bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecdysis in a stem-group euarthropod from the early Cambrian of China
Authors: Yang Jie , Ortega-Hernández Javier , Drage Harriet B. , Du Kun-sheng , Zhang Xi-guang
Published: April 2019

Moulting is a fundamental component of the ecdysozoan life cycle, but the fossil record of this strategy is susceptible to preservation biases, making evidence of ecdysis in soft-bodied organisms extremely rare. Here, we report an exceptional specimen of the fuxianhuiidAlacaris mirabilispreserved in the act of moulting from the Cambrian (Stage 3) Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte, South China. The specimen displays a flattened and wrinkled head shield, inverted overlap of the trunk tergites over the head shield, and duplication of exoskeletal elements including the posterior body margins and telson. We interpret this fossil as a discarded exoskeleton overlying the carcass of an emerging individual. The moulting behaviour ofA. mirabilisevokes that of decapods, in which the carapace is separated posteriorly and rotated forward from the body, forming a wide gape for the emerging individual.A. mirabilisilluminates the moult strategy of stem-group Euarthropoda, offers the stratigraphically and phylogenetically earliest direct evidence of ecdysis within total-group Euarthropoda, and represents one of the oldest examples of this growth strategy in the evolution of Ecdysozoa.
Functional neutralization of anti-IFN-γ autoantibody in patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria infection
Authors: Krisnawati Dyah Ika , Liu Yung-Ching , Lee Yuarn-Jang , Wang Yun-Ting , Chen Chia-Ling , Tseng Po-Chun , Lin Chiou-Feng
Published: April 2019

Interferon (IFN)-γ is crucial for normal immune surveillance and exhibits immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer activity. Patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection commonly express high levels of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies (autoAbs) and suffer from recurrent infections due to adult-onset immunodeficiency with defects in IFN-γ immune surveillance. In this study, we developed the methods for determination of anti-IFN-γ autoAbs and then characterized their neutralizing activity in patients with NTM infection. A modified sandwich ELISA-based colorimetric assay followed by immunoblot analysis detected the presence of autoAbs in three out of five serum samples. Serum levels of IFN-γ were decreased. Synthetic peptide binding assay showed variable patterns of epitope recognition in patients positive for anti-IFN-γ autoAbs. Functional tests confirmed that patient serum blocked IFN-γ-activated STAT1 activation and IRF1 transactivation. Furthermore, IFN-γ-regulated inflammation, chemokine production and cytokine production were also blocked. These results provide potentially useful methods to assay anti-IFN-γ autoAbs and to characterize the effects of neutralizing autoAbs on IFN-γ signaling and bioactivity.
Inevitable isolation and the change of stress markers in hemodialysis patients during the 2015 MERS-CoV outbreak in Korea
Authors: Kim Yang Gyun , Moon Haena , Kim Se-Yun , Lee Yu-Ho , Jeong Da-Wun , Kim Kipyo , Moon Ju Young , Lee Young-Ki , Cho Ajin , Lee Hong-Seock , Park Hayne Cho , Lee Sang-Ho
Published: April 2019

During the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-CoV) in 2015, one hemodialysis patient was infected with MERS-CoV, and the remaining hemodialysis(HD) patients (n = 83) and medical staff (n = 12) had to undergo dialysis treatment in an isolated environment. This study was performed to investigate the effects of stress caused by dialysis treatment under isolation. Plasma samples from the HD patients and medical staff were collected at the time of isolation(M0), the following month(M1), and three months after isolation(M3). Parameters for stress included circulating cell-free genomic DNA(ccf-gDNA), circulating cell-free mitochondria DNA(ccf-mtDNA), and pentraxin-3(PTX-3). Decreased values of Hct, kt/v and ca x p were recovered after the end of two weeks of isolation. The levels of ccf-gDNA and ccf-mtDNA were the highest at M0 and decreased gradually in both HD patients and the medical staff. The normalization of ccf-gDNA and ccf-mtDNA was significantly delayed in HD patients compared with the response in the medical staff. PTX-3 increased only in HD patients and was highest at M0, and it then gradually decreased. Medical isolation and subnormal quality of care during the MERS outbreak caused extreme stress in HD patients. Plasma cell-free DNA and PTX-3 seems to be good indicators of stress and quality of care in HD patients.
Global Density Profile For Particle Non-Conserving One Dimensional Transport From Renormalization Group Flows
Authors: Mukherji Sutapa , Bhattacharjee Somendra M.
Published: April 2019

The totally asymmetric simple exclusion process along with particle adsorption and evaporation kinetics is a model of boundary-induced nonequilibrium phase transition. In the continuum limit, the average particle density across the system is described by a singular differential equation involving multiple scales which lead to the formation of boundary layers (BL) or shocks. A renormalization group analysis is developed here by using the location and the width of the BL as the renormalization parameters. It not only allows us to cure the large distance divergences in the perturbative solution for the BL but also generates, from the BL solution, an analytical form for the global density profile. The predicted scaling form is checked against numerical solutions for finite systems.
Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Decorated with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (Au-MWCNTs) via Cysteaminium Chloride Functionalization
Authors: Duc Chinh Vu , Speranza Giorgio , Migliaresi Claudio , Van Chuc Nguyen , Minh Tan Vu , Phuong Nguyen-Tri
Published: April 2019

