bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative analysis of effects of cyclic uniaxial and equiaxial stretches on gene expression of human umbilical vein endothelial cells
Authors: Shojaei Shahrokh , Tafazzoli‐Shahdpour Mohammad , Shokrgozar Mohammad Ali , Haghighipour Nooshin
Published: January 2015

It has been well established that biomechanical environment can influence functionality of biological cells. There are evidences that show mechanical cyclic stretch can promote smooth muscle cell (SMC) markers in endothelial cells (ECs). The objective of this study was to determine whether mechanical stimuli in the forms of uniaxial and equiaxial cyclic stretches (UNCS and EQCS) can affect endothelial and smooth muscle gene expressions in mRNA level of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). For this purpose, 10% uniaxial UNCS and EQCS (60 cycles/min for 24 h) were applied on HUVECs, and using real‐time PCR expressions of three EC specific markers, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐2 (VEGFR‐2, also known as FLK‐1), von Willebrand Factor (vWF) and vascular endothelial‐cadherin (VE‐cadherin) and two SMC specific genes, α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SMMHC) were quantified. Moreover, alterations in cell height were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results showed that cyclic UNCS for 24 h downregulated the expression of all EC markers and upregulated the expression of all SMC markers while low effects on HUVECs height were observed. Cyclic EQCS in the same conditions resulted in minor effect on SMC gene expression in HUVECs, while led to strong reduction in vWF with no significant change in other two endothelial genes. Cyclic EQCS considerably elevated cell height. Results proposed that ECs can transdifferentiate to SMC phenotype under specific microenvironmental conditions.
Boron Nitride Nanoplatelets as a Solid Radical Initiator for the Aerobic Oxidation of Thiophenol to Diphenyldisulfide
Authors: Dhakshinamoorthy Amarajothi , Primo Ana , Esteve‐Adell Ivan , Alvaro Mercedes , Garcia Hermenegildo
Published: January 2015

Boron nitride (BN) nanoplatelets suspended in ethanol were obtained through the sonication of BN powders prepared through biopolymer‐templated pyrolysis and air calcination of (NH4)3BO3–chitosan powders. AFM measurements indicate that BN nanoplatelets have an average height of 1.5 nm and length and width dimensions between 30 and 100 nm. BN nanoplatelets exhibit higher catalytic activity for the molecular oxygen‐mediated oxidation of aromatic thiols to the corresponding disulfides than do boron and nitrogen‐codoped graphene or commercial bulk hexagonal BN. The reaction scope includes substituted aromatic and heteroaromatic thiols, whereas aliphatic thiols are considerably less reactive. The hot filtration test and radical quenching by N‐tert‐butyl‐α‐phenylnitrone support an autoxidation mechanism involving thiyl radicals. BN nanoplatelets are deactivated during the course of the reaction owing to aggregation. The present study uncovers the activity of BN nanoplatelets used as an insoluble radical initiator of SH bonds.
Copper Ion Cementation in Presence of a Magnetic Field
Authors: Fadali Olfat A. , Obaid Mohamed , Mahmoud Mohamed S. , Farrag Taha E. , TaeWoo Kim , Khalil Khalil Abdelrazek , Barakat Nasser A. M.
Published: January 2015

The effect of an electromagnetic field (EMF) on the rate of copper(II) cementation from copper sulfate solutions on a rotating iron cylinder was investigated. The studied variables were cylinder rotation speed, magnetic field strength, and magnetic field direction. The application of EMF increased the rate of cementation in both parallel and perpendicular direction of the magnetic field where the latter proved to be more effective. The rate of mass transfer under an EMF was found to be more than doubled. The enhancement of copper recovery in presence of the EMF is due to the induced motion of Fe+n in the solution which is limited to a certain range of cylinder rotation speed. The power consumption for cementation of copper could be significantly reduced by utilizing EMF.
A Polyoxometalate‐Encapsulating Cationic Metal–Organic Framework as a Heterogeneous Catalyst for Desulfurization
Authors: Hao Xiu‐Li , Ma Yuan‐Yuan , Zang Hong‐Ying , Wang Yong‐Hui , Li Yang‐Guang , Wang En‐Bo
Published: January 2015

A new cationic triazole‐based metal–organic framework encapsulating Keggin‐type polyoxometalates, with the molecular formula [Co(BBPTZ)3][HPMo12O40]⋅24 H2O [compound 1; BBPTZ=4,4′‐bis(1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐ylmethyl)biphenyl] is hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, powder X‐ray diffraction, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The structure of compound 1 contains a non‐interpenetrated 3D CdSO4 (cds)‐type framework with two types of channels that are interconnected with each other; straight channels that are occupied by the Keggin‐type POM anions, and wavelike channels that contain lattice water molecules. The catalytic activity of compound 1 in the oxidative desulfurization reaction indicates that it is not only an effective and size‐selective heterogeneous catalyst, but it also exhibits distinct structural stability in the catalytic reaction system.
Selective Oxidation of Alkyl‐Substituted Polyaromatics Using Ruthenium‐Ion‐Catalyzed Oxidation
Authors: Nowicka Ewa , Sankar Meenakshisundaram , Jenkins Robert L. , Knight David W. , Willock David J. , Hutchings Graham J. , Francisco Manuel , Taylor Stuart H.
Published: January 2015

