bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi‐walled carbon nanotube modified dummy‐template magnetic molecularly imprinted microspheres as solid‐phase extraction material for the determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in fish
Authors: Du Xiaowen , Lin Saichai , Gan Ning , Chen Xidong , Cao Yuting , Li Tianhua , Zhan Pan
Published: April 2014

Novel multi‐walled carbon nanotube modified dummy‐template molecularly imprinted microspheres (MWCNTs@DMMIPs) were successfully synthesized as adsorbents for six kinds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). MWCNTs@DMMIPs were prepared by a surface molecular imprinting technique. Core–shell Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles were employed as magnetic support. 3,4‐Dichlorobenzene acetic acid was used as a dummy template instead of PCBs, methacrylic acid was used as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate was used as the cross‐linker. The resulting absorbent was characterized by various methods. The adsorbent was employed for extracting PCBs and exhibited good selectivity and high adsorption efficiency. Furthermore, it was reusable and capable of magnetic separation. Adsorption kinetics fit well with a pseudo‐second‐order kinetic equation and also exhibited a three‐stage intra‐particle diffusion model. The Freundlich model was used to describe the adsorption isotherms. The materials were successfully applied to the magnetic dispersive solid‐phase extraction of six kinds of PCBs followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry determination in fish samples, the limit of detection of six kinds of PCBs were 0.0028–0.0068 μg/L and spiked recoveries ranged between 73.41 and 114.21%. The prepared adsorbent was expected to be a new material for the removal and recovery of PCBs from contaminated foods.
Simultaneous determination of trifloxystrobin and trifloxystrobin acid residue in rice and soil by a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Chen Xixi , Xu Jun , Liu Xingang , Tao Yan , Pan Xinglu , Zheng Yongquan , Dong Fengshou
Published: April 2014

A sensitive analytical method for the simultaneous determination of trifloxystrobin and its metabolite trifloxystrobin acid in rice including straw, bran, brown rice and soil was developed by using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The fungicide trifloxystrobin and its metabolite trifloxystrobin acid were extracted using acetonitrile with 1% formic acid v/v and subsequently cleaned up by primary secondary amine, octadecylsilane or graphitized carbon black prior to ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The determination of two target compounds was achieved in less than 3 min using an electrospray ionization source in positive mode. The limits of detection were below 0.22 μg/kg and the limits of quantification did not exceed 0.74 μg/kg in all matrices, which were much lower than the maximum residue levels established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The overall average recoveries in four matrix at three levels (0.1, 1.0 and 5.0 mg/kg) ranged from 74.2 to 107.4% with a relative standard deviations of less than 7.8% (n = 5) for both analytes. The method was demonstrated to be convenient and reliable for the routine monitoring of trifloxystrobin and its metabolite. The developed method was validated and applied for the analysis of degradation study samples.
TRASER: Acute phase vascular and follicular changes
Authors: Ball Katharine , Gustavsson Morgan , Harris Ronald , Berganza Leo , Zachary Christopher B.
Published: April 2014

Background and Objectives

A TRASER (Total Reflection Amplification of Spontaneous Emission of Radiation) is a novel device that utilizes the energy from a flashlamp to induce the spontaneous emission of photons from a fluorescent medium. This study was designed to observe clinical and histological changes of skin treated with two different fluorescent media selected for their peak emissions tuned for vascular and hair follicle targets.

Study Design/Materials and Methods

A purpuric clinical response for the vascular target was assessed with a TRASER using the fluorescent medium Pyrromethene 556 producing a narrow spectrum peaking at 544 nm. Using a 12 mm spot and pulse duration of 1 ms, treatment pulses with fluences of 6.0–9.5 J/cm2 were given along the forearm of subject with photo type II skin. Follicular structures were targeted with the dye cell switched to Sulforhodamine 640 Chloride, producing a narrow peak at 654 nm. Using a 12 mm spot, single 20 ms pulses with fluencies from 14.0 to 20.0 J/cm2 were delivered with 5°C contact cooling to the shaved chest of a subject with photo type II skin with brown hair. Clinical observations were photographed and assessed by two physicians. A 4 mm punch skin biopsy was taken at approximately 60 and 30 minutes respectively for both the vascular and hair regions. The paraffin embedded H&E stained vertical sections were analyzed by a dermatopathologist.

Results

A characteristic threshold purpuric response was noted at 7.2 J/cm2. The histological changes consistently showed intravascular thrombosis of the small sub‐dermal plexus of capillaries down to larger vessels approaching the subcutaneous fat. There were no extravasated red blood cells. Clinical hair follicle target changes of perifollicular edema and transient erythema, similar to those described with standard hair removal lasers, were noted. Histologically these were shown to be limited to the target structures.

