bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reactivity with Amines of Bis(cyanamide) and Bis(cyanoguanidine) Complexes of the Iron Triad
Authors: Albertin Gabriele , Antoniutti Stefano , Caia Alfonso , Castro Jesús
Published: February 2015

Treatment of bis(cyanamide) [M(N≡CNEt2)2L4](BPh4)2 and bis(cyanoguanidine) [M{N≡CN(H)C(NH2)=NH}2L4](BPh4)2 complexes [M = Fe, Ru, Os; L = P(OEt)3] with an excess of amine RNH2 (R = nPr, iPr) affords mixed‐ligand complexes with cyanamide and amine [M(NH2R)(N≡CNEt2)L4](BPh4)2 (1a–5a) and [M(NH2R){N≡CN(H)C(NH2)=NH}L4](BPh4)2 (1b, 2b). The complexes were characterized by spectroscopy and X‐ray crystal structure determination of [M(NH2iPr)(N≡CNEt2){P(OEt)3}4](BPh4)2 [M = Ru (3a), Os (5a)].
Deficiencies in the Availability of Essential Musculoskeletal Surgical Services at 883 Health Facilities in 24 Low‐ and Lower‐Middle‐Income Countries
Authors: Spiegel D. A. , Nduaguba A. , Cherian M. N. , Monono M. , Kelley E. T.
Published: February 2015

Background

The sequelae of acute musculoskeletal conditions, especially injuries and infections, are responsible for significant disability in low‐ and middle‐income countries. This study characterizes the availability of selected musculoskeletal surgical services at different tiers of the health system in a convenience sample of 883 health facilities from 24 low‐ and lower‐middle‐income countries.

Methods

Selected data points from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) tool of situational analysis of surgical availability were extracted from the WHO’s database in December, 2013. These included infrastructure, physical resources and supplies, interventions, and human resources. For a descriptive analysis, facilities were divided into two groups based on number of beds (<100, 100–300, and >300) and level of facility (primary referral, secondary/tertiary, and Private/NGO/Mission). Statistical comparison was made between public and Private/NGO/Mission facilities based on number of beds (≤100, 100–300, and >300) using a Chi‐Square analysis, with statistical significance at p < 0.05.

Findings

Significant deficiencies were noted in infrastructure, physical resources and supplies, and human resources for the provision of essential orthopedic surgical services at all tiers of the health system. Availability was significantly lower in public versus Private/NGO/Mission facilities for nearly all categories in facilities with ≤100 beds, and in a subset of measures in facilities with between 100 and 300 beds.

Interpretation

Deficiencies in the availability of orthopedic surgical services were observed at all levels of health facility and were most pronounced at facilities with ≤100 beds in the public sector. Strengthening the delivery of essential surgical services, including orthopedics, at the primary referral level must be prioritized if we are to reduce the burden of death and disability from a variety of emergent health conditions.

Funding

There were no sources of funding.
Impact of Combination Criteria of Nodal Counts and Sizes on Preoperative MDCT in Advanced Gastric Cancer
Authors: Kawaguchi Tsutomu , Ichikawa Daisuke , Komatsu Shuhei , Kosuga Toshiyuki , Kubota Takeshi , Okamoto Kazuma , Shiozaki Atsushi , Fujiwara Hitoshi , Konishi Hirotaka , Morimura Ryo , Murayama Yasutoshi , Kuriu Yoshiaki , Ikoma Hisashi , Nakanishi Masayoshi , Sakakura Chouhei , Otsuji Eigo
Published: February 2015

Background

This study was designed to establish a new diagnostic criteria of preoperative nodal status with high specificity on multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) to extract advanced gastric cancer (GC) patients with an unfavorable prognosis.

Method

From total of 480 GC patients who underwent surgical resection, 58 consecutive patients with a preoperative diagnosis of nodal metastasis on MDCT were included in this retrospective study. Nodal status on MDCT was reassessed and a prognostic analysis was performed in the present study.

Results

Among several clinical nodal diagnostic criteria on MDCT, a cut‐off value of the short‐axis diameter measuring ≥15 mm showed the highest specificity (100 %). The prognostic analysis revealed that patients with nodal counts on MDCT of ≥3 (p = 0.035) as well as those with a nodal diameter ≥15 mm (p < 0.001) had a significantly poor prognosis. When patients with nodal counts ≥3 and at least one node that was ≥15 mm in diameter on MDCT were defined as having extensive lymph node metastasis (ELM) that had a significantly poor prognosis (5‐year survival rates of 20 %, p < 0.001), and ELM was also an independent poor prognostic factor in advanced GC (p = 0.033, hazard ratio 4.038).