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Stuart H. Taylor at the Cardiff Catalysis Institute of Cardiff University. The image depicts the selective ruthenium‐ion‐catalyzed oxidation of a range of alkylated polyaromatic hydrocarbons. RuO4 targets oxidation of aromatic carbon in preference to aliphatic carbon. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.201405831.
Downstage migration after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer: The reverse of the Will Rogers phenomenon?
Authors: Fokas Emmanouil , Liersch Torsten , Fietkau Rainer , Hohenberger Werner , Hess Clemens , Becker Heinz , Sauer Rolf , Wittekind Christian , Rödel Claus
Published: January 2015

Downstaging after neoadjuvant treatment is increasingly used as a prognostic factor and surrogate endpoint in clinical trials. However, in recent trials of neoadjuvant 5‐fluorouracil–based chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer, downstaging did not translate into a benefit with regard to either disease‐free survival (DFS) or overall survival. By analyzing the 10‐year outcome data of the German CAO/ARO/AIO‐94 phase 3 trial, the authors demonstrated that significantly fewer patients had poor prognostic features (eg, ypT3‐4, ypN1‐2) after preoperative 5‐fluorouracil–based chemoradiotherapy. Nevertheless, these patients with International Union for Cancer Control stage II disease were found to be at a higher risk of developing distant metastases and had poorer DFS compared with patients with corresponding TNM tumor (sub)groups in the postoperative treatment arm, whereas patients with International Union for Cancer Control stage III disease demonstrated a nonsignificant trend toward a worse outcome after preoperative treatment. Overall, DFS remained identical in both treatment arms. Thus, “downstage migration” after neoadjuvant treatment resembles the reverse of the Will Rogers phenomenon and therefore may not be a reliable endpoint for long‐term outcomes. Cancer 2015;121:1724–1727. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Classification of Additives for Organic Photovoltaic Devices
Authors: Machui Florian , Maisch Philipp , Burgués‐Ceballos Ignasi , Langner Stefan , Krantz Johannes , Ameri Tayebeh , Brabec Christoph J.
Published: January 2015

The use of additives to improve the performance of organic photovoltaic cells has been intensely researched in recent years. However, so far, no system has been reported for the classification of additives and their functions. In this report, a system for classifying additives according to the fundamental mechanism by which they influence microstructure formation for P3HT:PCBM is suggested. The major parameters used for their classification are solubility and drying kinetics. Both are discussed in detail and their consequences on processing are analyzed. Furthermore, a general mechanism to classify the impact of additives on structure formation is suggested and discussed for different materials relevant to organic photovoltaic devices.
Enhancing Catalytic Activity by Narrowing Local Energy Gaps—X‐Ray Studies of a Manganese Water Oxidation Catalyst
Authors: Xiao Jie , Khan Munirah , Singh Archana , Suljoti Edlira , Spiccia Leone , Aziz Emad F.
Published: January 2015

Changes in the local electronic structure of the Mn 3d orbitals of a Mn catalyst derived from a dinuclear MnIII complex during the water oxidation cycle were investigated ex situ by X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering (RIXS) analyses. Detailed information about the Mn 3d orbitals, especially the local HOMO–LUMO gap on Mn sites revealed by RIXS analyses, indicated that the enhancement in catalytic activity (water oxidation) originated from the narrowing of the local HOMO–LUMO gap when electrical voltage and visible light illumination were applied simultaneously to the Mn catalytic system.
A cantilever beam analogy for quantifying higher mode effects in multistorey buildings
Authors: Wiebe Lydell , Christopoulos Constantin
Published: January 2015

This paper examines higher mode effects in systems where the ductile mechanism for seismic design is the base moment‐rotation response. The modal properties of flexural and shear beams with uniform mass and elasticity and with a variable amount of base rotational restraint are derived. As the base fixity is released, the first mode becomes the rigid body rotation of the beam about the base, but the higher modes change much less, particularly for the shear beam model. Most response quantities that are of interest in the seismic design of typical mid‐rise buildings are controlled by the first two lateral modes, except at locations along the height where the second mode contributes little. However, the third and higher lateral modes are more significant for high‐rise buildings.

Based on the theory of uniform cantilever shear beams, expressions are developed to avoid the need for a modal analysis to estimate the overturning moment, storey shear, and floor acceleration envelopes. Considering the measured response from the shake table testing of a large‐scale eight‐storey controlled rocking steel braced frame, the proposed expressions are shown to be of similar or better accuracy to a modified modal superposition technique, which combines the higher mode response from an elastic modal analysis with the response associated with achieving the maximum base overturning moment according to an inverted triangular load distribution. Because the proposed method uses only parameters that are available at the initial design stage, avoiding the analysis of a structural model, it is likely to be especially useful for preliminary design. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Jacobian‐free Newton–Krylov method for thermalhydraulics simulations
Authors: Ashrafizadeh A. , Devaud C.B. , Aydemir N.U.
Published: January 2015

The current paper is focused on investigating a Jacobian‐free Newton–Krylov (JFNK) method to obtain a fully implicit solution for two‐phase flows. In the JFNK formulation, the Jacobian matrix is not directly evaluated, potentially leading to major computational savings compared with a simple Newton's solver. The objectives of the present paper are as follows: (i) application of the JFNK method to two‐fluid models; (ii) investigation of the advantages and disadvantages of the fully implicit JFNK method compared with commonly used explicit formulations and implicit Newton–Krylov calculations using the determination of the Jacobian matrix; and (iii) comparison of the numerical predictions with those obtained by the Canadian Algorithm for Thermaulhydraulics Network Analysis 4. Two well‐known benchmarks are considered, the water faucet and the oscillating manometer.

