bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of ClpS2, an essential adaptor protein for the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus
Authors: Tryggvesson Anders , Ståhlberg Frida M. , Töpel Mats , Tanabe Noriaki , Mogk Axel , Clarke Adrian K.
Published: November 2015

The adaptor protein ClpS associates to the Clp protease and promotes degradation of N‐end rule substrates in eubacteria and in algal/plant chloroplasts. Cyanobacteria are unusual in having two distinct ClpS paralogs. Although ClpSl is typical of bacterial ClpS, ClpS2 differs in crucial ways. ClpS2 in Synechococcus elongatus is a relatively low‐abundant, soluble protein essential for phototrophic growth. Like ClpSl, ClpS2 binds to the ClpCP3/R protease to block α‐casein degradation and promote that of N‐end rule substrates in vitro. However, their substrate specificity differs, with ClpSl recognizing destabilizing Phe and Tyr residues at the substrate N‐terminus whereas ClpS2 recognizes Leu. Overall, ClpS2 appears to have independently evolved in cyanobacteria to degrade a particular group of proteins, whose turnover is vital for cell viability.
The efficacy of the COMFORT score and pain management protocol in ventilated pediatric patients following cardiac surgery
Authors: Elella Raja Abou , Adalaty Hani , Koay Yah Nga , Mokrusova Pavla , Theresa Maria , Male Benito , Francis Bency , Jarrab Chairmain , Wadai Abdullah Al
Published: November 2015

Background and objectives:

An optimal scoring system for pain assessment in pediatric intensive care is necessary to determine the efficacy of analgesics. We assess the COMFORT scale in postoperative ventilated children and study the effect of pain and sedation protocols on their outcomes.

Patients and methods:

We included postoperative ventilated patients. The unit-based pain management protocol was used. The assessment of the COMFORT and FLACC scales was per-formed by 2-nurses at 2-h intervals on the day of surgery and at 4-h intervals during the first 2-postoperative days or until the patient was ex-tubated. The patients’ outcomes were compared with age-matched and RACHS score matched patients prior to the application of the pain protocol.

Results:

One-hundred-ten prospective patients were included. The mean age and weight was 24 months and 9.8 ± 8.4 kg, respectively. There was a weak, statistically significant correlation between the COMFORT and FLACC scales, with a range of (r = 0.01-0.7). The COMFORT scale demonstrated good internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.75. The mean ventila-tion days were 1.3 ± 3, with a mean ICU and hospital stay of 5 ± 5 and 10 ± 9 days, respec-tively. The 110 patients were compared to 50 retrospective matching patients. The prospective group demonstrated statistically less ventilation days, ICU stay time and hospital stay time, with P-values of 0.0004, 0.001 and 0.0003, respectively.

Conclusion:

The COMFORT scale is a valuable and reliable pain assessment tool for use in post-operative ventilated pediatric patients. The implementation of a pain and sedation protocol decreased the incidence of withdrawal and the duration of mechanical ventilation as well as ICU and hospital stays.
Translation and validation of the Malay version of the Stroke Knowledge Test
Authors: Sowtali Siti Noorkhairina , Yusoff Dariah Mohd , Harith Sakinah , Mohamed Monniaty
Published: November 2015

Background

To date, there is a lack of published studies on assessment tools to evaluate the effectiveness of stroke education programs.

Methods

This study developed and validated the Malay language version of the Stroke Knowledge Test research instrument. This study involved translation, validity, and reliability phases. The instrument underwent backward and forward translation of the English version into the Malay language. Nine experts reviewed the content for consistency, clarity, difficulty, and suitability for inclusion. Perceived usefulness and utilization were obtained from experts’ opinions. Later, face validity assessment was conducted with 10 stroke patients to determine appropriateness of sentences and grammar used. A pilot study was conducted with 41 stroke patients to determine the item analysis and reliability of the translated instrument using the Kuder Richardson 20 or Cronbach's alpha.

Results

The final Malay version Stroke Knowledge Test included 20 items with good content coverage, acceptable item properties, and positive expert review ratings. Psychometric investigations suggest that Malay version Stroke Knowledge Test had moderate reliability with Kuder Richardson 20 or Cronbach's alpha of 0.58. Improvement is required for Stroke Knowledge Test items with unacceptable difficulty indices. Overall, the average rating of perceived usefulness and perceived utility of the instruments were both 72.7%, suggesting that reviewers were likely to use the instruments in their facilities.

Conclusions

Malay version Stroke Knowledge Test was a valid and reliable tool to assess educational needs and to evaluate stroke knowledge among participants of group‐based stroke education programs in Malaysia.
Coalition Formation and Selectorate Theory: An Experiment
Authors: Bausch Andrew W.
Published: November 2015

This paper uses a laboratory experiment to examine how different rules for re-selecting the leader of a group affects how that leader builds a winning coalition. Leaders play an inter-group game and then distribute winnings from that game within their group before standing for re-selection. The results of the experiment show that leaders of groups with large winning coalition systems rely heavily on distributing winnings through public goods, while leaders of groups with small winning coalition systems are more likely to target specific citizens with private goods. Furthermore, the experiment shows that supporters of small coalition leaders benefit from that support in future rounds by receiving more private goods than citizens that did not support the leader. Meanwhile, citizens that support a large coalition leader do not benefit from this support in future rounds. Therefore, small coalition leaders target individual citizens to maintain a coalition over time in a way not possible in a group with a large winning coalition. Finally, in the experiment, small coalition leaders increased their payoffs over time, suggesting that once power has been consolidated, small coalition leaders narrow their coalition.
Proteomic research on diapause-related proteins in the female ladybird,Coccinella septempunctataL.
Authors: Ren X.Y. , Zhang L.S. , Han Y.H. , An T. , Liu Y. , Li Y.Y. , Chen H.Y.
Published: November 2015

