bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DNA methylation of the RUNX2 P1 promoter mediates MMP13 transcription in chondrocytes
Authors: Takahashi Atsushi , de Andrés María C. , Hashimoto Ko , Itoi Eiji , Otero Miguel , Goldring Mary B. , Oreffo Richard O. C.
Published: August 2017

The Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) is critical for bone formation as well as chondrocyte maturation. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 is a major contributor to cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis (OA). We and others have shown that the abnormal MMP13 gene expression in OA chondrocytes is controlled by changes in the DNA methylation status of specific CpG sites of the proximal promoter, as well as by the actions of different transactivators, including RUNX2. The present study aimed to determine the influence of the methylation status of specific CpG sites in the RUNX2 promoter on RUNX2-driven MMP13 gene expression in OA chondrocytes. We observed a significant correlation between MMP13 mRNA levels and RUNX2 gene expression in human OA chondrocytes. RUNX2 overexpression enhanced MMP13 promoter activity, independent of the MMP13 promoter methylation status. A significant negative correlation was observed between RUNX2 mRNA levels in OA chondrocytes and the percentage methylation of the CpG sites in the RUNX2 P1 promoter. Accordingly, the activity of the wild type RUNX2 promoter was decreased upon methylation treatment in vitro. We conclude that RUNX2 gene transcription is regulated by the methylation status of specific CpG sites in the promoter and may determine RUNX2 availability in OA cartilage for transactivation of genes such as MMP13.
Baculovirus infection induces disruption of the nuclear lamina
Authors: Zhang Xiaomei , Xu Kaiyan , Wei Denghui , Wu Wenbi , Yang Kai , Yuan Meijin
Published: August 2017

Baculovirus nucleocapsids egress from the nucleus primarily via budding at the nuclear membrane. The nuclear lamina underlying the nuclear membrane represents a substantial barrier to nuclear egress. Whether the nuclear lamina undergoes disruption during baculovirus infection remains unknown. In this report, we generated a clonal cell line, Sf9-L, that stably expresses GFP-tagged Drosophila lamin B. GFP autofluorescence colocalized with immunofluorescent anti-lamin B at the nuclear rim of Sf9-L cells, indicating GFP-lamin B was incorporated into the nuclear lamina. Meanwhile, virus was able to replicate normally in Sf9-L cells. Next, we investigated alterations to the nuclear lamina during baculovirus infection in Sf9-L cells. A portion of GFP-lamin B localized diffusely at the nuclear rim, and some GFP-lamin B was redistributed within the nucleus during the late phase of infection, suggesting the nuclear lamina was partially disrupted. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed associations between GFP-lamin B and the edges of the electron-dense stromal mattes of the virogenic stroma, intranuclear microvesicles, and ODV envelopes and nucleocapsids within the nucleus, indicating the release of some GFP-lamin B from the nuclear lamina. Additionally, GFP-lamin B phosphorylation increased upon infection. Based on these data, baculovirus infection induced lamin B phosphorylation and disruption of the nuclear lamina.
Comparison of neonatal outcomes following progesterone use during ovarian stimulation with frozen-thawed embryo transfer
Authors: Zhu Xiuxian , Ye Hongjuan , Fu Yonglun
Published: August 2017

Progesterone soft capsules (brand name: Utrogestan) were demonstrated to be an effective oral alternative to prevent premature LH surges both in normal-ovulatory and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients. However, its safety in terms of neonatal outcomes is unclear. To evaluate whether Utrogestan use increase the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes compared with short protocol in patients undergoing IVF/ICSI treatments in combination with frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET), we performed a retrospective analysis including 1008 FET cycles, with embryos originated from either Utrogestan + hMG protocol (n = 499), or short protocol (n = 509), which led to 546 live-born infants. The neonatal characteristics regarding preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), gestational age and mode of delivery were comparable in the two groups. The incidence of live-birth defect was 0.68% (2/293) in the Utrogestan + hMG protocol compared with 0.79% (2/253) in the short protocol. No early neonatal death or intrauterine death were recorded in either group. To date, the data do not indicate an elevated rate of abnormality at birth after progesterone use during ovarian stimulation but further study with larger populations is needed to confirm these results.
Prognostic value of programmed cell death protein 1 expression on CD8+ T lymphocytes in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Shen Tao , Zhou Liangjing , Shen Hua , Shi Chengfei , Jia Shengnan , Ding Guo Ping , Cao Liping
Published: August 2017

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive malignancies and has a highly immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. Immune checkpoint blockade has led to remarkable and durable objective responses in a number of malignancies and antibody-based strategies targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) are showing promise where traditional modalities of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have failed. In this study, we examined the clinical value of PD-1 protein expression by CD8+ peripheral T lymphocytes or tumour-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TILs) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Expression of PD-1 protein on CD8+ TILs correlated with overall survival and clinicopathological characteristics such as clinical stage, N classification, and M classification. Similar findings were observed for the expression of PD-1 protein on peripheral CD8+ T cells, whereas its expression on peripheral CD4+ T cells showed no significance. Comparison of the levels of PD-1 protein expressed by peripheral CD8+ T cells before and 4 weeks after surgery indicated that preoperative and postoperative status of peripheral PD-1 expression was unchanged. Our findings showed that PD-1 protein expressed by peripheral or tumour-infiltrated CD8+ T cells was a promising biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis in PDAC and might help guide future immunotherapies.
Hyperspectral Imaging for Predicting the Internal Quality of Kiwifruits Based on Variable Selection Algorithms and Chemometric Models
Authors: Zhu Hongyan , Chu Bingquan , Fan Yangyang , Tao Xiaoya , Yin Wenxin , He Yong
Published: August 2017

