bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of macrophage sialoadhesin in host defense against the sialylated pathogen group B Streptococcus
Authors: Chang Yung-Chi , Olson Joshua , Louie Aaron , Crocker Paul R. , Varki Ajit , Nizet Victor
Published: May 2014

Several bacterial pathogens decorate their surfaces with sialic acid (Sia) residues within cell wall components or capsular exopolysaccharides. Sialic acid expression can promote bacterial virulence by blocking complement activation or by engagement of inhibitory sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (Siglecs) on host leukocytes. Expressed at high levels on splenic and lymph node macrophages, sialoadhesin (Sn) is a unique Siglec with an elongated structure that lacks intracellular signaling motifs. Sialoadhesin allows macrophage to engage certain sialylated pathogens and stimulate inflammatory responses, but the in vivo significance of sialoadhesin in infection has not been shown. We demonstrate that macrophages phagocytose the sialylated pathogen group B Streptococcus (GBS) and increase bactericidal activity via sialoadhesin-sialic-acid-mediated recognition. Sialoadhesin expression on marginal zone metallophillic macrophages in the spleen trapped circulating GBS and restricted the spread of the GBS to distant organs, reducing mortality. Specific IgM antibody responses to GBS challenge were also impaired in sialoadhesin-deficient mice. Thus, sialoadhesin represents a key bridge to orchestrate innate and adaptive immune defenses against invasive sialylated bacterial pathogens.

Key message

Sialoadhesin is critical for macrophages to phagocytose and clear GBS.

Increased GBS organ dissemination in the sialoadhesin-deficient mice.

Reduced anti-GBS IgM production in the sialoadhesin-deficient mice.
Late Complications after Proctectomy in Rectal Cancer Patients who Underwent Radiotherapy
Authors: Kim So Hyun , Kim Jae Hwang , Jung Sang Hun
Published: May 2014

Background

Radiotherapy for advanced rectal cancer is an important treatment to reduce local recurrence.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to identify the late structural changes of pelvis and adverse effects after radiotherapy for rectal cancer.

Methods

Between January 2000 and December 2009, we performed a single‐center case–control study with 687 patients who underwent curative treatments for rectal cancer. A radiotherapy group (RTX) and a non‐radiotherapy group (NRTX) were compared. Of the 687 patients, 207 cases in the RTX group were identified, and 207 controls for the NRTX group were selected for analysis. Each case had one control matched for age (±5 y), sex, tumor location, and operation type. All instances of radiotherapy were performed as long‐course treatment methods (45.0–50.4 Gy) with concurrent 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU)‐based chemotherapy. Late complications were usually assessed as structural changes of the pelvic organ based on physical examination or radiologic or endoscopic findings 6 months after the rectal resection or pelvic radiation.

Results

In terms of overall complications, the RTX group (N = 45, 21.7 %) experienced more frequent complications than the NRTX group (N = 25, 12.1 %, p = 0.009). In particular, anastomosis‐related complications were more common in the RTX group (9.2 %) than in the NRTX group (2.4 %, p = 0.003). Successful treatment after late complications in the RTX group (33.3 %) was less likely than in the NRTX group (70.0 %, p = 0.010). Late complications in the RTX group gradually increased with time (11.6 % at 2 y, 17.9 % at 3 y, 19.8 % at 4 y) at a higher rate than in the NRTX group (6.8 % at 2 y, 10.6 % at 3 y, 10.6 % at 4 y, p = 0.009).

Conclusions

Radiotherapy for rectal cancer patients may induce late pelvic complications as time progresses, and irreversible tissue changes due to radiation could disrupt the successful treatment of radiation‐related complications.
Emergency Management in Patients with Late Hemorrhage after Pancreatoduodenectomy for a Periampullary Tumor
Authors: Jilesen Anneke P. J. , Tol Johanna A. M. G. , Busch Olivier R. C. , van Delden Otto M. , van Gulik Thomas M. , van Dijkum Els J. M. Nieveen , Gouma Dirk J.
Published: May 2014

Background

The mortality rate due to late hemorrhage after surgery for periampullary tumors is high, especially in patients with anastomotic leakage. Patients usually require emergency intervention for late hemorrhage. In this study patients with late hemorrhage and their outcomes were analyzed. Furthermore, independent predictors for late hemorrhage, the need for emergency intervention, and type of intervention are reported.

Methods

From a prospective database that includes 1,035 patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy for periampullary tumors between 1992 and 2012, patients with late hemorrhage (>24 h after index operation) were identified. Patient, disease‐specific, and operation characteristics, type of intervention, and outcomes were analyzed. Emergency intervention was defined as surgical or radiological intervention in hemodynamically unstable patients.

Results

Of the 47 patients (4.5 %) with late hemorrhage, pancreatic fistula was an independent predictor for developing late hemorrhage (OR 10.2). The mortality rate in patients with late hemorrhage was 13 % compared with 1.5 % in all patients without late hemorrhage. Twenty patients required emergency intervention; 80 % underwent primary radiological intervention and 20 % primary surgical intervention. Extraluminal location of the bleeding (OR 5.6) and occurrence of a sentinel bleed (OR 6.6) are indications for emergency intervention.

