bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Meta‐analysis of survival curve data using distributed health data networks: application to hip arthroplasty studies of the International Consortium of Orthopaedic Registries
Authors: Cafri Guy , Banerjee Samprit , Sedrakyan Art , Paxton Liz , Furnes Ove , Graves Stephen , Marinac‐Dabic Danica
Published: June 2015

The motivating example for this paper comes from a distributed health data network, the International Consortium of Orthopaedic Registries (ICOR), which aims to examine risk factors for orthopedic device failure for registries around the world. Unfortunately, regulatory, privacy, and propriety concerns made sharing of raw data impossible, even if de‐identified. Therefore, this article describes an approach to extraction and analysis of aggregate time‐to‐event data from ICOR. Data extraction is based on obtaining a survival probability and variance estimate for each unique combination of the explanatory variables at each distinct event time for each registry. The extraction procedure allows for a great deal of flexibility; models can be specified after the data have been collected, for example, modeling of interaction effects and selection of subgroups of patients based on their values on the explanatory variables. Our analysis models are adapted from models presented elsewhere – but allowing for censoring in the calculation of the correlation between serial survival probabilities and using the square root of the covariance matrix to transform the data to avoid computational problems in model estimation. Simulations and a real‐data example are provided with strengths and limitations of the approach discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Corrosion Protection Efficiency of Bilayer Porphyrin‐Polyaniline Film Deposited on Carbon Steel
Authors: Popa Iuliana , Fagadar‐Cosma Eugenia , Taranu Bogdan‐Ovidiu , Birdeanu Mihaela , Fagadar‐Cosma Gheorghe , Taranu Ioan
Published: June 2015

Polyaniline (PANI) based composites and multilayers as well as porphyrin derivatives have been previously reported as efficient anti‐corrosion coatings. In our studies, 5,10,15,20‐tetra(4‐methylphenyl)‐21H,23H‐porphyrin (TMP) was adsorbed on carbon steel surface before PANI electrodeposition, in order to improve the corrosion protection of PANI films on steel. The corrosion behavior of the TMP‐PANI bilayer carbon steel modified electrodes was investigated in 0.1 M H2SO4 solution using electrochemical tehniques. It was found that TMP‐PANI coatings can provide a good protection against carbon steel corrosion. The corrosion rate for the composite coated steel was significantly lower than that of the bare steel, and exhibited an inhibition efficiency of ∼80%.
Aryleneethynylene Trimers Bearing Calix[4]arenes: Synthesis, Optical Properties and Self‐Assembling Studies
Authors: Prata José V. , Barata Patrícia D.
Published: June 2015

New homoditopic bis‐calix[4]arene‐carbazole conjugates, armed with hydrophilic carboxylic acid functions at their lower rims, are disclosed. Evidence for their self‐association in solution was gathered from solvatochromic and thermochromic studies, as well as from gel‐permeation chromatography analysis. Their ability to function as highly sensitive sensors toward polar electron‐deficient aromatic compounds is demonstrated.
A compact stub‐loaded composite right/left‐handed resonator and its application in bandpass filters
Authors: Xu Kai‐Da , Zhang Yong‐Hong , Li Xue‐Shi , Ai Jing , Fan Yong , Joines William T.
Published: June 2015

A new compact stub‐loaded composite right/left‐handed (SL‐CRLH) resonator is presented for the first time. The resonance properties of the proposed SL‐CRLH resonator are deduced by odd‐ and even‐mode analysis method. Besides miniaturization and wide upper stopband, the bandpass filter (BPF) using SL‐CRLH resonator is found to have an additional advantage that the bandwidth can be tuned by the stub length. Based on the proposed resonator, two BPFs operating at 3.1 GHz with source‐load magnetic cross coupling are designed, fabricated, and tested. The good agreements between simulated and measured results validate the design concept. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:1999–2002, 2015
A broadband LNA and mixer for digital video broadcasting applications using a 0.18‐μm CMOS process
Authors: Qiang Tian , Kim Eun Seong , Wang Cong , Park Min Chul , Kim Nam Young
Published: June 2015

In this study, a broadband low noise amplifier (LNA)/mixer for digital video broadcasting‐satellite receiver tuner was fabricated by a 0.18‐µm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The proposed broadband LNA receives positive feedback and incorporates a single‐ended differential converter to mixer. Two attenuators are used to obtain good noise performance and high linearity. Moreover, the designed CMOS LNA/mixer achieved gain controls in 3‐dB steps, an input second‐order intercept of 1.37 dBm, and an input third‐order intercept of −3.6 dBm in high‐gain low‐frequency mode. The 6.4‐dB noise of LNA was achieved in the frequency range of 950–2150 MHz. The circuit consumes a total current of 25 mA at a supply voltage of 1.8 V and the chip area of the LNA and the mixer are 0.8 × 0.53 mm2 and 0.8 × 0.6 mm2, respectively. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2092–2099, 2015
Dual‐band planar filter with very narrow bandwidths based on a single‐section coupled line
Authors: Lee Sang‐Ho , Park Ji‐Hoon , Lee Yongshik
Published: June 2015