We investigated the feasibility and potentiality of determining firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), and pH in kiwifruits using hyperspectral imaging, combined with variable selection methods and calibration models. The images were acquired by a push-broom hyperspectral reflectance imaging system covering two spectral ranges. Weighted regression coefficients (BW), successive projections algorithm (SPA) and genetic algorithm–partial least square (GAPLS) were compared and evaluated for the selection of effective wavelengths. Moreover, multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least squares regression and least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) were developed to predict quality attributes quantitatively using effective wavelengths. The established models, particularly SPA-MLR, SPA-LS-SVM and GAPLS-LS-SVM, performed well. The SPA-MLR models for firmness (R
pre
 = 0.9812, RPD = 5.17) and SSC (R
pre
 = 0.9523, RPD = 3.26) at 380–1023 nm showed excellent performance, whereas GAPLS-LS-SVM was the optimal model at 874–1734 nm for predicting pH (R
pre
 = 0.9070, RPD = 2.60). Image processing algorithms were developed to transfer the predictive model in every pixel to generate prediction maps that visualize the spatial distribution of firmness and SSC. Hence, the results clearly demonstrated that hyperspectral imaging has the potential as a fast and non-invasive method to predict the quality attributes of kiwifruits.
Performance of a nonempirical exchange functional from density matrix expansion: comparative study with different correlations
Authors: Mo Yuxiang , Tian Guocai , Tao Jianmin
Published: August 2017

Recently, Tao and Mo proposed a meta-generalized gradient approximation for the exchange–correlation energy with remarkable accuracy for molecules, solids, and surfaces.
Nonlinear behavior and fluctuation-induced dynamics in the photosensitive Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction
Authors: Voorsluijs Valérie , Kevrekidis Ioannis G. , De Decker Yannick
Published: August 2017

In the photosensitive Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction, strong intrinsic fluctuations destabilize chaos and multiperiodic oscillations and reduce the efficiency of photoinhibition.
Interface nanoparticle control of a nanometer water pump
Authors: Su Jiaye , Zhao Yunzhen , Fang Chang , Bilal Ahmed Syed , Shi Yue
Published: August 2017

A nanoparticle is forced to move on a membrane surface, inducing considerable water flux through a carbon nanotube, suggesting a controllable nanometer water pump.
Deciphering environment effects in peptide bond solvation dynamics by experiment and theory
Authors: Wohlgemuth Matthias , Miyazaki Mitsuhiko , Tsukada Kohei , Weiler Martin , Dopfer Otto , Fujii Masaaki , Mitrić Roland
Published: August 2017

Probing solvation dynamics at the molecular level: different water migration pathways around a peptide bond.
Benzene-centred tripodal diglycolamides for the sequestration of trivalent actinides: metal ion extraction and luminescence spectroscopic investigations in a room temperature ionic liquid
Authors: Ansari Seraj Ahmad , Mohapatra Prasanta Kumar , Leoncini Andrea , Huskens Jurriaan , Verboom Willem
Published: August 2017

Three benzene-centred tripodal diglycolamide (Bz-T-DGA) ligands were evaluated for actinide ion extraction/complexation in an ionic liquid medium.
A theoretical study on the electronic properties of two ring-fused derivatives of 9,10-diphenylanthracene
Authors: Shi Yating , Shi Yarui , Wei Huiling , Zhai Hongsheng , Liu Yufang
Published: August 2017

Two new contorted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) 1 and 2 have been synthesized by Perepichka and coworkers (Org. Lett., 2015, 17, 4224).
Quasi-zero-dimensional cobalt-doped CeO2 dots on Pd catalysts for alcohol electro-oxidation with enhanced poisoning-tolerance
Authors: Tan Qiang , Zhu Haiyan , Guo Shengwu , Chen Yuanzhen , Jiang Tao , Shu Chengyong , Chong Shaokun , Hultman Benjamin , Liu Yongning , Wu Gang
Published: August 2017

The ultrafine cobalt-doped CeO2 dots were prepared with a new facile approach, and they can be an effective anti-poisoning promoter for Pd catalysts towards methanol and ethanol electrooxidation reaction in alkaline media.
Application of α-amino acids for the transition-metal-free synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines
Authors: Liu Huanhuan , Zhou Feiyu , Luo Wen , Chen Yuxin , Zhang Chenyang , Ma Chen
Published: August 2017

A practical and concise protocol for the efficient synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines from readily available α-amino acids and 2-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)anilines under transition metal-free conditions has been established. This protocol, which includes the formation of new C–C and C–N bonds, features a wide substrate scope with a broad range of functional group tolerance.
Coordination polymers based on bis-ZnII salphen complexes and functional ditopic ligands for efficient polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs)
Authors: Zhao Jiang , Liu Boao , Feng Zhao , Jin Deyuan , Dang Wanping , Yang Xiaolong , Zhou Guijiang , Wu Zhaoxin , Wong Wai-Yeung
Published: August 2017

