With the new Republic of Turkey established in 1923, the Turkish correctional system continued to use the Ottomans' “ward system” in correctional facilities. Between 1946 and 1970, Turkey constructed modern correctional facilities and enacted new legislation. After 1970, the rehabilitation of offenders became the focal point of the correctional system and Turkey adopted a variety of alternative punitive measures (e.g., short‐term imprisonment, judicial control mechanism/probation, and conditional release/parole). Even though it is less visible in recent years, overcrowding, death in prisons, and poor living conditions are still the main problems of Turkish prisons.
Realizing the Embedded Growth of Large Li2O2 Aggregations by Matching Different Metal Oxides for High‐Capacity and High‐Rate Lithium Oxygen Batteries
Authors: Zhang Peng , Zhang Shoufeng , He Mu , Lang Junwei , Ren Aimin , Xu Shan , Yan Xingbin
Published: July 2017

Large Li2O2 aggregations can produce high‐capacity of lithium oxygen (Li‐O2) batteries, but the larger ones usually lead to less‐efficient contact between Li2O2 and electrode materials. Herein, a hierarchical cathode architecture based on different discharge characteristics of α‐MnO2 and Co3O4 is constructed, which can enable the embedded growth of large Li2O2 aggregations to solve this problem. Through experimental observations and first‐principle calculations, it is found that α‐MnO2 nanorod tends to form uniform Li2O2 particles due to its preferential Li+ adsorption and similar LiO2 adsorption energies of different crystal faces, whereas Co3O4 nanosheet tends to simultaneously generate Li2O2 film and Li2O2 nanosheets due to its preferential O2 adsorption and different LiO2 adsorption energies of varied crystal faces. Thus, the composite cathode architecture in which Co3O4 nanosheets are grown on α‐MnO2 nanorods can exhibit extraordinary synergetic effects, i.e., α‐MnO2 nanorods provide the initial nucleation sites for Li2O2 deposition while Co3O4 nanosheets provide dissolved LiO2 to promote the subsequent growth of Li2O2. Consequently, the composite cathode achieves the embedded growth of large Li2O2 aggregations and thus exhibits significantly improved specific capacity, rate capability, and cyclic stability compared with the single metal oxide electrode.
NiFe Layered Double Hydroxide Nanoparticles on Co,N‐Codoped Carbon Nanoframes as Efficient Bifunctional Catalysts for Rechargeable Zinc–Air Batteries
Authors: Wang Qing , Shang Lu , Shi Run , Zhang Xin , Zhao Yufei , Waterhouse Geoffrey I. N. , Wu Li‐Zhu , Tung Chen‐Ho , Zhang Tierui
Published: July 2017

The future large‐scale deployment of rechargeable zinc–air batteries requires the development of cheap, stable, and efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this work, a highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst is prepared by depositing 3–5 nm NiFe layered double hydroxide (NiFe‐LDH) nanoparticles on Co,N‐codoped carbon nanoframes (Co,N‐CNF). The NiFe‐LDH/Co,N‐CNF electrocatalyst displayed an OER overpotential of 0.312 V at 10 mA cm−2 and an ORR half‐wave potential of 0.790 V. The outstanding performance of the electrocatalyst is attributable to the high electrical conductivity and excellent ORR activity of Co,N‐CNF, together with the strong anchoring of 3–5 nm NiFe‐LDH nanoparticles, which preserves active sites. Inspired by the excellent OER and ORR performance of NiFe‐LDH/Co,N‐CNF, a prototype rechargeable zinc–air battery is developed. The battery exhibited a low discharge–charge voltage gap (1.0 V at 25 mA cm−2) and long‐term cycling durability (over 80 h), and superior overall performance to a counterpart battery constructed using a mixture of IrO2 and Pt/C as the cathode. The strategy developed here can easily be adapted to synthesize other bifunctional CNF‐based hybrid electrodes for ORR and OER, providing a practical route to more efficient rechargeable zinc–air batteries.
Development of a COSMO‐RS based model for the calculation of phase equilibria in electrolyte systems
Authors: Gerlach Thomas , Müller Simon , Smirnova Irina
Published: July 2017

A new electrolyte model, which is based on the predictive thermodynamic model COSMO‐RS, is presented. For this purpose, an implementation of COSMO‐RS that allows the integration of multiple segment descriptors was developed. To aid in the development of the electrolyte model, a new technique is presented that allows the evaluation of the different contributions of the interaction terms of COSMO‐RS to the partial molar enthalpies. General empirical interaction energy equations are introduced into the electrolyte model. They are parameterized based on a large training set of mean ionic activity coefficients as well as liquid–liquid equilibrium data close to ambient conditions. The model is shown to be capable of predicting properties of systems containing anions that were not part of the training set of the model. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the model can also lead to satisfying predictions if compared to vapor–liquid equilibrium data. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 272–285, 2018
Sustainable biopolymer synthesis via superstructure and multiobjective optimization
Authors: del Rio‐Chanona Ehecatl Antonio , Zhang Dongda , Shah Nilay
Published: July 2017