A dual‐band filter with very narrow bandwidths is demonstrated that is based on an extremely simple structure of a single‐section coupled line loaded with shunt inductors. The filter can be designed using a remarkably simple design procedure, which is demonstrated in this work. Moreover, its dual‐band performance expands the versatility of the proposed filter to include multiband applications. Experimental results show measured Q‐factors of as high as 88.26 and 77.74 at 2.0 and 3.0 GHz, respectively. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2083–2085, 2015
Microwave dielectric properties of pure and Zr4+ doped lead calcium iron niobate substrates for microwave devices and antenna applications
Authors: Puri Maalti , Bahel Shalini , Narang Sukhleen Bindra
Published: June 2015

Two series of (Pb1‐xCax)(Fe0.5Nb0.5)O3 for x = 0.00, 0.20, 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, and (Pb0.45Ca0.55)(Fe0.5Nb0.5)1‐yZryO3 for 0.00 ≤ y ≤ 0.15 in the steps of 0.03 have been synthesized using columbite precursor method. X‐ray diffraction patterns show that all the solid solutions have tetragonal symmetry. Microwave dielectric properties of synthesized solid solutions have been investigated in X‐band (8.2–12.4 GHz). The substitution of Zr4+ ions at B‐site of (Pb0.45Ca0.55)(Fe0.5Nb0.5)1‐yZryO3 decreased the loss tangent but did not remarkably affect the relative permittivity. The temperature coefficient of relative permittivity decreased with the substitution of Ca2+ ion for Pb2+ ions at A‐site in first series. The temperature coefficient of relative permittivity further decreased with the substitution of Zr4+ ions at B‐site in second series. The reflection loss decreased but VSWR and bandwidth improved slightly with the substitution of Zr contents in second series. The present materials can be used as substrate for microwave devices and antennas applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2151–2155, 2015
Application of the NARX neural network as a digital predistortion technique for linearizing microwave power amplifiers
Authors: Aguilar‐Lobo Lina M. , Loo‐Yau Jose R. , Rayas‐Sánchez Jose E. , Ortega‐Cisneros Susana , Moreno Pablo , Reynoso‐Hernández J. A.
Published: June 2015

This work presents a digital predistortion (DPD) scheme to linearize power amplifiers (PAs) using a recurrent neural network called Nonlinear AutoRegressive with eXogenous input model (NARX) neural network (NARXNN). The architecture of the NARXNN is based on a class of discrete‐time nonlinear system named NARX. Its topology has embedded memory at the input and output of the neural architecture, which allows an efficient linearization of PAs. To show the benefits of the DPD with NARXNN, a commercial PA is fed with a long term evolution signal at 2.0 GHz with 10 MHz of bandwidth. Our experimental results show an adjacent channel leakage ratio improvement of 24 dB. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2137–2142, 2015
Design of compact triple frequency microstrip antenna for WLAN/WiMAX applications
Authors: Kundu Aparna , Bhattacharjee Anup K.
Published: June 2015

A compact triple frequency microstrip antenna for WLAN/WiMAX applications is presented in this work. The proposed antenna consists of a rectangular microstrip patch embedded with an inverted L‐shaped open ended slot and a ground plane with horizontal H shaped and rectangular slots. The designed antenna operates over the frequency ranges 2.30–2.751, 3.199–3.816, 5.06–6.15 GHz necessary for 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN and 2.3/2.5/3.5/5.5 GHz WiMAX applications. Maximum size reduction of the proposed antenna obtained is about 83.17%. Good agreement is achieved between simulated and measured results. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2125–2129, 2015
A wideband BiCMOS thermal noise canceling low noise amplifier with temperature compensation
Authors: Lu Zheng Hao , Yu Xiao Peng , Yeo Kiat Seng , Lim Wei Meng
Published: June 2015

A BiCMOS wideband thermal noise canceling low noise amplifier is presented. This BiCMOS design can achieve significant power consumption reduction comparing to the pure CMOS implementation with the same topology. A novel temperature compensation biasing circuit is also proposed for this BiCMOS noise canceling LNA topology to achieve relatively temperature independent gain. Realized in Tower Jazz 0.18 μm SiGe technology, the measured S21 of the proposed LNA is 17.8 dB with a −3dB bandwidth of 3.3 GHz at room temperature. The measured gain variation from −40 to + 80°C is within ± 0.4 dB. The measured minimum noise figure at room temperature is 1.9 dB when matched to 50 Ω. The chip consumes about 0.2 × 0.3 mm2 area excluding pads and dissipates about 8 mA DC current from a single 1.8 V supply. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2121–2125, 2015
Compact dual‐band antenna for 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN service for laptop computer applications
Authors: Sung Y.
Published: June 2015