Bis-ZnII salphen coordination polymers with functional ditopic ligands can exhibit higher EL efficiencies compared to their analogues.
Pd-catalyzed C–H arylation of benzothioamides with boronic acids using thioamides as directing groups
Authors: Tang Kai-Xiang , Wang Chun-Meng , Gao Tian-Hong , Pan Cong , Sun Li-Ping
Published: August 2017

The Pd(ii)-catalyzed arylation of benzothioamides with boronic acids using thioamides as directing groups has been achieved for the first time.
Effect of asphaltene precipitation on CO2-flooding performance in low-permeability sandstones: a nuclear magnetic resonance study
Authors: Wang Chen , Li Tiantai , Gao Hui , Zhao Jinsheng , Li Huazhou Andy
Published: August 2017

With nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a novel experimental study is conducted to reveal the pore-scale formation damage mechanism of tight sandstones caused by asphaltene precipitation during CO2 flooding.
Porous Au/ZnO nanoparticles synthesised through a metal organic framework (MOF) route for enhanced acetone gas-sensing
Authors: Xia Jia , Diao Kaidi , Zheng Zhou , Cui Xudong
Published: August 2017

Porous Au/ZnO nanoparticles through a simple metal organic framework route show high response and selectivity towards low concentration acetone.
Dual modal imaging agents based on chromophore-bearing DTPA analogues
Authors: Sathiyajith CuhaWijay , Hallett Andrew J. , Amoroso Angelo J. , Edwards Peter G.
Published: August 2017

Two new DTPA analogues, centrally (L1) and terminally (L2) functionalised with a 1,8-naphthalimide chromophore, have been successfully prepared and fully characterized.
Sortase-mediated chemical protein synthesis reveals the bidentate binding of bisphosphorylated p62 with K63 diubiquitin
Authors: Tan Xiang-Long , Pan Man , Zheng Yong , Gao Shuai , Liang Lu-Jun , Li Yi-Ming
Published: August 2017

This work reports the first chemical synthesis of the phosphorylated p62 protein and reveals a bidentate binding model of bisphosphorylated p62.
On the performance of a photosystem II reaction centre-based photocell
Authors: Stones Richard , Hossein-Nejad Hoda , van Grondelle Rienk , Olaya-Castro Alexandra
Published: August 2017

We investigate the performance of a theoretical photosystem II reaction centre-inspired photocell device through the framework of electron counting statistics. In particular we look at the effect of a structured vibrational environment on the mean current and current noise.
Porphyrinoid rotaxanes: building a mechanical picket fence
Authors: Ngo T. H. , Labuta J. , Lim G. N. , Webre W. A. , D'Souza F. , Karr P. A. , Lewis J. E. M. , Hill J. P. , Ariga K. , Goldup S. M.
Published: August 2017

We demonstrate that the threaded macrocycles in interlocked porphyrin–corrole conjugates provide a mechanical “picket fence” without affecting their electronic properties.
Nucleophilic addition and substitution at coordinatively saturated boron by facile 1,2-hydrogen shuttling onto a carbene donor
Authors: Auerhammer Dominic , Arrowsmith Merle , Braunschweig Holger , Dewhurst Rian D. , Jiménez-Halla J. Oscar C. , Kupfer Thomas
Published: August 2017

Anionic organic sp3-, sp2- and sp-nucleophiles as well as neutral Lewis bases were shown to add to a coordinatively saturated cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene (cAAC) supported borane thanks to reversible transfer of a hydrogen atom from boron to the adjacent Lewis acidic cAAC carbene carbon atom.
One-pot synthesis of uniform Cu2O–CuO–TiO2 hollow nanocages with highly stable lithium storage properties
Authors: Wang Guangxia , Sui Yongming , Zhang Meina , Xu Man , Zeng Qingxin , Liu Chuang , Liu Xinmei , Du Fei , Zou Bo
Published: August 2017

Copper oxides composited with TiO2 in hollow nanocages exhibit improved electrochemical performance as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
Green reduction of graphene oxide by polydopamine to a construct flexible film: superior flame retardancy and high thermal conductivity
Authors: Luo Fubin , Wu Kun , Shi Jun , Du Xiangxiang , Li Xiaoya , Yang Liu , Lu Mangeng
Published: August 2017

Inspired by mussels, dopamine (DOPA) was used as a green reducing agent for graphene oxide (GO) to prepare a superior flame retardant and high thermal conductive flexible film.
Fabrication of an arbitrary-shaped and nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel for highly compressible all solid-state supercapacitors
Authors: Jiang Degang , Li Chenwei , Yang Wenrong , Zhang Jizhen , Liu Jingquan
Published: August 2017

Herein, we report a new template method for fabricating an arbitrary-shaped compressible nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel (GA).
Surface-initiated polymerization on unmodified inorganic semiconductor nanoparticles via surfactant-free aerosol-based synthesis toward core–shell nanohybrids with a tunable shell thickness
Authors: Shaban Masoom , Poostforooshan Jalal , Weber Alfred P.
Published: August 2017