Conclusion

This is the first demonstration of clinical and histological acute phase changes associated with use of a TRASER with wavelengths optimized for vascular and follicular targets. The findings of this observational study support the notion that the TRASER can be used as an effective vascular and hair removal device. Lasers Surg. Med. 46:385–388, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Melting of Conformationally Disordered Crystals (α′‐Phase) of Poly(l‐lactic acid)
Authors: Androsch René , Schick Christoph , Di Lorenzo Maria Laura
Published: April 2014

Melting and reorganization of conformationally disordered crystals (α′‐phase) of poly(l‐lactic acid) (PLLA) are analyzed as a function of the rate of heating in a wide range between about 10−1 and 103 K s−1. It is found for the first time that the reorganization of conformationally disordered α′‐crystals into stable α‐crystals can be suppressed by fast heating. Heating of α′‐crystals of PLLA at a constant rate, faster than 30 K s−1, leads to its complete melting between 150 and 160 °C and suppression of formation of α‐crystals on continuation of heating. Non‐isothermal reorganization of α′‐crystals into α‐crystals only occurs when heating at a rate slower than 30 K s−1. It is evidenced that isothermal reorganization of α′‐crystals into α‐crystals at 150–160 °C proceeds via melting followed by recrystallization rather than a solid–solid phase transition.

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Preservation theorems in linear continuous logic
Authors: Bagheri Seyed‐Mohammad , Safari Roghieh
Published: April 2014

Linear continuous logic is the fragment of continuous logic obtained by restricting connectives to addition and scalar multiplications. Most results in the full continuous logic have a counterpart in this fragment. In particular a linear form of the compactness theorem holds. We prove this variant and use it to deduce some basic preservation theorems.
Do Overconfident Workers Cooperate Less? The Relationship Between Overconfidence and Cooperation in Team Production
Authors: Mertins Vanessa , Hoffeld Wolfgang
Published: April 2014

The tendency to underestimate others' relative performance compared with one's own is widespread among individuals in all work environments. We examine the relationship between, and the driving forces behind, individual overconfidence and voluntary cooperation in team production. Our experimental data suggest an indirect and gender‐specific link: overconfident men hold more optimistic beliefs about coworkers' cooperativeness than men who lack confidence and are accordingly significantly more cooperative, whereas overconfidence, beliefs, and cooperativeness are not correlated in women. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Global Model for Octanol‐Water Partition Coefficients from Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectra
Authors: An Nan , Van Der Mei Farid , Voutchkova‐Kostal Adelina
Published: April 2014

The ability to estimate chemical and physical properties from experimental spectra is highly desirable, as it eliminates the need for a priori knowledge of exact chemical structure and allows the property estimation of mixtures. Here we report the proof of principle that a predictive method for octanol‐water partition coefficient (logP) based on 1H‐NMR spectra in d3‐chloroform is feasible and can yield accuracy comparable to in silico logP models. The Spectrometric Data‐Activity Relationship (QSDAR) reported predicts logP of neutral organic chemicals using descriptors derived only from 1H‐NMR chemical shifts, integrations and peak widths. Proton NMR spectra of 140 compounds with diverse structures were used to construct a Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and a Partial Least Squares (PLS) model that predicts logP. The optimized models were internally validated by K‐fold cross validation and leave‐one‐out validation, and externally with a test set of 28 chemicals. The squared regression coefficients of prediction for the MLR and PLS regression models were 0.970 and 0.971 respectively, showing that the method allows accurate prediction of logP values exclusively from predicted 1H NMR spectra.
Modelling the internal stress field in argillaceous rocks under humidification/desiccation
Authors: Wang L.L. , Pouya A. , Bornert M. , Halphen B.
Published: April 2014

This paper deals with analytical and numerical modelling of the internal stress generated in argillaceous rocks during humidification/desiccation processes, which is an essential issue for damage study. This local stress field arises from two mechanisms: (i) complex interactions between free swelling/shrinking clay matrix and non‐strained inclusions of carbonate and quartz and (ii) a self‐restraint effect induced by the moisture gradient during the transient moisture exchange process. The inclusion–matrix interaction is investigated in different cases. Firstly, the analytical solution of the stress around a cylindrical inclusion embedded in an infinite swelling matrix is derived: The inclusion would suffer tension (compression) under humidification (desiccation), and the resulting cracking patterns are discussed. Then, the problem of two inclusions with different distances in an infinite swelling matrix is considered, and it is shown that the local stress around an inclusion will be perturbed and amplified by neighbouring inclusions. Finally, an inclusion outcropping at the free surface of a swelling matrix is modelled as to investigate the effect of free surface: The inclusion–matrix interface undergoes shear stresses of which the maximum is found at the free surface. In addition to the inclusion–matrix interaction, the self‐restraint effect is investigated: The induced stress is maximal at the beginning of humidification/desiccation processes and vanishes gradually with time. The quantity of the self‐restraint stress is strongly controlled by the hydric loading rate. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Taiwanese Women's Process of Recovery From Stillbirth: A Qualitative Descriptive Study
Authors: Tseng Ying‐Fen , Chen Chung‐Hey , Wang Hsiu‐Hung
Published: April 2014