In this study, a compact dual‐band antenna for wireless universal serial bus dongle applications is proposed. The proposed structure consists of a conventional folded monopole antenna (driven element) and a strip pattern that extends from the ground (GND) plane (shorten parasitic element). The proposed antenna exhibits triple‐resonance (f1, f2, and f3). The first two resonance frequencies (f1 and f2) are generated by adding the shorted parasitic element. The third resonance frequency (f3) is generated by the folded monopole antenna. The first resonance frequency (f1) covers 2.4‐GHz wireless local area network (WLAN) service, whereas the second and third resonance frequencies (f2 and f3) cover 5.2/5.8‐GHz WLAN service. Thus, dual‐band operation for 2.4/5.2/5.8‐GHz WLAN service can be easily performed. The antenna occupies a small area of 7 × 20 mm2. It can be easily connected to the edge of the system GND plane or the supporting metal frame of a laptop computer. Details of the proposed antenna are presented and studied. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2207–2213, 2015
Design of L/X‐band shared aperture antenna array for SAR application
Authors: Shi‐Gang Zhou , Jiang‐Jun Yang , Tan‐Huat Chio
Published: June 2015

Design of a dual‐wideband dual‐polarized planar shared aperture microstrip antenna array is proposed in this article. Differential feeding method is used to enhance the isolation between polarizations of the antenna in both bands.Corporate feed network is used for good radiation pattern results. Further, the coupling between the feed networks the two orthogonal polarizations is minimized. This is achieved using the antenna elements to separate the feed networks for orthogonal polarizations. To verify the antenna design, a prototype is fabricated and measured. For VSWR, the antenna can cover from 1.07 to 1.24 GHz (14.7%) and from 8.3 to10.3 GHz (21.5%), respectively. The measured isolation between bands is higher than 30 dB and the isolation between polarizations is higher than 22.5 and 29.6 dB in L‐ and X‐band, respectively. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2197–2204, 2015
Wideband out‐of‐phase power divider using microstrip to slotline transitions, coupled lines, and shunt open‐ended stubs
Authors: Ahmed Ummee T. , Abbosh Amin M.
Published: June 2015

The design of a planar out‐of‐phase power divider with broadband behavior is presented. The proposed device uses broadside coupled microstrip‐slotline‐microstrip transitions at the input port and coupled microstrip lines with shunt open‐ended stubs at the output ports to extend the impedance matching bandwidth at three ports of the device. Moreover, a dumbbell‐shaped slot is located underneath the coupled lines and shunted with a proper chip resistor to improve the isolation between the output ports. The utilized structure is suitable for single layer integration as both the input and output ports are located at the same layer. Following a proper theoretical method based on the even‐odd mode approach and slotline design guidelines, a prototype of the presented device aiming to operate across the band 1–3 GHz is designed, built, and tested. The developed device has overall dimensions of 30 mm × 60 mm using the substrate Rogers RO4003 (dielectric constant = 3.38 and thickness = 0.406 mm). While the device can be used for any wideband application, the developed prototype is designed to operate within the band 1–3 GHz, which is used in most microwave‐based medical imaging applications. The achieved simulated and experimental results show 100% fractional bandwidth (1.1–3.3 GHz) assuming 15 dB of isolation as the reference. The proposed device has equal power division between the two output ports with less than 0.2 dB amplitude imbalance. Moreover, the phase difference between the signals at the two output ports is 180° ± 1° across the frequency band 1–3.5 GHz. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2216–2218, 2015
A compact quad‐band bandpass filter with separate signal paths
Authors: Yan Jun‐Mei , Sun Guo‐Hua , Cao Liang‐Zu
Published: June 2015

This article presents a compact microstrip quad‐band bandpass filter. Each passband has separate signal path, thus, it is convenient to control the passband performance independently. The third passband consists of two electrically coupling half‐wavelength resonators and its input/output coupling adopts the tapped line structure. Meantime, the third passband structure serves as one part of the input/output coupling structure of other three passbands and, for other three passbands, it not only accomplishes the input/output coupling but also provides the direct source‐load coupling which can generate the transmission zeros resulting in high frequency selectivity. Other three passbands are all constructed by two magnetically coupling quarter‐wavelength resonators. The four passband structures are novelly combined together so as to result in a compact size. A prototype filter with the center frequencies of 2.4/3.5/4.5/5.8 GHz is designed, fabricated, and measured. The measured results give a good agreement with the simulated ones, which verifies the effectiveness of the filter. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2156–2160, 2015
Gassmann equations and the constitutive relations for multiple‐porosity and multiple‐permeability poroelasticity with applications to oil and gas shale
Authors: Mehrabian Amin , Abousleiman Younane N.
Published: June 2015

Micromechanical characterization of multiple‐porosity and multiple‐permeability fluid‐saturated porous materials from the properties of their single‐porosity constituents is, to date, an open problem in our poromechanics society. This paper offers an in‐depth view to this problem by considering the thermodynamic potential energy density, consistent with Biot's original definition, together with the general thought experiment, which allows for independent control of the sample's confining stress and distinct fluid pore pressures within its individual porosity networks. The complete set of well‐known poroelastic constants, namely, Biot–Willis effective stress, Skempton's pore pressure, and specific storage coefficients, as well as drained, undrained, and Biot moduli for a fluid‐saturated porous material, is herein identified with the reformulated theory. In particular, Gassmann relation for the bulk compressibility of the fluid‐saturated material is accordingly upgraded to the case being addressed in this study.