We present a facile approach towardin situcoating of various inorganic semiconductor nanoparticles with a polymer shell by aerosol-photopolymerization.
A review on hexacyanoferrate-based materials for energy storage and smart windows: challenges and perspectives
Authors: Paolella Andrea , Faure Cyril , Timoshevskii Vladimir , Marras Sergio , Bertoni Giovanni , Guerfi Abdelbast , Vijh Ashok , Armand Michel , Zaghib Karim
Published: August 2017

Well-known since the 18th century,hexacyanoferrate, or “Prussian blue”, is currently getting its “second life” as a promising material for Li-ion batteries and electrochromic devices.
Multifunctional phase-change hollow mesoporous Prussian blue nanoparticles as a NIR light responsive drug co-delivery system to overcome cancer therapeutic resistance
Authors: Chen Huajian , Ma Yan , Wang Xianwen , Zha Zhengbao
Published: August 2017

A versatile NIR light responsive co-delivery platform of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic anticancer drugs has been developed here for overcoming adaptive therapeutic resistance of cancer cells and enhancing cell-killing effect.
One-step selective formation of silver nanoparticles on atomic layered MoS2 by laser-induced defect engineering and photoreduction
Authors: Lei Y. T. , Li D. W. , Zhang T. C. , Huang X. , Liu L. , Lu Y. F.
Published: August 2017

This work developed a simple, rapid approach to controllable and selective decoration of noble metal nanoparticles on atomic layered MoS2via a single-step micro-power laser-induced defect engineering and photo-reduction technique.
Input‐to‐state stability for discrete‐time non‐linear switched singular systems
Authors: Lian Jie , Li Can , Liu Dan
Published: August 2017

This study investigates the input‐to‐state stability (ISS) for a class of discrete‐time non‐linear switched singular systems. Two novel ISS criteria are proposed based on multiple Lyapunov functions method. In one case that all subsystems are input‐to‐state stable (ISS) but the system stability may be destroyed by the switching, the average dwell time switching algorithm is applied to guarantee the ISS of the whole system. In other case that all subsystems can be unstable, the state‐dependent switching rule is designed to stabilise the system and ensure the ISS of the switched singular system. Finally, simulation examples are provided to illustrate the feasibility of the obtained results.
Low‐latency median filter core for hardware implementation of 5 × 5 median filtering
Authors: Kumar Vineet , Asati Abhijit , Gupta Anu
Published: August 2017

This study presents hardware implementation of 5 × 5 median filter that uses a new low‐latency median filter (LLMF) core in order to find the median of 25 integer values. The proposed LLMF core architecture computes the median of 25 integers in just three clock cycles. The maximum frequency of operation of the proposed median filter architecture is 394 MHz on the Xilinx Zynq FPGA device. The proposed LLMF core provides reduced clock cycle latency compared with the existing state‐of‐the‐art median filter core architectures.
Design methodology for dual‐band hybrid antennas with off‐resonance loading
Authors: Naeem Umair , Bila Stéphane , Thévenot Marc , Arnaud Eric
Published: August 2017

The presented work proposes a generalised design methodology for dual‐band hybrid antennas. The methodology is applied to a dual‐band hybrid antenna system operating in two modes; one allows the antenna to radiate at a lower frequency band, whereas the other operates the antenna at a higher frequency band. The lower band radiating element is also responsible for exciting the higher band radiating element. Since the two radiating modes depend on each other, the antenna system is characterised in detail to achieve efficient impedance matching for both the modes. An efficient model is proposed that models the true behaviour of the system. A hybrid dual‐band antenna has been modelled, designed and fabricated. Test results exhibit desired radiation behaviour as well as good impedance match for both the bands. The proposed design methodology allows the design of antenna for each radiating mode quasi‐independently. This design methodology can be applied to any similar type of antenna which exploits multiple radiating elements where one is loaded by another.
Identification as a deterrent for security enhancement in cognitive radio networks
Authors: Fakhrudeen Ahmed M. , Alani Omar Y.
Published: August 2017

Cognitive radio networks (CRNs) are prone to emerging coexistence security threats such as primary user emulation attack (PUEA). Specifically, a malicious CRN may mimic licensees' [primary users (PUs)] signal characteristics to force another CRN to vacate its channels thinking that PUs have returned. While existing schemes are promising to some extent on detecting PUEAs, they are not able to prevent the attacks. In this article, the authors propose a PUEA deterrent (PUED) algorithm that can provide PUEAs' commission details: offender CRNs and attacks' time and bandwidth. There are many similarities between PUED and closed‐circuit television (CCTV) in terms of: deterrence strategy, reason for use, surveillance characteristics, surveillance outcome, and operation site. According to the criminology literature, robust CCTV systems have shown a significant reduction in visible offences (e.g. vehicle theft), reducing crime rates by 80%. Similarly, PUED will contribute the same effectiveness in deterring PUEAs. Furthermore, providing PUEAs' details will prevent the network's cognitive engine from considering the attacks as real PUs, consequently avoiding devising unreliable spectrum models for the attacked channels. Extensive simulations show the effectiveness of the PUED algorithm in terms of improving CRNs' performance.
To What Extent Are the Terminal Stages of Sepsis, Septic Shock, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, and Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome Actually Driven by a Prion/Amyloid Form of Fibrin?
Authors: Kell Douglas , Pretorius Etheresia
Published: August 2017

