bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interview with Munmun De Choudhury
Authors: Atzenbeck Claus
Published: May 2015

Munmun De Choudhury is an assistant professor at the School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Tech and a faculty associate with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard. Munmun's research interests are in computational social science, with a specific focus on reasoning about health behaviors from social digital footprints. She has been a recipient of the Grace Hopper Scholarship, recognized with an IBM Emergent Leaders in Multimedia award, and recipient of ACM SIGCHI 2014 best paper award and ACM SIGCHI honorable mention awards in 2012 and 2013. Munmun's work has been extensively covered in popular press as well, including the New York Times, the TIME magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and the NPR. She served as the Program Chair of the International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media (ICWSM) in 2014, and currently is a member of the Steering Committee of this interdisciplinary conference. Earlier, Munmun was a postdoctoral researcher at Microsoft Research, a research fellow at Rutgers, and obtained a PhD in Computer Science from Arizona State University in 2011.
"Context-aware access control and presentation for linked data" by Luca Costabello with Prateek Jain as coordinator
Authors: Costabello Luca
Published: May 2015

Luca Costabello is a postdoctoral fellow in the Fujitsu Linked Data Research Team in Galway, Ireland. His research interests span linked data consumption, the ubiquitous web of data, and access control for graph stores. He obtained a PhD in computer science from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, working at the French Institute for Research in Computer Science (Inria) under the supervision of Fabien Gandon and Ivan Herman. He received an MSc and a BSc in computer engineering from the Polytechnic University in Turin, where he also worked as a research engineer at Telecom Italia. He is the author of publications in international conferences, such as ISWC, ECAI, WWW, Hypertext, and ESWC. A PDF of Luca's dissertation is available at: https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00934617/document
Upcoming SIGWEB supported conferences
Authors: Samuel Hamman
Published: May 2015

The Special Interest Group on Hypertext and the Web, SIGWEB was created in 1989 to support the community participating in the annual ACM Hypertext Conference. Now in its third decade, SIGWEB has grown considerably and now sponsors five annual conferences of different sizes and covering a wide range of topics. SIGWEB supports several specialized conferences, short courses, and workshops, as well as the Annual Hypertext Conference. SIGWEB sponsored conferences focus on timely topics in applied and computational hypertext and Web disciplines and provide a place for members and the entire applied Hypermedia and Web community to exchange ideas and to meet with and expand their network of colleagues. In this article, we provide a brief overview of SIGWEB sponsored conferences, in addition to events that are in cooperation with SIGWEB.
Supercapacitors Based on Propylene Carbonate with Addition of Sulfur Containing Organic Solvents
Authors: Eskusson Jaanus , Jänes Alar , Thomberg Thomas , Lust Enn
Published: May 2015

The electrochemical characteristics of electrical double layer capacitors consisting of the mainly microporous titanium carbide derived carbon (TiC-CDC) electrodes in 1 M (C2H5)3CH3NBF4 solutions in propylene carbonate (PC) and mixtures of PC with diethyl sulfite (DES) or 1,3-propylene sulfite, (PS) at different volume ratios have been studied using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, constant current charge/discharge and constant power methods. The specific capacitance, phase angle and other values dependent on the solvent system used and temperature applied (from -45 ºC to 60 ºC) have been established. The region of ideal polarizability DE ≥ 2.7 V has been demonstrated for TiC-CDC electrodes in all mixed non-aqueous electrolytes and at temperatures investigated. Specific conductivity values have been obtained and correlated with the electrochemistry data. The limiting capacitance, the characteristic time constant and complex power and energy values calculated depend noticeably on the solvent mixture used, i.e., on the specific conductivity of electrolyte solution.
Supercapacitors Based on Propylene Carbonate Solution Operating from -45 °C to 100 °C
Authors: Jänes Alar , Thomberg Thomas , Eskusson Jaanus , Lust Enn
Published: May 2015

The most promising organic electrolyte for medium temperature range supercapacitors (SC) seems to be a solution of (C2H5)3CH3NBF4 in acetonitrile (AN), characterised by excellent conductivity, low viscosity and a relatively broad electrochemical stability window. However AN low boiling point means that the vapour pressure would be high in hot environments, thus, the high flammability and risk of explosion at higher temperatures, decreasing noticeably the safety issues for SC, are critical. Propylene carbonate was used as the most suitable solvent, based on a comprehensive consideration taking into account the good electrochemical stability, conductivity and performance at moderate temperature. The main aim of this paper is to study the electrochemical characteristics of propylene carbonate based electrical double layer capacitors using the microporous TiC-CDC electrodes within the wide region of temperature, i.e., from -45 ºC to 100 ºC.
First Principles Study of Li-Site Doping Effect on the Properties of LiMnO2 and Li2MnO3 Cathode Materials
Authors: Kong Fantai , Longo Roberto C , Yeon Dong-Hee , Yoon Jaegu , Park Jin-Hwan , Liang Chaoping , KC Santosh , Doo Seok-Kwang , Cho Kyeongjae
Published: May 2015