The practical implications of the theory are showcased through a class of analytical solutions to the time‐dependent poroelastic responses of shale to compression, when the hierarchical structure of its porous networks are accounted for at different levels of complexity and inter‐porosity exchange effects. For this purpose, the laboratory setup of a quasi‐2D compression test is considered, in which disk‐shaped fluid‐saturated samples of shale are allowed to drain laterally, while being sealed and confined from the top and bottom. A general closed‐form solution to this problem is derived in the Laplace space, and the inverse numerical results for the cases of single‐porosity, double‐porosity, triple‐porosity, and quadruple‐porosity shale are discussed in the time domain. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Addressing the Present and the Future in Government and Governance: Three approaches to Organising Public Action
Authors: Thynne Ian , Peters B. Guy
Published: June 2015

Because public action matters in all countries and political systems, how it is organised now and in the future must exercise the minds of policy‐makers in and beyond government. In response, we argue that there is considerable merit in having a widely applicable analytical lens through which to look at and assess present arrangements and future possibilities. The lens has multiple dimensions, which we address here in terms of three broad approaches to organising public action. We label these approaches as ‘statism’, ‘state–market dualism’ and ‘state–market–civil society synergism’. Their components and distinctive features are discussed, followed by a consideration of significant application issues and concerns. A fundamental matter is how best to balance the demands of public action and organised responses with the requirements of publicness and legitimacy as systems of government and governance are maintained and reformed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dilemmas in Donor Design: Organisational Reform and the Future of Foreign Aid Agencies
Authors: Gulrajani Nilima
Published: June 2015

With growing uncertainty over the value and impact of traditional bilateral foreign aid to advance development in poor countries, there is disquiet about the future of national public agencies and ministries with responsibility for managing and delivering international assistance. Growing reputational damage to foreign aid has triggered a lively discussion in development policy circles about the best structural configuration for organizing and governing international development functions within donor countries. To date, public administration scholars with expertise in questions of bureaucratic design and performance have yet to weigh in on this debate. This article is an attempt to present current controversies about donor governance and offer guidance for resolving current dilemmas by exploring the potential contributions of public administration. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Public Administration for Development: Trends and the Way Forward
Authors: Puppim de Oliveira Jose A. , Jing Yijia , Collins Paul
Published: June 2015

For more than six decades, Public Administration and Development has witnessed the way practitioners' and scholars' understanding of public administration for development has evolved. This issue has the objective of reviewing the general trends and knowledge gaps and pinpointing new research topics. Several key aspects of public administration for development were discussed in the ‘Symposium on Public Administration for Development: Trends and the Way Forward’. It was held at Fudan University in Shanghai in May–June 2014 to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the journal. This opening essay captures the global trends, setting out its implications for the search into alternative models of public administration and development, particularly reflecting on Asia. The forthcoming Post‐2015 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by the United Nations will pose major challenges as the public administrations are ill‐prepared to deal with it. The seven essays themselves engage in key areas of unfinished businesses in setting a research agenda for debates in the future. The authors present a comprehensive, state of the art of the knowledge and the main debates in their areas of expertise. In doing so, they cover a wide range of topics that are relevant for practitioners, students and scholars interested in public administration in both transitional and developing countries. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation, characterization, and bioavailability of a phosphorylated human‐like collagen calcium complex
Authors: Zhu Chenhui , Chen Yanru , Deng Jianjun , Xue Wenjiao , Ma Xiaoxuan , Hui Junfeng , Fan Daidi
Published: June 2015

The aim of this study was to determine whether a phosphorylated human‐like collagen calcium (PHLC–Ca) complex showed a higher bioavailability than other calcium supplements. To improve the calcium‐binding ability of human‐like collagen (HLC), modified HLC was prepared by introducing a reactive phosphate group using a dry‐heating method, followed by the formation of PHLC–Ca in MOPS buffer. PHLC–Ca was characterized using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), fluorescence quenching, circular dichroism (CD), and ultraviolet–visible absorption (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The calcium uptake test showed that the bioavailability of PHLC–Ca was higher than that of CaCl2 and G‐Ca. Data from a mouse model of osteoporosis suggested that PHLC–Ca is superior for treating osteoporosis than CaCl2 or G‐Ca. These results indicate that PHLC–Ca is a desirable calcium supplement for use in daily life and clinical application. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The swelled clay shrinkage property and inhibition of microcosmic migration in pores of quaternary ammonium salt cationic polymer
Authors: Zhang Rui , Yang Lei , Qin Ni , Tu Rui , Zhou Jinwei , Ye Zhongbin
Published: June 2015