In the experiments reported here, we used the female ladybirdCoccinella septempunctataL. as a model to identify diapause-associated proteins using proteomics technology. Our results indicated that protein expression patterns of diapausing and nondiapausing individuals were highly differentiated. A total of 58 spots showed significant differences in abundance (Ratio > 2 andP< 0.05) according to two-dimensional electrophoresis and GE Image Scanner III analysis. Sixteen protein spots were further investigated using mass spectrometry. Eight proteins were characterized, including chaperones and proteins involved in glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Among these proteins, five proteins were upregulated in diapausing female adults, including a chaperone (Symbionin symL), malate dehydrogenase (putative), two proteins linked to lipid metabolism (unknown and conserved hypothetical protein) and phosphoglyceromutase (partial). By contrast, isocitrate dehydrogenase (RH49423p), fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (AGAP001942-PA), and a putative medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase were downregulated. These results contribute to the understanding of diapause mechanisms of the ladybirdC. septempunctataand may suggest methods for improving the application of this natural enemy insect.
Climate change benchmarking: Constructing a sustainable future?
Authors: KUZEMKO CAROLINE
Published: November 2015

This article analyses discourses on climate change and mitigation through the deconstruction of European Union (EU) rhetoric and practices on climate benchmarking. It critically examines the motivations behind climate benchmarking, the methods used to construct international benchmarks, and the reasons for variety in domestic compliance. Germany and the United Kingdom are analysed as cases where domestic politics drive very different reactions to the practice of climate mitigation, differences that have been largely hidden by the type of quantification that EU benchmarking involves. Through an exploration of the methods used to formulate climate benchmarks, the article demonstrates that these commitments have privileged certain responses over others, and thus helped to paint a picture of EU benchmarks as ‘reformist’ but not ‘radical’. EU climate benchmarks often end up concealing more than they reveal, making it difficult to fully engage with the scale and complexity of the far-reaching domestic changes that are required in order to comply with agreed international benchmarks. The deficiencies of benchmarks as a mechanism for driving long-term sustainable change, and importantly discouraging harmful policies, may ultimately undermine their credibility as a means for governing climate change at a distance in the EU.
Turn-taking, timing, and planning in early language acquisition
Authors: CASILLAS MARISA , BOBB SUSAN C. , CLARK EVE V.
Published: November 2015

Young children answer questions with longer delays than adults do, and they don't reach typical adult response times until several years later. We hypothesized that this prolonged pattern of delay in children's timing results from competing demands: to give an answer, children must understand a question while simultaneously planning and initiating their response. Even as children get older and more efficient in this process, the demands on them increase because their verbal responses become more complex. We analyzed conversational question–answer sequences between caregivers and their children from ages 1;8 to 3;5, finding that children (1) initiate simple answers more quickly than complex ones, (2) initiate simple answers quickly from an early age, and (3) initiate complex answers more quickly as they grow older. Our results suggest that children aim to respond quickly from the start, improving on earlier-acquired answer types while they begin to practice later-acquired, slower ones.
An Adaptive Dual-Window Step Detection Method for a Waist-Worn Inertial Navigation System
Authors: Zhang Yanshun , Xiong Yunqiang , Wang Yixin , Li Chunyu , Wang Zhanqing
Published: November 2015

In waist-worn pedestrian navigation systems, the periodic vertical acceleration peak signal at body centre of gravity is widely used for detecting steps. Due to vibration and waist shaking interference, accelerometer output signals contain false peaks and thus reduce step detection accuracy. This paper analyses the relationship between periodic acceleration at pedestrian centre of gravity and walking stance during walking. An adaptive dual-window step detection method is proposed based on this analysis. The peak signal is detected by a dual-window and the window length is adjusted according to the change in step frequency. The adaptive dual window approach is shown to successfully suppress the effects of vibration and waist shaking, thereby improving the step detection accuracy. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated through step detection experiments and pedestrian navigation positioning experiments respectively. The step detection error rate was found to be less than 0·15% in repeated experiments consisting of 345 steps, while the longer (about 1·3 km) pedestrian navigation experiments demonstrated typical positioning error was around 0·67% of the distance travelled.
Widespread dispersion of the resistance element tet(B)::ISCR2 in XDR Acinetobacter baumannii isolates
Authors: VILACOBA E. , ALMUZARA M. , GULONE L. , TRAGLIA G. M. , MONTAÑA S. , RODRÍGUEZ H. , PASTERAN F. , PENNINI M. , SUCARI A. , GÓMEZ N. , FERNÁNDEZ A. , CENTRÓN D. , RAMÍREZ M. S.
Published: November 2015

Acinetobacter baumannii is a significant nosocomial pathogen often associated with extreme drug resistance (XDR). In Argentina, isolates of A. baumannii resistant to tetracyclines have accounted for more than 40% of drug-resistant isolates in some hospitals. We have previously reported the dispersion of the tet(B) resistance element associated with the ISCR2 transposase in epidemiologically unrelated A. baumannii isolates recovered from 1983 to 2011. This study extends this surveillance to 77 recent (2009–2013) XDR A. baumannii isolates with different levels of minocycline susceptibility. Isolates were examined by a pan-PCR assay, which showed six different amplification patterns, and specific PCRs were used for the confirmation of the the ΔISCR2-tet(B)-tet(R)-ISCR2 element. The tet(B) gene was present in 66 isolates and the ISCR2 element in 68 isolates; the tet(B) gene was associated with ISCR2 in all tet(B)-positive isolates. We conclude that this element is widespread in XDR A. baumannii isolates from Argentina and could be responsible for the emergence of tetracycline resistance in recent years.
Prevalence and risk factors of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among 6–24-month-old underweight and normal-weight children living in an urban slum of Bangladesh
Authors: Ahmed AM Shamsir , Ahmed Tahmeed , Long Kurt Z , Magalhaes Ricardo J Soares , Hossain Md Iqbal , Islam Md Munirul , Mahfuz Mustafa , Gaffar SM Abdul , Sharmeen Atiya , Haque Rashidul , Guerrant Richard L , Petri William A , Mamun Abdullah Al
Published: November 2015

Objective

We quantified the prevalence of vitamin D status in 6–24-month-old underweight and normal-weight children and identified the socio-economic and dietary predictors for status.

