bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Construction of Supramolecular Nanostructures with High Catalytic Activity by Photoinduced Hierarchical Co‐Assembly
Authors: Yang Xuejiao , Wang Yuefei , Qi Wei , Yang Bohao , Liu Xiao , Zhang Lei , Liu Jiangyue , Su Rongxin , He Zhimin
Published: April 2019

Inspired by natural enzymes, hierarchical catalytic supramolecular nanostructures were developed by the co‐assembly of hemin and glucose oxidase (or Au NPs) with the photosensitive ferrocene–tyrosine (Fc‐Y) molecule. Illuminated by white light, the Fc‐Y molecules are polymerized and co‐assemble with hemin into truncated polyhedrons. The Au NPs grew in situ at the surface of the co‐assembled polyhedrons, achieving ordered supramolecular nanostructures. Because the Au NPs can serve as an artificial glucose oxidase and the hemin could act as a peroxidase mimic, the supramolecular hybrid nanostructures were used to mimic natural enzymes and catalyze the glucose conversion cascade reaction. The hybrid Au NPs@Fc‐Y&hemin polyhedrons showed superior catalytic activity, good reusability, and maintained the catalytic activity over a wide temperature and pH range. The study demonstrates a feasible strategy to construct hierarchical co‐assembled supramolecular nanostructures as multi‐enzyme mimics, with potential applications in biocatalysis and biosensing.
Importing Tin Nanoparticles into Biomass‐Derived Silicon Oxycarbides with High‐Rate Cycling Capability Based on Supercritical Fluid Technology
Authors: Shi Cheng , Huang Hui , Xia Yang , Yu Jiage , Fang Ruyi , Liang Chu , Zhang Jun , Gan Yongping , Zhang Wenkui
Published: April 2019

Silicon oxycarbides (SiOC) are regarded as potential anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries, although inferior cycling stability and rate performance greatly limit their practical applications. Herein, amorphous SiOC is synthesized from Chlorella by means of a biotemplate method based on supercritical fluid technology. On this basis, tin particles with sizes of several nanometers are introduced into the SiOC matrix through the biosorption feature of Chlorella. As lithium‐ion battery anodes, SiOC and Sn@SiOC can deliver reversible capacities of 440 and 502 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles at 100 mA g−1 with great cycling stability. Furthermore, as‐synthesized Sn@SiOC presents an excellent high‐rate cycling capability, which exhibits a reversible capacity of 209 mAh g−1 after 800 cycles at 5000 mA g−1; this is 1.6 times higher than that of SiOC. Such a novel approach has significance for the preparation of high‐performance SiOC‐based anodes.
Pd/C as Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Direct Arylation of (Poly)fluorobenzenes
Authors: Mao Shuxin , Shi Xinzhe , Soulé Jean‐François , Doucet Henri
Published: April 2019

The potential of the heterogeneous catalyst 10 % Pd/C in the direct arylation of (poly)fluorobenzene derivatives with aryl bromides has been investigated. In general, high yields of biaryl derivatives were obtained by using tri‐, tetra‐, and pentafluorobenzenes, whereas mono‐ and difluorobenzenes exhibited poor reactivity. The regioselectivities of the arylation reactions were similar to those observed with homogeneous palladium catalysts. Both electron‐withdrawing and ‐donating substituents, such as nitrile, nitro, acetyl, ester, trifluoromethyl, tert‐butyl, methoxy, or methyl, on the aryl bromide were tolerated. Unexpectedly, tetrafluoro‐substituted [1,1′‐biphenyl]‐4‐ols were obtained from pentafluorobenzene at 150 °C due to a formal regioselective hydroxylation, whereas at lower temperatures the expected pentafluorobiphenyls were obtained. However, no C−F bond cleavage was observed with the other polyfluorobenzene derivatives. These arylation reactions were carried out with only 1 mol % Pd/C as the catalyst and KOAc as an inexpensive base. Therefore, this protocol represents a very attractive access to (poly)fluoro‐substituted biphenyls in terms of cost, simplicity, and sustainable chemistry because the Pd/C catalyst can be easily removed at the end of the reaction, there is no contamination with phosphine ligand residues, and the major side‐product of the reaction is KOAc⋅HBr.
Metal–Organic Coordination Strategy for Obtaining Metal‐Decorated Mo‐Based Complexes: Multi‐dimensional Structural Evolution and High‐Rate Lithium‐Ion Battery Applications
Authors: Zhang Jiao , Zhou Lin , Sun Qujiang , Ming Hai , Sun Lianshan , Wang Chunli , Wu Yingqiang , Guan Kai , Wang Limin , Ming Jun
Published: April 2019

