bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mesoporous Cobalt Tungsten Oxide Heterostructured Nanotoroids for Gas Sensing
Authors: Nguyen Thanh‐Dinh , Nguyen Cuong Duc , Hieu Nguyen Van , MacLachlan Mark J.
Published: April 2018

Mesoporous semiconducting nanotoroids of cobalt and tungsten oxides (CoO/Co3O4/WO3) are made by a hydrothermal reaction of binary metal ionic precursors with aminocaproic acid. The toroidal organization of the primary nanoparticles into the cobalt tungsten oxide nanorings presents a straightforward, interesting approach for amino acid–induced self‐aggregation of hierarchical metal‐based nanostructures. The semiconducting properties of the as‐prepared nanotoroids are exploited in gas‐sensing experiments with three analytes (CO, H2, NH3) to demonstrate the toroids as promising gas sensor components. Toroidal geometry, porosity, and semiconductor p–n heterojunction make the new mesoporous Co‐W oxide nanomaterials attractive as novel functional supports for host–guest chemistry, electrocatalysis, and electrochromism.
A Highly Stretchable, Sensitive, and Transparent Strain Sensor Based on Binary Hybrid Network Consisting of Hierarchical Multiscale Metal Nanowires
Authors: Duan Shasha , Wang Zhihui , Zhang Ling , Liu Jin , Li Chunzhong
Published: April 2018

How to balance the relationship between stretchability, sensitivity, and optical transmittance remains an obstacle for the realization of high‐performance wearable strain sensors. Here, a highly stretchable, sensitive, and transparent strain sensor is presented by using a binary hybrid network consisting of hierarchical multiscale metal nanowires. Small‐sized silver nanaowire (AgNW) network is demonstrated to have considerable sensitivity but very limited sensing range. The introduction of the highly continuous gold nanowire backbone network can not only improve the stretchability by bridging the detached AgNW regions, but also provide excellent sensitivity in large strain range. As a result, the rationally designed hybrid network based strain sensor demonstrates a wide sensing range up to 90%, high gauge factor values from 12 at 5% to 2370 at 70%, high transmittance of 86%, and prominent cyclical stability (1000 times). The highly flexible strain sensor can be conformally attached to human body and succeeds in detecting a series of activities. Both of the outstanding sensing and optical performance endow the hybrid network based sensor great potential as invisible human‐monitoring device.
Hydroxyl Group‐Prompted and Iridium(III)‐Catalyzed Regioselective C−H Annulation of N‐phenoxyacetamides with Propargyl Alcohols
Authors: Chen Weijie , Liu Fu‐Xiaomin , Gong Wanchun , Zhou Zhi , Gao Hui , Shi Jingjing , Wu Bo , Yi Wei
Published: April 2018

An efficient, mild and redox‐neutral iridium(III)‐catalyzed C−H annulation of N‐phenoxyacetamides for the regioselective synthesis of benzofurans has been developed by employing tertiary propargyl alcohols as the versatile coupling partners. The computed results together with the experimental data revealed that the hydroxyl group of tertiary propargyl alcohols acts as the key factor in controlling the regioselectivity and tuning the reactivity.

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Emulsions‐ und Schaumtemplatierung – vielversprechende Methoden zur Herstellung maßgeschneiderter poröser Polymere
Authors: Stubenrauch Cosima , Menner Angelika , Bismarck Alexander , Drenckhan Wiebke
Published: April 2018

Emulsionen, Schäume und geschäumte Emulsionen werden seit einiger Zeit als Template zur Synthese von makroporösen Polymeren verwendet. Auf der Grundlage dieses Wissens werden in diesem Kurzaufsatz Strategien vorgestellt, wie man diese Templatmethoden verwenden, optimieren und hochskalieren kann, um maßgeschneiderte poröse Polymere zu synthetisieren. Was diese Polymere so einzigartig macht, ist die Möglichkeit, ihre Strukturen und folglich auch ihre Eigenschaften nach Bedarf zu steuern. Systematische Untersuchungen zu diesen Struktur‐Eigenschafts‐Beziehungen fehlen bislang jedoch, in erster Linie weil Forscher auf diesem Gebiet in zwei Lager gespalten sind: ein “polydisperses” und ein “monodisperses”. Deshalb ist es höchste Zeit, eine Brücke zwischen den beiden Lagern zu schlagen, indem unter Verwendung derselben Chemie poröse Polymere gleicher Zusammensetzung aber mit sehr unterschiedlichen Strukturen synthetisiert werden, um die Beziehungen zwischen Struktur und Eigenschaften zu klären.
Antioxidant Properties of Flaxseed Protein Hydrolysates: Influence of Hydrolytic Enzyme Concentration and Peptide Size
Authors: Nwachukwu Ifeanyi D. , Aluko Rotimi E.
Published: April 2018