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to portray the recovery process of Taiwanese women after stillbirth. Data were generated through individual in‐depth interviews with 21 women selected using purposeful sampling. Three stages in an emotional journey of recovery were suffering from silent grief, searching for a way out, and achieving peace of mind and mental stability. Throughout their journey, the women's overarching concern was where the deceased child had gone and whether it was well. Together these stages composed A pathway to peace of mind, a mental journey on which women struggled to spiritually connect with the lost baby and finally sought a personal pathway to emotional peace. Findings can inform healthcare providers in providing culturally sensitive care for Taiwanese women to facilitate healing after a stillbirth. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Are they really so different? Climate change rule development in the USA and UK
Authors: Cook Jeffrey , Rinfret Sara
Published: April 2014

Climate change is an increasingly complex and global environmental issue. As a result, scholars have begun to compare the efforts of specific countries such as the UK and the USA in dealing with climate change. However, missing within this comparative literature is a discussion of the important role that administrative agencies play in implementing climate change policy through rulemaking. More specifically, it is unclear how administrative processes may impact or explain variations in the policy implemented within a given country. In fact, it has been over 25 years since Vogel's work compared the regulatory processes of the USA and UK. As a result, this paper's interviews with agency rule writers in both countries provide an updated comparison of their rulemaking processes, which is essential to understanding why countries may vary in the climate change policy they implement. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Insight from health professionals on physical activity promotion within routine diabetes care
Authors: Matthews Lynsay , Kirk Alison , Mutrie Nanette
Published: April 2014

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the views of health professionals on the current and future provision of physical activity promotion within routine diabetes care.

Responses were collected from participants (n=23) in two phases. An online survey (Phase 1, n=16) and semi‐structured interviews (Phase 2, n=7) were used to explore the experiences of health professionals on the provision of physical activity promotion. Qualitative responses were analysed using Interpretative phenomenological analysis and categorised into themes and sub‐themes.

Three main themes were identified: (1) current physical activity promotion practices; (2) delivery of physical activity promotion by health professionals; and (3) future physical activity promotion. Findings demonstrated that a lack of structure for physical activity promotion and ineffective behaviour change training made physical activity promotion within routine diabetes care challenging. Health professionals struggled to prioritise physical activity within routine consultations. They were clinically driven to provide physical activity advice to patients; however, they lacked the skills to elicit significant behaviour change. Five recommendations were presented to improve physical activity promotion within diabetes care: (1) having a key member of staff responsible for physical activity promotion; (2) access to a referral route for physical activity support; (3) inclusion of diabetes‐specific information in behaviour change training; (4) linking the delivery of physical activity promotion with clinical outcomes; and (5) using ‘champions’ to raise the profile of physical activity within the health service.

Incorporation of these recommendations by health professionals and health boards may significantly improve the provision of physical activity promotion within routine diabetes care. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons.
Post‐approval appending of CSARs to drug package inserts: an analysis of the types of adverse reactions and time to addition
Authors: Tamura Norio , Ishiguro Chieko , Matsuda Tsutomu
Published: April 2014

Purpose

The aim of this study was to quantitatively analyze clinically significant adverse reactions (CSARs) added to drug package inserts after approval and to investigate the time to these post‐approval additions as an indicator of safety‐related regulatory actions.

Methods

Drugs containing new active ingredients that had been approved in Japan from April 2001 to December 2010 were analyzed. We examined CSARs that had been reported in the first version of the package inserts and subsequent additions through notifications from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare until the end of 2011. Relative risks (RRs) for post‐approval addition of CSARs were calculated for various categories of disorders. The median lengths of time to post‐approval addition of CSARs were compared.

Results

A total of 238 drugs were examined. Of the 2487 CSARs associated with these drugs, 737 had been added after approval. The analysis revealed a higher likelihood for post‐approval addition of CSARs for “Hepatobiliary disorders” (RR: 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–1.68), “Gastrointestinal disorders” (RR: 1.35; 95%CI: 1.10–1.66), and “Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders” (RR: 1.52; 95%CI: 1.11–2.07). In contrast, “Cardiac disorders” showed reduced likelihood in comparison with other disorders. For the time until post‐approval addition of CSARs, “Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders” showed the longest durations, with a median of 3020 days.

Conclusions

Our quantitative analysis suggests that some CSARs were added more frequently to package inserts after approval and that time to post‐approval additions of CSARs varied with the types of adverse drug reactions. These results can support the coherent implementation of pharmacovigilance activities. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Why have so few proteomic biomarkers “survived” validation? (Sample size and independent validation considerations)
Authors: Hernández Belinda , Parnell Andrew , Pennington Stephen R.
Published: April 2014

Proteomic biomarker discovery has led to the identification of numerous potential candidates for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of response to therapy. However, very few of these identified candidate biomarkers reach clinical validation and go on to be routinely used in clinical practice. One particular issue with biomarker discovery is the identification of significantly changing proteins in the initial discovery experiment that do not validate when subsequently tested on separate patient sample cohorts. Here, we seek to highlight some of the statistical challenges surrounding the analysis of LC‐MS proteomic data for biomarker candidate discovery. We show that common statistical algorithms run on data with low sample sizes can overfit and yield misleading misclassification rates and AUC values. A common solution to this problem is to prefilter variables (via, e.g. ANOVA and or use of correction methods such as Bonferonni or false discovery rate) to give a smaller dataset and reduce the size of the apparent statistical challenge. However, we show that this exacerbates the problem yielding even higher performance metrics while reducing the predictive accuracy of the biomarker panel. To illustrate some of these limitations, we have run simulation analyses with known biomarkers. For our chosen algorithm (random forests), we show that the above problems are substantially reduced if a sufficient number of samples are analyzed and the data are not prefiltered. Our view is that LC‐MS proteomic biomarker discovery data should be analyzed without prefiltering and that increasing the sample size in biomarker discovery experiments should be a very high priority.
Effect of asymmetric edge‐perturbation and strain on spin‐conduction in zigzag graphene nanoribbons
Authors: Baldwin J. P. C. , Hancock Y.
Published: April 2014

The role of magnetic asymmetric inhomogeneities in zigzag graphene nanoribbons is studied within the context of a generalised tight‐binding model with mean‐field Hubbard‐U interaction. Perturbing the magnetic strength along one edge of the ribbon and adjusting the ribbonwidth are shown to tune the spin‐conductance and magnetic properties as the uniaxial strain is increased.

We demonstrate the closing of the spin‐dependent conductance gap and spin‐selective transmission at the Fermi energy for systems with reduced site‐specific magnetism along the top‐edge of the ribbon. Quantum mechanisms for achieving tunable spin‐conductance as a function of strain are revealed as energy minimisation mechanisms in the model. Such mechanisms may be key in the design of future nanoribbon spintronic devices. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Modelling of strain due to martensitic transformation induced by magnetic field and stress in NiCoMnIn magnetocaloric alloys
Authors: Hirsinger Laurent
Published: April 2014

The principal thermo‐magneto‐mechanical couplings involved in ferromagnetic shape memory alloys are apprehended and modelled. The well‐known (in mechanics) Clausius‐Clapeyron relation is extended to magnetism. A simplified model with internal variables is built in order to predict the hysteresis loops in strain in Ni45Co5Mn36.5In13.5magnetocaloric alloys. This strain is due to (direct and reverse) martensitic transformation induced by both the magnetic field and the mechanical stress. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
GaN nanowires for piezoelectric generators
Authors: Gogneau Noelle , Chrétien Pascal , Galopin Elisabeth , Guilet Stephane , Travers Laurent , Harmand Jean‐Christophe , Houzé Frédéric
Published: April 2014

We demonstrate the high potential of GaN nanowires (NWs) to convert mechanical energy into electric energy. Using an atomic force microscope equipped with a Resiscope module, an average output voltage of –74 mV and a maximum of –443 mV ± 2% per NW were measured. This latter value is the highest reported so far for GaN NWs. By considering these output signals, we have estimated an average and a maximum power density generated by one layer of GaN NWs of the order of 5.9 mW/cm2 and 130 mW/cm2, respectively. These results offer promising prospects for the use of GaN NWs for high‐efficiency ultracompact piezogenerators. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Tropical cyclone convection: the effects of a vortex boundary‐layer wind profile on deep convection
Authors: Kilroy Gerard , Smith Roger K.
Published: April 2014

We describe idealized numerical model experiments to study the effects of a vortex boundary‐layer wind profile on the generation of vertical vorticity in tropical deep convection. Situations are considered in which there is either no vertical shear above the boundary layer or negative vertical shear appropriate to a warm‐cored vortex. Deep convection growing in these environments develops dipole structures of vertical vorticity in which the cyclonic gyre is favoured and persists longer than the anticyclonic one. The orientation of the dipole at a particular height is determined partly by that of the ambient horizontal vortex lines, which rotate with height, and also by the vertical advection of vertical vorticity from below.

An increase in the magnitude of boundary‐layer shear enhances the distortion of the initial thermal, weakening its subsequent ascent rate. This effect is detrimental to vertical vorticity production by stretching but, because the increase in shear implies an increase in the magnitude of horizontal vorticity that can be tilted, its net effect on the vertical vorticity production by tilting cannot be foreseen. In the calculations described, the effect of the increased horizontal vorticity dominates, so that updraughts rising in stronger vertical shear have larger vertical vorticity maxima, despite smaller vertical velocity maxima.

With negative vertical shear above the boundary layer, the vorticity dipole reverses in sign with height, as in a recent study of the effects of unidirectional shear. The results provide a basis for appraising a recently proposed conceptual model for the inward contraction of eyewall convection in tropical cyclones, as well as a starting point for developing an improved understanding of the formation of a vorticity monopole during tropical cyclogenesis.
To what extent is behaviour a problem in English schools? Exploring the scale and prevalence of deficits in classroom climate
Authors: Haydn Terry
Published: April 2014

The working atmosphere in the classroom is an important variable in the process of education in schools, with several studies suggesting that classroom climate is an important influence on pupil attainment. There are wide differences in the extent to which classroom climate is considered to be a problem in English schools. Some ‘official’ reports suggest that behaviour in schools is ‘satisfactory or better’ in the vast majority of schools; other sources have pointed to behaviour being a serious and widespread problem. The paper details four studies conducted over the past decade which aimed to explore these disparities. The aim of the research was to gain a more accurate insight into the extent to which deficits in classroom climate limit educational attainment and equality of educational opportunity in English schools. The findings question the suggestion that behaviour is satisfactory or better in 99.7% of English schools and the concluding section suggests ways in which deficits in classroom climate might be addressed. Although the study is limited to classrooms in England, OECD studies suggest that deficits in the working atmosphere in classrooms occur in many countries. The study therefore has potential relevance for education systems in other countries.
Context and Implications Document for: To what extent is behaviour a problem in English schools? Exploring the scale and prevalence of deficits in classroom climate
Authors: Haydn Terry
Published: April 2014

This guide accompanies the following article: Terry Haydn, To what extent is behaviour a problem in English schools? Exploring the scale and prevalence of deficits in classroom climate, Review of Education, 10.1002/rev3.3025
Torsional and cyclic fatigue resistances of glide path preparation instruments: G‐file and PathFile
Authors: Sung Sang Yup , Ha Jung‐Hong , Kwak Sang‐Won , Abed Rashid El , Byeon Kyeongmin , Kim Hyeon‐Cheol
Published: April 2014

This study aimed to compare cyclic fatigue and torsional resistances of glide path creating instruments with different tapers and tip sizes. Two sizes (G1 and G2) from G‐File system and three sizes (PathFile #1, #2, and #3) from PathFile system were used for torsional resistance and cyclic fatigue resistance tests (n = 10). The torsional resistance was evaluated at 2‐, 3‐, 4‐, 5‐, and 6‐mm from the file tip by plotting the torsional load changes until fracture by rotational loading of 2 rpm. The cyclic fatigue resistance was compared by measuring the number of cycles to failure. Data were analyzed statistically using one‐way ANOVA and Duncan's post‐hoc comparison. The length of the fractured file fragment was also measured. All fractured fragments were observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Although G‐2 file showed a lower torsional strength than PathFile #3 at 2‐ and 3‐mm levels (p < 0.05), they had similar ultimate strengths at 4‐, 5‐, and 6‐mm levels (p > 0.05). The smaller files of each brand had a significantly higher cyclic fatigue resistance than the bigger ones (p < 0.05). PathFile #1 and #2 had higher fatigue resistances than G‐files (p < 0.05). While G‐1 had a similar fatigue resistance as PathFile #3, G‐2 showed the lowest and PathFile #1 showed the highest resistances among the tested groups (p < 0.05). The SEM examination showed typical appearances of cyclic fatigue and torsional fractures, regardless of the tested levels. Clinicians may consider the instruments' sizes for each clinical case in order to get efficient glide path with minimal risk of fracture. SCANNING 36:500–506, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Reduce Intervertebral Disc Fibrosis and Facilitate Repair
Authors: Leung Victor Y.L. , Aladin Darwesh M.K. , Lv Fengjuan , Tam Vivian , Sun Yi , Lau Roy Y.C. , Hung Siu-Chun , Ngan Alfonso H.W. , Tang Bin , Lim Chwee Teck , Wu Ed X. , Luk Keith D.K. , Lu William W. , Masuda Koichi , Chan Danny , Cheung Kenneth M.C.
Published: April 2014

Intervertebral disc degeneration is associated with back pain and radiculopathy which, being a leading cause of disability, seriously affects the quality of life and presents a hefty burden to society. There is no effective intervention for the disease and the etiology remains unclear. Here, we show that disc degeneration exhibits features of fibrosis in humans and confirmed this in a puncture-induced disc degeneration (PDD) model in rabbit. Implantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to PDD discs can inhibit fibrosis in the nucleus pulposus with effective preservation of mechanical properties and overall spinal function. We showed that the presence of MSCs can suppress abnormal deposition of collagen I in the nucleus pulposus, modulating profibrotic mediators MMP12 and HSP47, thus reducing collagen aggregation and maintaining proper fibrillar properties and function. As collagen fibrils can regulate progenitor cell activities, our finding provides new insight to the limited self-repair capability of the intervertebral disc and importantly the mechanism by which MSCs may potentiate tissue regeneration through regulating collagen fibrillogenesis in the context of fibrotic diseases. Stem Cells  2014;32:2164–2177
Effect of silane coupling agent on the curing, tensile, thermal, and swelling properties of ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer rubber (EPDM)/mica composites
Authors: Ismail H. , Ishak S. , Hamid Z.A.A.
Published: April 2014

The influence of silane (bis[3‐triethoxysilylpropyl] tetrasulfide) coupling agent on the properties of ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer rubber (EPDM)/mica composites was studied. Both EPDM/mica composites with silane and those without silane were compounded by using a two‐roll mill at various filler loadings (i.e., 100/0, 100/10, 100/30, 100/50, 100/70). The tensile and thermal properties as well as the fracture surfaces of the composites were investigated by using an Instron Universal Testing Machine, a thermal gravimetric analyzer, and a field emission scanning electron microscope. The results indicated that the optimum cure time (t90) and scorch time (ts2) values were shorter, whereas the maximum torque (MH) value was slightly higher, for EPDM/mica composites with silane compared to those without silane. The tensile properties, modulus at 100% elongation, and modulus at 300% elongation increased for the composites made with silane, and the optimum filler loading for those properties was 50 parts by weight per hundred parts of rubber. In addition, thermal stability and swelling ratio for both composites improved with increased filler loading. However, the composites with silane showed better thermal stability and swelling ratio because of stronger linkage at the rubber‐filler boundary, which promoted filler dispersion. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 20:116–121, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
The effects and side‐effects of the EU emissions trading scheme
Authors: Laing Timothy , Sato Misato , Grubb Michael , Comberti Claudia
Published: April 2014