Multi‐dimensional metal oxides have attracted great attention in diverse applications due to their intriguing performances. However, their structural design remains challenging, particularly that based on organic chelation chemistry. Although metal–organic complexes with different architectures have been reported, their structure formation mechanisms are not well understood because of the complex chelation processes. Herein, we introduce a new metal–organic coordination strategy to construct metal‐decorated (Ni, Co, Mn) Mo‐based complexes ranging from 2D nanopetals to 3D microflowers. The chelating process of the metal–organic complex can be tuned by a surfactant, giving rise to different structures, and then a further metal can be appended. Thus, different metal (oxide)‐decorated MoO2/C‐N structures were designed, enabling an extremely high lithium storage capability of 1018 mA h g−1 and rate capacities of up to 10 A g−1 over 1000 cycles. Relationships between electrochemical behavior and structure have been analyzed kinetically. A high‐rate lithium‐ion battery has been assembled from Ni‐MoO2/C‐N and an Ni‐rich layered oxide as the anode and cathode, respectively. We believe that this general metal–organic coordination strategy should be applicable to other multi‐functional materials with superior capabilities.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Selective meta‐C−H Deuteration of Arenes: Reaction Design and Applications
Authors: Bag Sukdev , Petzold Martin , Sur Aishanee , Bhowmick Suman , Werz Daniel B. , Maiti Debabrata
Published: April 2019

Deuterium‐labeled compounds find wide applications in kinetic studies, and within the pharmaceutical industry. An easily removable pyrimidine‐based auxiliary has been employed for the meta‐C−H deuteration of arenes. The scope of this Pd‐catalyzed deuteration using commercially available [D1]‐ and [D4]‐acetic acid has been demonstrated by its application in phenylacetic acid and phenylmethanesulfonate derivatives. A detailed mechanistic study led us to explore the reversibility of the non‐rate determining C−H activation step. The present study of meta‐deuterium incorporation illustrates the template morphology in terms of selectivity. The applicability of this method has been demonstrated by the selective deuterium incorporation into various pharmaceuticals.
Stereoselective Synthesis of (Z)‐β‐Enamido Triflates and Fluorosulfonates from N‐Fluoroalkylated Triazoles
Authors: Markos Athanasios , Voltrová Svatava , Motornov Vladimir , Tichý David , Klepetářová Blanka , Beier Petr
Published: April 2019

N‐Fluoroalkylated 1,2,3‐triazoles in the presence of triflic acid or fluorosulfonic acid underwent a cascade reaction consisting of triazole protonation, ring opening, nitrogen elimination, sulfonate addition, HF elimination, and hydrolysis to furnish novel trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy‐ or fluorosulfonyloxy‐substituted enamides, respectively, in a highly stereoselective fashion. The vinyl triflates underwent cross‐coupling reactions to a variety of substituted enamides and serve as sources of the aminovinyl cations. In reactions with triflic acid, electron‐rich triazoles afforded 2‐fluoroalkylated oxazoles.
Systematic Study of Ti‐Distribution in Titanosilicate *BEA Zeolites via Symmetry‐Adapted Enumeration
Authors: Li Lin , Wang Jiaze , Li Yi , Yu Jihong
Published: April 2019

Summary of main observation and conclusion

The high performance of titanosilicate zeolites in various industrial oxidation reactions is highly affected by the distribution of Ti atoms in their frameworks. Because of their structural complexity, previous theoretical studies mainly focus on the preferential location of single Ti atoms within the unit cells of titanosilicate zeolites. When multiple Ti atoms are required, conventional approaches consider only symmetrically related T sites to reduce the computation complexity. Such symmetry‐constrained approaches obviously overlooked many possible configurations. Herein, we conduct a systematic study on the distribution of two Ti atoms in the unit cell of titanosilicate zeolite *BEA. Different from conventional symmetry‐constrained approaches, we introduce two Ti atoms simultaneously without any constraint and adopt a symmetry‐adapted algorithm to enumerate all possible configurations for double‐Ti introduction. We generate a total of 273 distinct configurations and analyze the Ti‐distribution via Boltzmann statistics. We find that many of the configurations overlooked by conventional symmetry‐constrained approaches indeed exhibit more feasible energies, which may lead to different Ti‐distributions. Our study indicates the necessity of unconstrained introduction of Ti atoms when multiple‐Ti atoms are considered for calculations.
Do childhood cancer and physical late effects increase worries about future employment in adulthood?
Authors: Soejima Takafumi , Sato Iori , Takita Junko , Koh Katsuyoshi , Kaneko Takashi , Inada Hiroko , Ozono Shuichi , Kamibeppu Kiyoko
Published: April 2019

Background

Experiences of childhood cancer and physical late effects can potentially increase various components of worries about employment among unemployed adult survivors of childhood cancer, but the nature of these effects on worries is unknown.

Aims

This study aimed to describe worries about employment among unemployed adult survivors of childhood cancer through a comparison with those among the unemployed general population and to clarify the components of worries about employment affected by physical late effects.

Method and results

Worries about employment were assessed using nine items in the International Survey of Youth Attitude conducted by the Japanese Cabinet Office. Physical late effects among unemployed survivors were evaluated by their attending physicians. Data from the unemployed general population were extracted from the International Survey of Youth Attitude. We used propensity score and multiple regression analysis to estimate the impact of childhood cancer and physical late effects on worries about employment. We surveyed 48 unemployed survivors and 286 members of the unemployed general population. Unemployed survivors reported significantly higher score of worries about health and physical well‐being than did the unemployed general population (Cohen's f2 = 0.007). Meanwhile, unemployed survivors reported significantly lower scores of worries about work ability, interpersonal relationships at workplaces, age until which they can work, layoffs, income, job transfers, and possibility and continuity of employment than did the unemployed general population (Cohen's f2 = 0.002‐0.018). Unemployed survivors with physical late effects reported significantly higher scores on all components of worries about employment than did those without physical late effects (Cohen's f2 = 0.137‐1.304).

