bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment intensification in patients with inadequate glycemic control on basal insulin: rationale and clinical evidence for the use of short‐acting and other glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists
Authors: Giorgino Francesco , Bonadonna Riccardo C. , Gentile Sandro , Vettor Roberto , Pozzilli Paolo
Published: January 2016

A substantial proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus do not reach glycemic targets, despite treatment with oral anti‐diabetic drugs and basal insulin therapy. Several options exist for treatment intensification beyond basal insulin, and the treatment paradigm is complex. In this review, the options for treatment intensification will be explored, focusing on drug classes that act via the incretin system and paying particular attention to the short‐acting glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists exenatide and lixisenatide. Current treatment guidelines will be summarized and discussed. © 2016 The Authors. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Nrl‐Cre transgenic mouse mediates loxP recombination in developing rod photoreceptors
Authors: Brightman Diana S. , Razafsky David , Potter Chloe , Hodzic Didier , Chen Shiming
Published: January 2016

The developing mouse retina is a tractable model for studying neurogenesis and differentiation. Although transgenic Cre mouse lines exist to mediate conditional genetic manipulations in developing mouse retinas, none of them act specifically in early developing rods. For conditional genetic manipulations of developing retinas, a Nrl‐Cre mouse line in which the Nrl promoter drives expression of Cre in rod precursors was created. The results showed that Nrl‐Cre expression was specific to the retina where it drives rod‐specific recombination with a temporal pattern similar to endogenous Nrl expression during retinal development. This Nrl‐Cre transgene does not negatively impact retinal structure and function. Taken together, the data suggested that the Nrl‐Cre mouse line was a valuable tool to drive Cre‐mediated recombination specifically in developing rods. genesis 54:129–135, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fine root tradeoffs between nitrogen concentration and xylem vessel traits preclude unified whole‐plant resource strategies in Helianthus
Authors: Bowsher Alan W. , Mason Chase M. , Goolsby Eric W. , Donovan Lisa A.
Published: January 2016

Recent work suggests variation in plant growth strategies is governed by a tradeoff in resource acquisition and use, ranging from a rapid resource acquisition strategy to a resource‐conservative strategy. While evidence for this tradeoff has been found in leaves, knowledge of root trait strategies, and whether they reflect adaptive differentiation across environments, is limited. In the greenhouse, we investigated variation in fine root morphology (specific root length and tissue density), chemistry (nitrogen concentration and carbon:nitrogen), and anatomy (root cross‐sectional traits) in populations of 26 Helianthus species and sister Phoebanthus tenuifolius. We also compared root trait variation in this study with leaf trait variation previously reported in a parallel study of these populations. Root traits varied widely and exhibited little phylogenetic signal, suggesting high evolutionary lability. Specific root length and root tissue density were weakly negatively correlated, but neither was associated with root nitrogen, providing little support for a single axis of root trait covariation. Correlations between traits measured in the greenhouse and native site characteristics were generally weak, suggesting a variety of equally viable root trait combinations exist within and across environments. However, high root nitrogen was associated with lower xylem vessel number and cross‐sectional area, suggesting a tradeoff between nutrient investment and water transport capacity. This led to correlations between root and leaf traits that were not always consistent with an acquisition–conservation tradeoff at the whole‐plant level. Given that roots must balance acquisition of water and nutrients with functions like anchorage, exudation, and microbial symbioses, the varied evidence for root trait covariation likely reflects the complexity of interacting selection pressures belowground. Similarly, the lack of evidence for a single acquisition–conservation tradeoff at the whole‐plant level likely reflects the vastly different selection pressures shaping roots and leaves, and the resources they are optimized to obtain.
Species‐dependent role of type I IFNs and IL‐12 in the CTL response induced by humanized CpG complexed with β‐glucan
Authors: Kobiyama Kouji , Temizoz Burcu , Kanuma Tomohiro , Ozasa Koji , Momota Masatoshi , Yamamoto Takuya , Aoshi Taiki , Kuroda Etsushi , Ishii Ken J.
Published: January 2016

CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) is one of promising nucleic acid‐based adjuvants. We recently improved its ability to enhance CD8+ T‐cell responses to coadministered protein antigen without conjugation or emulsion, by forming a nanoparticulate complex between CpG ODN (K3) and mushroom‐derived β‐glucan schizophyllan (SPG), namely K3‐SPG. Here, we sought to elucidate the cellular immunological mechanisms by which K3‐SPG induce such potent CD8+ T‐cell responses to coadministered antigen. By focusing on two DC subsets, plasmacytoid DCs and CD8α+ DCs, as well as the secreted cytokines, IFN‐α and IL‐12, we found that K3‐SPG strongly activates mouse plasmacytoid DCs to secrete IFN‐α and CD8α+ DCs to secrete IL‐12, respectively. Although a single cytokine deficiency had no impact on adjuvant effects, the lack of both type I IFN and IL‐12 in mice resulted in a significant reduction of Th1 type immune responses and CD8+ T‐cell responses elicited by protein vaccine model. By sharp contrast, type I IFN, but not IL‐12, was required for the production of IFN‐γ by human PBMCs as well as antigen‐specific CD8+ T‐cell proliferation. Taken together, K3‐SPG may overcome the species barrier for CpG ODN to enhance antigen‐specific CD8+ T‐cell responses despite the differential role of IL‐12 between human and mice.
Occurrence, determination, and assessment of mineral oils in oilseeds and vegetable oils
Authors: Brühl Ludger
Published: January 2016