Sustainable polymers derived from biomass have great potential to replace petrochemical based polymers and fulfill the ever‐increasing market demand. To facilitate their industrialization, in this research, a comprehensive superstructure reaction network comprising a large number of reaction pathways from biomass to both commercialized and newly proposed polymers is constructed. To consider economic performance and environmental impact simultaneously, both process profit and green chemistry metrics are embedded into the multiobjective optimization framework, and MINLP is used to enable the effective selection of promising biopolymer candidates. Through this proposed approach, this study identifies the best biopolymer candidates and their most profitable and environmentally friendly synthesis routes under different scenarios. Moreover, the stability of optimization results regarding the price of raw materials and polymers and the effect of process scale on the investment cost are discussed in detail. These results, therefore, pave the way for future research on the production of sustainable biopolymers. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 91–103, 2018
Household fear of deportation in Mexican‐origin families: Relation to body mass index percentiles and salivary uric acid
Authors: Martínez Airín D. , Ruelas Lillian , Granger Douglas A.
Published: July 2017

Objective

Fear of deportation (FOD) is a prevalent concern among mixed‐status families. Yet, our understanding of how FOD shapes human health and development is in its infancy. To begin to address this knowledge gap, we examined the relationship between household FOD, body mass index (BMI) percentiles and salivary uric acid (sUA), a biomarker related to oxidative stress/hypertension/metabolic syndrome, among 111 individuals living in Mexican‐origin families.

Methods

Participants were 65 children (2 months‐17 years, 49% female) and 46 adults (20‐58 years, 71% female) living in 30 Mexican‐origin families with at least one immigrant parent in Phoenix, AZ. We recruited families using cluster probability sampling of 30 randomly selected census tracts with a high proportion of Hispanic/Latino immigrants. The head of household completed a survey containing demographic, FOD, and psychosocial measures. All family members provided saliva (later assayed for sUA) and anthropometric measures. Relationships between household FOD, BMI percentile, and sUA levels were estimated using multilevel models.

Results

Higher levels of household FOD were associated with lower BMI percentiles and lower sUA levels between families, after controlling for social support and socioeconomic proxies.

Conclusion

Key features of the social ecology in which mixed‐status families are embedded are associated with individual differences in biological processes linked to increased risk for chronic disease.
Novel role of surfactant protein A in bacterial sinusitis
Authors: Noutsios George T. , Willis Amanda L. , Ledford Julie G. , Chang Eugene H.
Published: July 2017

Background

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common inflammatory disorder of the upper airway characterized by chronic inflammation and significant sinonasal remodeling. CRS is comprised of 2 major subgroups, based on whether polyps are present or absent. In some cases, it is characterized by colonization with opportunistic pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), Staphylococcus aureus, and other bacteria. The innate immune system of the sinonasal epithelium is the first line of defense against inhaled pathogens. Surfactant protein A (SP‐A) is a member of the collectin family secreted by the airway epithelia and plays a critical role in airway innate immunity, as it can aggregate bacteria. We hypothesized that SP‐A plays a role in bacterial CRS.

Methods

Air‐liquid interface (ALI) cultures of nasal epithelial cells were derived from human ex‐vivo healthy and CRS sinus tissues (n = 26) and challenged with PA. SP‐A levels were measured with western blot and quantitative reverse transcript‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) in ALI and sinus tissues.

Results

We determined that SP‐A: (i) mRNA and protein levels are increased significantly in CRS tissues compared with healthy sinuses; (ii) although primarily expressed in the lung, it is also synthesized and expressed in sinonasal epithelia; (ii) is expressed in the sinuses of an SP‐A humanized transgenic mouse but not in SP‐A knockout mice; (iv) mRNA levels are upregulated significantly during PA challenge, but protein levels are downregulated 4 hours postchallenge and upregulated at 12 hours.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that SP‐A is expressed in the sinuses and that it plays a role in the sinus innate immune responses during bacterial infections.
Positive allergen reaction in allergic and nonallergic rhinitis: a systematic review
Authors: Hamizan Aneeza W. , Rimmer Janet , Alvarado Raquel , Sewell William A. , Kalish Larry , Sacks Raymond , Harvey Richard J.
Published: July 2017

Background

The diagnosis of allergic rhinitis (AR) is based on cutaneous and serological assessment to determine immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐mediated disease. However, discrepancies between these tests and nasal provocation exist. Patients diagnosed as non‐allergic rhinitis (NAR) but with positive nasal allergen provocation test (NAPT) may represent a local allergic condition or entopy, still suitable to allergy interventions. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of nasal reactivity toward allergens among AR and NAR patients, and to describe the diagnostic characteristics of NAPT methodologies.

Methods

EMBASE (1947–) and Medline (1946–) were searched until December 8, 2015. A search strategy was used to identify studies on AR or NAR patients subjected to diagnostic local nasal provocation. All studies providing original NAPT data among the AR or NAR population were included. Meta‐analysis of proportion data was presented as a weighted probability % (95% confidence interval [CI]).