Conclusion

The type of emergency intervention needed for late hemorrhage is unpredictable. Radiological intervention is preferred, but if it fails, immediate change to surgical treatment is mandatory. This can be difficult to manage but possible when both radiological and surgical interventions are in close proximity such as in a hybrid operating room and should be considered in the emergency management of patients with late hemorrhage.
Effect of azithromycin on enhancement of methane production from waste activated sludge
Authors: Nguyen Minh Tuan , Maeda Toshinari , Mohd Yusoff Mohd Zulkhairi , Ogawa Hiroaki I
Published: May 2014

In the methane production from waste activated sludge (WAS), complex bacterial interactions in WAS have been known as a major contribution to methane production. Therefore, the influence of bacterial community changes toward methane production from WAS was investigated by an application of antibiotics as a simple means for it. In this study, azithromycin (Azm) as an antibiotic was mainly used to observe the effect on microbial changes that influence methane production from WAS. The results showed that at the end of fermentation, Azm enhanced methane production about twofold compared to control. Azm fostered the growth of acid-producing bacterial communities, which synthesized more precursors for methane formation. DGGE result showed that the hydrolysis as well as acetogenesis stage was improved by the dominant of B1, B2 and B3 strains, which are Clostridium species. In the presence of Azm, the total population of archaeal group was increased, resulting in higher methane productivity achievement.
Microbial enzymatic production and applications of short-chain fructooligosaccharides and inulooligosaccharides: recent advances and current perspectives
Authors: Mutanda T , Mokoena M P , Olaniran A O , Wilhelmi B S , Whiteley C G
Published: May 2014

The industrial production of short-chain fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulooligosaccharides is expanding rapidly due to the pharmaceutical importance of these compounds. These compounds, concisely termed prebiotics, have biofunctional properties and hence health benefits if consumed in recommended dosages. Prebiotics can be produced enzymatically from sucrose elongation or via enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin by exoinulinases and endoinulinases acting alone or synergistically. Exoinulinases cleave the non-reducing β-(2, 1) end of inulin-releasing fructose while endoinulinases act on the internal linkages randomly to release inulotrioses (F3), inulotetraoses (F4) and inulopentaoses (F5) as major products. Fructosyltransferases act by cleaving a sucrose molecule and then transferring the liberated fructose molecule to an acceptor molecule such as sucrose or another oligosaccharide to elongate the short-chain fructooligosaccharide. The FOS produced by the action of fructosyltransferases are 1-kestose (GF2), nystose (GF3) and fructofuranosyl nystose (GF4). The production of high yields of oligosaccharides of specific chain length from simple raw materials such as inulin and sucrose is a technical challenge. This paper critically explores recent research trends in the production and application of short-chain oligosaccharides. Inulin and enzyme sources for the production of prebiotics are discussed. The mechanism of FOS chain elongation and also the health benefits associated with prebiotics consumption are discussed in detail.
Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Kim David , Jules-Elysee Kethy , Turteltaub Lauren , Urban Michael K. , YaDeau Jacques T. , Reid Shane , Lyman Stephen , Ma Yan
Published: May 2014

Background

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is regarded as a risk factor for perioperative complications in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery.

Questions/Purposes

The objective of this retrospective case–control study was to evaluate the adverse outcomes of pulmonary hypertension patients undergoing elective unilateral hip replacements.

Methods

We performed a retrospective case–control study of total hip replacement patients with pulmonary hypertension (cases) and without pulmonary hypertension (control). From the years 2003 to 2008, we identified a total of 132 patients undergoing primary total hip replacements with a diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (right ventricular systolic pressure >35). The primary outcome assessed was the incidence of adverse events that occurred during the postoperative hospital stay. Secondary outcomes studied included length of hospital stay, mortality, and ability to reach certain physical therapy milestones.

Results

The PH group had significantly more adverse events than the control group. Nonlethal cardiac dysrhythmias comprised the most common adverse outcome among the PH group. Overall, the PH group had a morbidity rate of 34.7% while the control had a rate of 21%. The PH group had longer hospital stay (6.7 days vs. 5.9). Both groups had zero mortality during the hospital stay. The PH group had comparable rehabilitation recovery times than the control group.

Conclusion

This retrospective case–control study demonstrates that pulmonary hypertension patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty are more prone to adverse outcomes, especially cardiac dysrhythmias, and longer hospital stays.
Treatment of an Unusual Trans-Scaphoid Perilunate Avulsion Fracture Dislocation: A Case Report
Authors: Moody Lisa , Zhang Andrew Y.
Published: May 2014

Abstract We describe an unusual case of trans-scaphoid perilunate injury where the proximal half of the scaphoid avulsed from all attaching ligaments and extruded into the forearm. Treatment involved anatomic reduction and internal fixation of the fracture, scapholunate (SL) ligament repair, temporary K-wire fixation, and prolonged immobilization. At 19-month follow-up, the fracture healed, SL ligament remained intact, and the patient recovered much of his hand function.
A critical fractional equation with concave–convex power nonlinearities
Authors: Barrios B. , Colorado E. , Servadei R. , Soria F.
Published: May 2014

In this work we study the following fractional critical problem

(P_{\lambda }) =
\begin{cases} (−\mathrm{\Delta })^{s}u = \lambda u^{q} + u^{2_{s}^*−1},\:u > 0 & \text{in }\Omega , \\ u = 0 & \text{in }\mathbb{R}^{n} \setminus \Omega ,
\end{cases}

where

\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^{n}

is a regular bounded domain,

\lambda > 0

,

0 < s < 1

and

n > 2s

. Here

(−\mathrm{\Delta })^{s}

denotes the fractional Laplace operator defined, up to a normalization factor, by

−(−\mathrm{\Delta })^{s}u(x) = \int \limits_{\mathbb{R}^{n}}\frac{u(x + y) + u(x−y)−2u(x)}{|y|^{n + 2s}}\:dy,\:x \in \mathbb{R}^{n}.