Due to a high voltage of 4.6 V and large practical capacity of ~260 mAh/g, the over-lithiated-oxides (OLOs) which are often represented as Li2MnO3·LiMO2 (M = Mn, Co, Ni), have been intensely investigated as a promising candidate of the next generation cathode materials for Li-ion battery. The Li2MnO3 composite structure plays an important role in providing high capacity and phase stability to the system. However, during cathode charge-discharge operation, Li2MnO3 is unstable and partly transforms into LiMnO2, indicating that the phase used in practice has mixed both Li2MnO3 and LiMnO2. In this work, the effects of Li-site doping from 10 cationic dopants (Mg, Ti, V, Nb, Fe, Ru, Co, Ni, Cu, Al) on the electrochemical properties of both oxides are studied using density functional theory. The calculations show that, comparing with the Mn-site doped phases, Li-site doping is thermodynamically unstable for the ground states, but the small transition barriers can be easily overcome under high thermal fluctuations during the realistic cathode synthesis process. The redox potentials of both oxides can be lowered by most of the Li-site dopants. For example, Nb strongly lowers the redox potential of the LiMnO2 phase, and Ru shows an unexpected effect on the Li2MnO3 phase: it activates the Li atoms in the Li-layer and, at the same time, it immobilizes the Li atoms in the Li-Mn mixed-layer by increasing the redox potential. These results support the experimental observations about Li-site doping and provide an explanation about the effects of Li-site doping on the electrochemical properties.
Degradation Studies on LiFePO4 Cathode
Authors: Scipioni Roberto , Jørgensen Peter Stanley , Hjelm Johan , Norby Poul , Rasmussen Claus Nygaard , Jensen Søren Højgaard
Published: May 2015

In this paper we examine a laboratory LiFePO4 (LFP) cathode and propose a simple model that predicts the electrode capacity as function of C-rate, number of cycles and calendar time. Micro-cracks were found in Li1-xFePO4 particles in a degraded LFP electrode and low-acceleration voltage (1 kV) FIB/SEM analysis allowed us to obtain phase contrast between FePO4 and LiFePO4. The evolution of micro-cracks is expected to increase the concentration of LFP particles which are not electronically accessible and thus cause a loss in capacity.
Silicon Nitride Coated Silicon Thin Films As Anodes for Li-Ion Batteries
Authors: Ulvestad Asbjørn , Mæhlen Jan Petter , Kirkengen Martin
Published: May 2015

When using silicon in anodes for Li-ion batteries, there is a tradeoff between using small silicon structures to avoid cracking and having small surface area to reduce electrolyte degradation due to an unstable Solid Electrolyte Interface (SEI). To facilitate the growth of a stable and thin SEI, we propose to coat silicon with a thin layer of silicon nitride. Silicon nitride by itself has been determined to function as a conversion electrode material, forming lithium nitride and elemental silicon during the initial lithiation. Using a thin film model system, we demonstrate the effect of using nitride coatings with different stoichiometry on the cyclability and high rate capacity of the electrodes. The results show that a nitride coating has a positive effect on both the cycling stability and high rate performance.
Improving Electrochemical Performance of CuSi Thin Film by Depositing Cu Thin Film via Magnetron Sputtering
Authors: Polat Deniz Billur , Eryilmaz Levent , Keles Ozgul
Published: May 2015

In the present work, we deposited a bare and a (10 nm thick) Cu capped SiCu films (that contains 10 %at. Cu) by magnetron sputtering. The results showed that the top coating does not only exert remarkable favorable effects on the capacity, but also improves the capacity retention and coulombic efficiency. The galvanostatic test results showed that with C/12 rate, Cu capped SiCu film delivered 750 mAh/g after 40th cycles, and it retained stable up to 100 cycle with 98% coulombic efficiency, whilst the bare SiCu film performed a gradual decrease in capacity. We believe that during cycling, the top Cu film being ductile, form a network to prevent the electronic isolation of Si particles, or delamination. Cu atoms buffered the mechanical stress generated in the electrode following the volumetric changes. Furthermore, the surface reactivity of the SiCu electrode, hence its interaction with the electrolyte, was also changed leading to a longer cycle life electrode.
Physicochemical and Electrochemical Properties of the Organic Solvent Electrolyte with Lithium Bis(fluorosulfonyl)Imide (LiFSI) As Lithium-Ion Conducting Salt for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Takekawa Toshihiro , Kamiguchi Kazuhiro , Imai Hideto , Hatano Masaharu
Published: May 2015

In this study, we investigated the physicochemical and electrochemical properties of LiFSI solution comparing with those of LiPF6 in EC/DEC (3/7, v/v), and discuss the difference in ionic conductivity between these electrolyte solutions based on self-diffusion coefficients measured by PFG-NMR. Self-diffusion coefficients of solvent molecules and ions in 1M LiFSI solution are about 1.5 times larger than those of 1M LiPF6 solution. On the other hand, the degree of dissociation of LiFSI estimated by the Nernst-Einstein Equation from measured ionic conductivity and self-diffusion coefficients of Li+ and FSI- is lower than that of LiPF6. Therefore it is strongly suggested that almost the same ionic conductivity of 1M LiFSI solution as that of 1M LiPF6 in EC/DEC (3/7, v/v) is the result of cancelation of these two factors in the opposite direction.
Evaluation at Pipeline Corrosion at Oil Field
Authors: Pedraza Basulto Gabriela Karina , Carrillo Irene , Ortega Dulce , Martinez Lorenzo , Cantó Jorge
Published: May 2015