Conclusion

GC patients with nodal counts ≥3 and at least one node that was ≥15 mm in diameter on MDCT have extremely worse prognose with high diagnostic specificity. This novel surrogate indicator for preoperative imaging diagnosis may help personalized therapeutic strategies for GC patients with ELM.
Continuous orbit equivalence of topological Markov shifts and dynamical zeta functions
Authors: MATSUMOTO KENGO , MATUI HIROKI
Published: February 2015

For continuously orbit equivalent one-sided topological Markov shifts $(X_{A},{\it\sigma}_{A})$ and $(X_{B},{\it\sigma}_{B})$, their eventually periodic points and cocycle functions are studied. As a result, we directly construct an isomorphism between their ordered cohomology groups $(\bar{H}^{A},\bar{H}_{+}^{A})$ and $(\bar{H}^{B},\bar{H}_{+}^{B})$. We also show that the cocycle functions for the continuous orbit equivalences give rise to positive elements of their ordered cohomology groups, so that the zeta functions of continuously orbit equivalent topological Markov shifts are related. The set of Borel measures is shown to be invariant under continuous orbit equivalence of one-sided topological Markov shifts.
Prophet of Perspective: Thomas K. McCraw
Authors: John Richard R.
Published: February 2015

Thomas K. McCraw is justly admired as a consummate prose stylist, a talented editor, a perceptive historian of the United States, and an inspiring teacher whose mastery of the biographical form led to a string of elegantly written prize-winning publications that are widely read and often taught. The publication one month before McCraw's death in November 2012 of his last book,The Founders and Finance, provides the occasion for this essay, which contends that McCraw also deserves to be remembered as a founder of two thriving academic subfields—policy history and the history of capitalism—despite the fact that he trained relatively few history PhD students, and rarely appeared in public during the final years of his life as the result of a debilitating illness that greatly limited his mobility.
“A Heart of Many Chambers”: The Theological Hermeneutics of Legal Multivocality
Authors: Fraade Steven D.
Published: February 2015

Given the multiplicity of legal interpretations and opinions, the question of the place of legal debate within early rabbinic literature of late antiquity—both as textual practice and as hermeneutical and legal theory—has occupied a particularly busy space within recent scholarship. This question centers on several issues of broad significance for the history of rabbinic Judaism and its literature: Does this phenomenon (if we can speak of it in the singular) represent a defining characteristic of rabbinic culture overall, or rather an aspect better attributed to specific times, places, and rabbinic “schools”? Did it emerge and develop internally within rabbinic Judaism, or is it, on the one hand, the continuation of antecedents in the pre-rabbinic, late Second Temple period, or, on the other hand, the result of external influences or pressures (e.g., Greco-Roman or early Christian) of a later time? Does such legal multivocality reflect the actual nature of either/both rabbinic jurisprudence or/and pedagogy, or the editorial choices of the later anonymous redactors of the composite and anthological texts that have come down to us (or, as I shall demonstrate, both)? Finally, what are its hermeneutical and theological underpinnings (as well as sociopolitical ramifications)? While these four questions will frame what follows, it is the latter two that will particularly demand our attention. They will be addressed, whether explicitly or implicitly, in several comparative textual analyses that will constitute the body of this article.
Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome does not negatively affect oral and dental health
Authors: Acar M , Türkcan İ , Özdaş T , Bal C , Cingi C
Published: February 2015

Objective:

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome can lead to unhealthy open-mouth breathing. We investigated the possible relationship between obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and dental health. We also evaluated other clinical factors that may affect oral health.

Methods:

We measured sleep using polysomnography and determined the apnoea–hypopnoea index for a total of 291 patients. We also recorded the demographic data, duration of snoring complaints, educational status and income levels for our patient cohort; finally, we calculated the decayed, missing and filled teeth index.

Results:

Forty-one patients presented with primary snoring (control group) and 250 patients (study group) presented with mild, moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. We found no correlation between obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome severity and the decayed, missing and filled teeth index (p = 0.057). We also found no correlation between the apnoea–hypopnoea and decayed, missing and filled teeth indexes. Age and the duration of snoring complaints were positively correlated with the decayed, missing and filled teeth index while educational status and income levels were negatively correlated (p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome does not negatively affect oral and dental health.
Long-term effects of intratympanic methylprednisolone perfusion treatment on intractable Ménière's disease
Authors: She W , Lv L , Du X , Li H , Dai Y , Lu L , Ma X , Chen F
Published: February 2015

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the long-term efficacy of intratympanic methylprednisolone perfusion treatment for intractable Ménière's disease.

Methods:

A retrospective analysis of 17 intractable Ménière's disease patients treated with intratympanic methylprednisolone perfusion was performed. Treatment efficacy was evaluated according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery criteria. Short and long-term control or improvement rates were calculated after 6 and 24 months, respectively.

Results:

Sixteen patients were followed for more than two years. Short- and long-term vertigo control rates were 94 per cent and 81 per cent, respectively; short- and long-term functional activity improvements were 94 per cent and 88 per cent, respectively. The pure tone average was 53 ± 14 dB before treatment, and 50 ± 16 dB at 6 months and 52 ± 20 dB at 24 months after intratympanic methylprednisolone perfusion. Tinnitus was controlled or improved in five patients over the two-year follow-up period.

Conclusion:

Intratympanic methylprednisolone perfusion can effectively control vertigo and improve functional activity in intractable Ménière's disease patients with good hearing preservation. It may therefore be a viable alternative treatment for intractable Ménière's disease.
Identifying challenges to enforcement in protected areas: empirical insights from 15 Colombian parks
Authors: Nolte Christoph
Published: February 2015

Protected areas are intended to conserve biodiversity by restricting human activities within their boundaries. However, such restrictions are difficult to enforce fully in many tropical parks. Improving regulatory enforcement requires an understanding of prevailing challenges to detection and sanctioning activities. Drawing from empirical field research in 15 Colombian parks, I show that current enforcement efforts may be insufficient to deter most priority threats. For long-term infractions, such as agriculture, livestock grazing, and construction, sanctioning violators is challenging, whereas for furtive infractions, such as logging and hunting, it may be difficult to detect violators. Investment in staff, equipment and infrastructure may fail to increase enforcement capacity and yield positive conservation outcomes unless accompanied by resolution of land tenure, clarification of use rights, improved patrolling strategies and protection of park guards.
‘I Hope ’Twill Make You Laugh’: Audience Laughter at the Globe Theatre
Authors: KENNY AMY
Published: February 2015