Our main results show the existence and multiplicity of solutions to problem

(P_{\lambda })

for different values of

λ

. The dependency on this parameter changes according to whether we consider the concave power case (

0 < q < 1

) or the convex power case (

1 < q < 2^*_{s}−1

). These two cases will be treated separately.
Back to Basics: Preventing Surgical Site Infections
Authors: Spruce Lisa
Published: May 2014

A surgical site infection (SSI) is an unintended and oftentimes preventable consequence of surgery. There is a significant amount of literature related to preventing SSIs, and it is up to practitioners in each care setting to review the evidence and work together to implement SSI prevention measures, such as nasal decolonization, antibiotic prophylaxis, preoperative showers, preoperative oxygen supplementation, and antimicrobial sutures. In addition, practitioners can follow several recommendations to reduce the risk of SSIs, including following proper hand hygiene practices; wearing clean, facility‐laundered scrub attire; following a surgical safety checklist; and speaking up when a break in sterile technique is witnessed. The benefits of preventing SSIs are preventing patient mortality and decreasing the burden that SSIs pose on the national health care system. It is up to health care leaders to drive and support SSI prevention initiatives.
The apoptotic perspective of autism
Authors: Wei Hongen , Alberts Ian , Li Xiaohong
Published: May 2014

Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction, deficits in verbal and non‐verbal communication, and repetitive behavior and restricted interests. The normal brain development during fetal brain development and the first year of life is critical to the behaviors and cognitions in adulthood. Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is an important mechanism that determines the size and shape of the brain and regulates the proper wiring of developing neuronal networks. Pathological activation of apoptotic death pathways under pathological conditions may lead to neuroanatomic abnormalities and possibly to developmental disabilities. It has been demonstrated a possible association between neural cell death and autism. Here, the abnormal apoptosis found in autism from postmortem and animal studies was reviewed and the possible mechanism was discussed.
Activity Limitation Stages Empirically Derived for Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental ADL in the U.S. Adult Community‐Dwelling Medicare Population
Authors: Stineman Margaret G. , Streim Joel E. , Pan Qiang , Kurichi Jibby E. , Schüssler‐Fiorenza Rose Sophia Miryam , Xie Dawei
Published: May 2014

Background

Stages quantify severity like conventional measures but further specify the activities that people are still able to perform without difficulty.

Objective

To develop Activity Limitation Stages for defining and monitoring groups of adult community‐dwelling Medicare beneficiaries.

Design

Cross‐sectional.

Setting

Community.

Participants

There were 14,670 respondents to the 2006 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.

Methods

Stages were empirically derived for the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) by profiling the distribution of performance difficulties as reported by beneficiaries or their proxies. Stage prevalence estimates were determined, and associations with demographic and health variables were examined for all community‐dwelling Medicare beneficiaries.

Main Outcome Measurements

ADL and IADL stage prevalence.

Results

Stages (0‐IV) define 5 groups across the separate ADL and IADL domains according to hierarchically organized profiles of retained abilities and difficulties. For example, at ADL‐I, people are guaranteed to be able to eat, toilet, dress, and bathe/shower without difficulty, whereas they experience limitations getting in and out of bed or chairs and/or difficulties walking. In 2006, an estimated 6.0, 2.9, 2.2, and 0.5 million beneficiaries had mild (ADL‐I), moderate (ADL‐II), severe (ADL‐III), and complete (ADL‐IV) difficulties, respectively, with estimates for IADL stages even higher. ADL and IADL stages showed expected associations with age and health‐related concepts, supporting construct validity. Stages showed the strongest associations with conditions that impair cognition.

Conclusions

Stages as aggregate measures reveal the ADLs and IADLs that people are still able to do without difficulty, along with those activities in which they report having difficulty, consequently emphasizing how groups of people with difficulties can still participate in their own lives. Over the coming decades, stages applied to populations served by vertically integrated clinical practices could facilitate large‐scale planning, with the goal of maximizing personal autonomy among groups of community‐dwelling people with disabilities.
Timing of glacier advances and climate in the High Tatra Mountains (Western Carpathians) during the Last Glacial Maximum
Authors: Makos Michał , Dzierżek Jan , Nitychoruk Jerzy , Zreda Marek
Published: May 2014

During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), long valley glaciers developed on the northern and southern sides of the High Tatra Mountains, Poland and Slovakia. Chlorine-36 exposure dating of moraine boulders suggests two major phases of moraine stabilization, at 26–21 ka (LGM I — maximum) and at 18 ka (LGM II). The dates suggest a significantly earlier maximum advance on the southern side of the range. Reconstructing the geometry of four glaciers in the Sucha Woda, Pańszczyca, Mlynicka and Velicka valleys allowed determining their equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) at 1460, 1460, 1650 and 1700 m asl, respectively. Based on a positive degree-day model, the mass balance and climatic parameter anomaly (temperature and precipitation) has been constrained for LGM I advance. Modeling results indicate slightly different conditions between northern and southern slopes. The N–S ELA gradient finds confirmation in slightly higher temperature (at least 1 °C) or lower precipitation (15%) on the south-facing glaciers during LGM I. The precipitation distribution over the High Tatra Mountains indicates potentially different LGM atmospheric circulation than at the present day, with reduced northwesterly inflow and increased southerly and westerly inflows of moist air masses.
Ion motion effects on the generation of short-cycle relativistic laser pulses during radiation pressure acceleration
Authors: Wang W. P. , Zhang X. M. , Wang X. F. , Zhao X. Y. , Xu J. C. , Yu Y. H. , Yi L. Q. , Shi Y. , Zhang L. G. , Xu T. J. , Liu C. , Pei Z. K. , Shen B. F.
Published: May 2014