As many countries, regions, cities, and states implement emissions trading policies to limit CO2 emissions, they turn to the European Union's experience with its emissions trading scheme since 2005. As a prominent example of a regional carbon pricing policy, it has attracted significant attention from scholars interested in evaluating the effectiveness and impacts of emissions trading. Among the key difficulties faced by researchers is isolating the effect of the EU ETS on industry operation, investment, and pricing decisions from other dominant factors such as the financial crisis, and establishing credible counterfactual scenarios against this backdrop. This article reviews the evidence, focusing on two intended effects (emissions abatement and investment in low‐carbon technologies) as well as two side‐effects (profits and price impacts). We find that the EU ETS cut CO2 emissions by 40–80 million t/year on average, or 2–4% of the total capped, while the evidence on innovation and investment impacts is inconclusive. There is strong empirical support for cost‐pass through in electricity (20–100%), in diesel and gasoline (>50%), and some preliminary evidence of pricing power in other industrial sectors. Windfall profits have amounted to billions of Euros, and concentrated in a few large companies.

This article is categorized under:

Climate Economics > Economics of Mitigation

The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Policies, Instruments, Lifestyles, Behavior

Policy and Governance > Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance
Between Oxoborate and Nitridoborate: The Oxonitridoborate Oxide La3(OBN2)O2
Authors: Dierkes Tobias , Ströbele Markus , Meyer H. ‐Jürgen
Published: April 2014

The new compound La3(OBN2)O2 was prepared by a solid state reaction of LaOCl and Li3(BN2) at 1200 °C in a fused niobium ampoule. A single crystal structure refinement [Pnma, Z = 4, a = 1269.8(2) pm, b = 368.94(5) pm, c = 1101.1(2) pm] indicates the presence of a planar (OBN2)5– ion, which is structurally related to the (BN3)6– ion. The arrangement of atoms in the structure corresponds to a slightly modified structure of Ca3(CBN)Cl2 [Pnma, Z = 4, a = 1386.7(9) pm, b = 384.7(3) pm, c = 1124.7(6) pm].
Zinc(II) and Cadmium(II) Complexes Based on 4,5‐Di(4′‐carboxylphenyl)phthalic Acid Ligand: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Luminescent Properties
Authors: Chang Siyuan , Cao Jianwei , Liu Houting , Qin Xiaoting , Gao Yanfei , Wang Yanqin , Liu Zhiliang
Published: April 2014

Three novel complexes, [Zn2(ttca)(tib)H2O]·12H2O (1), [Cd2(ttca)(4,4′‐bipy)(H2O)3]·H2O (2), and [Zn4(H2ttca)4(1,10‐phen)6]·10H2O (3), were successfully synthesized by employing the 4,5‐di(4′‐carboxylphenyl)phthalic acid (H4ttca) and the corresponding metal salts to react with 1,3,5‐tris(1‐imidazolyl)benzene (tib), 4,4′‐bipyridine (4,4′‐bipy) and 1,10‐phenanthroline monohydrate (1,10‐phen), respectively, under hydrothermal conditions. The structures were characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analyses. According to the topological analysis, the complex 1 shows a two‐fold (3,3,4,4)‐connected framework with Schläfli symbol {4·82}{4·84·10}, whereas complex 2 exhibits a (4,5,6)‐connected 3D framework with Schläfli symbol {32·42·5·6}{32·42·53·62·7}{32·42·56·62·73}. Compound 3 is a tetranuclear zinc complex. The luminescence spectra for the solid powder samples were also investigated.
Assessing sarcopenic prevalence and risk factors in residential aged care: methodology and feasibility
Authors: Henwood Timothy R. , Keogh Justin W. , Reid Natasha , Jordan Will , Senior Hugh E.
Published: April 2014

Background

Sarcopenia is a significant geriatric syndrome with both health care expenditure and personal burden. Most recently, the European Working Group in Sarcopenia in Older Adults has established a consensus definition and assessment criteria for sarcopenia that includes a below‐normal muscle mass and muscle function (either or both of below‐normal muscle strength and physical performance). Using these criteria, work is needed to identify the prevalence and risk factors among the old, and those most susceptible to sarcopenia, the very old. This manuscript describes the recruitment and data collection methodology, and direct burden to participants, among a very old cohort residing in a residential aged care (RAC) setting.