Mineral oil hydrocarbon contaminations can often be found in oilseeds, oils, and fats as these matrices are good keepers to accumulate them from all kind of sources along the production chain. In addition, seeds and vegetable oils contain naturally occurring hydrocarbons in various compositions. These naturally hydrocarbons can serve for a proof of authentication and they have to be taken into account for the analysis of mineral oil hydrocarbons as contaminants. In this review, the many sources of contamination like environmental effects, production machinery, and packaging materials are referred to and reported data for contaminated vegetable oils like sunflower, olive, and palm oil and in addition raw materials and feed are focused on. This is of special importance for the food survey and for the production as it is a challenging task to survey the many routes of contamination along the production chain and during storage in order to improve the food quality. There is still discussion where to fix a reasonable limit for such contaminants in oils and fats, where levels are often very high compared to levels found for migration from packaging materials into low fat products. For the later ones draft limits have been discussed, but it will be a challenge to reduce mineral oil hydrocarbon contamination in oils and fats to a similar extend. In addition, the determination of low levels of hydrocarbon contamination is demanding and validation of sophisticated coupled LC–GC methods in collaborative trials is still in development.

Practical applications: An overview about the analysis of mineral oil hydrocarbon contaminations of oilseeds, oils, and fats is given. For seeds and vegetable oils also contain naturally occurring hydrocarbons in various compositions, reference data on these naturally hydrocarbons are provided. The many sources of contamination like environmental effects, production machinery, and packaging materials are referred to and vegetable oils like sunflower, olive, and palm oil and in addition raw materials and feed are focused on. The arguments for a reasonable limit for such contaminants in oils and fats are discussed.

Analysis of mineral oil hydrocarbon contamination of oilseeds, oils, and fats is reviewed. Reference data on naturally hydrocarbons are provided, which occur in various compositions. The many sources of contamination like environmental effects, production machinery, and packaging materials are referred to and vegetable oils like sunflower, olive, palm oil, raw materials, and feed are focused on. The arguments for a reasonable limit for such contaminants in oils and fats are discussed.
Organic Functionalized Carbon Nanostructures for Functional Polymer‐Based Nanocomposites
Authors: Gatti Teresa , Vicentini Nicola , Mba Miriam , Menna Enzo
Published: January 2016

Carbon nanostructures (CNSs), which are made up of extended sp2‐hybridized carbon networks, are largely employed as nanofillers for polymer phases to obtain polymer‐based nanocomposites (PNCs). Following their inclusion, the polymer matrices are often improved in many ways, such as enhanced electrical and thermal conductivity, increased stability, and mechanical robustness. The chemical functionalization of the external CNS surfaces with organic substituents is often a key tool for their effective and homogeneous incorporation within a polymer phase, avoiding the formation of aggregates, which can lower the performance of the the final material. This microreview furnishes an overview of PNCs that contain substituted CNSs with organic functionalities. These CNS‐based PNCs can be used as organic functional materials in different applications that range from clean energy harvesting and storage to sensing and biomedicine.
Tear Based Bioelectronics
Authors: Pankratov Dmitry , González‐Arribas Elena , Blum Zoltan , Shleev Sergey
Published: January 2016

This work provides an overview of the recent advances in the field of tear‐based wearable electrochemical biodevices, including non‐invasive biosensors, biological fuel cells and biosupercapacitors. Contact lenses are attractive platforms for fabricating non‐invasive self‐contained gadgets for different applications, starting from devices with casual or mundane purposes only, like personalized smart lenses with direct (invisible for others) displays, and ending with biomedical devices for continuous fitness status and/or health care monitoring. Key requirements and challenges that confront researchers in this exciting area are discussed.
Duality of channel encoding and decoding ‐ Part I: rate‐1 binary convolutional codes
Authors: Li Yonghui , You Qimin , Liew Soung C. , Vucetic Branka
Published: January 2016

In this paper, we revisit the forward, backward and bidirectional Bahl–Cocke–Jelinek–Raviv (BCJR) soft‐input soft‐output (SISO) maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) decoding process of rate‐1 binary convolutional codes. From this, we establish some interesting explicit relationships between encoding and decoding of rate‐1 convolutional codes. We observe that the forward and backward BCJR SISO MAP decoders can be simply represented by their dual SISO channel encoders using shift registers in the complex number field. Similarly, the bidirectional MAP decoding can be implemented by linearly combining the shift register contents of the dual SISO encoders of the respective forward and backward decoders. The dual encoder structures for various recursive and non‐recursive rate‐1 convolutional codes are derived. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Earth evolution as a thermal system
Authors: Tang Chunan , Li Sanzhong
Published: January 2016