An isentropic two‐fluid model is selected. Time discretization is performed using a backward Euler scheme. A Crank–Nicolson scheme is also implemented to check the effect of temporal discretization on the predictions. Advection Upstream Splitting Method+ is applied to the convective fluxes. The source terms are discretized using a central differencing scheme. One explicit and two implicit formulations, one with Newton's solver with the Jacobian matrix and one with JFNK, are implemented. A detailed grid and model parameter sensitivity analysis is performed.

For both cases, the JFNK predictions are in good agreement with the analytical solutions and explicit profiles. Further, stable results can be achieved using high CFL numbers up to 200 with a suitable choice of JFNK parameters. The computational time is significantly reduced by JFNK compared with the calculations requiring the determination of the Jacobian matrix. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Experimental study of degradation of molasses wastewater by biological treatment combined with ozonation
Authors: Tsioptsias Costas , Banti Dimitra C , Samaras Petros
Published: January 2015

BACKGROUND

The aim of this work was the examination of molasses wastewater treatment by the combination of activated sludge with ozonation, for the effective removal of refractories. In addition to biological treatment, samples were subjected to: (a) ozonation prior to activated sludge; (b) ozonation coupled with addition of hydrogen peroxide prior to activated sludge; (c) post‐ozonation of activated sludge effluents; and (d) ozonation applied to influents and effluents, as a pre‐ and post‐treatment of the biological process.

RESULTS

The activated sludge treatment of the mixture resulted in a 48% reduction of COD, while the combination of ozone pretreatment followed by biological treatment resulted in 66.5% COD removal and the production of an effluent with 240 mg L−1 COD. Therefore, it was concluded that ozone pretreatment might contribute to the enhancement of the biodegradability of the influent. This assumption was further supported by the examination of molecular weight distribution of wastewater samples by size exclusion chromatography.

CONCLUSION

The combined biological and ozone processes resulted in effluents with similar COD values, independent of the stage of the application of the ozone treatment process, either as a pretreatment or as post‐treatment step, indicating that a fraction of the compounds of the raw influent was resistant to the particular treatment process. This recalcitrant residual exhibited high organic nitrogen content, and was responsible for the relatively moderate total nitrogen content reduction, although almost complete nitrification and denitrification took place during the biological process, as deduced by the ammonia and nitrates content of the effluents. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
The fate of oxytetracycline in two‐phase and single‐phase anaerobic cattle manure digesters and its effects on microbial communities
Authors: Akyol Çağrı , Ince Orhan , Cetecioglu Zeynep , Alkan Fulya Ustun , Ince Bahar
Published: January 2015

BACKGROUND

The fate of veterinary antibiotics in manure digesters is of great concern because of poor biomethane recovery and potential development of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment.

RESULTS

Manure samples collected from therapeutically treated cattle (a standard veterinary practice of 50 mL OTC solution as 20 mg kg−1 cattle weight) were used in digestion studies. The methane yields of OTC‐medicated two‐phase and single‐phase digesters were 99 ± 8 and 72 ± 9 mL CH4 g−1 VS in the presence of 3.11 ± 0.12 and 3.07 ± 0.14 mg OTC L−1, respectively; whereas, non‐medicated two‐phase and single‐phase digesters had 43% and 52% higher methane yields, respectively. Fluorescence in situ hybridization results indicated that the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria was negatively correlated with the presence of OTC. Methanobacteriales seemed to be a resistant order of methanogenic Archaea to OTC and comparatively higher methane yield in two‐phase non‐medicated cattle manure digester might be the result of the poor cell activity of Methanosarcinales in two‐phase OTC‐medicated cattle manure digester.

CONCLUSION

Higher OTC removal and biomethane production were achieved by two‐phase configuration, thus, it can be an alternative to treat antibiotic‐medicated manures in full‐scale applications in order to reduce its adverse effects. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Degradation of crude oil by fungal enzyme preparations from Aspergillus spp. for potential use in enhanced oil recovery
Authors: Zhang Jun‐Hui , Xue Quan‐Hong , Gao Hui , Ma Xin , Wang Ping
Published: January 2015

BACKGROUND

Microbial enhanced oil recovery is a potential technology to enhance crude oil recovery from depleted oil reservoirs and solve stagnant petroleum production. Relevant studies have mainly focused on the use of bacteria, with less attention paid to the potential of fungi. In this study, the efficiency of fungal extracellular enzymes for crude oil degradation and their feasibility for use in enhanced oil recovery were evaluated.

RESULTS

Six fungal cultures of Aspergillus spp. were isolated from oil‐contaminated surface soil samples from an oilfield. The performance of fungal extracellular enzymes to degrade crude oil was investigated using solid enzyme preparations. All the enzyme preparations efficiently degraded the alkane, aromatic, resins, asphaltene, and decreased the viscosity of crude oil to varying degrees (max 59.0%). Enzymatic degradation of crude oil was accompanied by dynamic production of gases (CO2 and H2) and organic acids (oxalate and propionate). In addition, the enzyme preparations removed 83.40–87.78% of crude oil adsorbed on filter paper.