Corrosion problems occur in the petroleum industry in at least three general areas: production, transportation and storage, and refinery operations. In spite of Internal corrosion of product pipelines can be controlled with coatings and inhibitor. The various aggressive agents shall be determined through monitoring of the physical and chemical characteristics of the fluid in contact with the system under study, providing aggressive conditions thereof. The most important elements to be determined are: Gases dissolved in water and gas (H2S, CO2 and O2), Bacteria sulfate-reducing, Chlorides, pH. The aim of this work is make the characterization of the fluid and determinate the corrosivity of them in a transportation pipeline. The results show us the scale of priorization of them as well as a results of the gravimetric techniques.
Effect of Sulfide-Containing Solutions on the Corrosion of Cu-Ni Alloys; Electrochemical and Surface Studies
Authors: Al-Kharafi Faizah M , Abdel Nazeer Ahmed , Abdullah Ragab M , Galal Ahmed
Published: May 2015

The effect of sulfide ions on electrochemically grown films over 90Cu-10Ni alloy in sulfuric acid, sodium sulfate and chloride-containing electrolytes at different polarization time intervals is investigated. The highest corrosion rates are in solutions of sulfate containing chloride in presence of 20 ppm sulfide. The lowest rate for copper dissolution is in sulfuric acid containing chloride in presence of sulfide. The rate of corrosion increases with increasing temperature and the activation energy was highest in sodium sulfate. Nickel dissolution is highest in presence of sulfide. XPS measurements revealed that Cu2S was formed and resulted in further dissolution of the films protecting the alloy. Noticeable decrease in polarization resistance of the alloy is observed as the film dissolution increases and metallic concentration in the electrolytic side increases. EIS results showed that in presence of sulfide the oxide film resistance in sulfate-containing electrolytes is higher than in chloride.
Investigation of the Electroless Deposition Process of Magnetic Nanostructures
Authors: Richardson David , Rhen Fernando M.F.
Published: May 2015

We have studied electroless deposition of Ni-B within a template structure as a model process to optimize the deposition of nanostructures. Our results show that depending on the deposition rate and deposition time employed end-opened or end-closed nanotubes connected at both ends by a thin film can be prepared. We have found that if the deposition rate is large, then deposition within the nanotubes is mass transport limited. By reducing the deposition rate the reaction becomes kinetically controlled and continuous uniform nanotubes are formed. The deposition rate was controlled by varying the temperature, pH or concentrations of the reactants. Optimal parameters of 20 ºC, a pH of 10 and a concentration of 0.12 M diammonium citrate have been found for the deposition of magnetic nanostructures. Employing the optimised deposition process we have prepared uniform end open nanotubes and characterized their associated magnetic properties.
The Protoelectric Potential Map (PPM): The Two-Dimensional Plot of Absolute Redox Potentials and Absolute pH Values
Authors: Radtke Valentin , Himmel Daniel , Pütz Katharina , Krossing Ingo
Published: May 2015

We define both, the Redox Potential scale and the pH scale of Brønsted acids in a novel manner. These definitions are based on the absolute chemical potential of the electron and of the proton, resp. The resulting quantities – the Absolute Reducity peabs and the Absolute Acidity pHabs – are absolute in the sense that they are medium independent. The plot of both scales against each other results in the Protoelectric Potential Map (PPM) and enables the straightforward comparability of the thermochemistry of any redox, acid-base or combined system in any medium to any other
HfO2 Gate Stack Engineering by Post-Gate Cleaning Using NF3/NH3 Plasma
Authors: Lee Min Seon , Oh Hoon Jung , Lee Joo Hee , Lee In Geun , Shin Woo Gon , Kang Sung Yong , Ko Dae Hong
Published: May 2015

In this paper, we present preliminary findings on the fluorine incorporation into the HfO2 gate stack using post-gate dry cleaning technique with the novel NF3/NH3 plasma as an engineering technique to improve the HfO2 gate stack. The NF3/NH3 dry cleaning process was carried out using an indirect down-stream CCP system after annealing HfO2 gate stack. The analysis of chemical composition of HfO2 gate stacks by XPS has been revealed that fluorine was incorporated into the HfO2 films and Si-O bonding of interfacial layer was decreased depending on the process condition of the NF3/NH3 dry cleaning. TEM results consistently showed the interfacial SiOx layer thickness of the HfO2 gate stack was decreased with the NF3/NH3 dry cleaning. Also we have found that its electrical properties were improved with the reduced gate leakage currents and EOT.
Electrografted Copper Seed Layer for High Aspect Ratio TSVs Interposer Metallization
Authors: Gaillard Frédéric , Religieux Laurianne , Mourier Thierry , Ribière C , Vandroux Laurent , Suhr Dominique , Raynal Frédéric , Mevellec Vincent
Published: May 2015

Nowadays, Through Silicon Vias (TSV) with High Aspect Ratio (HAR > 8:1) are seriously mandatory in the 3D Integrated Circuits in order to maintain semiconductor performance trends into new technological advances. Consequently, successful integration of HAR TSVs requires solving key challenges in terms of technical (layer continuity, step coverage, adhesion) and industrial (scale-up to 300mm diameter wafer) developments. In this paper, one proposes to discuss those questions by means of the integration of an electrografting (eG) seed layer on a high conformal, but low conductive MOCVD TiN copper diffusion barrier. On the one hand, one studies the impact of different electrochemical parameters on eG Seed layer properties. On the other one, the encountered difficulties are presented and solutions are proposed to integrate eG Seed layer at a large scale i.e. on a specific industrial 300mm diameter wafer plating chamber.
White-Light Emission SSI-LED Made of Sputter Deposited TiOx Thin Film on Si Wafer
Authors: Lin Chi-Chou , Kuo Yue , Zhang Xiaoning
Published: May 2015

