bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lexical correlates of comprehensibility versus accentedness in second language speech
Authors: SAITO KAZUYA , WEBB STUART , TROFIMOVICH PAVEL , ISAACS TALIA
Published: June 2015

The current project investigated the extent to which several lexical aspects of second language (L2) speech – appropriateness, fluency, variation, sophistication, abstractness, sense relations – interact to influence native speakers’ judgements of comprehensibility (ease of understanding) and accentedness (linguistic nativelikeness). Extemporaneous speech elicited from 40 French speakers of English with varied L2 proficiency levels was first evaluated by 10 native-speaking raters for comprehensibility and accentedness. Subsequently, the dataset was transcribed and analyzed for 12 lexical factors. Various lexical properties of L2 speech were found to be associated with L2 comprehensibility, and especially lexical accuracy (lemma appropriateness) and complexity (polysemy), indicating that these lexical variables are associated with successful L2 communication. In contrast, native speakers’ accent judgements seemed to be linked to surface-level details of lexical content (abstractness) and form (variation, morphological accuracy) rather than to its conceptual and contextual details (e.g., lemma appropriateness, polysemy).
Unmet needs of caregivers of severely affected multiple sclerosis patients: A qualitative study
Authors: Golla Heidrun , Mammeas Stephanie , Galushko Maren , Pfaff Holger , Voltz Raymond
Published: June 2015

Objective:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients' caregivers are sometimes considered as “hidden patients.” How much more this might be true for caregivers of severely affected MS patients has so far been scarcely studied. Palliative care also addressing relatives' needs might therefore be very relevant for these caregivers. However, we do not yet know which unmet needs they have and how these could be met. Our aim was to gain an insight into the subjectively unmet needs of caregivers of severely affected MS patients in Germany.

Method:

The study employed a qualitative cross-sectional approach for assessing unmet needs. Twelve caregivers of severely affected MS patients were recruited using a convenience sampling approach. Face-to-face interviews were conducted, audiotaped, and transcribed verbatim, followed by qualitative content analysis.

Results:

Unmet needs were sorted into the following categories: “relationship to physician,” “individual support by the healthcare system,” “relationship to the individual severely affected by MS,” “end-of-life issues,” “self-care,” and “higher awareness of MS.” Caregivers tended to group the unmet needs of their care recipients with their own and rarely focused on their own wishes and restrictions.

Significance of Results:

A close patient–caregiver dyad makes it difficult to differentiate unmet caregiver needs. However, the palliative care approach might help caregivers of severely affected MS patients by answering questions on disease progress and end-of-life issues, as well as by offering respite care, support for self-care, and help in preserving one's identity, and also anticipating the time to come after the death.
The Foundation of The College of Organists: Personalities, Proceedings And Early Actions
Authors: McCrea Andrew
Published: June 2015

The coming about of a ‘college of organists’ in 1864 reflected a growing desire on the part of a small, but quickly expanding, cohort of organists to be viewed collectively as one of the ‘respectable professions’ such as law or medicine and thereby enjoy the social and material benefits normally accorded to such professional groups. Writing around 1910, Charles W. Pearce captured the dynamic of the 1860s when he observed that the foundation of an association for organists was a manifestation of the ‘desire on the part of the musical profession for someself-established,self-supporting system ofself-organization,self-government, andself-examination’. Underlying – and stimulating – the College's search for identity and mission in its early years was a complex and dynamic environment in which new national consensuses were emerging with respect to professional standing, academic status, churchmanship, innovation in organ-building and, more generally, with respect to standards in music making.Following comments on British organists and the environment in which they were working by the 1860s (often characterized by poor pay, insecurity and the perception of low status), this article draws on (1) archival records that have been little scrutinized and (2) relevant periodical literature – in particularThe Musical Standard, a newly founded journal edited by figures intimately associated with the fledgling College – to establish the schedule and mechanism of the College's formation and how the institution attempted to organize itself and gain patronage. The article also casts contextual light on this project of professionalization by considering the individuals involved – their backgrounds, connections and motivations – and some of the early activities and the reasons behind them.
Analyzing Food-Related Life Satisfaction and other Predictors of Life Satisfaction in Central Chile
Authors: Schnettler Berta , Lobos Germán , Orellana Ligia , Grunert Klaus , Sepúlveda José , Mora Marcos , Denegri Marianela , Miranda Horacio
Published: June 2015

This study aimed to assess the effect of satisfaction with food-related life on life satisfaction among inhabitants of the main municipalities of central Chile. A survey was applied to a sample of 1,277 people, distributed proportionally by municipality. The questionnaire included the following scales: SWLS (Satisfaction with Life Scale), SWFL (Satisfaction with Food-related Life) and the Health-Related Quality of Life Index (HRQOL). Questions were asked regarding eating habits inside and outside the home, time available for meals at home, the assessment of five sources of happiness and the demographic characteristics of those surveyed. An ordered logit model was proposed, in which the dependent variable was satisfaction with life. Satisfaction with life was significantly related to the respondent’s socioeconomic status, self-perception of health, degree of satisfaction with food-related life, monthly food expenditure, time available for supper with the family (p < .01); gender, self-reported number of days affected by mental health problems, frequency of supper with the family, the degree of agreement with respect to family being an important source of happiness (p < .05); and family size and frequency of food consumption in fast food outlets (p < .10). Satisfaction with life in the study sample is related to aspects associated with health, family and eating, and the family interaction associated with eating may play an important role in overall satisfaction with life.
Genetic and Environmental Factors in Age-Related Hearing Impairment
Authors: Momi Sukhleen K. , Wolber Lisa E. , Fabiane Stella Maris , MacGregor Alex J. , Williams Frances M. K.
Published: June 2015