CONCLUSION

Extracellular enzymes from Aspergillus spp. are efficient in degrading crude oil, and have great potential for applications in enhanced crude oil recovery. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Synthesis of Bis‐1,2,4‐triazines via Telescoped Condensation of [1,10]‐Phenanthroline‐2,9‐dicarbonitrile with Aromatic 1,2‐Dicarbonyls
Authors: Tai Serene , Williams Neil J. , Carrick Jesse D.
Published: January 2015

Efficient separation of minor actinides from spent nuclear fuel remains a formidable challenge. As part of ongoing efforts to identify effective ligands for separation of toxic radionuclides, a series of bis‐1,2,4‐triazines, three novel, have been prepared from [1,10]‐phenanthroline‐2,9‐dicarbonitrile in two‐telescoped steps without additives, complicated workups, prolonged reaction times, or additional purification.
The unexpected increase of clotrimazole apparent solubility using randomly methylated β‐cyclodextrin
Authors: Pradines Bénédicte , Gallard Jean‐François , Iorga Bogdan I. , Gueutin Claire , Ponchel Gilles , Loiseau Philippe M. , Bouchemal Kawthar
Published: January 2015

Clotrimazole (CTZ) and cyclodextrin (CD) inclusion complexes having improved apparent water solubility were obtained from phase solubility diagrams. β‐CD (1.5% w/w) and hydroxypropyl‐β‐CD (40% w/w) offered poor CTZ solubility enhancements (12 and 384 times, respectively). Unexpectedly, the apparent solubility of CTZ was 9980 times increased from 0.4 µg.mL−1 (1.42 μM) without CD to 4.89 mg.mL−1 (14.9 mM) using randomly‐methylated β‐CD (Me‐β‐CD) (40% w/w). This is the highest apparent CTZ solubility improvement ever reported in the literature using conventional CDs. Quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR) coupled with two‐dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect (NOESY) experiments and molecular docking calculations showed that the highest interactions with Me‐β‐CD were reported for CTZ two phenyl groups. A lower interaction was reported for chlorophenyl, while imidazole had the weakest interaction with Me‐β‐CD. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spontaneous reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients with resolved or occult HBV infection
Authors: Kamitsukasa Hiroshi , Iri Masanobu , Tanaka Akihisa , Nagashima Shigeo , Takahashi Masaharu , Nishizawa Tsutomu , Okamoto Hiroaki
Published: January 2015

Reactivation of a former hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can be triggered by immunosuppressive therapy, diseases associated with an immunocompromised state, organ transplantation or the withdrawal of antiviral drugs. Despite the absence of such risk factors, a spontaneous reactivation of HBV replication occurred in two elderly patients with resolved or occult HBV infection. A 73‐year‐old male underwent coronary artery bypass grafting in October 2008, and was negative for HBsAg but positive for anti‐HBs. In July 2009, his serum became positive for HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA (6.4 log copies/ml; genotype C), but negative for anti‐HBc IgM, with abrupt elevation of the liver enzymes. The entire genomic sequence of HBV recovered from this patient revealed no mutations in the core promoter and precore regions that interfere with HBeAg production. A 76‐year‐old male with a history of endoscopic mucosal resection for esophageal cancer in 2002 and an initial diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in 2009, at which time he was negative for HBsAg. He was found to be positive for HBsAg in September 2012 during a laboratory examination performed prior to the resection of recurrent esophageal cancer, despite a low HBV load (2.1 log copies/ml). Three months later, without the administration of any anticancer drugs, the HBV DNA (genotype B) level increased to 5.1 log copies/ml. A precore G1896A variant with high quasispecies diversity was recovered from the patient. Aging, surgical stress and complication of disease(s) associated with compromised immunity, such as cancer, arteriosclerosis and diabetes mellitus may trigger spontaneous HBV reactivation. J. Med. Virol. 87:589–600, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Multiphonon Raman spectroscopy properties and Raman mapping of 2D van der Waals solids: graphene and beyond
Authors: Gupta S. , Heintzman E. , Jasinski J.
Published: January 2015

Strong in‐plane bonding (covalent) and weak van der Waals (vdW) interplanar interactions characterize a number of layered solids, as epitomized by graphite. The advent of graphene (Gr), individual atomic two‐dimensional (2D) layers, isolated from mineral graphite via micromechanical exfoliation enabled the ability to pick, place and stack of arbitrary compositions. Moreover, this discovery implicated an access to other 2D vdW solids beyond graphene and artificially stacking atomic layers forming heterostructures/superlattices. Raman spectroscopy (RS) is a fast reliable non‐destructive analytical tool and an integral part for lattice dynamical structural characterization of crystalline solids at nanoscale, revealing not only the collective atomic/molecular motions but also localized vibrations/modes and specifically used to determine the number of graphene layers and of other 2D vdW solids. We present Raman spectroscopy in first‐, second‐ and higher‐order vibrational modes involving 3 and 4 phonons (overtones and combination) and mapping of graphene (mono‐, bi‐, tri‐ and few‐) layers, semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) [molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten disulfide (WS2)] and wide bandgap hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) dispersed monolayers, revealing various molecular vibrations and structural quality/disorder. First‐ and higher‐order phonon modes are observed and analyzed in terms of Raman intensity (spatial inhomogeneity or thickness variation), band position (intrinsic mechanical strain) and intensity ratio (structural disorder) as a function of graphene layer (n). An empirical relation for G band position with n is corroborated. All of the higher order modes are observed to upshift almost linearly with n, betraying the underlying interlayer vdW interactions. These findings exemplify the evolution of structural parameters in layered materials in changing from 3‐ to 2‐ or low‐dimensional regime. The results are presented in view of applications of graphene by itself and in combination that help better understanding of physical and electronic properties for nano‐/optoelectronics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Naturally irradiated fluorite as a historic violet pigment: Raman spectroscopic and X‐ray diffraction study
Authors: Čermáková Zdeňka , Bezdička Petr , Němec Ivan , Hradilová Janka , Šrein Vladimír , Blažek Jan , Hradil David
Published: January 2015