Design

Cross-sectional, baseline data from a nutritional intervention study were analysed. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of being vitamin D deficient or insufficient with the reference being vitamin D sufficient.

Setting

Urban slum area of Mirpur field site, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Subjects

Underweight (weight-for-age Z-score <−2·00) and normal-weight (weight-for-age Z-score ≥−1·00) children aged 6–24 months.

Results

Among 468 underweight children, 23·1 % were sufficient, 42·3 % insufficient, 31·2 % deficient and 3·4 % severely vitamin D deficient. Among 445 normal-weight children, 14·8 % were sufficient, 39·6 % insufficient and 40·0 % deficient and 5·6 % severely deficient. With adjusted multinominal regression analysis, risk factors (OR (95 % CI)) for vitamin D deficiency in underweight children were: older age group (18–24 months old; 2·9 (1·5–5·7)); measurement of vitamin D status during winter (3·0 (1·4–6·4)) and spring (6·9 (3·0–16·1)); and maternal education (≥6 years of institutional education; 2·2 (1·0–4·9)). In normal-weight children, older age group (3·6 (1·2–10·6)) and living in the richest quintile (3·7 (1·1–12·5)) were found to be significantly associated with vitamin D insufficiency.

Conclusions

The study demonstrates a significant burden of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in both underweight and normal-weight children <2 years of age from an urban slum of Bangladesh. Identification of risk factors may help in mitigating the important burden in such children.
SECOND-ORDER NONCOMMUTATIVE DIFFERENTIAL AND LIPSCHITZ STRUCTURES DEFINED BY A CLOSED SYMMETRIC OPERATOR
Authors: BHATT S. J. , SHAH MEETAL M.
Published: November 2015

The Banach $^{\ast }$-operator algebras, exhibiting the second-order noncommutative differential structure and the noncommutative Lipschitz structure, that are determined by the unbounded derivation and induced by a closed symmetric operator in a Hilbert space, are explored.
Increasing corn yield with no-till cropping systems: a case study in South Dakota
Authors: Anderson Randy L.
Published: November 2015

No-till practices have improved crop yields in the semiarid Great Plains. However, a recent assessment of research studies across the globe indicated that crop yields are often reduced by no-till. To understand this contrast, we examined corn yields across time in a no-till cropping system of one producer in central South Dakota to identify factors associated with increased yield. The producer started no-till in 1990; by 2013, corn yield increased 116%. In comparison, corn increased only 32% during this interval with a conventional, tillage-based system in a neighboring county. With no-till, corn yields increased in increments due to changes in management. For example, corn yield increased 52% when crop diversity in the rotation was expanded from 2 to 5 crops. A further 18% gain in yield occurred when dry pea was grown before corn in sequence. Nitrogen (N) requirement for corn is 25% lower in no-till compared with a tillage-based rotation. Furthermore, phosphorus (P) fertilizer input also has been reduced 30% after 20 yr of no-till, even with higher yields. Our case study shows that integrating no-till with crop diversity and soil microbial changes improves corn yield considerably. This integration also reduces need for inputs such as water, N and P.
Jugendhilfebedarf nach (teil-)stationärer kinder- und jugendpsychiatrischer Behandlung
Authors: Beck Norbert
Published: November 2015

Zusammenfassung. Fragestellung: In der psychosozialen Versorgung von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit psychischen Störungen spielt die Kooperation der Systeme Gesundheitshilfe und Jugendhilfe eine bedeutende Rolle. Mit der vorgestellten Bedarfsanalyse wurde erfasst, wie viele Kinder und Jugendliche im Vorfeld und im Nachgang zu einer (teil-)stationären kinder- und jugendpsychiatrischen Behandlung Jugendhilfemaßnahmen in Anspruch nahmen. Methodik: Über einen Zeitraum von 6 Monaten wurden die abgeschlossenen Behandlungsfälle aus 36 bayerischen Kliniken und Tageskliniken für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie erfasst. Erhoben wurden neben soziodemografischen und diagnostischen Daten Informationen zu indizierten und im Anschluss an die klinische Behandlung realisierten Jugendhilfemaßnahmen. Ergebnisse: Bei 33 % aller (teil-)stationär behandelten Kindern und Jugendlichen wurde eine Jugendhilfeanschlussmaßnahme umgesetzt. Im Vorfeld der klinischen Behandlung nahmen bereits 38 % der Kinder und Jugendlichen Hilfen aus dem Leistungsspektrum der Jugendhilfe in Anspruch. Jeder zweite behandelte Patient hatte zu beiden Systemen, der Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und der Jugendhilfe, Kontakt. Die größte Bedeutung kommt in der gemeinsamen Versorgung dem stationären Setting der Jugendhilfe zu. Schlussfolgerungen: In der gemeinsamen Versorgung handelt es sich häufig nicht um eine Überführung von einem Versorgungssystem in das andere, sondern um komplexe Hilfeverläufe in unterschiedlichen Konstellationen. Anzustreben wäre eine strukturiertere Erfassung der gemeinsamen Klientel und die Entwicklung systemübergreifender Versorgungsstrukturen zur Verbesserung der Kooperation.
Erektions- und Ejakulationsstörungen
Authors: Gross Oliver , Sulser Tullio , Eberli Daniel
Published: November 2015