The light emission phenomenon from the solid state incandescent light emitting device made of a sputter deposited TiOx film on a p-type silicon wafer has been investigated. Light was emitted from conductive paths embedded in the dielectric film when the stressed voltage was larger than the breakdown voltage. The principle of light emission is the thermal excitation of the nano size conductive path. The emitted light has a high color rendering index of 95. The leakage current, light intensity, and color rendering index increase with the increase of the magnitude of the stress voltage under the continuous voltage stress condition. Under the pulsed voltage driving condition, the emission spectrum does not change with the frequency. The light emission phenomenon lasted for more than 1,000 hours continuously in air with very slight decrease of the intensity, which is accompanied with the reduction of the current.
CBD Synthesis and Characterization of CdSe Nanostructured Thin Films
Authors: González Olmos J A , Rojas Hernández Armando Gregorio , Leal Cruz Ana Lilia , Piters Droog Thomas M , Velázquez Mendoza Carlos Villa , Marquina Alicia Vera , Garcia Delgado Luis Arturo , Juárez Alejandro Garcia , Zaldívar Huerta Ignacio Enrique , Mendoza Dainet Berman , Fuentes Roberto Gomez
Published: May 2015

CdSe thin ﬁlms were deposited on glass substrates by a chemical bath deposition (CBD) in the system cadmium nitrite tetrahydrate (Cd(NO3)2.4H2O)-selenourea [SeC(NH2)2]-glycine-pH buffer of borate. According to the processing conditions established in a L9 Taguchi experimental design, nine different films were obtained. CdSe nanostructured thin films with particle sizes in the range of 100-200 nm show band gap values upper than 1.23 eV (CdSe theoretical band gap) and the main photoluminescence emission peak is in the range of 600 to 800 nm. CBD-CdSe nanostructured thin films with the aforementioned characteristics can find potential applications as materials for optical window and infrared sensors.
Determination of Methylparaben by Square Wave Voltammetry at Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode
Authors: Mendonça Camila Domingues , Machado Sergio Antonio Spinola
Published: May 2015

Modified Boron Doped Diamond electrode (BDD) was applied to electroanalytical determination of Methylparaben (MePa) in natural surface water and cosmetic samples using Square Wave Voltammetry (SWV). The parameters of SWV were optimized with respect to MePa. Adequate linearity (0.9923), in the range of 3.30 x 10-6 to 1.97 x 10-4 mol L-1, with detection and quantification limit of 3.05 x 10-6 and 10.05 x 10-6 mol L-1, respectively, was found. Spiked samples of cosmetics and natural surface water, with low pollution content, both added to the buffer solution, showed recovery range between 92% and 95%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 9.6% (n = 3), and between 78.4% and 109.0%, with RSD of 11.2% (n = 3) to natural surface water and cosmetic samples, respectively. The developed method proved to be simple, sensitive and selective to MePa.
Elimination of Boron from Soluble Silica Via Solvent Extraction with 2,2,4-Trimethyl-1,3-Pentanediol Using a Multistage Flow-Type Reactor
Authors: Matsuo Nobufumi , Ishihara Takafumi , Oyanagi Takahiro , Nakajima Kazuki , Kunimoto Masahiro , Fukunaka Yasuhiro , Homma Takayuki
Published: May 2015

Elimination of boron species via solvent extraction with 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentandiaol was engaged in a flow-type device into which the aqueous solution dissolving diatomaceous earth, a candidate of the resource for high-purity silicon material. The flow-type device has a 2-stage channel with 1.0 mm width, 0.10 mm depth, and 25 mm length each, and the specific interfacial area is comparable to a typical microchannel device. Residual boron content in the aqueous solution decreased to less than 0.1 ppm after the solvent extraction under the restriction of short contact duration shorter than 100 ms. In addition, the analysis with density functional theory indicated that the number of neighbor carbon on the central carbon is one of the keys for improvement of reactivity of extractant. Hence, it is suggested that the flow-type microchannel device with solvent extraction with alkyldiol extractant can be utilized as an attractive approach toward the production of high-purity silica as a source for solar-grade silicon.
Chronic hindlimb suspension unloading markedly decreases turnover rates of skeletal and cardiac muscle proteins and adipose tissue triglycerides
Authors: Bederman Ilya R. , Lai Nicola , Shuster Jeffrey , Henderson Leigh , Ewart Steven , Cabrera Marco E.
Published: May 2015