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) decorated CNTs are promising materials for photocatalytics and biosensors. However, the synthesis of AuNPs chemically linked to the walls of MWCNTs is challenging and toxic products such as thionylchloride (SOCl2) or [1-ethyl-3(dimethyl-amino) propyl] carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC) need to be used. This work reports a new approach to prepare gold nanoparticles decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by using cysteaminium chloride via the formation of a Zwitterionic acide-base bond. The grafting process consists of 3 mains steps: oxidation, thiolation and decoration of AuNPs on the surface of MWCNTs. The completion of each step has been verified out by both spectroscopic (Raman, UV-Vis, FT-IR) and Scanning Electron Miscroscopy (SEM). The chemical bonding states of synthesized products have been proven by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
Traumatic injury pattern is of equal relevance as injury severity for experimental (poly)trauma modeling
Authors: Yang Bing , Bundkirchen Katrin , Krettek Christian , Relja Borna , Neunaber Claudia
Published: April 2019

This study aims to elaborate the relevance of trauma severity and traumatic injury pattern in different multiple and/or polytrauma models by comparing five singular trauma to two different polytrauma (PT) models with high and one multiple trauma (MT) model with low injury-severity score (ISS). The aim is to provide a baseline for reducing animal harm according to 3Rs by providing less injury as possible in polytrauma modeling. Mice were randomly assigned to 10 groups: controls (Ctrl; n = 15), Sham (n = 15); monotrauma groups: hemorrhagic shock (HS; n = 15), thoracic trauma (TxT; n = 18), osteotomy with external fixation (Fx; n = 16), bilateral soft tissue trauma (bSTT; n = 16) or laparotomy (Lap; n = 16); two PT groups: PT I (TxT + HS + Fx; ISS = 18; n = 18), PT II (TxT + HS + Fx + Lap; ISS = 22; n = 18), and a MT group (TxT + HS + bSTT + Lap, ISS = 13; n = 18). Activity and mortality were assessed. Blood gas analyses and organ damage markers were determined after 6 h. Significant mortality occurred in TxT, PT and MT (11.7%). Activity decreased significantly in TxT, HS, both polytrauma and MT vs. Ctrl/Sham. PT-groups and MT had significantly decreased activity vs. bsTT, Lap or Fx. MT had significantly lower pCO2vs. Ctrl/Sham, Lap or bsTT. Transaminases increased significantly in PT-groups and MT vs. Ctrl, Sham or monotrauma. Traumatic injury pattern is of comparable relevance as injury severity for experimental multiple or (poly)trauma modeling.
Fluidity and phase transitions of water in hydrophobic and hydrophilic nanotubes
Authors: Shaat Mohamed , Zheng Yongmei
Published: April 2019

We put water flow under scrutiny to report radial distributions of water viscosity within hydrophobic and hydrophilic nanotubes as functions of the water-nanotube interactions ($${{\epsilon }}_{sf}$$ϵsf), surface wettability (θ), and nanotube size (R) using a proposed hybrid continuum-molecular mechanics. Based on the computed viscosity data,$${{\rm{\epsilon }}}_{{\rm{sf}}}/{\rm{\theta }}-{\rm{R}}$$ϵsf/θ−Rphase diagram of the phase transitions of confined water in nanotubes is developed. It is revealed that water exhibits different multiphase structures, and the formation of one of these structures depends on$${{\rm{\epsilon }}}_{{\rm{sf}}},\,{\rm{\theta }},$$ϵsf,θ,R parameters. A drag of water flow at the first water layer is revealed, which is conjugate to sharp increase in the viscosity and formation of an ice phase under severe confinement (R ≤ 3.5 nm) and strong water-nanotube interaction conditions. A vapor/vapor-liquid phase is observed at hydrophobic and hydrophilic interfaces. A state of confinement is revealed at which water exhibits different multiphase structures under the same flow rate. The derived viscosity functions are used to accurately determine factors of flow enhancement/inhibition of confined water.
Longitudinal monitoring of cancer cell subpopulations in monolayers, 3D spheroids, and xenografts using the photoconvertible dye DiR
Authors: Osseiran Sam , Austin Lauren A. , Cannon Taylor M. , Yan Chuan , Langenau David M. , Evans Conor L.
Published: April 2019

A central challenge in cancer biology is the identification, longitudinal tracking, and -omics analysis of specific cells in vivo. To this aim, photoconvertible fluorescent dyes are reporters that are characterized by a set of excitation and emission spectra that can be predictably altered, resulting in a distinct optical signature following irradiation with a specific light source. One such dye, DiR, is an infrared fluorescent membrane probe that can irreversibly undergo such a switch. Here, we demonstrate a method using DiR for the spatiotemporal labeling of specific cells in the context of cancer cell monolayer cultures, 3D tumor spheroids, and in vivo melanoma xenograft models to monitor the proliferation of cellular subpopulations of interest over time. Importantly, the photoconversion process is performed in situ, supporting the pursuit of novel avenues of research in molecular pathology.
Evaluation of [68Ga]DO3A-VS-Cys40-Exendin-4 as a PET Probe for Imaging Human Transplanted Islets in the Liver
Authors: Li Junfeng , Rawson Jeffrey , Chea Junie , Tang Wei , Miao Lynn , Sui Feng , Li Lin , Poku Erasmus , Shively John E. , Kandeel Fouad
Published: April 2019