Results

The search yielded 4504 studies and 46 were included. The probability of nasal allergen reactivity for the AR population was 86.3% (95% CI, 84.4 to 88.1) and in NAR was 24.7% (95% CI, 22.3 to 27.2). Reactivity was high with pollen for both AR 97.1% (95% CI, 94.2 to 99.2) and NAR 47.5% (95% CI, 34.8 to 60.4), and lowest with dust for both AR 79.1% (95% CI, 76.4 to 81.6) and NAR 12.2% (95% CI, 9.9 to 14.7). NAPT yielded high positivity when defined by subjective end‐points: AR 91.0% (95% CI, 86.6 to 94.8) and NAR 30.2% (95% CI, 22.9 to 37.9); and lower with objective end‐points: AR 80.8% (95% CI, 76.8 to 84.5) and NAR 14.1% (95% CI, 11.2 to 17.2).

Conclusion

Local allergen reactivity is demonstrated in 26.5% of patients previously considered non‐allergic. Similarly, AR, when defined by skin‐prick test (SPT) or serum specific IgE (sIgE), may lead to 13.7% of patients with inaccurate allergen sensitization or non‐allergic etiologies.
Impact of Signal Peptides on Furin‐2A Mediated Monoclonal Antibody Secretion in CHO Cells
Authors: Lin Jian'er , Neo Shu Hui , Ho Steven C. L. , Yeo Jessna H. M. , Wang Tianhua , Zhang Wei , Bi Xuezhi , Chao Sheng‐Hao , Yang Yuansheng
Published: July 2017

Studies had shown the benefits of using furin‐2A peptides for high monoclonal antibody (mAb) expression in mammalian cells. How signal peptides affect furin‐2A mediated mAb secretion has yet to be investigated. The impact of signal peptides on mAb secretion in furin‐2A based tricistronic vectors in CHO cells is evaluated. In each tricistronic vector, heavy chain (HC) is arranged as the first cistron and followed by a furin recognition sequence, a 2A peptide, light chain (LC), an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Signal peptides for HC and LC are either removed or changed in different vectors. The vectors with signal peptides on both HC and LC genes gIve the highest mAb secretion levels. Changing to signal peptides with different strengths on either HC or LC do not change the mAb secretion level. IgG is still secreted when the signal peptide on the LC gene is removed but at a lower level compared to the vectors containing signal peptides on both HC and LC genes. Removing the HC signal peptide results in almost no IgG secretion regardless of whether the downstream LC carries any signal peptide. Removing the furin cleavage site does not affect mAb secretion levels while removing the 2A sequence results in low mAb secretion. The results present here will be beneficial for designing furin‐2A based vectors for expressing mAb in mammalian cells.
Novel fluid shear‐based dissociation device for improved single cell dissociation of spheroids and cell aggregates
Authors: Triantafillu Ursula L. , Nix Jaron N. , Kim Yonghyun
Published: July 2017

Biological industries commonly rely on bioreactor systems for the large‐scale production of cells. Cell aggregation, clumping, and spheroid morphology of certain suspension cells make their large‐scale culture challenging. Growing stem cells as spheroids is indispensable to retain their stemness, but large spheroids (>500 µm diameter) suffer from poor oxygen and nutrient diffusion, ultimately resulting in premature cell death in the centers of the spheroids. Despite this, most large‐scale bioprocesses do not have an efficient method for dissociating cells into single cells, but rely on costly enzymatic dissociation techniques. Therefore, we tested a proof‐of‐concept fluid shear‐based mechanical dissociator that was designed to dissociate stem cell spheroids and aggregates. Our prototype was able to dissociate cells while retaining high viability and low levels of apoptosis. The dissociator also did not impact long‐term cell growth or spheroid formation. Thus, the dissociator introduced here has the potential to replace traditional dissociation methods. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:293–298, 2018
High‐performance of Agaricus blazei fungus for the biological pretreatment of elephant grass
Authors: Dal Picolli Thais , Regalin Aver Kaliane , Claudete Fontana Roselei , Camassola Marli
Published: July 2017

Biological pre‐treatment seems to be promising being an eco‐friendly process, with no inhibitor generated during the process. The potential for elephant grass pre‐treatment with white degradation fungi Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus blazei, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, and Pleurotus djamor, in isolated or mixed cultures of these strains, was evaluated. The highest activities of enzymes involved in the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass (laccases, endoglucanases, xylanases, and β‐glucosidases) were observed for A. blazei, L. edodes and the combination of P. ostreatus and A. blazei. In the enzymatic hydrolysis, there was greater release of reducing sugars in the pre‐treated elephant grass samples by A. blazei during 10 days (338.91 ± 7.39 mg g−1 of biomass). For this sample, higher lignin reductions, 24.81 and 57.45%, after 15 and 35 days of incubation, respectively, were also verified. These data indicate the potential of macromycetes such as A. blazei to perform biological pre‐treatments. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:42–50, 2018
Characterization of a cathepsin D protease from CHO cell‐free medium and mitigation of its impact on the stability of a recombinant therapeutic protein
Authors: Lim Amareth , Doyle Brandon L. , Kelly Gerard M. , Reed‐Bogan Angelia M. , Breen Lawrence H. , Shamlou Parviz A. , Lambooy Peter K.
Published: July 2017