We previously showed that a single bolus of “doubly-labeled” water (2H218O) can be used to simultaneously determine energy expenditure and turnover rates (synthesis and degradation) of tissue-specific lipids and proteins by modeling labeling patterns of protein-bound alanine and triglyceride-bound glycerol (Bederman IR, Dufner DA, Alexander JC, Previs SF. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 290: E1048–E1056, 2006). Using this novel method, we quantified changes in the whole body and tissue-specific energy balance in a rat model of simulated “microgravity” induced by hindlimb suspension unloading (HSU). After chronic HSU (3 wk), rats exhibited marked atrophy of skeletal and cardiac muscles and significant decrease in adipose tissue mass. For example, soleus muscle mass progressively decreased 11, 43, and 52%. We found similar energy expenditure between control (90 ± 3 kcal·kg−1·day−1) and hindlimb suspended (81 ± 6 kcal/kg day) animals. By comparing food intake (∼112 kcal·kg−1·day−1) and expenditure, we found that animals maintained positive calorie balance proportional to their body weight. From multicompartmental fitting of 2H-labeling patterns, we found significantly ( P < 0.005) decreased rates of synthesis (percent decrease from control: cardiac, 25.5%; soleus, 70.3%; extensor digitorum longus, 44.9%; gastrocnemius, 52.5%; and adipose tissue, 39.5%) and rates of degradation (muscles: cardiac, 9.7%; soleus, 52.0%; extensor digitorum longus, 27.8%; gastrocnemius, 37.4%; and adipose tissue, 50.2%). Overall, HSU affected growth of young rats by decreasing the turnover rates of proteins in skeletal and cardiac muscles and adipose tissue triglycerides. Specifically, we found that synthesis rates of skeletal and cardiac muscle proteins were affected to a much greater degree compared with the decrease in degradation rates, resulting in large negative balance and significant tissue loss. In contrast, we found a small decrease in adipose tissue triglyceride synthesis paired with a large decrease in degradation, resulting in smaller negative energy balance and loss of fat mass. We conclude that HSU in rats differentially affects turnover of muscle proteins vs. adipose tissue triglycerides.
Heat acclimation improves heat exercise tolerance and heat dissipation in individuals with extensive skin grafts
Authors: Schlader Zachary J. , Ganio Matthew S. , Pearson James , Lucas Rebekah A. I. , Gagnon Daniel , Rivas Eric , Kowalske Karen J. , Crandall Craig G.
Published: May 2015

Burn survivors with extensive skin grafts have impaired heat dissipation and thus heat tolerance. This study tested the hypothesis that heat acclimation (HA) improves these factors in this population. Thirty-four burn survivors were stratified into highly [>40% body surface area (BSA) grafted, n = 15] and moderately (17-40% BSA grafted, n = 19) grafted groups. Nine healthy nonburned subjects served as controls. Subjects underwent 7 days of HA involving 90 min of exercise at ∼50% peak oxygen uptake in 40°C, 30% relative humidity. On days 1 and 7, subjects exercised in the heat at a fixed rate of metabolic heat production. Pre-HA, all controls and 18/19 subjects in the 17–40% group completed 90 min of exercise. Conversely, heat exercise tolerance was lower ( P < 0.01) in the >40% group, with 7/15 subjects not completing 90 min of exercise. Post-HA, heat exercise tolerance was similar between groups ( P = 0.39) as all subjects, except one, completed 90 min of exercise. Pre-HA, the magnitude of the increase in internal temperature during exercise occurred sequentially ( P ≤ 0.03) according to BSA grafted (>40%: 1.6 ± 0.5°C; 17–40%: 1.2 ± 0.3°C; control: 0.9 ± 0.2°C). HA attenuated ( P < 0.01) increases in internal temperature in the control (by 0.2 ± 0.3°C), 17–40% (by 0.3 ± 0.3°C), and >40% (by 0.3 ± 0.4°C) groups, the magnitude of which was similar between groups ( P = 0.42). These data indicate that HA improves heat tolerance and dissipation in burn survivors with grafted skin, and the magnitude of these improvements are not influenced by the extent of skin grafting.
Impact of Maternal Obesity on Fetal Programming of Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Roberts Victoria H. J. , Frias Antonio E. , Grove Kevin L.
Published: May 2015

The in utero environment is a key determinant of long-term health outcomes; poor maternal metabolic state and placental insufficiency are strongly associated with these long-term health risks. Human epidemiological studies link maternal obesity and offspring cardiovascular disease in later life, but mechanistic studies in animal models are limited. Here, we review the literature pertaining to maternal consequences of obesity during pregnancy and the subsequent impact on fetal cardiovascular development.
Macrophages in Kidney Injury, Inflammation, and Fibrosis
Authors: Cao Qi , Harris David C. H. , Wang Yiping
Published: May 2015

Macrophages are found in normal kidney and in increased numbers in diseased kidney, where they act as key players in renal injury, inflammation, and fibrosis. Macrophages are highly heterogeneous cells and exhibit distinct phenotypic and functional characteristics in response to various stimuli in the local microenvironment in different types of kidney disease. In kidney tissue necrosis and/or infection, damage- and/or pathogen-associated molecular patterns induce pro-inflammatory macrophages, which contribute to further tissue injury, inflammation, and subsequent fibrosis. Apoptotic cells and anti-inflammatory factors in post-inflammatory tissues induced anti-inflammatory macrophages, which can mediate kidney repair and regeneration. This review summarizes the role of macrophages with different phenotypes in kidney injury, inflammation, and fibrosis in various acute and chronic kidney diseases. Understanding alterations of kidney microenvironment and the factors that control the phenotype and functions of macrophages may offer an avenue for the development of new cellular and cytokine/growth factor-based therapies as alternative treatment options for patients with kidney disease.
Chronic Renal Ischemia in Humans: Can Cell Therapy Repair the Kidney in Occlusive Renovascular Disease?
Authors: Saad Ahmed , Herrmann Sandra M. , Textor Stephen C.
Published: May 2015