[68Ga]DO3A-VS-Cys40-Exendin-4, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, was evaluated as a potential PET tracer for the quantitation of human islets transplanted to the liver. The short-lived PET radionuclide 68Ga, available on a regular basis from a 68Ge/68Ga generator, is an attractive choice. Human C-peptide was measured to evaluate human islet function post-transplantation and prior to microPET imaging. [68Ga]DO3A-VS-Cys40-Exendin-4 was radiosynthesized and evaluated for PET imaging of transplanted human islets in the liver of healthy NOD/SCID mice. The biodistribution of the tracer was evaluated to determine the uptake into various organs, and qPCR of liver samples was conducted to confirm engrafted islet numbers after PET imaging. Measurement of human C-peptide indicated that higher engrafted islet mass resulted in higher human C-peptide levels in post-transplantation. The microPET imaging yielded high resolution images of liver-engrafted islets and also showed significant retention in mouse livers at 8 weeks post-transplantation. Biodistribution studies in mice revealed that liver uptake of [68Ga]DO3A-VS-Cys40-Exendin-4 was approximately 6-fold higher in mice that received 1000 islet equivalent (IEQ) than in non-transplanted mice. qPCR analysis of insulin expression suggested that islet engraftment numbers were close to 1000 IEQ transplanted. In conclusion, human islets transplanted into the livers of mice exhibited significant uptake of [68Ga]DO3A-VS-Cys40-Exendin-4 compared to the livers of untreated mice; and imaging of the mice using PET showed the human islets clearly with high contrast against liver tissue, enabling accurate quantitation of islet mass. Further validation of [68Ga]DO3A-VS-Cys40-Exendin-4 as an islet imaging probe for future clinical application is ongoing.
Overexpression of TaJAZ1 increases powdery mildew resistance through promoting reactive oxygen species accumulation in bread wheat
Authors: Jing Yexing , Liu Jie , Liu Pan , Ming Dongfeng , Sun Jiaqiang
Published: April 2019

Powdery mildew, caused by the biotrophic fungal pathogen Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, is a major limitation for wheat yield. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying wheat resistance against powdery mildew remain largely unclear. In this study, we report the role of JASMONATE-ZIM domain protein TaJAZ1 in regulating bread wheat resistance against powdery mildew. We generated transgenic bread wheat lines over-expressing the truncated TaJAZ1 without the Jas motif, which showed increased TaPR1/2 gene expression and reactive oxygen species accumulation, leading to enhanced resistance against powdery mildew. Simultaneously, we identified a Jasmonic acid (JA)-induced bHLH transcription factor TaMYC4 in bread wheat. We demonstrated that TaJAZ1 directly interacts with TaMYC4 to repress its transcriptional activity. Meanwhile, we show that the ZIM domain of TaJAZ1 interacts with the C terminus of TaNINJA, whereas the N-terminal EAR motif of TaNINJA interacts with the transcriptional co-repressor TaTPL. Collectively, our work pinpoints TaJAZ1 as a favorable gene to enhance bread wheat resistance toward powdery mildew, and provides a molecular framework for JA signaling in bread wheat.
Safety and Efficacy of Intraventricular Delivery of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Hemorrhagic Stroke Model
Authors: Huang Peng , Freeman William D. , Edenfield Brandy H. , Brott Thomas G. , Meschia James F. , Zubair Abba C.
Published: April 2019

External ventricular drain (EVD) is used clinically to relieve intracranial pressure and occasionally to deliver medications following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has been shown to be neuroprotective and can induce neuroregeneration in stroke models. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of delivering MSCs intraventricularly in a rat hemorrhagic stroke model. Using autologous blood, hemorrhagic stroke was induced at specific coordinates in the right basal ganglia. After 30 minutes, rats were treated with either bone marrow-derived MSCs or a phosphate-buffered saline placebo via direct intraventricular infusion. Three dosages (2 × 105/kg, 5 × 105/kg, and 1 × 106/kg) of MSCs were administered. Forelimb use asymmetry test was employed to evaluate functional improvement after cell therapy. At the end of the experiment, peripheral blood samples and organs were harvested; biochemistry, cytokine, and growth factor analysis and histology evaluations were performed to explore cell toxicity and cell fate, and the effects of MSC therapy on injury volume, anti-inflammation, and neurogenesis. Intraventricular administration of MSCs in ICH rat model showed improved behavior and alleviated brain damage. Additionally, treated ICH rats showed significantly reduced expression of IL-1α, IL-6, and IFN-γ. No obvious cell toxicity was noticed through blood chemistry and histology evaluation. None of the infused MSCs were detected at the end of the experiment. EVD is safe and effective to use as a method of delivering MSCs to treat ICH. Intraventricularly delivered MSCs have anti-inflammatory properties and a capacity to induce neurogenesis and improve function following ICH injury.
MicroRNA let-7g acts as tumor suppressor and predictive biomarker for chemoresistance in human epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Biamonte Flavia , Santamaria Gianluca , Sacco Alessandro , Perrone Francesca Marta , Di Cello Annalisa , Battaglia Anna Martina , Salatino Alessandro , Di Vito Anna , Aversa Ilenia , Venturella Roberta , Zullo Fulvio , Costanzo Francesco
Published: April 2019

Remarkable deregulation of microRNAs has been demonstrated in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). In particular, some of the let-7 miRNA family members have been proposed as tumor suppressors. Here, we explored the functional roles of let-7g in EOC. The ectopic overexpression of let-7g in OVCAR3 and HEY-A8 EOC cells induced i) a down-regulation of c-Myc and cyclin-D2 thus promoting cell cycle arrest, ii) a reduction of Vimentin, Snail and Slug thus counteracting the progression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition, iii) a chemosensitization to cis-platinum treatment. Next, analysis of human EOC tissues revealed that let-7g expression was significantly reduced in tumor tissue specimens of patients with EOC compared to their non-tumor counterparts (p = 0.0002). Notably, low let-7g tissue levels were significantly associated with acquired chemoresistance of patients with late-stage of EOC (n = 17, p = 0.03194). This finding was further validated in the serum samples collected from the same cohort of patients (n = 17, p = 0.003). To conclude, we demonstrate that let-7g acts as tumor suppressor and might be used to disable EOC tumor progression and chemoresistance to cis-platinum-based chemotherapy. Furthermore, we propose that decreased expression of let-7g could serve as a tissue and serum biomarker able to predict the chemo-resistant features of EOC patients.
Comparative metagenomics study reveals pollution induced changes of microbial genes in mangrove sediments
Authors: Li Yingdong , Zheng Liping , Zhang Yue , Liu Hongbin , Jing Hongmei
Published: April 2019