Conclusion

Physical late effects rather than experiences of childhood cancer have large impacts on various worries about employment among unemployed survivors. It would be valuable to understand and assess systematically the impact of physical late effects on employment in unemployed survivors.
The Influence of Renal or Hepatic Impairment on the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of Naldemedine
Authors: Fukumura Kazuya , Yamada Tadaaki , Yokota Takaaki , Kawasaki Akira
Published: April 2019

Naldemedine is a peripherally acting μ‐opioid‐receptor antagonist for the treatment of opioid‐induced constipation. Two phase 1 single‐dose studies investigated the pharmacokinetics and safety of a 0.2‐mg oral dose of naldemedine in subjects with renal impairment (mild, n = 9; moderate, n = 9; severe, n = 6; and end‐stage renal disease, n = 8) or hepatic impairment (mild or moderate, n = 8 each) and demographically matched healthy subjects with normal renal and hepatic function (n = 8, both studies). Pharmacokinetic assessments indicate that dose adjustments for naldemedine are not necessary for subjects with any degree of renal impairment or for subjects with mild or moderate hepatic impairment. In subjects with renal impairment compared with healthy subjects with normal renal function, the geometric mean ratios of naldemedine area under the concentration‐time curve (AUC0‐inf) ranged from 82.8% (90%CI 69.5% to 98.6%) to 137.8% (90%CI 114.0% to 166.5%). Renal clearance decreased with reduced renal function (normal function 1.3 L/h; mild impairment 1.1 L/h; moderate impairment 1.0 L/h; severe impairment 0.5 L/h), and only 2.7% of naldemedine was removed by hemodialysis. In subjects with hepatic impairment compared with healthy subjects with normal hepatic function, the geometric mean ratio of AUC0‐inf ranged from 82.8% (90%CI 65.7% to 104.5%) to 105.2% (90%CI 83.4% to 132.6%). Naldemedine was well tolerated in both healthy subjects and subjects with renal or hepatic impairment, and reported adverse events were generally consistent with the known safety profile.
Submarine: A subscription‐based data streaming framework for integrating large facilities and advanced cyberinfrastructure
Authors: Zamani Ali Reza , AbdelBaky Moustafa , Balouek‐Thomert Daniel , Villalobos J. J. , Rodero Ivan , Parashar Manish
Published: April 2019

Large scientific facilities provide researchers with instrumentation, data, and data products that can accelerate scientific discovery. However, increasing data volumes coupled with limited local computational power prevents researchers from taking full advantage of what these facilities can offer. Many researchers looked into using commercial and academic cyberinfrastructure (CI) to process these data. Nevertheless, there remains a disconnect between large facilities and CI that requires researchers to be actively part of the data processing cycle. The increasing complexity of CI and data scale necessitates new data delivery models, those that can autonomously integrate large‐scale scientific facilities and CI to deliver real‐time data and insights. In this paper, we present our initial efforts using the Ocean Observatories Initiative project as a use case. In particular, we present a subscription‐based data streaming service for data delivery that leverages the Apache Kafka data streaming platform. We also show how our solution can automatically integrate large‐scale facilities with CI services for automated data processing.
Detection and classification of normal and abnormal patterns in mammograms using deep neural network
Authors: Suresh R. , Rao A. Nagaraja , Reddy B. Eswara
Published: April 2019

Breast cancer detection is the most challenging aspect in the field of health monitoring system. In this paper, breast cancer detection was assessed by employing Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) dataset. The proposed approach contains four major steps, namely, image‐preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction, and classification. Initially, Laplacian filtering was utilized to identify the area of edges in mammogram images and, also, it was very sensitive to noise. Then, segmentation was carried‐out using modified‐Adaptively Regularized Kernel‐based Fuzzy‐C‐Means (ARKFCM); it was a flexible high level machine learning technique to localize the object in complex template. In conventional ARKFCM, it was hard to segment the ill‐defined masses in mammogram images. To address this concern, the Euclidean distance in ARKFCM was replaced by correlation function in order to improve the segmentation efficiency. The hybrid feature extraction (Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG), homogeneity, and energy) was performed on the segmented cancer region to extract feature subsets. The respective feature values were given as the input for a multi‐objective classifier: Deep Neural Network (DNN) for classifying the normal and abnormal regions in mammogram images. The experimental outcome shows that the proposed methodology improved accuracy in breast cancer classification up to 3% to 9% compared to other existing methods.
Substituent Effect Transmission Power of Alkyl, Alkenyl, Alkynyl, Phenyl, Thiophenyl, and Polyacene Spacers
Authors: Divya Velayudhan V. , Sayyed Fareed Bhasha , Suresh Cherumuttathu H.
Published: April 2019