Flaxseed is an emerging source of protein raw materials for bioactive protein hydrolysate production; however, there is insufficient information on the structural properties of its antioxidative peptides. The aim of this work was to determine the peptide composition and relationships to antioxidant properties of flaxseed protein hydrolysates (FPH) obtained using two protease (thermoase) concentrations (2.5 and 3.0%). The FPH were passed through ultrafiltration membranes to yield fractions with <1, 1–3, 3–5, and 5–10 kDa peptide sizes, which were also tested for antioxidant properties. Mass spectrometry data yielded several peptide sequences located within the flaxseed conlinin, but a lesser number was found in the 3.0% thermoase‐FPH. 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging was lowest (54%) for the 3.0% thermoase‐FPH while membrane separation enhanced the values up to 65% for the <1 kDa peptides. Metal chelation and iron‐reducing ability were also significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced after membrane fractionation. In contrast, the hydroxyl radical scavenging ability was unchanged (2.5% thermoase‐FPH) or significantly (P < 0.05) diminished (3.0% thermoase‐FPH) after membrane fractionation, except for the 5–10 kDa peptides that had notably (P < 0.05) higher values. We conclude that the <1 and 1–3 kDa peptides may be useful agents to suppress oxidative stress within living tissues while the 3–5 and 5–10 kDa could be suitable preservatives to enhance food shelf life.
Polymorphism and Mixing Phase Behavior in Ternary Mixture Systems of SOS–SSO–OSO: Formation of Molecular Compound Crystals
Authors: Watanabe Shimpei , Yoshikawa Shinichi , Arishima Toshiharu , Sato Kiyotaka
Published: April 2018

This paper reports the phase behavior of ternary mixtures of saturated and cis‐monounsaturated mixed‐acid triacylglycerols (TAG) of SOS (1,3‐distearoyl‐2‐oleoyl‐glycerol), SSO (1,2‐distearoyl‐3‐oleoyl‐rac‐glycerol), and OSO (1,3‐dioleoyl‐2‐stearoyl‐glycerol) examined with X‐ray diffractometry and a differential scanning calorimeter. The ternary mixtures were crystallized by cooling from melt (60 °C) to 5 °C, and the crystals were then stabilized by storing the mixture samples at 28 °C for 10 days. The following results were obtained. (1) Molecular compound (MC) crystals of stable β polymorph having a double‐chain‐length structure (β‐2) were formed in mixtures of SOS/SSO/OSO in which the concentration of SOS was 50% with varying concentrations of SSO/OSO. This is in contrast to the fact that the stable polymorphic forms of the component TAG are β‐3 for SOS and OSO and β′‐3 for SSO. (2) When the concentration of SOS deviated from 50%, immiscible mixtures of β‐2 MC made of SOS/SSO/OSO and the component TAG (β‐3 of SOS and OSO and β′‐3 of SSO) were formed. Therefore, ternary mixtures of SOS/(SSO + OSO) = 50/50 with different concentrations of SSO and OSO are miscible mixtures of β‐2 of SOS/SSO and SOS/OSO.
Flame‐retardant and mechanical properties of rigid polyurethane foam/MRP/mg(OH)2/GF/HGB composites
Authors: Li A. , Yang D. D. , Li H. N. , Jiang C. L. , Liang J. Z.
Published: April 2018

Some rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) composites modified with microencapsulated red phosphorus (MRP), magnesium hydrate (Mg(OH)2), glass fiber (GF), and hollow glass bead (HGB) were prepared. The influence of the MRP, Mg(OH)2, GF, and HGB on the flame‐retardant, combustion, and mechanical properties of the filled RPUF composites was investigated. The results showed that the flame‐retardant and the combustion properties of the composites were obviously improved, the limiting oxygen index, half burning time and the residual mass/original mass ratio increased with increasing MRP/Mg(OH)2 weight fraction, especially in case of MRP/Mg(OH)2 weight fraction of 8 wt %; the carbon monoxide (CO) concentration decreased with increasing MRP/Mg(OH)2 weight fraction, When the composites were loaded appreciate content of the HGB and the GF, the maximum torque and compressive strength of the composites were improved. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46551.
Measuring the Redistributive Effects of China's Personal Income Tax
Authors: Du Li , Zhang ZhongXiang
Published: April 2018

Personal income tax is a commonly used redistributive instrument to deal with inequality. Whether it achieves that efficacy requires an appropriate measurement. This paper aims to examine the redistributive effects of personal income tax (PIT) based on the generalized entropy indexes. Compared with the commonly used approach based on the Gini coefficient, the generalized entropy indexes are more sensitive to the structural features of the redistributive effects and can lead to more reliable evaluation about the redistributive policy adjustments. Based on this new approach, we assess the redistributive effects of the 2011 PIT adjustment in China by using the urban household survey data. Different from previous studies, our results show that the 2011 PIT adjustment has effectively reduced the inequality within high income group, and if hidden income is taken into consideration, the overall inequality reduction resulted from the tax adjustment turns out to be positive. This finding highlights the importance of judging the redistributive effects of PIT on the basis of right household income data and that China should pay more attention to the hidden income in designing the redistributive tax rules.
Need for speed: Preference for fast‐flowing water by the endangered semi‐aquatic Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) in two contrasting streams
Authors: Esnaola Amaiur , González‐Esteban Jorge , Elosegi Arturo , Arrizabalaga‐Escudero Aitor , Aihartza Joxerra
Published: April 2018

The Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is an endangered, semi‐aquatic, insectivore mammal, endemic to the northern Iberian Peninsula and the Pyrenees. Owing to its small populations, evasive behaviour, and nocturnal activity, knowledge of its ecological requirements is still limited. Continuing population decline over most of its distribution range – even in regions where water quality has clearly improved – points to other factors as the main conservation threat. Nevertheless, at present there is a lack of information on its habitat preferences within its area of occupancy (e.g. stream microhabitat characteristics), a key point for assessing or improving its habitat.