Zusammenfassung. Eine für den befriedigenden Geschlechtsverkehr insuffiziente Erektion wird als erektile Dysfunktion (ED) bezeichnet. Somit kann die Diagnose der ED in den meisten Fällen anhand der Anamnese gestellt werden. Bei den Ejakulationsstörungen steht der vorzeitige Samenerguss mit einer Prävalenz von bis zu 20% im Zentrum. Als Ursache der ED können psychische, vaskuläre, neurogene, hormonelle oder urogenitale Pathologien infrage kommen. Epidemiologische Studien zeigen eine hohe Prävalenz von 50–60% ab dem 65. Altersjahr. Pathophysiologisch stehen vaskuläre Ursachen wie Diabetes mellitus und Atherosklerose an erster Stelle. Daher sollte bei Vorliegen einer ED gezielt nach systemisch vaskulären Erkrankungen gesucht werden, um kardialen Ereignissen vorzubeugen. Therapeutisch stehen sowohl invasive als auch nicht-invasive Verfahren zur Verfügung.
Highly active and durable methanol oxidation electrocatalyst based on the synergy of platinum–nickel hydroxide–graphene
Authors: Huang Wenjing , Wang Hongtao , Zhou Jigang , Wang Jian , Duchesne Paul N. , Muir David , Zhang Peng , Han Na , Zhao Feipeng , Zeng Min , Zhong Jun , Jin Chuanhong , Li Yanguang , Lee Shuit-Tong , Dai Hongjie
Published: November 2015

Active and durable electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction are of critical importance to the commercial viability of direct methanol fuel cell technology. Unfortunately, current methanol oxidation electrocatalysts fall far short of expectations and suffer from rapid activity degradation. Here we report platinum–nickel hydroxide–graphene ternary hybrids as a possible solution to this long-standing issue. The incorporation of highly defective nickel hydroxide nanostructures is believed to play the decisive role in promoting the dissociative adsorption of water molecules and subsequent oxidative removal of carbonaceous poison on neighbouring platinum sites. As a result, the ternary hybrids exhibit exceptional activity and durability towards efficient methanol oxidation reaction. Under periodic reactivations, the hybrids can endure at least 500,000 s with negligible activity loss, which is, to the best of our knowledge, two to three orders of magnitude longer than all available electrocatalysts.
Optically initialized robust valley-polarized holes in monolayer WSe2
Authors: Hsu Wei-Ting , Chen Yen-Lun , Chen Chang-Hsiao , Liu Pang-Shiuan , Hou Tuo-Hung , Li Lain-Jong , Chang Wen-Hao
Published: November 2015

A robust valley polarization is a key prerequisite for exploiting valley pseudospin to carry information in next-generation electronics and optoelectronics. Although monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides with inherent spin–valley coupling offer a unique platform to develop such valleytronic devices, the anticipated long-lived valley pseudospin has not been observed yet. Here we demonstrate that robust valley-polarized holes in monolayer WSe2 can be initialized by optical pumping. Using time-resolved Kerr rotation spectroscopy, we observe a long-lived valley polarization for positive trion with a lifetime approaching 1 ns at low temperatures, which is much longer than the trion recombination lifetime (∼10–20 ps). The long-lived valley polarization arises from the transfer of valley pseudospin from photocarriers to resident holes in a specific valley. The optically initialized valley pseudospin of holes remains robust even at room temperature, which opens up the possibility to realize room-temperature valleytronics based on transition metal dichalcogenides.
Magnetic anisotropy in Shiba bound states across a quantum phase transition
Authors: Hatter Nino , Heinrich Benjamin W. , Ruby Michael , Pascual Jose I. , Franke Katharina J.
Published: November 2015

The exchange coupling between magnetic adsorbates and a superconducting substrate leads to Shiba states inside the superconducting energy gap and a Kondo resonance outside the gap. The exchange coupling strength determines whether the quantum many-body ground state is a Kondo singlet or a singlet of the paired superconducting quasiparticles. Here we use scanning tunnelling spectroscopy to identify the different quantum ground states of manganese phthalocyanine on Pb(111). We observe Shiba states, which are split into triplets by magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Their characteristic spectral weight yields an unambiguous proof of the nature of the quantum ground state. Our results provide experimental insights into the phase diagram of a magnetic impurity on a superconducting host and shine light on the effects induced by magnetic anisotropy on many-body interactions.
Dataset on coherent control of fields and induced currents in nonlinear multiphoton processes in a nanosphere
Authors: McArthur Duncan , Hourahine Ben , Papoff Francesco
Published: November 2015

We model a scheme for the coherent control of light waves and currents in metallic nanospheres which applies independently of the nonlinear multiphoton processes at the origin of waves and currents. Using exact mathematical formulae, we calculate numerically with a custom fortran code the effect of an external control field which enable us to change the radiation pattern and suppress radiative losses or to reduce absorption, enabling the particle to behave as a perfect scatterer or as a perfect absorber. Data are provided in tabular, comma delimited value format and illustrate narrow features in the response of the particles that result in high sensitivity to small variations in the local environment, including subwavelength spatial shifts.
A new Approach to El Niño Prediction beyond the Spring Season
Authors: Masuda Shuhei , Philip Matthews John , Ishikawa Yoichi , Mochizuki Takashi , Tanaka Yuusuke , Awaji Toshiyuki
Published: November 2015