Age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) is a common condition with complex etiology but a recognized genetic component. Heritability estimates for pure tone audiogram-determined hearing ability lie in the range 26–75%. The speech-in-noise (SIN) auditory test, however, may be better at encapsulating ARHI symptoms, particularly the diminished ability to segregate environmental sounds into comprehendible auditory streams. As heritability of SIN has not previously been reported, we explored the genetic and environmental contributions to ARHI determined by SIN in 2,076 twins (87.8% female) aged 18–87 (mean age 54.4). SIN was found to be significantly heritable (A, unadjusted for age = 40%; 95% confidence intervals, CI = 32%–47%). With age adjustment, heritability fell (A= 25%; 95% CI = 16–33%), and a relatively strong influence of environmental exposure unshared within twin siblings was identified (E= 75%). To explore the environmental aspects further, we assessed the influence of diet (through the Food Frequency Questionnaire, FFQ), smoking (through self-report and cotinine metabolite levels) and alcohol intake (through the FFQ). A negative influence of high cholesterol diet was observed after adjustment (p= .037). A protective effect of raised serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels was observed after adjustment (p= .004). This study is the first assessment of the genetic and environmental influence on SIN perception. The findings suggest SIN is less heritable than pure tone audiogram (PTA) ability and highly influenced by the environment unique to each twin. Furthermore, a possible role of dietary fat in the etiology of ARHI is highlighted.
Self-Control Demands
Authors: Schmidt Klaus-Helmut , Diestel Stefan
Published: June 2015

Recent theoretical developments and findings in basic research suggest self-control demands (SCDs) to be a unique job stressor. A series of studies in different work settings have corroborated this view. The results show that different forms of SCDs (impulse control, resisting distractions, overcoming inner resistances) (a) contribute significant portions of unique variance to the prediction of various measures of job strain, (b) mutually strengthen each other in their effects on strain, and (c) interact with other forms of SCDs. Furthermore, the relation of SCDs to strain is moderated by various resources like job control, affective organizational commitment, and self-control capacity. Finally, SCDs mediate the relationship between workload and strain.
Interleukin-1β Transfer across the Blood–Brain Barrier in the Ovine Fetus
Authors: Sadowska Grazyna B , Chen Xiaodi , Zhang Jiyong , Lim Yow-Pin , Cummings Erin E , Makeyev Oleksandr , Besio Walter G , Gaitanis John , Padbury James F , Banks William A , Stonestreet Barbara S
Published: June 2015

Pro-inflammatory cytokines contribute to hypoxic–ischemic brain injury. Blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction represents an important component of hypoxic–ischemic brain injury in the fetus. Hypoxic–ischemic injury could accentuate systemic cytokine transfer across the fetal BBB. There has been considerable conjecture suggesting that systemic cytokines could cross the BBB during the perinatal period. Nonetheless, evidence to support this contention is sparse. We hypothesized that ischemia–reperfusion increases the transfer of systemic interleukin-1β (IL-1β) across the BBB in the fetus. Ovine fetuses at 127 days of gestation were studied 4 hours after 30 minutes of bilateral carotid artery occlusion and compared with a nonischemic group. Recombinant ovine IL-1β protein was expressed from an IL-1β pGEX-2 T vector in E. coli BL-21 cells and purified. The BBB function was quantified in 12 brain regions using a blood-to-brain transfer constant with intravenous 125I-radiolabeled IL-1β (125I-IL-1β). Interleukin-1β crossed the intact BBB in nonischemic fetuses. Blood-to-brain transport of 125I-IL-1β was higher ( P < 0.05) across brain regions in fetuses exposed to ischemia–reperfusion than nonischemic fetuses. We conclude that systemic IL-1β crosses the intact fetal BBB, and that ischemia–reperfusion increases transfer of this cytokine across the fetal BBB. Therefore, altered BBB function after hypoxia–ischemia facilitates entry of systemic cytokines into the brain of the fetus.
Noninvasive High-Speed Photoacoustic Tomography of Cerebral Hemodynamics in Awake-Moving Rats
Authors: Tang Jianbo , Xi Lei , Zhou Junli , Huang Hua , Zhang Tao , Carney Paul R , Jiang Huabei
Published: June 2015

We present a noninvasive method of photoacoustic tomography (PAT) for imaging cerebral hemodynamics in awake-moving rats. The wearable PAT (wPAT) system has a size of 15 mm in height and 33 mm in diameter, and a weight of ~ 8 g (excluding cabling). The wPAT achieved an imaging rate of 3.33 frames/s with a lateral resolution of 243 μm. Animal experiments were designed to show wPAT feasibility for imaging cerebral hemodynamics on awake-moving animals. Results showed that the cerebral oxy-hemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin changed significantly in response to hyperoxia; and, after the injection of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), cerebral blood volume changed faster over time and larger in amplitude for rats in awake-moving state compared with rats under anesthesia. By providing a light-weight, high-resolution technology for in vivo monitoring of cerebral hemodynamics in awake-behaving animals, it will be possible to develop a comprehensive understanding on how activity alters hemodynamics in normal and diseased states.
Regional Differences in the Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity Response to Hypobaric Hypoxia at High Altitudes
Authors: Feddersen Berend , Neupane Pritam , Thanbichler Florian , Hadolt Irmgard , Sattelmeyer Vera , Pfefferkorn Thomas , Waanders Robb , Noachtar Soheyl , Ausserer Harald
Published: June 2015

Symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) may appear above 2,500 m altitude, if the time allowed for acclimatization is insufficient. As the mechanisms underlying brain adaptation to the hypobaric hypoxic environment are not fully understood, a prospective study was performed investigating neurophysiological changes by means of near infrared spectroscopy, electroencephalograpy (EEG), and transcranial doppler sonography at 100, 3,440 and 5,050 m above sea level in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal. Fourteen of the 26 mountaineers reaching 5,050 m altitude developed symptoms of AMS between 3,440 and 5,050 m altitude (Lake-Louise Score ≥ 3). Their EEG frontal beta activity and occipital alpha activity increased between 100 and 3,440 m altitude, i.e., before symptoms appeared. Cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) in the anterior and middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) increased in all mountaineers between 100 and 3,440 m altitude. During further ascent to 5,050 m altitude, mountaineers with AMS developed a further increase in CBFV in the MCA, whereas in all mountaineers CBFV decreased continuously with increasing altitude in the posterior cerebral arteries. These results indicate that hypobaric hypoxia causes different regional changes in CBFV despite similar electrophysiological changes.
Enhanced Mechanical Stability of Gold Nanotips through Carbon Nanocone Encapsulation
Authors: Cano-Marquez Abraham G. , Schmidt Wesller G. , Ribeiro-Soares Jenaina , Gustavo Cançado Luiz , Rodrigues Wagner N. , Santos Adelina P. , Furtado Clascidia A. , Autreto Pedro A.S. , Paupitz Ricardo , Galvão Douglas S. , Jorio Ado
Published: June 2015

Gold is a noble metal that, in comparison with silver and copper, has the advantage of corrosion resistance. Despite its high conductivity, chemical stability and biocompatibility, gold exhibits high plasticity, which limits its applications in some nanodevices. Here, we report an experimental and theoretical study on how to attain enhanced mechanical stability of gold nanotips. The gold tips were fabricated by chemical etching and further encapsulated with carbon nanocones via nanomanipulation. Atomic force microscopy experiments were carried out to test their mechanical stability. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the encapsulated nanocone changes the strain release mechanisms at the nanoscale by blocking gold atomic sliding, redistributing the strain along the whole nanostructure. The carbon nanocones are conducting and can induce magnetism, thus opening new avenues on the exploitation of transport, mechanical and magnetic properties of gold covered by sp2 carbon at the nanoscale.
Enhanced light collection in fluorescence microscopy using self-assembled micro-reflectors
Authors: Göröcs Zoltán , McLeod Euan , Ozcan Aydogan
Published: June 2015

In fluorescence microscopy, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the optical system is directly linked to the numerical aperture (NA) of the microscope objective, which creates detection challenges for low-NA, wide-field and high-throughput imaging systems. Here we demonstrate a method to increase the light collection efficiency from micron-scale fluorescent objects using self-assembled vapor-condensed polyethylene glycol droplets, which act as micro-reflectors for fluorescent light. Around each fluorescent particle, a liquid meniscus is formed that increases the excitation efficiency and redirects part of the laterally-emitted fluorescent light towards the detector due to internal reflections at the liquid-air interface of the meniscus. The three-dimensional shape of this micro-reflector can be tuned as a function of time, vapor temperature and substrate contact angle, providing us optimized SNR performance for fluorescent detection. Based on these self-assembled micro-reflectors, we experimentally demonstrate ~2.5-3 fold enhancement of the fluorescent signal from 2-10 μm sized particles. A theoretical explanation of the formation rate and shapes of these micro-reflectors is presented, along with a ray tracing model of their optical performance. This method can be used as a sample preparation technique for consumer electronics-based microscopy and sensing tools, thus increasing the sensitivity of low-NA systems that image fluorescent micro-objects.
Improving access to endogenous DNA in ancient bones and teeth
Authors: Damgaard Peter B. , Margaryan Ashot , Schroeder Hannes , Orlando Ludovic , Willerslev Eske , Allentoft Morten E.
Published: June 2015

Poor DNA preservation is the most limiting factor in ancient genomic research. In the majority of ancient bones and teeth, endogenous DNA molecules represent a minor fraction of the whole DNA extract, rendering shot-gun sequencing inefficient for obtaining genomic data. Based on ancient human bone samples from temperate and tropical environments, we show that an EDTA-based enzymatic ‘pre-digestion’ of powdered bone increases the proportion of endogenous DNA several fold. By performing the pre-digestion step between 30 min and 6 hours on five bones, we observe an asymptotic increase in endogenous DNA content, with a 2.7-fold average increase reached at 1 hour. We repeat the experiment using a brief pre-digestion (15 or 30 mins) on 21 ancient bones and teeth from a variety of archaeological contexts and observe an improvement in 16 of these. We here advocate the implementation of a brief pre-digestion step as a standard procedure in ancient DNA extractions. Finally, we demonstrate on 14 ancient teeth that by targeting the outer layer of the roots we obtain up to 14 times more endogenous DNA than when using the inner dentine. Our presented methods are likely to increase the proportion of ancient samples that are suitable for genome-scale characterization.
Applications of NMR in Fragment-Based Drug Design
Authors: Krimm Isabelle
Published: June 2015