Cooling and warming has occurred many times during the Earth's history. At times, the Earth has entirely frozen to form a ‘snowball’, while at others, it has become extremely hot, resulting in the mass extinction of species. However, despite 50 years of established plate tectonic theory, the reasons that these patterns and extremes of cooling and warming have occurred remain elusive. Here, we propose a new model of the evolution of the Earth's temperature that explains the planet's thermal cycles in terms of changes in the heat balance of the system. The expansion of the lithosphere and its associated uplift lead to the collapse of Earth's crust, and volcanism and magmatism are the global‐scale response. These shallow lithospheric processes can reach a critical state with a positive feedback loop, resulting in the formation of large igneous provinces, which remove huge heat from lavas by radiating into outer space. Endothermic phase changes during the de‐compressive melting also absorb large quantities of heat from the inner Earth and cool their surroundings. This process may terminate the warming cycle and initiate a new cooling cycle, possibly an ice age. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Confronting Biospecimen Exceptionalism in Proposed Revisions to the Common Rule
Authors: Lynch Holly Fernandez , Bierer Barbara E. , Cohen I. Glenn
Published: January 2016

On September 8, 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to revise the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, widely known as the “Common Rule.” The NPRM proposes several changes to the current system, including a dramatic shift in the approach to secondary research using biospecimens and data. Under the current rules, it is relatively easy to use biospecimens and data for secondary research. This approach systematically facilitates secondary research with biospecimens and data, maximizing the capacity for substantial public benefit. However, it has been criticized as insufficiently protective of the privacy and autonomy interests of biospecimen and data sources. Thus, the NPRM proposes a more restrictive regime, although more so for biospecimens than data. Both the status quo and the NPRM's proposal are critically flawed.
Pedagogical Support for Responsible Conduct of Research Training
Authors: Anderson Misti Ault
Published: January 2016

The number of training programs for the responsible conduct of research (RCR) has increased substantially over the past few decades as the importance of research ethics has received greater attention. It is unclear, however, whether the proliferation of RCR training programs has improved researcher integrity or the public's trust in science. Rather than training researchers simply to comply with regulations, we could use the opportunity to develop researchers' ability to understand and appreciate the ethical ideals that inform the regulations in order to help them integrate ethical decision‐making into their work on a regular basis. Incorporating ethical principles into research training requires a new way of teaching RCR and the development of support materials to facilitate its adoption. The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, a panel established to advise the President on bioethical issues arising from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and technology, developed and provides pedagogical materials based on its published reports to facilitate the integration of ethics education across the curriculum and in support of RCR and general bioethics education.
Using Ergonomic Risk Assessment Methods for Designing Inclusive Work Practices: A Case Study
Authors: Hussain Amjad , Case Keith , Marshall Russell , Summerskill Steve
Published: January 2016

In common with many industries, manufacturing faces the challenge of effective management of a diverse workforce. Humans differ greatly, but traditional manufacturing work practices do not take into account human variability issues during the work design process. Variations in individual and organizational work performance are due to many individual factors, such as age, gender, level of skill, experience, and background bring performance inconsistencies. This research investigates the effects of individual skill on work performance in general and workplace safety and human well‐being in particular. A research framework is proposed for highlighting major differences in work‐performing strategies, their potential impact on work performance, and how these findings can be used for designing more inclusive work practices. A case study has been presented in which ergonomics risk assessment methods have been used to validate the usefulness of this framework. It is also concluded that skill has a strong relationship with the level of risk attached to various task‐performing strategies.
A novel microfluidic platform for size and deformability based separation and the subsequent molecular characterization of viable circulating tumor cells
Authors: Hvichia G.E. , Parveen Z. , Wagner C. , Janning M. , Quidde J. , Stein A. , Müller V. , Loges S. , Neves R.P.L. , Stoecklein N.H. , Wikman H. , Riethdorf S. , Pantel K. , Gorges T.M.
Published: January 2016

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were introduced as biomarkers more than 10 years ago, but capture of viable CTCs at high purity from peripheral blood of cancer patients is still a major technical challenge. Here, we report a novel microfluidic platform designed for marker independent capture of CTCs. The Parsortix™ cell separation system provides size and deformability‐based enrichment with automated staining for cell identification, and subsequent recovery (harvesting) of cells from the device. Using the Parsortix™ system, average cell capture inside the device ranged between 42% and 70%. Subsequent harvest of cells from the device ranged between 54% and 69% of cells captured. Most importantly, 99% of the isolated tumor cells were viable after processing in spiking experiments as well as after harvesting from patient samples and still functional for downstream molecular analysis as demonstrated by mRNA characterization and array‐based comparative genomic hybridization. Analyzing clinical blood samples from metastatic (n = 20) and nonmetastatic (n = 6) cancer patients in parallel with CellSearch® system, we found that there was no statistically significant difference between the quantitative behavior of the two systems in this set of twenty six paired separations. In conclusion, the epitope independent Parsortix™ system enables the isolation of viable CTCs at a very high purity. Using this system, viable tumor cells are easily accessible and ready for molecular and functional analysis. The system's ability for enumeration and molecular characterization of EpCAM‐negative CTCs will help to broaden research into the mechanisms of cancer as well as facilitating the use of CTCs as “liquid biopsies.”
Transitional Flow In A Right‐Angled Compound Open Canal Junction
Authors: Biswal S.K. , Mohapatra P.K. , Muralidhar K.
Published: January 2016