In the low permeability and high water‐sensitive reservoir, water injection may induce the clay minerals hydration swelling and dispersing migration, which are the main factors for formation damages. Sodium montmorillonite, which is easier to hydrate in water than other clay minerals, is usually used to analyze the hydration of clays. A quaternary ammonium salt cationic polymer was synthesized and used as a clay stabilizer. The stability of sodium montmorillonite by interaction with the quaternary ammonium salt cationic polymer was studied, and the swelled clay shrinkage property of the quaternary ammonium salt cationic polymer was also analyzed and assessed by using the XRD, ESEM and visual micro‐lithography model from microcosmic points. The results show that the interplanar spacing of hydration swelling sodium montmorillonite observed by XRD decreased as the quaternary ammonium salt cationic polymer infiltrated into the clay and replaced exchangeable cations. ESEM observations show that the sodium montmorillonites were wrapped by quaternary ammonium salt cationic polymer because of the network structure, which could make the size of the hydration swelling sodium montmorillonites smaller. The visual micro‐lithography models confirmed that the clays were wrapped by the quaternary ammonium salt cationic polymer. The hydration swelling and dispersing migration were thus inhibited. Considering the experimental results, this quaternary ammonium salt cationic polymer can play a significant effect on the inhibition of clay hydration swelling and dispersing migration. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE: INCREASING THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCHOOL NURSES AND SCHOOL PERSONNEL
Authors: Mcintosh Constance E. , Thomas Cynthia M. , Maughan Erin
Published: June 2015

The impetus for this special issue was to address the lack of research focused on the collaboration of school personnel (i.e., school psychologists and special education teachers) and school nurses when meeting the mental health and health care needs of children. It is surprising that highly recognized professions working within schools, and who often work with same children, rarely collaborate with the goal of enhancing student learning. Although it is common for school psychologists to request vision and hearing examinations prior to conducting an evaluation or for school psychologists to consult with school nurses regarding medication that has been prescribed to students, active involvement of school nurses during the evaluation and classification process appears limited. In addition, school nurses appear to have limited input during the development and implementation of interventions. The primary aim of this special issue is to demonstrate how school personnel and school nurses can collaborate when developing prevention programs, addressing chronic health needs, and addressing the health needs of children with special needs. Another unique aspect of this special issue is that several of the articles were co‐authored by a school nurse or nurse and a school psychologist.
Improved InGaN/GaN quantum wells on treated GaN template with a Ga‐rich GaN interlayer
Authors: Fang Zhilai , Shen Xiyang , Wu Zhengyuan , Zhang Tong‐Yi
Published: June 2015

Treated GaN template was achieved by in situ droplet epitaxy of a Ga‐rich GaN interlayer on the conventional GaN template. InGaN/GaN quantum wells (QWs) were grown on the conventional and treated GaN templates under the same growth conditions and then comprehensively characterized. The indium homogeneity in the InGaN layers and the interface sharpness between InGaN and GaN layers of the InGaN/GaN QWs on the treated GaN template were significantly improved. The emission intensity from the InGaN/GaN QWs on the treated GaN template was enhanced by 20% than that on the conventional GaN template, which was attributed to the strain reduction and the improvement in crystalline quality.
Timing characteristics of Ce doped Gd3Ga3Al2O12 single crystals in comparison with CsI(Tl) scintillators
Authors: Tyagi M. , Desai V. V. , Singh A. K. , Singh S. G. , Sen S. , Nayak B. K. , Gadkari S. C.
Published: June 2015

Single crystals of Gd3Ga3Al2O12:Ce with B codopants were successfully grown using the Czochralski technique. The timing characteristics of the crystal was measured by coupling the crystal to photomultiplier tubes (PMT) or silicon photodiodes [Si(PIN)]. The two prompt γ‐rays emitted in a cascade from 60Co or 22Na source were detected in coincidence using Gd3Ga3Al2O12:Ce,B crystal detectors and a BaF2 detector. The time resolution of these crystals are observed to be better than that measured for CsI:Tl crystal coupled to PMT or Si(PIN) in an identical measurement setup.
Auxetic metamaterials exhibiting giant negative Poisson's ratios
Authors: Mizzi Luke , Azzopardi Keith M. , Attard Daphne , Grima Joseph N. , Gatt Ruben
Published: June 2015

Auxetic metamaterials have generated a great deal of interest in recent years. In this letter, a novel approach which can be used to produce such auxetic metamaterials is presented. This method involves the introduction of patterned slit perforations within a sheet/block of material in order to create systems which resemble a large variety of auxetic systems ranging from rotating units to chiral honeycombs. These perforated systems have also been shown to have the potential to exhibit giant negative Poisson's ratios. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
On the undetectability of transcoding steganography
Authors: Janicki Artur , Mazurczyk Wojciech , Szczypiorski Krzysztof
Published: June 2015

Transcoding Steganography (TranSteg) is a fairly new IP telephony steganographic method that is characterized by a high steganographic bandwidth, low introduced distortions, and high undetectability. TranSteg utilizes compression of the overt data to free space for the secret data bits. In this paper, we focus on evaluating different possibilities for TranSteg detection. Building on the previous works, we perform a wide analysis of different steganalysis methods to assess the possibility of TranSteg detection and identify the most ‘undetectable’ pairs of voice codecs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Can pasting in N‐methyl morpholine N‐oxide (NMMO) differentiate between tapioca starches?
Authors: Brøgger Anja Funch , Mitchell John , Koganti Nagamani , Swali Angelina , Hill Sandra
Published: June 2015