This article considers the role of laughter at the early modern and reconstructed Globe Theatres. Recently, debate has emerged over the nature of laughter at the Globe, as some critics and scholars believe that the actors encourage the audience to laugh excessively at the reconstructed Globe Theatre on Bankside in London. This article explores these concerns by tracing the anxieties surrounding laughter during the early modern period, and analysing their views against the modern actor's perspective at the Globe. The article argues that the architecture and shared lighting of the theatre foster more comedic moments for the audience, and considers its implications.
The Bandmann Circuit: Theatrical Networks in the First Age of Globalization
Authors: BALME CHRISTOPHER B.
Published: February 2015

This article examines a theatrical network, the Bandmann Circuit, managed by Maurice E. Bandmann in the first two decades of the twentieth century as a form of globalized theatre. It asks why this kind of transnational theatrical activity has received so little scholarly attention and proposes utilizing actor-network-theory as a means to make the complex connectivity of such enterprises visible. The first section of the article discusses the concept of early globalization, roughly the period from 1860 to 1914, as a period having many parallels with our own time. The second part discusses actor-network-theory as a theatre-historiographical method, which is then applied to selected nodes of the Bandmann Circuit, in particular repertoire, audiences and the use of local partners as examples of a much more multiaxial undertaking.
Queer Exceptions
Authors: GREER STEPHEN
Published: February 2015

Under the conditions of neoliberalism, the desire to acknowledge difference may blur with a contemporary demand for the same. How might queer solo performance allow us to historicize the cultural and political exigency of exceptional subjects? An example: in recent weeks, I have been preoccupied with British writer and director Neil Bartlett and designer Robin Whitmore'sA Vision of Love Revealed in Sleep. The piece is a sequence of devised works staged between 1987 and 1990 dedicated to the memory of Simeon Solomon, a ‘short, red-haired, ugly and flagrant Jew’ and contemporary of Oscar Wilde born to a good family whose ‘fallen life’ was dedicated to the pleasures of alcohol and rough trade. Inspired by Solomon's paintings and his prose poem from which the work takes its title, the performance is drawn from fragments of text and (auto)biography: images and words from the late nineteenth century colliding with the experience of being a gay man in the late 1980s in the midst of the AIDS crisis. Originally presented as a solo work, later iterations were performed by Bartlett alongside three London queens: Bette Bourne, Regina Fong and Ivan.
Conference Affairs, Tough Break-Ups and Marriage
Authors: CASE SUE-ELLEN
Published: February 2015

Before the rise of the political and theoretical project of ‘queer’ (which, in my estimation, is a second-wave millennial project begun in the 1990s), scholarly and performative lesbian practices were situated within and against feminist scholarship. Early on, the agenda was to establish lesbian visibility and, in consequence, to reveal and deconstruct the structures of representation, on the stage and on the page. Indeed, the context for lesbian work was intentionally composed of women, misunderstood as separatism, while actually creating a fully gendered notion of surrogation. By this I mean to gesture to Joseph Roach's notion of surrogation as ‘improvized narratives of authenticity and priority’ that can ‘congeal into full-blown myths of legitimacy and origin’. In situating lesbian visibility strictly within the gendered category of women, a genealogy and authenticity were invoked for its representation that were removed from the violence of binary logics of gender.
Cyberactivism and the Emergence of #TeamPanti
Authors: WALSH FINTAN
Published: February 2015

On 1 February 2014, Ireland's best-known queer performer, drag artist Panti (Rory O'Neill), delivered a ten-minute speech on the main stage of the Abbey Theatre following a production of James Plunkett's play The Risen People (1958). The oration was the last instalment in a series of so-called ‘Noble Calls’ programmed by the national theatre, in which invited artists, activists and public intellectuals spoke after the production about an issue of pressing concern. Plunkett's drama explores the impact on a family of the 1913 Dublin Lockout, during which approximately 20,000 people took to the streets in an industrial dispute over working conditions. Marking the centenary of the event, the production and its Noble Calls commemorated the original incident, while also encouraging reflection on the state of contemporary Ireland, and the public's aspirations for a country deeply affected by recent social, cultural and economic upheavals.
THE REALISM OFTHE ANGEL IN THE HOUSE: COVENTRY PATMORE’S POEM RECONSIDERED
Authors: Moore Natasha
Published: February 2015

“The Angel in the Houseis not a very good poem,” writes Carol Christ, “yet it is culturally significant, not only for its definition of the sexual ideal, but also for the clarity with which it represents the male concerns that motivate fascination with that ideal” (147). Her pronouncement is strongly emblematic of recent approaches to Coventry Patmore's best-known poem.The Angel, it is asserted or implied, almost never receives a full or attentive reading now, and does not reward one; it would long since have sunk into obscurity were it not for the unforeseen appropriation of its title as a repository for the prevailing Victorian conception of womanhood; as a text it belongs more properly to the domain of cultural history or gender studies than literary criticism. A renewed scholarly interest in the technical experimentation of Patmore's later volumeThe Unknown Eros(1877) has done little to challenge this view, largely defining itself against the dull conventionality of the earlier work.
CONRAD AND THE COMIC TURN
Authors: Kerr Douglas
Published: February 2015

