bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Pseudo‐Dominant’ Inheritance in Friedreich's Ataxia: Clinical and Genetic Study of a Brazilian Family
Authors: Moro Adriana , Martinez Alberto R.M. , Karuta Simone C.V. , Munhoz Renato P. , Moscovich Mariana , Germiniani Francisco M.B. , Arruda Walter O. , Raskin Salmo , Teive Hélio A.G.
Published: September 2014

Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder characterized by progressive gait and limb ataxia, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, limb muscular weakness, and areflexia with positive extensor plantar response. Loss of vibratory and position sense, skeletal abnormalities, and dysarthria are common comorbid features. The wide spectrum of disease may lead to a diagnostic challenge, and in such a scenario, the inheritance pattern might be a clue to diagnosis. A rare and peculiar pattern observed in some families is the pseudodominant pattern that is usually characterized by phenotypic variation, which, in turn, could make it even harder to get to a correct diagnosis. This pattern, although seemingly similar to a true dominant pattern of inheritance, should be kept in mind whenever one is evaluating a family with FA. We evaluated a Brazilian family of Italian ancestry with variation of phenotype among affected siblings.
Extracts from Calendula officinalis Offer in Vitro Protection Against H2O2 Induced Oxidative Stress Cell Killing of Human Skin Cells
Authors: Alnuqaydan Abdullah M. , Lenehan Claire E. , Hughes Rachel R. , Sanderson Barbara J.
Published: September 2014

The in vitro safety and antioxidant potential of Calendula officinalis flower head extracts was investigated. The effect of different concentrations (0.125, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0% (v/v)) of Calendula extracts on human skin cells HaCaT in vitro was explored. Doses of 1.0% (v/v) (0.88 mg dry weight/mL) or less showed no toxicity. Cells were also exposed to the Calendula extracts for either 4, 24 or 48 h before being exposed to an oxidative insult (hydrogen peroxide H2O2) for 1 h. Using the MTT cytotoxicity assay, it was observed that two independent extracts of C. officinalis gave time‐dependent and concentration‐dependent H2O2 protection against induced oxidative stress in vitro using human skin cells. Pre‐incubation with the Calendula extracts for 24 and 48 h increased survival relative to the population without extract by 20% and 40% respectively following oxidative challenge. The antioxidant potential of the Calendula extracts was confirmed using a complimentary chemical technique, the DPPH● assay. Calendula extracts exhibited free radical scavenging abilities. This study demonstrates that Calendula flower extracts contain bioactive and free radical scavenging compounds that significantly protect against oxidative stress in a human skin cell culture model. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microperforation of Three Common Plastic Films by Laser and Their Enhanced Oxygen Transmission for Fresh Produce Packaging
Authors: Winotapun Charinee , Kerddonfag Noppadon , Kumsang Pramote , Hararak Bongkot , Chonhenchob Vanee , Yamwong Teerapon , Chinsirikul Wannee
Published: September 2014

Three different plastic films of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) were perforated using Nd‐YAG laser. Effects of laser pulse energy were examined by varying energies from 50 to 250 mJ where the pulse duration and pulse repetition were kept constant at 10 ns and 1 Hz, respectively. It was found that perforation diameters of all films increased with increasing pulse energies. Observed perforations were different among the three film types. Explanation was contributed to material inherent property and its interaction with laser. Incorporation of an inorganic filler (i.e. silica based anti‐blocking agent used in packaging film) of 0.5 wt% into the LDPE films (0.5Si‐LDPE) could improve perforation performance for LDPE. This was attributed to an increased thermal diffusivity of the 0.5Si‐LDPE film. Commercial BOPET and BOPP films containing 97 microholes/m2 (hole diameter of ~100 µm) showed an improvement in oxygen transmission rates (OTR) of 18 and 5 times that of the neat films without perforation. In the case of perforated 0.5Si‐LDPE films having similar perforations of 97 microholes/m2 and perforation diameter of 100 µm, a two‐fold increase of OTR was obtained. Gas transmission rates of the microperforated films were measured based on the static method. Measured OTR and CO2TR values of the three films with varying perforation diameters in a range of ~40–300 µm were compared and discussed. Overall results clearly indicate that perforation by laser is an effective process in developing breathable films with tailored oxygen transmission property for fresh produce packaging. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chlorination of Phosphane Selenides
Authors: Upmann Daniel , Jones Peter G.
Published: September 2014

Chlorination of the phosphane selenide iPrtBu2PSe with PhICl2 leads to the compound iPrtBu2PSe2Cl2, which contains a P–Se–SeCl2 moiety and is formally a phosphane selenide complex of selenium dichloride. Two polymorphs of the product were identified by X‐ray structure analysis. The analogous reaction with tBu3PSe gave an oil, presumably tBu3PSe2Cl2, from which small quantities of tBu3PSe3Cl2 were obtained and characterized by X‐ray structure analysis.
Costs and Cost‐Effectiveness of Pediatric Inguinal Hernia Repair in Uganda
Authors: Eeson Gareth , Birabwa‐Male Doreen , Pennington Mark , Blair Geoffrey K.
Published: September 2014

Background

Surgically treatable diseases contribute approximately 11% of disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide yet they remain a neglected public health priority in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Pediatric inguinal hernia is the most common congenital abnormality in newborns and a major cause of morbidity and mortality yet elective repair remains largely unavailable in LMICs. This study is aimed to determine the costs and cost‐effectiveness of pediatric inguinal hernia repair (PIHR) in a low‐resource setting.