A well-established development of increasing disease severity leads from sepsis through systemic inflammatory response syndrome, septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, and cellular and organismal death. Less commonly discussed are the equally well-established coagulopathies that accompany this. We argue that a lipopolysaccharide-initiated (often disseminated intravascular) coagulation is accompanied by a proteolysis of fibrinogen such that formed fibrin is both inflammatory and resistant to fibrinolysis. In particular, we argue that the form of fibrin generated is amyloid in nature because much of its normal α-helical content is transformed to β-sheets, as occurs with other proteins in established amyloidogenic and prion diseases. We hypothesize that these processes of amyloidogenic clotting and the attendant coagulopathies play a role in the passage along the aforementioned pathways to organismal death, and that their inhibition would be of significant therapeutic value, a claim for which there is considerable emerging evidence.
Breaking Bad News Training Program Based on Video Reviews and SPIKES Strategy: What do Perinatology Residents Think about It?
Authors: Setubal Maria Silvia Vellutini , Gonçalves Andrea Vasconcelos , Rocha Sheyla Ribeiro , Amaral Eliana Martorano
Published: August 2017

Objective Resident doctors usually face the task to communicate bad news in perinatology without any formal training. The impact on parents can be disastrous. The objective of this paper is to analyze the perception of residents regarding a training program in communicating bad news in perinatology based on video reviews and setting, perception, invitation, knowledge, emotion, and summary (SPIKES) strategy.

Methods We performed the analysis of complementary data collected from participants in a randomized controlled intervention study to evaluate the efficacy of a training program on improving residents' skills to communicate bad news. Data were collected using a Likert scale. Through a thematic content analysis we tried to to apprehend the meanings, feelings and experiences expressed by resident doctors in their comments as a response to an open-ended question. Half of the group received training, consisting of discussions of video reviews of participants' simulated encounters communicating a perinatal loss to a “mother” based on the SPIKES strategy. We also offered training sessions to the control group after they completed participation. Twenty-eight residents who were randomized to intervention and 16 from the control group received training. Twenty written comments were analyzed.

Results The majority of the residents evaluated training highly as an education activity to help increase knowledge, ability and understanding about breaking bad news in perinatology. Three big categories emerged from residents' comments: SPIKES training effects; bad news communication in medical training; and doctors' feelings and relationship with patients.

Conclusions Residents took SPIKES training as a guide to systematize the communication of bad news and to amplify perceptions of the emotional needs of the patients. They suggested the insertion of a similar training in their residency programs curricula.
Analysis of Injuries and Risk Factors in Taekwondo during the 2014 Italian University Championship
Authors: Fortina Mattia , Mangano Simone , Carta Serafino , Carulli Christian
Published: August 2017

Purpose This study aims to analyze the risk factors and type of injuries occurring in Taekwondo athletes participating in a national competition.

Methods Out of the 127 competitors, 18 athletes got injured during a Taekwondo championship who were analyzed for the following parameters: modality of training; age, weight; belt color; and the type of injury.

Results Around 89% of the injuries were due to bruising and were found mainly on the lower limbs (61%) during the elimination rounds and during the first match of the day. The higher probability of injury was in the second round (56%), and during the first match of the day (72%). Nearly all the athletes were able to complete the game in which they were injured (83%). Comparing the average age of the athletes suffering an injury (23.6 ± 2.06 years) with their average years of training (8.4 ± 7.05 years) it can be noted that these athletes began this discipline rather late. The more is the training age and the weekly hours of training, the more are the numbers of matches completed, even as injured. Beginners with a low-level belt suffered more injuries than the experienced subjects did.

Conclusion The following risk factors for injury were found: starting to practice in late age, weekly training sessions with a few number of hours, male sex, low-level belt, elimination rounds, the first match of the day, and second round.

Level of Evidence Level III, observational analytic study without a control group.
Research on the denitration mechanism of fly ash catalysts modified by low-temperature plasma technology
Authors: Nie Wen-jie , Sha Xiang-ling , Zhang Lei , Wang Yu-su , Wen Xin , Li Yong-hui
Published: August 2017

There are three different fly ashes mixed with bentonite respectively as raw material to preparation of denitration catalyst. Then the catalyst combined with the low temperature plasma for denitration. The different mixing ratio, drying temperature and drying time of catalyst preparation were studied. The denitration mechanism of fly ash catalyst modified with different gases (O2, N2, Ar, and hydrocarbon gas) by low-temperature plasma technology was studied. The compositions of fly ash were detected by element analysis, ICP analysis, Boehm analysis, and Infrared spectral analysis which affected the denitration performance of fly ash catalyst. And we discussed the effect of denitration performance with different types of fly ash and plasma power. The results shown that: fly ash mixed with bentonite for 2:1, drying temperature is 100°C and drying time is 30 min are the optimal preparation conditions; The denitration performance is best of the catalyst which produced by circulating fluidized bed when the plasma power is 30 W. And Oxygen can be used as the modification gas for preparing the fly-ash catalyst. There are more basic functional groups on the surface of fly ash catalyst modified with oxygen atmosphere and the N=O plays a main role.
Improved efficiency of organic solar cells using Au NPs incorporated into PEDOT:PSS buffer layer
Authors: Otieno Francis , Shumbula Ndivhuwo P. , Airo Mildred , Mbuso Mlambo , Moloto Nosipho , Erasmus Rudolph M. , Quandt Alexander , Wamwangi Daniel
Published: August 2017