Mangrove forests are widespread along the subtropical and tropical coasts. They provide a habitat for a wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms, and act as a buffer zone between the ocean and land. Along with other coastal environments, mangrove ecosystems are under increasing pressure from human activities, such as excessive input of nutrients and toxic pollutants. Despite efforts to understand the diversity of microbes in mangrove sediments, their metabolic capability in pristine and contaminated mangrove sediments remains largely unknown. By using metagenomic approach, we investigated the metabolic capacity of microorganisms in contaminated (CMS) and pristine (PMS) mangrove sediments at subtropical and tropical coastal sites. When comparing the CMS with PMS, we found that the former had a reduced diazotroph abundance and nitrogen fixing capability, but an enhanced metabolism that is related to the generation of microbial greenhouse gases via increased methanogenesis and sulfate reduction. In addition, a high concentration of heavy metals (mainly Zn, Cd, and Pb) and abundance of metal/antibiotic resistance encoding genes were found in CMS. Together, these data provide evidence that contamination in mangrove sediment can markedly change microbial community and metabolism; however, no significant differences in gene distribution were found between the subtropical and tropical mangrove sediments. In summary, contamination in mangrove sediments might weaken the microbial metabolisms that enable the mangrove ecosystems to act as a buffer zone for terrestrial nutrients deposition, and induce bioremediation processes accompanied with an increase in greenhouse gas emission.
Role of vimentin in modulating immune cell apoptosis and inflammatory responses in sepsis
Authors: Su Longxiang , Pan Pan , Yan Peng , Long Yun , Zhou Xiang , Wang Xiaoting , Zhou Ruo , Wen Bo , Xie Lixin , Liu Dawei
Published: April 2019

New diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets for sepsis have substantial significance for critical care medicine. In this study, 192 differentially expressed proteins were selected through iTRAQ. Based on cluster analysis of protein expression dynamics and protein-protein interactions, hemopexin, vimentin, and heat shock protein 90 were selected for further investigation. It was demonstrated that serum vimentin (VIM) levels were significantly increased in patients with sepsis and septic shock compared to controls and that VIM expression was significantly increased in lymphocytes isolated from septic shock and sepsis patients compared to controls. Moreover, a nonsurvivor group had higher serum VIM levels and VIM expression in lymphocytes. Caspase-3 was significantly upregulated in Jurkat T cells lacking VIM and when exposed to LPS compared to control cells. In contrast, caspase-3 was reduced nearly 40% in cells over-expressing VIM. IL-2, IL-10 and IFN-α levels were significantly decreased in cells lacking VIM compared to control cells, whereas they were not significantly altered in cells over-expressing VIM. These findings suggest that VIM modulates lymphocyte apoptosis and inflammatory responses and that VIM could be a new target for the diagnosis and prognostic prediction of patients with sepsis or septic shock.
Self-cleaning of a hydrophobic surface by a rolling water droplet
Authors: Hassan Ghassan , Yilbas Bekir Sami , Al-Sharafi Abdullah , Al-Qahtani Hussain
Published: April 2019

A water droplet behavior on a hydrophobic surface is examined relevant to the dust particles removal from the surface. Surface crystallization of polycarbonate is realized in acetone bath and the resulting surface is coated by the functionalized nano-size silica particles towards reducing contact angle hysteresis. This arrangement provides droplet rolling/sliding on the hydrophobic surface. Droplet translational velocity is formulated and predictions are compared with those resulted from the high speed recorded data. Influence of surface inclination angle on droplet dynamics is investigated and the dust removal mechanism on the inclined surface is analyzed. It is found that predictions of droplet translational velocity agree well with those obtained from the experiment. Droplet rolling dominates over sliding on the inclined surface and droplet sliding velocity remains almost 10% of the droplet translational velocity. The main mechanism for the dust particles removal is associated with the droplet fluid cloaking of the dust particles during its transition on the hydrophobic surface. Droplet acceleration, due to increased surface inclination angle, has effect on the rate of dust particles removal from the surface, which is more apparent for large droplet volumes. Increasing droplet acceleration improves the coverage area of the clean surface.
Heterometallic Complexes as Anticancer Agents
Authors: Curado Natalia , Contel Maria
Published: April 2019

In this chapter, we collect and describe articles published up until April 2018 on the topic of anticancer agents based on two or more different metal centers. Heterometallic compounds have been developed to enhance the anticancer properties of single metallodrugs. The hypothesis that such compounds may have an improved pharmacological profile based on a cooperative and/or synergistic effect of the different metals was first described by Casini and co-workers in 2010. Since then, a number of reports have highlighted the success of this approach. This chapter will focus on examples reported describing not only the anticancer in vitro properties of these compounds, but also providing data on in vivo efficacy trials, as well as on mechanistic studies.
Metal-based Radiotherapeutics
Authors: Mason Christian A. , Carter Lukas M. , Lewis Jason S.
Published: April 2019