The effects of ion motion on the generation of short-cycle relativistic laser pulses during radiation pressure acceleration are investigated by analytical modeling and particle-in-cell simulations. Studies show that the rear part of the transmitted pulse modulated by ion motion is sharper compared with the case of the electron shutter only. In this study, the ions further modulate the short-cycle pulses transmitted. A 3.9 fs laser pulse with an intensity of $1.33\times 10^{21}\ {\rm W}\ {\rm cm}^{-2}$ is generated by properly controlling the motions of the electron and ion in the simulations. The short-cycle laser pulse source proposed can be applied in the generation of single attosecond pulses and electron acceleration in a small bubble regime.
Effects of a beetroot juice with high neobetanin content on the early-phase insulin response in healthy volunteers
Authors: Wootton-Beard Peter C. , Brandt Kirsten , Fell David , Warner Sarah , Ryan Lisa
Published: May 2014

Produce rich in phytochemicals may alter postprandial glucose and insulin responses by interacting with the pathways that regulate glucose uptake and insulin secretion in humans. The aims of the present study were to assess the phytochemical constituents of red beetroot juice and to measure the postprandial glucose and insulin responses elicited by either 225 ml beetroot juice (BEET), a control beverage matched for macronutrient content (MCON) or a glucose beverage in healthy adults. Beetroot juice was a particularly rich source of betalain degradation compounds. The orange/yellow pigment neobetanin was measured in particularly high quantities (providing 1·3 g in the 225 ml). A total of sixteen healthy individuals were recruited, and consumed the test meals in a controlled single-blind cross-over design. Results revealed a significant lowering of the postprandial insulin response in the early phase (0–60 min) (P < 0·05) and a significantly lower glucose response in the 0–30 min phase (P < 0·05) in the BEET treatment compared with MCON. Betalains, polyphenols and dietary nitrate found in the beetroot juice may each contribute to the observed differences in the postprandial insulin concentration.
The Political Economy of Ownership: Housing Markets and the Welfare State
Authors: ANSELL BEN
Published: May 2014

The major economic story of the last decade has been the surge and collapse of house prices worldwide. Yet political economists have had little to say about how this critical phenomenon affects citizens’ welfare and their demands from government. This article develops a novel theoretical argument linking housing prices to social policy preferences and policy outcomes. I argue that homeowners experiencing house price appreciation will become less supportive of redistribution and social insurance policies since increased house prices both increase individuals’ permanent income and the value of housing as self-supplied insurance against income loss. Political parties of the right will, responding to these preferences, cut social spending substantially during housing booms. I test these propositions using both microdata on social preferences from panel surveys in the USA, the UK, and a cross-country survey of 29 countries, and macrodata of national social spending for 18 countries between 1975 and 2001.
The Legacy of Historical Conflict: Evidence from Africa
Authors: BESLEY TIMOTHY , REYNAL-QUEROL MARTA
Published: May 2014

This article exploits variation between and within countries to examine the legacy of recorded conflicts in Africa in the precolonial period between 1400 and 1700. There are three main findings. First, we show that historical conflict is correlated with a greater prevalence of postcolonial conflict. Second, historical conflict is correlated with lower levels of trust, a stronger sense of ethnic identity, and a weaker sense of national identity across countries. Third, historical conflict is negatively correlated with subsequent patterns of development looking at the pattern across grid cells within countries.
“The Jew Usually Left Those Crimes to Esau”: The Jewish Responses to Accusations about Jewish Criminality in New York, 1908–1913
Authors: Ribak Gil
Published: May 2014

This article examines how communal activists, leaders, intellectuals, and the Yiddish press understood and reacted to charges regarding purported Jewish criminality, which accusers often linked to the need to curtail immigration to America. The Jewish self-image as a nonviolent people proved to be quite resilient, and one of the ways to reconcile the existence of Jewish criminals with that self-perception was to put the blame on the surrounding (American) influence, or to evoke generalized negative images of gentiles as a foil for applauding Jewish qualities. New York Jews construed their relations with the larger non-Jewish society as a continuation of old-world patterns of Jewish-gentile relations rather than a change or reversal of them. The criminal episodes demonstrated how a cultural net of transnational meanings shaped Jews' understanding and reaction to allegations against them.
Opulence and Oblivion: Talmudic Feasting, Famine, and the Social Politics of Disaster
Authors: Belser Julia Watts
Published: May 2014

Food and feasting narratives illuminate the social politics of disaster in the Babylonian Talmud's lengthiest account of the destruction of Jerusalem (Bavli Gittin 55b–58a). Key moments in this sugya center around food: the shame of Bar Kamẓa at a feast sparks his eventual betrayal of the Jews, the tale of Marta bat Boethus recounts the starvation of the wealthiest woman in Jerusalem, and Caesar destroys Tur Malka in retaliation for an opulent banquet. This article contextualizes these rabbinic narratives within the social politics of Roman and Sasanian banquet culture, while also parsing the intersections of gender, class, and social status in these disaster tales. Through its critical representation of high-class oblivion, the sugya calls attention to the ethical cost of elite status by highlighting the physical and moral dangers of social privilege. Its stories of luxurious eating emphasize how corrosive concerns about status and shame often lead elites to protect their private interests by sacrificing the well-being of the broader community. Its feasting narratives assert that wealth, luxury, and social privilege distance elites from the awareness of suffering in their midst.
Cinema Studies/Jewish Studies, 2011–2013
Authors: Sokoloff Naomi
Published: May 2014