The transmission of substituent effect through a variety of spacers, that is to say, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, phenyl, thiophenyl, and polyacene has been studied by modeling Y‐G‐X type molecular systems (Y: reaction center; G: spacer moiety; X: substituent) using B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) density functional theory calculations. The reaction center is always kept as a C=C double bond and the molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) minimum (Vmin) observed for this bond showed subtle variation with respect to the changes in the spacer unit and the nature of substituent. Strong linear correlations are observed between Hammett substituent constants (σI and σp) and Vmin, which recommend the aptness of Vmin as an electronic descriptor to quantify the substituent effect. Since Vmin offers an alternative measure of substituent effect, the correlation between Vmin and σp has been used for assessing the transmission of substituent effect through a variety of spacer moieties. The highest transmission coefficient (γ) is always observed for smaller spacer length. Among all the spacers, alkenyl showed the highest and alkyl showed the lowest transmission power. The study recommends the use of short chains of C=C double, C≡C triple or a combination of both as spacers for the effective transmission of substituent effect to the reaction center.
Observation of Photoelectron Circular Dichroism Using a Nanosecond Laser
Authors: Kastner Alexander , Ring Tom , Braun Hendrike , Senftleben Arne , Baumert Thomas
Published: April 2019

Photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) is a fascinating phenomenon both from a fundamental science aspect but also due to its emerging role as a highly sensitive analytic tool for chiral recognition in the gas phase. PECD has been studied with single‐photon as well as multi‐photon ionization. The latter has been investigated in the short pulse limit with femtosecond laser pulses, where ionization can be thought of as an instantaneous process. In this contribution, we demonstrate that multi‐photon PECD still can be observed when using an ultra‐violet nanosecond pulse to ionize chiral showcase fenchone molecules. Compared to femtosecond ionization, the magnitude of PECD is similar, but the lifetime of intermediate molecular states imprints itself in the photoelectron spectra. Being able to use an industrial nanosecond laser to investigate PECD furthermore reduces the technical requirements to apply PECD in analytical chemistry.
Single Antibody Detection of T‐Cell Receptor αβ Clonality by Flow Cytometry Rapidly Identifies Mature T‐Cell Neoplasms and Monotypic Small CD8‐Positive Subsets of Uncertain Significance
Authors: Shi Min , Jevremovic Dragan , Otteson Gregory E. , Timm Michael M. , Olteanu Horatiu , Horna Pedro
Published: April 2019

Background

The diagnosis of T‐cell neoplasms is often challenging, due to overlapping features with reactive T‐cells and limitations of currently available T‐cell clonality assays. The description of an antibody specific for one of two mutually exclusive T‐cell receptor (TCR) β‐chain constant regions (TRBC1) provide an opportunity to facilitate the detection of clonal TCRαβ T‐cells based on TRBC‐restriction.

Methods

Twenty patients with mature T‐cell neoplasms and 44 patients without evidence of T‐cell neoplasia were studied. Peripheral blood (51), bone marrow (10), and lymph node (3) specimens were evaluated by 9‐color flow cytometry including TRBC1 (CD2/CD3/CD4/CD5/CD7/CD8/CD45/TCRγδ/TRBC1 and/or CD2/CD3/CD4/CD5/CD7/CD8/CD26/CD45/TRBC1). Monophasic TRBC1 expression on any immunophenotypically distinct CD4‐positive or CD8‐positive/TCRγδ‐negative T‐cell subset was considered indicative of clonality.

Results

Monophasic (clonal) TRBC1 expression was identified on immunophenotypically abnormal T‐cells from all 20 patients with T‐cell malignancies (100% sensitivity), including 17 cases with either >97% or <3% TRBC1‐positive events, and three cases with monophasic homogenous TRBC1‐dim expression. All immunophenotypically distinct CD4‐positive and CD8‐positive/TCRγδ‐negative T‐cell subsets from 44 patients without T‐cell malignancies showed the expected mixture of TRBC1‐positive and TRBC‐1‐negative subpopulations (non‐clonal), except for seven patients (16%) with very small CD8‐positive T‐cell subsets exhibiting a monophasic (clonal) pattern.

Conclusion

Inclusion of a single anti‐TRBC1 antibody into a diagnostic T‐cell flow cytometry panel facilitates the rapid identification of T‐cell neoplasms, in addition to small monotypic CD8‐positive subsets of uncertain significance. © 2019 International Clinical Cytometry Society
Robotertechnik für den Mauerwerksbau – Internationaler Status und Überlegungen für den deutschen Markt
Authors: Brehm Eric
Published: April 2019

Masonry building is subject to the consequences of societal developments just as much as any other industry. Demographic change and digitalisation in particular will be disruptive and change the industry significantly. While demographic change will mostly generate challenges, digitalisation offers many opportunities, especially for the coping with developments due to demographic change, such as the lack of skilled workers. One of these opportunities is represented by robots for masonry building. This paper provides an overview of the current status of masonry robots and analyses the special requirements for masonry robots in the German market.
Vereinheitlichte Schadensbeschreibung und Risikobewertung von Bauwerken unter extremen Naturgefahren
Authors: Maiwald Holger , Schwarz Jochen
Published: April 2019

Internationally different classification schemes are available for the assessment of structural damage due to the different natural hazards. Due to their heterogeneity, these classification schemes are insufficiently suited for the consideration of damage in the sense of a multi hazard approach.

A unified system is necessary for the evaluation of the building vulnerability and the damage prognosis due the different natural hazards. The unified system transfers repeatedly observed damage patterns into a scheme of damage grades. With this instrument, the structural damage can be uniformly evaluated and the relationship to the input parameters can be established.