In nuclear medicine, the transition from statistical and population-based care to individual and personalized medicine enables numerous enhancements to the standard-of-care in cancer therapy. In this context, an expanding lineup of radionuclides with various decay properties and chemistry allows for precise alignment of these aspects with the biology and pharmacokinetics of molecular targeting agents. Indeed, the application of radionuclide-based therapeutics and companion imaging agents have seen dramatic improvements in recent decades – considerable advances have been made at every stage of radiopharmaceutical development which has provided improved isotope availability, in vivo stability, target specificity, and reduced toxicity. Especially with regard to radiotherapeutic agents, progress in these areas has been largely dominated by the radiometals. The anti-cancer function of radiotherapeutic pharmaceuticals is mechanistically different from those used in chemotherapeutic intervention. The first portion of this chapter aims to provide an abbreviated but adequate discussion of the various types of therapeutically relevant decay modes and the dominant radiobiological effects of their corresponding radiations. The remaining portion of this chapter investigates specific radionuclides, how their unique properties are leveraged within clinically and preclinically promising therapeutic strategies, and also addresses critical barriers to implementation of each nuclide in research or clinical practice.
Reactivity patterns for the activation of CO2 and CS2 with alumoxane and aluminum hydrides
Authors: González-Gallardo Sandra , Jancik Vojtech , Díaz-Gómez Dalia G. , Cortés-Guzmán Fernando , Hernández-Balderas Uvaldo , Moya-Cabrera Mónica
Published: April 2019

Alumoxane and aluminum dihydrides activate CO2 producing unusual inorganic cores while reactions with CS2 produce cyclic alumoxane and aluminum sulfides.
Equatorial ligand plane perturbations lead to a spin-state change in an iron(iii) porphyrin dimer
Authors: Khan Firoz Shah Tuglak , Shah Syed Jehanger , Bhowmik Susovan , Reinhard Fabián G. Cantú , Sainna Mala A. , de Visser Sam P. , Rath Sankar Prasad
Published: April 2019

A complete reversal of the spin state of iron(iii) is observed upon a small change to the diporphyrin bridge from ethane to ethene by keeping all other factors intact.
Mechanism of thienopyridone and iminothienopyridinedione inhibition of protein phosphatases
Authors: Zhang Zhidian , Kozlov Guennadi , Chen Yu Seby , Gehring Kalle
Published: April 2019

Thienopyridone and iminothienopyridinedione inhibit protein phosphatases through a redox mechanism to oxidise the active site cysteine.
Correction: A photo-inducible protein–inorganic nanoparticle assembly for active targeted tumour theranostics
Authors: Xie Jinbing , Mei Ling , Huang Kai , Sun Yuxiang , Pendharkar Aarushi Iris , Ma Baoliang , Qiu Yining , Li Junjie , Han Gang
Published: April 2019

Correction for ‘A photo-inducible protein–inorganic nanoparticle assembly for active targeted tumour theranostics’ by Jinbing Xie, Gang Han et al., Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 6136–6144.
Synthesis and characterization of propeller-shaped mono- to hexacationic quinolinium-substituted benzenes
Authors: Batsyts Sviatoslav , Hübner Eike G. , Namyslo Jan C. , Gjikaj Mimoza , Schmidt Andreas
Published: April 2019

In propeller-shaped molecules a central benzene core is substituted by up to six N-methylquinolinium rings.
UnprecedentedE-stereoselectivity on the sigmatropic Hurd–Claisen rearrangement of Morita–Baylis–Hillman adducts: a joint experimental–theoretical study
Authors: Silva Vinicius Sobral , Tolentino Terezinha Alves , Rodrigues Tiago Costa Alves Fontoura , Santos Fernanda Ferrari Martins , Machado Daniel Francisco Scalabrini , Silva Wender Alves , Oliveira Heibbe Cristhian Benedito de , Machado Angelo Henrique Lira
Published: April 2019

Non-covalent interactions as the origin of the stereoselectivity.
Solar driven reduction of CO2 using Pt–Cu/C as a catalyst in a photoelectrochemical cell: experiment and mechanism study
Authors: Xuan Xiaoxu , Cheng Jun , Yang Xiao , Zhou Junhu , Cen Kefa
Published: April 2019

Carbon supported nano-metal catalysts are expected to improve CO2 reduction selectivity and efficiency due to the addition of more active sites and enhancement of electron transport ability.
Performance evaluation of interfacial polymerisation-fabricated aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes in forward osmosis
Authors: Liang Zhixia , Yun Yanbin , Wang Manxiang , Liu Guicheng , Lu Peng , Yang Woochul , Li Chunli
Published: April 2019

Aquaporins play a promising role in the fabrication of high-performance biomimetic membranes.
Cooperative size sorting of deformable particles in porous media
Authors: O’Connell Margaret G. , Lu Nancy B. , Browne Christopher A. , Datta Sujit S.
Published: April 2019

Using experiments, we find that deformable particles can cooperatively squeeze through large-aspect ratio constrictions in porous media, even when isolated particles cannot.
Directly grown high-performance WO3 films by a novel one-step hydrothermal method with significantly improved stability for electrochromic applications
Authors: Pan Jianbo , Wang Yi , Zheng Rongzhong , Wang Maotong , Wan Zhongquan , Jia Chunyang , Weng Xiaolong , Xie Jianliang , Deng Longjiang
Published: April 2019

A high-performance WO3 electrochromic film with excellent cyclic stability was synthesized under the synergistic-effect of glycerol and (NH4)2SO4.
Biomimetic anisotropic poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels with significantly enhanced mechanical properties by freezing–thawing under drawing
Authors: Chen Yuanyuan , Jiao Chen , Peng Xin , Liu Tianqi , Shi Yunqi , Liang Min , Wang Huiliang
Published: April 2019