In an era of massive university budget cuts and pervasive malaise regarding the future of the humanities, cinema and media studies continue to be a growth industry. Many academic fields have been paying increasing attention to film, in terms of both curriculum development and research. Jewish studies is no exception. Since 2011, a boom in publications has included a range of new books that deal with Jews on screen, Jewish themes in cinema, and the construction of Jewish identity through film. To assess what these recent titles contribute to Jewish cinema studies, though, requires assessing the parameters of the field—and that is no easy task. The definition of what belongs is as elastic as the boundaries of Jewish identity and as perplexing as the perennial question, who is a Jew? Consequently, the field is wildly expansive, potentially encompassing the many geographical locales where films on Jewish topics have been produced as well as the multiple languages and cinematic traditions within which such films have emerged. At issue are not just numerous national cinemas, but also transnational productions and international histories. Yiddish film, for instance, was produced in Poland, the Soviet Union, the US, Argentina, and other places as well. Compounding the challenge of assessing the field of Jewish film is the fact that Jewish studies overlaps with Holocaust studies, itself a vast enterprise that has grown dramatically over the past two decades. A simple WorldCat search, restricted to scholarly books from respectable academic presses, turns up dozens of titles on cinema and the Holocaust published since the year 2000. Not surprisingly, the long-standing debates on “what is Jewish literature?” have morphed into controversy over “what is Jewish cinema”?
מנגנון הבחירה אצל הרמב״ם
Authors: צדיק שלום
Published: May 2014

כמו נושאים רבים בהגותו של הנשר הגדול, נתונה גם שאלת הבחירה למחלוקת אצל חוקרי הרמב״ם.
Communicating bodily changes: Physicians' ways of enabling patient understanding in gastrointestinal cancer consultations
Authors: Friberg Febe , Lidén Eva , Håkanson Cecilia , Öhlén Joakim
Published: May 2014

Objective:

To explore how physicians communicatively enable patients' understanding of bodily changes in gastrointestinal cancer care consultations.

Method:

Two datasets were used. The first consisted of transcribed video-recorded palliative care consultations with three oncologists and six patients diagnosed with advanced gastrointestinal cancer, in the context of outpatient palliative care. The second dataset was audio-recorded transcriptions from diagnostic consultations with six surgeons and seven patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, in the context of cancer surgery. An inductively driven and iterative analysis of interaction was performed, guided by Wetherell et al. (2001).

Results:

Two overarching communicative strategies were identified: (1) “visualizing strategies,” with the dimensions: visible strategies (visualizing with what you actually or potentially can see), sensory strategies (visualizing with what is possible to feel), and imaginative strategies; and (2) “contrasting strategies,” with the dimensions: contrasting subjective experiences and contrasting between the patient and other people.

Significance of results:

The visualizing and contrasting communicative strategies form parts of physicians' tacit and experience-based knowledge. The strategies employed by physicians reveal clear potentials to enable patients' understanding and sense making of bodily changes. However, these strategies need to be explicated and problematized as parts of both consultation practice and basic medical education. By means of increased awareness, physicians can more easily identify turning points in patients' levels of understanding, thereby enriching ordinary medical consultations with reflected pedagogical strategies and skills in how to dialogue in a person-centered manner.
Are immigrants responsible for the recent decline in Australian suicide rates?
Authors: Kõlves K. , De Leo D.
Published: May 2014

Aims.

This study aims to examine Queensland suicide trends in the Australian-born population and in the overseas-born populations over the past 2 decades.

Methods.

All suicide cases for the period 1991–2009 were identified in the Queensland Suicide Register. Age-standardised suicide rates were calculated. Joinpoint regression and Poisson regression were applied.

Results.

A significant decline in suicide rates of young (15–44 years) overseas-born males was reported over the past 2 decades. Australian-born young males showed significant increase until 1996, followed by a significant decline; furthermore, their suicide rates were significantly higher when compared to overseas-born (RR = 1.36, 95%CI: 1.15; 1.62). Contrary older Australian-born males (45+ years) had significantly lower suicide rates than overseas-born males (RR = 0.90, 95%CI: 0.83; 0.98). Despite the convergence of the suicide trends for older males, changes were not significant. While Australian-born females had a significant increase in suicides, overseas-born females had a decline in 1991–2009.

Conclusions.

Conclusion. Significantly declining suicide rates of migrants have contributed to the declining in suicide trends in Queensland. Potential reasons for significantly lower suicide rates among young migrants might include the change in the nature of migration from involuntary to voluntary.
The malaria parasite egress protease SUB1 is a calcium-dependent redox switch subtilisin
Authors: Withers-Martinez Chrislaine , Strath Malcolm , Hackett Fiona , Haire Lesley F. , Howell Steven A. , Walker Philip A. , Christodoulou Evangelos , Dodson Guy G. , Blackman Michael J.
Published: May 2014

Malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite that replicates within an intraerythrocytic parasitophorous vacuole. Release (egress) of malaria merozoites from the host erythrocyte is a highly regulated and calcium-dependent event that is critical for disease progression. Minutes before egress, an essential parasite serine protease called SUB1 is discharged into the parasitophorous vacuole, where it proteolytically processes a subset of parasite proteins that play indispensable roles in egress and invasion. Here we report the first crystallographic structure of Plasmodium falciparum SUB1 at 2.25 Å, in complex with its cognate prodomain. The structure highlights the basis of the calcium dependence of SUB1, as well as its unusual requirement for interactions with substrate residues on both prime and non-prime sides of the scissile bond. Importantly, the structure also reveals the presence of a solvent-exposed redox-sensitive disulphide bridge, unique among the subtilisin family, that likely acts as a regulator of protease activity in the parasite.
SiH/TiO2 and GeH/TiO2 Heterojunctions: Promising TiO2-based Photocatalysts under Visible Light
Authors: Niu Mang , Cheng Daojian , Cao Dapeng
Published: May 2014

We use hybrid density functional calculations to find that the monolayer silicane (SiH) and the anatase TiO2(101) composite (i.e. the SiH/TiO2 heterojunction) is a promising TiO2-based photocatalyst under visible light. The band gap of the SiH/TiO2(101) heterojunction is 2.082 eV, which is an ideal material for the visible-light photoexcitation of electron-hole pairs. Furthermore, the SiH/TiO2(101) heterojunction has a favorable type-II band alignment and thus the photoexcited electron can be injected to the conduction band of anatase TiO2 from that of silicane. Finally, the proper interface charge distribution facilitates the carrier separation in the SiH/TiO2(101) interface region. The electron injection and carrier separation can prevent the recombination of electron-hole pairs. Our calculation results suggest that such electronic structure of SiH/TiO2(101) heterojunction has significant advantages over these of doped TiO2 systems for visible-light photocatalysis.
Margination of micro- and nano-particles in blood flow and its effect on drug delivery
Authors: Müller Kathrin , Fedosov Dmitry A. , Gompper Gerhard
Published: May 2014

Drug delivery by micro- and nano-carriers enables controlled transport of pharmaceuticals to targeted sites. Even though carrier fabrication has made much progress recently, the delivery including controlled particle distribution and adhesion within the body remains a great challenge. The adhesion of carriers is strongly affected by their margination properties (migration toward walls) in the microvasculature. To investigate margination characteristics of carriers of different shapes and sizes and to elucidate the relevant physical mechanisms, we employ mesoscopic hydrodynamic simulations of blood flow. Particle margination is studied for a wide range of hematocrit values, vessel sizes and flow rates, using two- and three-dimensional models. The simulations show that the margination properties of particles improve with increasing carrier size. Spherical particles yield slightly better margination than ellipsoidal carriers; however, ellipsoidal particles exhibit a slower rotational dynamics near a wall favoring their adhesion. In conclusion, micron-sized ellipsoidal particles are favorable for drug delivery in comparison with sub-micron spherical particles.
Aqueous two-phase system patterning of detection antibody solutions for cross-reaction-free multiplex ELISA
Authors: Frampton John P. , White Joshua B. , Simon Arlyne B. , Tsuei Michael , Paczesny Sophie , Takayama Shuichi
Published: May 2014

Accurate disease diagnosis, patient stratification and biomarker validation require the analysis of multiple biomarkers. This paper describes cross-reactivity-free multiplexing of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) using aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) to confine detection antibodies at specific locations in fully aqueous environments. Antibody cross-reactions are eliminated because the detection antibody solutions are co-localized only to corresponding surface-immobilized capture antibody spots. This multiplexing technique is validated using plasma samples from allogeneic bone marrow recipients. Patients with acute graft versus host disease (GVHD), a common and serious condition associated with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, display higher mean concentrations for four multiplexed biomarkers (HGF, elafin, ST2 and TNFR1) relative to healthy donors and transplant patients without GVHD. The antibody co-localization capability of this technology is particularly useful when using inherently cross-reactive reagents such as polyclonal antibodies, although monoclonal antibody cross-reactivity can also be reduced. Because ATPS-ELISA adapts readily available antibody reagents, plate materials and detection instruments, it should be easily transferable into other research and clinical settings.
Diiron hexacarbonyl complexes as potential CO-RMs: CO-releasing initiated by a substitution reaction with cysteamine and structural correlation to the bridging linkage
Authors: Jiang Xiujuan , Long Li , Wang Hailong , Chen Limei , Liu Xiaoming
Published: May 2014

Substitution-initiated CO-releasing rate of diiron hexacarbonyl complexes are highly dependent on their bridging linkages and the complexes of the “open” form release CO much faster than those of the “close” form.
Ultrasensitive colorimetric carcinoembryonic antigen biosensor based on hyperbranched rolling circle amplification
Authors: Liang Kai , Zhai Shuiting , Zhang Zhidong , Fu Xiaoyang , Shao Jingwei , Lin Zhenyu , Qiu Bin , Chen Guo-nan
Published: May 2014

A hyperbranched rolling circle amplification (HRCA)-based colorimetric biosensor for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) with high sensitivity and specificity has been developed.
A novel voltammetric p-nitrophenol sensor based on ZrO2nanoparticles incorporated into a multiwalled carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode
Authors: Devadas Balamurugan , Rajkumar Muniyandi , Chen Shen-Ming , Yeh Pin-Chun
Published: May 2014

Electrochemical fabrication of a functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube/ZrO2nanocomposite film on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode.
A 3,4-2(trifluoromethyl phenyl)-2,5-diphenyl phenyl grafted polysiloxane as a stationary phase for gas chromatography
Authors: Zhao Pengchao , Liu Lei , Yu Miao , Niu Na , Wu Bo , Wang Guangbao
Published: May 2014