During purification process development of a recombinant therapeutic protein, an endoproteolytic activity endogenous to the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and leading to degradation at particular hydrophobic amino acid residues (e.g., Phe and Trp) was observed when processing at acidic pH. The presence of residual levels of protease activity in purified protein batches affected the inherent activity of the product when stored as a solution. To develop a robust purification strategy to minimize this undesirable impact, identification and characterization of this protease was essential to ultimately ensure that a solution formulation was stable for many years. A protease was isolated from CHO cell‐free medium (CFM) using a combination of immobilized pepstatin‐A agarose chromatography and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The isolated protease has significant proteolytic activity at pH ∼ 3 to neutral pH and was identified as cathepsin D by mass spectrometry. Analytical SEC, chip‐based capillary gel electrophoresis, imaged capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF), and circular dichroism (CD) spectropolarimetry analyses were performed for additional characterization of the protease. The identification and characterization of this protease enabled the development of a robust purification process by implementation of a controlled temperature inactivation unit operation (heat inactivation) that enabled essentially complete inactivation of the protease, resulting in the production of a stable drug product that had not been possible using column chromatography alone. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:120–129, 2018
Next‐generation sequencing of cytologic preparations: An analysis of quality metrics
Authors: Hwang David H. , Garcia Elizabeth P. , Ducar Matthew D. , Cibas Edmund S. , Sholl Lynette M.
Published: July 2017

BACKGROUND

Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) fails for many small biopsies (BXs) because of a low overall DNA concentration or tumor percentage. Cytology smears and liquid‐based preparations (LBPs), or smears/LBPs, often contain abundant tumor cells and may provide adequate material for molecular testing when other materials are insufficient. This study examined the performance of smears/LBPs on a clinical NGS assay.

METHODS

This study retrospectively reviewed quality metrics from consecutive smear/LBP, core BX, and cell block (CB) cases run on a hybrid‐capture NGS assay interrogating 309 cancer‐related genes. The following quality metrics were compared: adequacy rate, initial DNA concentration, postshearing fragment size, post–library preparation fragment size, fragment size difference, insert size, total reads, passing‐filter reads aligned, percent passing‐filter unique reads aligned, mean target coverage, percentage of loci with >100× coverage, percent duplication rate, percent selected bases, and percent usable bases on bait.

RESULTS

Twenty‐three of 26 smears/LBPs (88%) were successfully sequenced, whereas 77 of 87 core BXs (89%) and 29 of 30 CBs (97%) were. The mean target coverage, median insert size, and percent usable bases were significantly higher in the smear/LBP category. The postshearing fragment size and the percent duplication were significantly lower for smears/LBPs.

CONCLUSIONS

The adequacy rate of cytology smears/LBPs for NGS is comparable to that of core BXs or CBs. Increased values for the mean insert size, mean target coverage, and percent usable bases, along with a lower duplication rate, suggest that smears/LBPs provide higher quality DNA than formalin‐fixed material. Cytology smears/LBPs can serve as a valuable source of material for molecular testing. Cancer Cytopathol 2017;125:786‐94. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Using cell nuclei features to detect colon cancer tissue in hematoxylin and eosin stained slides
Authors: Jørgensen Alex Skovsbo , Rasmussen Anders Munk , Andersen Niels Kristian Mäkinen , Andersen Simon Kragh , Emborg Jonas , Røge Rasmus , Østergaard Lasse Riis
Published: July 2017

Currently, diagnosis of colon cancer is based on manual examination of histopathological images by a pathologist. This can be time consuming and interpretation of the images is subject to inter‐ and intra‐observer variability. This may be improved by introducing a computer‐aided diagnosis (CAD) system for automatic detection of cancer tissue within whole slide hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stains. Cancer disrupts the normal control mechanisms of cell proliferation and differentiation, affecting the structure and appearance of the cells. Therefore, extracting features from segmented cell nuclei structures may provide useful information to detect cancer tissue. A framework for automatic classification of regions of interest (ROI) containing either benign or cancerous colon tissue extracted from whole slide H&E stained images using cell nuclei features was proposed. A total of 1,596 ROI's were extracted from 87 whole slide H&E stains (44 benign and 43 cancer). A cell nuclei segmentation algorithm consisting of color deconvolution, k‐means clustering, local adaptive thresholding, and cell separation was performed within the ROI's to extract cell nuclei features. From the segmented cell nuclei structures a total of 750 texture and intensity‐based features were extracted for classification of the ROI's. The nine most discriminative cell nuclei features were used in a random forest classifier to determine if the ROI's contained benign or cancer tissue. The ROI classification obtained an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.96, sensitivity of 0.88, specificity of 0.92, and accuracy of 0.91 using an optimized threshold. The developed framework showed promising results in using cell nuclei features to classify ROIs into containing benign or cancer tissue in H&E stained tissue samples. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Density‐mediated indirect effects from active predators and narrow habitat domain prey
Authors: Rinehart S. A. , Schroeter S. C. , Long J. D.
Published: July 2017