Occlusive renovascular disease caused by atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) elicits complex biological responses that eventually lead to loss of kidney function. Recent studies indicate a complex interplay of oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and activation of fibrogenic and inflammatory cytokines as a result of atherosclerosis, hypoxia, and renal hypoperfusion in this disorder. Human studies emphasize the limits of the kidney adaptation to reduced blood flow, eventually leading to renal hypoxia with activation of inflammatory and fibrogenic pathways. Several randomized prospective clinical trials show that stent revascularization alone in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis provides little additional benefit to medical therapy once these processes have developed and solidified. Experimental data now support developing adjunctive cell-based measures to support angiogenesis and anti-inflammatory renal repair mechanisms. These data encourage the study of endothelial progenitor cells and/or mesenchymal stem/stromal cells for the repair of damaged kidney tissue.
S4-7: Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled Study of Adjuvant Lapatinib in Women with Early-Stage ErbB2-Overexpressing Breast Cancer.
Authors: Goss P , Smith I , O'Shaugnessy J , Ejlertsen B , Kaufmann M , Boyle F , Buzdar A , Fumoleau P , Gradishar W , Martin M , Moy B , Piccart-Gebhart M , Pritchard K , Aktan G , Rappold E , Williams L , Finkelstein D
Published: May 2015

Late-breaking — abstract will be available at the meeting.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr S4-7.
Abstract 101: Surgical orthotopic implantation (SOI) lung cancer model with 95% survival and 100% take rate for spectral imaging
Authors: Zhang Yong , Zhang Nan , Zhao Ming A. , Hoffman Robert M.
Published: May 2015

For lung cancer, orthotopic models in mice are difficult to create due to a high death rate due to thoracotomy and anesthetization. In the present study, we achieved anesthesia via mask isoflurane inhalation and then performed a thoracotomy by making an incision between the fourth and fifth intercostal ribs on the left side of the chest. Lung tumor fragments were then implanted at this site. Tumor formation was monitored through spectral imaging using the Maestro (CRi). Breathing rate drop to <60/min was an indicator to interrupt anesthesia. This method exhibited high tumorigenicity (100%) and a low mortality rate (5%) making it ideal for creating orthotopic lung tumor models and useful for sequential follow-up studies using spectral imaging.

Citation Format: Yong Zhang, Nan Zhang, Ming A. Zhao, Robert M. Hoffman. Surgical orthotopic implantation (SOI) lung cancer model with 95% survival and 100% take rate for spectral imaging. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 101. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-101
Abstract 1025: Antitumor activity of nintedanib (BIBF 1120), a triple angiokinase inhibitor, in combination with gemcitabine in experimental pancreatic cancer
Authors: Awasthi Niranjan , Hinz Stefan , Brekken Rolf A. , Schwarz Margaret A. , Schwarz Roderich E.
Published: May 2015

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States with extremely poor prognosis. Gemcitabine (Gem), the standard of care agent over the past 15 years, has limited clinical benefits. There is an urgent requirement for novel therapeutic strategies to improve overall survival of patients with pancreatic cancer. Angiogenesis, an essential process for tumor growth and metastasis, remains a sensible target for PDAC therapy. VEGF, PDGF, FGF and their receptors are all overexpressed and have been correlated with poor prognosis in human PDAC. Nintedanib (BIBF 1120, Nin) is a triple angiokinase inhibitor that targets VEGFR1/2/3, FGFR1/2/3 and PDGFRα/β signaling. Nintedanib is currently under clinical investigation for several solid tumors. The present study investigated the combination treatment benefits of gemcitabine and nintedanib in experimental PDAC. Cell proliferation, migration and protein expression were analyzed by WST-1 assay, wound healing assay and Western blotting. Tumor growth and animal survival experiments were performed in murine xenografts. Percent inhibition of cell proliferation in the Gem, Nin and Gem+Nin groups was 22%, 25% and 53% (AsPC-1 PDAC cells, Gem 50 nM, Nin 100 nM); 55%, 11% and 80% (endothelial cells HUVECs, Gem 100 nM, Nin 100 nM); 91%, 68% and 94% (fibroblast WI-38 cells, Gem 100 nM, Nin 100 nM). Nintedanib increased apoptosis, indicated by the cleavage of caspase-3 protein in all three cell-types tested. In PDAC cells, antitumor activity was accompanied by higher level of cell cycle inhibitor protein p27. Nintedanib (10 μM) inhibited in vitro wound closure by 84% in endothelial cells. In a heterotopic PDAC model, compared to the percent net local tumor growth in controls (100±29), a reduced growth of 60.8±10.5 (p=0.02) was observed in the Gem group, while a net reduction of -2.1±9.9 (p=0.0001) and -12.4±16.2 (p=0.0001) was observed in Nin and Gem+Nin groups, respectively. Compared with controls (16 days) in an AsPC-1 intraperitoneal model, median animal survival in Gem, Nin and Gem+Nin treatment groups was 25 days, 31 days and 38 days. The strong antitumor activity of nintedanib in experimental PDAC supports the potential of nintedanib-controlled mechanisms as targets for improved clinical PDAC therapy.