Naturally irradiated violet fluorite, a cubic CaF2mineral, is a rare historic pigment. Its documented usage in Europe stretches from ca. 1450 to ca. 1550. The intensely coloured violetish black naturally irradiated fluorite is commonly called antozonite, which is only vaguely defined based on its dark colour and specific odour emanated during grinding. In the published literature, there have been some discrepancies about its Raman spectrum. Therefore, sixteen samples of antozonite were analysed by Raman (micro‐)spectroscopy using five different excitation laser wavelengths (445, 532, 633, 780 and 1064 nm), which revealed specific bands located below 500 cm−1probably related to radiation‐caused defects. Their intensity increased with increasing violet colour saturation, thus providing a specification for antozonite's definition. Spectra excited at 445 and 780 nm contained also numerous broad bands above 500 cm−1, which seem to be caused by the presence of rare earth elements. The structural damage of antozonite samples has been assessed by X‐ray diffraction and related to their lightness using analysis of image histograms. The obtained results have been applied in the analysis of micro‐samples of a Late Gothic altarpiece located in an Italian Court in UNESCO city Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, which contained exceptionally large grains of deep violet fluorite identified as antozonite. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Alternative Finance for Micro‐Enterprises: A Foundation for Sustainable Development or Just Humanitarian Aid?
Authors: Gandja Serge Valant , Estay Christophe , Tchankam Jean‐Paul
Published: January 2015

Alternative finance, which differs from traditional banks insofar as it serves developing societies’ most disadvantaged populations, in many cases is merely a humanitarian gesture and not a base for sustainable development.
Does Efficiency Lead to Lower Prices? A New Perspective from Microfinance Interest Rates
Authors: Basharat Benazir , Hudon Marek , Nawaz Ahmad
Published: January 2015

Pricing is a central strategic decision for all companies, and is particularly sensitive for social enterprises with both financial and social objectives. High interest rates in microfinance are a topic of intense debate. Using an original database of 291 MFIs, this paper provides empirical evidence of the impact the efficiency of an MFI has on its microcredit interest rate. We use the non‐parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) framework to calculate efficiency and differentiate financial and social efficiency. The results show that financial efficiency has a positive impact on interest rates, with more financially efficient MFIs having lower interest rates, while social efficiency has no impact on microcredit interest rates.
Dealing with Drought‐Related Credit and Liquidity Risks in MFIs: Evidence from Africa
Authors: Castellani Davide , Cincinelli Peter
Published: January 2015

The credit and liquidity risks of most African MFIs are strongly affected by drought shocks and, even though some traditional asset–liability management strategies are somewhat useful for MFIs to deal with drought risk, innovative risk‐transfer mechanisms are required.
Tough Photoluminescent Hydrogels Doped with Lanthanide
Authors: Wang Mei Xiang , Yang Can Hui , Liu Zhen Qi , Zhou Jinxiong , Xu Feng , Suo Zhigang , Yang Jian Hai , Chen Yong Mei
Published: January 2015

Photoluminescent hydrogels have emerged as novel soft materials with potential applications in many fields. Although many photoluminescent hydrogels have been fabricated, their scope of usage has been severely limited by their poor mechanical performance. Here, a facile strategy is reported for preparing lanthanide (Ln)‐alginate/polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels with both high toughness and photoluminescence, which has been achieved by doping Ln3+ ions (Ln = Eu, Tb, Eu/Tb) into alginate/PAAm hydrogel networks, where Ln3+ ions serve as both photoluminescent emitters and physical cross‐linkers. The resulting hydrogels exhibit versatile advantages including excellent mechanical properties (∼MPa strength, ≈20 tensile strains, ≈104 kJ m−3 energy dissipation), good photoluminescent performance, tunable emission color, excellent processability, and cytocompatibility. The developed tough photoluminescent hydrogels hold great promises for expanding the usage scope of hydrogels.

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Management of impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease: Controversies and future approaches
Authors: Samuel Michael , Rodriguez‐Oroz Maria , Antonini Angelo , Brotchie Jonathan M. , Ray Chaudhuri Kallol , Brown Richard G. , Galpern Wendy R. , Nirenberg Melissa J. , Okun Michael S. , Lang Anthony E.
Published: January 2015

Impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease are a group of impulsive behaviors most often associated with dopaminergic treatment. Presently, there is a lack of high quality evidence available to guide their management. This manuscript reviews current management strategies, before concentrating on the concept of dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome and its implications for the management of impulse control disorders. Further, we focus on controversies, including the role of more recently available anti‐parkinsonian drugs, and potential future approaches involving routes of drug delivery, nonpharmacological treatments (such as cognitive behavioral therapy and deep brain stimulation), and other as yet experimental strategies. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Non‐invasive prenatal testing for trisomy 21 based on analysis of cell‐free fetal DNA circulating in the maternal plasma
Authors: Alberti A. , Salomon L. J. , Le Lorc'h M. , Couloux A. , Bussières L. , Goupil S. , Malan V. , Pelletier E. , Hyon C. , Vialard F. , Rozenberg P. , Bouhanna P. , Oury J. F. , Schmitz T. , Romana S. , Weissenbach J. , Vekemans M. , Ville Y.
Published: January 2015

Objective

By‐the‐book implementation of non‐invasive prenatal test and clinical validation for trisomy 21.