A stationary phase for gas chromatography (DFP-15) was synthesized and demonstrated to have great potential for the analysis of substituted benzene and PAHs.
Preparation of PDMS microfluidic devices based on drop-on-demand generation of wax molds
Authors: Li Zong'an , Hou Liya , Zhang Weiyi , Zhu Li
Published: May 2014

This paper describes a method for the preparation of PDMS microfluidic devices based on drop-on-demand generation of wax molds.
Site-specific protein labelling and immobilization mediated by microbial transglutaminase
Authors: Oteng-Pabi Samuel K. , Pardin Christophe , Stoica Maria , Keillor Jeffrey W.
Published: May 2014

Microbial transglutaminase (mTG) mediates site-specific propargylation of target proteins, allowing their subsequent modification in in vitro bio-conjugation applications.
MnII-containing coordination nanoparticles as highly efficient T1 contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Paul Gabriella , Prado Yoann , Dia Nada , Rivière Eric , Laurent Sophie , Roch Mathieu , Elst Luce Vander , Muller Robert N. , Sancey Lucie , Perriat Pascal , Tillement Olivier , Mallah Talal , Catala Laure
Published: May 2014

Nanoparticles of MnII-containing Prussian blue analogues reveal large longitudinal relaxivities exceeding that of clinical contrast agents.
Labile alkoxyamines: past, present, and future
Authors: Audran Gérard , Brémond Paul , Marque Sylvain. R. A.
Published: May 2014

How the fields of application have changed during the last 40 years and the future perspectives.
Effects of heteroatom substitution in conjugated heterocyclic compounds on photovoltaic performance: from sulfur to tellurium
Authors: Park Y. S. , Kale T. S. , Nam C.-Y. , Choi D. , Grubbs R. B.
Published: May 2014

Band gaps of benzochalcogenophene-based organic semiconductors and the efficiencies of the corresponding photovoltaic devices can be tuned through heteroatom variation.
One-pot enantioselective construction of indoloquinolizidine derivatives bearing five contiguous stereocenters using aliphatic aldehydes, nitroethylenes, and tryptamine
Authors: Tan Yu , Luan Han-Lin , Lin Hua , Sun Xing-Wen , Yang Xiao-Di , Dong Han-Qing , Lin Guo-Qiang
Published: May 2014

An organocatalytic cascade reaction was established for the construction of indoloquinolizidine derivatives bearing five contiguous stereocenters from readily available starting materials.
Qualitative and quantitative detection of methylation at CpG sites using the fluorescein-dGTP incorporated asymmetric PCR assay strategy
Authors: Hong Tingting , Wang Tianlu , He Zhiyong , Ma Jingwei , Xiao Heng , Huang Jinguo , Mao Wuxiang , Zhou Xiang
Published: May 2014

Quantitative information about DNA sequences with diverse methylation statuses can be provided through fluorescein-dGTP incorporated asymmetric PCR assay.
Mapping functional groups on oxidised multi-walled carbon nanotubes at the nanometre scale
Authors: Goode A. E. , Hine N. D. M. , Chen S. , Bergin S. D. , Shaffer M. S. P. , Ryan M. P. , Haynes P. D. , Porter A. E. , McComb D. W.
Published: May 2014

Functional peaks have been mapped across individual multi-walled CNTs with low-dose, monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM).
Enhancing the effective energy barrier of a Dy(iii) SMM using a bridged diamagnetic Zn(ii) ion
Authors: Upadhyay Apoorva , Singh Saurabh Kumar , Das Chinmoy , Mondol Ranajit , Langley Stuart K. , Murray Keith S. , Rajaraman Gopalan , Shanmugam Maheswaran
Published: May 2014

In this communication, we have proposed a novel synthetic strategy to increase the effective energy barrier (Ueff) of dysprosium(iii) single ion magnets using a diamagnetic metal ion such as Zinc(ii).
New synthetic pathways to the preparation of near-blue emitting heteroleptic Ir(iii)N6 coordinated compounds with microsecond lifetimes
Authors: Soman Suraj , Manton Jennifer C. , Inglis Jane L. , Halpin Yvonne , Twamley Brendan , Otten Edwin , Browne Wesley R. , De Cola Luisa , Vos Johannes G. , Pryce Mary T.
Published: May 2014

A high yield synthetic route for the preparation of N6 coordinated heteroleptic Ir(iii) complexes using bidentate polypyridyl type ligands is described.
A quinoxaline-fused tetrathiafulvalene-based sensitizer for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Amacher Anneliese , Yi Chenyi , Yang Jiabao , Bircher Martin Peter , Fu Yongchun , Cascella Michele , Grätzel Michael , Decurtins Silvio , Liu Shi-Xia
Published: May 2014

A new strategy for the development of a compactly fused tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-based sensitizer is reported, leading to the best performance to date for TTF-sensitized solar cells.
Pillar[5]arene-based nonionic polyrotaxanes and a topological gel prepared from cyclic host liquids
Authors: Ogoshi Tomoki , Aoki Takamichi , Ueda Seita , Tamura Yuko , Yamagishi Tada-aki
Published: May 2014

We synthesize nonionic polymer-based polyrotaxanes by click reactions in pillar[5]arene-based cyclic host liquids and a topological gel by a metathesis reaction.
Myo-inositol supported heterometallic Dy24M2 (M = Ni, Mn) cages
Authors: Liu Da-Peng , Peng Jun-Bo , Lin Xin-Ping , Huang Que , Kong Xiang-Jian , Long La-Sheng , Huang Rong-Bin , Zheng Lan-Sun
Published: May 2014