Following the concept of the European Macroseismic Scale 1998 (EMS‐98) for earthquake damage, it is distinguished between structural and non‐structural damage to which characteristic damage patterns can be assigned in the form of damage grades.

A general classification scheme for building damage is presented, which enables a comparison of the damage due to the individual natural hazards. On the basis of real observed damage cases, the typical damage patterns for the natural hazards flood, tsunami and wind are highlighted and converted into harmonized classification schemes for damage grades.

For the first time, a harmonized set of instruments is available for evaluation of damage cases on a building stock as a result of different natural hazards according to criteria standardized in engineering terms. The outlook refers to the damage prognosis due to the different natural hazards and their possible sequences.
Standardisiertes Bauen im Wohnungsbau und wirtschaftliche Bauweisen
Authors: Walberg Dietmar
Published: April 2019

Building prices and construction costs for housing construction in Germany are growing dynamically. The main cost drivers are still legal, normative and other regulations that are generally drawn up at federal level. However, the trend in building prices also shows that intense building activity is also affecting prices. This trend is also complex: the trend in the groups of trades concerned with carcass work can be categorised between the rate of inflation and increased building prices. The price trend in the whole of technical completion, on the other hand, is disproportionate, and it is these completion trades (heating, ventilation, sanitation and electrical) that are actually driving construction costs. Building materials for primary construction of our residential buildings are also developing at different rates. Masonry falls within the sphere of the general growth rate of prices, while reinforced concrete and wood are much higher. This overall trend shows the finiteness of supposedly simple solutions for accelerating the rate of construction in housing construction. Serial building can only offer a niche solution. Far more intelligent is the use of standardised construction, i.e. repetition of ideal ground plans, development types and standardised buildings that can be adapted to the conditions at each site. Furthermore, it is clear that the use of masonry construction in a multi‐floor residential building is still the most economical type of building to construct in Germany.
Mauerwerks‐ und Wohnungsbau in Deutschland: Status 2019 und Prognose 2021
Authors: Rast Ronald
Published: April 2019

About 80 % of all products of the masonry industry in Germany are used for new residential building. If products for the refurbishment of masonry buildings are added to this, then over 85 % of all masonry products are used in residential building. Regarding residential building activity, it can be stated that about 73 % of all residential buildings in Germany are of predominantly masonry construction, with a slightly increasing tendency. Table 1 shows the development of market shares of the various construction methods reinforced concrete, masonry and timber over the years 2012 to 2017.
Report finds community college transfer pathways not fully clear to counselors
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: April 2019

A report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling reveals that although high school counselors expressed high degrees of confidence about understanding and advising students for enrollment at community colleges, they were less knowledgeable about transfer arrangements from community colleges to four‐year institutions, or about how to compare nonprofit and for‐profit options for students.
Development and validation of a capillary electrophoresis method applied to the analysis of l‐citrulline in an oral formulation for pediatric use
Authors: Salvo Leandro Javier , Coiana Lorenzo , Dobrecky Cecilia , Tripodi Valeria , Flor Sabrina , Lucangioli Silvia
Published: April 2019

A simple and highly sensitive CE–UV method was applied in the determination of l‐ctrulline, which was developed from an oral formulation for pediatric use. The novel method was based on the analysis of l‐citrulline for direct ultraviolet detection at 198 nm. The BGE consisted of 10 mM sodium tetraborate and 50 mM SDS at pH 9, and the electrophoretic parameters were optimized. The method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, LOD, LOQ, precision, accuracy, and robustness. The LOD and LOQ obtained were 1.36 and 4.54 μg/mL, respectively. In addition, the method offers higher sensitivity and specificity compared with the results obtained from HPLC method using UV‐detectors, in which l‐citrulline needs to be derivatizated. Furthermore, low cost and simplicity of the system allowed the rapid and simple quantitation of l‐citrulline in the oral formulation for quality control and stability indicated method.
Carrier ampholyte‐free free‐flow isoelectric focusing for separation of protein
Authors: Wang Shuai , Zhang Lingyi , Sun Haofan , Chu Zhanying , Chen Haihong , Zhao Yameng , Zhang Weibing
Published: April 2019

Free‐flow isoelectric focusing (FFIEF) has the merits of mild separation conditions, high recovery and resolution, but suffers from the issues of ampholytes interference and high cost due to expensive carrier ampholytes. In this paper, a home‐made carrier ampholyte‐free FFIEF system was constructed via orientated migration of H+ and OH− provided by electrode solutions. When applying an electric field, a linear pH gradient from pH 4 to 9 (R2 = 0.994) was automatically formed by the electromigration of protons and hydroxyl ions in the separation chamber. The carrier ampholyte‐free FFIEF system not only avoids interference of ampholyte to detection but also guarantees high separation resolution by establishing stable pH gradient. The separation selectivity was conveniently adjusted by controlling operating voltage and optimizing the composition, concentration and flow rate of the carrier buffer. The constructed system was applied to separation of proteins in egg white, followed by MADLI‐TOF‐MS identification. Three major proteins, ovomucoid, ovalbumin and ovotransferrin, were successfully separated according to their pI values with 15 mmol/L Tris‐acetic acid (pH = 6.5) as carrier buffer at a flow rate of 12.9 mL/min.
Adult learners need a variety of pathways to completion
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: April 2019