The hunting‐mode–habitat‐domain‐range framework suggests that the mechanism driving trophic cascades (i.e., trait‐mediated indirect interactions [TMIIs] vs. density‐mediated indirect interactions [DMIIs]) should depend upon the functional traits of predators and prey. For example, trophic cascades containing active, broad habitat domain range (BHDR) predators interacting with narrow habitat domain range (NHDR) prey are predicted to arise primarily viaTMIIs, because these prey should reduce their conspicuous activity in the presence of these predators. Unfortunately, this hypothesis is difficult to test given the strong bias against studies assessing trophic cascades containingNHDRprey. Furthermore, this hypothesis ignores evidence that (1) active predators can have high consumption rates on prey, (2) continuously responding to active predators foraging across broad areas is energetically costly for prey, and (3) cues from active,BHDRpredators may not influence prey density. We examined theTMIIs and total indirect interaction (TII) produced during interactions between an active,BHDRladybeetle predator (Naemia seriata) and itsNHDRprey (scale insects). We exposed scale insects to nonlethal and lethal ladybeetle predators in laboratory mesocosms for 15 weeks. We measured the growth of the scale insect's host plant (cordgrass) and the population density of scale insects. Contrary to theory, nonlethal ladybeetles did not induceTMIIs. However, lethal ladybeetles increased cordgrass total and root dry biomass by 36% and 44%, respectively, suggesting the presence of strongDMIIs. Additionally, both lethal and nonlethal ladybeetles reduced scale insect population density. Our findings suggest thatDMIIs, rather thanTMIIs, can result from interactions between activeBHDRpredators andNHDRprey.
Predator ontogeny affects expression of inducible defense morphology in rotifers
Authors: Zhang Huan , Brönmark Christer , Hansson Lars‐Anders
Published: July 2017

Many prey organisms show induced morphological responses to predators including changes in protective spine length, such as in rotifers, although previous studies have mainly focused on how prey become larger than the predator gape‐size optimum. Here we show that a large‐sized predator makes prey rotifers escape below the gape‐size optimum of the predator by reducing spine length. In experiments and field studies we show that during part of their ontogeny fish larvae feed intensively on the common rotifer Keratella cochlearis, and that larval fish predation reduces rotifer spine length both through induction of shorter spines and selective predation on long‐spined individuals. We also describe a global scale pattern in spine length of K. cochlearis, showing an increasing variance in spine length with latitude. This pattern may be explained by differences in fish reproduction from once per year at high latitudes to several times per year at lower latitudes. That spine length is adaptively adjusted to the ontogeny of a dominant predator taxa provides a novel view on our understanding of factors affecting temporal and spatial variations in prey defense morphology.
Structures for the 3d–5d–4f Heterotrimetallic Complexes: Synthesis, Structures, and Magnetic Properties
Authors: Zhou Hongbo , Wu Kang , Chen Chao , Dong Rongyao , Liu Yashu , Shen Xiaoping
Published: July 2017

Three new 3d–5d–4f heterotrimetallic complexes, [{Cu2(L)2Nd(H2O)}{W(CN)8}]n·2nH2O·nCH3CN (1), [{Cu2(L)2Sm(H2O)}{W(CN)8}]n·3nH2O (2), and [{Cu(L)Dy(H2O)5}{W(CN)8}]·2H2O (3) [L = N,N′‐ethylenebis(3‐methoxysalicylideneiminato) dianion] have been prepared and characterized both structurally and magnetically. The results indicate that complexes 1 and 2 show unique 1‐D chain structures while 3 displays a 0‐D trinuclear cluster structure. Interestingly, the structures of these 3d–5d–4f heterotrimetallic complexes are always changing and the coordination modes are mainly dependent on competitive relationships among various coordination bonds and/or hydrogen bonds. Magnetic measurements reveal the typical magnetic properties expected for the 3d–5d–4f spin systems in which complicated magnetic couplings and single ion magnetic anisotropy coexist.
Oxidative stability of pullulan electrospun fibers containing fish oil: Effect of oil content and natural antioxidants addition
Authors: García‐Moreno Pedro J. , Damberg Cecilie , Chronakis Ioannis S. , Jacobsen Charlotte
Published: July 2017

The effect of oil content and addition of natural antioxidants on the morphology and oxidative stability of pullulan ultra‐thin fibers loaded with fish oil and obtained by electrospinning was investigated. Pullulan sub‐micron fibers containing 10 and 30 wt% fish oil were prepared and both presented beads where the oil accumulated. The number of beads was significantly higher in 30 wt% oil‐loaded fibers. Moreover, fibers containing 30 wt% fish oil had a higher oxidative stability when compared to 10 wt% oil‐loaded fibers, despite its lower encapsulation efficiency (EE) value (67.1 ± 3.1%). The oxidative stability of fibers loaded with 10 wt% fish oil (EE = 88.5 ± 0.7%) was significantly improved when adding δ‐tocopherol (500 ppm) and rosemary extract (500 ppm) as antioxidants. However, higher concentration of antioxidants (2000 ppm δ‐tocopherol and 1000 ppm rosemary extract) did not further improve the oxidative stability of 10 wt% oil‐loaded fibers, but had a pro‐oxidant effect. Finally, the production of pullulan fibers containing 10 wt% fish oil from formic acid solutions increased the oxidative stability of the fibers when compared to the same type of fibers obtained from water solutions. The latter was observed for fibers without and with antioxidants (500 ppm of δ‐tocopherol and 500 ppm of rosemary extract).