Of his nineteen years as a sailor, from 1874 to 1894, Joseph Conrad actually worked on ships for ten years and eight months, of which just over eight years were spent at sea, including nine months as a passenger (Najder 161–62). During these nomadic years, London was the place to which he returned again and again to seek his next berth, staying in a series of sailors’ homes, lodgings, and boarding houses. How did he spend his time, a single man with no family and few friends, whose main occupation was waiting? He recalled, in the preface toThe Secret Agent, “solitary and nocturnal walks all over London in my early days” (7). Ford Madox Ford says that Conrad knew all the bars around Fenchurch Street (which links the financial centre of the City of London to Whitechapel and the East End) from his days of waiting for a ship. Returning to the area later in life, according to Ford's slightly improbable memory, he “became at once the city-man gentleman-adventurer with an eye for a skirt,” who “could tell you where every husky earringed fellow with a blue, white-spotted handkerchief under his arm was going to. . . .” (Joseph Conrad116, 117). The reality of these London sojourns was probably less romantic, most of the time. But there was one place where a sailor ashore, without much money, could always go for company and entertainment: the music-hall.
2008 AND ALL THAT: ECONOMICS AND VICTORIAN LITERATURE
Authors: Henry Nancy
Published: February 2015

In their collection of essays,The New Economic Criticism: Studies at the Intersection of Literature and Economics(1999), Mark Osteen and Martha Woodmansee identified and named a movement in economic literary studies and sought to place it alongside a cultural turn in economics. In their introduction, they offer possible reasons for the proliferation of scholarship in literature, culture, and economics. One is that “the critical pendulum has decidedly swung back toward historicist methods” and away from formalist approaches (3); another is that the 1980s thrust “interest rates, stock market speculation, takeovers, leveraged buyouts, and so on, into the public attention as never before since the 1930s” (4). Today, the proverbial pendulum has swung back toward formalism, and it is now surprising to encounter their comparison of the 1980s to the 1930s because we have become so accustomed to claim that comparison to the 1930s for our own post-2008 economy.
A preliminary study to develop an intervention to facilitate communication between couples in advanced cancer
Authors: Mowll Jane , Lobb Elizabeth A. , Lane Lisbeth , Lacey Judith , Chochinov Harvey M. , Kelly Brian , Agar Meera , Links Matthew , Kearsley John H.
Published: February 2015

Objective:

Psychosocial interventions directed to couples where one has advanced cancer can reduce distress, enhance communication, and provide an opportunity for relational growth. The present study aimed to develop an intervention to facilitate communication about living with advanced cancer using the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) as the focus of a clinical interview with couples toward the end of life.

Method:

Couples were recruited from oncology and palliative care services at a Sydney hospital. After the PDI was developed and manualized as an intervention for couples, the PDI–Couple Interview (PDI–CI) was delivered by a clinical psychologist and comprised the following: (1) the patient completed the PDI; (2) the patient's identified partner completed the PDI about how they thought the patient was feeling; and (3) the clinician reviewed the results with the couple, summarizing areas of concurrence and discordance and facilitating discussion.

Results:

Some 34 couples were referred, of which 12 consented, 9 of whom completed the clinical interview. Reported benefits included enabling couples to express their concerns together, identifying differences in understanding, and giving “permission to speak” with each other. The focus of the interview around the PDI provided a structure that was particularly acceptable for men. Most couples confirmed that they were “on the same page,” and where differences were identified, it provided a forum for discussion and a mutual understanding of the challenges in managing advanced cancer within a supportive context.

Significance of Results:

Participant couples' experiences of the PDI–CI provide valuable insight into the benefits of this intervention. This preliminary study indicates that the intervention is a relatively simple means of enhancing closer communication and connection between couples where one has advanced cancer and may be an important adjunct in helping prepare couples for the challenges inherent toward the end of life. Further investigation of feasibility with a larger sample is recommended.
Performance management: the clinician’s tale
Authors: Smith Peter C.
Published: February 2015

The success of performance management in health care depends crucially on the response of health care professionals to the various instruments of performance management (PM). Yet we know little about how those professionals think and work. They may ignore PM for three reasons: ignorance of the relevant performance information; lack of faith in the credibility of the information; or inability to take relevant action. Furthermore, there is a risk that PM comes into fundamental conflict with the idea of professional autonomy and personalization of care. In order to create more effective PM policies, we need to know much more about professional motivations and constraints.
Towards Improved Regional Co-operation over Water Uses in Central Asia: The Case of Hydroelectric Energy and Inland Fisheries
Authors: CAMPINS ERITJA Mar , SAURA ESTAPÁ Jaume , PONS RÁFOLS Xavier
Published: February 2015