The role of NMR in drug discovery has been significantly reinforced over recent years, particularly in the field of fragment-based drug design. NMR is one of the most robust methods for screening fragment libraries against therapeutic targets, generating few false positives. The application of ligand-observed and protein-observed experiments (STD, WaterLOGSY, transferred-NOESY and 2D-HSQC) is reviewed in this chapter, showing that NMR is also a powerful method for analysing the 3D structures of protein–fragment complexes.
Current Status and Future Direction of Fragment-Based Drug Discovery: A Computational Chemistry Perspective
Authors: Wall Ian D. , Hann Michael M. , Leach Andrew R. , Pickett Stephen D.
Published: June 2015

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has become a well-established and widely used approach for lead identification. The computational chemistry community has played a central role in developing the ideas behind this area of research and computational tools are important throughout FBDD campaigns. This article discusses the evolution of best practice, on-going areas of debate and gaps in current capabilities from a computational chemistry perspective. In particular, the contribution of computational methods to areas such as fragment library design, screening analysis, data handling and the role of structure- and ligand-based design is discussed. The potential to combine FBDD with other hit-identification methods such as high-throughput screening in a more integrated approach is also highlighted.
Fragment-Based Discovery of Antibacterials
Authors: Spry Christina , Coyne Anthony G.
Published: June 2015

Due to the increasing prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria, there is a desperate need for novel antibacterial agents. Fragment-based approaches, which are now firmly established in industry and academia, offer a novel means by which to identify new antibacterial drug leads. Such approaches have the potential to succeed in this challenging area of drug discovery where the more traditional approach of high-throughput screening has so far largely failed. In this chapter we show how fragment-based approaches are being applied in projects aimed at the discovery of broad-spectrum antibacterials as well as antituberculosis agents. The targets include bacterial biotin carboxylase, DNA gyrase, DNA ligase, β-lactamases, and the ZipA–FtsZ protein–protein interaction, as well as a cytochrome P450, pantothenate synthetase, and protein tyrosine phosphatases from mycobacterium tuberculosis. The projects have yielded novel, high-affinity inhibitors, in some cases with whole-cell activity in vitro and in vivo. They highlight the value of fragment-based approaches, used alone or in combination with more traditional lead-finding mechanisms, in antibacterial drug discovery.
Amphiphilic graphene oxide stabilisation of hexagonal BN and MoS2 sheets
Authors: Wahid M. Haniff , Chen Xianjue , Gibson Christopher T. , Raston Colin L.
Published: June 2015

A simple and scalable method has been developed for directly forming water-dispersible heterolaminar solids involving mixing aqueous solution of amphiphilic graphene oxide with hexagonal boron nitride or molybdenum disulphide in N-methylpyrrolidone.
Li7(BH)5+: a new thermodynamically favored star-shaped molecule
Authors: Torres-Vega Juan J. , Vásquez-Espinal Alejandro , Beltran Maria J. , Ruiz Lina , Islas Rafael , Tiznado William
Published: June 2015

The feasibility of stabilizing a new star-shaped molecule, the Li7(BH)5+, is demonstrated by anin silicoinvestigation, combining DFT andAb initiomethods.
Adsorption of ozone and plasmonic properties of gold hydrosol: the effect of the nanoparticle size
Authors: Ershov Boris G. , Abkhalimov Evgeny V. , Roldughin Vyacheslav I. , Rudoy Viktor M. , Dement'eva Olga V. , Solovov Roman D.
Published: June 2015

The impact of the size of gold nanoparticles on the magnitude of the bathochromic shift of their plasmon resonance peak upon ozone adsorption is revealed and analyzed.
Charge density waves in individual nanoribbons of orthorhombic-TaS3
Authors: Farley Katie E. , Shi Zhenzhong , Sambandamurthy G. , Banerjee Sarbajit
Published: June 2015

Electrical transport and noise measurements of individual orthorhombic-TaS3 nanoribbons allow for examination of surface confinement effects on charge density waves.
Correction: Distance measurements between manganese(ii) and nitroxide spin-labels by DEER determine a binding site of Mn2+ in the HP92 loop of ribosomal RNA
Authors: Kaminker Ilia , Bye Morgan , Mendelman Natanel , Gislason Kristmann , Sigurdsson Snorri Th. , Goldfarb Daniella
Published: June 2015

Correction for ‘Distance measurements between manganese(ii) and nitroxide spin-labels by DEER determine a binding site of Mn2+ in the HP92 loop of ribosomal RNA’ by Ilia Kaminker et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 17, 15098–15102.
Atomic Spectrometry Update: review of advances in elemental speciation
Authors: Harrington Chris F. , Clough Robert , Hill Steve J. , Madrid Yolanda , Tyson Julian F.
Published: June 2015

This review covers advances in elemental speciation by a range of coupled techniques, including HPLC-ICP-MS, HPLC-HG-AFS and GC-ICP-MS.
An acoustofluidic sputum liquefier
Authors: Huang Po-Hsun , Ren Liqiang , Nama Nitesh , Li Sixing , Li Peng , Yao Xianglan , Cuento Rosemarie A. , Wei Cheng-Hsin , Chen Yuchao , Xie Yuliang , Nawaz Ahmad Ahsan , Alevy Yael G. , Holtzman Michael J. , McCoy J. Philip , Levine Stewart J. , Huang Tony Jun
Published: June 2015

The first microfluidic-based on-chip sputum-liquefaction device is demonstrated via an acoustofluidic micromixer.
Dynamic imaging of a single gold nanoparticle in liquid irradiated by off-resonance femtosecond laser
Authors: Boutopoulos Christos , Hatef Ali , Fortin-Deschênes Matthieu , Meunier Michel
Published: June 2015