Three tapioca starches that showed very similar pasting behavior in water, as demonstrated using rapid visco analysis (RVA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), can be distinguished from each other when pasted in the organic solvent N‐methyl morpholine N‐oxide (NMMO). In a 78% NMMO‐ 22% water solvent the end viscosities after extensive pasting (15 min at 95°C) were different (starch concentrations used were 2.5 and 5%). These differences were not obvious if the complex viscosity of the pasted samples were measured. Further heating of the 78% NMMO pasted samples increased the viscosity and may indicate that the original pasting may not completely dissolve the samples. It is suggested that pasting in the NMMO solvent may identify samples that will process differently due to differences in structure and/or composition, which is not easily identified by other methods.
FBXL12-Mediated Degradation of ALDH3 is Essential for Trophoblast Differentiation During Placental Development
Authors: Nishiyama Masaaki , Nita Akihiro , Yumimoto Kanae , Nakayama Keiichi I.
Published: June 2015

How stem cells maintain their stemness or initiate exit from the stem cell state for differentiation remains largely unknown. Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity is a hallmark of stem cells—including embryonic, adult tissue, and cancer stem cells—and is essential for their maintenance. The mechanisms by which ALDH activity is regulated in stem cells have remained poorly understood, however. We now show that the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of ALDH3 mediated by FBXL12 (F box and leucine-rich repeat protein 12) is essential for execution of the differentiation program of trophoblast stem cells (TSCs). FBXL12 is present only in eutherian mammals, and its expression is largely restricted to the placenta during mouse embryogenesis. FBXL12 was found to interact specifically with members of the ALDH3 family and to mediate their polyubiquitylation. Most mice deficient in FBXL12 died during the embryonic or perinatal period probably as a result of abnormal development of the placenta, characterized by impaired formation of the junctional zone. ALDH3 accumulated in the FBXL12-deficient placenta, and forced expression of ALDH3 in wild-type TSCs phenocopied the differentiation defect of FBXL12-deficient TSCs. Conversely, inhibition of ALDH3 activity by gossypol rescued the phenotype of FBXL12 deficiency. Our results suggest that FBXL12 plays a key role in the downregulation of ALDH3 activity in TSCs and thereby initiates trophoblast differentiation during placental development. Stem Cells  2015;33:3327–3340
Using Shaun Tan's Work to Foster Multiliteracies in 21st‐Century Classrooms
Authors: Dallacqua Ashley K. , Kersten Sara , Rhoades Mindi
Published: June 2015

This paper explores work in multimodality and design as it relates to 21st century multiliteracies. After outlining the concept of a multiliteracies pedagogy, this paper describes multimodality and multimodal texts. Moving from the theoretical to the practical, this paper primarily explores selected multimodal works of Shaun Tan and the opportunities they open to bring a multiliteracies pedagogy to classrooms. It provides approachable pedagogical strategies that can be successful in a variety of classrooms. We conclude that Tan's work ultimately acts as an accessible resource for educators striving to employ multiliteracies practices and bring multimodal texts into their classrooms.
Paying less but harvesting more: the effect of unconscious acceptance in regulating frustrating emotion
Authors: Ding NanXiang , Yang JieMin , Liu YingYing , Yuan JiaJin
Published: June 2015

Previous studies indicate that emotion regulation may occur unconsciously, without the cost of cognitive effort, while conscious acceptance may enhance negative experiences despite having potential long-term health benefits. Thus, it is important to overcome this weakness to boost the efficacy of the acceptance strategy in negative emotion regulation. As unconscious regulation occurs with little cost of cognitive resources, the current study hypothesizes that unconscious acceptance regulates the emotional consequence of negative events more effectively than does conscious acceptance. Subjects were randomly assigned to conscious acceptance, unconscious acceptance and no-regulation conditions. A frustrating arithmetic task was used to induce negative emotion. Emotional experiences were assessed on the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale while emotion- related physiological activation was assessed by heart-rate reactivity. Results showed that conscious acceptance had a significant negative affective consequence, which was absent during unconscious acceptance. That is, unconscious acceptance was linked with little reduction of positive affect during the experience of frustration, while this reduction was prominent in the control and conscious acceptance groups. Instructed, conscious acceptance resulted in a greater reduction of positive affect than found for the control group. In addition, both conscious and unconscious acceptance strategies significantly decreased emotion-related heart-rate activity (to a similar extent) in comparison with the control condition. Moreover, heart-rate reactivity was positively correlated with negative affect and negatively correlated with positive affect during the frustration phase relative to the baseline phase, in both the control and unconscious acceptance groups. Thus, unconscious acceptance not only reduces emotion-related physiological activity but also better protects mood stability compared with conscious acceptance. This suggests that the clinical practice of acceptance therapy may need to consider using the unconscious priming of an accepting attitude, instead of intentionally instructing people to implement such a strategy, to boost the efficacy of acceptance in emotion regulation.
Hydrogeochemistry of Purna Alluvial Basin, Central India
Authors: Srivastava Ashok K. , Parimal Pravin S.
Published: June 2015