The enormous societal importance of accurate El Niño forecasts has long been recognized. Nonetheless, our predictive capabilities were once more shown to be inadequate in 2014 when an El Nino event was widely predicted by international climate centers but failed to materialize. This result highlighted the problem of the opaque spring persistence barrier, which severely restricts longer-term, accurate forecasting beyond boreal spring. Here we show that the role played by tropical seasonality in the evolution of the El Niño is changing on pentadal (five-year) to decadal timescales and thus that El Niño predictions beyond boreal spring will inevitably be uncertain if this change is neglected. To address this problem, our new coupled climate simulation incorporates these long-term influences directly and generates accurate hindcasts for the 7 major historical El Niños. The error value between predicted and observed sea surface temperature (SST) in a specific tropical region (5°N–5°S and 170°–120°W) can consequently be reduced by 0.6 Kelvin for one-year predictions. This correction is substantial since an “El Niño” is confirmed when the SST anomaly becomes greater than +0.5 Kelvin. Our 2014 forecast is in line with the observed development of the tropical climate.
Manipulating Water Wave Propagation via Gradient Index Media
Authors: Wang Zhenyu , Zhang Pei , Nie Xiaofei , Zhang Yongqiang
Published: November 2015

It is challenging to realise the perfect manipulation of water waves within a broad range of frequencies. By extending conformal transformation principles to water waves, their propagation can be controlled via gradually varying water depths, permitting the realisation of a desired refractive index profile for linear water surface waves. Wave bending, directional wave emission and wave focusing are analysed experimentally with accompanying simulations. The results demonstrate desired wave manipulations within a broad range of frequencies, confirming the accuracy and effectiveness of conformal transformation for water waves.
Achieving high strength and high ductility in magnesium alloy using hard-plate rolling (HPR) process
Authors: Wang Hui–Yuan , Yu Zhao–Peng , Zhang Lei , Liu Chun–Guo , Zha Min , Wang Cheng , Jiang Qi–Chuan
Published: November 2015

Magnesium alloys are highly desirable for a wide range of lightweight structural components. However, rolling Mg alloys can be difficult due to their poor plasticity and the strong texture yielded from rolling often results in poor plate forming ability, which limits their further engineering applications. Here we report a new hard-plate rolling (HPR) route which achieves a large reduction during a single rolling pass. The Mg-9Al-1Zn (AZ91) plates processed by HPR consist of coarse grains of 30–60 μm, exhibiting a typical basal texture, fine grains of 1–5 μm and ultrafine (sub) grains of 200–500 nm, both of the latter two having a weakened texture. More importantly, the HPR was efficient in gaining a simultaneous high strength and uniform ductility, i.e., ~371 MPa and ~23%, respectively. The superior properties should be mainly attributed to the cooperation effect of the multimodal grain structure and weakened texture, where the former facilitates a strong work hardening while the latter promotes the basal slip. The HPR methodology is facile and effective and can avoid plate cracking that is prone to occur during conventional rolling processes. This strategy is applicable to hard-to-deform materials like Mg alloys and thus has a promising prospect for industrial application.
Elucidating the Mechanism of Weissella-dependent Lifespan Extension in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Lee Jiyun , Kwon Gayeung , Lim Young-Hee
Published: November 2015

The mechanism whereby lactic acid bacteria extend the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans has previously been elucidated. However, the role of Weissella species has yet not been studied. We show that Weissella koreensis and Weissella cibaria significantly (p < 0.05) extend the lifespan of C. elegans compared with Escherichia coli OP50 and induce the expression of several genes related to lifespan extension (daf-16, aak-2, jnk-1, sod-3 and hif-1). Oral administration of Weissella altered reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lowered the accumulation of lipofuscin and increased locomotor activity (which translates to a delay in ageing). Moreover, Weissella-fed C. elegans had decreased body sizes, brood sizes, ATP levels and pharyngeal pumping rates compared with E. coli OP50-fed worms. Furthermore, mutations in sod-3, hif-1 or skn-1 did not alter lifespan extension compared with wild-type C. elegans. However, C. elegans failed to display lifespan extension in loss-of-function mutants of daf-16, aak-2 and jnk-1, which highlights the potential role of these genes in Weissella-induced longevity in C. elegans. Weissella species extend C. elegans lifespan by activating DAF-16 via the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway, which is related to stress response and the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-pathway that is activated by dietary restriction.
Effect of low-level mechanical vibration on osteogenesis and osseointegration of porous titanium implants in the repair of long bone defects
Authors: Jing Da , Tong Shichao , Zhai Mingming , Li Xiaokang , Cai Jing , Wu Yan , Shen Guanghao , Zhang Xuhui , Xu Qiaoling , Guo Zheng , Luo Erping
Published: November 2015

Emerging evidence substantiates the potential of porous titanium alloy (pTi) as an ideal bone-graft substitute because of its excellent biocompatibility and structural properties. However, it remains a major clinical concern for promoting high-efficiency and high-quality osseointegration of pTi, which is beneficial for securing long-term implant stability. Accumulating evidence demonstrates the capacity of low-amplitude whole-body vibration (WBV) in preventing osteopenia, whereas the effects and mechanisms of WBV on osteogenesis and osseointegration of pTi remain unclear. Our present study shows that WBV enhanced cellular attachment and proliferation and induced well-organized cytoskeleton of primary osteoblasts in pTi. WBV upregulated osteogenesis-associated gene and protein expression in primary osteoblasts, including OCN, Runx2, Wnt3a, Lrp6 and β-catenin. In vivo findings demonstrate that 6-week and 12-week WBV stimulated osseointegration, bone ingrowth and bone formation rate of pTi in rabbit femoral bone defects via μCT, histological and histomorphometric analyses. WBV induced higher ALP, OCN, Runx2, BMP2, Wnt3a, Lrp6 and β-catenin and lower Sost and RANKL/OPG gene expression in rabbit femora. Our findings demonstrate that WBV promotes osteogenesis and osseointegration of pTi via its anabolic effect and potential anti-catabolic activity and imply the promising potential of WBV for enhancing the repair efficiency and quality of pTi in osseous defects.
Design of Warped Stretch Transform
Authors: Mahjoubfar Ata , Chen Claire Lifan , Jalali Bahram
Published: November 2015