Methods

Medical costs of consecutive elective PIHRs were recorded prospectively at two centers in Uganda. Decision modeling was used to compare two different treatment scenarios (adoption of PIHR and non‐adoption) from a provider perspective. A Markov model was constructed to estimate health outcomes under each scenario. The robustness of the cost‐effectiveness results in the base case analysis was tested in one‐way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome of interest was cost per DALY averted by the intervention.

Results

Sixty‐nine PIHRs were performed in 65 children (mean age 3.6 years). Mean cost per procedure was $86.68 US (95% CI 83.1–90.2 USD) and averted an average of 5.7 DALYs each. Incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio was $12.41 per DALY averted. The probability of cost‐effectiveness was 95% at a cost‐effectiveness threshold of $35 per averted DALY. Results were robust to sensitivity analysis under all considered scenarios.

Conclusion

Elective PIHR is highly cost‐effective for the treatment and prevention of complications of hernia disease even in low‐resource settings. PIHR should be prioritized in LMICs alongside other cost‐effective interventions.
Playing the Citations Game: From Publish or Perish to be Cited or Sidelined
Authors: Dowling Grahame R.
Published: September 2014

The availability of automated citation counting software has made it easy for citation metrics to be used in the performance appraisal of many academics. This is most evident in decisions about promotion, research funding and salary supplementation. At present, many marketing academics seem to have only a passing interest in how their citations may impact on these decisions. Notwithstanding their limitations, citations can play an important role in building a case for the career advancement of most academics. The questions addressed in this paper are twofold. First, is seeking more citations a somewhat distracting game to be played across one's career or do they provide a reasonably valid measure of research recognition? Second, given that their use is becoming more widespread, how can a scholar's citation profile be linked to their research strategy so that it enhances rather than obscures their contribution? In the language of branding the task is how best to use citations as a point-of-proof of research contribution. Data from the Australian marketing community is used to illustrate how this can be achieved.
The oxidative molecular regulation mechanism of NOX in children with phenylketonuria
Authors: He Ying‐Zhong , Gu Xue‐Fan , Lu Li‐Hua , Liang Li‐Li
Published: September 2014

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is the most frequent inherited disorder of amino acid metabolism. In our previous work, we investigated the role of NADPH oxidase (NOX) in a Pahenu2‐BTBR PKU mouse model, and an in vitro cell culture model of PKU. In the current study, we evaluated various oxidative stress parameters, namely total antioxidant capacity (T‐AOC), glutathione (GSH) and maleic dialdehyde (MDA) in the plasma of 40 PKU children, for further investigating the oxidative molecular regulation mechanism of NOX in PKU. It was observed that T‐AOC and GSH markedly decreased in PKU as compared with the control group (P < 0.01), and seemed to correlate negatively with Phe level. However, there was no statistical difference in MDA level among the three groups. And 8‐isoprostane in the blood samples of PKU2 groups was slightly higher than control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, mRNA levels of subunits of NOX included p47phox and p67phox significantly increased in PKU group (P < 0.01). These results reflected that NOX is the important source of reactive oxygen species and is involved in the oxidative molecular regulation mechanism in PKU, which shows a new perspective toward understanding the biological underpinnings of PKU.
Alkaline rocks of Meso-Cenozoic volcanosedimentary complex of the West Siberian Plate: petrologic composition
Authors: Medvedev A.Ya.
Published: September 2014

This paper is concerned with study of tephriphonolites, rare rocks that have been first found in the pre-Jurassic basement of West Siberia. Based on geological observations of the bedding of different types of volcanics and their geochemical peculiarities, the conclusion about the synchronous occurrence of subalkaline and alkaline volcanism is drawn. This is confirmed by the coexistence of compositionally contrasting volcanics in the borehole section. The hypothesis is put forward that these rocks alternate in the section, as is the case in the Tunguska syneclise of the Siberian Platform. The new data on Sr and Nd isotopy suggest the participation of crustal material in the formation of alkaline rocks. The rift nature of the regional intraplate volcanism is confirmed.
3D mantle structure of Central Asia from Rayleigh wave group velocity dispersion
Authors: Kozhevnikov V.M. , Seredkina A.I. , Solovei O.A.
Published: September 2014

The mantle structure in Central Asia was investigated by surface-wave tomography from dispersion of the fundamental mode of the Rayleigh wave group velocities along more than 3200 earthquake–station paths within 40° N to 60° N and 80° E to 132° E. The velocities were processed by the frequency–time analysis at periods from 10 to 250 s to obtain their dispersion curves. Then group velocity maps were computed separately for each period, at different sampling intervals: at every 5 s for the short periods from 10 to 30 s, at 10 s for periods between 30 and 100 s, and at 25 s for the longest periods of 100 to 250 s. Resolution was estimated according to the effective averaging radius (R) and presented likewise in the form of maps. To estimate the depths of the revealed inhomogeneties, locally averaged dispersion curves were calculated using the group velocity maps, with reference to the radius R, and were then inverted to S-wave velocity-depth profiles. The resulting three-dimensional S-wave velocity structure to depths of about 700 km revealed large lateral inhomogeneties through the entire depth range. This pattern may be due to the history of the major tectonic structures, as well as to ongoing processes in the mantle.
Landscape Evolution and Human Settlement in the Iroise Sea (Brittany, France) during the Neolithic and Bronze Age
Authors: Pailler Yvan , Stéphan Pierre ,   with contributions by, Gandois H. , Nicolas C. , Sparfel Y. , Tresset A. , Donnart K. , Dréano Y. , Fichaut B. , Suanez S. , Dupont C. , Audouard L. , Marcoux N. , Mougne C. , Salanova L. , Sellami F. , Dietsch-Sellami M.-F.
Published: September 2014