Anisotropic poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels with significantly enhanced mechanical properties are prepared by a freezing–thawing under drawing (FTD) method.
Non-stoichiometric defect-controlled reduction toward mixed-valence Mn-doped hexaaluminates and their optical applications
Authors: Hu Jieqi , Song Enhai , Zhou Yayun , Zhang Shaolin , Ye Shi , Xia Zhiguo , Zhang Qinyuan
Published: April 2019

The valence manipulation of emissive Mn ions (Mn2+/Mn4+) in Ba0.75Al11O17.25–BaMgAl10O17 solid solutions and their corresponding application in temperature-sensing have been demonstrated by defect control along with composition variation.
Magnetless electromagnetic contactless interrogation technique for unwired conductive resonators
Authors: Baù M. , Ferrari M. , Ferrari V.
Published: April 2019

An electromagnetic contactless interrogation technique to induce and sense mechanical vibrations on miniaturised electrically conductive resonant structures is presented. The structures can be used as passive resonant sensors with proximate contactless readout. No use is made of poling magnets or wired connections to the resonator that is not required to have magnetic properties. An external coil arrangement has one driving and two pickup coils. The driving coil generates a DC magnetic field and two AC magnetic fields at different frequencies: one for excitation and one for probing. Both the AC magnetic fields induce eddy currents on the conductive surface of the resonating structure. The eddy currents at the frequency of the excitation field interact with the DC magnetic field causing alternating forces, which can set the resonating structure into vibration. The eddy currents at the frequency of the probing field generate a magnetic field that is modulated by the vibrations and detected by the pickup coils. A mathematical model of the interrogation principle has been derived and confirmed by numerical solutions. The experimental demonstration is provided by results obtained on an aluminium cantilever resonator.
Effects of interaction between filler and resin on the glass transition and dielectric properties of epoxy resin nanocomposites
Authors: Mori Keigo , Hirai Naoshi , Ohki Yoshimichi , Otake Yasutomo , Umemoto Takahiro , Muto Hirotaka
Published: April 2019

Polymer nanocomposites are known to exhibit superior insulation performance. As a reason for this, interactions at the filler/polymer interfaces are widely believed. To obtain information on this, the glass transition temperature (T g), complex permittivity (ε *), and conductivity (σ) were measured in various epoxy resin nanocomposites. As a result, all the parameters (T g, ε *, and σ) decrease when the filler is MgO, whereas T g decreases and ε * and σ increase when the filler is TiO2. This fact clearly indicates that the filler exerts significant influences on various properties such as molecular motions in the host epoxy resin, and that these influences differ profoundly depending on the filler material.
MPPT methods for solar PV systems: a critical review based on tracking nature
Authors: Podder Amit Kumer , Roy Naruttam Kumar , Pota Hemanshu Roy
Published: April 2019

An efficient maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method plays an important role to improve the efficiency of a photovoltaic (PV) generation system. This study provides an extensive review of the current status of MPPT methods for PV systems which are classified into eight categories. The categorisation is based on the tracking characteristics of the discussed methods. The novelty of this study is that it focuses on the key characteristics and eleven selection parameters of the methods to make a comprehensive analysis, which is not considered together in any review works so far. Again, the pros and cons, classification and immense comparison among them described in this study can be used as a reference to address the gaps for further research in this field. A comparative review in tabular form is also presented at the end of the discussion of each category to evaluate the performance of these methods, which will help in selecting the appropriate technique for any specific application.
Unconditionally stable meshless method for solving 3D transient electromagnetic problems based on LOD scheme
Authors: Khakzar Nafise , Heidari Abbas Ali , Movahhedi Masoud
Published: April 2019

One of the main problems of the conventional meshless methods in the time domain is their conditional stability. Up to now, some algorithms have been introduced to remove the stability condition, like alternating‐direction‐implicit (ADI) and locally one‐dimensional (LOD) schemes. ADI meshless method has been investigated completely, but there is no report to exploit the full efficiency of the LOD meshless method. So, in this study, LOD scheme is employed to a meshless method for solving three‐dimensional transient electromagnetic problems. The initial form of the proposed meshless method solves time‐domain Maxwell's equations in three sub‐steps, so it is called LOD3. LOD3 meshless method has first‐order temporal accuracy. Moreover, LOD5 meshless method is introduced to upgrade temporal accuracy. Also, the results show that LOD5 meshless method is more accurate than ADI and LOD3 meshless methods. The accuracy of the proposed method is due to two main factors; Crank–Nicolson scheme and solving the equation in five sub‐steps instead of one sub‐step. Stability and accuracy of the proposed method are assessed through numerical experiment. Also, the unconditional stability of the proposed method is proved, analytically.
Preparation of graphite‐based lead carbon cathode and its performance of batteries
Authors: Shen Hao , Jin Ye , Zhao Zhiyuan , Sun Yuzhen , Huang Bing , Wang Jian
Published: April 2019

A novel type of active Pb was electro‐deposited on a porous graphite/Pb conductive substrate to form Pb‐graphite‐Pb (PGP) composite material, which was used as a positive electrode to study its electrochemical performance. The scanning electron microscopy images of the electrochemically treated graphite/Pb conductive substrate show that the substrate possesses a three‐dimensional porous structure. The active lead is uniformly deposited on the surface of the graphite/Pb substrate, which ensures the stability of the electrode structure and avoids collapse. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) results show that PGP composite has high conductivity and contains multiple redox peaks in different potential intervals. By analysing the CV diagram, the charge–discharge voltage is set at 2.2 V, which shows that the initial specific capacity of the battery can reach 218.2 mAh/g. After 200 cycles, the capacity still reaches 191.4 mAh/g, and the capacity retention rate is 87.7%. These values indicate that the battery composed of the novel graphite/Pb composite has a high initial specific capacity and good stability.
M 31 circum-nuclear region: A molecular survey with the IRAM interferometer
Authors: Dassa-Terrier Julien , Melchior Anne-Laure , Combes Françoise
Published: April 2019