Hydrogeochemical status of the Purna alluvial basin, Maharashtra has been interpreted on the basis of 158 groundwater samples collected from dug wells (60) i.e., shallow aquifer and bore wells (98) i.e., deep aquifer each during pre- and post-monsoon periods of the year 2009. The samples were analyzed for their physicochemical parameters i.e., pH, EC, TDS, Ca, Mg, Na, K, TH, Al, Cl, SO4, NO3 and HCO3. The mean values of cation concentration show a trend of Na>Ca>Mg>K, while anions are in order of HCO3>Cl>SO4>NO3 from both deep and shallow aquifers. The plot of chemical data on Piper’s trilinear diagram reveals that majority of the groundwater samples fall in the fields of alkalis exceeding alkaline earths, weak acids exceeding strong acids, carbonate hardness exceeding 50%, and no cation and anion pairs exceeding 50%. The cationic and anionic triangular fields of the diagram show that sodium-potassium type (Na+K) of water is dominant in the cationic, and bicarbonate type (HCO3) in the anionic category. The analytical data also reveal the existence of six groundwater facies in the area, i.e., (i) Ca-Mg-HCO3, (ii) Na-Cl, (iii) Na-HCO3, (iv) Ca-Cl, (v) Na-Ca-HCO3 (mixed type) and, (vi) Ca–Mg-Cl (mixed type). Ca-Mg-HCO3 facies is predominant in the northern, northeastern, eastern, southeastern and northwestern peripheries of the alluvial basin. Na-Cl and Na-HCO3, facies are confined to certain parts of the eastern and central regions, as well as in a few small patches along the Purna river channel. These areas are represented by moderate to high salinity. Na-Cl-SO4 facies is limited to a small patch situated in the central part of the basin representing excess concentrations of sodium and chloride. Water of Na-Ca-HCO3 (mixed type) is the most dominant covering most of the area on both sides of the Purna main channel in the eastern, central and western regions. Two small patches having Ca-Mg-Cl type of water has also been identified in the basin area.
Local is not always better: the impact of climate information on values, behavior and policy support
Authors: Schoenefeld Jonas J. , McCauley Michelle R.
Published: June 2015

In the current research, we experimentally examined the effect of providing local or global information about the impacts of climate change on individuals’ perceived importance of climate change and on their willingness to take action to address it, including policy support. We examined these relationships in the context of individuals’ general value orientations. Our findings, from 99 US residents, suggest that different kinds of climate information (local, global, or none) interact with values vis-à-vis our dependent variables. Specifically, while self-transcendent values predict perceived importance and pro-environmental behavior across all three information conditions, the effect on policy support is less clear. Furthermore, we detected a “reactance effect” where individuals with self-enhancing values who read local information thought that climate change was less important and were less willing to engage in pro-environmental behavior and support policy than self-enhancing individuals in the other information conditions. These results suggest that policy makers and public communicators may want to be cognizant of their audience’s general value orientation. Local information may not only be ineffective but may also prove counterproductive with individuals whose value orientations are more self-enhancing than self-transcendent.
Study on the correlation between the concentration of plasma lipoprotein‐associated phospholipase A2 and coronary heart disease
Authors: Cen Jin‐Ming , Cheng Jie , Xiong Qing‐Yuan , Mei Bai‐Qiang , Cai Wei‐Biao , Yang Xi‐Li
Published: June 2015

Objective

This study explores the correlation between plasma lipoprotein‐associated phospholipase A2 (Lp‐PLA2) and coronary heart disease (CHD) by comparing the level of plasma Lp‐PLA2 in the plasma of patients with different types of CHD.

Methods

Blood samples were collected from 56 patients diagnosed with CHD by the Department of Cardiology of the First People's Hospital of Foshan and 34 healthy subjects from February 2013 to January 2014. We measured the concentration of plasma Lp‐PLA2 and determined the levels of total cholesterol (Tch), triglyceride (TG), apolipoprotein A1 (Apo‐A1), apolipoprotein B (Apo‐B), high density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (HDL‐c), low density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (LDL‐c), lipoprotein a (Lp(a)), glucose (Glu), and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP). The concentration of plasma Lp‐PLA2 in the healthy control group and each subgroup of CHD patients were compared and analyzed for correlations of plasma Lp‐PLA2 between the patients in different CHD subgroups and several laboratory indicators.

Results

The concentration of plasma Lp‐PLA2 in each subgroup of CHD was significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.05). The concentration of Lp‐PLA2 in the unstable angina pectoris (UAP) group and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) group were significantly higher than in the stable angina pectoris (SAP) group (P < 0.05), and the concentration of plasma Lp‐PLA2 in the AMI group was significantly higher than in the UAP group (P < 0.05). The concentration of plasma Lp‐PLA2 in the CHD group merely showed a positive correlation (r = 0.493, P < 0.05) with the hs‐CRP group, but the levels of Tch, TG, Apo‐A1, Apo‐B, HDL‐c, LDL‐c, Lp(a) and Glu did not.