Direct imaging of a single gold nanoparticle acting as durable nanolens under off-resonance femtosecond laser irradiation.
Synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon nanostructures from polyurethane sponge for bioimaging and catalysis
Authors: Yang Yong , Zhang Jingchao , Zhuang Jing , Wang Xun
Published: June 2015

A facile and environmentally friendly method was developed for the fabrication of N-doped carbon nanomaterials by hydrothermal treatment using polyurethane (PU) sponge as a carbon source.
Enantioselective construction of a 2,2′-bisindolylmethane scaffold via catalytic asymmetric reactions of 2-indolylmethanols with 3-alkylindoles
Authors: Gong Yu-Xin , Wu Qiong , Zhang Hong-Hao , Zhu Qiu-Ning , Shi Feng
Published: June 2015

A chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric reaction of 2-indolylmethanols with 3-alkylindoles has been established to construct 2,2′-bisindolylmethane scaffold in good enantioselectivities.
A platform for efficient, thiol-stable conjugation to albumin's native single accessible cysteine
Authors: Smith Mark E. B. , Caspersen Mikael B. , Robinson Eifion , Morais Maurício , Maruani Antoine , Nunes João P. M. , Nicholls Karl , Saxton Malcolm J. , Caddick Stephen , Baker James R. , Chudasama Vijay
Published: June 2015

Thiol-stable albumin biologics are enabled by controlled, quantitative hydrolysis of maleimide–albumin conjugates, i.e. with no retro-Michael.
Microwave-assisted synthesis of La–Cr co-doped SrTiO3 nano-particles and their use in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light
Authors: Cai Fanpeng , Meng Yadong , Hu Bo , Tang Yubing , Shi Weidong
Published: June 2015

We fine-tune the content of La–Cr cation substitution in the structure of STO to develop efficient visible-light-driven water-splitting photocatalysts.
Enhancement of nucleic acid delivery to hard-to-transfect human colorectal cancer cells by magnetofection at laminin coated substrates and promotion of the endosomal/lysosomal escape
Authors: Cerda María Belén , Batalla Milena , Anton Martina , Cafferata Eduardo , Podhajcer Osvaldo , Plank Christian , Mykhaylyk Olga , Policastro Lucia
Published: June 2015

Optimization of nucleic acid delivery in hard-to-transfect colorectal cancer cells by magnetofection at coated laminin substrates and by the endosomal escape enhancement of magnetic complexes using INF-7 peptide.
High-performance microwave absorption of flexible nanocomposites based on flower-like Co superstructures and polyvinylidene fluoride
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Juan , Lv Guo-Cheng , Wang Guang-Sheng , Bai Tian-Yu , Qu Jia-Kang , Liu Xiao-Fang , Yin Peng-Gang
Published: June 2015

In this research, the flexible Co/PVDF nanocomposites with excellent microwave absorption properties were firstly prepared.
Built-in electric field in compositionally graded (1 − x)Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3–x(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 thin films
Authors: Lin Q. R. , Li S. , Wang D. Y.
Published: June 2015

The built-in electric field in compositionally graded (1 − x)Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3–x(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (BZT–xBCT) thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition.
Tunable near white light photoluminescence of lanthanide ion (Dy3+, Eu3+and Tb3+) doped DNA lattices
Authors: Dugasani Sreekantha Reddy , Park Byeongho , Gnapareddy Bramaramba , Pamanji Sreedhara Reddy , Yoo Sanghyun , Lee Keun Woo , Lee Seok , Jun Seong Chan , Kim Jae Hun , Kim Chulki , Park Sung Ha
Published: June 2015

We constructed lanthanide ion doped double-crossover DNA lattices grown on a silica substrate and studied their photoluminescence characteristics.
A new chiral electrochemical sensor for the enantioselective recognition of naproxen enantiomers using l-cysteine self-assembled over gold nanoparticles on a gold electrode
Authors: Afkhami Abbas , Kafrashi Fatemeh , Ahmadi Mazaher , Madrakian Tayyebeh
Published: June 2015

A chiral electrochemical sensor for analyzing the enantiomeric composition of chiral compounds is reported.
Unzipped carbon nanotubes: analytical and binding applications of semisynthetic phlebotropic flavonoid, diosmin
Authors: Teradal Nagappa L. , Seetharamappa J. , Satpati A. K.
Published: June 2015

Present study describes the utility of unzipped carbon nanotubes as electrochemical sensing platform for the determination of diosmin in pharmaceutical formulations and for the investigation of its binding to human serum albumin.
Ultra-sensitive detection of heparin via aPTT using plastic antibodies on QCM-D platform
Authors: Hussain Munawar
Published: June 2015

One of the challenges faced by today's clinics is unavailability of practical, precise and accurate determination of the most commonly used anti-coagulant ‘heparin’ in human blood/plasma in surgery.
Glioma cell-targeting doxorubicin delivery and redox-responsive release using angiopep-2 decorated carbonaceous nanodots
Authors: Chen Jiantao , Cun Xingli , Ruan Shaobo , Wang Yang , Zhang Yanling , He Qin , Gao Huile
Published: June 2015

In this study, CDs were synthesized as a carrier for glioma cell targeting and redox-responsive drug delivery.
Relating elasticity and graphene folding conformation
Authors: Cox Barry J. , Baowan Duangkamon , Bacsa Wolfgang , Hill James M.
Published: June 2015