The Molène archipelago appears to be particularly rich in Neolithic and Bronze Age remains and an exceptional concentration of megaliths has been brought to light. Several settlements are confirmed by dry-stone structures or by shell middens. These data give precious indications on the occupation chronology of the area. Moreover they allow us, for the first time in Brittany, to reconstruct everyday life during the late Prehistoric period. A prerequisite to this reconstruction was a better understanding of the evolution of the environment during this period, which locally implies a better knowledge of paleogeographic changes related to Holocene sea-level rise as well as on floral and faunal resources.

The results obtained through paleogeographic reconstructions show that the archipelago since 4500bcwas already disconnected from the mainland. The megalithic monuments must therefore have been erected and used by islanders present on the archipelago from the middle of the 5th to the 2nd millenniumbc. The distribution of the megalithic tombs reveals landscape occupation strategies which respond to both cultural choices and natural constraints. Throughout the entire period, geographic isolation has continued to increase, although it did not imply strong cultural specificities. Nevertheless, the increasing remoteness of the islands has fostered the search for livelihoods based on the intense exploitation of coastal resources. Despite their focus on the sea, these people did not neglect what inland areas could offer as evidenced by the early agro-pastoral practices in the archipelago.
Processing of oats and the impact of processing operations on nutrition and health benefits
Authors: Decker Eric A. , Rose Devin J. , Stewart Derek
Published: September 2014

Oats are a uniquely nutritious food as they contain an excellent lipid profile and high amounts of soluble fibre. However, an oat kernel is largely non-digestible and thus must be utilised in milled form to reap its nutritional benefits. Milling is made up of numerous steps, the most important being dehulling to expose the digestible groat, heat processing to inactivate enzymes that cause rancidity, and cutting, rolling or grinding to convert the groat into a product that can be used directly in oatmeal or can be used as a food ingredient in products such as bread, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and snack bars. Oats can also be processed into oat bran and fibre to obtain high-fibre-containing fractions that can be used in a variety of food products.
A 2-year study on milk quality from three pasture-based dairy systems of contrasting production intensities in Wales
Authors: STERGIADIS S. , LEIFERT C. , SEAL C. J. , EYRE M. D. , LARSEN M. K. , SLOTS T. , NIELSEN J. H. , BUTLER G.
Published: September 2014

There is an increasing interest in pasture-based dairy systems in Europe, mainly because of increasing production costs for intensive dairying. Milk is a matrix of compounds that influence nutritional and manufacturing properties, many dependent on husbandry linked to pasture-based systems (increase in pasture intake, forage : concentrate ratio, clover inclusion in swards/silages and use of alternative dairy breeds). The present study investigated the impact of three grazing-based dairy systems with contrasting feeding intensity or reliance on pasture intakes (conventional high-intensity, low pasture intake [CH], organic medium-intensity, medium pasture intake [OM], conventional low-intensity, high pasture intake [CL]) on milk fatty acid (FA) profiles, protein composition and α-tocopherol and antioxidants concentrations. The proportion of animals of alternative breeds (e.g. Jersey) and crossbred cows in the herd increased with decreasing production intensity (CH < OM < CL). Milk constituents known to be beneficial for human health, such as vaccenic acid, rumenic acid, monounsaturated FA, polyunsaturated FA, antioxidants and caseins, were elevated with decreasing production intensity (CH < OM < CL), while less desirable saturated FA were lower, although not all differences between OM and CL were significant. Omega-3 FA were maximized under OM practices, primarily as a result of higher clover intake. Increases in pasture intake may explain the higher concentrations of desirable FA while increased use of crossbreed cows is likely to be responsible for higher total protein and casein content of milk; a combination of these two factors may explain increased antioxidant levels. The higher concentrations of vaccenic acid, rumenic acid, omega-3 FA, lutein, zeaxanthin, protein and casein in OM and CL milk were found over most sampling months and in both years, reinforcing the higher nutritional quality and manufacturing properties associated with milk from these systems. A switch to pasture-based dairy products would increase the intake of milk's beneficial compounds and reduce consumption of less desirable saturated FA.
Beyond Strict Justice: Hugo Grotius on Punishment and Natural Right(s)
Authors: Geddert Jeremy Seth
Published: September 2014