Citation Format: Niranjan Awasthi, Stefan Hinz, Rolf A. Brekken, Margaret A. Schwarz, Roderich E. Schwarz. Antitumor activity of nintedanib (BIBF 1120), a triple angiokinase inhibitor, in combination with gemcitabine in experimental pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1025. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1025
Abstract 1036: Expression of PRMT5 in lung adenocarcinoma and its significance in epithelial-mesenchymal transition
Authors: Matsubara Daisuke , Ibrahim Reem , Osman Wael , Goto Akteru , Morikawa Teppei , Morita Shigeki , Ishikawa Shumpei , Aburatani Hiroyuki , Fukayama Masashi , Niki Toshiro , Murakami Yoshinori
Published: May 2015

Although protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) has been implicated in various cancers, its expression pattern in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and tissue samples has not yet been elucidated in detail. In this study, microarray data analysis of 40 non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines showed that PRMT5 was a candidate histone methyltransferase gene that correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Immunocytochemical analysis of these cell lines indicated that the expression of PRMT5 was frequently localized to the cytoplasm of E-cadherin-low and vimentin-high cell lines, while it was predominant in the nucleus and faint in the cytoplasm of E-cadherin-high and vimentin-low cell lines. Immunohistochemical analysis of 130 cases of lung adenocarcinoma revealed that the expression of PRMT5 was high in the cytoplasm of 47 cases (36%) and the nuclei of 34 cases (26%). The high cytoplasmic expression of PRMT5 was frequently observed in high grade subtypes such as the solid adenocarcinoma component with low expression of thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1, the master regulator of lung) and low expression of cytokeratin 7 and E-cadherin (two markers for bronchial epithelial differentiation), while the high nuclear expression of PRMT5 was frequently noted in the lepidic growth component, a low-grade subtype. The cytoplasmic expression of PRMT5 was correlated with vessel invasion and poor prognosis. We herein highlighted the importance of PRMT5 expression, especially its cytoplasmic expression, in the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and loss of the bronchial epithelial phenotype of lung adenocarcinoma.

Citation Format: Daisuke Matsubara, Reem Ibrahim, Wael Osman, Akteru Goto, Teppei Morikawa, Shigeki Morita, Shumpei Ishikawa, Hiroyuki Aburatani, Masashi Fukayama, Toshiro Niki, Yoshinori Murakami. Expression of PRMT5 in lung adenocarcinoma and its significance in epithelial-mesenchymal transition. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1036. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1036
Abstract 1055: Syntenin positively regulates TGF-β1- and oncogenic Ras-mediated EMT-like phenotypic changes in cancer cells
Authors: Kim Okhwa , Hwangbo Cheol , Tae Nara , Lee Suhyun , Lee Jeong-Hyung
Published: May 2015

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is biological process in polarized epithelial cells, which occurs in various physiological and pathological conditions. In carcinoma progression, EMT has emerged as a critical player in regulating cancer cell invasive phenotype. Syntenin, a tandem PDZ-domain containing scaffold protein, functions as a positive regulator of cancer cell progression in several human cancers. In present study, we investigated a role of syntenin in transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1- and Ras-V12-mediated EMT-like phenotypic changes in cancer cells. Knockdown of syntenin suppressed TGF-β1- and Ras-V12-induced morphological and cell biological alterations in A549, Ep/Ras, and BEAS-2B cells that are consistent with EMT; however, overexpression of syntenin stimulated TGF-β1- and Ras-V12-induced EMT, implying that syntenin is necessary for TGF-β1- and Ras-V12- induced EMT. We found that syntenin is associated with RSK (p90 ribosomal S6 kinase) via PDZ binding motif and syntenin at Ser6 residue may directly be phosphorylated by RSK. Mutation of syntenin Ser6 to Ala suppresses TGF-β1- and oncogenic Ras-mediated EMT in a dominant negative manner by abolishing the interaction of endogenous syntenin with RSK. Strikingly, expression of syntenin-S6E, a phosphomimetic mutant of syntenin at Ser6, into A549, Ep/Ras, or BEAS-2B cells induced EMT-like phenotypic changes, characterized by down-regulation of E-cadherin and up-regulation of vimentin, Snail and Slug, suggesting that Ser6 phosphorylation of syntenin by RSK is necessary and sufficient for the induction of EMT mediated by TGF-β1. In addition, we sought to determine whether Ser6 phosphorylation of syntenin would modulate in vivo metastasis in a mouse model. A549 cells expressing syntenin-S6E dramatically increased lung metastases. Based on these data, we conclude that phosphorylation of syntenin at Ser6 by RSK is necessary and sufficient for the induction of EMT and metastasis in certain cancer cells.

Citation Format: Okhwa Kim, Cheol Hwangbo, Nara Tae, Suhyun Lee, Jeong-Hyung Lee. Syntenin positively regulates TGF-β1- and oncogenic Ras-mediated EMT-like phenotypic changes in cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1055. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1055
Abstract 1059: EGF induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell properties in human oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Xu Qilin , Zhang Qunzhou , Le Anh
Published: May 2015

