bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification and characterization of a novel salt‐tolerant esterase from a Tibetan glacier metagenomic library
Authors: De Santi Concetta , Ambrosino Luca , Tedesco Pietro , de Pascale Donatella , Zhai Lei , Zhou Cheng , Xue Yanfen , Ma Yanhe
Published: April 2015

A salt‐tolerant esterase, designated H9Est, was identified from a metagenomic library of the Karuola glacier. H9Est gene comprised 1071 bp and encoded a polypeptide of 357 amino acids with a molecular mass of 40 kDa. Sequence analysis revealed that H9Est belonged to the family IV of bacterial lypolitic enzyme. H9Est was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the purified enzyme showed hydrolytic activity towards p‐nitrophenyl esters with carbon chain from 2 to 8. The optimal esterase activity was at 40°C and pH 8.0 and the enzyme retained its activity towards some miscible organic solvents such as polyethylene glycol. A three‐dimensional model of H9Est revealed that S200, D294, and H324 formed the H9Est catalytic triad. Circular Dichroism spectra and molecular dynamic simulation indicated that the esterase had a wide denaturation temperature range and flexible loops that would be beneficial for H9Est performance at low temperatures while retaining heat‐resistant features. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:890–899, 2015
Variation of photoautotrophic fatty acid production from a highly CO2 tolerant alga, Chlorococcum littorale, with inorganic carbon over narrow ranges of pH
Authors: Ota Masaki , Takenaka Motohiro , Sato Yoshiyuki , Smith Richard L. , Inomata Hiroshi
Published: April 2015

Photoautotrophic fatty acid production of a highly CO2‐tolerant green alga Chlorococcum littorale in the presence of inorganic carbon at 295 K and light intensity of 170 µmol‐photon m−2 s−1 was investigated. CO2 concentration in the bubbling gas was adjusted by mixing pure gas components of CO2 and N2 to avoid photorespiration and β‐oxidation of fatty acids under O2 surrounding conditions. Maximum content of total fatty acid showed pH‐dependence after nitrate depletion of the culture media and increased with the corresponding inorganic carbon ratio. Namely, [HCO3−]/([CO2]+n[
]) ratio in the culture media was found to be a controlling factor for photoautotrophic fatty acid production after the nitrate limitation. At a CO2 concentration of 5% (vol/vol) and a pH of 6.7, the fatty acid content was 47.8 wt % (dry basis) at its maximum that is comparable with land plant seed oils. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:1053–1057, 2015
Produktgestaltung über mechanisches Agglomerieren von Pulvern
Authors: Rähse Wilfried
Published: April 2015

Feine Pulver stauben stark, weisen niedrige Schüttdichten auf und lassen sich schlecht handhaben. Daher sind Press‐ und Aufbauagglomeration zur Überführung trockener Pulver in besser handhabbare Agglomerate industriell breit genutzte Verfahren. Ein Agglomerat besteht aus vielen, über kurze Materialbrücken miteinander verbundenen Partikeln. In der Pressagglomeration bilden die hochviskosen, plastischen Phasen den Kit zwischen den Partikeln, während in der Aufbauagglomeration die Materialbrücken durch das gelöste Bindemittel während der Trocknung entstehen. Die Auswahl geeigneter Bindemittel, die Durchführung von Scale‐up‐fähigen Pilotversuchen sowie die industrielle Ausführung von Anlagen der Pressagglomeration und der Granulation werden erläutert.
Hypogammaglobulinemia in newly diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukemia: Natural history, clinical correlates, and outcomes
Authors: Parikh Sameer A. , Leis Jose F. , Chaffee Kari G. , Call Timothy G. , Hanson Curtis A. , Ding Wei , Chanan‐Khan Asher A. , Bowen Deborah , Conte Michael , Schwager Susan , Slager Susan L. , Van Dyke Daniel L. , Jelinek Diane F. , Kay Neil E. , Shanafelt Tait D.
Published: April 2015

BACKGROUND

Although hypogammaglobulinemia is a well recognized complication in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), its prevalence at the time of CLL diagnosis, and association with novel prognostic markers and clinical outcome is not well understood.

METHODS

All patients at the Mayo Clinic between January 1999 and July 2013 who had newly diagnosed CLL and had a baseline assessment of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) were included. The relation between hypogammaglobulinemia at diagnosis and the novel prognostic parameters time to first treatment (TFT) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated.

RESULTS

Of 1485 patients who met the eligibility criteria, 382 (26%) had hypogammaglobulinemia (median IgG, 624 mg/dL), whereas the remaining 1103 patients (74%) had normal serum IgG levels (median IgG, 1040 mg/dL). Patients who had hypogammaglobulinemia at diagnosis were more likely to have advanced Rai stage (III‐IV; P = .001) and higher expression of CD49d (P < .001) compared with patients who had normal IgG levels. Although the median TFT for patients who had hypogammaglobulinemia was shorter compared with that for patients who had normal IgG levels (3.8 years vs 7.4 years; P < .001), on multivariable analysis, there was no difference in OS between these 2 groups (12.8 years vs 11.3 years, respectively; P = .73). Of 1103 patients who had CLL with normal IgG levels at diagnosis and who did not receive CLL therapy, the risk of acquired hypogammaglobulinemia was 11% at 5 years and 23% at 10 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Hypogammaglobulinemia is present in 25% of patients with newly diagnosed CLL. Approximately 25% of patients who have CLL with normal IgG levels at diagnosis will subsequently develop hypogammaglobulinemia on long‐term follow‐up. The presence of hypogammaglobulinemia does not appear to impact overall survival. Cancer 2015;121:2883–2891. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Rapid on‐site evaluation of EBUS‐TBNA specimens of lymph nodes: Comparative analysis and recommendations for standardization
Authors: Jeffus Susanne K. , Joiner Amy K. , Siegel Eric R. , Massoll Nicole A. , Meena Nikhil , Chen Chien , Post Steven R. , Bartter Thaddeus
Published: April 2015