Time stretch dispersive Fourier transform enables real-time spectroscopy at the repetition rate of million scans per second. High-speed real-time instruments ranging from analog-to-digital converters to cameras and single-shot rare-phenomena capture equipment with record performance have been empowered by it. Its warped stretch variant, realized with nonlinear group delay dispersion, offers variable-rate spectral domain sampling, as well as the ability to engineer the time-bandwidth product of the signal’s envelope to match that of the data acquisition systems. To be able to reconstruct the signal with low loss, the spectrotemporal distribution of the signal spectrum needs to be sparse. Here, for the first time, we show how to design the kernel of the transform and specifically, the nonlinear group delay profile dictated by the signal sparsity. Such a kernel leads to smart stretching with nonuniform spectral resolution, having direct utility in improvement of data acquisition rate, real-time data compression and enhancement of ultrafast data capture accuracy. We also discuss the application of warped stretch transform in spectrotemporal analysis of continuous-time signals.
Ex vivo peripheral nerve detection of rats by spontaneous Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Minamikawa Takeo , Harada Yoshinori , Takamatsu Tetsuro
Published: November 2015

Nerve-sparing surgery is increasingly being applied to avoid functional deficits of the limbs and organs following surgery. Peripheral nerves that should be preserved are, however, sometimes misidentified due to similarity of shape and color to non-nerve tissues. To avoid misidentification of peripheral nerves, development of an in situ nerve detection method is desired. In this study, we report the label-free detection of ex vivo peripheral nerves of Wistar rats by using Raman spectroscopy. We obtained Raman spectra of peripheral nerves (myelinated and unmyelinated nerves) and their adjacent tissues of Wistar rats without any treatment such as fixation and/or staining. For the identification of tissue species and further analysis of spectral features, we proposed a principal component regression-based discriminant analysis with representative Raman spectra of peripheral nerves and their adjacent tissues. Our prediction model selectively detected myelinated nerves and unmyelinated nerves of Wistar rats with respective sensitivities of 95.5% and 88.3% and specificities of 99.4% and 93.5%. Furthermore, important spectral features for the identification of tissue species were revealed by detailed analysis of principal components of representative Raman spectra of tissues. Our proposed approach may provide a unique and powerful tool for peripheral nerve detection for nerve-sparing surgery in the future.
A prospective case-control study to investigate retinal microvascular changes in acute dengue infection
Authors: Tan Petrina , Lye David C. , Yeo Tun Kuan , Cheung Carol Y. , Thein Tun-Linn , Wong Joshua G. , Agrawal Rupesh , Li Ling-Jun , Wong Tien-Yin , Gan Victor C. , Leo Yee-Sin , Teoh Stephen C.
Published: November 2015

Dengue infection can affect the microcirculation by direct viral infection or activation of inflammation. We aimed to determine whether measured retinal vascular parameters were associated with acute dengue infection. Patients with acute dengue were recruited from Communicable Diseases Center, Singapore and age-gender-ethnicity matched healthy controls were selected from a population-based study. Retinal photographs were taken on recruitment and convalescence. A spectrum of quantitative retinal microvascular parameters (retinal vascular caliber, fractal dimension, tortuosity and branching angle) was measured using a semi-automated computer-based program. (Singapore I Vessel Assessment, version 3.0). We included 62 dengue patients and 127 controls. Dengue cases were more likely to have wider retinal arteriolar and venular calibers (158.3 μm vs 144.3 μm, p < 0.001; 227.7 μm vs 212.8 μm, p < 0.001; respectively), higher arteriolar and venular fractal dimensions (1.271 vs 1.249, p = 0.002; 1.268 vs. 1.230, p < 0.001, respectively), higher arteriolar and venular tortuosity (0.730 vs 0.546 [x104], p < 0.001; 0.849 vs 0.658 [x104], p < 0.001; respectively), compared to controls. Resolution of acute dengue coincided with decrease in retinal vascular calibers and venular fractal dimension. Dengue patients have altered microvascular network in the retina; these changes may reflect pathophysiological processes in the immune system.
Impact of Anemia and Dual Antiplatelet Therapy on Mortality in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Drug-Eluting Stents
Authors: Wang Huili , Yang Yuan , Ma Lufeng , Wang Xian , Zhang Jun , Fu Jinguo , Zhang Shouyan , Zhang Ling , Hu Dayi , Ding Rongjing
Published: November 2015