This paper analyzes one of the key factors for understanding the region of Central Asia: its distinctive relationship to water resources and how states in the region co-operate—or should do so—in order to achieve better management of this valuable resource. Section I introduces the general legal context and, after the presentation of factual data, examines the management of water resources in the region from the viewpoint of the obligation of co-operation established under general international law, including the realization of the right of access to water and sanitation by all citizens. Subsequently, we analyze how and to what extent current international co-operation tools might contribute to solving existing challenges. To this end, we explore both co-operation in the generation and distribution of hydroelectric power in the region, and regional co-operation in the management, conservation, and sustainable development of the inland fisheries of Central Asia.
A common genetic variation of melanoma inhibitory activity-2 labels a subtype of pancreatic adenocarcinoma with high endoplasmic reticulum stress levels
Authors: Kong Bo , Wu Weiwei , Valkovska Nataliya , Jäger Carsten , Hong Xin , Nitsche Ulrich , Friess Helmut , Esposito Irene , Erkan Mert , Kleeff Jörg , Michalski Christoph W.
Published: February 2015

HNF1 homeobox A (HNF1A)-mediated gene expression constitutes an essential component of the secretory pathway in the exocrine pancreas. Melanoma inhibitory activity 2 (MIA2), a protein facilitating protein secretion, is an HNF1A target. Protein secretion is precisely coordinated by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress/unfolded protein response (UPR) system. Here, we demonstrate that HNFA and MIA2 are expressed in a subset of human PDAC tissues and that HNF1A induced MIA2 in vitro. We identified a common germline variant of MIA2 (c.A617G: p.I141M) associated with a secretory defect of the MIA2 protein in PDAC cells. Patients carrying MIA2I141M survived longer after tumor resection but the survival benefit was restricted to those patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. The MIA2I141M variant was associated with high expression of ER stress/UPR genes – in particular those of the ERN1/XBP arm – in human PDAC samples. Accordingly, PDAC cell lines expressing the MIA2I141M variant expressed high levels of ERN1 and were more sensitive to gemcitabine. These findings define an interaction between the common MIA2I141M variant and the ER stress/UPR system and specify a subgroup of PDAC patients who are more likely to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
Contrasting responses of Central Asian rock glaciers to global warming
Authors: Sorg Annina , Kääb Andreas , Roesch Andrea , Bigler Christof , Stoffel Markus
Published: February 2015

While the responses of Tien Shan glaciers – and glaciers elsewhere – to climatic changes are becoming increasingly well understood, this is less the case for permafrost in general and for rock glaciers in particular. We use a novel approach to describe the climate sensitivity of rock glaciers and to reconstruct periods of high and low rock glacier activity in the Tien Shan since 1895. Using more than 1500 growth anomalies from 280 trees growing on rock glacier bodies, repeat aerial photography from Soviet archives and high-resolution satellite imagery, we present here the world's longest record of rock glacier movements. We also demonstrate that the rock glaciers exhibit synchronous periods of activity at decadal timescales. Despite the complex energy-balance processes on rock glaciers, periods of enhanced activity coincide with warm summers and the annual mass balance of Tuyuksu glacier fluctuates asynchronously with rock glacier activity. At multi-decadal timescales, however, the investigated rock glaciers exhibit site-specific trends reflecting different stages of inactivation, seemingly in response to the strong increase in air temperature since the 1970s.
System-wide analysis of the transcriptional network of human myelomonocytic leukemia cells predicts attractor structure and phorbol-ester-induced differentiation and dedifferentiation transitions
Authors: Sakata Katsumi , Ohyanagi Hajime , Sato Shinji , Nobori Hiroya , Hayashi Akiko , Ishii Hideshi , Daub Carsten O. , Kawai Jun , Suzuki Harukazu , Saito Toshiyuki
Published: February 2015

We present a system-wide transcriptional network structure that controls cell types in the context of expression pattern transitions that correspond to cell type transitions. Co-expression based analyses uncovered a system-wide, ladder-like transcription factor cluster structure composed of nearly 1,600 transcription factors in a human transcriptional network. Computer simulations based on a transcriptional regulatory model deduced from the system-wide, ladder-like transcription factor cluster structure reproduced expression pattern transitions when human THP-1 myelomonocytic leukaemia cells cease proliferation and differentiate under phorbol myristate acetate stimulation. The behaviour of MYC, a reprogramming Yamanaka factor that was suggested to be essential for induced pluripotent stem cells during dedifferentiation, could be interpreted based on the transcriptional regulation predicted by the system-wide, ladder-like transcription factor cluster structure. This study introduces a novel system-wide structure to transcriptional networks that provides new insights into network topology.
The expression and crystallization of Cry65Aa require two C-termini, revealing a novel evolutionary strategy of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry proteins
Authors: Peng Dong-hai , Pang Cui-yun , Wu Han , Huang Qiong , Zheng Jin-shui , Sun Ming
Published: February 2015

The insecticidal crystal protein (Cry) genes of Bacillus thuringiensis are a key gene resource for generating transgenic crops with pest resistance. However, many cry genes cannot be expressed or form crystals in mother cells. Here, we report a novel Cry protein gene, cry65Aa1, which exists in an operon that contains a downstream gene encoding a hypothetical protein ORF2. We demonstrated that ORF2 is required for Cry65Aa1 expression and crystallization by function as a C-terminal crystallization domain. The orf2 sequence is also required for Cry65Aa expression, because orf2 transcripts have a stabilizing effect on cry65Aa1 transcripts. Furthermore, we found that the crystallization of Cry65Aa1 required the Cry65Aa1 C-terminus in addition to ORF2 or a typical Cry protein C-terminal region. Finally, we showed that Cry65Aa1 has a selective cytotoxic effect on MDA-MB231 cancer cells. This report is the first description of a 130-kDa mass range Cry protein requiring two C-termini for crystallization. Our findings reveal a novel evolutionary strategy of Cry proteins and provide an explanation for the existence of Cry protein genes that cannot form crystals in B. thuringiensis. This study also provides a potential framework for isolating novel cry genes from “no crystal” B. thuringiensis strains.
Association of genetic variants of GRIN2B with autism
Authors: Pan Yongcheng , Chen Jingjing , Guo Hui , Ou Jianjun , Peng Yu , Liu Qiong , Shen Yidong , Shi Lijuan , Liu Yalan , Xiong Zhimin , Zhu Tengfei , Luo Sanchuan , Hu Zhengmao , Zhao Jingping , Xia Kun
Published: February 2015