BACKGROUND

There is no widely accepted rapid on‐site evaluation (ROSE) reporting system for endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration. At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, ROSE reporting was unstructured. The goal was to evaluate, compare, and improve upon 2 structured approaches proposed in the literature.

METHODS

One hundred eighteen consecutive nodal aspirates were retrospectively reviewed by a pathology resident and a staff cytopathologist, both of whom were blinded to the original unstructured readings. Each reviewer interpreted every specimen with 2 different structured criteria proposed in the literature: criteria from the University of Minnesota (the Minnesota [MN] criteria) and criteria from the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System (the New York [NY] criteria). The data allowed a comparison of the original unstructured ROSE system with the MN and NY scoring schemes and the final diagnosis.

RESULTS

Original on‐site adequacy (OSA) had been assessed at 96%. Three cases were false‐adequate according to the original unstructured approach; these had been called adequate on site, but a subsequent slide review including cell blocks did not show definite nodal tissue. OSA dropped to 86% with the MN criteria and to 85% with the NY criteria. No false‐adequate on‐site diagnoses would have been rendered with the application of either structured criteria. There were no significant differences between the MN and NY criteria with respect to the determination of OSA. An assessment of ease of application favored the NY criteria. With respect to diagnostic categories, each of the systems (MN and NY) was felt to have a category of value not used by the other system.

CONCLUSIONS

A standardized intra‐ and inter‐institutional system for ROSE reporting is needed. On the basis of comparative analyses and consensus, modifications to prior criteria have been proposed in the hope of approaching this goal. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2015;123:362–72. © 2015 American Cancer Society
Height Zeta Functions of Equivariant Compactifications of Unipotent Groups
Authors: Shalika Joseph , Tschinkel Yuri
Published: April 2015

We prove Manin's conjecture for bi‐equivariant compactifications of unipotent groups. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Universality of the Stochastic Airy Operator
Authors: Krishnapur Manjunath , Rider Brian , Virág Bálint
Published: April 2015

We introduce a new method for studying universality of random matrices. Let Tn be the Jacobi matrix associated to the Dyson beta ensemble with uniformly convex polynomial potential. We show that after scaling, Tn converges to the stochastic Airy operator. In particular, the top edge of the Dyson beta ensemble and the corresponding eigenvectors are universal. As a byproduct, these ideas lead to conjectured operator limits for the entire family of soft edge distributions.© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Near patient CD4 count in a hospitalized HIV patient population
Authors: Givens Monique , Weaver Amanda , Bickman Sarah , Logan Cathy , Noormahomed Emilia V. , Patel Sam , Schooley Robert T. , Benson Constance A. , Lochhead Michael J.
Published: April 2015

Background

Point‐of‐care (POC) CD4 T‐cell counting is increasingly recognized as providing improved linkage‐to‐care during management of HIV infection, particularly in resource‐limited settings where disease burden is highest. This study evaluated prototype POC CD4 T‐cell counters from MBio Diagnostics in the context of low CD4 count, hospitalized patients in Mozambique. This study measured system performance when presented with challenging, low count samples from HIV/AIDS patients with acute illnesses resulting in hospitalization.

Methods

Forty whole blood samples were collected from donors on the medical service at Maputo Central Hospital and absolute CD4 counts were generated on the MBio CD4 system and a reference laboratory using flow cytometry.

Results

The mean and median CD4 counts by the flow cytometry reference were 173 and 80 cells/µL, respectively. Correlation between the MBio CD4 System and the reference was good. Bland‐Altman analysis showed a mean bias of +15 cells/µL (+9 to +21 cells/µL, 95% CI), and limits of agreement of −47 to 77 cells/µL. For samples with counts >100 cells/µL (N = 14), the mean coefficient of variation was 7.3%. For samples with counts <50 cells/µL, mean absolute bias of replicate samples was 4.8 cells/µL. When two MBio readers were compared, Bland‐Altman bias was −4 cells/µL (−13 to +6 cells/µL, 95% CI), and limits of agreement of −63 and +55 cells/µL.

Conclusions

The MBio System holds promise as a POC system for quantitation of CD4 T cells in resource‐limited settings given system throughput (80–100 cartridges/day), design simplicity, and ease‐of‐use. © 2015 International Clinical Cytometry Society
TLR9‐induced miR‐155 and Ets‐1 decrease expression of CD1d on B cells in SLE
Authors: Liu Fei , Fan Hongye , Ren Deshan , Dong Guanjun , Hu Erling , Ji Jianjian , Hou Yayi
Published: April 2015

B cells present lipid antigens to CD1d‐restricted invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells to maintain autoimmune tolerance, and this process is disrupted in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Inflammation may inhibit CD1d expression to exacerbate the pathology of lupus. However, how inflammation regulates CD1d expression on B cells is unclear in SLE. In the present study, we showed that the surface expression of CD1d on B cells from SLE mice was decreased and that stimulation of inflammatory responses through TLR9 decreased the membrane and total CD1d levels of CD1d on B cells. Moreover, inflammation‐related microRNA‐155 (miR‐155) negatively correlated with the expression of CD1d in B cells. miR‐155 directly targeted the 3′‐untranslated region (3′‐UTR) of CD1d upon TLR9 activation in both humans and mice. The inhibitory effects of miR‐155 on CD1d expression in B cells impaired their antigen‐presenting capacity to iNKT cells. In addition, Ets‐1, a susceptibility gene of SLE, also directly regulated the expression of the CD1d gene at the transcriptional level. These findings provide new insight into the mechanism underlying decreased CD1d expression on B cells in SLE, suggesting that inhibition of inflammation may increase CD1d expression in B cells to ameliorate SLE via modulating iNKT cells.
Regioselective Cleavage of Electron‐Rich Double Bonds in Dienes to Carbonyl Compounds with [Fe(OTf)2(mix‐BPBP)] and a Combination of H2O2 and NaIO4
Authors: Spannring Peter , Yazerski Vital A. , Chen Jianming , Otte Matthias , Weckhuysen Bert M. , Bruijnincx Pieter C. A. , Klein Gebbink Robertus J. M.
Published: April 2015

A method for the regioselective transformation of dienes to carbonyl compounds has been developed. Electron‐rich olefins react selectively to yield valuable aldehydes and ketones. The method is based on the catalyst [Fe(OTf)2(mix‐BPBP)] with an oxidant combination of H2O2 (1.0 equiv.) and NaIO4 (1.5 equiv.); it uses mild conditions and short reaction times, and it outperforms other olefin cleavage methodologies.
The Ion‐Like Supersilylium Compound tBu3Si–F–Al[OC(CF3)3]3
Authors: Budanow Alexandra , Bolte Michael , Wagner Matthias , Lerner Hans‐Wolfram
Published: April 2015

The ion‐like silylium compounds tBu3Si–F–Al[OC(CF3)3]3 and Me3Si–F–Al[OC(CF3)3]3 were prepared by degradation of the halonium salts [R3Si–X–SiR3][Al{OC(CF3)3}4] {1a(X): R = tBu, X = Br, I; 1b(X): R = Me, X = Br, I}. The bromonium and iodonium salts 1a(Br), 1a(I), 1b(Br), and 1b(I) were quantitatively obtained from R3SiX (R = Me, tBu) and [Ag][Al{OC(CF3)3}4] in dichloromethane at –50 °C. However, the related fluoronium and chloronium salts, [R3Si–X–SiR3][Al{OC(CF3)3}4] {1a(X): R = tBu, X = F, Cl; 1b(X): R = Me, X = F, Cl}, could not be generated under these conditions. Generally, at low temperatures (< –50 °C) the halonium salts 1a(Br), 1a(I), 1b(Br), and 1b(I) are stable compounds. However, at higher temperatures 1a(Br), 1a(I), 1b(Br), and 1b(I) undergo R3SiX (R = Me, tBu; X = Br, I) elimination to form the highly reactive silyl cations [R3Si]+ (R = Me, tBu). Two different decomposition pathways were observed in the thermolysis of halonium compounds 1a(Br), 1a(I), 1b(Br), and 1b(I): (1) the silylium cations [R3Si]+ reacted with dichloromethane, forming 1a(Cl) as well as 1b(Cl); (2) the silylium cations [R3Si]+ degraded the counteranion to give tBu3Si–F–Al[OC(CF3)3]3 and Me3Si–F–Al[OC(CF3)3]3 along with epoxide C4F8O. Both ion‐like silylium compounds could be isolated, and single crystals of tBu3Si–F–Al[OC(CF3)3]3 (orthorhombic, Pnma) as well as Me3Si–F–Al[OC(CF3)3]3 (orthorhombic, P212121) were grown from dichloromethane at room temp. Supersilylium [tBu3Si]+ has higher Lewis acidity than [Me3Si]+, as demonstrated by the reaction of 1a(I) with Me3SiF. Thereby the fluoronium ion 1b(F), along with tBu3SiF and tBu3SiI, was formed.
Thermoregulation and pain perception: Evidence for a homoeostatic (interoceptive) dimension of pain
Authors: Alfonsi P. , Adam F. , Bouhassira D.
Published: April 2015

Background

Experimental and clinical observations of interactions between the nociceptive and thermoceptive systems have suggested that they could be part of the homoeostatic system relating to the condition of the body, described as ‘interoception’. Homoeostatic physiological systems are extensively interconnected. Thus, consistent with this hypothesis, we would expect thermoregulatory challenges to be associated with changes in pain perception.

Methods

The effects of whole‐body warming or cooling inducing significant changes in mean body temperature were tested in 15 healthy volunteers (29 ± 6 years old) on: (i) the paradoxical burning pain induced by the application of simultaneous non‐noxious thermal stimuli with a ‘thermal grill’ and (ii) the ‘normal’ pain evoked by noxious thermal stimuli.

Results

Whole‐body warming and cooling induced changes in opposite direction of the threshold of the paradoxical pain induced by the thermal grill, consisting of an increase by 1.2 ± 1.7 °C (p = 0.02) during the warming session and a nonsignificant decrease by 0.7 ± 2.7 °C (p = 0.15) during the cooling session. In addition, there was a correlation (r = 0.54; p = 0.002) between the magnitude of the change in mean body temperature and the magnitude of the change in the threshold of the paradoxical pain induced by the thermal grill. By contrast, the thermal challenges induced no significant change in pain evoked by noxious hot or cold stimuli.

Conclusions

Our results are consistent with the notion that pain has a homoeostatic (interoceptive) dimension and showed that the thermal grill‐induced pain is a unique experimental model to investigate this differentiable pain dimension.
Analysis of metabolites in single cells—what is the best micro‐platform?
Authors: Dittrich Petra , Ibáñez Alfredo J.
Published: April 2015

This review covers new innovations and developments in the field of single‐cell level analysis of metabolites, involving the role of microfluidic and microarray platforms to manipulate and handle the cells prior their detection. Microfluidic and microarray platforms have shown great promise. The latest developments demonstrate their potential to identify a particular cell or even an ensemble of cells (sharing a common property or phenotype) that co‐exist in a much larger cell population. The reason for this is the capability of these platforms to perform several complex analytical processes, such as: cleanup, sorting, derivatization, separation, and detection, with great robustness, speed, and reduced sample/reagent consumption. Here, we present several examples that illustrate the rapid strides that have been made for the routine analysis of metabolites by coupling different microfluidics and microarrays devices to a wide range of analytical detectors (e.g. fluorescent microscopy, electrochemical, and mass spectrometry). Herein, we also present selected examples detailing the use of microfluidics and microarrays in the visualization of the natural occurring cell‐to‐cell heterogeneity in isogenic populations, in particular during the response to external cues. The possibility to accurate monitor the cell‐to‐cell heterogeneity based on different levels of key metabolites is of clinical relevance, since cell‐to‐cell heterogeneity can influence, for example, the outcome of a drug treatment.
Development of coir pith based hybrid composite panels with enhanced water resistant behavior
Authors: Narendar R. , Dasan K. Priya
Published: April 2015

The main aim of the investigation was to study the impact of moisture or water on coir pith/epoxy composites. Coir pith/epoxy, nylon/epoxy composites, and coir pith/nylon/epoxy hybrid composites were prepared by hand lay‐up followed compression molding. A series of composites of the same type having chemically treated coir pith were also fabricated. The effect of each reinforcements and the type of chemical treatment on the water absorption behavior of epoxy were evaluated and compared with each other. Composites specimens were submerged in the water environment for specified duration and then the water absorption nature was studied. The impact strength of the immersed samples was also investigated to understand the influence of water immersion on the mechanical behavior of composites. Though coir pith reinforcements improve the mechanical properties of composites, the samples were found to loss their mechanical properties on exposing to water. However the results from the present investigation suggest that various chemical treatments of coir pith and hybridization with nylon fabric to overcome this issues. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 34: 1481–1487, 2015
Loss estimation for non‐ductile reinforced concrete building in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: effects of mega‐thrust Mw9‐class subduction earthquakes and aftershocks
Authors: Tesfamariam Solomon , Goda Katsuichiro
Published: April 2015

This paper presents, within the performance‐based earthquake engineering framework, a comprehensive probabilistic seismic loss estimation method that accounts for main sources of uncertainty related to hazard, vulnerability, and loss. The loss assessment rigorously integrates multiple engineering demand parameters (maximum and residual inter‐story drift ratio and peak floor acceleration) with consideration of mainshock–aftershock sequences. A 4‐story non‐ductile reinforced concrete building located in Victoria, British Colombia, Canada, is considered as a case study. For 100 mainshock and mainshock–aftershock earthquake records, incremental dynamic analysis is performed, and the three engineering demand parameters are fitted with a probability distribution and corresponding dependence computed. Finally, with consideration of different demolition limit states, loss assessment is performed. From the results, it can be shown that when seismic vulnerability models are integrated with seismic hazard, the aftershock effects are relatively minor in terms of overall seismic loss (1–4% increase). Moreover, demolition limit state parameters, uncertainties of collapse fragility, and non‐collapse seismic demand prediction models have showed significant contribution to the loss assessment. The seismic loss curves for the reference case and for cases with the varied parameters can differ by as large as about 150%. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Systematic investigation of CMTM family genes suggests relevance to glioblastoma pathogenesis and CMTM1 and CMTM3 as priority targets
Authors: Delic Sabit , Thuy Andreas , Schulze Markus , Proescholdt Martin A. , Dietrich Peter , Bosserhoff Anja‐Katrin , Riemenschneider Markus J.
Published: April 2015

The novel CKLF‐like Marvel Transmembrane Domain‐containing gene family (CMTM) consists of 8 members (CMTM1–8). As little is known about the oncogenic impact of these genes, we aimed to systematically investigate the relevance of CMTMs to glioblastoma pathogenesis. We performed mRNA expression analyses and survival correlations in glioblastoma patients. Moreover, we analyzed the impact of RNAi‐based silencing and overexpression of CMTM family genes on tumor cell proliferation and invasion in vitro. CMTMs appeared to be widely regulated in the group of glioblastomas relative to non‐neoplastic brain (NB) tissue (significant upregulation for CMTM2, 3, and 6 and significant downregulation for CMTM 4 and 8). For CMTM1, 5 and 7, we found aberrant expression levels in individual tumors. Functionally, CMTM1, 3, and 7 promoted tumor cell invasion, while CMTM1 additionally enhanced cell proliferation. In a large clinically annotated dataset, higher CMTM1 and 3 expression was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival. Our data thus suggest CMTM1 and 3 as priority targets in glioblastomas. Using a human phosphokinase protein expression profiling assay, we can provide first insights into signalling of these two genes that might be conveyed by growth factor receptor, Src family kinase and WNT activation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Healthcare Cost Regressions: Going Beyond the Mean to Estimate the Full Distribution
Authors: Jones Andrew M. , Lomas James , Rice Nigel
Published: April 2015

Understanding the data generating process behind healthcare costs remains a key empirical issue. Although much research to date has focused on the prediction of the conditional mean cost, this can potentially miss important features of the full distribution such as tail probabilities. We conduct a quasi‐Monte Carlo experiment using the English National Health Service inpatient data to compare 14 approaches in modelling the distribution of healthcare costs: nine of which are parametric and have commonly been used to fit healthcare costs, and five others are designed specifically to construct a counterfactual distribution. Our results indicate that no one method is clearly dominant and that there is a trade‐off between bias and precision of tail probability forecasts. We find that distributional methods demonstrate significant potential, particularly with larger sample sizes where the variability of predictions is reduced. Parametric distributions such as log‐normal, generalised gamma and generalised beta of the second kind are found to estimate tail probabilities with high precision but with varying bias depending upon the cost threshold being considered. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Social Emotions in Children's Human Figure Drawings: Drawing Shame, Pride and Jealousy
Authors: Bonoti Fotini , Misalidi Plousia
Published: April 2015

The study examines children's ability to convey social – as opposed to basic – emotions in their human figure drawings. One hundred children aged 4‐, 6‐ and 8‐years were asked to draw a person experiencing shame, pride, jealousy, happiness, sadness and fear as well as a baseline figure ‘feeling nothing’. Drawings were rated in terms of (i) overall emotional expressiveness and (ii) variety and types (face, body/posture and context) of graphic cues used to convey emotion. The effect of age on overall expressiveness and use of these graphic cues was also investigated. The results showed that drawings depicting social emotions were rated as less expressive and presented fewer graphic cues than those conveying basic emotions. Children's developing ability to depict pride, shame and jealousy was largely driven by an increased use of contextual cues in their human figure drawings. As regards the effect of age, it was found that 6‐ and 8‐years old produced more expressive drawings containing a larger range of graphic cues than the 4‐year olds. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A QUANTITATIVE EXPLORATORY EVALUATION OF THE CIRCLE OF SECURITY‐PARENTING PROGRAM WITH MOTHERS IN RESIDENTIAL SUBSTANCE‐ABUSE TREATMENT
Authors: Horton Evette , Murray Christine
Published: April 2015

Maternal substance abuse is a risk factor for child maltreatment, child attachment insecurity, and maladaptive social information processing. The aim of this study was to conduct a quantitative exploratory evaluation of the effectiveness of an attachment‐based parent program, Circle of Security‐Parenting (COS‐P; G. Cooper, K. Hoffman, & B. Powell, 2009), with a community sample of 15 mothers in residential treatment for substance abuse. Participants attended nine weekly group sessions and were given three measures at pretest and posttest: the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (J.J. Gross & O.P. John, 2003), the Parent Attribution Test (D. Bugental, ), and the Parenting Scale (D.S. Arnold, S.G. O'Leary, L.S. Wolff, & M.M. Acker, 1993). The results indicate that mothers who attended the majority of group sessions showed greater improvements on all three variables. Participants who attended some of the sessions showed some improvements on the measures, but participants who did not attend the group sessions had no improvements, and on some measures, declined significantly. Further analyses of demographic data indicates that participants with more education, no personal history of child maltreatment, less time in the residential program, and lower social desirability scores demonstrated more positive outcomes. These findings suggest that the COS‐P may positively impact parental risk factors associated with child maltreatment and maladaptive social information processing in the context of residential substance‐abuse treatment.
Lag Order and Critical Values of the Augmented Dickey–Fuller Test: A Replication
Authors: Kulaksizoglu Tamer
Published: April 2015

This paper replicates Cheung and Lai (Journal of Business and Economic Studies 1995; 13(3): 277–280), who use response surface analysis to obtain approximate finite‐sample critical values adjusted for lag order and sample size for the augmented Dickey–Fuller test. We obtain results that are quite close to their results. We provide the Ox source code. We also provide a Windows application with a graphical user interface, which makes obtaining custom critical values quite simple. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Retracted: Anti‐Apoptotic Effect of MicroRNA‐30b in Early Phase of Rat Myocardial Ischemia‐Reperfusion Injury Model
Authors: Song Chun‐Li , Liu Bin , Wang Jin‐Peng , Zhang Bei‐Lin , Zhang Ji‐Chang , Zhao Li‐Yan , Shi Yong‐Feng , Li Yang‐Xue , Wang Guan , Diao Hong‐Ying , Li Qian , Xue Xin , Wu Jun‐Duo , Liu Jia , Yu Yun‐Peng , Cai Dan , Liu Zhi‐Xian
Published: April 2015