Compound open canal junctions are of considerable importance in many engineering applications. This paper presents the details of the experimental procedure and the transitional flow characteristics over a partially rough bed in a right‐angled canal junction. To record the instantaneous flow velocity, a 3D downward‐facing acoustic Doppler velocimeter is used. A simplified mathematical model is employed to give a reasonable prediction of experimental results of a small portion of the data recorded. The hydraulics of flow at the canal junction, wherein the flow regime changes from subcritical to supercritical, is observed. The experimental results are presented in light of a dimensionless framework. The results reveal that the physical model describes the flow features well when there are changes in flow state from sub‐ to supercritical. Results of the present observation are compared with the available literature data. Being the first real study of transitional flow, the present work has provided valuable basic information about fundamental aspects of the hydrodynamics model. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Strategies for Crop‐Based Scheduling of Secondary Canals: Case Study of Mirpurkhas Subdivision, Pakistan
Authors: Mangrio M.A. , Mirjat M.S. , Hao Li JIU , Chandio A.S.
Published: January 2016

The present study was conducted in the Mirpurkhas subdivision within cut Jamrao canal command of the Nara Canal Area Water Board. Crop water requirements were evaluated under different irrigation methods. The Mehran model was used to calculate irrigation and crop water requirements, while the crop‐based irrigation operation (CBIO) model was used for secondary canal scheduling/rotation. To calculate irrigation demand, losses in the irrigation network and field application losses were measured. Besides CBIO, scheduling of canals was verified by real‐time scheduling on the basis of weekly crop irrigation demand by simple programming in Excel. The canal scheduling designed on the basis of the CBIO model suggests that all distributaries, minors and direct outlets would be closed for 6 weeks in the kharif season, whereas they will be closed for 7 weeks at premeditated time intervals during the rabi season. The real‐time canal scheduling indicated that the numbers of open and closed weeks are almost same as scheduled by the model; however, certain adjustments have been made to synchronize the closed weeks with annual closure in rabi for canal maintenance. The results further revealed that by implementing canal scheduling in the area, 34 and 40% of irrigation water can be saved in kharif and rabi, respectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antennal fine morphology of the threatened beetle Osmoderma eremita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), revealed by scanning electron microscopy
Authors: Zauli Agnese , Maurizi Emanuela , Carpaneto Giuseppe M. , Chiari Stefano , Svensson Glenn P. , Di Giulio Andrea
Published: January 2016

The aim of this study was to characterize the antennal morphology of Osmoderma eremita, a threatened scarab beetle inhabiting tree hollows. O. eremita males produce a sex pheromone, (R)‐(+)‐γ‐decalactone, responsible mainly for the attraction of females but also other males. Gross and fine morphology of microstructures including sensilla, microsculpture and pores were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy. The antenna of O. eremita showed the typical lamellicorn shape of scarab beetles, with a basal scape, a pedicel, a funicle composed of five antennomeres and a club composed of three lamellae. Six different subtypes of sensilla chaetica (Ch.1 − 6), Böhm sensilla (Bo), one subtype of sensilla basiconica (Ba.1), two subtypes of sensilla coeloconica (Co.1 − 2), two subtypes of sensilla placodea (Pl.1 − 2), pores and peculiar folds were described. The two sexes did not show any significant differences in the occurrence and number of the sensilla placodea, known to be responsible for the pheromone reception. Instead, some sexual differences were found on the occurrence and topology of three different microstructures: (1) one subtype of sensillum chaeticum (Ch.2) occurring on the pedicel only in males; (2) a characteristic pore occurring on the funicle only in males; (3) a peculiar fold occurring on different antennomeres of the funicle in the two sexes, on the fourth in males and on the fifth in females. A comparison between sensilla of O. eremita and those of other Scarabaeoidea is provided. Microsc. Res. Tech. 79:178–191, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Understanding the relationships between molecule structure and imprinting effect of two acetyl‐nitrogen heterocyclic compounds
Authors: Wang Jian , Dong Xiao , Xue Min , Dong Xuemin , Xu Zhibin , Meng Zihui , Luo Jun
Published: January 2016

The molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for two structural analogs, 1,3,5‐triacetyl‐1,3,5‐triazacyclohexane (TRAT) and 1,3,5,7‐tetraacetyl‐1,3,5,7‐tetraazacyclooctane (TAT), have been synthesized respectively under the same conditions. The TAT‐MIP showed excellent imprinting effect, whereas the TRAT‐MIP did not. To understand the different imprinting effects of the MIPs prepared from these two templates, the geometric structures and energetic properties of complexes formed around TAT and TRAT were studied computationally. The results indicate that in liquid phase, for the complexes formed with TAT and its nearest neighbor molecules, the magnitude of the binding energy increases with the number of surrounding TAT, methacrylic acid, and acetonitrile (ACT), whereas for the cases of TRAT, the magnitude of the binding energy increases with the number of surrounding TRAT and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate. The studied systems form stronger and thus more stable networks encapsulating TAT than with TRAT. ACT may also play an important role in the polymerization phase in stabilizing the shapes of the cavities that TATs reside in. We propose these as the major factors that affect the different imprinting effects of the two MIPs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cerebrospinal fluid velocity amplitudes within the cerebral aqueduct in healthy children and patients with Chiari I malformation
Authors: Bapuraj J. Rajiv , Londy Frank J. , Delavari Nader , Maher Cormac O. , Garton Hugh J.L. , Martin Bryn A. , Muraszko Karin M. , Ibrahim El‐Sayed H. , Quint Douglas J.
Published: January 2016

Purpose

To assess the effects of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) bidirectional motion in Chiari malformation type I (CMI), we monitored CSF velocity amplitudes on phase contrast MRI (PC‐MRI) in patients before and after surgery; and in healthy volunteers.