Head and neck cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers worldwide. Despite advances in therapeutic research in the last few decades, morbidity and mortality remain unchanged. Recurrent and metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of the head and neck may have correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a property acquired by cancer stem cells (CSCs). In our study, SCC-1 cells (a human tongue cancer cell line) treated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) underwent EMT as confirmed by morphological changes and expression of EMT-related markers using Western blot, immunocytostaining, and flow cytometric analyses. Our data showed that, in comparison with non-treated cells, EGF treatment induced SCC-1 cells to undergo EMT, characterized by spindle-shaped mesenchymal-like morphology, an altered suppression of E-cadherin and promotion of vimentin expression, and an enhanced invasive capacity. Our results also indicated that EGF significantly enriched the fraction of CD44+/CD24low/- CSCs in SCC-1 cells, from 7∼8% to 25∼29%, and simultaneously increased the expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), a common marker for stem cells. Moreover, the purified CD44+/CD24low/- CSC population displayed stem cell properties associated with EMT phenotypes and increased migration and invasion abilities in vitro. Using a murine orthotopic tongue cancer model transplanted with stably GFP-expressing SCC-1 cells (GFP-SCC-1), we confirmed that EGF can promote tumor metastasis to cervical lymph nodes, and simultaneously augmented CD44 and ALDH1 expression in these invasive tumor cells. Taken together, we have demonstrated that EGF-induced EMT process is closely associated with the acquisition of CSC properties in human OSCC, which may contribute to the increased distant metastasis and recurrence of head and neck cancer. Further elucidation of the underlying mechanisms will facilitate development of new generation of effective therapies that aim to specifically target CSCs and eliminate the “root” of cancer recurrence.

This work was supported by National Institute of Health Research Grant, R01DE 019932, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation Research Support, 002894, and the Schoenleber funding support.

Citation Format: Qilin Xu, Qunzhou Zhang, Anh Le. EGF induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell properties in human oral squamous cell carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1059. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1059
Abstract 1073: Significant association of neutrophils in regional lymph nodes with lymphangiogenesis and micrometastasis by gastric cancer
Authors: Tokumoto Mao , Tanaka Hiroaki , Ohira Masaichi , Go Yukie , Okita Yoshihiro , Sakurai Katunobu , Toyokawa Takahiro , Kubo Naoshi , Muguruma Kazuya , Maeda Kiyoshi , Sawada Tetsuji , Hirakawa Kosei
Published: May 2015

Recent evidences indicate that inflammation is the seventh hallmark of cancer. Several researches reported that tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) promote tumor invasion or tumor-induced angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment. However, the relation between TANs and lymph node metastasis remains unclear. We previously reported that increasing of intranodal lymphatic vessel density (LVD) was significantly correlated to tumor progression, lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis of the patients with gastric cancer. In this study, we aimed to reveal the affect of

TANs in regional lymph nodes in terms of micrometastasis and the prognostic impact. TANs and micrometastasis were immunohistochemically estimated by anti-CD15 and anti-pan cytokeratin antibody in 1596 lymph nodes from 52 patients who were underwent gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy. We investigated the association of the density of TANs in regional lymph nodes with clinicopathological factors. The number of TANs in regional lymph nodes had a positive correlation with accumulation of intranodal LVD and micrometastasis. Furthermore we divided another 96 patients into two groups according to median TAN number of 39 to investigate the prognostic value. Patients in high CD15+TANs group had significantly poorer prognosis compared with low group. Our results suggested that TANs in regional lymph nodes promote the invasion of cancer cells to lymph nodes by augmentation of lymphangiogenesis and contribute to tumor progression. In conclusion, TANs might be an attractive target of novel bioloigical therapies of gastric cancer.

Citation Format: Mao Tokumoto, Hiroaki Tanaka, Masaichi Ohira, Yukie Go, Yoshihiro Okita, Katunobu Sakurai, Takahiro Toyokawa, Naoshi Kubo, Kazuya Muguruma, Kiyoshi Maeda, Tetsuji Sawada, Kosei Hirakawa. Significant association of neutrophils in regional lymph nodes with lymphangiogenesis and micrometastasis by gastric cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1073. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1073
Abstract 1084: Triple-negative breast cancer displays a unique subset of macrophages dependent on CCL5 signaling
Authors: Rabe Daniel C. , Frankenberger Casey , Bainer Russell , Gilad Yoav , Rosner Marsha Rich
Published: May 2015

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive form of breast cancer. While five-year survival rates have reached 98% in patients treated with anti-ER or anti-HER2 therapies, patients with TNBC have a five-year survival rate of only 24%. Currently, the only form of therapy for these patients is surgery and platinum based chemotherapy. However, patient outcome is generally poor. Additionally, this disease disproportionately affects African-American women and lower income women, with rates seen approximately three times higher in African-American women compared to the rest of the population.

An alternative strategy for treating TNBC patients involves targeting the tumor stroma. Here we have used an RNA sequencing approach that utilizes species information to precisely resolve tumor- and stroma-specific gene expression in a xenograft system. We employed a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) model in which primary tumor invasiveness is controlled by the metastasis suppressor Raf Kinase Inhibitory Protein (RKIP). RKIP expression, which converts invasive tumors to noninvasive tumors, dramatically inhibits macrophage infiltration. The mechanism, which is dependent on Let-7 suppression of HMGA2, involves decreased expression of the chemokine CCL5. Furthermore, overexpression of CCL5 partially rescued the infiltration of macrophages into the tumor and intravasation of tumor cells into the blood stream. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was used to characterize the TNBC-infiltrating macrophages. Together, these studies identify targetable pathways involving tumor-macrophage crosstalk that potentiate TNBC cell invasion and metastasis.

Citation Format: Daniel C. Rabe, Casey Frankenberger, Russell Bainer, Yoav Gilad, Marsha Rich Rosner. Triple-negative breast cancer displays a unique subset of macrophages dependent on CCL5 signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1084. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1084