Methods

Eleven RAC facilities participated in the study. Potential participants were identified by the facility service manager and then randomised into the study. All participants gave self or substitute decision maker consent. Participants undertook a single one on one assessment that included measures of sarcopenia, functional capacity, cognitive and nutritional health, falls, activity, facility and hospital history, physical activity and assessment burden. A sub‐study of physical activity and sedentary behaviours measured by activPAL3™ inclinometer was also conducted.

Results

Of 709 residents, 328 were ineligible to participate. Two hundred and seventy‐three residents were randomised to the study and 102 gave informed or substitute decision maker consent. Participants were 84.5 ± 8.2 years of age and had been in care for 1,204.2 ± 1,220.1 days. The groups need for care was high (Aged Care Funding Instrument score of 2.6 ± 1.7) and they had a below‐normal functional (Short Physical Performance Battery summery score of 3.5 ± 2.4). The larger percentage of participants had no depression and normal cognitive capacity. A total of 33 residents participated in the activPAL study. Each assessment took an average of 27.0 ± 7.0 min, with a low assessment burden reported by participants.

Conclusions

The successful assessment of sarcopenia and physical activity in a RAC setting is labour intensive to establish, but feasible to conduct. Low recruitment numbers and the restrictive exclusion criteria, may have limited the accuracy of this work. However, this work is a primary step in establishing the level of sarcopenia and its risk factors for those in end‐of‐life care.
Channel morphology, hydrology and geomorphic positioning of a Middle Miocene river system of the Siwalik foreland basin, India
Authors: GOSWAMI PRADEEP K. , DEOPA TANUJA
Published: April 2014

Systematic lithofacies, palaeocurrent, palaeomorphological and palaeohydrological analyses have provided detailed information about a hitherto unstudied river system of the Siwalik foreland basin of the Himalaya. Three distinct lithofacies associations, each representing a specific depositional setting, have been identified and named as ‘Facies Association A’, ‘Facies Association B’ and ‘Facies Association C’. The ‘Facies Association A’ comprises pebbly sandstone, cross-bedded sandstone, ripple-laminated sandy siltstone and bioturbated mudstone lithofacies and represents deposits of a braided channel. The ‘Facies Association B’ comprises cross-bedded sandstone, bioturbated mudstone, fine sandstone–mudstone alternation and lensoid to prismatic sandstone lithofacies and represents deposits of a channel, natural levee, crevasse-splay and flood plain of a meandering stream. The ‘Facies Association C’ comprises mottled siltstone–mudstone heterolith and fine sandstone lithofacies and represents deposits of the upland interfluve region. The braided stream had a maximum depth of 4.15 m, maximum width of 305 m and maximum discharge of 7045 cumec, whereas the meandering stream had a sinuosity of 1.26, maximum depth of 3.71 m, maximum width of 180 m and maximum discharge of 4070 cumec. The area had a regional radial outward flow pattern, but dominantly towards the SSW. However, the braided river had a bimodal flow pattern due to an active basement-high-induced bend along its course. A comparison of the sediment characters and morphological and hydrological parameters of these streams with those of the modern rivers of the Ganga (Gangetic) basin has enabled us to infer that this river system was located in the medial-distal megafan-interfan setting of the basin.
The Failure of the Austrian and Yugoslav Police to Repress the Croatian Ustaša in Austria, 1929–1934
Authors: Lewis Mark
Published: April 2014

Since the 1970s, historiography about the pre-World War II phase of the Croatian Ustaša concentrated on Italian and Hungarian state support for Ante Pavelić's national-separatist/terrorist organization from approximately 1929–1934, and identified Nazi support when it became more significant in the late 1930s and put the group in charge of the Independent State of Croatia in 1941. More recent scholarship has investigated the support of Croatian exiles in the United States and Argentina for the Ustaša movement, as well as how the Ustaša regime, once in power, tried to legitimate its policies of racial “cleansing” and social revolution against capitalism and secularism. The first aim of this article is to return to the early period of the Ustaša, when it was a terrorist organization, and to show that it had an important base in Austria that senior Austrian police officials tolerated. The article, therefore, takes a somewhat different position from that of historian Arnold Suppan, who argued that the Austrian police could find no evidence that the Ustaša in Austria had been involved in terrorism, and that the Austrian government had made a good faith effort to expel Ustaša members. The fact that elements of the Austrian police indeed knew about the Ustaša network and protected certain senior members supports historian Gerhard Jagschitz's argument that the Vienna police had not turned over a new leaf in the postwar period and had not shed all political activities. However, Jagschitz concentrated on the problems surrounding the establishment of a domestic intelligence agency in the 1920s, showing how it ultimately was not effective. This article concentrates on 1929–1934, demonstrating that while the Austrian political police was not all-knowing, certain decisions not to share what it knew about ultra-nationalist Croatian terrorism damaged the Austrian police's international reputation. Second, this article argues that the Yugoslav police possibly turned to shadowy extra-judicial groups to carry out assassinations against Ustaša figures, in part because the Austrian police were not aggressive enough in repressing the organization. This adds an additional factor to the interpretations of historians James Sadkovich and Mario Jareb, who contend that Yugoslav police violence was an extension of the Serbian dictatorship's attempt to repress Croatian nationalism by any means necessary.
Training oscillatory neural networks using natural gradient particle swarm optimization
Authors: Shahbazi Hamed , Jamshidi Kamal , Monadjemi Amir Hasan , Manoochehri Hafez Eslami
Published: April 2014