Materials and Methods

10 pediatric volunteers and 10 CMI patients participated in this study. CMI patients underwent PC‐MRI scans before and approximately 14 months following surgery. Two parameters—amplitude of mean velocity (AMV) and amplitude of peak velocity (APV) of CSF—were derived from the data. Measurements were made at the mid‐portion of the cerebral aqueduct, and anterior and posterior compartments of the spinal canal at the craniovertebral junction (CVJ).

Results

AMV and APV within the cerebral aqueduct were greater in preoperative assessments of the CMI patients compared to normal volunteers. Statistical significance was noted when comparing aqueductal AMV between the preoperative values and normal controls (P = 0.03), and before and after surgery in the CMI patients (P = 0.02). Lower values of AMV (P = 0.02) were noted in the anterior CVJ compartment in the patients before and after surgery when compared to the normal volunteers. There were no significant correlations (P = 0.06) noted for the APV at the CVJ between the normal control and patients, before or after surgery.

Conclusion

In pediatric CMI patients, AMV for CSF within the cerebral aqueduct and anterior CVJ subarachnoid space are significantly elevated preoperatively and normalize following surgery. Given the biphasic CSF motion, measuring amplitude accounts for cranial and caudal flow. It may offer an alternative parameter to assess postsurgical outcome. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:463–470.
A further analysis of the tropical Atlantic SST modes and their relations to north‐eastern Brazil rainfall during different phases of Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
Authors: Kayano Mary T. , Capistrano Vinicius B. , Andreoli Rita V. , de Souza Rodrigo A. F.
Published: January 2016

This paper examines the climate variability modes in the South American/Atlantic sector accompanying dry and wet years over north‐eastern Brazil (NEB) in which the tropical Pacific and Atlantic oceanic‐atmospheric conditions usually associated, respectively, with dryness and wetness are absent. The analyses are for several variables and take into account the warm and cold Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) phases (WAMO and CAMO). Four cases are analysed: DRY‐WAMO, DRY‐CAMO, WET‐WAMO and WET‐CAMO. The main difference in the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly patterns in the tropics between the AMO phases responsible for the differences in the precipitation anomaly patterns is the differential longitude positioning of the warming or cooling of the surface waters in the equatorial Atlantic. In consequence, the anomalous Atlantic Hadley and Walker circulations also show differences between the AMO phases, which justify the observed precipitation anomalies over tropical South America for the analysed cases. The strong anomalous Atlantic Hadley cell determines the dipolar structure of the precipitation anomalies between NEB and northern South America for the DRY‐WAMO and WET‐WAMO cases. The strong anomalous Atlantic Walker cell defines the dryness over NEB for the DRY‐CAMO, and both the strong anomalous Atlantic Hadley and Walker cells act together to yield an anomalous dry condition over NEB and wet condition over northern South America. Therefore, the results here provided clear indications that for climate monitoring and forecasting tasks, the AMO phases should be considered. These are new aspects of the tropical Atlantic variability that might be useful for climate monitoring purposes.
The Strategic Impact of Information Technology Deployment, Part II
Authors: White Gareth R.T. , Jones Paul , Beynon‐Davies Paul
Published: January 2016

The implementation of information technologies has increasing importance in all aspects of life.
Cloning of genes related to aliphatic glucosinolate metabolism and the mechanism of sulforaphane accumulation in broccoli sprouts under jasmonic acid treatment
Authors: Guo Liping , Yang Runqiang , Gu Zhenxin
Published: January 2016

BACKGROUND

Cytochrome P450 79F1 (CYP79F1), cytochrome P450 83A1 (CYP83A1), UDP‐glucosyltransferase 74B1 (UGT74B1), sulfotransferase 18 (ST5b) and flavin‐containing monooxygenase GS‐OX1 (FMOGS‐OX1) are important enzymes in aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis. In this study, their full‐length cDNA in broccoli was firstly cloned, then the mechanism of sulforaphane accumulation under jasmonic acid (JA) treatment was investigated.

RESULTS

The full‐length cDNA of CYP79F1, CYP83A1, UGT74B1, ST5b and FMOGS‐OX1 comprised 1980, 1652, 1592, 1378 and 1623 bp respectively. The increase in aliphatic glucosinolate accumulation in broccoli sprouts treated with JA was associated with elevated expression of genes in the aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthetic pathway. Application of 100 µmol L−1 JA increased myrosinase (MYR) activity but did not affect epithiospecifier protein (ESP) activity in broccoli sprouts, which was supported by the expression of MYR and ESP. Sulforaphane formation in 7‐day‐old sprouts treated with 100 µmol L−1 JA was 3.36 and 1.30 times that in the control and 300 µmol L−1 JA treatment respectively.