Study Design

Publicly funded prospective study of 225 cases. Women at risk for trisomy 21 > 1/250 based on combined ultrasound and serum markers during first or second trimester were eligible following an informed consent. The technique was established from the available literature and performed on 10 mL of venous blood collected prior to chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. Investigators were blinded to the fetal karyotype. Results were expressed in Z‐scores of the percentage of each chromosome.

Results

Among 976 eligible cases, 225 were processed: 8 were used for pretesting phase and 23 to build a reference set. One hundred thirty six euploid cases and 47 with trisomy 21 were then run randomly. Eleven cases yielded no result (4.8%). Z‐scores were above 3 (7.58+/−2.41) for chromosome 21 in all 47 trisomies and in none of the euploid cases (0.11+/−1.0). Z‐scores were within normal range for the other chromosomes in both groups. Using a cut‐off of 3, sensitivity and specificity were of 100% 95% CI [94.1, 100] and 100% 95% CI [98, 100], respectively.

Conclusion

Non‐invasive prenatal test for trisomy 21 is a robust strategy that can be translated from seminal publications. Publicly funded studies should refine its indications and cost‐effectiveness in prenatal screening and diagnosis. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structure‐based design of combinatorial mutagenesis libraries
Authors: Verma Deeptak , Grigoryan Gevorg , Bailey‐Kellogg Chris
Published: January 2015

The development of protein variants with improved properties (thermostability, binding affinity, catalytic activity, etc.) has greatly benefited from the application of high‐throughput screens evaluating large, diverse combinatorial libraries. At the same time, since only a very limited portion of sequence space can be experimentally constructed and tested, an attractive possibility is to use computational protein design to focus libraries on a productive portion of the space. We present a general‐purpose method, called “Structure‐based Optimization of Combinatorial Mutagenesis” (SOCoM), which can optimize arbitrarily large combinatorial mutagenesis libraries directly based on structural energies of their constituents. SOCoM chooses both positions and substitutions, employing a combinatorial optimization framework based on library‐averaged energy potentials in order to avoid explicitly modeling every variant in every possible library. In case study applications to green fluorescent protein, β‐lactamase, and lipase A, SOCoM optimizes relatively small, focused libraries whose variants achieve energies comparable to or better than previous library design efforts, as well as larger libraries (previously not designable by structure‐based methods) whose variants cover greater diversity while still maintaining substantially better energies than would be achieved by representative random library approaches. By allowing the creation of large‐scale combinatorial libraries based on structural calculations, SOCoM promises to increase the scope of applicability of computational protein design and improve the hit rate of discovering beneficial variants. While designs presented here focus on variant stability (predicted by total energy), SOCoM can readily incorporate other structure‐based assessments, such as the energy gap between alternative conformational or bound states.
On the behavior of silicon donor in conductive AlxGa1–xN (0.63 ≤ x ≤ 1)
Authors: Nilsson D. , Trinh X. T. , Janzén E. , Son N. T. , Kakanakova‐Georgieva A.
Published: January 2015

AlxGa1−xN (0.63≤x≤1) layers grown by hot‐wall metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition were intentionally doped with silicon at the atomic concentration of [Si] ∼ 2 × 1018 cm−3. Efficient silicon incorporation into the AlxGa1−xN layers was obtained for all Al contents, x, whereas the resistivity drastically increases for x > 0.84. Degradation of the structural quality and compensation by residual oxygen and carbon impurity were ruled out as possible explanations for the increased resistivity. Frequency dependent capacitance‐voltage measurements indicate that the Si donor is electrically active. Complementary electron paramagnetic resonance measurements suggest formation of stable Si‐related DX centers and increase in the activation energy of the silicon donor for x > 0.84.
Selective area growth of Ga‐polar GaN nanowire arrays by continuous‐flow MOVPE: A systematic study on the effect of growth conditions on the array properties
Authors: Coulon Pierre‐Marie , Alloing Blandine , Brändli Virginie , Lefebvre Denis , Chenot Sébastien , Zúñiga‐Pérez Jesús
Published: January 2015

Site‐controlled growth of GaN nanowires (NWs) on GaN‐on‐sapphire templates with a patterned SiN mask has been carried out by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy using a continuous‐flow growth mode. A low V/III ratio compared to that used for GaN layer growth, combined with low precursor flow rates for both Ga and N precursors, has been used to promote the nanowire growth on Ga‐polar substrates. The lateral growth rate, that is, perpendicular to the c‐axis, could be further controlled using appropriate growth temperatures and H2/N2 ratios. Besides, the influence of the pattern geometry on the nanowire aspect ratio and size homogeneity has been addressed.
Magnetoresponsive Virus‐Mimetic Nanocapsules with Dual Heat‐Triggered Sequential‐Infected Multiple Drug‐Delivery Approach for Combinatorial Tumor Therapy
Authors: Fang Jen‐Hung , Lee Yun‐Ting , Chiang Wen‐Hsuan , Hu Shang‐Hsiu
Published: January 2015