This study used radio‐telemetry data to determine the use of space at microhabitat level by the desman, and how this changed depending upon environmental conditions.

Desmans were studied in two contrasting rivers in the Basque Country (northern Iberian Peninsula): Elama, a nearly pristine stream, and the Leitzaran, a clean‐water stream affected by hydropower diversions. Fifteen desmans were captured and radio‐tracked in Elama and 16 were captured and radio‐tracked in the Leitzaran, and nocturnal activity points were assigned to one of three habitat types: riffles, runs, or pools. Habitat use was compared against availability to measure habitat selection in each stream and between streams.

Desmans selected riffles positively and pools negatively, with this selection being stronger in the Leitzaran.

The results highlight the ecological relevance of riffles as foraging habitats of desmans, and therefore as key features for their conservation. It suggests that channel modifications that reduce the areal cover of riffles impair habitat quality for this species. In addition, water diversion for hydropower is likely to be detrimental for desmans, as it reduces discharge and flow velocity in the bypassed river sections.
Earthquake‐induced habitat migration in a riparian spawning fish has implications for conservation management
Authors: Orchard Shane , Hickford Michael J.H. , Schiel David R.
Published: April 2018

Galaxias maculatus is a riparian spawning fish that supports an important recreational fishery in New Zealand, with spawning habitat requirements strongly structured by salinity gradients at river mouths. This study reports changes to the spawning habitat following a series of large earthquakes that resulted in the widespread deformation of ground surfaces in the vicinity of waterways.

Assessments of habitat recovery focused on two river systems, the Avon and Heathcote, with pre‐disturbance data available over a 20‐year period. Recovery dynamics were assessed by field survey and mapping of spawning habitat prior to and on seven occasions after the disturbance event. Riparian land‐use and management patterns were mapped and analysed using overlay methods in a geographical information system (GIS).

Habitat migration of up to 2 km occurred in comparison with all previous records, and several anthropogenic land uses have become threats because of changed patterns of co‐occurrence. Incompatible activities now affect more than half of the spawning habitat in both rivers, particularly in areas managed for flood control purposes and recreational use.

The results are an example of landscape‐scale responses to salinity and water‐level changes driven by tectonic dynamics. These dynamics are not the source of the stress per se; rather, they have increased the exposure of the species to pre‐existing stressors.

The case illustrates important principles for managing subtle, yet widespread, change. Adaptive conservation methods and investments in information are priorities for avoiding management failure following environmental change.
Synthetic polymers as substrates for a DNA‐sliding clamp protein
Authors: van Dongen S. F. M. , Clerx J. , van den Boomen O. I. , Pervaiz M. , Trakselis M. A. , Ritschel T. , Schoonen L. , Schoenmakers D. C. , Nolte R. J. M.
Published: April 2018

The clamp protein (gp45) of the DNA polymerase III of the bacteriophage T4 is known to bind to DNA and stay attached to it in order to facilitate the process of DNA copying by the polymerase. As part of a project aimed at developing new biomimetic data‐encoding systems we have investigated the binding of gp45 to synthetic polymers, that is, rigid, helical polyisocyanopeptides. Molecular modelling studies suggest that the clamp protein may interact with the latter polymers. Experiments aimed at verifying these interactions are presented and discussed.
Paradoxical effect of baclofen on social behavior in the fragile X syndrome mouse model
Authors: Zeidler Shimriet , Pop Andreea S. , Jaafar Israa A. , de Boer Helen , Buijsen Ronald A. M. , de Esch Celine E. F. , Nieuwenhuizen‐Bakker Ingeborg , Hukema Renate K. , Willemsen Rob
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a common monogenetic cause of intellectual disability, autism spectrum features, and a broad range of other psychiatric and medical problems. FXS is caused by the lack of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), a translational regulator of specific mRNAs at the postsynaptic compartment. The absence of FMRP leads to aberrant synaptic plasticity, which is believed to be caused by an imbalance in excitatory and inhibitory network functioning of the synapse. Evidence from studies in mice demonstrates that GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and its receptors, is involved in the pathogenesis of FXS. Moreover, several FXS phenotypes, including social behavior deficits, could be corrected in Fmr1 KO mice after acute treatment with GABAB agonists.

Methods

As FXS would probably require a lifelong treatment, we investigated the effect of chronic treatment with the GABAB agonist baclofen on social behavior in Fmr1 KO mice on two behavioral paradigms for social behavior: the automated tube test and the three‐chamber sociability test.

Results

Unexpectedly, chronic baclofen treatment resulted in worsening of the FXS phenotypes in these behavior tests. Strikingly, baclofen treatment also affected wild‐type animals in both behavioral tests, inducing a phenotype similar to that of untreated Fmr1 KO mice.