Conclusions

The concentration of plasma Lp‐PLA2 in patients with CHD was higher than that in the control group. The concentration of plasma Lp‐PLA2 in the subgroups of CHD patients varied greatly from each other. The inflammatory response of atherosclerosis might be resulted from the synergy of plasma Lp‐PLA2 and hs‐CRP.
Influence and the Administrative Process: Lobbying the U.S. President's Office of Management and Budget
Authors: HAEDER SIMON F. , YACKEE SUSAN WEBB
Published: June 2015

All administrative processes contain points of entry for politics, and the U.S. president's use of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to review government regulations is no exception. Specifically, OMB review can open up a pathway for interest groups to lobby for policy change. We theorize that interest group lobbying can be influential during OMB review, especially when there is consensus across groups. We use a selection model to test our argument with more than 1,500 regulations written by federal agencies that were subjected to OMB review. We find that lobbying is associated with change during OMB review. We also demonstrate that, when only business groups lobby, we are more likely to see rule change; however, the same is not true for public interest groups. We supplement these results with illustrative examples suggesting that interest groups can, at times, use OMB review to influence the content of legally binding government regulations.
Biofilms in chronic rhinosinusitis: what is new and where next?
Authors: Ramakrishnan Y , Shields R C , Elbadawey M R , Wilson J A
Published: June 2015

Background:

Chronic rhinosinusitis is a common, heterogeneous condition. An effective means of mitigating disease in chronic rhinosinusitis patients remains elusive. A variety of causes have been implicated, with the biofilm theory gaining increasing prominence.

Objective:

This article reviews the literature on the role of biofilms in chronic rhinosinusitis, in terms of pathophysiology and with regard to avenues for future treatment.

Methods:

A systematic review of case series was performed using databases with independently developed search strategies, including Medline, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane library, and Zetoc, in addition to conference proceedings and a manual search of literature, with the last search conducted on 18 January 2014. The search terms included the following, used in various combinations to maximise the yield of articles identified: ‘biofilms’, ‘chronic rhinosinusitis’, ‘DNase’, ‘extracellular DNA’ and ‘biofilm dispersal’.

Results:

The existing evidence lends further support for the role of biofilms (particularly theStaphylococcus aureusphenotype) in more severe, recalcitrant disease and poorer surgical outcomes.

Conclusion:

Multimodality treatment, with a shift in paradigm to incorporate anti-biofilm strategies, is likely to form the mainstay of future recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis management.
Gender differences in the structure of risk for alcohol use disorder in adolescence and young adulthood
Authors: Foster K. T. , Hicks B. M. , Iacono W. G. , McGue M.
Published: June 2015

Background.

Gender differences in the prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) have motivated the separate study of its risk factors and consequences in men and women. However, leveraging gender as a third variable to help account for the association between risk factors and consequences for AUD could elucidate etiological mechanisms and clinical outcomes.

Method.

Using data from a large, community sample followed longitudinally from 17 to 29 years of age, we tested for gender differences in psychosocial risk factors and consequences in adolescence and adulthood after controlling for gender differences in the base rates of AUD and psychosocial factors. Psychosocial factors included alcohol use, other drug use, externalizing and internalizing symptoms, deviant peer affiliation, family adversity, academic problems, attitudes and use of substances by a romantic partner, and adult socio-economic status.

Results.

At both ages of 17 and 29 years, mean levels of psychosocial risks and consequences were higher in men and those with AUD. However, the amount of risk exposure in adolescence was more predictive of AUD in women than men. By adulthood, AUD consequences were larger in women than men and internalizing risk had a stronger relationship with AUD in women at both ages.

Conclusions.

Despite higher mean levels of risk exposure in men overall, AUD appears to be a more severe disorder in women characterized by higher levels of adolescent risk factors and a greater magnitude of the AUD consequences among women than men. Furthermore, internalizing symptoms appear to be a gender-specific risk factor for AUD in women.
Oxygen requirement as a screening tool for the detection of late pulmonary hypertension in extremely low birth weight infants
Authors: Aswani Rohit , Hayman Lisa , Nichols Gina , Luciano Angel A. , Amankwah Ernest K. , Leshko Jennifer L. , Dadlani Gul H.
Published: June 2015

Background

Many extremely low birth weight infants develop pulmonary hypertension late in their clinical course, and over 60% go undetected by early screening echocardiography. At present, no standardised screening protocol exists for detecting late pulmonary hypertension in extremely low birth weight infants. We assessed the utility of oxygen supplementation as a predictor of late pulmonary hypertension.

Methods

A retrospective single-centre review of extremely low birth weight infants with no evidence of CHD and those surviving for >30 days was performed. The association between oxygen ⩾30% at day of life 30 and diagnosis of late pulmonary hypertension was estimated with an odds ratio and 95% confidence interval using logistic regression. Doppler echocardiography was used to diagnose pulmonary hypertension in the infants.

Results

A total of 230 infants met the study criteria. The incidence of late pulmonary hypertension was 8.3% (19/230). Infants with late pulmonary hypertension were more likely to have a lower mean birth weight (667.1±144 versus 799.3±140 g, p=0.001) and more likely to be small for gestational age (47.4 versus 14.2%, p=0.004). Oxygen requirement ⩾30% at day of life 30 was associated with increased risk of late pulmonary hypertension (odds ratio=3.77, 95% confidence interval=1.42–10.00, p=0.008) in univariate analysis and after adjusting for birth weight (odds ratio=2.47, 95% confidence interval=0.89–6.84, p=0.08).

Conclusions

The need of oxygen supplementation ⩾30% at day of life 30 may be a good screening tool for detecting late pulmonary hypertension in extremely low birth weight infants.