Practical applications: Encapsulation of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and addition of antioxidants are the most efficient strategies to protect these lipids against oxidation when incorporating them into food matrices. These results show the feasibility to encapsulate fish oil in pullulan ultra‐thin fibers and to improve their oxidative stability by adding natural antioxidants such as δ‐tocopherol and rosemary extract. Therefore, this study might open up new opportunities for further technological development in the production of omega‐3 nanodelivery systems, which have potential applications in different types of fortified foods.

Encapsulation of fish oil in electrospun pullulan fibers stabilized by natural antioxidants.
Water‐Soluble Binders for Lithium‐Ion Battery Graphite Electrodes: Slurry Rheology, Coating Adhesion, and Electrochemical Performance
Authors: Jeschull Fabian , Brandell Daniel , Wohlfahrt‐Mehrens Margret , Memm Michaela
Published: July 2017

Water‐processable composite electrodes are attractive both ecologically and economically. The binders sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC‐Na) and poly(sodium acrylate) (PAA‐Na) were shown to have improved electrochemical performance over conventional binders. In many studies, a binder content of approximately 10 wt % has been applied, which is not suitable for large‐scale electrode production due to viscosity and energy‐density considerations. Therefore, we examined herein three electrode formulations with binder contents of 4 wt %, namely, CMC‐Na:SBR (SBR=styrene butadiene rubber), PAA‐Na, and CMC‐Na:PAA‐Na, on both laboratory and pilot scales. The formulations were evaluated on the basis of slurry rheology, coating adhesion, and electrochemical behavior in half‐ and full‐cells. CMC‐Na:SBR composites provided the best coating adhesion, independent of the mass loading and scale, and also showed the best capacity retention after 100 cycles. Previously reported merits of better cycling efficiencies and solid–electrolyte interphase formation for graphite–PAA composites appeared to vanish upon reducing the binder content to realistic levels.
Sparsity in nonlinear dynamic spatiotemporal models using implied advection
Authors: Richardson Robert Alan
Published: July 2017

Calculating posterior means and variances of the state vectors in dynamic spatiotemporal models can be computationally burdensome. The challenge of calculating the posterior parameters while avoiding inverting any dense matrices is addressed. Nearest neighbor Gaussian processes and a number of dynamic modeling tricks will be used. To employ these techniques in both linear and nonlinear settings, a nontraditional discretization of an advection–diffusion stochastic partial differential equation is presented. The combination of these methods allows a nonlinear dynamic spatiotemporal model to be fit quickly. The methods are employed in a simulation comparing the proposed model and a reduced‐rank model in terms of model fits and run times and then by analyzing a data set of Pacific sea surface temperature.
On improvement of water quality of a reservoir by optimizing water exchange
Authors: You Xue‐yi , Zhang Chun‐xue
Published: July 2017

Reservoirs provide important water resources for economic and social sustainable development. However, many shallow reservoirs are confronted with the problem of severe eutrophication. In this study, a method of optimizing the water exchange of reservoir was proposed to improve the water quality. The improvement was evaluated by the spatial and temporal eutrophic state of the reservoirs predicted by the water quality parameters, algal growth limitation factors and eutrophic state level. Three optimized schemes were designed, as an example, to improve the water exchange of Tianjin Erwangzhuang Reservoir. The results showed that the water quality of the reservoir is improved by the increase of water exchange. The best optimized design scheme for improving water quality was to open multiple gates and lift the amount of water in and out of the reservoir. The result indicated that the Trophic State Index was reduced from the range of 37.8 and 43.1 of the original scheme to that of 35.20 and 26.50 after about 160 day operations of the best optimized design scheme. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 37: 399–409, 2018
Simultaneous occurrence of nonepileptic and epileptic seizures during a single period of in‐patient video‐electroencephalographic monitoring
Authors: El‐Naggar Hany , Moloney Patrick , Widdess‐Walsh Peter , Kilbride Ronan , Delanty Norman , Mullins Gerard
Published: July 2017

Epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) can coexist and may present in two forms: sequential and simultaneous. In sequential presentations, epileptic seizures (ES) are treated and PNES emerge later. Simultaneous recording of ES and PNES by video‐electroencephalogram (vEEG) is less well described. We retrospectively reviewed all patients diagnosed with PNES by vEEG following standard seizure induction practices over a 21‐month period. Within this cohort, we established the prevalence of coexisting epilepsy using clinical and electrographic data acquired from our epilepsy‐specific patient record. We identified patients with simultaneous PNES and ES recorded during a single vEEG admission, establishing the frequency and emergent timing of each type. Of our 262 monitored patients, 59 were diagnosed with PNES. Nineteen of the patients with PNES had coexisting epilepsy (prevalence rate of 7.3% or 32% of those with PNES). Sixteen patients had PNES and ES recorded during the same admission, and the remaining three patients had sequential PNES following successful treatment of ES. PNES occurred earlier (mean, within 1.21 days), with ES occurring later (mean, within 4.86 days). The simultaneous occurrence of PNES and ES recorded during a single admission is more common than previously reported. Identifying this group of patients may require a significantly longer period of vEEG monitoring and a detailed analysis of each individual's historical seizure events.
Hepatocytes contribute to residual glucose production in a mouse model for glycogen storage disease type Ia
Authors: Hijmans Brenda S. , Boss Andreas , van Dijk Theo H. , Soty Maud , Wolters Henk , Mutel Elodie , Groen Albert K. , Derks Terry G.J. , Mithieux Gilles , Heerschap Arend , Reijngoud Dirk‐Jan , Rajas Fabienne , Oosterveer Maaike H.
Published: July 2017

It is a long‐standing enigma how glycogen storage disease (GSD) type I patients retain a limited capacity for endogenous glucose production despite the loss of glucose‐6‐phosphatase activity. Insight into the source of residual endogenous glucose production is of clinical importance given the risk of sudden death in these patients, but so far contradictory mechanisms have been proposed. We investigated glucose‐6‐phosphatase–independent endogenous glucose production in hepatocytes isolated from a liver‐specific GSD Ia mouse model (L‐G6pc

–/–
mice) and performed real‐time analysis of hepatic glucose fluxes and glycogen metabolism in L‐G6pc

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mice using state‐of‐the‐art stable isotope methodologies. Here we show that G6pc‐deficient hepatocytes are capable of producing glucose. In vivo analysis of hepatic glucose metabolism revealed that the hepatic glucokinase flux was decreased by 95% in L‐G6pc

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mice. It also showed increased glycogen phosphorylase flux in L‐G6pc

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mice, which is coupled to the release of free glucose through glycogen debranching. Although the ex vivo activities of debranching enzyme and lysosomal acid maltase, two major hepatic α‐glucosidases, were unaltered in L‐G6pc

−/−
mice, pharmacological inhibition of α‐glucosidase activity almost completely abolished residual glucose production by G6pc‐deficient hepatocytes. Conclusion: Our data indicate that hepatocytes contribute to residual glucose production in GSD Ia. We show that α‐glucosidase activity, i.e. glycogen debranching and/or lysosomal glycogen breakdown, contributes to residual glucose production by GSD Ia hepatocytes. A strong reduction in hepatic GCK flux in L‐G6pc‐/‐ mice furthermore limits the phosphorylation of free glucose synthesized by G6pc‐deficient hepatocytes, allowing the release of glucose into the circulation. The almost complete abrogation of GCK flux in G6pc‐deficient liver also explains the contradictory reports on residual glucose production in GSD Ia patients. (Hepatology 2017;66:2042–2054)
Being similar while judging right and wrong: The effects of personal and situational similarity on moral judgements
Authors: Pascal Emilia
Published: July 2017

This study investigated the effects of similarity with the transgressor and the victim on the perceived immorality of the transgression. Participants read two stories describing a person that cheated on their partner and a police officer that mistreated somebody. In the first story we manipulated participants' personal similarity to the transgressor and in the second their personal similarity to the victim. In each story, participants' past situational similarity to the target character was assessed according to their previous experiences of being in the same position. Results show that both personal and past situational similarity to the transgressor determine less severe moral judgements, while personal and past situational similarity with the victim have the opposite effect. We also tested several potential mediators of these effects, derived from competing theoretical accounts of the influence of similarity on perceived responsibility. Empathy emerged as mediating most of the effects of similarity on moral judgements, except those induced by past situational similarity with the victim. The foreseen probability of being in a similar situation mediated only the effects of similarity to the transgressor, and not those of similarity to the victim. Overall, results highlight the complex mechanisms of the influences of similarity on moral judgements.
Kynurenine, a Tryptophan Metabolite That Accumulates With Age, Induces Bone Loss
Authors: Refaey Mona El , McGee-Lawrence Meghan E , Fulzele Sadanand , Kennedy Eileen J , Bollag Wendy B , Elsalanty Mohammed , Zhong Qing , Ding Ke-Hong , Bendzunas Nathaniel G , Shi Xing-ming , Xu Jianrui , Hill William D , Johnson Maribeth H , Hunter Monte , Pierce Jessica L , Yu Kanglun , Hamrick Mark W , Isales Carlos M
Published: July 2017