Conclusion

Altogether, the disappointing results of recent clinical trials with the R‐baclofen enantiomer arbaclofen and our current results indicate that baclofen should be reconsidered and further evaluated before its application in targeted treatment for FXS.
FaptaSyme: A Strategy for Converting a Monomer/Oligomer‐Nonselective Aptameric Sensor into an Oligomer‐Selective One
Authors: Evangelista Baggio A. , Kim Yoon‐Seong , Kolpashchikov Dmitry M.
Published: April 2018

Aptameric sensors can bind molecular targets and produce output signals, a phenomenon that is used in bioassays. In some cases, it is important to distinguish between monomeric and oligomeric forms of a target. Here, we propose a strategy to convert a monomer/oligomer‐nonselective sensor into an oligomer‐selective sensor. We designed an aptazyme that produced a high fluorescent output in the presence of oligomeric α‐synuclein (a molecular marker of Parkinson's disease) but not its monomeric form. The strategy is potentially useful in the design of point‐of‐care tests for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.
Cell‐Lineage Tracing in Zebrafish Embryos with an Expanded Genetic Code
Authors: Brown Wes , Liu Jihe , Tsang Michael , Deiters Alexander
Published: April 2018

Cell‐lineage tracing is used to study embryo development and stem‐cell differentiation as well as to document tumor cell heterogeneity. Cre recombinase‐mediated cell labeling is the preferred approach; however, its utility is restricted by when and where DNA recombination takes place. We generated a photoactivatable Cre recombinase by replacing a critical residue in its active site with a photocaged lysine derivative through genetic code expansion in zebrafish embryos. This allows high spatiotemporal control of DNA recombination by using 405 nm irradiation. Importantly, no background activity is seen before irradiation, and, after light‐triggered removal of the caging group, Cre recombinase activity is restored. We demonstrate the utility of this tool as a cell‐lineage tracer through its activation in different regions and at different time points in the early embryo. Direct control of Cre recombinase by light will allow more precise DNA recombination, thereby enabling more nuanced studies of metazoan development and disease.
Alginate‐Encapsulated Bacteria for the Treatment of Hypersaline Solutions in Microbial Fuel Cells
Authors: Alkotaini Bassam , Tinucci Samantha L. , Robertson Stuart J. , Hasan Kamrul , Minteer Shelley D. , Grattieri Matteo
Published: April 2018

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) based on a new wild‐type strain of Salinivibrio sp. allowed the self‐sustained treatment of hypersaline solutions (100 g L−1, 1.71 m NaCl), reaching a removal of (87±11) % of the initial chemical oxygen demand after five days of operation, being the highest value achieved for hypersaline MFC. The degradation process and the evolution of the open circuit potential of the MFCs were correlated, opening the possibility for online monitoring of the treatment. The use of alginate capsules to trap bacterial cells, increasing cell density and stability, resulted in an eightfold higher power output, together with a more stable system, allowing operation up to five months with no maintenance required. The reported results are of critical importance to efforts to develop a sustainable and cost‐effective system that treats hypersaline waste streams and reduces the quantity of polluting compounds released.
Supramolecular Recognition and Selective Protein Uptake by Peptide Hybrids
Authors: Juanes Marisa , Lostalé‐Seijo Irene , Granja Juan R. , Montenegro Javier
Published: April 2018

The intracellular transport of exogenous proteins has emerged as one of the most promising methodologies for biotechnology and chemical biology. Currently, protein delivery is mainly achieved by liposome encapsulation, translational fusion, and ionic/hydrophobic non‐covalent aggregation with transporting molecular vehicles. This work introduces the concept of supramolecular recognition and selective transport of proteins by peptide hybrid materials. A helical amphiphilic cationic peptide that bears two orthogonal alkoxyamines for the precise anchoring of protein ligands has been designed. After the attachment of these protein ligands, the peptide showed a high binding affinity for its target protein (i.e., mannose/Concanavalin A, Biotin/Streptavidin). The resulting peptide/protein hybrids were taken up by human cells such as HeLa and HepG2. The concept described in this manuscript could potentially be adapted, through the appropriate choice of ligands, to the transport of other proteins with suitable supramolecular binding motifs.
Fluorescent Molecular Rotors for Viscosity Sensors
Authors: Lee Seung‐Chul , Heo Jeongyun , Woo Hee Chul , Lee Ji‐Ah , Seo Young Hun , Lee Chang‐Lyoul , Kim Sehoon , Kwon O‐Pil
Published: April 2018

Fluorescent molecular rotors (FMRs) can act as viscosity sensors in various media including subcellular organelles and microfluidic channels. In FMRs, the rotation of rotators connected to a fluorescent π‐conjugated bridge is suppressed by increasing environmental viscosity, resulting in increasing fluorescence (FL) intensity. In this minireview, we describe recently developed FMRs including push–pull type π‐conjugated chromophores, meso‐phenyl (borondipyrromethene) (BODIPY) derivatives, dioxaborine derivatives, cyanine derivatives, and porphyrin derivatives whose FL mechanism is viscosity‐responsive. In addition, FMR design strategies for addressing various issues (e.g., obtaining high FL contrast, internal FL references, and FL intensity‐contrast trade‐off) and their biological and microfluidic applications are also discussed.
Total Syntheses of Trichorabdal A and Maoecrystal Z
Authors: Lv Zhe , Chen Bolin , Zhang Chi , Liang Guangxin
Published: April 2018

This work reports the total syntheses of Isodon diterpenes trichorabdal A and maoecrystal Z via a common bicyclo[3.2.1]octane intermediate, which chemically bridges the two distinct structures through a retro‐aldol/aldol reaction cascade. Other synthetic features include an efficient cross‐ring radical cyclization for rapid construction of an all carbon quaternary center commonly seen in Isodon diterpenoids, a challenging Ueno–Stork cyclization on to a sensitive 1,6‐enone system, as well as a serial of chemoselective functional group manipulations in complex chemical environments.
Research on high‐precision passive localization based on phase difference changing rate
Authors: Zhou Taoyun , Cheng Yun , Lian Baowang , Irfana Bibi , Zhao Hongwei
Published: April 2018