Autism (MIM 209850) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication impairments and restricted repetitive behaviors. It has a high heritability, although much remains unclear. To evaluate genetic variants of GRIN2B in autism etiology, we performed a system association study of common and rare variants of GRIN2B and autism in cohorts from a Chinese population, involving a total sample of 1,945 subjects. Meta-analysis of a triad family cohort and a case-control cohort identified significant associations of multiple common variants and autism risk (Pmin = 1.73 × 10−4). Significantly, the haplotype involved with the top common variants also showed significant association (P = 1.78 × 10−6). Sanger sequencing of 275 probands from a triad cohort identified several variants in coding regions, including four common variants and seven rare variants. Two of the common coding variants were located in the autism-related linkage disequilibrium (LD) block and both were significantly associated with autism (P < 9 × 10−3) using an independent control cohort. Burden analysis and case-only analysis of rare coding variants identified by Sanger sequencing did not find this association. Our study for the first time reveals that common variants and related haplotypes of GRIN2B are associated with autism risk.
Analysis of Major Genome Loci Underlying Artemisinin Resistance and pfmdr1 Copy Number in pre- and post-ACTs in Western Kenya
Authors: Ngalah Bidii S. , Ingasia Luiser A. , Cheruiyot Agnes C. , Chebon Lorna J. , Juma Dennis W. , Muiruri Peninah , Onyango Irene , Ogony Jack , Yeda Redemptah A. , Cheruiyot Jelagat , Mbuba Emmanuel , Mwangoka Grace , Achieng Angela O. , Ng'ang'a Zipporah , Andagalu Ben , Akala Hoseah M. , Kamau Edwin
Published: February 2015

Genetic analysis of molecular markers is critical in tracking the emergence and/or spread of artemisinin resistant parasites. Clinical isolates collected in western Kenya pre- and post- introduction of artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) were genotyped at SNP positions in regions of strong selection signatures on chromosome 13 and 14, as described in Southeast Asia (SEA). Twenty five SNPs were genotyped using Sequenom MassArray and pfmdr1 gene copy number by real-time PCR. Parasite clearance half-life and in vitro drug sensitivity testing were performed using standard methods. One hundred twenty nine isolates were successfully analyzed. Fifteen SNPs were present in pre-ACTs isolates and six in post-ACTs. None of the SNPs showed association with parasite clearance half-life. Post-ACTs parasites had significantly higher pfmdr1 copy number compared to pre-ACTs. Seven of eight parasites with multiple pfmdr1 were post-ACTs. When in vitro IC50s were compared for parasites with single vs. multiple gene copies, only amodiaquine and piperaquine reached statistical significance. Data showed SNPs on chromosome 13 and 14 had different frequency and trend in western Kenya parasites compared SEA. Increase in pfmdr1 gene copy is consistent with recent studies in African parasites. Data suggests genetic signature of artemisinin resistance in Africa might be different from SEA.
Selective extraction and preconcentration of trace lead(ii) in medicinal plant-based ionic liquid hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction system using dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 as membrane carrier
Authors: Wang Yun , Liu Yingying , Han Juan , Wang Lei , Chen Tong , Ni Liang
Published: February 2015

A novel three-phase ionic liquid hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction (IL-HF-LPME) system was used for the selective extraction and preconcentration of Pb(ii) from medicinal plants.
Coordination-driven self-assembly of an iridium-cornered prismatic cage and encapsulation of three heteroguests in its large cavity
Authors: Singh Nem , Jo Jae-Ho , Song Young Ho , Kim Hyunuk , Kim Dongwook , Lah Myoung Soo , Chi Ki-Whan
Published: February 2015

An iridium-cornered nanometer-sized prismatic cage has been synthesized and characterized which allows three planar heteroguest molecules inside its cavity.
Going for strain: synthesis of the first 3-imino-azaphosphiridine complexes and their conversion into oxaphosphirane complex valence isomers
Authors: Villalba Franco José Manuel , Sasamori Takahiro , Schnakenburg Gregor , Espinosa Ferao Arturo , Streubel Rainer
Published: February 2015

Reaction of a Li/Cl phosphinidenoid complex with carbodiimides yielded novel 3-imino-azaphosphiridine complexes, which was converted to the first stable valence isomer of an oxaphosphirane complex.
Solvent effects of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate: solvation and dynamic behavior of polar and apolar solutes
Authors: Lesch Volker , Heuer Andreas , Holm Christian , Smiatek Jens
Published: February 2015

We study the solvation properties of the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([eMIM]+[ACE]−) and the resulting dynamic behavior for differently charged model solutes at room temperature via atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of 500 ns length.
Catalytic asymmetric [3,3]-rearrangements of allylic acetimidates
Authors: Moritz Bauer J. , Peters René
Published: February 2015

The rearrangement of non-halogenated acetimidates in combination with an enzymatic amide hydrolysis is attractive to get almost enantiopure allylic amines.
Mechanical design of DNA nanostructures
Authors: Castro Carlos E. , Su Hai-Jun , Marras Alexander E. , Zhou Lifeng , Johnson Joshua
Published: February 2015

Recent and future advances enabling the design of mechanical properties and dynamic behavior of DNA nanostructures will greatly expand the functional scope of DNA-based devices.
Hemisynthesis of deuteriated adenosylhopane and conversion into bacteriohopanetetrol by a cell-free system from Methylobacterium organophilum
Authors: Liu Wenjun , Bodlenner Anne , Rohmer Michel
Published: February 2015

(2H2)Adenosylhopane was synthesised via a reaction sequence including a cross metathesis followed by N22H2 reduction of the resulting olefin.
Robust superhydrophobic wood obtained by spraying silicone nanoparticles
Authors: Chu Zonglin , Seeger Stefan
Published: February 2015

Here, we report the synthesis of silicone nanoparticles by a facile means of hydrolysing trichloromethylsilane in toluene under ambient conditions in the absence of a catalyst, and their application in the fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces.
Synthesis of a chitosan-based functional biopolymer with both catalytic and binding groups for protein and DNA hydrolysis
Authors: Wang Xingyu , Ding Mei , Liu Zihui , Wang Dongfeng
Published: February 2015

Protein and DNA hydrolysis by chitosan-based biopolymer with catalytic and binding groups.
A simple yet effective fluorescent probe for detecting and imaging mercury ions in cells
Authors: Zhang Yan-Ru , Wang Qing-Rong , Su Peng , Zhao Fei , Huang Jun , Zhao Bao-Xiang
Published: February 2015

The mechanism of probes to Hg(ii) and images under UV lamp and daylight.
Thermal expansion tensors, Grüneisen parameters and phonon velocities of bulk MT2 (M = W and Mo; T = S and Se) from first principles calculations
Authors: Ding Yingchun , Xiao Bing
Published: February 2015

The thermal properties of 2H-MT2 (M = W/Mo, T = S/Se) structures are calculated using the quasi-harmonic approximation based on phonon spectra.
A novel rGR–TiO2–ZrO2 composite nanosheet for capturing phosphopeptides from biosamples
Authors: Huang Xuan , Wang Junping , Liu Cuicui , Guo Ting , Wang Shuo
Published: February 2015

A novel rGR–TiO2–ZrO2 composite nanosheet was synthesized and applied to selectively capture phosphopeptides from complex biosamples.
Enhanced device performances of WSe2–MoS2 van der Waals junction p–n diode by fluoropolymer encapsulation
Authors: Jeon Pyo Jin , Min Sung-Wook , Kim Jin Sung , Raza Syed Raza Ali , Choi Kyunghee , Lee Hee Sung , Lee Young Tack , Hwang Do Kyung , Choi Hyoung Joon , Im Seongil
Published: February 2015

Superior electrostatic and dynamic performances were acquired from the diode on glass when a dipole-containing fluoropolymer was employed for encapsulation.
Toxicity mechanism of graphene oxide and nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots in RBCs revealed by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy
Authors: Wang Tiantian , Zhu Shoujun , Jiang Xiue
Published: February 2015

GO can extract the lipid bilayer of RBCs membranes, resulting in hemolysis and aberrant forms. In contrast, GQDs just disturb the structure and conformation of the lipid, resulting in only aberrant cells.
Conformational analysis of triphenylphosphine ligands in stereogenic monometallic complexes: tools for predicting the preferred configuration of the triphenylphosphine rotor
Authors: Costello James F. , Davies Stephen G. , Gould Elliott T. F. , Thomson James E.
Published: February 2015

A model has been developed to reliably predict the configuration of the triphenylphosphine rotor of stereogenic metal complexes [M(η5-C5H5)(PPh3)(L1)(L2)].
Organocatalytic enantioselective Friedel–Crafts reaction: an efficient access to chiral isoindolo-β-carboline derivatives
Authors: Fang Fang , Hua Genghong , Shi Feng , Li Pengfei
Published: February 2015

An organocatalytic asymmetric Friedel–Crafts reaction between indole and indole-derived hydroxylactams has been realized to furnish isoindolo-β-carbolines in good to excellent yields (up to >99%) and generally high enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee).
Humidity assisted annealing technique for transparent conductive silver nanowire networks
Authors: Weiß Nelli , Müller-Meskamp Lars , Selzer Franz , Bormann Ludwig , Eychmüller Alexander , Leo Karl , Gaponik Nikolai
Published: February 2015

The capacity of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to adsorb water vapor was used to decrease the sheet resistance of silver nanowires (AgNW) based electrodes.
Honeycomb-like NiMoO4 ultrathin nanosheet arrays for high-performance electrochemical energy storage
Authors: Xiao Kang , Xia Lu , Liu Guoxue , Wang Suqing , Ding Liang-Xin , Wang Haihui
Published: February 2015