Stimuli‐responsive drug‐delivery systems constitute an appealing approach to direct and restrict drug release spatiotemporally at the specific site of interest. However, it is difficult for most systems to affect every cancer cell in a tumor tissue due to the presence of the natural tumor barrier, leading to potential tumor recurrence. Here, core–shell magnetoresponsive virus‐mimetic nanocapsules (VNs), which can infect cancer cells sequentially and double as a magnetothermal agent fabricated through anchoring iron oxide nanoparticles in a single‐component protein (lactoferrin) shell, are reported. With large payload of hydrophilic/hydrophobic anticancer cargos, doxorubicin and palictaxel, VNs can simultaneously give a rapid drug release and intense heat while applying an external high‐frequency magnetic field (HFMF). Furthermore, after being liberated from dead cells by HFMF manipulation, the constructive VNs can sequentially infect neighboring cancer cells and deliver sufficient therapeutic agents to next targeted sites. With high efficiency for sequential cell infections, VNs have successfully eliminated subcutaneous tumor after a combinatorial treatment. These results demonstrate that the VNs could be used for locally targeted, on‐demand, magnetoresponsive chemotherapy/hyperthermia, combined with repeated cell infections for tumor therapy and other therapeutic applications.
Between the Procedural and the Substantial: Democratic Deliberation and the Interaction Order in “Occupy Middletown General Assembly”
Authors: Shavit Nimrod , Bailey Benjamin H.
Published: January 2015

This article analyzes interaction from an intentional, self‐reflexive democratic meeting of ordinary citizens—a “General Assembly” from the 2011 Occupy Movement—to explore two competing theories of democracy: Habermas's democratic deliberation and Mouffe's agonistic pluralism. The group's rational ideals and procedures for democratic deliberation approximate those of Habermas's “ideal speech situation,” but appear limited in their capacity to ensure Habermasian understanding or consensus. Intertwined with these rational procedures are practices best explained in terms of what Goffman called “face‐work”—the ways in which participants maintain a working consensus of mutual acceptance and respect in conversation. These face‐work procedures—rather than sincere, rational intentions—help constitute the civility necessary for rational deliberation and participation. Such symbolic valuing of self and other provide interactional grounds for the liberty and equality of agonistic democratic conversation as conceived by Mouffe.
Experiences with the implementation of a national teaching qualification in university medical centres and veterinary medicine in the Netherlands
Authors: Molenaar Willemina M. (Ineke) , Zanting Anneke
Published: January 2015

In 2008, a compulsory national basic teaching qualification was introduced for all university teachers in the Netherlands. At that time all eight University Medical Centres (UMCs) and the only Faculty of Veterinary Medicine had adopted or were setting up teacher development programmes. This study explores how these programmes relate to each other and to the basic teaching qualification. To gather information on teacher development programmes in the UMCs and the Veterinary Medicine Faculty an online survey was filled out by teacher development representatives from each of them. The programmes had main features in common (e.g. competency based and portfolio assessment), but differed somewhat in contents according to the local situation. Importantly, they had all been formally accepted as equivalent to the basic teaching qualification. We consider the freedom to tailor the qualifications to the medical context as well as to the local situation of the UMCs and the Veterinary Medicine Faculty one of the major success factors and the well-established collaboration between teacher development representatives of the UMCs and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine as another. Challenges for the future include embedding the teacher development programmes in the institutional organizations and maintaining and further developing the programmes and the competencies of the qualified teachers, e.g. in a senior qualification.
Resistant dextrin, as a prebiotic, improves insulin resistance and inflammation in women with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled clinical trial
Authors: Aliasgharzadeh Akbar , Dehghan Parvin , Gargari Bahram Pourghassem , Asghari-Jafarabadi Mohammad
Published: January 2015

Improvement of insulin resistance and inflammation is a basic strategy in the management of type 2 diabetes. There is limited evidence that prebiotics improve insulin resistance and inflammation. However, the ameliorating effect of resistant dextrin, as a prebiotic, on insulin resistance and inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes has not been investigated so far. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effects of resistant dextrin on insulin resistance and inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients. In a randomised controlled clinical trial, fifty-five women with type 2 diabetes were assigned to two groups: the intervention group (n 30) and the control group (n 25). The intervention group received a daily supplement of 10 g resistant dextrin and the control group received a similar amount of maltodextrin as placebo for 8 weeks. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, insulin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), IL-6, TNF-α, malondialdehyde (MDA) and serum endotoxin concentrations were measured before and after the intervention. Data were analysed using SPSS (version 13). Paired and unpaired t tests and ANCOVA were used to compare quantitative variables after the intervention. Patients supplemented with resistant dextrin exhibited a significant decrease in fasting insulin (20·1 pmol/l, 22·8 %), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (1·3, 24·9 %), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (0·2, 7·2 %), IL-6 (1·4 pg/ml, 28·4 %), TNF-α (5·4 pg/ml, 18·8 %), MDA (1·2 nmol/ml, 25·6 %) and endotoxin (6·2 endotoxin units/ml, 17·8 %) concentrations than those supplemented with maltodextrin (P< 0·05). Decreases in FPG (0·05 mmol/l, 0·6 %), HbA1c (0·5 %, 9·6 %) and hs-CRP (2·7 ng/ml, 35·1 %) concentrations in the resistant dextrin group were not significant when compared with the maltodextrin group. In conclusion, resistant dextrin supplementation can modulate inflammation and improve insulin resistance in women with type 2 diabetes.
Self-assembly and electrostriction of arrays and chains of hopfion particles in chiral liquid crystals
Authors: Ackerman Paul J. , van de Lagemaat Jao , Smalyukh Ivan I.
Published: January 2015