The objective was to assess the impact of baseline anemia on all-cause mortality and whether 12-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) affects 1-year mortality linked to anemia in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES). 4109 enrolled patients divided into three groups based on their pre-procedural hemoglobin (Hb) level: Hb < 100 mg/L represented moderate-severe anemia; 100 mg/L ≤ Hb < 120 mg/L for women and 100 mg/L ≤ Hb < 130 mg/L for men represented mild anemia; Hb ≥ 120 mg/L for women and Hb≥130 mg/L for men represented no anemia. DAPT medications were prescribed when patients were discharged. There were significant differences in 30-day and 1-year mortality between moderate-severe anemia and no anemia patients (HR 8.05, 95% CI 1.46 to 44.33, P = 0.017; HR 3.93, 95% CI 1.11 to 13.98, P = 0.034) and in long-term mortality between anemia and no anemia groups (HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.17 to 2.83, P = 0.008 for mild anemia; HR 3.19,95% CI 1.29 to 7.86, P = 0.012 for moderate-severe anemia). There was not significant interaction between 12-month DAPT and anemia on mortality in anemic patients (P for interaction > 0.05). Anemia shows association with increased all-cause mortality in patients undergoing PCI. Twelve-month DAPT does not show synergy with anemia to increase the risk of all-cause 1-year mortality in anemic patients after PCI.
Recombination and selection in the major histocompatibility complex of the endangered forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii)
Authors: Cai Ruibo , Shafer Aaron B.A. , Laguardia Alice , Lin Zhenzhen , Liu Shuqiang , Hu Defu
Published: November 2015

The forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) is a high elevation species distributed across western China and northern Vietnam. Once abundant, habitat loss and poaching has led to a dramatic decrease in population numbers prompting the IUCN to list the species as endangered. Here, we characterized the genetic diversity of a Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) locus and teased apart driving factors shaping its variation. Seven DRB exon 2 alleles were identified among a group of randomly sampled forest musk deer from a captive population in the Sichuan province of China. Compared to other endangered or captive ungulates, forest musk deer have relatively low levels of MHC genetic diversity. Non-synonymous substitutions primarily occurred in the putative peptide-binding region (PBR), with analyses suggesting that recombination and selection has shaped the genetic diversity across the locus. Specifically, inter-allelic recombination generated novel allelic combinations, with evidence for both positive selection acting on the PBR and negative selection on the non-PBR. An improved understanding of functional genetic variability of the MHC will facilitate better design and management of captive breeding programs for this endangered species.
Enhanced target recognition of nanoparticles by cocktail PEGylation with chains of varying lengths
Authors: Ishii Takehiko , Miyata Kanjiro , Anraku Yasutaka , Naito Mitsuru , Yi Yu , Jinbo Takao , Takae Seiji , Fukusato Yu , Hori Mao , Osada Kensuke , Kataoka Kazunori
Published: November 2015

Monodispersed gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were simultaneously decorated with lactosylated and non-modified shorter poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs) to enhance their target recognition.
N-Alkylthienopyrroledione versus benzothiadiazole pulling units in push–pull copolymers used for photovoltaic applications: density functional theory study
Authors: Ku Jamin , Gim Yeongrok , Lansac Yves , Jang Yun Hee
Published: November 2015

Low-band-gap push–pull copolymers are promising donor materials for bulk heterojunction organic solar cells.
Concentration-dependent apparent partition coefficients of ionic liquids possessing ethyl- and bi-sulphate anions
Authors: Jain Preeti , Kumar Anil
Published: November 2015

This study deals with the concentration dependent apparent partition coefficients log P of the ethyl and bisulfate-based ionic liquids. It is observed that the bisulfate-based ionic liquids show different behaviour with respect to concentration as compared to ethyl sulphate-based ionic liquids.
Oxidative cyclization of alkenoic acids promoted by AgOAc
Authors: Carrillo-Arcos Ulises A. , Rojas-Ocampo Jonathan , Porcel Susana
Published: November 2015

Alkenoic acids derived from salicylic acid analogues undergo an unexpected oxidative cyclization process triggered by AgOAc leading to 4H-benzo[d][1,3]dioxin-4-ones.
Nickel(ii) complexes of N-CH2CF3 cyclam derivatives as contrast agents for 19F magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Blahut Jan , Hermann Petr , Gálisová Andrea , Herynek Vít , Císařová Ivana , Tošner Zdeněk , Kotek Jan
Published: November 2015

Nickel(ii) complexes of N,N′′-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl cyclam derivatives show significant 19F NMR relaxation rate enhancement useful for 19F MRI imaging.
The regulatory function of microRNA-1 in arrhythmias
Authors: Liao Caixiu , Gui Yajun , Guo Yuan , Xu Danyan
Published: November 2015

Arrhythmia, the basis of which is cardiomyocyte ion channel abnormalities, poses a serious threat to human health.
Fabrication of carbohydrate microarrays on a poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-based photoactive substrate
Authors: Sundhoro Madanodaya , Wang Hui , Boiko Scott T. , Chen Xuan , Jayawardena H. Surangi N. , Park JaeHyeung , Yan Mingdi
Published: November 2015

A carbohydrate microarray was fabricated on a PHEMA-based photoactive polymer. The arrays showed strong signals, and were used to probe carbohydrate-mediated interactions with lectin and bacteria.
Sequential aza-Piancatelli rearrangement/Friedel–Crafts alkylation for the synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-d]benzodiazepine derivatives
Authors: Subba Reddy B. V. , Vikram Reddy Y. , Singarapu Kiran Kumar
Published: November 2015

2-Furylcarbinols undergo a smooth aza-Piancatelli rearrangement followed by Friedel–Crafts alkylation with (1H-pyrrol-1-yl)aniline, in the presence of In(OTf)3at room temperature to afford the corresponding hexahydrobenzo[b]cyclopenta[f]pyrrolo[1,2-d][1,4]diazepin-11(4aH)-one scaffolds.
Lighting up the PEGylation agents via the Hantzsch reaction
Authors: Zhang Qingdong , Zhao Yuan , Yang Bin , Fu Changkui , Zhao Lingyun , Wang Xing , Wei Yen , Tao Lei
Published: November 2015