Passive localization method has a wider applicable prospect as a rising localization resort with well flexibility. The acquisition of phase difference changing rate is a very practical problem in passive localization for the way how to get the phase difference, and a better error precision directly affects the accuracy of the localization. Firstly, based on the analysis of the positioning principle of phase difference changing rate, it studies the characteristics of phase difference changing rate and proposes a novel resolving phase ambiguity algorithm based on a double baselines system cosine theorem (DBSCT), which can eliminate the phase difference ambiguity efficiently. Secondly, it studies two typical methods to extract the high‐precision phase difference changing rate from the unambiguity phase difference, namely, difference algorithm and Kalman algorithm. Finally, it compares the Kalman algorithm with the difference algorithm through computer simulation. Simulation results show that the Kalman algorithm can efficiently smoothen the phase difference data and suppress the measurement noise to achieve a high positioning accuracy. Simulation results also show that with a certain phase difference measurement accuracy, the phase difference rate accuracy extracted by the Kalman algorithm is higher than that we require. Therefore, we can appropriately relax the phase difference measurement accuracy requirements to achieve the same positioning accuracy. So, it has a great application value.
A co‐training based entity recognition approach for cross‐disease clinical documents
Authors: Chen Dehua , Che Nannan , Le Jiajin , Pan Qiao
Published: April 2018

Entity recognition plays an important role in building the electronic medical records (EMRs) based medical knowledge graph, which is significant for building Clinical decision support (CDS) system. Cross‐disease clinical documents are context‐related and have different interrelated semantic structures, which bring challenges for entity recognition using traditional methods. In order to solve these problems, this paper proposes a co‐training based entity recognition approach for cross‐disease clinical documents. In this model, we first build partial annotation corpus of the single disease using dependency syntax analysis and the medical statement rule unifies. Then, according to the partial annotation corpus of different diseases, the sentence level features are extracted through the Bi‐LSTM layer with memory unit and CRF methods, which optimize the whole sequence and improve the combination probability of sequence labels. Finally, the results with higher confidence are selected by cross feedback to label the corpus, which enlarges the size of corpus and improves the accuracy of the document entity recognition. The experiment result proves the availability and high efficiency of our method.
Efficient subgraph search on large anonymized graphs
Authors: Ding Xiaofeng , Ou Yangling , Jia Jianhong , Jin Hai , Liu Jixue
Published: April 2018

Graph is one of the most important data structures to model social networks and becomes popular to find interesting relationships between individuals. Since graphs may contain sensitive information, data curators usually need to anonymize the graph before publication to prevent individual re‐identification, which thus leads to plenty of anonymized graphs for data sharing and exploration. However, the new structures and properties of anonymized graphs make the traditional graph indexing method inefficient or even invalid for query processing. To address the subgraph query problem over anonymized graph database, in this paper, we first introduce basic concepts about anonymized graphs and subgraph queries, then propose an index structure named Closure+‐tree to process the subgraph query efficiently. In particular, graphs were organized hierarchically that each node is an union of its child nodes under some specified mapping functions. During the processing of subgraph queries, the whole graph descendants will be pruned if their union does not contain the query graph. To evaluate the performance of our proposed Closure+‐tree, extensive experiments are performed on both real and synthetic graph data sets. The experimental results revealed that our index structure can prune up to 80% unqualified graphs with variable size of queries. Furthermore, the size of our index structure is only around a quarter of the entire anonymized graph data set, which indicates good scalability over large data sets.
Mucor circinelloides: Growth, Maintenance, and Genetic Manipulation
Authors: Vellanki Sandeep , Navarro‐Mendoza Maria Isabel , Garcia Alexis , Murcia Laura , Perez‐Arques Carlos , Garre Victoriano , Nicolas Francisco E. , Lee Soo Chan
Published: April 2018

Mucor circinelloides is a fungus that belongs to the order Mucorales. It grows as mold in the environment and can cause mucormycosis, a potentially fatal infection in immunocompromised patients. M. circinelloides is a biodiesel producer and serves as a model organism for studying several biological processes, such as light responses and RNA interference–mediated gene silencing. Over the past decade, the increasing number of molecular tools has also allowed us to manipulate the genome of this fungus. This article outlines the fundamental protocols for the in vitro growth, maintenance, and genetic manipulation of M. circinelloides in the laboratory. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Forecasting Clinical Dose–Response From Preclinical Studies in Tuberculosis Research: Translational Predictions With Rifampicin
Authors: Wicha Sebastian G. , Clewe Oskar , Svensson Robin J. , Gillespie Stephen H. , Hu Yanmin , Coates Anthony R.M. , Simonsson Ulrika S.H.
Published: April 2018