Sylvia Burgess, associate vice president of academic affairs at Cameron University, wears a lot of hats. Not only is she the associate vice president of academic affairs, but she also acts as the director for continuing and adult education at CU. Like many adult‐serving institutions, CU offers both live and asynchronous courses, and it also offers remote adult learners a third option: the option to stream and interact with faculty members from a remote location via the Zoom webinar platform. It's become a way for adult students who might have moved away or not yet completed their studies to stay connected with the university, Burgess said.
Pomegranate peels as versatile adsorbents for water purification: Application of box–behnken design as a methodological optimization approach
Authors: El‐Azazy Marwa , Kalla Razan N. , Issa Ahmed A. , Al‐Sulaiti Maetha , El‐Shafie Ahmed S. , Shomar Basem , Al‐Saad Khalid
Published: April 2019

Pomegranate peels (PGP) were tested as a green adsorbent for the removal of Ni(II) from contaminated water samples. Both raw (RPG), and char/burnt peels (BPG) were tested. A multivariate analysis approach, Box–Behnken (BB) design was executed to augment the efficiency of BPG as adsorbent. Three factors were considered thereof; contact time (CT), adsorbent dose (AD), and heavy metal concentration (HMC). The percentage of heavy metal removal was the designated response (Y). Main effects plot together with analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to decide on the substantial factors. Obtained results showed that AD was the most significant linear factor, while the interaction between AD*HMC was the most influential two‐way interaction. Contour and response surface plots were used to study the factorial interactions and optimize the response. Desirability function was used to find the best factorial combination for maximum removal of Ni(II). Efficacies of both adsorbents were compared and BPG was more effectual achieving 99.99% removal of Ni(II). Surface morphology was characterized using FTIR, BET, SEM, and EDX analyses. Results indicated that functional groups such as hydroxyl, amino, carboxylic acid are available on surface of PGP and might be responsible for the adsorption process. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38: e13223, 2019
Modulation recognition for radar emitter signals based on convolutional neural network and fusion features
Authors: Gao Jingpeng , Shen Liangxi , Gao Lipeng
Published: April 2019

With the increase of radar signal modulations and the emergence of new system radars, the receiver will intercept radar signals at the same time. In order to accurately estimate and suppress the signals, this paper proposes an accurate recognition system for radar emitter signals. The system can effectively separate multiple signals and accurately recognize Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Linear Frequency Modulation (LFM), Continuous Wave (CW), Costas, Frank code, and P1 to P4 codes. The separation technique based on fractional Fourier transform is proposed to decompose received signals into multiple components. Furthermore, a transferable GoogleNet is explored to achieve accurate recognition of the first component with better separation effect. Meanwhile, variational mode decomposition is developed to eliminate the noise of the second component; then, the fusion features are extracted to improve the recognition rate of the second component. Finally, the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm is proposed to find best support vector machine parameters. The simulation results show that the recognition rate of single signal and double signals can reach 96.23% and 72%, respectively, when signal‐to‐noise ratio is 0 dB. The system can also bring some inspiration to medical and mechanical signal recognition.
Urgent care centre in Sweden—the integration of teams and perceived effects
Authors: Wennman Ingela , Wittholt Malin , Carlström Eric , Carlsson Tobias , Khorram‐Manesh Amir
Published: April 2019

An urgent care centre (UCC) is an upcoming trend in Swedish health care. Although UCCs have been established in other countries, their effectiveness and value have not yet been studied in Sweden. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between the UCC and emergency department (ED) by using validated evaluation models.

One adult ED (AED) and one child ED (CED), together with a newly established UCC nearby, were included in this study. The interaction between the UCC team and the ED teams was studied by using two evaluation models: one for evaluation of integration and the other one for the evaluation of the effects, in terms of perceived relief of the ED after the establishment of the UCC.

It was evident that integration was achieved early on in the course of the follow‐up. However, the perception of integration varied between low (EDs) and high collaboration (UCC). All respondents of the EDs indicated relief, in terms of pace and pressure on the ED since the UCC was established.

This study indicates that the grade of integration and collaboration between UCC and ED can be achieved automatically and very early during the establishment. It also shows that UCCs can be a competent complement to EDs and alleviate some of the heavy pressure placed on EDs due to ED overcrowding.
Uniform and lateral preferential flows under flood irrigation at field scale
Authors: Claes Niels , Paige Ginger B. , Parsekian Andrew D.
Published: April 2019

Flood irrigation is globally one of the most used irrigation methods. Typically, not all water that is applied during flood irrigation is consumed by plants or lost to evaporation. Return flow, the portion of applied water from flood irrigation that returns back to streams either via surface or subsurface flow, can constitute a large part of the water balance. Few studies have addressed the connection between vertical and lateral subsurface flows and its potential role in determining return flow pathways due to the difficulty in observing and quantifying these processes at plot or field scale. We employed a novel approach, combining induced polarization, time‐lapse electrical resistivity tomography, and time‐lapse borehole nuclear magnetic resonance, to identify flow paths and quantify changes in soil hydrological conditions under nonuniform application of flood irrigation water. We developed and tested a new method to track the wetting front in the subsurface using the full range of inverted resistivity values. Antecedent soil moisture conditions did not play an important role in preferential flow path activation. More importantly, boundaries between lithological zones in the soil profile were observed to control preferential flow pathways with subsurface run‐off occurring at these boundaries when saturation occurred. Using the new method to analyse time‐lapse resistivity measurements, we were able to track the wetting front and identify subsurface flow paths. Both uniform infiltration and preferential lateral flows were observed. Combining three geophysical methods, we documented the influence of lithology on subsurface flow processes. This study highlights the importance of characterizing the subsurface when the objective is to identify and quantify subsurface return flow pathways under flood irrigation.
U2‐related proteins CHERP and SR140 contribute to colorectal tumorigenesis via alternative splicing regulation
Authors: Wang Qianqian , Wang Yue , Liu Yuguo , Zhang Chang , Luo Yangjun , Guo Ruochen , Zhan Zheng , Wei Ning , Xie Zhiqin , Shen Lei , Wu Guohao , Wu Wenwu , Feng Ying
Published: April 2019

Dysregulation of calcium homeostasis endoplasmic reticulum protein (CHERP) has been implicated in several cancers, but it remains elusive how CHERP contributes to cancer cell proliferation and cancer development. Here, we observed that CHERP and its binding partner SR140 are significantly upregulated in human clinical colorectal cancer tissues (CRC). CHERP and SR140 could form a protein complex to stabilize each other. Knockdown of CHERP or SR140 triggers double‐stranded DNA breaks and cell death. Furthermore, UPF3A, the RNA surveillance factor, was identified as a splicing target of CHERP and SR140, which bind specifically to the regulated exon4 and modulate UPF3A splicing. UPF3A knockdown recapitulates CHERP/SR140 depletion both in vitro and in mice. Importantly, overexpression of UPF3A significantly rescues proliferation defect of CHERP/SR140‐depleted cells. These results confirmed that the effect of CHERP/SR140 in promoting tumorigenesis was partially mediated by UPF3A. Extending these results, upregulation of CHERP/SR140 observed in CRC remarkably parallels increased inclusion of UPF3A exon4. Together, our study clarifies how CHERP/SR140 exert an oncogenic role in CRC development partially through regulating expression of UPF3A variants.
Chrysin ameliorates ANTU‐induced pulmonary edema and pulmonary arterial hypertension via modulation of VEGF and eNOs
Authors: Wang Linlin , Wang Ye , Lei Zhang
Published: April 2019

Alpha‐naphthylthiourea (ANTU), a rodenticide induces lung toxicity. Chrysin a flavonoid possesses antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antihypertensive potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of chrysin against ANTU‐induced pulmonary edema (PE) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in laboratory rats. Sprague‐Dawley rats were used to induce PE (ANTU, 10 mg/kg, ip) and PAH (ANTU, 5 mg/kg, ip, 4 weeks). Animals were treated with chrysin (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) and various biochemical, molecular, and histological parameters were evaluated. Acute administration of ANTU induces PE revealed by significant (P < 0.05) increase in relative lung weight, pleural effusion volume, lung edema, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cell counts, total protein, 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and γ‐glutamyl transferase (GGT), whereas pretreatment with chrysin (20 and 40 mg/kg, ip) significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated these ANTU‐induced biochemical and histological alterations. Repeated administration of ANTU caused induction of PAH evaluated by significant (P < 0.05) alterations in electrocardiographic, hemodynamic changes, and left ventricular function, whereas chrysin (20 and 40 mg/kg, p.o.) treatment significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated these alterations. ANTU‐induced hematological and serum biochemical (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, LDH, and creatinine kinase MB) alterations were significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited by chrysin. It also significantly (P < 0.05) decreased elevated levels of oxido‐nitrosative stress in the right ventricle (RV) and lung. Chrysin significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated downregulated endothelial nitric oxide synthase and upregulated vascular endothelial growth factor messenger RNA and protein expressions both in the RV and pulmonary artery. Chrysin inhibited ANTU‐induced PE and PAH via modulation of inflammatory responses (5‐HT, LDH, and GGT), oxido‐nitrosative stress, and VEGF and eNOs levels.
Industry Peer Firms' Earnings Quality and IPO Underpricing
Authors: Yu Ji , Tuo Ling , Wu Da
Published: April 2019

We investigate the relation between peer firms' earnings quality and initial public offering (IPO) underpricing. By examining 3,711 IPOs from 1976 to 2013, we find that peer firms' earnings quality is negatively associated with IPO underpricing after controlling for IPO firm earnings quality and other attributes. This study also finds that comparable peer firms (with a similar market capitalization in the same industry) play a more important role in impacting IPO underpricing than influential peer firms (with the highest market capitalization in the same industry). We further provide evidence that the peer firms' earnings quality effect is attenuated after the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002. Our results suggest that information from peer firms in the same industry is beneficial for investors to assess new IPO firms and is associated with less information asymmetry than newer IPOs. These results provide policy, practical, and research implications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Optimizing Accounting Decision Making Using Goal Programming
Authors: Goh Clarence
Published: April 2019