PEG chain ends have been modified with a protein reactive-group through the Hantzsch reaction toin situachieve fluorescent PEGylation agents for protein conjugation.
Spray-coated epoxy barrier films containing high aspect ratio functionalized graphene nanosheets
Authors: Li Peng , Huang Tsao-Cheng , White Kevin L. , Hawkins Spencer , Kotaki Masaya , Nishimura Riichi , Sue Hung-Jue
Published: November 2015

Epoxy nanocomposite spray-coatings containing large aspect ratio modified graphene (MG) were successfully prepared in a facile manner.
Preparation of polyaniline (PANI)-coated Fe3O4 microsphere chains and PANI chain-like hollow spheres without using surfactants
Authors: Ma Yong , Qiao Mingtao , Hou Chunping , Chen Yanhui , Ma Mingliang , Zhang Hepeng , Zhang Qiuyu
Published: November 2015

Polyaniline (PANI)-coated Fe3O4 microspheres chains and PANI chain-like hollow spheres are successfully prepared without using surfactants.
Selective recovery of rare earth elements using chelating ligands grafted on mesoporous surfaces
Authors: Florek Justyna , Mushtaq Ambreen , Larivière Dominic , Cantin Gabrielle , Fontaine Frédéric-Georges , Kleitz Freddy
Published: November 2015

Novel hybrid sorbents have been designed for the selective extraction of rare earth elements (REEs). The tunning of the ligand bite angle and the grafting of these organic molecules on a silica support allow for selective discrimination of REE ions.
Synergetic effect of Cu–Pt bimetallic cocatalyst on SrTiO3 for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production from water
Authors: Qin Lixia , Si Guofeng , Li Xiangqing , Kang Shi-Zhao
Published: November 2015

The introduction of the Cu–Pt bimetal results in a significant improvement in the photocatalytic activity of STO. The hydrogen generation rate over STO/Cu95–Pt5 was about 46.6 and 2.79 times of STO and STO/Cu100–Pt0, respectively.
Surfactant-free synthesis of sub-100 nm poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) nanoparticles by one-step ultrasonic assisted emulsification/polymerization
Authors: Tzirakis Manolis D. , Zambail Roman , Tan Yong Zen , Chew Jia Wei , Adlhart Christian , Honciuc Andrei
Published: November 2015

The preparation of sub-100 nm surfactant-free polymeric nanoparticles was achieved via a new protocol that involves acoustic oil-in-water emulsification and concomitant free-radical polymerization of apolar monomers such as St and DVB.
Correction: Squaramide-based lab-on-a-molecule for the detection of silver ion and nitroaromatic explosives
Authors: Shan Bo , Liu Yunfei , Shi Rui , Jin Shaohua , Li Lijie , Chen Shusen , Shu Qinghai
Published: November 2015

Correction for ‘Squaramide-based lab-on-a-molecule for the detection of silver ion and nitroaromatic explosives’ by Bo Shan et al., RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 96665–96669.
A seven-dimensional quantum dynamics study of the dissociative chemisorption of H2O on Cu(111): effects of azimuthal angles and azimuthal angle-averaging
Authors: Liu Tianhui , Zhang Zhaojun , Fu Bina , Yang Xueming , Zhang Dong H.
Published: November 2015

A seven-dimensional quantum dynamics study for the dissociative chemisorption of H2O on Cu(111) is reported, using the time-dependent wave-packet approach.
A dual-responsive nanocapsule via disulfide-induced self-assembly for therapeutic agent delivery
Authors: Lin Wenhai , Sun Tingting , Xie Zhigang , Gu Jingkai , Jing Xiabin
Published: November 2015

One-step synthesis of fluorescent molecules (SNBDP) containing one disulfide bond and two o-nitrobenzyl groups was demonstrated via multi-component Passerini reaction.
Supramolecular polyelectrolyte complex (SPEC): pH dependent phase transition and exploitation of its carrier properties
Authors: Biswas Subharanjan , Mani Ethayaraja , Mondal Arobendo , Tiwari Ashwani , Roy Soumyajit
Published: November 2015

A supramolecular polyelectrolyte complex (SPEC) consisting of polyacrylic acid and guanidine is reported which can carry functional moieties like drugs and dyes and release them in certain pH conditions owing to pH dependent phase transitions of the complex.
Design and synthesis of a 3-D hierarchical molybdenum dioxide/nickel/carbon structured composite with superior cycling performance for lithium ion batteries
Authors: Xia Qing , Zhao Hailei , Du Zhihong , Zhang Zijia , Li Shanming , Gao Chunhui , Świerczek Konrad
Published: November 2015

3-D hierarchical MoO2/Ni/C, with high reversible capacity and excellent rate capability, is a promising candidate for anode materials of lithium ion batteries.
Self-assembly of mesoporous ZnCo2O4nanomaterials: density functional theory calculation and flexible all-solid-state energy storage
Authors: Zhang Deyang , Zhang Yihe , Li Xiaowei , Luo Yongsong , Huang Hongwei , wang Jiaping , Chu Paul K.
Published: November 2015

A ZnCo2O4NFs//ZnCo2O4NW symmetrical device is designed and prepared. Theoretical assessment confirms the rationality of the experimental scheme and explains the increased band gap. The device possesses advantages such as a small size and excellent flexibility and has large potential for lightweight and flexible energy storage applications.
Incorporation of ultraviolet (UV) absorbing nanoparticles in contact lenses for Class 1 UV blocking
Authors: Gause Samuel , Chauhan Anuj
Published: November 2015

UV blocking nanoparticles 10 to 1000 nm in diameter have been created by polymerization of emulsions and loaded into contact lens materials.