Hugo Grotius is often seen as reducing justice to the systematic protection of individual rights. However, this reading struggles to account for the surprisingly robust place he accords to punishment. An offender cannot plausibly claim punishment as a right, and the right to punish gives little direction about how best to carry out punishment. These difficulties point toward Grotius's little-noticed bifurcation of justice into “expletive” and “attributive” categories. While expletive (or “strict”) justice provides a grounding for the right to punish, its subsequent exercise must be governed by attributive justice. This higher justice considers persons and situations; requires imagination and prudential judgment; looks to the future; aims for the common good; acknowledges the importance of virtue; and never claims perfect solutions. Thus, Grotius's supposedly modern understanding of natural rights is best understood within an account of his specifically political thought—one that acknowledges an overarching framework of classical natural Right.
A robust system reliability analysis using partitioning and parallel processing of Markov chain
Authors: Lin Po Ting , Chou Yu-Cheng , Ting Yung , Shyu Shian-Shing , Chen Chang-Kuo
Published: September 2014

This paper presents a robust reliability analysis method for systems of multimodular redundant (MMR) controllers using the method of partitioning and parallel processing of a Markov chain (PPMC). A Markov chain is formulated to represent the N distinct states of the MMR controllers. Such a Markov chain has N2 directed edges, and each edge corresponds to a transition probability between a pair of start and end states. Because N can be easily increased substantially, the system reliability analysis may require large computational resources, such as the central processing unit usage and memory occupation. By the PPMC, a Markov chain's transition probability matrix can be partitioned and reordered, such that the system reliability can be evaluated through only the diagonal submatrices of the transition probability matrix. In addition, calculations regarding the submatrices are independent of each other and thus can be conducted in parallel to assure the efficiency. The simulation results show that, compared with the sequential method applied to an intact Markov chain, the proposed PPMC can improve the performance and produce allowable accuracy for the reliability analysis on large-scale systems of MMR controllers.
Foetal cardiac function: assessing new technologies
Authors: Gardiner Helena M.
Published: September 2014

Assessment of foetal cardiac function is more challenging than in the adult, in whom emerging technologies are tested. The postnatal cardio-respiratory interaction is replaced by the cardio-placental circulation and impedance of the brain, and distal vascular beds play an important role in modulating flow to enable its redistribution in the foetal body. Prenatal specialists, comprising obstetricians and cardiologists, have tested a variety of traditional methodologies, as well as non-Doppler offline ultrasound methods in the foetus. This article reviews the development of techniques, outlines their use, and draws attention to pitfalls in adapting technologies validated in the adult heart to the small, fast beating, remote, and largely ungated foetal heart.
Exploiting extra-textual and linguistic information in keyphrase extraction
Authors: BEREND GÁBOR
Published: September 2014

Keyphrases are the most important phrases of documents that make them suitable for improving natural language processing tasks, including information retrieval, document classification, document visualization, summarization and categorization. Here, we propose a supervised framework augmented by novel extra-textual information derived primarily from Wikipedia. Wikipedia is utilized in such an advantageous way that – unlike most other methods relying on Wikipedia – a full textual index of all the Wikipedia articles is not required by our approach, as we only exploit the category hierarchy and a list of multiword expressions derived from Wikipedia. This approach is not only less resource intensive, but also produces comparable or superior results compared to previous similar works. Our thorough evaluations also suggest that the proposed framework performs consistently well on multiple datasets, being competitive or even outperforming the results obtained by other state-of-the-art methods. Besides introducing features that incorporate extra-textual information, we also experimented with a novel way of representing features that are derived from the POS tagging of the keyphrase candidates.
Making Modal Distinctions: Kant on the Possible, the Actual, and the Intuitive Understanding
Authors: Leech Jessica
Published: September 2014

One striking contrast that Kant draws between the kind of cognitive capacities that humans have and alternative kinds of intellect concerns modal concepts. Whilst ‘it is absolutely necessary for the human understanding to distinguish between the possibility and the actuality of things’ (5: 401), the very distinction between possibility and actuality would not arise for an intuitive understanding. The aim of this paper is to explore in more detail how the functioning of these cognitive capacities relates to modal concepts, and to provide a model of the intuitive understanding, in order to draw some general lessons for our ability to make modal judgements, and the function of such judgements.
BEYOND RETRIBUTION
Authors: Brooks Thom
Published: September 2014

Retribution enjoys an unwarranted appeal from the public and its politicians. This is because it is impractical and perhaps even incoherent. This does not mean that we should reject the importance of morality for criminal justice nor should we reject the link between desert and proportionality. Nevertheless, we can reject the way retribution has understood these ideas in defense of a more plausible and compelling alternative.
Correlating Personality and Actual Phone Usage
Authors: Montag Christian , Błaszkiewicz Konrad , Lachmann Bernd , Andone Ionut , Sariyska Rayna , Trendafilov Boris , Reuter Martin , Markowetz Alexander
Published: September 2014

In the present study we link self-report-data on personality to behavior recorded on the mobile phone. This new approach from Psychoinformatics collects data from humans in everyday life. It demonstrates the fruitful collaboration between psychology and computer science, combining Big Data with psychological variables. Given the large number of variables, which can be tracked on a smartphone, the present study focuses on the traditional features of mobile phones – namely incoming and outgoing calls and SMS. We observed N = 49 participants with respect to the telephone/SMS usage via our custom developed mobile phone app for 5 weeks. Extraversion was positively associated with nearly all related telephone call variables. In particular, Extraverts directly reach out to their social network via voice calls.
Cognitive Characteristics of Students with Superior Performance in Mathematics
Authors: Leikin Roza , Paz-Baruch Nurit , Leikin Mark
Published: September 2014