CONCLUSION

JA enhanced the accumulation of aliphatic glucosinolates in broccoli sprouts via up‐regulation of related gene expression. Broccoli sprouts treated with 100 µmol L−1 JA showed higher sulforphane formation than those treated with 300 µmol L−1 JA owing to the higher glucoraphanin content and myrosinase activity under 100 µmol L−1 JA treatment. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Reduction theorems for Sobolev embeddings into the spaces of Hölder, Morrey and Campanato type
Authors: Holík Miloslav
Published: January 2016

Let X be a rearrangement‐invariant Banach function space on Q where Q is a cube in and let be the Sobolev space of real‐valued weakly differentiable functions f satisfying . We establish a reduction theorem for an embedding of the Sobolev space into spaces of Campanato, Morrey and Hölder type. As a result we obtain a new characterization of such embeddings in terms of boundedness of a certain one‐dimensional integral operator on representation spaces.
T2 shuffling: Sharp, multicontrast, volumetric fast spin‐echo imaging
Authors: Tamir Jonathan I. , Uecker Martin , Chen Weitian , Lai Peng , Alley Marcus T. , Vasanawala Shreyas S. , Lustig Michael
Published: January 2016

Purpose

A new acquisition and reconstruction method called T2 Shuffling is presented for volumetric fast spin‐echo (three‐dimensional [3D] FSE) imaging. T2 Shuffling reduces blurring and recovers many images at multiple T2 contrasts from a single acquisition at clinically feasible scan times (6–7 min).

Theory and Methods

The parallel imaging forward model is modified to account for temporal signal relaxation during the echo train. Scan efficiency is improved by acquiring data during the transient signal decay and by increasing echo train lengths without loss in signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). By (1) randomly shuffling the phase encode view ordering, (2) constraining the temporal signal evolution to a low‐dimensional subspace, and (3) promoting spatio‐temporal correlations through locally low rank regularization, a time series of virtual echo time images is recovered from a single scan. A convex formulation is presented that is robust to partial voluming and radiofrequency field inhomogeneity.

Results

Retrospective undersampling and in vivo scans confirm the increase in sharpness afforded by T2 Shuffling. Multiple image contrasts are recovered and used to highlight pathology in pediatric patients. A proof‐of‐principle method is integrated into a clinical musculoskeletal imaging workflow.

Conclusion

The proposed T2 Shuffling method improves the diagnostic utility of 3D FSE by reducing blurring and producing multiple image contrasts from a single scan. Magn Reson Med 77:180–195, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bifacial weakness with paresthesias: Serial nerve conduction studies indicate diffuse demyelinating neuropathy
Authors: Morgan Catherine , Fuller Geraint , Wakerley Benjamin R.
Published: January 2016

Introduction

Bifacial weakness with paresthesias is a rare subtype of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), characterized by facial diplegia in the absence of any other cranial neuropathies, limb weakness, or ataxia. Frequently, patients also complain of distal limb paresthesias before or at the time they develop facial weakness.

Methods

We describe a man who developed post‐infective isolated symmetric facial diplegia associated with distal paresthesias. Nerve conduction studies were conducted at 4 time‐points over 6 months.

Results

A monophasic disease course and presence of cerebrospinal fluid albuminocytological dissociation supported a diagnosis of bifacial weakness with paresthesias. Serial nerve conduction studies demonstrated an evolving demyelinating neuropathy with evidence of distal and proximal demyelination without conduction block, which partially resolved over time. Despite complete resolution of facial weakness within weeks, distal paresthesias persisted beyond 6 months.

Conclusions

This study suggests that neuropathy in patients with bifacial weakness and paresthesias is demyelinating and diffuse. Muscle Nerve 53: 818–822, 2016
Congenital myasthenic syndrome due to novel CHAT mutations in an ethnic kadazandusun family
Authors: Tan Joo‐San , Ambang Tomica , Ahmad‐Annuar Azlina , Rajahram Giri Shan , Wong Kum Thong , Goh Khean Jin
Published: January 2016

Introduction

Choline acetyltransferase (CHAT) gene mutations cause a rare presynaptic congenital myasthenic syndrome due to impaired acetylcholine resynthesis.

Methods

We report 2 Kadazandusun brothers with novel heterozygous CHAT mutations.

Results

The siblings were from a family of 7 children of nonconsanguineous parents, 3 who died from apneic crises. Both presented in infancy with ptosis and exertional limb weakness, but only 1 apnea episode was reported in the older sibling. The elder brother had a positive edrophonium test, and both were negative for acetylcholine receptor antibodies but improved with pyridostigmine treatment. A subsequent repetitive nerve stimulation test showed marked decremental response in the abductor digiti minimi only after prolonged ulnar nerve stimulation. Two novel CHAT gene mutations, p.Val306Leu and p.Ser704del were detected; the parents carried 1 mutation each.