Au based plasmonic phenomenon inside the hole transport layer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) of an organic solar cell based on blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6:6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid (PCBM) is investigated. The concentration of the Au nanoparticles synthesized by wet chemical reduction is one of the key factors to strong light trapping when the spherical gold nanoparticles are blended into the PEDOT:PSS solution. Studies of the influence of the concentration of nanoparticles distribution in the PEDOT:PSS were carried out using UV–Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Electrical characteristics of the pristine device and of device with metallic nanostructures were analyzed from J –V characteristics to observe the plasmonic effects on the performance in the P3HT:PCBM organic solar cells. The origin of the photocurrent enhancements with varying Au nanoparticles concentrations on PEDOT:PSS are discussed.
A drop in uniaxial and biaxial nonlinear extensional flows
Authors: Favelukis M.
Published: August 2017

In this theoretical report, we explore small deformations of an initially spherical drop subjected to uniaxial or biaxial nonlinear extensional creeping flows. The problem is governed by the capillary number (Ca), the viscosity ratio (λ), and the nonlinear intensity of the flow (E). When the extensional flow is linear (E = 0), the familiar internal circulations are obtained and the same is true with E > 0, except that the external and internal flow rates increase with increasing E. If E < 0, the external flow consists of some unconnected regions leading to the same number of internal circulations (−3/7 < E < 0) or twice the number of internal circulations (E < −3/7), when compared to the linear case. The shape of the deformed drop is represented in terms of a modified Taylor deformation parameter, and the conditions for the breakup of the drop by a center pinching mechanism are also established. When the flow is linear (E = 0), the literature predicts prolate spheroidal drops for uniaxial flows (Ca > 0) and oblate spheroidal drops for biaxial flows (Ca < 0). For the same |Ca|, if E > 0, the drop is more elongated than the linear case, while E < 0 results in less elongated drops than the linear case. Compared to the linear case, for both uniaxial and biaxial extensional flows, E > 0 tends to facilitate drop breakup, while E < 0 makes drop breakup more difficult.
Optical birefringence imaging of x-ray excited lithium tantalate
Authors: Durbin S. M. , Landcastle A. , DiChiara A. , Wen Haidan , Walko D. , Adams B.
Published: August 2017

X-ray absorption in lithium tantalate induces large, long-lived (∼10−5 s) optical birefringence, visualized via scanning optical polarimetry. Similar birefringence measured from glass, sapphire, and quartz was two orders of magnitude weaker; much of this reduction can be accounted for by their smaller cross section for x-ray absorption. While x-ray induced charges can perturb local refractive indices and lead to birefringence, aligned dipoles in the non-centrosymmetric unit cell of ferroelectric LiTaO3 create electric fields that also induce birefringence via electro-optic coupling, which shows up as a dependence on crystal orientation. Time-resolved measurements from LiTaO3 show a prompt response on a picosecond time scale, which along with the long decay time suggest novel opportunities for optical detection of x-rays.
Structural ambiguity and case assignment in Hungarian clausal and phrasal comparatives
Authors: Bacskai-Atkari Julia
Published: August 2017

This paper presents a contrastive analysis of comparative degree complements in Germanic (English, German) and Hungarian, focussing on two particular types of constructions that are potentially ambiguous in isolation. I argue that Hungarian has both clausal and phrasal comparatives. In clausal comparatives, the morphological case of the single remnant always corresponds to its underlying function (subject or object), hence ambiguities arise only if both interpretations involve subjects, but there are no subject/object ambiguities. This differs from Germanic, where subject/object ambiguities arise due to case syncretism, and where subjects of small clauses can be marked by the accusative case. In Hungarian phrasal comparatives, case distinction does not play a role, and the interpretation is governed by semantic rules.
Co-patterns, subpatterns and conflicting generalizations in Hungarian vowel harmony
Authors: Rebrus Péter , Törkenczy Miklós
Published: August 2017

In this paper we examine coexisting patterns of variation in Hungarian front/back harmony conditioned by prosodic structure (the Polysyllabic Split), locality (the Count Effect), morphological structure/uniformity (Harmonic Uniformity) and the paradigmatic property of whether a suffix is harmonically alternating or harmonically invariant (Sequential Bias). We show that these patterns of harmony may be in conflict and some prevail over the others in environments of conflict. We argue for an approach that employs wide-scope generalisations holding over all the relevant forms where the conflict is resolved by specificity: when in conflict, the more specific ones win.
Focus and quantifier scope
Authors: Surányi Balázs , Turi Gergő
Published: August 2017

The scope interpretation of doubly quantified sentences is known to be influenced by a variety of contextual factors, among them, Information Structure. While the topic status of an NP has been recurrently argued to give rise to wide scope, the effect of focus status remains controversial: in the literature it has been linked both to narrow scope and to wide scope. This paper presents an empirical study designed to explore whether the focus status of a quantified NP affects its scope-taking options by biasing its interpretation either towards narrow scope or towards wide scope with regard to another, non-focal and non-topical quantified NP in its background. The experiment is based on a rating task using contextualized target sentences accompanied by visual stimuli. While the study detects a mild advantage of linear scope over inverse scope, as well as a markedness effect of the post-verbal placement of focus, the focus status of quantified NPs is not found to interact with their scope interpretation. From a broader perspective, the finding that focus sharply differs from topic in terms of (the lack of) its effect on scope corroborates approaches that view topic and focus as belonging to two distinct dimensions of Information Structure.
*VV in Hungarian
Authors: Vago Robert M.
Published: August 2017