Some of the most exotic condensed matter phases, such as twist grain boundary and blue phases in liquid crystals and Abrikosov phases in superconductors, contain arrays of topological defects in their ground state. Comprised of a triangular lattice of double-twist tubes of magnetization, the so-called ‘A-phase’ in chiral magnets is an example of a thermodynamically stable phase with topologically nontrivial solitonic field configurations referred to as two-dimensional skyrmions, or baby-skyrmions. Here we report that three-dimensional skyrmions in the form of double-twist tori called ‘hopfions’, or ‘torons’ when accompanied by additional self-compensating defects, self-assemble into periodic arrays and linear chains that exhibit electrostriction. In confined chiral nematic liquid crystals, this self-assembly is similar to that of liquid crystal colloids and originates from long-range elastic interactions between particle-like skyrmionic torus knots of molecular alignment field, which can be tuned from isotropic repulsive to weakly or highly anisotropic attractive by low-voltage electric fields.
Imperceptible magnetoelectronics
Authors: Melzer Michael , Kaltenbrunner Martin , Makarov Denys , Karnaushenko Dmitriy , Karnaushenko Daniil , Sekitani Tsuyoshi , Someya Takao , Schmidt Oliver G.
Published: January 2015

Future electronic skin aims to mimic nature’s original both in functionality and appearance. Although some of the multifaceted properties of human skin may remain exclusive to the biological system, electronics opens a unique path that leads beyond imitation and could equip us with unfamiliar senses. Here we demonstrate giant magnetoresistive sensor foils with high sensitivity, unmatched flexibility and mechanical endurance. They are <2 μm thick, extremely flexible (bending radii <3 μm), lightweight (≈3 g m−2) and wearable as imperceptible magneto-sensitive skin that enables proximity detection, navigation and touchless control. On elastomeric supports, they can be stretched uniaxially or biaxially, reaching strains of >270% and endure over 1,000 cycles without fatigue. These ultrathin magnetic field sensors readily conform to ubiquitous objects including human skin and offer a new sense for soft robotics, safety and healthcare monitoring, consumer electronics and electronic skin devices.
A “green” strategy to construct non-covalent, stable and bioactive coatings on porous MOF nanoparticles
Authors: Agostoni V. , Horcajada P. , Noiray M. , Malanga M. , Aykaç A. , Jicsinszky L. , Vargas-Berenguel A. , Semiramoth N. , Daoud-Mahammed S. , Nicolas V. , Martineau C. , Taulelle F. , Vigneron J. , Etcheberry A. , Serre C. , Gref R.
Published: January 2015

Nanoparticles made of metal-organic frameworks (nanoMOFs) attract a growing interest in gas storage, separation, catalysis, sensing and more recently, biomedicine. Achieving stable, versatile coatings on highly porous nanoMOFs without altering their ability to adsorb molecules of interest represents today a major challenge. Here we bring the proof of concept that the outer surface of porous nanoMOFs can be specifically functionalized in a rapid, biofriendly and non-covalent manner, leading to stable and versatile coatings. Cyclodextrin molecules bearing strong iron complexing groups (phosphates) were firmly anchored to the nanoMOFs' surface, within only a few minutes, simply by incubation with aqueous nanoMOF suspensions. The coating procedure did not affect the nanoMOF porosity, crystallinity, adsorption and release abilities. The stable cyclodextrin-based coating was further functionalized with: i) targeting moieties to increase the nanoMOF interaction with specific receptors and ii) poly(ethylene glycol) chains to escape the immune system. These results pave the way towards the design of surface-engineered nanoMOFs of interest for applications in the field of targeted drug delivery, catalysis, separation and sensing.
Identification of novel viral receptors with cell line expressing viral receptor-binding protein
Authors: Mei Mei , Ye Jianqiang , Qin Aijian , Wang Lin , Hu Xuming , Qian Kun , Shao Hongxia
Published: January 2015

The viral cell receptors and infection can be blocked by the expression of the viral receptor-binding protein. Thus, the viral cell receptor is an attractive target for anti-viral strategies and the identification of viral cell receptor is critical for better understanding and controlling viral disease. As a model system for viral entry and anti-retroviral approaches, avian sarcoma/leukosis virus (ASLV, including the A-J ten subgroups) has been studied intensively and many milestone discoveries have been achieved based on work with ASLV. Here, we used a DF1 cell line expressed viral receptor-binding protein to efficiently identify chicken Annexin A2 (chANXA2) as a novel receptor for retrovirus ALV-J (avian leukosis virus subgroup J). Our data demonstrate that antibodies or siRNA to chANXA2 significantly inhibited ALV-J infection and replication and over-expression of chANXA2 permitted the entry of ALV-J into its non-permissible cells. Our findings have not only identified chANXA2 as a novel biomarker for anti-ALV-J, but also demonstrated that cell lines with the expression of viral receptor-binding protein could be as efficient tools for isolating functional receptors to identify novel anti-viral targets.