Variational calculus is employed to determine the folding behaviour of a single graphene sheet.
AhR-mediated activities and compounds in sediments of Meiliang Bay, Taihu Lake, China determined by in vitro bioassay and instrumental analysis
Authors: Xu Yan , Wei Si , Qin Qingdong , Hon-Wah Lam Michael , Giesy John P.
Published: June 2015

Greater concentrations of TCDD-EQs and lesser concentrations of TEQs were found and a gradual decrease of AhR potency was confirmed.
Photoelectrochemical manifestation of intrinsic photoelectron transport properties of vertically aligned {001} faceted single crystal TiO2 nanosheet films
Authors: Lu Yang , Wang Guozhong , Zhang Haimin , Zhang Yunxia , Kang Shenghong , Zhao Huijun
Published: June 2015

{001} faceted anatase TiO2 nanosheet array films after calcination exhibited high photoelectrocatalytic activity toward water oxidation owing to superiorly intrinsic photoelectron transport properties of {001} faceted single crystal nanosheets.
Anticorrosive oligoaniline-containing electroactive siliceous hybrid materials
Authors: Gu Lin , Liu Shuan , Zhao Haichao , Yu Haibin
Published: June 2015

Advanced anticorrosive coatings were prepared by covalently incorporating electroactive oligoanilines as corrosion inhibitors into inorganic silica.
Photobleaching induced time-dependent light emission from dye-doped polymer nanofibers
Authors: Zhang Weina , Li Juan , Chen Hao , Li Baojun
Published: June 2015

Photobleaching induced time-dependent light emission at different positions along dual-dye-doped polymer nanofibers.
Ultraviolet photoconductivity of amorphous ZnAlSnO thin-film transistors
Authors: Jiang Q. J. , Wu C. J. , Feng L. S. , Yu G. Y. , Gong L. , Ye Z. Z. , Lu J. G.
Published: June 2015

Responses of the ZATO TFTs towards 365 nm UV illumination.
Metal oxides and metal salt nanostructures for hydrogen sulfide sensing: mechanism and sensing performance
Authors: Guo Zhi , Chen Guiqiu , Zeng Guangming , Liu Lingzhi , Zhang Chang
Published: June 2015

Metal oxides and metal salt nanostructures for hydrogen sulfide sensing based on conductivity response.
Study on the efficiency of some amine derivatives as corrosion and scale inhibitors in cooling water systems
Authors: Migahed M. A. , Attia A. A. , Habib R. E.
Published: June 2015

A study on the corrosion and scaling inhibition efficiencies of some amine derivatives for carbon steel.
Students' mind wandering in macroscopic and submicroscopic textual narrations and its relationship with their reading comprehension
Authors: Al-Balushi Sulaiman M. , Al-Harthy Ibrahim S.
Published: June 2015

The aim of the current study was to investigate students' mind wandering while reading different types of textual narrations (macroscopic and submicroscopic) in chemistry. Another goal was to determine the relationship between mind wandering and students' reading comprehension. The participants were 65 female ninth grade students in Oman. Using a computer screen, participants were required to read about sodium chloride. A probe-catch procedure was used to measure students' mind wandering. Half of the slides presented textual narrations at the macroscopic level and the other half presented narrations at the submicroscopic level. We gave the students a paper and pencil reading comprehension test at the conclusion of the reading task. The findings indicated that participants' mind wandering while reading submicroscopic textual narrations was significantly higher when compared to reading macroscopic textual narrations. Also, there was a significant negative relationship between mind wandering and reading comprehension for both macroscopic and submicroscopic textual narrations. Implications and future research are discussed.
Palladium-catalyzed direct β-arylation of ketones with diaryliodonium salts: a stoichiometric heavy metal-free and user-friendly approach
Authors: Huang Zhongxing , Sam Quynh P. , Dong Guangbin
Published: June 2015

A user-friendly protocol for the Pd-catalyzed direct β-arylation of ketones is described, which avoids the use of stoichiometric heavy metals.
C–H bond activation induced by thorium metallacyclopropene complexes: a combined experimental and computational study
Authors: Fang Bo , Zhang Lei , Hou Guohua , Zi Guofu , Fang De-Cai , Walter Marc D.
Published: June 2015

Thorium metallacyclopropenes derived from phenyl(alkyl)acetylenes are very reactive complexes that undergo selective intramolecular C–H bond activation.
Enantioselective palladium(0)-catalyzed intramolecular cyclopropane functionalization: access to dihydroquinolones, dihydroisoquinolones and the BMS-791325 ring system
Authors: Pedroni J. , Saget T. , Donets P. A. , Cramer N.
Published: June 2015

Enantioselective palladium(0)-catalyzed C–H arylations of cyclopropanes provide efficient access to dihydroquinolones, dihydroisoquinolones and the BMS-791325 indolobenzazepine core.
Reply to the ‘Comment on “Cholesterol Solubility Limit in Lipid Membranes probed by Small Angle Neutron Scattering and MD simulations”’ by R. Epand, Soft Matter, 2015, 11, DOI: 10.1039/C4SM02819H
Authors: Krzyzanowski Natalie , Porcar Lionel , Garg Sumit , Butler Paul , Castro-Roman Francisco , Jesus Bautista Pedro , Perez-Salas Ursula
Published: June 2015

In the comment by Epand et al. on our recent article, it is stated that the term “cholesterol solubility limit” is misused.
One-step encapsulation of Pd nanoparticles in MOFs via a temperature control program
Authors: Chen Liyu , Chen Xiaodong , Liu Hongli , Bai Cuihua , Li Yingwei
Published: June 2015