Two heterometallic cage-like Dy24M2 (M = Ni, Mn) cluster compounds have been synthesized through self-assembly of the metal ions and the myo-inositol ligand templated by three ClO4− anions.
The polymorphism of a triarylphosphine oxide: a case of missing isomers
Authors: Puigjaner Cristina , Vela Sergi , Font-Bardia Mercè , Novoa Juan J.
Published: May 2014

An experimental and computational study of the polymorphism of o-nitrophenyldiphenylphosphine oxide (1) has been carried out raising the question of why the anti polymorphs, more stable than the observed syn conformations according to our computations, have not been found.
A population balance model for solvent-mediated polymorphic transformation in unseeded solutions
Authors: Kobari M. , Kubota N. , Hirasawa I.
Published: May 2014

A new population balance model for solvent-mediated polymorphic transformation is presented.
Unusual behavior of thermal lens in alcohols
Authors: Kumar Pardeep , Dinda Sirshendu , Chakraborty Atanu , Goswami Debabrata
Published: May 2014

We use a femtosecond pump–probe Z-scan technique to measure the thermal lens (TL) signal in a homologous series of primary alcohols.
Toward in silico modeling of palladium–hydrogen–carbon nanohorn nanocomposites
Authors: Kowalczyk Piotr , Terzyk Artur P. , Gauden Piotr A. , Furmaniak Sylwester , Kaneko Katsumi
Published: May 2014

The first in silico modeling of the Pd–H-single-walled carbon nanohorn nanocomposites shows that apex angle of horn-shaped tips of single-walled carbon nanohorns controls the morphology and reactivity of confined Pd clusters.
Influence of sol counter-ions on the visible light induced photocatalytic behaviour of TiO2 nanoparticles
Authors: Tobaldi D. M. , Pullar R. C. , Binions R. , Belen Jorge A. , McMillan P. F. , Saeli M. , Seabra M. P. , Labrincha J. A.
Published: May 2014

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are attracting increasing interest because of their superior photocatalytic and antibacterial properties.
Highly selective phenol production from benzene on a platinum-loaded tungsten oxide photocatalyst with water and molecular oxygen: selective oxidation of water by holes for generating hydroxyl radical as the predominant source of the hydroxyl group
Authors: Tomita Osamu , Ohtani Bunsho , Abe Ryu
Published: May 2014

Highly selective phenol production from benzene using Pt/WO3photocatalysts due to the unique reactivity of holes generating hydroxyl radicals.
Two novel metal borates with three-dimensional open-framework layers constructed from [M2B8O20(OH)2] (M = Al, Ga) cluster units
Authors: Wei Qi , Li Lu , Cheng Lin , Meng Qin , Yang Guo-Yu
Published: May 2014

Two metal borates, Ba[MB4O8(OH)]·H2O (M = Al, Ga), with 3-D porous layers have been synthesized under hydro(solvo)thermal conditions, in which two MB4O11(OH) half-units link via Al–O–Al linkages to form the dimeric M2B8O20(OH)2 cluster unit. These clusters further connect with each other to form 3-D porous layers.
Chemical tuning of the magnetic relaxation in dysprosium(iii) mononuclear complexes
Authors: Batchelor Luke J. , Cimatti Irene , Guillot Régis , Tuna Floriana , Wernsdorfer Wolfgang , Ungur Liviu , Chibotaru Liviu F. , Campbell Victoria E. , Mallah Talal
Published: May 2014

Deprotonation of the organic ligand of a ten coordinated dysprosium(iii) complex exhibiting a slow relaxation of the magnetization leads to a change in the metal local environment and speeds up the relaxation process.
Synthesis, characterization and crystal structure analysis of cobaltaborane and cobaltaheteroborane clusters
Authors: Sharmila Dudekula , Ramalakshmi Rongala , Chakrahari Kiran Kumarvarma , Varghese Babu , Ghosh Sundargopal
Published: May 2014

A novel class of cobaltaborane and cobaltaheteroborane clusters, isocloso-[(Cp*Co)3B6H7Co(CO)2], closo-[(Cp*Co)2B2H5Mo2(CO)6I], nido-[(Cp*Co)2B2H2S2], and closo-[(Cp*Co)2B4H2Br4] were investigated (see picture).
Synthesis and electrochemistry of β-pyrrole nitro-substituted cobalt(ii) porphyrins. The effect of the NO2 group on redox potentials, the electron transfer mechanism and catalytic reduction of molecular oxygen in acidic media
Authors: Sun Bin , Ou Zhongping , Yang Shuibo , Meng Deying , Lu Guifen , Fang Yuanyuan , Kadish Karl M.
Published: May 2014

Four cobalt porphyrins were synthesized and characterized as to their electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical and electrocatalytic properties.
Advancements in perovskite solar cells: photophysics behind the photovoltaics
Authors: Sum Tze Chien , Mathews Nripan
Published: May 2014

This article reviews the fundamental photophysics and working mechanisms of perovskite solar cells and highlights the current state-of-the-art and open questions in this maturing field.
A portable optic fiber aptasensor for sensitive, specific and rapid detection of bisphenol-A in water samples
Authors: Yildirim Nimet , Long Feng , He Miao , Shi Han-Chang , Gu April Z.
Published: May 2014

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a known endocrine disruptor and one of the most serious environmental contaminants, often present at low levels in various water sources.
Spectral imaging and passive sampling to investigate particle sources in urban desert regions
Authors: Wagner Jeff , Casuccio Gary
Published: May 2014

Two types of electron microscopy analyses were combined with passive sampling and geographic information system mapping to investigate airborne particle sources in desert cities.