In Hungarian, suffixation derives robust instances of heteromorphemic vowel sequences (V1+V2). This work reports on an investigation of the facts (as culled, inter alia, from traditional grammars; Kenesei et al. 1998; Siptár & Törkenczy 2000; Siptár 2008) and provides analyses for the data within the framework of Optimality Theory. It brings together a conspiratorial web of mechanisms to respect a *VV constraint: V1 deletion; V2 deletion; suffix allomorphy. Exceptional cases are treated in terms of constraint reranking (Gouskova 2013). The main finding is that the story of vowel sequences across suffixes, not well studied in the phonological literature, as told from the perspective of Hungarian, provides strong support for Casali’s (1997, 1998, 2011) model of hiatus resolution.
The Truth Value Judgment Task
Authors: Thornton Rosalind
Published: August 2017

Thirty years have passed since the dynamic Truth Value Judgment Task was invented (Crain & McKee 1985). The methodology was created to test children’s knowledge of constraints and to test whether or not children could access both meanings associated with ambiguous sentences. The task is widely used today in its original format as detailed in Crain and Thornton (1998) but it has also been adapted to solve new issues and to meet the demands of cross-linguistic data. This paper reviews the task and discusses extensions. The extensions accommodate contexts of uncertainty, felicity judgments, and include an adaptation called the Question/Statement task designed to address special linguistic properties of Mandarin Chinese.
Negation, uncertainty, and the Truth Value Judgment Task
Authors: Goro Takuya
Published: August 2017

This article discusses a variant of the Truth Value Judgment Task (TVJT), which I call the uncertainty mode. In a TVJT experiment conducted with children, a puppet manipulated by an experimenter presents the test sentences to the participant. In the uncertainty mode of TVJT, the crucial test sentences are presented as a guess regarding what has happened in an experimental story, rather than as a description or as a prediction. The crucial feature of this experimental design is that the experimental story employs a certain structure so that the puppet can access only incomplete information at the time when he provides the test sentence. This methodology allows the researcher to create a pragmatic context in which negation and uncertainty expressions, such as disjunction or indefinite pronouns, can be felicitously used. I will review the background from which the uncertainty mode emerged, as well as the advantages of this variant of the TVJT.
Kare and the acquisition of bound variable interpretations by Korean speaking learners of Japanese
Authors: Hong Sungshim , Nakayama Mineharu
Published: August 2017

This paper reports on pronominal interpretations by Korean speaking learners of Japanese. Korean, like Japanese, has both null and overt pronouns and null pronouns can take quantifier antecedents while overt pronouns cannot. Most of the learners at the lowest proficiency level erroneously accepted overt pronouns with the quantifier antecedents in a truth value judgment experiment. This suggests that L1 transfer was not a general trend among the participants of the present study. The finding is similar to that in recent studies on English and Turkish speaking learners of Japanese. Taken together, they suggest that some L2 learners appear to follow a default strategy that accepts all pronouns with a bound variable reading.
Interpretation of bound pronouns by learners of Japanese Sign Language
Authors: Matsuoka Kazumi , Lillo-Martin Diane
Published: August 2017

This study deals with the interpretation of bound pronouns by hearing learners of Japanese Sign Language (JSL). It is the first attempt to investigate JSL second language (L2) acquisition from a theoretical perspective. The Overt Pronoun Constraint (OPC) states that an overt pronoun can be bound by a referential NP, but not by an operator (including quantifiers and Wh-elements). JSL, as well as Japanese, allows an overt pronoun to corefer with a referential NP. However, (at least in some cases) the overt pronoun can be bound by a Wh-operator in JSL, but never in Japanese. A Truth-Value Judgment Task (TVJT) study was conducted, with different levels of Japanese-speaking learners of JSL, to observe if the OPC applies to a L1-L2 pair in different modalities, with different OPC status. The results showed that there was an anti-OPC effect among beginners, which lessened somewhat for intermediate learners.
Scrambling and locality constraints in child Japanese
Authors: Sugisaki Koji , Murasugi Keiko
Published: August 2017

Scrambling has been one of the central issues in the theoretical studies of Japanese syntax. Yet, there is still limited research that investigates children’s knowledge of this movement phenomenon, and further research is needed to obtain a deeper understanding of when and how children acquire various properties of Japanese scrambling. In this study, we conduct an experiment with Japanese-speaking preschool children to determine whether these children are sensitive to the locality constraints on long-distance scrambling. The results of our experiment confirm the findings from previous studies on short-distance scrambling that preschool children have adult-like knowledge of this movement phenomenon. More importantly, our findings add a new piece of evidence from Japanese for the hypothesis that properties of UG constrain the course of acquisition from the earliest observable stages (e.g., Crain 1991).
The acquisition of the wh-pronoun duo-shao in child Mandarin
Authors: Huang Aijun , Ursini Francesco-Alessio
Published: August 2017