Honeycomb-like NiMoO4 ultrathin nanosheet arrays as an attractive electrode material are reported for high-performance supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries.
Electrochromic properties of novel octa-pinene substituted double-decker Ln(iii) (Ln = Eu, Er, Lu) phthalocyanines with distinctive near-IR absorption
Authors: Zheng Wei , Wang Bei-Bei , Lai Jian-Cheng , Wan Cheng-Zhang , Lu Xin-Rong , Li Cheng-Hui , You Xiao-Zeng
Published: February 2015

The introduction of pinene groups into lanthanide(iii) double-decker phthalocyanines results in excellent solubility as well as nontrivial spectral and electrochemical properties. Upon external potential, the new lanthanide(iii) double-decker phthalocyanine complexes show electrochromic properties at both visible and near infrared range.
Phase dependent visible to near-infrared photoluminescence of CuInS2 nanocrystals
Authors: Leach A. D. P. , Mast L. G. , Hernández-Pagán E. A. , Macdonald J. E.
Published: February 2015

Here the first synthesis that produces CuInS2 nanocrystals with tuneable photoluminescence from the visible to near-infrared spectral regions is demonstrated.
Phonetic Modification of Vowel Space in Storybook Speech to Infants up to 2 Years of Age
Authors: Burnham Evamarie B. , Wieland Elizabeth A. , Kondaurova Maria V. , McAuley J. Devin , Bergeson Tonya R. , Dilley Laura C.
Published: February 2015

Purpose

A large body of literature has indicated vowel space area expansion in infant-directed (ID) speech compared with adult-directed (AD) speech, which may promote language acquisition. The current study tested whether this expansion occurs in storybook speech read to infants at various points during their first 2 years of life.

Method

In 2 studies, mothers read a storybook containing target vowels in ID and AD speech conditions. Study 1 was longitudinal, with 11 mothers recorded when their infants were 3, 6, and 9 months old. Study 2 was cross-sectional, with 48 mothers recorded when their infants were 3, 9, 13, or 20 months old (
n
= 12 per group). The 1st and 2nd formants of vowels /i/, /ɑ/, and /u/ were measured, and vowel space area and dispersion were calculated.

Results

Across both studies, 1st and/or 2nd formant frequencies shifted systematically for /i/ and /u/ vowels in ID compared with AD speech. No difference in vowel space area or dispersion was found.

Conclusions

The results suggest that a variety of communication and situational factors may affect phonetic modifications in ID speech, but that vowel space characteristics in speech to infants stay consistent across the first 2 years of life.
Vowel Space Characteristics of Speech Directed to Children With and Without Hearing Loss
Authors: Wieland Elizabeth A. , Burnham Evamarie B. , Kondaurova Maria , Bergeson Tonya R. , Dilley Laura C.
Published: February 2015

Purpose

This study examined vowel characteristics in adult-directed (AD) and infant-directed (ID) speech to children with hearing impairment who received cochlear implants or hearing aids compared with speech to children with normal hearing.

Method

Mothers' AD and ID speech to children with cochlear implants (Study 1,
n
= 20) or hearing aids (Study 2,
n
= 11) was compared with mothers' speech to controls matched on age and hearing experience. The first and second formants of vowels /i/, /ɑ/, and /u/ were measured, and vowel space area and dispersion were calculated.

Results

In both studies, vowel space was modified in ID compared with AD speech to children with and without hearing loss. Study 1 showed larger vowel space area and dispersion in ID compared with AD speech regardless of infant hearing status. The pattern of effects of ID and AD speech on vowel space characteristics in Study 2 was similar to that in Study 1, but depended partly on children's hearing status.

Conclusion

Given previously demonstrated associations between expanded vowel space in ID compared with AD speech and enhanced speech perception skills, this research supports a focus on vowel pronunciation in developing intervention strategies for improving speech-language skills in children with hearing impairment.
Improved constant on‐time controlled buck converter with high output‐regulation accuracy
Authors: Chen Xing , Zhou Guohua , Zhang Kaitun , Zhou Shuhan
Published: February 2015

Constant on‐time (COT) control has been widely applied in industrial applications due to its fast transient response. However, the conventional COT controlled buck converter has poor output‐regulation accuracy. A new control method, called improved COT (ICOT) control, that provides both high output‐regulation accuracy and fast transient response for the buck converter is proposed. Circuit simulation results validate the correctness of the theoretical analysis.
Statistical analysis of monopulse‐synthetic aperture radar for constant false‐alarm rate detection of ground moving targets
Authors: Wu Di , Zhu Daiyin , Shen Mingwei , Li Yong
Published: February 2015

An efficient approach to achieve ground moving target indication (GMTI) for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is to use the monopulse‐SAR system. In this kind of SAR system, moving targets are detected over a so called, called monopulse ratio diagram (MRD) generated by a pixel‐to‐pixel comparison between the two SAR images acquired from the sum and difference channels. The sample derived from this diagram for the pixel under test (PUT), i.e. the value of monopulse ratio (MR), is employed as the test statistic. This paper examines the statistics of MR when complex Gaussian clutter‐plus‐noise background in considered. The conditional probability density function (pdf) of MR, given the occurrence that the amplitude of the sum signal is greater than a predetermined threshold, is analysed in detail. Especially, the conditional likelihood function of MR under the null hypothesis is given in a closed‐form. Based on these results, an automatic constant false‐alarm rate (CFAR) detector for moving target detection (MTD) is proposed and extended to a so called multi‐MRD form to further improve the final detection performance. Simulations, as well as experimental results obtained from two groups of real dataset, are presented to examine the detection performance and validate the theoretical analysis.