We analysed molecular observations performed at IRAM interferometer in CO(1-0) of the circum-nuclear region (within 250 pc) of Andromeda with 2.9″ = 11 pc resolution. We detected 12 molecular clumps in this region, corresponding to a total molecular mass of (8.4 ± 0.4)×104 M⊙. These clumps follow Larson’s mass-size relation, but lie well above the velocity-size relation. We discuss the possibility that these clumps are probably not virialised, but are transient agglomerations of smaller entities that might be virialised. Three of these clumps have been detected in CO(2-1) in a previous work, and we find a temperature line ratio below 0.5 in this work. With a radiative transfer analysis, we show that this gas is in non-local thermal equilibrium with a low excitation temperature (Tex = 5 − 9 K). We find a surface beam filling factor of order 5% and a gas density in the range 60 − 650 cm−3, which is well below the critical density. With a gas-to-stellar mass fraction of 4 × 10−4 and dust-to-gas ratio of 0.01, this quiescent region has exhausted its gas budget. Its spectral energy distribution is compatible with passive templates assembled from elliptical galaxies. While weak dust emission is present in the region, we show that no star formation is present and support the previous results that the dust is heated by the old and intermediate stellar population. We study the possibility that this region lies formally in the low-density part of the Kennicutt-Schmidt law in a regime where the star formation rate estimators are not completely reliable. We confirm the quiescence of the inner part of this galaxy known to lie on the green valley.
Observational study of hydrocarbons in the bright photodissociation region of Messier 8
Authors: Tiwari M. , Menten K. M. , Wyrowski F. , Pérez-Beaupuits J. P. , Lee M.-Y. , Kim W.-J.
Published: April 2019

Aims. Hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in the interstellar medium, but their formation is still not well understood, depending on the physical environment in which they are found. Messier 8 (M8) is host to one of the brightest H II regions and photodissociation regions (PDRs) in our galaxy. With the observed C2H and c-C3H2 data toward M8, we aim at obtaining their densities and abundances and to shed some light on their formation mechanism.

Methods. Using the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) 12 m, and the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) 30 m telescopes, we performed a line survey toward Herschel 36 (Her 36), which is the main ionizing stellar system in M8, and an imaging survey within 1.3 × 1.3 pc around Her 36 of various transitions of C2H and c-C3H2. We used both local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and non-LTE methods to determine the physical conditions of the emitting gas along with the column densities and abundances of the observed species, which we compared with (updated) gas-phase photochemical PDR models. In order to examine the role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the formation of small hydrocarbons and to investigate their association with the H II region, the PDR and the molecular cloud, we compared archival Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) 8 μm and the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) 250 μm continuum images with the C2H emission maps.

Results. We observed a total of three rotational transitions of C2H with their hyperfine structure components and four rotational transitions of c-C3H2 with ortho and para symmetries toward the H II region and the PDR of M8. Fragmentation of PAHs seems less likely to contribute to the formation of small hydrocarbons as the 8 μm emission does not follow the distribution of C2H emission, which is more associated with the molecular cloud toward the north west of Her 36. From the quantitative analysis, we obtained abundances of ~10−8 and 10−9 for C2H and c-C3H2 respectively, and volume densities of the hydrocarbon emitting gas in the range n(H2) ~5 × 104–5 × 106 cm−3.

Conclusions. The observed column densities of C2H and c-C3H2 are reproduced reasonably well by our PDR models. This supports the idea that in high-UV flux PDRs, gas-phase chemistry is sufficient to explain hydrocarbon abundances.
Es ist angerichtet – Kochgruppe für Menschen mit Schädel-Hirn-Trauma
Authors: Kim-Joëlle Kaschub
Published: April 2019

Der ZNS-Kochclub ist ein genussvolles Event. Er findet an einem Wochenende in einem Hotel statt und wird von echten Profis begleitet. Die Teilnehmer trainieren dabei ihre Fertigkeiten, probieren Hilfsmittel aus, aktivieren ihre Ressourcen und verbessern ihre Selbstständigkeit.
Klienten für Veränderung gewinnen – Motivierende Gesprächsführung
Authors: Weißkerber Maria
Published: April 2019

Suchtkranke Straftäter in der Forensik zu einer Behandlung zu motivieren, ist häufig ein aussichtsloses Unterfangen. Mit der motivierenden Gesprächsführung kann es gelingen, ambivalentes Verhalten aufzulösen und die Bereitschaft zur Veränderung zu wecken.
DNVF-Memorandum III – Methoden für die Versorgungsforschung, Teil 4 – Konzept und Methoden der organisationsbezogenen Versorgungsforschung. Kapitel 1 – Definition und Konzept der organisationsbezogenen Versorgungsforschung
Authors: Ansmann Lena , Baumann Walter , Gostomzyk Johannes , Götz Katja , Hahn Ursula , Pfaff Holger , Rölker-Denker Lars , Nöst Stefan
Published: April 2019