Super-gifted individuals are considered to be very rare. This paper addresses one part of a larger body of research aimed at characterization of super-giftedness in mathematics. The research population consists of three groups of students who excel in mathematics: Super-gifted in mathematics (S-MG), generally gifted students who excel in school mathematics (G-EM) and students who excel in school mathematics but are not identified as generally gifted (NG-EM). Fifty-six male students who comprised these groups performed a battery of cognitive tests: memory, speed of information processing, visual perception, and attention. We found that the between-group differences are task depended and that S-MG students can be characterized by superior performance on Working Memory test (WM – span, WM – total score) and the accuracy of Pattern-recognition, which was an indicator of visual perception.
Bifunctional Organic Polymeric Catalysts with a Tunable Acid-Base Distance and Framework Flexibility
Authors: Chen Huanhui , Wang Yanan , Wang Qunlong , Li Junhui , Yang Shiqi , Zhu Zhirong
Published: September 2014

Acid-base bifunctional organic polymeric catalysts were synthesized with tunable structures. we demonstrated two synthesis approaches for structural fine-tune. In the first case, the framework flexibility was tuned by changing the ratio of rigid blocks to flexible blocks within the polymer framework. In the second case, we precisely adjusted the acid-base distance by distributing basic monomers to be adjacent to acidic monomers and by changing the chain length of acidic monomers. In a standard test reaction for the aldol condensation of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde with acetone, the catalysts showed good reusability upon recycling and maintained relatively high conversion percentage.
Development of a field sampling method based on magnetic nanoparticles for the enrichment of pesticides in aqueous samples
Authors: Zhang Lingyi , Sheng Xiaoling , Zhang Runsheng , Xiong Zhichao , Wu Zhongping , Yan Songmao , Zhang Yurong , Zhang Weibing
Published: September 2014

A field sampling method based on magnetic core–shell silica nanoparticles was developed for field sampling and the enrichment of low concentrations of pesticides in aqueous samples.
Rhodium(iii)-catalyzed C–H alkynylation of azomethine ylides under mild conditions
Authors: Zhang Xueyun , Qi Zisong , Gao Jian , Li Xingwei
Published: September 2014

Rh(iii) complexes catalyzed theorthoC–H alkynylation of azomethine imine, which acts as a masked aldehyde group.
Polymeric charge storage electrets for non-volatile organic field effect transistor memory devices
Authors: Chou Ying-Hsuan , Chang Hsuan-Chun , Liu Cheng-Liang , Chen Wen-Chang
Published: September 2014

A review on polymeric charge storage electrets for constructing non-volatile organic field effect memory devices is presented.
Possible mechanism for d0 ferromagnetism mediated by intrinsic defects
Authors: Zhang Zhenkui , Schwingenschlögl Udo , Roqan Iman S.
Published: September 2014

We present insights into the role of vacancies and surface states in the d0 ferromagnetism of ZnS nanostructures.
Rare observation of ‘aggregation induced emission’ in cyclometalated platinum(ii) complexes and their biological activities
Authors: Pasha Sheik Saleem , Alam Parvej , Dash Subhra , Kaur Gurpreet , Banerjee Debashree , Chowdhury Rajdeep , Rath Nigam , Roy Choudhury Angshuman , Laskar Inamur Rahaman
Published: September 2014

Three strong solid state emissive cyclometalated platinum(ii) complexes showing AIE property were synthesized and the feasibility of one of the dyes for cell imaging was reported.
Porous wide band gap BiNbO4 ceramic nanopowder synthesised by low temperature solution-based method for gas sensing applications
Authors: Balamurugan C. , Lee D.-W. , Maheswari A. R. , Parmar M.
Published: September 2014

In this study, we report the gas sensing behavior of BiNbO4 nanopowder prepared by a low temperature simple solution-based method.
X-ray induced fragmentation of size-selected salt cluster-ions stored in an ion trap
Authors: Ryding Mauritz J. , Giuliani Alexandre , Patanen Minna , Niskanen Johannes , Simões Grazieli , Miller Glenn B. S. , Antonsson Egill , Jokinen Tuija , Miron Catalin , Björneholm Olle , Hansen Klavs , Børve Knut J. , Uggerud Einar
Published: September 2014

A method combining X-ray synchrotron radiation and mass spectrometry is presented. Ammonium bisulphate cluster ions in an ion trap exhibit well-defined core-level absorption edges in the fragment-ion abundance spectra.
Synthesis of self-stacked CuFe2O4–Fe2O3porous nanosheets as a high performance Li-ion battery anode
Authors: Ma Fei-Xiang , Wang Pan-Pan , Xu Cheng-Yan , Yu Jing , Fang Hai-Tao , Zhen Liang
Published: September 2014

Uniform self-stacked CuFe2O4–Fe2O3porous nanosheets with excellent electrochemical properties as anode materials for LIBs were preparedviaa facile polyol-mediated route together with subsequent calcination.
Optimisation of diketopyrrolopyrrole:fullerene solar cell performance through control of polymer molecular weight and thermal annealing
Authors: Huang Zhenggang , Fregoso Elisa Collado , Dimitrov Stoichko , Tuladhar Pabitra Shakya , Soon Ying Woan , Bronstein Hugo , Meager Iain , Zhang Weimin , McCulloch Iain , Durrant James R.
Published: September 2014

The performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on a novel donor polymer DPP-TT-T was optimised by tuning molecular weight and thermal annealing.
Rigid bolaform surfactant templated mesoporous silicon nanofibers as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Xu Dongpo , Huang Zhehao , Miao Rongrong , Bie Yitian , Yang Jun , Yao Yuan , Che Shunai
Published: September 2014

Carbon-coated mesoporous silicon nanofibers for use in advanced lithium-ion batteries show a stable capacity of approximately 1141 mA h g−1 over 100 cycles at 0.2 C.
Infiltrative coating of LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 microspheres with layer-structured LiTiO2: towards superior cycling performances for Li-ion batteries
Authors: Wang Zongyi , Huang Sisi , Chen Baojun , Wu Hao , Zhang Yun
Published: September 2014

Layer-structured LiTiO2 as a coating layer is built on the surface of ternary layered LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 microspheres by using a facile infiltrative pre-coating approach. Leading to superior cycling performance in Li-batteries.
A novel synthesis of ultra thin graphene sheets for energy storage applications using malonic acid as a reducing agent
Authors: Kumar Anil , Khandelwal Mahima
Published: September 2014

Novel ultrathin graphene sheets (0.41 ± 0.03 nm) with increased sp2 character, high specific capacitance and charge–discharge capability have been synthesized and demonstrated to have potential energy storage applications.
Protein-directed approaches to functional nanomaterials: a case study of lysozyme
Authors: Ding Yubin , Shi Leilei , Wei Hui
Published: September 2014

Using lysozyme as a model, protein-directed approaches to functional nanomaterials were reviewed, making rational materials design possible in the future.
Tri-peptide cationic lipids for gene delivery
Authors: Zhao Yinan , Zhang Shubiao , Zhang Yuan , Cui Shaohui , Chen Huiying , Zhi Defu , Zhen Yuhong , Zhang Shufen , Huang Leaf
Published: September 2014

A novel tri-peptide cationic lipid can efficiently transfer DNA and siRNA into tumor cells and tumors of mice with little in vitro and in vivo toxicity.
Assembly of polyethylenimine-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles as agents for DNA transfection with magnetofection technique
Authors: Zhang Lei , Li Yecheng , Yu Jimmy C. , Chen Ying Ying , Chan King Ming
Published: September 2014

In this work two PEI-functionalized magnetic DNA carriers were prepared for DNA transfection, and the intracellular trafficking of magnetofectins was studied.
The production mechanisms of OH radicals in a pulsed direct current plasma jet
Authors: Liu X. Y. , Pei X. K. , Ostrikov K. , Lu X. P. , Liu D. W.
Published: September 2014

The production mechanism of OH radicals in a pulsed DC plasma jet is studied by a two-dimensional (2-D) plasma jet model and a one-dimensional (1-D) discharge model. For the plasma jet in the open air, electron-impact dissociation of H2O, electron neutralization of H2O+, as well as dissociation of H2O by O(1D) are found to be the main reactions to generate the OH species. The contribution of the dissociation of H2O by electron is more than the others. The additions of N2, O2, air, and H2O into the working gas increase the OH density outside the tube slightly, which is attributed to more electrons produced by Penning ionization. On the other hand, the additions of O2 and H2O into the working gas increase the OH density inside the tube substantially, which is attributed to the increased O (1D) and H2O concentration, respectively. The gas flow will transport high density OH out of the tube during pulse off period. It is also shown that the plasma chemistry and reactivity can be effectively controlled by the pulse numbers. These results are supported by the laser induced fluorescence measurements and are relevant to several applications of atmospheric-pressure plasmas in health care, medicine, and materials processing.
Viability analyses of an endangered donkey breed: the case of the Asinina de Miranda (Equus asinus)
Authors: Quaresma M. , Martins A. M. F. , Rodrigues J. B. , Colaço J. , Payan-Carreira R.
Published: September 2014

The donkey breed Asinina de Miranda, with fewer than 1000 breeding females, is in danger of extinction. The objectives of this study were to predict the progression of the breed under present management and identify determinants for survival, by means of a population viability analysis program, in order to suggest suitable management strategies. The simulation showed a high risk of extinction. The most critical factor for breed survival was the percentage of females breeding per year, but the actual percentage needed depended on the carrying capacity of the breed. Reducing female mortality and age at production of first offspring, assuring registration in the Studbook, and tracking the foals will significantly foster this donkey breed’s recovery and maintenance. The breed comprised a potentially reproductive population of 589 individuals; however, just 54.1% of the adult females registered in the Studbook ever foaled, and of these 62.7% foaled just once. The overall neonatal mortality for the first month of life was 8.92% and was lower in females (6.51%) than in males (12.0%) (P = 0.028). Neonatal mortality was unevenly distributed throughout the year, with lower mortality rates recorded in February–May and October–November, and higher mortality rates in June–September and again in December–January. The neonatal foal mortality rate was lower with females aged 5–15 years (8.06%) than those younger than 4 years (10.3%) or older than 16 years (14.1%) at foaling.
Nutritive value of wheat concentrated distillers solubles in diets for growing pigs
Authors: Rosenfelder P. , Eklund M. , Spindler H. K. , Messerschmidt U. , Potthast C. , Mosenthin R.
Published: September 2014