Conclusions

Differences in survival demonstrate phenotypic variability within the same family and a relatively good long‐term outcome of the surviving siblings. Muscle Nerve 53: 822–826, 2016
Possible target‐related proteins and signal network of bufalin in A549 cells suggested by both iTRAQ‐based and label‐free proteomic analysis
Authors: Zhang Dong‐Mei , Feng Li‐Xing , Liu Miao , Jin Wen‐Hai , Luo Ji , Nie Ai‐Ying , Zhou Yue , Li Yin , Wu Wan‐Ying , Jiang Bao‐Hong , Yang Min , Hu Li‐Hong , Guo De‐An , Liu Xuan
Published: January 2016

Bufalin (BF) exhibited antiproliferation and antimigration effects on human A549 lung cancer cells. To search its target‐related proteins, protein expression profiles of BF‐treated and control cells were compared using two quantitative proteomic methods, iTRAQ‐based and label‐free proteomic analysis. A total of 5428 proteins were identified in iTRAQ‐based analysis while 6632 proteins were identified in label‐free analysis. The number of common identified proteins of both methods was 4799 proteins. By application of 1.20‐fold for upregulated and 0.83‐fold for downregulated cutoff values, 273 and 802 differentially expressed proteins were found in iTRAQ‐based and label‐free analysis, respectively. The number of common differentially expressed proteins of both methods was 45 proteins. Results of bioinformational analysis using MetacoreTM showed that the two proteomic methods were complementary and both suggested the involvement of oxidative stress and regulation of gene expression in the effects of BF, and fibronectin‐related pathway was suggested to be an important pathway affected by BF. Western blotting assay results confirmed BF‐induced change in levels of fibronectin and other related proteins. Overexpression of fibronectin by plasmid transfection ameliorated antimigration effects of BF. Results of the present study provided information about possible target‐related proteins and signal network of BF.
Chemistry and photochemistry of natural plant pigments: the anthocyanins
Authors: Silva Volnir O. , Freitas Adilson A. , Maçanita António L. , Quina Frank H.
Published: January 2016

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant pigments responsible for the red, blue, and purple colors of the majority of fruits, flowers, and leaves. The pH‐dependent ground‐state chemistry of anthocyanins is extremely rich. Above about pH 2.5, the colored flavylium cation form typically hydrates to form the colorless hemiacetal, followed by ring‐opening tautomerization to the (E)‐chalcone, which can isomerize to the (Z)‐chalcone. The color of anthocyanins can also be modulated and/or stabilized by complexation with metal ions or with colorless organic molecules (copigments) such as hydroxylated benzoic or cinnamic acids. An understanding of the chemistry that contributes to the loss of color is essential for the development of novel and more effective strategies for the stabilization of the color above pH 3, which would permit the use of anthocyanins as natural pigments in a much wider range of foods or consumer products. In the excited state, uncomplexed anthocyanins undergo ultrafast adiabatic deprotonation (5–20 ps) in aqueous solution to give the corresponding short‐lived (about 200 ps) excited quinonoidal base. Intermolecular and intramolecular complexes of anthocyanins with organic copigments undergo deactivation that is even faster than deprotonation. The colorless hydration products are photoactive in the ultraviolet; thus, the chalcones undergo E–Z photoisomerization, while the hemiacetal form of anthocyanins exhibits photochemistry typical of a chromene. These photoprocesses all potentially contribute to the photostability of anthocyanins in fruit and flowers and are fully consistent with the biological role of anthocyanins in protecting leaves from excess solar radiation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Advances in Fmoc solid‐phase peptide synthesis
Authors: Behrendt Raymond , White Peter , Offer John
Published: January 2016

Today, Fmoc SPPS is the method of choice for peptide synthesis. Very‐high‐quality Fmoc building blocks are available at low cost because of the economies of scale arising from current multiton production of therapeutic peptides by Fmoc SPPS. Many modified derivatives are commercially available as Fmoc building blocks, making synthetic access to a broad range of peptide derivatives straightforward. The number of synthetic peptides entering clinical trials has grown continuously over the last decade, and recent advances in the Fmoc SPPS technology are a response to the growing demand from medicinal chemistry and pharmacology. Improvements are being continually reported for peptide quality, synthesis time and novel synthetic targets. Topical peptide research has contributed to a continuous improvement and expansion of Fmoc SPPS applications. Copyright © 2015 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mothers' Mobility after Separation: Do Grandmothers Matter?
Authors: Das Marjolijn , de Valk Helga , Merz Eva‐Maria
Published: January 2016

Starting from a life course perspective, this study aims to gain more insight into mobility patterns of recently separated mothers, focusing especially on moves to the location of their own mother: the maternal grandmother. Separated mothers, having linked lives with their own mothers, may benefit from their practical and emotional support. Additionally, the grandparents' home can be a (temporary) place to stay shortly after divorce. Data come from the System of social statistical datasets (Statistics Netherlands). This unique dataset combines longitudinal data from a vast number of administrative registers. It covers the complete Dutch population, making it exceptionally well suited for life course and mobility research. We studied mothers with minor children between 1/1/2008 and 31/12/2010. Our study included 579,500 mothers, of whom about 8,800 (1.5%) experienced a separation in 2008. Separated mothers moved to the grandmother's municipality more often than non‐separated mothers, which might be partially motivated by the need for childcare. They also coresided with the grandmother more than non‐separated movers, mostly because of a vulnerable socio‐economic position. Although often temporary, coresidence appears to have a prolonged impact on the mothers' location choice; mothers frequently stayed in the grandmother's municipality after moving out. Finally, our results indicated that some mothers seemed to use the parental home as a stepping stone to cohabit with a new partner. © 2016 The Authors. Population, Space and Place published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Carbononics – integrating electronics, photonics and spintronics with graphene quantum dots
Authors: Hawrylak Pawel , Peeters François , Ensslin Klaus
Published: January 2016

No abstract is available for this article.
Probabilistic temperature forecasting based on an ensemble autoregressive modification
Authors: Möller Annette , Groß Jürgen
Published: January 2016