In this paper, a new design of neural networks is introduced, which is able to generate oscillatory patterns in its output. The oscillatory neural network is used in a biped robot to enable it to learn to walk. The fundamental building block of the neural network proposed in this paper is O-neurons, which can generate oscillations in its transfer functions. O-neurons are connected and coupled with each other in order to shape a network, and their unknown parameters are found by a particle swarm optimization method. The main contribution of this paper is the learning algorithm that can combine natural policy gradient with particle swarm optimization methods. The oscillatory neural network has six outputs that determine set points for proportional-integral-derivative controllers in 6-DOF humanoid robots. Our experiment on the simulated humanoid robot presents smooth and flexible walking.
Design and simulated characteristics of a new biped mechanism
Authors: Li Tao , Ceccarelli Marco
Published: April 2014

This paper presents a new biped mechanism with low-cost easy-operation features. The mechanism is designed with functions for straight walking, changing direction, overcoming obstacle, and climbing stairs with only 7 DOFs (degrees of freedom). Dynamics of the biped mechanism are analyzed by means of simulations in the MSC.ADAMS environment. Simulation results in terms of motion torque, joint force, contact force, parts displacement, velocity, and acceleration are reported and analyzed to show the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed solution. In addition, with the simulation results, dynamical motion of the biped mechanism is investigated and its operation performances are characterized as well.
Semiregular elements in cubic vertex-transitive graphs and the restricted Burnside problem
Authors: SPIGA PABLO
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we prove that the maximal order of a semiregular element in the automorphism group of a cubic vertex-transitive graph Γ does not tend to infinity as the number of vertices of Γ tends to infinity. This gives a solution (in the negative) to a conjecture of Peter Cameron, John Sheehan and the author [4, conjecture 2].

However, with an application of the positive solution of the restricted Burnside problem, we show that this conjecture holds true when Γ is either a Cayley graph or an arc-transitive graph.
On surface links whose link groups are abelian
Authors: ITO TETSUYA , NAKAMURA INASA
Published: April 2014

We study surface links whose link groups are free abelian, and construct various stimulating and highly non-trivial examples of such surface links.
Structure analysis of CaTi1−xSnxO3 (x = 0.0–1.0) solid solutions
Authors: Takani Naoki , Yamane Hisanori
Published: April 2014

CaTi1−xSnxO3 (x = 0.0–1.0) solid solutions were prepared by solid-state reaction at 1450 °C. Rietveld refinement of their powder X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that all the solid solutions crystallized in orthorhombic cells with the perovskite-type structure, the space group Pbnm. The refined unit-cell parameters linearly increased with nominal tin contents x.
Law, Morality and Religion in the Family Courts
Authors: Munby James
Published: April 2014

The link between law and morality has been hotly debated by lawyers and philosophers over the years. This article takes as its starting point the assumption at the beginning of the twentieth century that it was the responsibility of courts and their judges to enforce and promote Christian morality. During the course of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries that assumption has been comprehensively undone. This article examines the key points in the development of judicial approaches to law, morality and religion that have led to a completely different approach to such questions in the courts today.
The Oath of Canonical Obedience
Authors: Bursell Rupert
Published: April 2014

The requirement for an oath of canonical obedience (or due obedience) pre-dates the Reformation although a printed text has so far only been traced back to 1637. It is taken by every bishop, priest and deacon, as well as by deaconesses and readers. There are few cases on the scope and meaning of the oath but the Privy Council case of Long v Bishop of Cape Town (1863) decided that the oath only requires obedience to such commands as the superior is otherwise by law authorised to impose. This case is still a binding authority, although difficulties arise as to its application in relation, for example, to national and diocesan regulations, policies and guidelines.
Parliamentary Report
Authors: Cranmer Frank
Published: April 2014

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill completed its third reading in the Lords on 27 January and, at the time of writing, was awaiting the resolution of differences between the two Houses by the process commonly known as ‘ping-pong’. Concerns had been expressed by certain religious organisations that activities such as street preaching could be banned if there were complaints from residents; and the Salvation Army, in particular, with its tradition of open-air singing and brass bands, was worried that its activities might be curtailed.
Explicit flock solutions for Quasi-Morse potentials
Authors: CARRILLO J. A. , HUANG Y. , MARTIN S.
Published: April 2014

We consider interacting particle systems and their mean-field limits, which are frequently used to model collective aggregation and are known to demonstrate a rich variety of pattern formations. The interaction is based on a pairwise potential combining short-range repulsion and long-range attraction. We study particular solutions, which are referred to as flocks in the second-order models, for the specific choice of the Quasi-Morse interaction potential. Our main result is a rigorous analysis of continuous, compactly supported flock profiles for the biologically relevant parameter regime. Existence and uniqueness are proven for three space dimensions, while existence is shown for the two-dimensional case. Furthermore, we numerically investigate additional Morse-like interactions to complete the understanding of this class of potentials.