The Mandarin Chinese wh-pronouns ji-ge ‘how many-cl’ and duo-shao ‘a lot-a little’ can be roughly translated in English as ‘how-many’ and ‘how-much’, respectively. When these two wh-pronouns interact with the negation operator mei ‘not’, there derive similar but not identical readings: while the negative ji-ge structure conveys a ‘smallness’ in number (i.e., ‘small-number’), the negative duo-shao structure conveys a ‘smallness’ in quantity (i.e., ‘small-amount’). Huang and Crain (2014a) studied Mandarin-speaking children’s acquisition of the ‘small-number’ reading of the negative ji-ge structure. It was found that children undergo three developmental stages in the acquisition of the ‘small-number’ reading of the negative ji-ge structure, exhibiting the emergence of the full range of the meanings of ji-ge in the course of language development. The present study extends the inquiry of Huang and Crain (2014a) and investigates the acquisition of the ‘small-amount’ reading of the negative duo-shao structure. The experimental data exhibit two developmental stages, which are argued to reflect the development of the semantic and pragmatic properties of the wh-pronoun duo-shao. In short, the acquisition scenario of the negative duo-shao structure is different from that of the negative ji-ge structure, but both studies suggest that the semantic and pragmatic properties of Chinese wh-pronouns determine the acquisition of Chinese wh-pronouns in negative structures.
Syntax and semantics of additive focus markers from a cross-linguistic perspective
Authors: König Ekkehard
Published: August 2017

Looking back on three decades of research on focus markers, I will make a cautious attempt to give an overview over this rich set of relevant publications, trying to identify and distinguish general trends, important results, open questions, obvious gaps and errors. I will provide further evidence for the view that focus markers interact with the information structure of a sentence or text, i.e. with a structured proposition or text segment analyzed in terms of focus and scope by extending this analysis also to the relevant “discourse markers”. A comparative analysis of data from various languages reveals the most frequent parameters of variation in the identification of the focus and scope of a focus marker. Finally, I will show that cross-linguistic generalizations in the relevant domain are only possible if the comparison is restricted to a certain core group of markers.
Processing additivity in Spanish
Authors: Nadal Laura , Fernández Inés Recio , Rudka Martha , Loureda Óscar
Published: August 2017

This paper offers an experimental analysis of how additive discourse relations are processed in Spanish. The processing data were obtained from an eye-tracking reading experiment on utterances in which the focus operator incluso ‘even’ and the additive connective además ‘furthermore’ were either absent or present. Incluso acts fundamentally on the level of the information structure, whereas además is generally found in argumentative relations. Results show that, despite some differences during semantic and syntactic integration, the presence of a discourse marker affects principally high-level processing. These results seem to underpin theoretical studies that claim for a mainly procedural meaning of discourse markers.
Additive focus particles in German-speaking learners of Italian as L2
Authors: Caloi Irene
Published: August 2017

German-speaking learners of Italian as L2 often misplace the additive focalizer anche (‘also, too’) in the sentence and therefore fail at conveying the intended meaning. The present study investigates mistakes through a multiple-choice task in which participants choose the word order that sounds the most correct among alternatives that only differ in the positioning of anche. Short dialogues force the interpretation towards either an object-, a predicate- or a subject scope. Data shows that learners master the use of additive focalizers in structures with scope on the subject, rather than in those with scope either on the predicate or on the object. Moreover, learners tend to transfer the position of additive focalizers in the sentence from their L1, independent of the scope to be realized.
Ablative and allative marking of static locations
Authors: Nikitina Tatiana
Published: August 2017

The study addresses the diachronic relationship between locative marking and the marking of goals and sources of motion. In ancient Indo-European languages, and in some modern ones, static spatial relations can be described by means of inherently dynamic expressions, which are normally used for encoding Goals and Sources (as in to

the left of the door). I suggest that this strategy presents an alternative to the use of rich systems of spatial prepositions specialized for encoding particular configurations. Its use pre-dates the development of basic spatial prepositions, which came to replace, in Indo-European languages, directional adverbs (sometimes also described as particles). The directional adverbs played a prominent role in the encoding of spatial notions in ancient languages. After they were reanalyzed as spatial prepositions and verbal prefixes, the directional strategy continued to be used for the expression of peripheral spatial meanings, for which no prepositional expression had developed. I illustrate this phenomenon with data from Ancient Greek and Modern Russian, and discuss how it can explain the data commonly described by the somewhat mysterious term “ablative-locative transfer”.
How should a “classical” Satellite-Framed Language behave?
Authors: Iacobini Claudio , Corona Luisa , Pasquale Noemi De , Buoniconto Alfonsina
Published: August 2017

This paper discusses the encoding of motion events in a corpus of Ancient Greek and Latin texts, focusing on the differences in the expression of Sources and Goals in the two languages (both classified as Satellite-Framed in Talmy’s typology). For this analysis, we have adopted a number of parameters suitable for the investigation of Source and Goal encoding in Path expressions. The corpus has been manually tagged with the help of a software tool dedicated to motion event annotation (Modeg). The results of the analysis confirm the widespread tendency to express Goal more frequently and in a more detailed way compared to Source, and reveal subtle differences in the way in which Ancient Greek and Latin combine prepositional marking with directional preverbs. We argue that the common tendency to express simple Paths (mostly Goal-oriented) can be interpreted from a diachronic perspective as one of the main factors enhancing the diachronic change of both languages towards the preference for the Verb-Framed type of encoding.