A crucial step for accelerating tuberculosis drug development is bridging the gap between preclinical and clinical trials. In this study, we developed a preclinical model‐informed translational approach to predict drug effects across preclinical systems and early clinical trials using the in vitro‐based Multistate Tuberculosis Pharmacometric (MTP) model using rifampicin as an example. The MTP model predicted rifampicin biomarker response observed in 1) a hollow‐fiber infection model, 2) a murine study to determine pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic indices, and 3) several clinical phase IIa early bactericidal activity (EBA) studies. In addition, we predicted rifampicin biomarker response at high doses of up to 50 mg/kg, leading to an increased median EBA0‐2 days (90% prediction interval) of 0.513 log CFU/mL/day (0.310; 0.701) compared to the standard dose of 10 mg/kg of 0.181 log/CFU/mL/day (0.076; 0.483). These results suggest that the translational approach could assist in the selection of drugs and doses in early‐phase clinical tuberculosis trials.
SINR and throughput improvement for VANET using fuzzy power control
Authors: Sulistyo Selo , Alam Sahirul
Published: April 2018

This paper proposes transmission power control for vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) using fuzzy system. Despite the potential advantages of VANET especially for safety and intelligent transportation system, some challenges are discovered during the implementation of VANET. Main challenges emerge because of the dynamic environment and high mobility of vehicle. Furthermore, the interference due to the shared‐spectrum usage can significantly decrease the quality of signal. Fuzzy system is implemented to control the transmission power based on the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) difference with the targeted value of the receiver vehicle and the interference inflicted by the transmitter vehicle. The algorithm of fuzzy power control for VANET is proposed, and the performance is evaluated through the simulations. The results of simulations show that the proposed algorithm can increase SINR of vehicles especially the vehicles with SINR value below the target. Thus, the average of SINR and the throughput of the system can be increased as well.
On the robustness of N‐mixture models
Authors: Link William A. , Schofield Matthew R. , Barker Richard J. , Sauer John R.
Published: April 2018

N‐mixture models provide an appealing alternative to mark–recapture models, in that they allow for estimation of detection probability and population size from count data, without requiring that individual animals be identified. There is, however, a cost to using the N‐mixture models: inference is very sensitive to the model's assumptions. We consider the effects of three violations of assumptions that might reasonably be expected in practice: double counting, unmodeled variation in population size over time, and unmodeled variation in detection probability over time. These three examples show that small violations of assumptions can lead to large biases in estimation. The violations of assumptions we consider are not only small qualitatively, but are also small in the sense that they are unlikely to be detected using goodness‐of‐fit tests. In cases where reliable estimates of population size are needed, we encourage investigators to allocate resources to acquiring additional data, such as recaptures of marked individuals, for estimation of detection probabilities.
CERRADO SMALL MAMMALS: abundance and distribution of marsupials, lagomorphs, and rodents in a Neotropical savanna
Authors: Mendonça André , Percequillo Alexandre R. , Camargo Nicholas F. , Ribeiro Juliana F. , Palma Alexandre R. T. , Oliveira Leonardo C. , Câmara Edeltrudes M. V. C. , Vieira Emerson M.
Published: April 2018

Patterns in distribution and local abundance of species within a biome are central concerns in ecology and allow the understanding of the effects of habitat loss on rates of species extinction; provide support for the creation and management of reserves; and contribute to the identification and quantification of the processes that allow niche partitioning by species. However, despite the importance in the conservation and management of the ecosystems, most systematized information on the abundance and distribution of small mammals is restricted to the northern hemisphere or forest ecosystems. For tropical biomes, an important part of this information remains dispersed and difficult to access in the form of theses, technical reports, or unpublished data sets. Here we present a comprehensive data set of abundance and richness of small mammals in the Cerrado, the largest Neotropical savanna. This data set includes 2,599 records of 446 sites from 96 studies. More than 50% of references in this data set are peer‐reviewed journal articles, but 45.78% of communities were compiled from theses. The data set comprises 24,283 individuals of 55 genera and at least 118 species of small mammals including 29 marsupials, two lagomorphs (one exotic), and 87 rodents (three exotic). Local species richness ranged from 1 to 26 species (5.82 ± 3.55, average species richness ± SD). We observed hyperdominance of a few species; the 10 most abundant species in this data set represented 60.19% of all recorded individuals. The hairy‐tailed bolo mouse (Necromys lasiurus) represented over than 20% of all individuals and occurred at more than 50% of sites. Furthermore, we identified 18 environments, 16 native vegetation types, and 2 anthropic environments. Typical savanna and gallery forest were the most frequently sampled vegetation types (comprising 46.94% of all sampled sites) and the most speciose ones (57 species for typical savanna and 53 species for gallery forest). The information contained in this data set can be used to analyze ecological questions such as the relationship between local abundance and regional distribution, the relevance of local and regional factors to community structuring, and the role of phylogenetic mechanisms in community assemblage. It can also be useful in conservation efforts in this biodiversity hotspot. No copyright, proprietary, or cost restrictions apply. Please cite this paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data.
A morphological database for 606 Colombian bird species
Authors: Montoya Paola , Gonzalez Mailyn A. , Tenorio Elkin A. , López‐Ordóñez Juan Pablo , Pinto Gómez Alejandro , Cueva Diego , Acevedo Rincón Aldemar A. , Angarita Yanes Camilo , Arango Martínez Héctor Manuel , Armesto Orlando , Betancur Jefry S. , Caguazango Castro Angela , Calderon Leyton Jhon Jairo , Calpa‐Anaguano Edna Viviana , Cárdenas‐Posada Ghislaine , Castaño Díaz Michael , Chaparro‐Herrera Sergio , Diago‐Muñoz Nicolás , Franco Espinosa Laura , Gómez Bernal Luis Germán , Gonzalez‐Zapata Fanny L. , Gutiérrez Zamora Eduardo Aquiles , Gutiérrez‐Zuluaga Ana M. , Lizcano Jiménez Robinson Stivel , Lopera‐Salazar Andrea , Alvarado Dariel Martínez , Maya Girón Ana María , Medina Wilderson , Montealegre‐Talero Carolina , Parra Juan L. , Pérez‐Peña Sebastián , Ramírez Ramírez Francis , Reyes Julián , Rivera‐Gutiérrez Héctor Fabio , Rosero Mora Yuri , Trujillo‐Torres Carlos M. , Vidal‐Maldonado Cristian Camilo , Salgado‐Negret Beatriz
Published: April 2018