Two experiments (Exp.) were conducted to determine the nutritive value of wheat-derived wet concentrated distillers solubles (CDS) for growing pigs. In Exp. 1, standardised ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) was determined by the difference method, using six ileally cannulated barrows (initial bodyweight (BW) of 31 ± 2.9 kg). The pigs were fed a casein-corn starch-based diet supplemented with wheat CDS so that about half of the crude protein (CP) originated from either wheat CDS or from casein. In Exp. 2, 12 barrows with an initial BW of 17 ± 0.9 kg were used to determine digestible energy (DE) content, and to calculate metabolisable energy (ME) and net energy (NE) content of wheat CDS. Animals were fed either a casein-corn starch-based basal diet or a CDS diet containing 470 g/kg of the basal diet and 530 g/kg wheat CDS on a dry matter (DM) basis. Values of SID of CP and AA in Exp. 1 amounted to 85, 74, 83 and 70% for CP, lysine, methionine and threonine, respectively. The DE, ME and NE contents of wheat CDS were 16.8, 15.8 and 11.1 MJ/kg DM, respectively. It can be concluded that SID of CP and AA and also the energy content in wheat CDS are substantially higher than corresponding values reported in international tables with information on nutritional value of dried co-products of bioethanol production.
Developing drought tolerant crops: hopes and challenges in an exciting journey
Authors: Vadez Vincent , Palta Jairo , Berger Jens
Published: September 2014

Under increasing water scarcity, food production for an increasing population is a global challenge. Maintaining crop production under limiting water supply is a common problem in agriculture, which is best addressed by the coordinated efforts of geneticists, physiologists and agronomists. This special issue is a selection of oral and poster presentations at the InterDrought IV conference, held in Perth (2–6 September 2013). These papers provide a broad, multidisciplinary view on the way to develop improved cultivars in the face of water deficit, providing the conference highlight: an integration of views from different disciplinary angles, generating constructive debate that was not buried in disciplinary silos. More specifically, the topics covered deal with the challenge of adaptation implicit in genotype-by-environment interaction, bring new perspectives on root systems and water productivity, and review the challenges and opportunities provided by crop management, genomic and transgenic approaches to cultivar improvement.
Coupled neural systems underlie the production and comprehension of naturalistic narrative speech
Authors: Silbert Lauren J. , Honey Christopher J. , Simony Erez , Poeppel David , Hasson Uri
Published: September 2014

Significance

Successful verbal communication requires the finely orchestrated interaction between production-based processes in the speaker’s brain and comprehension-based processes in the listener’s brain. Here we first develop a time-warping tool that enables us to map all brain areas reliably activated during the production of real-world speech. The results indicate that speech production is not localized to the left hemisphere but recruits an extensive bilateral network of linguistic and extralinguistic brain areas. We then directly compare the neural responses during speech production and comprehension and find that the two systems respond in similar ways. Our results argue that a shared neural mechanism supporting both production and comprehension facilitates communication and underline the importance of studying comprehension and production within unified frameworks.
Vasoprotective effect of PDGF-CC mediated by HMOX1 rescues retinal degeneration
Authors: He Chang , Zhao Chen , Kumar Anil , Lee Chunsik , Chen Mingquan , Huang Lijuan , Wang Jing , Ren Xiangrong , Jiang Yida , Chen Wei , Wang Bin , Gao Zhiqin , Zhong Zheng , Huang Zijing , Zhang Fan , Huang Bing , Ding Hao , Ju Rong , Tang Zhongshu , Liu Yizhi , Cao Yihai , Li Xuri , Liu Xialin
Published: September 2014

Significance

PDGF-CC plays critical roles in many biological processes, such as development, tumor growth, and angiogenesis. However, its role in blood vessel survival/regression and the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, using different loss- and gain-of-function assays and multiple model systems, we show that PDGF-CC is a critical vascular protective factor required to maintain blood vessel survival. Mechanistically, we found that heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1) activity is crucial for the vascular protective/survival effect of PDGF-CC. Given the general involvement of vascular degeneration in most degenerative diseases, PDGF-CC may be of therapeutic use in treating different types of degenerative disorders. Our findings point out that the PDGF-CC level should be monitored closely in various pathological conditions to ensure normal blood vessel survival.
H-ferritin–nanocaged doxorubicin nanoparticles specifically target and kill tumors with a single-dose injection
Authors: Liang Minmin , Fan Kelong , Zhou Meng , Duan Demin , Zheng Jiyan , Yang Dongling , Feng Jing , Yan Xiyun
Published: September 2014

Significance

Nanoparticles capable of specifically binding to target cells and delivering high doses of therapeutic drugs with optimized safety profiles are much sought after in the nanomedical field. Here, we developed a natural H-ferritin (HFn) nanocarrier that specifically delivered a high concentration of the therapeutic drug doxorubicin (Dox) to tumor cells and significantly inhibited tumor growth with a single-dose treatment while also showing excellent biocompatibility and safety profiles in murine cancer models. Compared with the clinically approved liposomal Dox (Doxil), HFn-Dox exhibited longer median survival times and lower toxicity when administered at the same dose in all tumor models studied.
Coiling of elastic rods on rigid substrates
Authors: Jawed Mohammad K. , Da Fang , Joo Jungseock , Grinspun Eitan , Reis Pedro M.
Published: September 2014