A facile cooperativein situmetal precursor incorporation and on-site moderate reduction strategy is established for one step encapsulation of Pd nanoparticles in the pores of MOFs, which could not be achieved by a quick heating process.
Energized nitro-substituted azoles through ether bridges
Authors: Tang Yongxing , He Chunlin , Gao Haixiang , Shreeve Jean'ne M.
Published: June 2015

Ether bridged energetic nitro-substituted azoles with low melting points and moderate decomposition temperatures may have potential as melt-cast explosives.
Matrix metalloproteinase-sensitive hydrogel microparticles for pulmonary drug delivery of small molecule drugs or proteins
Authors: Secret Emilie , Crannell Kelsey E. , Kelly Stefan J. , Villancio-Wolter Maria , Andrew Jennifer S.
Published: June 2015

Hydrogel microparticles sensitive to matrix metalloproteinases are studied for release of drugs and proteins into the lungs.
Thermodynamic stability of lead-free alkali niobate and tantalate perovskites
Authors: Sahu Sulata K. , Zlotnik Sebastian , Navrotsky Alexandra , Vilarinho Paula M.
Published: June 2015

Calculated energetics provide key insights into the stability of lead-free alkali niobate and tantalate perovskites.
Entanglements in marginal solutions: a means of tuning pre-aggregation of conjugated polymers with positive implications for charge transport
Authors: Hu Hanlin , Zhao Kui , Fernandes Nikhil , Boufflet Pierre , Bannock James H. , Yu Liyang , de Mello John C. , Stingelin Natalie , Heeney Martin , Giannelis Emmanuel P. , Amassian Aram
Published: June 2015

Marginal solutions of conjugated polymers are increasingly common in organic electronic applications. We demonstrate how to controllably induce aggregation in such solutions with the aim of altering microstructure and transport properties.
In vitro toxicological characterisation of arsenic-containing fatty acids and three of their metabolites
Authors: Meyer S. , Raber G. , Ebert F. , Leffers L. , Müller S. M. , Taleshi M. S. , Francesconi K. A. , Schwerdtle T.
Published: June 2015

Arsenic-containing fatty acids are bioavailable and toxic to human liver cells in culture.
Umbelliferone β-d-galactopyranoside inhibits chemically induced renal carcinogenesis via alteration of oxidative stress, hyperproliferation and inflammation: possible role of NF-κB
Authors: Anwar Firoz , Al-Abbasi F. A. , Bhatt Prakash Chandra , Ahmad Aftab , Sethi Nikunj , Kumar Vikas
Published: June 2015

Umbelliferone (7-hydroxycoumarin) compound possesses strong anti-inflammatory and free radical scavenging activity.
Efficient LLR estimation for multistage decoding
Authors: Al Bechlawi C. , Guilloud F.
Published: June 2015

Multilevel coding (MLC) provides a low‐complexity encoding scheme for lattices obtained via construction D. On the other hand, multistage decoding is also a practical decoding scheme for MLC provided that the underlying error correcting codes are capacity achieving, which requires using a powerful soft decoder for each code. Proposed is an approximation of the log‐likelihood ratio (LLR) which used for the soft decoding of the different error correcting codes employed in the lattice construction. This approximation is based on the von Mises distribution and achieves, with lower complexity, the same error rate performance obtained with the exact LLR calculation.
Content‐based image retrieval using fuzzy class membership and rules based on classifier confidence
Authors: Dash Jatindra Kumar , Mukhopadhyay Sudipta , Gupta Rahul Das
Published: June 2015

Content representation for images with well‐defined inter‐class boundaries in the feature space remains to be a difficult task. Simple distance‐based retrieval (SDR) approaches those operate on the feature space for content‐based image retrieval (CBIR) are, therefore claimed to be inefficient by many researchers. Different CBIR approaches have been proposed to surmount the drawbacks of SDR scheme. This study proposes a novel image retrieval scheme. In this scheme, effort is taken to reduce the overall search time of the recently proposed approach called ‘class membership‐based retrieval’ (CMR). The proposed method identifies the confidence in the classification and limits the search to single output class and therefore, reduces the overall search time by 21.76% as compared to CMR. Quantitative methods are proposed to select various parameters used in the algorithm which were computed empirically in the case of earlier approach CMR. The computed parameters are validated using experimental results. The consistent behaviours of the proposed method and earlier methods used in the experiment are demonstrated using different feature sets and distance metrics. While the method can be used as a general purpose image retrieval system, experiment is performed on four texture databases wit different complexities in terms of size, number of texture classes and orientation.
Digital image watermarking using partial pivoting lower and upper triangular decomposition into the wavelet domain
Authors: Muhammad Nazeer , Bibi Nargis
Published: June 2015

A digital image watermarking algorithm using partial pivoting lower and upper triangular (PPLU) decomposition is proposed. In this method, a digital watermark image is factorised into lower triangular, upper triangular and permutation matrices by PPLU decomposition. The permutation matrix is used as the valid key matrix for authentication of the rightful ownership of the watermark image. The product of the lower and upper triangular matrices is embedded into particular sub‐bands of a cover image that is decomposed by wavelet transform using the singular value decomposition. The weightage‐based differential evolution algorithm is used to achieve the possible scaling factor for obtaining the maximum possible robustness against various image processing operations and pirate attacks. The authors experiments show that the proposed algorithm is highly reliable with better imperceptibility of the embedded image and computationally efficient compared with recently existed methods.
Human colour skin detection in CMYK colour space
Authors: Sawicki Dariusz J. , Miziolek Weronika
Published: June 2015