Das Forschungsfeld der organisationsbezogenen Versorgungsforschung ist in Deutschland noch relativ jung und von zunehmendem Interesse. Das Deutsche Netzwerk Versorgungsforschung e.V. (DNVF e.V.) hat im Jahr 2009 – getragen von den im DNVF organisierten Fachgesellschaften und Mitgliedern – eine Vertiefung zu „Methoden der organisationsbezogenen Versorgungsforschung“ des Memorandums III, Teil 1 konsentiert [1]. Ausgehend von dieser Veröffentlichung und dem gegenwärtigen Bedeutungsgewinn des Forschungsfeldes wurde eine Weiterentwicklung der konzeptionellen und methodischen Grundlagen erforderlich. Die Neuauflage und Erweiterung der Veröffentlichung aus dem Jahr 2009 gliedert sich in drei Kapitel: (1) Definition und Konzept der organisationsbezogenen Versorgungsforschung, (2) Methodische Ansätze der organisationsbezogenen Versorgungsforschung: Zielgrößen, Datenquellen, Datenerhebung und Datenanalyse, (3) Methodische Ansätze zur Konzeption, Evaluation und Implementierung komplexer Interventionen in Versorgungsorganisationen. Die Herausarbeitung der theoretischen Rahmung und die Definition der Begriffe und Aufgaben der organisationsbezogenen Versorgungsforschung sind Ziele dieses ersten Kapitels.
Effects of pre-slaughter ascorbic acid administration on some physiological stress response and meat quality traits of lambs and kids subjected to road transport
Authors: Sarıbey Muammer , Karaca Serhat
Published: April 2019

The present study determined the effects of pre-slaughter ascorbic acid administration on some physiological indicators and meat quality traits of road transport-stressed lambs and kids. Eighteen lambs and 18 kids were divided into the following three groups: no transportation (T0), 3-h transportation (T3), and ascorbid acid administered at 125 mg/kg before 3-h transportation (T3+C). The liveweight loss and rectal temperature were similar, while there were significant differences among groups for some biochemical parameters in both lambs and kids. Glucose concentrations significantly increased after transportation in lambs (P = 0.005) and kids (P < 0.001). Ascorbic acid had significant effects on serum glucose of lambs. T3 lambs had higher glucose concentrations than did T0 lambs (P < 0.001), while T0 and T3+C lambs were found to have similar concentrations. Oxidative status in lambs and kids, as determined by serum malondialdehyde concentration, did not differ among groups. However, some meat quality traits were negatively influenced by transportation. T3 lambs had a significantly lower muscle glycogen concentration than did T0 and T3+C lambs (P = 0.018), while ultimate pH was similar among groups. Muscle glycogen concentration was significantly lower (P = 0.008) and ultimate pH was higher in T3 and T3+C kids (P = 0.028). T3 and T3+C groups had darker meat (L*) than did T0 groups both in lambs and kids, whereas a*, cooking loss and water-holding capacity were similar among groups. The effect of ascorbic acid on meat toughness was significant and shear force value in T0 lambs was lower than that in T3 lambs (P = 0.009), while T0 and T3+C lambs were found to have similar shear force values. Overall, the administration of ascorbic acid to lambs before transportation could partly reduce the adverse effects of road transportation stress, whereas its effects on kids were found to be insignificant.
Small RNA (sRNA) expression in the chorioallantois, endometrium and serum of mares following experimental induction of placentitis
Authors: Loux Shavahn C. , Fernandes Claudia B. , Dini Pouya , Wang Kai , Wu Xiaogang , Baxter David , Scoggin Kirsten E. , Troedsson Mats H. T. , Squires Edward L. , Ball Barry A.
Published: April 2019

Intrauterine infection and inflammation remain a major cause of preterm labour in women and mares, with little known about small RNA (sRNA) expression in tissue or circulation. To better characterise placental inflammation (placentitis), we examined sRNA expression in the endometrium, chorioallantois and serum of mares with and without placentitis. Disease was induced in 10 mares via intracervical inoculation of Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus, either with moderate or high levels of inoculum; three uninoculated gestationally matched mares were used as controls. Matched chorioallantois and endometrium were sampled in two locations: Region 1, gross inflammation near cervical star with placental separation and Region 2, gross inflammation without placental separation. In Region 1, 26 sRNAs were altered in chorioallantois, while 20 were altered in endometrium. Within Region 2, changes were more subdued in both chorioallantois (10 sRNAs) and endometrium (two sRNAs). Within serum, we identified nine significantly altered sRNAs. In summary, we have characterised the expression of sRNA in the chorioallantois, the endometrium and the serum of mares with experimentally induced placentitis using next-generation sequencing, identifying significant changes within each tissue examined. These data should provide valuable information about the physiology of placental inflammation to clinicians and researchers alike.
Rational design of an argon-binding superelectrophilic anion
Authors: Mayer Martin , van Lessen Valentin , Rohdenburg Markus , Hou Gao-Lei , Yang Zheng , Exner Rüdiger M. , Aprà Edoardo , Azov Vladimir A. , Grabowsky Simon , Xantheas Sotiris S. , Asmis Knut R. , Wang Xue-Bin , Jenne Carsten , Warneke Jonas
Published: April 2019

Significance

Strong electrophilicity usually goes hand in hand with positive charge. In contrast, most negative ions behave like nucleophiles. Here we challenge this conventional wisdom by introducing an apparently counterintuitive idea that anions can, under well-defined circumstances, behave as superelectrophiles and even show superior binding strength and kinetic product stabilization in comparison with typical superelectrophilic cations. Emanating from the most stable gas-phase dianion [B12(CN)12]2−, synthesized here, we generate its superelectrophilic fragment anion [B12(CN)11]−, which binds Ar covalently at room temperature. This opens up additional directions for activation of inert compounds and elements.