Colombia is the country with the highest bird diversity in the world. Despite active research in ornithology, compelling morphological information of most bird species is still sparse. However, morphological information is the baseline to understand how species respond to environmental variation and how ecosystems respond to species loss. As part of a national initiative, the Instituto Alexander von Humboldt in collaboration with 12 Colombian institutions and seven biological collections, measured up to 15 morphological traits of 9,892 individuals corresponding to 606 species: 3,492 from individuals captured in field and 6,400 from museum specimens. Species measured are mainly distributed in high Andean forest, páramo, and wetland ecosystems. Seven ornithological collections in Colombia and 18 páramo complexes throughout Colombia were visited from 2013 to 2015. The morphological traits involved measurements from bill (total and exposed culmen, bill width and depth), wing (length, area, wingspan, and the distance between longest primary and longest secondary), tail (length and shape), tarsus (length), hallux (length and claw hallux), and mass. The number of measured specimens per species was variable, ranging from 1 to 321 individuals with a median of four individuals per species. Overall, this database gathered morphological information for >30% of Colombian bird diversity. No copyright, proprietary, or cost restrictions apply; the data should be cited appropriately when used.
Alkylation of Cyclododecanone with Allyl Acetate in the Presence of Solid Radical Initiators
Authors: Köckritz Angela , Eckelt Reinhard , Koch Oskar , Esser Peter , Panten Johannes , Baumann Wolfgang , Atia Hanan
Published: April 2018

The radical alkylation of cyclododecanone (CDD) with allyl acetate (AlAc) yielding 2‐[3‐(acetyloxy)propyl] cyclododecanone (CDDPA) in the presence of different inorganic radical initiators was investigated. The most useful initiator among other inorganic metal oxides was found to be CuO. The molar ratio of CDD and AlAc was varied between 10:1 and 3:1. CuO was characterized by using different analytical methods, such as N2 adsorption, powder X‐ray diffraction, temperature‐programmed reduction, scanning electron microscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The reaction was performed in a batch system, by adding all the reactants at once, and in a semibatch procedure by dosing AlAc over the whole time of the experiment. Different parameters that affected the selectivity of CDDPA were studied, such as the ratio of CDD/AlAc, reaction time, surface of CuO initiator, and reaction temperature. The best result was obtained with 21 % conversion of CDD and 77 % selectivity to CDDPA at a final molar ratio of CDD/AlAc = 4:1 in the semibatch procedure.
Next Generation of Guanidine Quinoline Copper Complexes for Highly Controlled ATRP: Influence of Backbone Substitution on Redox Chemistry and Solubility
Authors: Rösener Thomas , Hoffmann Alexander , Herres‐Pawlis Sonja
Published: April 2018

Ligands DMEG6etqu, TMG6etqu, DMEG6buqu, and TMG6buqu were developed on the basis of guanidine quinoline (GUAqu) ligands 1,3‐dimethyl‐N‐(quinolin‐8‐yl)imidazolidin‐2‐imine (DMEGqu) and 1,1,3,3‐tetramethyl‐2‐(quinolin‐8‐yl)guanidine (TMGqu). These ligands feature an alkyl substituent at the C6 of the quinoline backbone. The synthetic strategy developed here enables inexpensive syntheses of any kind of C6‐substituted GUAqu ligands. On one hand, the alkylation increases the solubility of corresponding copper complexes in apolar atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) monomers like styrene. On the other hand, it has a significant electronic influence and thus an effect on the donor properties of the new ligands. Seven CuI and CuII complexes of DMEG6etqu and TMG6etqu have been crystallized and were studied with regard to their structural and electrochemical properties. CuI and CuII complexes of DMEG6buqu and TMG6buqu turned out to be perfectly soluble in pure styrene even at room temperature, which makes them excellent catalysts in the ATRP of apolar monomers. The key characteristics of the ATRP equilibrium, KATRP and kact, were determined for the new complexes. In addition, we used our recently developed DFT methodology, NBO analysis, and isodesmic reactions to predict the influence of the introduced alkyl substituents. It turned out that high conformational freedom in the complex structures leads to a significant uncertainty in prediction of the thermodynamic properties.
Pressure‐assisted capillary electrophoresis frontal analysis for faster binding constant determination
Authors: Qian Cheng , Wang Su , Fu Hengqing , Turner Robin F. B. , Li Huihui , Chen David D. Y.
Published: April 2018