Significance

The deployment of a rodlike structure onto a moving substrate is commonly found in a variety engineering applications, from the fabrication of nanotube serpentines to the laying of submarine cables and pipelines. Predictively understanding the resulting coiling patterns is challenging given the nonlinear geometry of deposition. In this paper, we combine precision model experiments with computer simulations of a rescaled analogue system and explore the mechanics of coiling. In particular, the natural curvature of the rod is found to dramatically affect the coiling process. We have introduced a computational framework that is widely used in computer animation into engineering, as a predictive tool for the mechanics of filamentary structures.
An animal-to-human scaling law for blast-induced traumatic brain injury risk assessment
Authors: Jean Aurélie , Nyein Michelle K. , Zheng James Q. , Moore David F. , Joannopoulos John D. , Radovitzky Raúl
Published: September 2014

Significance

A physics-based animal-to-human scaling law for the effects of a blast wave on brain tissue is proposed. This scaling law, or transfer function, enables the translation of animal-based assessments of injury to the human, thus effectively enabling the derivation of human injury criteria based on animal tests. This is critical both in the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury as well as in the design of blast-protective helmets.
Tissue injury and hypoxia promote malignant progression of prostate cancer by inducing CXCL13 expression in tumor myofibroblasts
Authors: Ammirante Massimo , Shalapour Shabnam , Kang Youngjin , Jamieson Christina A. M. , Karin Michael
Published: September 2014

Significance

Prostate cancer often responds to hormone ablation therapy or chemotherapy by becoming more aggressive and metastatic. B cells recruited into hormone-deprived tumors by C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13) play an important role in this process. We investigated how androgen ablation induces CXCL13 expression and found that CXCL13 is expressed by myofibroblasts within the tumor microenvironment that become activated as a result of low oxygen tension and hypoxia in androgen-deprived tumors. Hypoxia activates hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) and induces TGF-β expression, which converts fibroblasts to myofibroblasts and stimulates CXCL13 production. We show that several treatments that block CXCL13 expression, including immunodepletion of myofibroblasts, blockade of TGF-β signaling, and phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors, inhibit B-cell recruitment into androgen-deprived prostate tumors and prevent the emergence of a more aggressive type of cancer.
The influence of Swahili on Kinubi
Authors: Luffin Xavier
Published: September 2014

Kinubi, as it is spoken today in Kenya and Uganda, is strongly influenced by Swahili, the two languages having been in contact with each other for more than one century. This influence does not occur in the lexicon alone, but also in the phonology and even the morphology and syntax of Kinubi. Though the analysis of the lexicon and the phonology appear to be rather easy, the possible influence of Swahili on Kinubi morphology and syntax may prove to be may be more problematic. However, this influence may be ‘measured’ through the comparison of Kinubi and Juba Arabic: many features shared by Kinubi and Swahili are not found in Juba Arabic, which tends to show that these expressions come from Swahili.

This influence seems to be rather uniform, though Swahili does not occupy the same place in Uganda and Kenya. This fact may be explained by several factors, like the ‘Islamic’ culture of the Nubi, which makes Swahili a language of prestige, even in the community based in Uganda, as well as the permanence of the contact between Nubi communities across the border, including intermarriage and other social factors.
CARD9 mediates Dectin-1–induced ERK activation by linking Ras-GRF1 to H-Ras for antifungal immunity
Authors: Jia Xin-Ming , Tang Bing , Zhu Le-Le , Liu Yan-Hui , Zhao Xue-Qiang , Gorjestani Sara , Hsu Yen-Michael S. , Yang Long , Guan Jian-Hong , Xu Guo-Tong , Lin Xin
Published: September 2014

Dectin-1 functions as a pattern recognition receptor for sensing fungal infection. It has been well-established that Dectin-1 induces innate immune responses through caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 9 (CARD9)–mediated NF-κB activation. In this study, we find that CARD9 is dispensable for NF-κB activation induced by Dectin-1 ligands, such as curdlan or Candida albicans yeast. In contrast, we find that CARD9 regulates H-Ras activation by linking Ras-GRF1 to H-Ras, which mediates Dectin-1–induced extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) activation and proinflammatory responses when stimulated by their ligands. Mechanistically, Dectin-1 engagement initiates spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk)–dependent Ras-GRF1 phosphorylation, and the phosphorylated Ras-GRF1 recruits and activates H-Ras through forming a complex with CARD9, which leads to activation of ERK downstream. Finally, we show that inhibiting ERK activation significantly accelerates the death of C. albicans–infected mice, and this inhibitory effect is dependent on CARD9. Together, our studies reveal a molecular mechanism by which Dectin-1 induces H-Ras activation that leads to ERK activation for host innate immune responses against fungal infection.
A Randomized Crossover Trial to Decrease Bacterial Contamination on Hospital Scrubs
Authors: Boutin Mallory A. , Thom Kerri A. , Zhan Min , Johnson J. Kristie
Published: September 2014

Healthcare worker attire may become contaminated with pathogenic organisms during a normal shift. We performed a randomized crossover study to assess whether treatment with an antimicrobial coating would decrease bacterial contamination on scrubs. Thirty percent of all scrubs were contaminated; there was no difference in the rate of contamination between the intervention and control groups

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35(11):1411–1413