Fast detection of skin colour in images is an important task for computer vision and image processing. In this study, a new thresholding method for detecting skin colour has been introduced. The proposed method uses CMYK colour space, which, although not popular in image processing, especially in skin detecting algorithm, turned out to be a good choice. Its properties seem the most appropriate for the task of skin colour detection. Some experiments have been worked out using Compaq Database – a large database of skin and non‐skin photos. A comparison of the new method against well‐known thresholding methods in RGB, YCbCr and HSV spaces were prepared. In this comparison, the proposed method in CMYK colour space wins. This good result was further improved using a simple cascade algorithm, where two spaces RGB and CMYK were used.
Lifetimes of Vibro-Rotational Levels in Excited Electronic States of Diatomic Hydrogen Isotopologues
Authors: Astashkevich S. A. , Lavrov B. P.
Published: June 2015

The current situation in studies of lifetimes of excited rovibronic levels for the H2, D2, T2, HD, HT, and DT molecules is analyzed. All measured lifetime values (792 entries for 618 different vibro-rotational levels of 33 electronic states) reported in 61 publications before April 2015 are compiled and listed in tabular format together with an annotated bibliography. Experimental data are only available for the H2, HD, and D2 molecules. The data collected in the present work show fragmentariness of experimental data. For the vast majority of the levels, the lifetime values were reported in one paper only and up to now are without independent experimental verification. A complete bibliography of publications concerning semiempirical determination and nonempirical calculations of the lifetimes is presented. Numerical results obtained in the framework of these two approaches are listed only in cases when experimental data are available. For more than half of the levels, the differences between measured and calculated values are three times higher than experimental errors. These discrepancies show necessity of more precise experimental and nonempirical studies. For some 79 rovibronic levels, our analysis makes it possible to propose certain set of recommended lifetime values.
The magnetic field dependence of cross-effect dynamic nuclear polarization under magic angle spinning
Authors: Mance Deni , Gast Peter , Huber Martina , Baldus Marc , Ivanov Konstantin L.
Published: June 2015

We develop a theoretical description of Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) in solids under Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) to describe the magnetic field dependence of the DNP effect. The treatment is based on an efficient scheme for numerical solution of the Liouville-von Neumann equation, which explicitly takes into account the variation of magnetic interactions during the sample spinning. The dependence of the cross-effect MAS-DNP on various parameters, such as the hyperfine interaction, electron-electron dipolar interaction, microwave field strength, and electron spin relaxation rates, is analyzed. Electron spin relaxation rates are determined by electron paramagnetic resonance measurements, and calculations are compared to experimental data. Our results suggest that the observed nuclear magnetic resonance signal enhancements provided by MAS-DNP can be explained by discriminating between “bulk” and “core” nuclei and by taking into account the slow DNP build-up rate for the bulk nuclei.
Achieving reversibility of ultra-high mechanical stress by hydrogen loading of thin films
Authors: Hamm M. , Burlaka V. , Wagner S. , Pundt A.
Published: June 2015

Nano-materials are commonly stabilized by supports to maintain their desired shape and size. When these nano-materials take up interstitial atoms, this attachment to the support induces mechanical stresses. These stresses can be high when the support is rigid. High stress in the nano-material is typically released by delamination from the support or by the generation of defects, e.g., dislocations. As high mechanical stress can be beneficial for tuning the nano-materials properties, it is of general interest to deduce how real high mechanical stress can be gained. Here, we show that below a threshold nano-material size, dislocation formation can be completely suppressed and, when delamination is inhibited, even the ultrahigh stress values of the linear elastic limit can be reached. Specifically, for hydrogen solved in epitaxial niobium films on sapphire substrate supports a threshold film thickness of 6 nm was found and mechanical stress of up to (−10 ± 1) GPa was reached. This finding is of basic interest for hydrogen energy applications, as the hydride stability in metals itself is affected by mechanical stress. Thus, tuning of the mechanical stress-state in nano-materials may lead to improved storage properties of nano-sized materials.
Bifacial Si heterojunction-perovskite organic-inorganic tandem to produce highly efficient (ηT* ∼ 33%) solar cell
Authors: Asadpour Reza , Chavali Raghu V. K. , Ryyan Khan M. , Alam Muhammad A.
Published: June 2015

As single junction photovoltaic (PV) technologies, both Si heterojunction (HIT) and perovskite based solar cells promise high efficiencies at low cost. Intuitively, a traditional tandem cell design with these cells connected in series is expected to improve the efficiency further. Using a self-consistent numerical modeling of optical and transport characteristics, however, we find that a traditional series connected tandem design suffers from low JSC due to band-gap mismatch and current matching constraints. Specifically, a traditional tandem cell with state-of-the-art HIT (η=24%) and perovskite (η=20%) sub-cells provides only a modest tandem efficiency of ηT∼ 25%. Instead, we demonstrate that a bifacial HIT/perovskite tandem design decouples the optoelectronic constraints and provides an innovative path for extraordinary efficiencies. In the bifacial configuration, the same state-of-the-art sub-cells achieve a normalized output of ηT* = 33%, exceeding the bifacial HIT performance at practical albedo reflections. Unlike the traditional design, this bifacial design is relatively insensitive to perovskite thickness variations, which may translate to simpler manufacture and higher yield.