To address the uncertainty in outputs of numerical weather prediction (NWP) models, ensembles of forecasts are used. To obtain such an ensemble of forecasts, the NWP model is run multiple times, each time with variations in the mathematical representations of the model and/or initial or boundary conditions. To correct for possible biases and dispersion errors in the ensemble, statistical postprocessing models are frequently employed. These statistical models yield full predictive probability distributions for a weather quantity of interest and thus allow for a more accurate representation of forecast uncertainty. This article proposes to combine the state‐of‐the‐art Ensemble Model Output Statistics (EMOS) with an ensemble that is adjusted by an autoregressive process fitted to the respective error series by a spread‐adjusted linear pool in the case of temperature forecasts. The basic ensemble modification technique we introduce may be used to simply adjust the ensemble itself as well as to obtain a full predictive distribution for the weather quantity. As demonstrated for temperature forecasts from the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts ensemble, the proposed procedure gives rise to improved results over the basic (local) EMOS method.
Alkoxide bridged Copper(II) Hinokitiolato and Tropolonato Complexes: Polymorphism, Reconstructive Phase Transition, and Magnetic Properties
Authors: Schnitzler Silvia , Lamberts Kevin , Speldrich Manfred , Kögerler Paul , Englert Ulli
Published: January 2016

Polymorphism and an unexpected reconstructive phase transition in [Cu(trop)(μ‐OMe)]2 (trop = tropolonate) were studied by single crystal and powder X‐ray diffraction; the phase transition is associated with a huge hysteresis of ca. 200 °C. In the readily reproducible crystal form, the methoxide‐bridged dinuclear subunits aggregate to infinite chains by longer bonds in the Jahn‐Teller distorted coordination sphere. Analogous alkoxide‐bridged derivatives with the substituted ligand hinokitiol (hino), [Cu(hino)(μ‐OR)]2 (R = Me, Et, iPr) form pairs of dinuclear complexes and aggregate to discrete tetranuclear molecules. The inter‐cation distance patterns are reflected in the magnetic properties of these two structure types: Strong antiferromagnetic coupling within the dinuclear subunits is observed in either case, but susceptibility measurements confirm differences in exchange coupling between neighboring central CuII atoms.
On the Crystal Structure of a Previously Unknown Anhydrous Zinc Hydroxide Sulfate
Authors: Germann Luzia S. , Dinnebier Robert E. , Liu Xin , Dong Yaping , Li Wu
Published: January 2016

Anhydrous zinc hydroxide sulfates are promising precursors for the preparation of pigments and ZnO nanomaterials. The crystal structure of one such compound 5[Zn(OH)2]·2[ZnSO4] was determined from high resolution laboratory X‐ray powder diffraction data by use of a combination of charge flipping,18 simulated annealing,26 and difference Fourier analysis. The material crystallizes in the space group P with the lattice parameters of a = 5.4559(2) Å, b = 8.0528(3) Å, c = 8.9275(3) Å, α = 112.697(2)°, β = 85.219(3)°, γ = 95.441(3)°, and a volume of V = 359.76(2) Å3. The basic crystal structure consists of brucite type Zn(OH)2 layers where every sixth octahedral site is vacant. Tetrahedrally coordinated zinc ions are located above and below these vacancies and consecutive layers are bridged by sulfate molecules. The composition of this layered structure can be written as [Zn5VI□(OH)4·Zn2IV(OH)6·(SO4)2]. Its thermal decomposition was studied by X‐ray powder diffraction and thermal analysis.
Influence of methanol/sorbitol co-feeding rate on pAOX1 induction in a Pichia pastoris Mut+ strain in bioreactor with limited oxygen transfer rate
Authors: Carly F , Niu H , Delvigne F , Fickers P
Published: January 2016

High Pichia pastoris biomass density could be obtained using high co-feeding rate of methanol and sorbitol in a fed-batch or continuous culture, while further higher feeding rate finally leads to oxygen limitation in bioreactor. In the literature, there is lack of report about AOX1 promoter regulation with regard to dissolved oxygen level (DO). Therefore, in this work, chemostat cultures were performed to investigate the cell growth, metabolism and regulation of the AOX1 promoter (pAOX1) regarding co-feeding rate of optimized methanol/sorbitol mixture (methanol fraction 0.60 C-mol/C-mol) using a P. pastoris Mut+/pAOX1-lacZ strain. The oxygen transfer rates (OTR) in bioreactor were kept in the range of typical values of large bioreactor, i.e., 4–8 g/(L h) if DO equals 30 % saturation or 5–10 g/(L h) if DO nears zero. For DO >0, an increase of the carbon fed led to an increase of pAOX1 induction. By contrast, when dissolved oxygen was completely depleted, methanol accumulated, causing a 30 % decrease of pAOX1 induction. However, this decrease is more likely to be lined to methanol accumulation than to low level of dissolved oxygen (<4 % DO). Methanol/sorbitol co-feeding allowed cells to adapt to oxygen transient limitations that often occur at industrial scale with reduced effect on pAOX1 induction. The optimal feeding rate tested here was 6.6 mmol C (DCW h)−1 at an OTR of 8.28 g O2(L h)−1 with over fivefold pAOX1 induction (probably directly associated with target protein productivity) compared with previous work.