Adding external pressure during the process of capillary electrophoresis usually add to the band broadening, especially if the pressure induced flow is significant. The resolution is normally negatively affected in pressure‐assisted capillary electrophoresis (PACE). Frontal analysis (FA), however, can potentially benefit from using an external pressure while avoiding the drawbacks in other modes of CE. In this work, possible impact from the external pressure was simulated by COMSOL Multiphysics®. Under a typical CE‐FA set‐up, it was found that the detected concentrations of analyte will not be significantly affected by an external pressure less than 5 psi. Besides, the measured ligand concentration in PACE‐FA was also not affected by common variables (molecular diffusion coefficient (10−8 to 10−11 m2/s), capillary length etc). To provide an experimental proof, PACE‐FA is used to study the binding interactions between hydroxypropyl β‐cyclodextrin (HP‐β‐CD) and small ligand molecules. Taking the HP‐β‐CD /benzoate pair as an example, the binding constants determined by CE‐FA (18.3 ± 0.8 M−1) and PACE‐FA (16.5 ± 0.5 M−1) are found to be similar. Based on the experimental results, it is concluded that PACE‐FA can reduce the time of binding analysis while maintaining the accuracy of the measurements.
Executive functioning and central coherence in anorexia nervosa: Pilot investigation of a neurocognitive endophenotype
Authors: Brown Melanie , Loeb Katharine L. , McGrath Robert E. , Tiersky Lana , Zucker Nancy , Carlin Amanda
Published: April 2018

A neurocognitive profile characterized by problems in set shifting, executive functioning, and central coherence may pre‐date and maintain anorexia nervosa (AN). To test this pattern as a possible endophenotype for AN, 10 youth with current AN, 14 healthy youth, and their biological parents, participated in a neuropsychological battery. Youth with AN demonstrated significantly weaker central coherence, related to enhanced detail‐focused processing. Youth with AN and their parents demonstrated significantly greater psychopathology relative to controls, and youth–parent scores were significantly correlated. The study, limited by a small sample size, found little evidence supporting a neuropsychological endophenotype for AN. Identifying a neurocognitive profile for children and adolescents with AN has important implications for the treatment of young patients.
Understanding Mean Score Differences Between the e‐rater® Automated Scoring Engine and Humans for Demographically Based Groups in the GRE® General Test
Authors: Ramineni Chaitanya , Williamson David
Published: April 2018

Notable mean score differences for the e‐rater® automated scoring engine and for humans for essays from certain demographic groups were observed for the GRE® General Test in use before the major revision of 2012, called rGRE. The use of e‐rater as a check‐score model with discrepancy thresholds prevented an adverse impact on the examinee score at the item or test level. Despite this control, there remains a need to understand the root causes of these demographically based score differences and to identify potential mechanisms for avoiding future instances of discrepancy. In this study, we used a combination of statistical methods and human review to propose hypotheses about the root cause of score differences and whether such discrepancies reflect inadequacies of e‐rater, human scoring, or both. The human rating process was found to be influenced strongly by the scale structure and did not fully correspond to the e‐rater scoring mechanism. The human raters appeared to be using conditional logic and a rule‐based approach to their scoring, while e‐rater uses linear weighting of all the features. These analyses have implications for future research and operational policies for the scoring of the rGRE.
SARM: A Computer Program for Estimating Speed‐Accuracy Response Models for Dichotomous Items
Authors: van Rijn Peter W. , Ali Usama S.
Published: April 2018

A computer program was developed to estimate speed‐accuracy response models for dichotomous items. This report describes how the models are estimated and how to specify data and input files. An example using data from a listening section of an international language test is described to illustrate the modeling approach and features of the computer program.
Grouping Effects on Jackknifed Variance Estimation for Item Response Theory Scaling and Equating With Cluster‐Based Assessment Data
Authors: Wang Lin , Qian Jiahe , Lee Yi‐Hsuan
Published: April 2018

Educational assessment data are often collected from a set of test centers across various geographic regions, and therefore the data samples contain clusters. Such cluster‐based data may result in clustering effects in variance estimation. However, in many grouped jackknife variance estimation applications, jackknife groups are often formed by a random grouping method that ignores the cluster structures of the data. In this study, we constructed both random and cluster‐based jackknife groups for data known to have cluster structures and compared the jackknifed standard errors, yielded by two different grouping methods, of item response theory (IRT) scaling coefficient estimates and equated scores. Three independent data samples from an international test of English were used for the study. The cluster‐based jackknife group results showed relatively larger jackknifed standard errors of scaling coefficient estimates and scale scores than the results of the random jackknife groups for all three data samples. For cluster‐based assessment data, the cluster‐based jackknife approach provides a more appropriate way to estimate the standard errors of the parameters of IRT calibration, scaling, and equating analyses.
Administrators' Uses of Teacher Observation Protocol in Different Rating Contexts
Authors: Qi Yi , Bell Courtney A. , Jones Nathan D. , Lewis Jennifer M. , Witherspoon Margaret W. , Redash Amanda
Published: April 2018

Teacher observations are being used for high‐stakes purposes in states across the country, and administrators often serve as raters in teacher evaluation systems. This paper examines how the cognitive aspects of administrators' use of an observation instrument, a modified version of Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching, interact with the complex and dynamic rating contexts in applied settings. Findings suggest that administrators' rating strategies and rating approaches vary as the characteristics of the rating contexts differ. Even shortly after training (and more so as time passed), raters used reasoning strategies not supported by their training to make scoring decisions. We discuss the implications of the findings for the training of raters and the development of evaluation systems in high‐stakes contexts.