Age-dependent bone loss occurs in humans and in several animal species, including rodents. The underlying causal mechanisms are probably multifactorial, although an age-associated increase in the generation of reactive oxygen species has been frequently implicated. We previously reported that aromatic amino acids function as antioxidants, are anabolic for bone, and that they may potentially play a protective role in an aging environment. We hypothesized that upon oxidation the aromatic amino acids would not only lose their anabolic effects but also potentially become a catabolic byproduct. When measured in vivo in C57BL/6 mice, the tryptophan oxidation product and kynurenine precursor, N-formylkynurenine (NFK), was found to increase with age. We tested the direct effects of feeding kynurenine (kyn) on bone mass and also tested the short-term effects of intraperitoneal kyn injection on bone turnover in CD-1 mice. μCT analyses showed kyn-induced bone loss. Levels of serum markers of osteoclastic activity (pyridinoline [PYD] and RANKL) increased significantly with kyn treatment. In addition, histological and histomorphometric studies showed an increase in osteoclastic activity in the kyn-treated groups in both dietary and injection-based studies. Further, kyn treatment significantly increased bone marrow adiposity, and BMSCs isolated from the kyn-injected mice exhibited decreased mRNA expression of Hdac3 and its cofactor NCoR1 and increased expression of lipid storage genes Cidec and Plin1. A similar pattern of gene expression is observed with aging. In summary, our data show that increasing kyn levels results in accelerated skeletal aging by impairing osteoblastic differentiation and increasing osteoclastic resorption. These data would suggest that kyn could play a role in age-induced bone loss. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Thin Film Nanocomposites Based on SBM Triblock Copolymer and Silver Nanoparticles: Morphological and Dielectric Analysis
Authors: Barandiaran Irati , Gutierrez Junkal , Tercjak Agnieszka , Kortaberria Galder
Published: July 2017

Hybrid organic/inorganic thin film nanocomposites based on poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(butadiene)‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate) triblock copolymer and silver nanoparticles are prepared and characterized. In order to improve the compatibility of nanoparticles with the polymeric matrix, their surface is modified with dodecanethiol surfactant, which enables a good dispersion of nanoparticles through the triblock copolymer, without the formation of aggregates. By atomic force microscopy (AFM), the dispersion level of nanoparticles is analyzed, together with their effect on the thin film surface morphology, for nanocomposites up to 15 wt% of nanoparticles. Dielectric properties of nanocomposites are studied by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS), analyzing the effect of nanoparticles on dielectric properties. Even if conductivity and permittivity of composites increase with nanoparticle content, percolation threshold is found to be at around 15% in volume. Morphologically analyzed nanocomposites are, in this way, below the threshold.
Hydrogen‐Bonded Polymer–Porphyrin Assemblies in Water: Supramolecular Structures for Light Energy Conversion
Authors: Kutz Anne , Alex Wiebke , Krieger Anja , Gröhn Franziska
Published: July 2017

In this study, a new type of functional, self‐assembled nanostructure formed from porphyrins and polyamidoamine dendrimers based on hydrogen bonding in an aqueous solution is presented. As the aggregates formed are promising candidates for solar‐energy conversion, their photocatalytic activity is tested using the model reaction of methyl viologen reduction. The self‐assembled structures show significantly increased activity as compared to unassociated porphyrins. Details of interaction forces driving the supramolecular structure formation and regulating catalytic efficiency are fundamentally discussed.

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A rapid 3D fat–water decomposition method using globally optimal surface estimation (R‐GOOSE)
Authors: Cui Chen , Shah Abhay , Wu Xiaodong , Jacob Mathews
Published: July 2017

Purpose

To improve the graph model of our previous work GOOSE for fat‐water decomposition with higher computational efficiency and quantitative accuracy.

Methods

A modification of the GOOSE fat water decomposition algorithm is introduced while the global convergence guarantees of GOOSE are still inherited to minimize fat‐water swaps and phase wraps. In this paper, two non‐equidistant graph optimization frameworks are proposed as a single‐step framework termed as rapid GOOSE (R‐GOOSE), and a multi‐step framework termed as multi‐scale R‐GOOSE (mR‐GOOSE). Both frameworks contain considerably less graph connectivity than GOOSE, resulting in a great computation reduction thus making it readily applicable to multidimensional fat water applications. The quantitative accuracy and computational time of the novel frameworks are compared with GOOSE on the 2012 ISMRM Challenge datasets to demonstrate the improvement in performance.

Results

Both frameworks accomplish the same level of high accuracy as GOOSE among all datasets. Compared to 100 layers in GOOSE, only 8 layers were used in the new graph model. Computational time is lowered by an order of magnitude to around 5 s for each dataset in (mR‐GOOSE), R‐GOOSE achieves an average run‐time of 8 s.

Conclusion

The proposed method provides fat–water decomposition results with a lower run‐time and higher accuracy compared to the previously proposed GOOSE algorithm. Magn Reson Med 79:2401–2407, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Severe insulin resistance: pathologies
Authors: Melvin Audrey , Stears Anna
Published: July 2017

In parallel with the increasing prevalence of obesity, rates of insulin resistance and its associated complications have increased; however, insulin resistance is not only a disease of the overweight and obese. Disorders of adipose tissue expandability and insulin receptor signalling cause syndromes of severe insulin resistance that may go unrecognised in clinical practice but whose metabolic complications are significant and often the initial presentation of the condition.

This review will discuss the differing pathologies mediating insulin resistance that may be seen in clinical practice and will outline the phenotypic characteristics that may allow their differentiation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons.