bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Magnetic Properties in Antiferromagnetic-Core/Ferrimagnetic-Shell Nanoparticles
Authors: Vasilakaki Marianna , Trohidou Kalliopi N. , Nogués Josep
Published: April 2015

Bi-magnetic core/shell nanoparticles are gaining increasing interest due to their foreseen applications. Inverse antiferromagnetic(AFM)/ferrimagnetic(FiM) core/shell nanoparticles are particularly appealing since they may overcome some of the limitations of conventional FiM/AFM systems. However, virtually no simulations exist on this type of morphology. Here we present systematic Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations of the exchange bias properties of such nanoparticles. The coercivity, HCand loop shift, Hex, present a non-monotonic dependence with the core diameter and the shell thickness, in excellent agreement with the available experimental data. Additionally, we demonstrate novel unconventional behavior in FiM/AFM particles. Namely, while HCand Hexdecrease upon increasing FiM thickness for small AFM cores (as expected), they show the opposite trend for large cores. This presents a counterintuitive FiM size dependence for large AFM cores that is attributed to the competition between core and shell contributions, which expands over a wider range of core diameters leading to non-vanishing Hexeven for very large cores. Moreover, the results also hint different possible ways to enhance the experimental performance of inverse core/shell nanoparticles for diverse applications.
Single photon detector with high polarization sensitivity
Authors: Guo Qi , Li Hao , You LiXing , Zhang WeiJun , Zhang Lu , Wang Zhen , Xie XiaoMing , Qi Ming
Published: April 2015

Polarization is one of the key parameters of light. Most optical detectors are intensity detectors that are insensitive to the polarization of light. A superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD) is naturally sensitive to polarization due to its nanowire structure. Previous studies focused on producing a polarization-insensitive SNSPD. In this study, by adjusting the width and pitch of the nanowire, we systematically investigate the preparation of an SNSPD with high polarization sensitivity. Subsequently, an SNSPD with a system detection efficiency of 12% and a polarization extinction ratio of 22 was successfully prepared.
Involvement of a C-terminal motif in the interference of primate lentiviral Vpu proteins with CD1d-mediated antigen presentation
Authors: Bächle Susanna M. , Sauter Daniel , Sibitz Sabrina , Sandberg Johan K. , Kirchhoff Frank , Moll Markus
Published: April 2015

The HIV-1 accessory protein Vpu is emerging as a critical factor for viral evasion from innate immunity. We have previously shown that the Vpu proteins of two HIV-1 group M subtype B strains (NL4-3 and BaL) down-regulate CD1d from the surface of infected dendritic cells (DCs) and inhibit their crosstalk with the innate invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells. In the present study, we have investigated the ability of a comprehensive set of primate lentiviral Vpu proteins to interfere with CD1d-mediated immunity. We found that CD1d down-regulation is a conserved function of Vpu proteins from HIV-1 groups M, O and P as well as their direct precursors SIVcpzPtt and SIVgor. At the group M subtype level, subtype C Vpu proteins were significantly weaker CD1d antagonists than subtype B Vpu proteins. Functional characterization of different mutants and chimeras derived from active subtype B and inactive subtype C Vpu proteins revealed that residues in the cytoplasmic domain are important for CD1d down-regulation. Specifically, we identified a C-terminal APW motif characteristic for group M subtype B Vpu proteins necessary for interference with CD1d surface expression. These findings support the notion that Vpu plays an important role in lentiviral evasion from innate immunity.
Intronic deletions of tva receptor gene decrease the susceptibility to infection by avian sarcoma and leukosis virus subgroup A
Authors: Chen Weiguo , Liu Yang , Li Hongxing , Chang Shuang , Shu Dingming , Zhang Huanmin , Chen Feng , Xie Qingmei
Published: April 2015

The group of avian sarcoma and leukosis virus (ASLV) in chickens contains six highly related subgroups, A to E and J. Four genetic loci, tva, tvb, tvc and tvj, encode for corresponding receptors that determine the susceptibility to the ASLV subgroups. The prevalence of ASLV in hosts may have imposed strong selection pressure toward resistance to ASLV infection and the resistant alleles in all four receptor genes have been identified. In this study, two new alleles of the tva receptor gene, tvar5 and tvar6, with similar intronic deletions were identified in Chinese commercial broilers. These natural mutations delete the deduced branch point signal within the first intron, disrupting mRNA splicing of the tva receptor gene and leading to the retention of intron 1 and introduction of premature TGA stop codons in both the longer and shorter tva isoforms. As a result, decreased susceptibility to subgroup A ASLV in vitro and in vivo was observed in the subsequent analysis. In addition, we identified two groups of heterozygous allele pairs which exhibited quantitative differences in host susceptibility to ASLV-A. This study demonstrated that defective splicing of the tva receptor gene can confer genetic resistance to ASLV subgroup A in the host.
A highly dispersible silica pH nanosensor with expanded measurement ranges
Authors: Hu Shuchao , Sun Ling , Liu Mingxing , Zhu Hongda , Guo Huiling , Sun Hongmei , Sun Honghao
Published: April 2015

Two kinds of silica based colloidal ratiometric fluorescent pH sensors were successfully developed. The measurement range was expanded to almost 4 pH units.
Modelling and analysis of the effect of different parameters on a parabolic-trough concentrating solar system
Authors: Islam M. K. , Hasanuzzaman M. , Rahim N. A.
Published: April 2015

Concentrating solar power technologies are potential energy-harvesting systems.
A label-free fluorescent molecular switch for a DNA hybridization assay utilizing a G-quadruplex-selective auramine O
Authors: Xu Huiying , Geng Fenghua , Wang Yongxiang , Xu Maotian , Lai Xinhe , Qu Peng , Zhang Yintang , Liu Baohong
Published: April 2015

A G-quadruplex molecular switch (G4-MS) assembled using auramine O and the G-rich single stranded DNA is developed for a DNA assay.
Evolution of structure and local magnetic fields during crystallization of HITPERM glassy alloys studied by in situ diffraction and nuclear forward scattering of synchrotron radiation
Authors: Miglierini Marcel , Pavlovič Márius , Procházka Vít , Hatala Tomáš , Schumacher Gerhard , Rüffer Rudolf
Published: April 2015

In situ transformation of local structure and hyperfine interactions are simultaneously followed in real time during temperature annealing of metallic glasses.
In situ formed Bi/BiOBrxI1−xheterojunction of hierarchical microspheres for efficient visible-light photocatalytic activity
Authors: Zheng Chunrui , Cao Chuanbao , Ali Zulfiqar
Published: April 2015

Bi/BiOBrxI1−xheterojunction of hierarchical microspheres formedin situwith efficient visible-light photocatalytic activity were synthesized by a facile one-step solvothermal method.
Metal dicarboxylates: new anode materials for lithium-ion batteries with good cycling performance
Authors: Fei Hailong , Liu Xin , Li Zhiwei , Feng Wenjing
Published: April 2015

Manganese 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylate as an anode material for Li-ion batteries showed good cycling stability.
Probing the difference in covalence by enthalpy measurements: a new heterocyclic N-donor ligand for actinide/lanthanide separation
Authors: Yang Yanqiu , Liu Jun , Yang Liang , Li Kun , Zhang Huabei , Luo Shunzhong , Rao Linfeng
Published: April 2015

BQPhen, a new tetra-dentate nitrogen-donor ligand, forms stronger complexes with Am3+than Eu3+or Nd3+, due to a more exothermic enthalpy of complexation for the Am3+complexes, implying a higher degree of covalence in the BQPhen complexes with Am3+than Eu3+or Nd3+.
Enhanced bi-stability in a ruthenium alkynyl spiropyran complex
Authors: Walkey Mark C. , Byrne Lindsay T. , Piggott Matthew J. , Low Paul J. , Koutsantonis George A.
Published: April 2015

Attachment of a ruthenium alkynyl unit to a spiropyran ligand extends the lifetime of the merocyanine form of the complex more than twenty-fold.
One-pot synthesis of CuInS2 nanocrystals using different anions to engineer their morphology and crystal phase
Authors: Tang Aiwei , Hu Zunlan , Yin Zhe , Ye Haihang , Yang Chunhe , Teng Feng
Published: April 2015

The effects of anions on the phases and morphologies of ternary CuInS2 nanocrystals have been described.
Single step incorporation of carboxylic acid groups in the lower rim of calix[4]arenes: a recyclable catalyst towards assembly of diverse five ring fused acridines
Authors: Sarkar Piyali , Mukhopadhyay Chhanda
Published: April 2015

Library synthesis of five ring fused acridines using a carboxylic acid incorporated calixarene catalyst.
Iron speciation in soda-lime-silica glass: a comparison of XANES and UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy
Authors: Ceglia Andrea , Nuyts Gert , Meulebroeck Wendy , Cagno Simone , Silvestri Alberta , Zoleo Alfonso , Nys Karin , Janssens Koen , Thienpont Hugo , Terryn Herman
Published: April 2015

XANES and UV-vis-NIR have been applied and compared for the determination Fe2+ in ancient glass.
Exploring cinnamic acid scaffold: development of promising neuroprotective lipophilic antioxidants
Authors: Chavarria Daniel , Silva Tiago , Martins Daniel , Bravo Joana , Summavielle Teresa , Garrido Jorge , Borges Fernanda
Published: April 2015

New lipophilic hydroxycinnamic acid based derivatives were designed and synthesized and their antioxidant and neuroprotective activities evaluated.
Direct synthesis of a geminal zwitterionic phosphonium/hydridoborate system – developing an alternative tool for generating frustrated Lewis pair hydrogen activation systems
Authors: Yu Jiangang , Kehr Gerald , Daniliuc Constantin G. , Bannwarth Christoph , Grimme Stefan , Erker Gerhard
Published: April 2015

A convenient way to a new class of geminal Mes2PH+/B(C6F5)2H− pairs is presented.
Fluorine containing amino acids: synthesis and peptide coupling of amino acids containing the all-cis tetrafluorocyclohexyl motif
Authors: Ayoup Mohammed Salah , Cordes David B. , Slawin Alexandra M. Z. , O'Hagan David
Published: April 2015

A synthesis of amino acids carrying the all-cis tetrafluorocyclohexyl ring moiety is demonstrated and protection/deprotection elaborations are illustrated which show that this facially polarised ring motif may be incorporated into peptides.
Synthesis, characterization and device optimisation of new poly(benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-alt-thieno[3,4-d]thiazole) derivatives for solar cell applications
Authors: Allard Nicolas , Zindy Nicolas , Morin Pierre-Olivier , Wienk Martijn M. , Janssen René A. J. , Leclerc Mario
Published: April 2015

New alternating copolymers based on benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]-dithiophene and thieno[3,4-d]thiazole derivatives have been synthesized and their optical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties were studied.
Removal of CO2from CH4and CO2capture in the presence of H2O vapour in NOTT-401
Authors: Lara-García Hugo A. , Gonzalez Maximiliano R. , González-Estefan Juan H. , Sánchez-Camacho Pedro , Lima Enrique , Ibarra Ilich A.
Published: April 2015

NOTT-401 shows a significant 7-fold increase (∼9.90 wt%) in CO2capture under 40% relative humidity.
Catecholamine toxicity triggers myocardial membrane destabilization in rats: thymol and its counter action
Authors: Nagoor Meeran Mohamed Fizur , Jagadeesh Govindan Sangaran , Selvaraj Palanisamy
Published: April 2015

The present manuscript deals with the protective action of thymol against isoproterenol induced cardiotoxicity by reinstating ATPases and minerals as evidenced by decreased myocardial infarct size.
Curcumin-loaded, folic acid-functionalized magnetite particles for targeted drug delivery
Authors: Salem Melessa , Xia Ying , Allan Alison , Rohani Sohrab , Gillies Elizabeth R.
Published: April 2015

Magnetite nanoparticles were coated with poly(propylene glycol) and β-cyclodextrin. Encapsulation of curcumin into the β-cyclodextrin and functionalization of poly(propylene glycol) with folic acid afforded a targeted curcumin delivery system.
Nitroaldol (Henry) reaction of 2-oxoaldehydes with nitroalkanes as a strategic step for a useful, one-pot synthesis of 1,2-diketones
Authors: Palmieri Alessandro , Gabrielli Serena , Sampaolesi Susanna , Ballini Roberto
Published: April 2015

The nitroaldol (Henry) reaction of 2-oxoaldehydes with a variety of nitroalkanes, under basic heterogeneous conditions and microwave irradiation, affords 1,2-diketones in a one-pot way.
Electrodeposited p-type Co3O4 with high photoelectrochemical performance in aqueous medium
Authors: Ebadi M. , Mat-Teridi M. A. , Sulaiman M. Y. , Basirun W. J. , Asim N. , Ludin N. A. , Ibrahim M. A. , Sopian K.
Published: April 2015

Electrofabricated p-Co3O4 based electrodes have shown efficient photoelectrochemical performance at low bias potentials in aqueous medium (∼6.5 mA cm−2vs. SCE at −0.3 V).
Optimization of graphene-based materials outperforming host epoxy matrices
Authors: Guadagno L. , Raimondo M. , Vertuccio L. , Mauro M. , Guerra G. , Lafdi K. , De Vivo B. , Lamberti P. , Spinelli G. , Tucci V.
Published: April 2015

Graphitic layers are designed as a self-assembly structure using edge-carboxylated layers approach. The functionalization facilitate the interfacial interaction between polymer and carbon layers enhancing electrical and mechanical performance.
Bioapplication of graphene oxide derivatives: drug/gene delivery, imaging, polymeric modification, toxicology, therapeutics and challenges
Authors: Nurunnabi Md , Parvez Khaled , Nafiujjaman Md , Revuri Vishnu , Khan Haseeb A. , Feng Xinliang , Lee Yong-kyu
Published: April 2015

This review article summarizes the latest progress in research regarding bioapplications of graphene oxide derivatives and provides expert opinions on strategies for overcoming the current challenges.
A novel porous adhesion material with ink absorbency for digital inkjet printing
Authors: Zhang Lei , Cao Yingjie , Wang Lei , Shao Lu , Bai Yongping
Published: April 2015

A novel porous adhesion material for digital inkjet printing with absorbency for eco-solvent ink has been successfully prepared.
Catalytic system for pyridine oxidation to N-oxides under mild conditions based on polyoxomolybdate
Authors: Yang Chunxia , Zhao Wei , Cheng Zhiguo , Luo Baomin , Bi Dongqin
Published: April 2015

A reusable and effective catalytic system has been developed for oxidation of pyridines catalyzed by Keplerate polyoxomolybdate ({Mo132}) at room temperature. Pyridine compounds could be oxidized in high yields under mild conditions.
Chemical engineering students' ideas of entropy
Authors: Haglund Jesper , Andersson Staffan , Elmgren Maja
Published: April 2015

Thermodynamics, and in particular entropy, has been found to be challenging for students, not least due to its abstract character. Comparisons with more familiar and concrete domains, by means of analogy and metaphor, are commonly used in thermodynamics teaching, in particular the metaphor ‘entropy is disorder’. However, this particular metaphor has met major criticism. In the present study, students (N= 73) answered a questionnaire before and after a course on chemical thermodynamics. They were asked to: (1) explain what entropy is; (2) list other scientific concepts that they relate to entropy; (3) after the course, describe how it had influenced their understanding. The disorder metaphor dominated students' responses, although in a more reflective manner after the course. The view of entropy as the freedom for particles to move became more frequent. Most students used particle interaction approaches to entropy, which indicates an association to the chemistry tradition. The chemistry identification was further illustrated by enthalpy and Gibbs free energy being the concepts most often mentioned as connected to entropy. The use of these two terms was particularly pronounced among students at the Chemical Engineering programme. Intriguingly, no correlation was found between the qualitative ideas of entropy and the results of the written exam, primarily focusing on quantitative problem solving. As an educational implication, we recommend that students are introduced to a range of different ways to interpret the complex concept entropy, rather than the use of a single metaphor.
Versatile rare earth hexanuclear clusters for the design and synthesis of highly-connectedftw-MOFs
Authors: Luebke Ryan , Belmabkhout Youssef , Weseliński Łukasz J. , Cairns Amy J. , Alkordi Mohamed , Norton George , Wojtas Łukasz , Adil Karim , Eddaoudi Mohamed
Published: April 2015

A targeted rare earthftw-MOF platform offers the potential to assess the effect of pore functionality and size on gas adsorptionvialigand functionalization and/or expansion.
Diffusion of macromolecules in self-assembled cellulose/hemicellulose hydrogels
Authors: Lopez-Sanchez Patricia , Schuster Erich , Wang Dongjie , Gidley Michael J. , Strom Anna
Published: April 2015

The different effects of hemicelluloses on the diffusion properties of cellulose hydrogels are related to architectural features.
Measuring oxygen surface exchange kinetics on mixed-conducting composites by electrical conductivity relaxation
Authors: Hu Bobing , Wang Yunlong , Zhu Zhuoying , Xia Changrong , Bouwmeester Henny J. M.
Published: April 2015

Chemical relaxation experiments in reducing atmospheres show little to no contribution of heterogeneous phase-boundaries to oxygen surface exchange kinetics on Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6−δ–Sm0.2Ce0.8O2−δdual-phase composites.
Highly porous N-doped carbons impregnated with sodium for efficient CO2 capture
Authors: Kim Yun Kon , Kim Gi Mihn , Lee Jae W.
Published: April 2015

Sodium-impregnated and N-doped porous carbons were prepared by KOH activation of PAN and subsequent NaOH impregnation for efficient CO2 capture.
A unique Z-scheme 2D/2D nanosheet heterojunction design to harness charge transfer for photocatalysis
Authors: Cheng Huijie , Hou Jungang , Takeda Osamu , Guo Xing-Min , Zhu Hongmin
Published: April 2015

This work will shed light on the rational design of more complex 2D/2D heterojunctions with the Z-scheme energy-transfer mechanism.
Failure mechanism in fiber-shaped electrodes for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Weng Wei , Wu Qingqing , Sun Qian , Fang Xin , Guan Guozhen , Ren Jing , Zhang Ye , Peng Huisheng
Published: April 2015

Failure mechanism is investigated for the first time in a Si-based fiber-shaped electrode. The interphase electrical contact resistance indicates the dominant failure mechanism, which is the loss of contact between the current collector/conductive network and the active material. The decreasing contact resistance denotes the loose interphase contact and a decreasing capacity.
Nano-titania doped with europium and neodymium showing simultaneous photoluminescent and photocatalytic behaviour
Authors: Tobaldi D. M. , Ferreira R. A. S. , Pullar R. C. , Seabra M. P. , Carlos L. D. , Labrincha J. A.
Published: April 2015

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials are attracting increasing interest, mostly because of their superior photocatalytic and antibacterial properties.
Tunable cooperativity in a spin-crossover Hoffman-like metal–organic framework material by aromatic guests
Authors: Li Jin-Yan , He Chun-Ting , Chen Yan-Cong , Zhang Ze-Min , Liu Wei , Ni Zhao-Ping , Tong Ming-Liang
Published: April 2015

The spin-crossover cooperativity of a Hoffman-like metal–organic framework is dramatically modulated by introducing different aromatic guest molecules (benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, and ferrocene) with the thermal hysteresis width ranging from 0 K to 73 K.
A novel rod-like MnO2@Fe loading on graphene giving excellent electromagnetic absorption properties
Authors: Lv Hualiang , Ji Guangbin , Liang XiaoHui , Zhang Haiqian , Du Youwei
Published: April 2015

The rod-like structure of MnO2@Fe is apt to convert the electromagnetic wave to microcurrent and then attenuate it.
Electronic communication between fluorescent pyrene excimers and spin crossover complexes in nanocomposite particles
Authors: Suleimanov I. , Kraieva O. , Sánchez Costa J. , Fritsky I. O. , Molnár G. , Salmon L. , Bousseksou A.
Published: April 2015

The mechanical strain induced fluorescence lifetime variation in hybrid bistable [Fe(H-trz)2(trz)]BF4@SiO2@pyrene nanoparticles.
Compact frequency‐divided micro‐electromechanical systems tunable filter using inductively coupled structure
Authors: Cheon Seong Jong , Yoon Min Kyu , Park Jae Yeong
Published: April 2015

A fully‐integrated frequency‐divided tunable filter was newly designed and fabricated using an inductively coupled structure with lumped elements and MEMS fabrication technique. The inductively coupled structure allows for the size of the filter to be reduced, and electro‐mechanically switched capacitors were used to obtain the tunability of frequency. When the proposed filter operated without using the switched capacitors, it exhibited insertion and return losses of 2.5 and 8 dB, respectively, in a single, wide passband with a range from 3.5 to 6 GHz. Otherwise, when the proposed filter operated with the use of the switched capacitors and a DC voltage bias of 30 V, a dual passband was formed at frequencies of less than 4.5 GHz and more than 5.5 GHz. Its size/volume was 3.3 × 1.7 × 0.535 (H) mm3.
Plastisch-chirurgische Möglichkeiten der Thoraxwandrekonstruktion
Authors: Kolbenschlag J. , Goertz O. , Lehnhardt M. , Behr B. , Ring A. , Daigeler A.
Published: April 2015

Die Integrität der Thoraxwand und damit der Schutz der thorakalen Organe ist essenziell für das Überleben. Diese Integrität ist jedoch durch eine Vielzahl von Faktoren gefährdet, seien es Tumoren, Wundheilungsstörungen oder Verletzungen. Eine adäquate chirurgische Therapie dieser Erkrankungen erfordert häufig (Teil-)Resektionen der Thoraxwand, welche mit einer entsprechenden Kompromittierung der Barrierefunktion selbiger einhergeht. Eine sichere, schnelle und möglichst schonende Rekonstruktion von Defekten der Thoraxwand ist daher anzustreben und kann durch die Nutzung rekonstruktiver Operationsverfahren erreicht werden. Ziel dieses Übersichtsartikels ist es daher, die Möglichkeiten der Defektdeckung im Bereich der Thoraxwand an Beispielen aus dem eigenen Patientenklientel darzustellen und sie im Kontext der Literatur zu gewichten, um so einen Algorithmus für das rekonstruktive Vorgehen aufzuzeigen.
Frustration under pressure: Exotic magnetism in new pyrochlore oxides
Authors: Wiebe C. R. , Hallas A. M.
Published: April 2015

Pyrochlore structures, of chemical formula A2B2O7 (A and B are typically trivalent and tetravalent ions, respectively), have been the focus of much activity in the condensed matter community due to the ease of substitution of rare earth and transition metal ions upon the two interpenetrating corner-shared tetrahedral lattices. Over the last few decades, superconductivity, spin liquid states, spin ice states, glassy states in the absence of chemical disorder, and metal-insulator transitions have all been discovered in these materials. Geometric frustration plays a role in the relevant physics of all of these phenomena. In the search for new pyrochlore materials, it is the RA/RB cation radius ratio which determines the stability of the lattice over the defect fluorite structure in the lower limit. Under ambient pressure, the pyrochlores are stable for 1.36 ≤ RA/RB ≤ 1.71. However, using high pressure synthesis techniques (1-10 GPa of pressure), metastable pyrochlores exist up to RA/RB = 2.30. Many of these compounds are stable on a timescale of years after synthesis, and provide a means to greatly enhance exchange, and thus test theories of quantum magnetism and search for new phenomena. Within this article, we review new pyrochlore compounds synthesized via high pressure techniques and show how the ground states are extremely sensitive to chemical pressure.
Microstructure evolution of Al-doped zinc oxide and Sn-doped indium oxide deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering: A comparison
Authors: Nie Man , Bikowski Andre , Ellmer Klaus
Published: April 2015

The microstructure and morphology evolution of Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and Sn-doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films on borosilicate glass substrates deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature (RT) and 300 °C were investigated by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy (AFM). One-dimensional power spectral density (1DPSD) functions derived from the AFM profiles, which can be used to distinguish different growth mechanisms, were used to compare the microstructure scaling behavior of the thin films. The rms roughness Rq evolves with film thickness as a power law, Rq ∼ dfβ, and different growth exponents β were found for AZO and ITO films. For AZO films, β of 1.47 and 0.56 are obtained for RT and 300 °C depositions, respectively, which are caused by the high compressive stress in the film at RT and relaxation of the stress at 300 °C. While for ITO films, β1 = 0.14 and β2 = 0.64 for RT, and β1 = 0.89 and β2 = 0.3 for 300 °C deposition are obtained, respectively, which is related to the strong competition between the surface diffusion and shadowing effect and/or grain growth. Electrical properties of both materials as a function of film thickness were also compared. By the modified Fuchs-Sondheimer model fitting of the electrical transport in both materials, different nucleation states are pointed out for both types of films.
CD169+macrophages are sufficient for priming of CTLs with specificities left out by cross-priming dendritic cells
Authors: Bernhard Caroline A. , Ried Christine , Kochanek Stefan , Brocker Thomas
Published: April 2015

Significance

Although we know much about the molecular mechanisms of cross-presentation, its actual contribution to cytotoxic T cell (CTL) immunity under physiological conditions in vivo is still unclear. Cross-presentation is based on the idea that dendritic cells (DCs) are the only professional antigen-presenting cells able to prime naïve T cells. If DCs are not directly infected, they must take up antigen and present it indirectly. However, recent evidence suggests that other cells also may be involved in T cell priming, which probably makes cross-presentation less central. This study shows that cross-priming DCs generate highly restricted CTL repertoires, biased to strong MHC I binding epitopes only. Furthermore, the presence of antigen in CD169+macrophages is sufficient for generation of CTLs with broader repertoires.
Effects of a Reduced Daily Bag Limit on Bluegill Size Structure in Wisconsin Lakes
Authors: Rypel Andrew L.
Published: April 2015

This study evaluated the effect of reduced aggregate panfish bag limits (from 25 to 10) on the size structure of Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus populations in seven natural lakes in Wisconsin. For assessing the overall significance of treatments, each treatment lake was paired with a control lake in which the regulation was not implemented. Across all lakes, mean total length (TL) of sampled Bluegills was significantly greater in treatment lakes than in control lakes after the regulation was implemented: on average, mean TL increased by 20.3 mm. However, efficacy of reduced bag limits varied substantially across lakes as mean TL improvements ranged from −5.1 to 63.5 mm in individual lakes. This variation could be strongly explained (R2 = 0.81) by lake Secchi depth (lakes with reduced water clarity showed larger improvements in mean TL, R = −0.62) and regulation duration (size structure improved continuously with time after the reduced daily bag limit was implemented, R = 0.75). Reduced bag limits are a useful tool for providing improvements to Bluegill size structure in Wisconsin lakes, but would be most effective in more productive waterbodies and will require substantial time investments after implementation.

Received September 18, 2014; accepted December 18, 2014
Use of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension–Approved Therapy in the Treatment of Non–Group 1 Pulmonary Hypertension at US Referral Centers
Authors: Trammell Aaron W. , Pugh Meredith E. , Newman John H. , Hemnes Anna R. , Robbins Ivan M.
Published: April 2015

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a frequent complication of left heart disease and parenchymal lung disease, and it portends increased mortality. A growing number of medications are approved for the treatment of World Health Organization (WHO) group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, they are not well studied in PH of other etiologies (WHO groups 2–5). We sought to assess treatment approaches used by PAH referral centers in this diverse group of patients. We developed a semiquantitative online survey designed to evaluate the use of PAH‐approved therapy by pulmonary vascular disease centers in the United States for management of non–group 1 PH. Thirty of 50 centers completed the survey. Almost all centers (93%) reported using PAH therapy for patients with non–group 1 PH, including 77% with group 2 PH and 80% with group 3 PH. Elevated transpulmonary gradient or pulmonary vascular resistance and the presence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction were commonly cited as supporting use of PAH therapy in patients with PH secondary to left heart disease. For patients with PH and concomitant parenchymal lung disease, degree of pulmonary function impairment and RV dysfunction were most important in influencing use of PAH therapy. In conclusion, pulmonary vascular disease treatment centers use PAH‐approved therapy for patients with WHO group 2–5 PH, mostly relying on hemodynamics and assessment of RV function to identify candidates for therapy. Clinical trials designed to test the efficacy of PAH therapy in PH due to left heart and lung disease are needed, as clinical practice has extended beyond the evidence for these etiologies of PH.
Spin glasses: redux: an updated experimental/materials
survey
Authors: Mydosh J A
Published: April 2015

This article reviews the 40+ year old spin-glass field and one of its
earliest model interpretations as a spin density wave. Our description is from
an experimental phenomenological point of view with emphasis on new spin glass
materials and their relation to topical problems and strongly correlated
materials in condensed matter physics. We first simply define a spin glass (SG),
give its basic ingredients and explain how the spin glasses enter into the
statistical mechanics of classical phase transitions. We then consider the four
basic experimental properties to solidly characterize canonical spin glass
behavior and introduce the early theories and models. Here the spin density wave
(SDW) concept is used to explain the difference between a short-range SDW, i.e.
a SG and, in contrast, a long-range SDW, i.e. a conventional magnetic phase
transition. We continue with the present state of SG, its massive computer
simulations and recent proposals of chiral glasses and quantum SG. We then
collect and mention the various SG ‘spin-off’s'. A major
section uncovers the fashionable unconventional materials that display
SG-like freezing and glassy ground states, such as (high temperature)
superconductors, heavy fermions, intermetallics and Heuslers, pyrochlor and
spinels, oxides and chalogenides and exotics, e.g. quasicrystals. Some
conclusions and future directions complete the review.
Early Modern European Encounters with Buddhism
Authors: Usarski Frank
Published: April 2015

Unlike the consolidated research of Buddhism in Western countries from the 19th century onwards, the investigation of Early Modern European encounters with Buddhism still represents a demanding field of study. Academic works exclusively dedicated to systematically and chronologically exhaustive research into the subject are the exception and numerically disproportionate to isolated information and insights scattered over a vast literature for which Early Modern European encounters with Buddhism are a subordinate matter within a wider thematic framework. A series of interrelated factors is responsible for the relative unsatisfying state of the art. One reason is that Early European modernity is roughly dated between the mid-15th and the late 18th centuries, a period twice as long as the following centuries of Western-Buddhist encounter. A further intellectual obstacle has to do with the fact that although most of the relevant first-hand knowledge was produced by Christian missionaries and therefore had a religious background, the encounters were embedded in a complex interplay of economic and political forces. As a tiny minority in an alien cultural context, the missionaries’ activities were frequently threatened by non-friendly or even hostile reactions of local authorities. This bilateral constellation is a constitutive element for the field under investigation and represents an additional challenge for any researcher interested in a full understanding of the subject. A further difficulty has to do with the nature of the primary sources. In the remote widely unknown parts of the world, the missionaries assumed the role of cultural mediators gathering any information supposedly useful for their readers. In their letters and accounts, mostly written in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, or Latin, details about Buddhism rarely appear in an easily identifiable separate section but in the midst of data referring to geography, climate, politics, general cultural habits, etc. Moreover, due to the predominance of economic and political interests of the European overseas enterprise, not all of the Asiatic regions were equally important. Japan, for example, became highly attractive, while countries such as Cambodia played only a minor role. This hierarchy of relevance not only determined the moment of the Christian missionaries’ arrival and the duration of their sojourn but also the visitors’ production of knowledge in both quantitative and qualitative terms. All these elements represent the heuristic background for a substantially balanced bibliography on the Early Modern European encounter with Buddhism.
Bone-eating
Osedax
worms lived on Mesozoic marine reptile deadfalls
Authors: Danise Silvia , Higgs Nicholas D.
Published: April 2015

We report fossil traces of
Osedax
, a genus of siboglinid annelids that consume the skeletons of sunken vertebrates on the ocean floor, from early-Late Cretaceous (approx. 100 Myr) plesiosaur and sea turtle bones. Although plesiosaurs went extinct at the end-Cretaceous mass extinction (66 Myr), chelonioids survived the event and diversified, and thus provided sustenance for
Osedax
in the 20 Myr gap preceding the radiation of cetaceans, their main modern food source. This finding shows that marine reptile carcasses, before whales, played a key role in the evolution and dispersal of
Osedax
and confirms that its generalist ability of colonizing different vertebrate substrates, like fishes and marine birds, besides whale bones, is an ancestral trait. A Cretaceous age for unequivocal
Osedax
trace fossils also dates back to the Mesozoic the origin of the entire siboglinid family, which includes chemosynthetic tubeworms living at hydrothermal vents and seeps, contrary to phylogenetic estimations of a Late Mesozoic–Cenozoic origin (approx. 50–100 Myr).
Trophic groups and modules: two levels of group detection in food webs
Authors: Gauzens Benoit , Thébault Elisa , Lacroix Gérard , Legendre Stéphane
Published: April 2015

Within food webs, species can be partitioned into groups according to various criteria. Two notions have received particular attention: trophic groups (TGs), which have been used for decades in the ecological literature, and more recently, modules. The relationship between these two group concepts remains unknown in empirical food webs. While recent developments in network theory have led to efficient methods for detecting modules in food webs, the determination of TGs (groups of species that are functionally similar) is largely based on subjective expert knowledge. We develop a novel algorithm for TG detection. We apply this method to empirical food webs and show that aggregation into TGs allows for the simplification of food webs while preserving their information content. Furthermore, we reveal a two-level hierarchical structure where modules partition food webs into large bottom–top trophic pathways, whereas TGs further partition these pathways into groups of species with similar trophic connections. This provides new perspectives for the study of dynamical and functional consequences of food-web structure, bridging topological and dynamical analysis. TGs have a clear ecological meaning and are found to provide a trade-off between network complexity and information loss.
Investigating biomechanical noise in neuroblastoma cells using the quartz crystal microbalance
Authors: Prasad Abhinav , Huefner Anna , Mahajan Sumeet , Seshia Ashwin A.
Published: April 2015

Quantifying cellular behaviour by motility and morphology changes is increasingly important in formulating an understanding of fundamental physiological phenomena and cellular mechanisms of disease. However, cells are complex biological units, which often respond to external environmental factors by manifesting subtle responses that may be difficult to interpret using conventional biophysical measurements. This paper describes the adaptation of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to monitor neuroblastoma cells undergoing environmental stress wherein the frequency stability of the device can be correlated to changes in cellular state. By employing time domain analysis of the resulting frequency fluctuations, it is possible to study the variations in cellular motility and distinguish between different cell states induced by applied external heat stress. The changes in the frequency fluctuation data are correlated to phenotypical physical response recorded using optical microscopy under identical conditions of environmental stress. This technique, by probing the associated biomechanical noise, paves the way for its use in monitoring cell activity, and intrinsic motility and morphology changes, as well as the modulation resulting from the action of drugs, toxins and environmental stress.
Evaluating the potential impact of enhancing HIV treatment and tuberculosis control programmes on the burden of tuberculosis
Authors: Chindelevitch Leonid , Menzies Nicolas A. , Pretorius Carel , Stover John , Salomon Joshua A. , Cohen Ted
Published: April 2015

HIV has fuelled increasing tuberculosis (TB) incidence in sub-Saharan Africa. Better control of TB in this region may be achieved directly through TB programme improvements and indirectly through expanded use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among those with HIV. We used a mathematical model of TB and HIV in South Africa to examine the potential epidemiological impact in scenarios involving improvements in three dimensions of TB programmes: coverage, diagnosis and treatment effectiveness, as well as expanded ART use through broadened eligibility. We projected the effect of alternative scenarios on TB prevalence, incidence and TB-related mortality over 20 years. Of the three dimensions of TB programme improvement, expanding coverage would produce the greatest reduction in TB burden. Compared with current performance, combined TB programme improvements were projected to decrease TB incidence by 30% over 5 years and 46% over 20 years, and decrease TB-related mortality by 45% over 5 years and 69% over 20 years. Expanded ART eligibility was projected to decrease TB incidence by 22% over 5 years and 45% over 20 years, and TB-related mortality by 22% over 5 years and 50% over 20 years. We found that over a 20-year horizon, TB-specific and HIV-specific programme changes contribute equally to incidence reductions, whereas the TB-specific changes produce a majority of the mortality benefits. An aggressive expansion of ART alongside traditional TB-specific control measures has the potential to greatly reduce TB burden, with the different elements of a combined approach having a synergistic effect in reducing long-term TB incidence and mortality.
Estimating thumb–index finger precision grip and manipulation potential in extant and fossil primates
Authors: Feix Thomas , Kivell Tracy L. , Pouydebat Emmanuelle , Dollar Aaron M.
Published: April 2015

Primates, and particularly humans, are characterized by superior manual dexterity compared with other mammals. However, drawing the biomechanical link between hand morphology/behaviour and functional capabilities in non-human primates and fossil taxa has been challenging. We present a kinematic model of thumb–index precision grip and manipulative movement based on bony hand morphology in a broad sample of extant primates and fossil hominins. The model reveals that both joint mobility and digit proportions (scaled to hand size) are critical for determining precision grip and manipulation potential, but that having either a long thumb or great joint mobility alone does not necessarily yield high precision manipulation. The results suggest even the oldest available fossil hominins may have shared comparable precision grip manipulation with modern humans. In particular, the predicted human-like precision manipulation ofAustralopithecus afarensis, approximately one million years before the first stone tools, supports controversial archaeological evidence of tool-use in this taxon.
Stripe states in photonic honeycomb ribbon
Authors: Park Sul-Ah , Son Young-Woo , Ahn Kang-Hun
Published: April 2015

We reveal new stripe states in deformed hexagonal array of photonic wave guides when the array is terminated to have a ribbon-shaped geometry. Unlike the well-known zero energy edge modes of honeycomb ribbon, the new one-dimensional states are shown to originate from high-energy saddle-shaped photonic bands of the ribbon's two-dimensional counterpart. We find that the strain field deforming the ribbon generates pseudo-electric fields in contrast to pseudo-magnetic fields in other hexagonal crystals. Thus, the stripe states experience Bloch oscillation without any actual electric field so that the spatial distributions of stripes have a singular dependence on the strength of the field. The resulting stripe states are located inside the bulk and their positions depend on their energies.
Evolution of basal metabolic rate in bank voles from a multidirectional selection experiment
Authors: Sadowska Edyta T. , Stawski Clare , Rudolf Agata , Dheyongera Geoffrey , Chrząścik Katarzyna M. , Baliga-Klimczyk Katarzyna , Koteja Paweł
Published: April 2015

A major theme in evolutionary and ecological physiology of terrestrial vertebrates encompasses the factors underlying the evolution of endothermy in birds and mammals and interspecific variation of basal metabolic rate (BMR). Here, we applied the experimental evolution approach and compared BMR in lines of a wild rodent, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), selected for 11 generations for: high swim-induced aerobic metabolism (A), ability to maintain body mass on a low-quality herbivorous diet (H) and intensity of predatory behaviour towards crickets (P). Four replicate lines were maintained for each of the selection directions and an unselected control (C). In comparison to C lines, A lines achieved a 49% higher maximum rate of oxygen consumption during swimming, H lines lost 1.3 g less mass in the test with low-quality diet and P lines attacked crickets five times more frequently. BMR was significantly higher in A lines than in C or H lines (60.8, 56.6 and 54.4 ml O2h−1, respectively), and the values were intermediate in P lines (59.0 ml O2h−1). Results of the selection experiment provide support for the hypothesis of a positive association between BMR and aerobic exercise performance, but not for the association of adaptation to herbivorous diet with either a high or low BMR.
How well can the exponential-growth coalescent approximate constant-rate birth–death population dynamics?
Authors: Stadler Tanja , Vaughan Timothy G. , Gavryushkin Alex , Guindon Stephane , Kühnert Denise , Leventhal Gabriel E. , Drummond Alexei J.
Published: April 2015

One of the central objectives in the field of phylodynamics is the quantification of population dynamic processes using genetic sequence data or in some cases phenotypic data. Phylodynamics has been successfully applied to many different processes, such as the spread of infectious diseases, within-host evolution of a pathogen, macroevolution and even language evolution. Phylodynamic analysis requires a probability distribution on phylogenetic trees spanned by the genetic data. Because such a probability distribution is not available for many common stochastic population dynamic processes, coalescent-based approximations assuming deterministic population size changes are widely employed. Key to many population dynamic models, in particular epidemiological models, is a period of exponential population growth during the initial phase. Here, we show that the coalescent does not well approximate stochastic exponential population growth, which is typically modelled by a birth–death process. We demonstrate that introducing demographic stochasticity into the population size function of the coalescent improves the approximation for values ofR0close to 1, but substantial differences remain for largeR0. In addition, the computational advantage of using an approximation over exact models vanishes when introducing such demographic stochasticity. These results highlight that we need to increase efforts to develop phylodynamic tools that correctly account for the stochasticity of population dynamic models for inference.
Morphology and morphogenesis of a novel mangrove ciliate, Sterkiella subtropica sp. nov. (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Hypotrichia), with phylogenetic analyses based on small-subunit rDNA sequence data
Authors: Chen Xumiao , Gao Feng , Al-Farraj Saleh A. , Al-Rasheid Khaled A. S. , Xu Kuidong , Song Weibo , Song Weibo
Published: April 2015

A novel marine hypotrichous ciliate, Sterkiella subtropica sp. nov., was recently isolated from a mangrove wetland in Hong Kong. Its morphology, morphogenesis and systematic position have been investigated. The novel species is diagnosed by combined features of morphology, ciliature and nuclear apparatus, while its ontogenetic events present a stable pattern: (i) the six streaks of the undulating membrane (UM) and cirral anlagen are segmented in a 1 : 3 : 3 : 3 : 4 : 4 pattern from left to right, and form three frontal, four frontoventral, one buccal, five ventral and five transverse cirri; (ii) the dorsal structure is similar to most other oxytrichids; that is, in a ‘4+2’ pattern with three caudal cirri being formed. Based on the small-subunit rDNA sequence, the novel species is different from its congeners by between 21 and 35 bp, with sequence identities from 0.978 to 0.987. All molecular trees exhibited a similar topology: the monophyly of species of the genus Sterkiella is not completely supported in our analyses, and approximately unbiased tests (both including and excluding the novel species) also reject the possibility that Sterkiella is a monophyletic lineage, as indicated by the morphology-based classification.
Pcf11 orchestrates transcription termination pathways in yeast
Authors: Grzechnik Pawel , Gdula Michal Ryszard , Proudfoot Nick J.
Published: April 2015

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, short noncoding RNA (ncRNA) generated by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) are terminated by the NRD complex consisting of Nrd1, Nab3, and Sen1. We now show that Pcf11, a component of the cleavage and polyadenylation complex (CPAC), is also generally required for NRD-dependent transcription termination through the action of its C-terminal domain (CTD)-interacting domain (CID). Pcf11 localizes downstream from Nrd1 on NRD terminators, and its recruitment depends on Nrd1. Furthermore, mutation of the Pcf11 CID results in Nrd1 retention on chromatin, delayed degradation of ncRNA, and restricted Pol II CTD Ser2 phosphorylation and Sen1–Pol II interaction. Finally, the pcf11-13 and sen1-1 mutant phenotypes are very similar, as both accumulate RNA:DNA hybrids and display Pol II pausing downstream from NRD terminators. We predict a mechanism by which the exchange of Nrd1 and Pcf11 on chromatin facilitates Pol II pausing and CTD Ser2-P phosphorylation. This in turn promotes Sen1 activity that is required for NRD-dependent transcription termination in vivo.