Goal programming is a decision‐making technique that seeks to help decision makers make decisions that satisfy competing goals to the best extent possible. This article provides a description of goal programming, demonstrates how it can be implemented on a spreadsheet, and illustrates its use through an example from management accounting. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fibronectin promotes cervical cancer tumorigenesis through activating FAK signaling pathway
Authors: Zhou Yuzhen , Shu Changzhen , Huang Yan
Published: April 2019

Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix, and it is the fourth most common cause of death in women. Overexpression of fibronectin 1 (FN1) was observed in many tumors and associated with the survival and metastasis of cancer cells. However, the mechanism by which FN1 promotes cervical cancer cell viability, migration, adhesion, and invasion, and inhibits cell apoptosis through focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling pathway remains to be investigated. Our results demonstrated that FN1 was upregulated in patients with cervical cancer and higher FN1 expression correlated with a poor prognosis for patients with cervical cancer. FN1 knockdown by small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited SiHa cell viability, migration, invasion, and adhesion, and promoted cell apoptosis. FN1 overexpression in CaSki cell promoted cell viability, migration, invasion, and adhesion, and inhibited cell apoptosis. Further, phosphorylation of FAK, a main downstream signaling molecule of FN1, and the protein expression of Bcl‐2/Bax, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP‐2), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP‐9), and N‐cadherin was upregulated in CaSki cells with FN1 overexpression, but caspase‐3 protein expression was downregulated. The FAK phosphorylation inhibitor PF573228 inhibited FN1 overexpression‐induced expression of those proteins in CaSki cells with FN1 overexpression. In vivo experiment demonstrated that FN1 knockdown significantly inhibited FN1 expression, phosphorylation of FAK, and tumor growth in xenograft from the nude mice. These results suggest that FN1 regulates the viability, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and adhesion of cervical cancer cells through the FAK signaling pathway and is a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of cervical cancer.
Biological evidence of the relationship between Helicobacter pylori and associated extragastric diseases
Authors: Zendehdel Abolfazl , Roham Maryam
Published: April 2019

Background

Gram‐negative bacterium, Helicobacter pylori is notorious for various pathologies like peptic ulcers, gastritis, functional dyspepsia, and various cancers.

Methods

Systemic effects of its toxins have led scientists’ attention toward the extragastric pathologies associated with it. To date, it has been shown to have an effect on almost all the systems in the human body.

Results

Various studies have been conducted to obtain the relation between H. pylori infection, and other diseases.

Conclusion

In this review, we aim to discuss the extragastric diseases associated with H. pylori and the biological factors that relate them to it.
An immunosuppressive peptide from the horsefly inhibits inflammation by repressing macrophage maturation and phagocytosis
Authors: Chen Ran , Yuan Long , Cao Nengqi , Li Pengpeng , Chen Huilin , Zhou Jiaxin , Hao Xue , Liu Tong , Yang Wen‐Hao , Cui Shuzhong , Yan Xiuwen
Published: April 2019

Ectoparasites repress host immune responses while they obtain nutrition from their hosts. Understanding the immunosuppressive mechanisms between ectoparasites and their hosts will provide new strategies to develop potential immunosuppressive drugs against immune disorder diseases. Previously, we have discovered that a small peptide, immunoregulin HA, from the horsefly (Hybomitra atriperoides) may play an immunosuppressive role in rat splenocytes. However, the targeting cells and detailed mechanisms of immunoregulin HA in immunosuppressive reactions are not well defined. Here, we show that immunoregulin HA reduces the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Interestingly, we discover that the major cytokines repressed by immunoregulin HA are secreted by macrophages, rather than by T cells. Furthermore, immunoregulin HA inhibits macrophage maturation and phagocytosis. Mechanically, the activations of c‐JUN N‐terminal kinase and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase upon LPS stimulation are decreased by immunoregulin HA. Consistently, immunoregulin HA treatment exhibits an anti‐inflammatory activity in a mouse model of adjuvant‐induced paw inflammation. Taken together, our data reveal that immunoregulin HA conducts the anti‐inflammatory activity by blocking macrophage functions.
Atomic insight into prion disorder: An intricate detail gained by 0.5 μs molecular dynamics simulation of preventive G127V and deleterious D178V mutation in prion protein
Authors: Gharemirshamlu Fatemeh Rahimi , Bamdad Kourosh , Naeimi Sirous
Published: April 2019

In this study we are looking into two contradicting mutations found in prion protein (PrP) viz G127V and D178V, that are reportedly protective and pathogenic, respectively. Despite significant advances in comprehension of the role of pathogenic mutations, the role of protective mutation in amyloid fold inhibition still lacks a substantial basis. To understand the structural basis of protective mutation, molecular dynamics simulation coupled with protein‐protein docking and molecular mechanics/Poisson‐Boltzmann surface area analysis was used to understand the instant structural variability brought about by these mutations alone and in combination on PrP and prion‐prion complex. Atomic‐scale investigations successfully revealed that the binding pattern of prion‐prion varies differentially in protective and pathogenic mutations with secondary structure showing distinct contrasting patterns, which could supposedly be a critical factor for differential prion behavior in protective and pathogenic mutations. Considering the reported role of an amyloid fold in prion‐prion binding, the contrasting pattern has given us a lead in comprehending the role of these mutations and has been used in this study to look for small molecules that can inhibit amyloid fold for prion‐prion interaction in pathogenic mutant carrying PrP.