This study aimed to investigate the effect of microRNA‐30b (miR‐30b) in rat myocardial ischemic‐reperfusion (I/R) injury model. We randomly divided Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats (n = 80) into five groups: 1) control group; 2) miR‐30b group; 3) sham‐operated group; 4) I/R group, and 5) I/R+miR‐30b group. Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis were conducted. TUNEL assay was employed for testing cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Our results showed that miR‐30b levels were down‐regulated in I/R group and I/R + miR‐30b group compared with sham‐operated group (both P < 0.05). However, miR‐30b level in I/R + miR‐30b group was higher than I/R group (P < 0.05). Markedly, the apoptotic rate in I/R group showed highest in I/R group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the results illustrated that protein levels of Bcl‐2, Bax, and caspase‐3 were at higher levels in ischemic regions in I/R group, comparing to sham‐operated group (all P < 0.05), while Bcl‐2/Bax was reduced (P < 0.05). Bcl‐2 level and Bcl‐2/Bax were obviously increased in I/R + miR‐30b group by comparison with I/R group, and expression levels of Bax and caspase‐3 were down‐regulated (all P < 0.05). We also found that in I/R + miR‐30b group, KRAS level was apparently lower and p‐AKT level was higher by comparing with I/R group (both P < 0.05). Our study indicated that miR‐30b overexpression had anti‐apoptotic effect on early phase of rat myocardial ischemia injury model through targeting KRAS and activating the Ras/Akt pathway. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 2610–2619, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Partitioning 2‐Edge‐Colored Ore‐Type Graphs by Monochromatic Cycles
Authors: Barát János , Sárközy Gábor N.
Published: April 2015

Consider a graph G on n vertices satisfying the following Ore‐type condition: for any two nonadjacent vertices x and y of G, we have . We conjecture that if we color the edges of G with two colors then the vertex set of G can be partitioned to two vertex disjoint monochromatic cycles of distinct colors. In this article, we prove an asymptotic version of this conjecture.
Time to clinical stability among children hospitalized with pneumonia
Authors: Wolf Rachel B. , Edwards Kathryn , Grijalva Carlos G. , Self Wesley H. , Zhu Yuwei , Chappell James , Bramley Anna M. , Jain Seema , Williams Derek J.
Published: April 2015

We evaluated the performance of time to clinical stability (TCS), a longitudinal outcome measure using 4 physiologic parameters (temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and use of supplemental oxygen), among children enrolled in a prospective study of pneumonia hospitalizations. We calculated the time from admission to normalization for each of the 4 parameters individually along with various combinations of these parameters (≥2 parameters). We assessed for agreement between the combined TCS measures and both hospital length of stay and an ordinal severity scale (nonsevere, severe, and very severe). Overall, 323 (96.7%) of 334 included children had ≥1 parameter abnormal on admission; 70 (21%) children had ≥1 parameter abnormal at discharge. For the 4 combined measures, median TCS decreased with increasing age. Increasing TCS was associated with both longer length of stay and increasing disease severity. The simplest combined measure incorporating only respiratory rate and need for supplemental oxygen performed similarly to more complex measures including additional parameters. Our study demonstrates that longitudinal TCS measures may be useful in children with pneumonia, both in clinical settings to assess recovery and readiness for discharge, and as an outcome measure in research and quality assessments. Additional study is needed to further validate our findings. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2015;10:380–383. © 2015 Society of Hospital Medicine
Graphene oxide decorated with silver nanoparticles as a coating on a stainless‐steel fiber for solid‐phase microextraction
Authors: Wang Licheng , Hou Xiudan , Li Jubai , Liu Shujuan , Guo Yong
Published: April 2015

A novel graphene oxide decorated with silver nanoparticles coating on a stainless‐steel fiber for solid‐phase microextraction was prepared. Scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the coating surface and showed that silver nanoparticles were dispersed on the wrinkled graphene oxide surface. Coupled to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, the extraction abilities of the fiber for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were examined in the headspace solid‐phase microextraction mode. The extraction parameters including adsorption time, adsorption temperature, salt concentration, desorption time and desorption temperature were investigated. Under the optimized condition, wide linearity with low limits of detection from 2 to 10 ng/L was obtained. The relative standard deviations for single‐fiber repeatability and fiber‐to‐fiber reproducibility were less than 10.6 and 17.5%, respectively. The enrichment factors were from 1712.5 to 4503.7, showing the fiber has good extraction abilities. Moreover, the fiber exhibited a good stability and could be reused for more than 120 times. The established method was also applied for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in two real water samples and the recoveries of analytes ranged from 84.4–116.3% with relative standard deviations less than 16.2%.
Preparation and Reinforcement of Dual‐Porous Biocompatible Cellulose Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Authors: Pircher Nicole , Fischhuber David , Carbajal Leticia , Strauß Christine , Nedelec Jean‐Marie , Kasper Cornelia , Rosenau Thomas , Liebner Falk
Published: April 2015

Biocompatible cellulose‐based aerogels composed of nanoporous struts, which embed interconnected voids of controlled micron‐size, have been prepared employing temporary templates of fused porogens, reinforcement by interpenetrating PMMA networks and supercritical carbon dioxide drying. Different combinations of cellulose solvent (Ca(SCN)2/H2O/LiCl or [EMIm][OAc]/DMSO) and anti‐solvent (EtOH), porogen type (paraffin wax or PMMA spheres) and porogen size (various fractions in the range of 100–500 μm) as well as intensity of PMMA reinforcement have been investigated to tailor the materials for cell scaffolding applications. All aerogels exhibited an open and dual porosity (micronporosity >100 μm and nanoporosity extending to the low micrometer range). Mechanical properties of the dual‐porous aerogels under compressive stress were considerably improved by introduction of interpenetrating PMMA networks. The effect of the reinforcing polymer on attachment, spreading, and proliferation of NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells, cultivated on selected dual‐porous aerogels to pre‐evaluate their biocompatibility was similarly positive.
Periodic solutions to the Cahn–Hilliard equation with constraint
Authors: Wang Yifu , Zheng Jiashan
Published: April 2015

This paper is concerned with the multidimensional Cahn–Hilliard equation with a constraint. The existence of periodic solutions of the problem is mainly proved under consideration by the viscosity approach. More precisely, with the help of the subdifferential operator theory and Schauder fixed point theorem, the existence of solutions to the approximation of the original problem is shown, and then the solution is obtained by using a passage‐to‐limit procedure based on a prior estimate. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relationship between pelvic floor symptoms and POP‐Q measurements
Authors: Manonai Jittima , Wattanayingcharoenchai Rujira
Published: April 2015

Aim

To investigate the relationship between pelvic floor symptoms using the Pelvic Floor Bother Questionnaire (PFBQ) and the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification system (POP‐Q) measurements.

Methods

This was a retrospective study. Consecutive women seeking care for pelvic floor symptoms were evaluated. The PFBQ was self‐administered by all patients before they were examined by three urogynecologists according to the POP‐Q. Pearson's correlation and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to investigate relationship between symptoms and POP‐Q findings.

Results

Four hundred and sixty‐seven patients completed the questionnaire and underwent standardized pelvic examination. Anterior, posterior and apical compartment prolapse were found in 95.5%, 78.8% and 35.9%, respectively. Moderate correlations were found between a feeling of bulging and the increasing severity of prolapse of all compartments. For all 8 pelvic floor symptoms, the area under the curve for a feeling of bulge with point Ba and point C was significantly greater than 0.7, suggesting fair ability to predict symptomatic patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the symptom were 60% and 83% when point Ba was 1 cm below the hymen. Whereas they were 55% and 83% when point C was 3 cm above the hymen.

Conclusions

The feeling of a bulge in the vagina is the only symptom that correlated with prolapse of all compartments. The specific thresholds for the feeling of a bulge appear to be 1 cm below the hymen for anterior vaginal wall prolapse, and 3 cm above the hymen for apical prolapse. Neurourol. Urodynam. 35:724–727, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Block preconditioners for linear systems arising from multiscale collocation with compactly supported RBFs
Authors: Farrell Patricio , Pestana Jennifer
Published: April 2015

Symmetric collocation methods with RBFs allow approximation of the solution of a partial differential equation, even if the right‐hand side is only known at scattered data points, without needing to generate a grid. However, the benefit of a guaranteed symmetric positive definite block system comes at a high computational cost. This cost can be alleviated somewhat by considering compactly supported RBFs and a multiscale technique. But the condition number and sparsity will still deteriorate with the number of data points. Therefore, we study certain block diagonal and triangular preconditioners. We investigate ideal preconditioners and determine the spectra of the preconditioned matrices before proposing more practical preconditioners based on a restricted additive Schwarz method with coarse grid correction. Numerical results verify the effectiveness of the preconditioners. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An accurate and robust contact detection algorithm for particle‐solid interaction in combined finite‐discrete element analysis
Authors: Chen Hu , Zhang Y. X. , Zang Mengyan , Hazell Paul J.
Published: April 2015

When applying the combined finite‐discrete element method for analysis of dynamic problems, contact is often encountered between the finite elements and discrete elements, and thus an effective contact treatment is essential. In this paper, an accurate and robust contact detection algorithm is proposed to resolve contact problems between spherical particles, which represent rigid discrete elements, and convex quadrilateral mesh facets, which represent finite element boundaries of structural components. Different contact scenarios between particles and mesh facets, or edges, or vertices have been taken into account. For each potential contact pair, the contact search is performed in an hierarchical way starting from mesh facets, possibly going to edges and even further to vertices. The invalid contact pairs can be removed by means of two reasonable priorities defined in terms of geometric primitives and facet identifications. This hierarchical contact searching scheme is effective, and its implementation is straightforward. Numerical examples demonstrated the accuracy and robustness of the proposed algorithm. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Amphiphilic oligopeptides grafted to PDMS‐based diblock copolymers for use in antifouling and fouling release coatings
Authors: Calabrese David R. , Wenning Brandon , Finlay John A. , Callow Maureen E. , Callow James A. , Fischer Daniel , Ober Christopher K.
Published: April 2015

Amphiphilic surfaces, having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties, have been considered for marine antifouling and fouling release applications, as they may provide an environmentally friendly non‐biocidal alternative for surface coating. Here, we report a new class of polymers modified with amphiphilic side chains constructed from non‐natural oligopeptides. These non‐natural amino acids have a diverse array of functionalities and polarities that can be arranged in any sequence to optimize antifouling and fouling release behavior. Because of advances in solid state peptide synthesis, these peptides can be prepared on a multiple gram scale in a short period of time. Different sequences of non‐natural amino acids were synthesized to determine the effect on the physical and antifouling properties of the surface. These oligopeptide sequences were attached to a PS‐b‐P(DMS‐stat‐MVS) diblock copolymer using thiol‐ene “click” chemistry. The modified polymers were spray coated onto treated glass slides and characterized using water bubble contact angle measurements and near‐edge X‐ray absorption fine structure. The coatings were tested for antifouling and fouling release performance against spores and sporelings (young plants), respectively, of the green seaweed (alga) Ulva linza and also for non‐specific protein absorption. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular profiling of tumour budding implicates TGFβ‐mediated epithelial–mesenchymal transition as a therapeutic target in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Jensen DH , Dabelsteen E , Specht L , Fiehn AMK , Therkildsen MH , Jønson L , Vikesaa J , Nielsen FC , von Buchwald C
Published: April 2015

Although tumour budding is an adverse prognostic factor for many cancer types, the molecular mechanisms governing this phenomenon are incompletely understood. Therefore, understanding the molecular basis of tumour budding may provide new therapeutic and diagnostic options. We employ digital image analysis to demonstrate that the number of tumour buds in cytokeratin‐stained sections correlates with patients having lymph node metastases at diagnosis. The tumour bud count was also a predictor of overall survival, independent of TNM stage. Tumour buds and paired central tumour areas were subsequently collected from oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) specimens, using laser capture microdissection, and examined with RNA sequencing and miRNA‐qPCR arrays. Compared with cells from the central parts of the tumours, budding cells exhibited a particular gene expression signature, comprising factors involved in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and activated TGFβ signalling. Transcription factors ZEB1 and PRRX1 were up‐regulated concomitantly with the decreased expression of mesenchymal–epithelial (MET) transcription factors (eg OVOL1) in addition to Krüppel‐like factors and Grainyhead‐like factors. Moreover, miR‐200 family members were down‐regulated in budding tumour cells. We used immunohistochemistry to validate five markers of the EMT/MET process in 199 OSCC tumours, as well as in situ hybridization in 20 OSCC samples. Given the strong relationship between tumour budding and the development of lymph node metastases and an adverse prognosis, therapeutics based on inhibiting the activation of TGFβ signalling may prove useful in the treatment of OSCC. Copyright © 2015 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A novel human model of the neurodegenerative disease GM1 gangliosidosis using induced pluripotent stem cells demonstrates inflammasome activation
Authors: Son Mi‐Young , Kwak Jae Eun , Seol Binna , Lee Da Yong , Jeon Hyejin , Cho Yee Sook
Published: April 2015

GM1 gangliosidosis (GM1) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in the lysosomal β‐galactosidase (β‐gal) gene. Insufficient β‐gal activity leads to abnormal accumulation of GM1 gangliosides in tissues, particularly in the central nervous system, resulting in progressive neurodegeneration. Here, we report an in vitro human GM1 model, based on induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. Neural progenitor cells differentiated from GM1 patient‐derived iPSCs (GM1‐NPCs) recapitulated the biochemical and molecular phenotypes of GM1, including defective β‐gal activity and increased lysosomes. Importantly, the characterization of GM1‐NPCs established that GM1 is significantly associated with the activation of inflammasomes, which play a critical role in the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases. Specific inflammasome inhibitors potently alleviated the disease‐related phenotypes of GM1‐NPCs in vitro and in vivo. Our data demonstrate that GM1‐NPCs are a valuable in vitro human GM1 model and suggest that inflammasome activation is a novel target pathway for GM1 drug development. Copyright © 2015 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ghrelin promotes renal cell carcinoma metastasis via Snail activation and is associated with poor prognosis
Authors: Lin Tsung‐Chieh , Liu Yu‐Peng , Chan Yung‐Chieh , Su Chia‐Yi , Lin Yuan‐Feng , Hsu Shih‐Lan , Yang Chung‐Shi , Hsiao Michael
Published: April 2015

Ghrelin is an appetite‐regulating molecule that promotes growth hormone (GH) release and food intake through growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS‐R). Recently, high ghrelin levels have been detected in various types of human cancer. Ghrelin expression is observed in proximal and distal renal tubules, where renal cell carcinoma (RCC) arises. However, whether ghrelin is up‐regulated and promotes renal cell carcinogenesis remains obscure. In this study, we observed that ghrelin was highly expressed in renal tumours, especially in metastatic RCC. In addition, high ghrelin levels correlated with poor outcome, lymph node and distant metastasis. The addition of ghrelin promoted the migration ability of RCC cell lines 786–0, ACHN and A‐498. Furthermore, knockdown of ghrelin expression reduced in vitro migration and in vivo metastasis, suggesting a requirement for ghrelin accumulation in the microenvironment for RCC metastasis. Analysis of microarray signatures using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and MetaCore pointed to the potential regulation by ghrelin of Snail, a transcriptional repressor of E‐cadherin. We further observed that Ghrelin increased the expression, nuclear translocation and promoter‐binding activity of Snail. Snail silencing blocked the ghrelin‐mediated effects on E‐cadherin repression and cell migration. Snail–E‐cadherin regulation was mediated by GHS‐R‐triggered Akt phosphorylation at Ser473 and Thr308. Pretreatment with PI3K inhibitors, LY294002 and wortmannin, as well as Akt siRNA, decreased ghrelin‐induced Akt phosphorylation, Snail promoter binding activity and migration. Taken together, our findings indicate that ghrelin can activate Snail function via the GHS‐R–PI3K–Akt axis, which may contribute to RCC metastasis. The microarray raw data were retrieved from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) [KIRC gene expression (IlluminaHiSeq) dataset]. Copyright © 2015 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.