bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Eltoprazine prevents levodopa‐induced dyskinesias by reducing striatal glutamate and direct pathway activity
Authors: Paolone Giovanna , Brugnoli Alberto , Arcuri Ludovico , Mercatelli Daniela , Morari Michele
Published: July 2015

Background

Preclinical and clinical evidence that the serotonergic system plays a major role in levodopa‐induced dyskinesias has been provided. Selective serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine; 5‐HT) 5‐HT1A or 5‐HT1B receptor agonists, and, very recently, the mixed 5‐HT1A/5‐HT1B receptor agonist, eltoprazine, proved effective in inhibiting l‐dopa‐induced dyskinesias in experimental animals and parkinsonian patients. Here, we investigate the mechanisms underlying this effect.

Methods

Microdialysis was employed in 6‐hydroxydopamine‐hemilesioned rats chronically treated with l‐dopa alone or in combination with eltoprazine. Gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate levels were monitored on l‐dopa in the dopamine‐depleted striatum and ipsilateral SNr. Motor activity on the rotarod was assessed, both off and on l‐dopa. Western blot was used to quantify ex vivo striatal levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1 and 2. Striatal and nigral amino acid levels, as well as striatal dopamine levels, were also monitored in l‐dopa‐primed dyskinetic rats acutely challenged with l‐dopa and eltoprazine.

Results

Eltoprazine attenuated the development and expression of dyskinesias, preserving motor coordination on the rotarod. Eltoprazine prevented the rise of nigral amino acids and striatal glutamate levels, as well as the increase in striatal phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1 and 2, associated with dyskinesias. However, eltoprazine did not affect the l‐dopa‐induced increase in striatal dopamine.

Conclusions

Eltoprazine inhibits the sensitization of striatonigral medium‐sized GABA spiny neurons (the direct pathway) to l‐dopa and their overactivation associated with dyskinesias appearance. Activation of 5‐HT1A and 5‐HT1B receptors regulating striatal glutamate transmission, but not striatal ectopic dopamine release, might underlie the symptomatic effect of eltoprazine. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimizer with Varying Acceleration Coefficients for Finding the Most Stable Conformer of Small Molecules
Authors: Agrawal Shikha , Silakari Sanjay , Agrawal Jitendra
Published: July 2015

A novel parameter automation strategy for Particle Swarm Optimization called APSO (Adaptive PSO) is proposed. The algorithm is designed to efficiently control the local search and convergence to the global optimum solution. Parameters c1 controls the impact of the cognitive component on the particle trajectory and c2 controls the impact of the social component. Instead of fixing the value of c1 and c2 , this paper updates the value of these acceleration coefficients by considering time variation of evaluation function along with varying inertia weight factor in PSO. Here the maximum and minimum value of evaluation function is use to gradually decrease and increase the value of c1 and c2 respectively. Molecular energy minimization is one of the most challenging unsolved problems and it can be formulated as a global optimization problem. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the effect of newly developed APSO on the highly complex molecular potential energy function and to check the efficiency of the proposed algorithm to find the global minimum of the function under consideration. The proposed algorithm APSO is therefore applied in two cases: Firstly, for the minimization of a potential energy of small molecules with up to 100 degrees of freedom and finally for finding the global minimum energy conformation of 1,2,3‐trichloro‐1‐flouro‐propane molecule based on a realistic potential energy function. The computational results of all the cases show that the proposed method performs significantly better than the other algorithms.
3D Structure, Dimerization Modeling, and Lead Discovery by Ligand‐protein Interaction Analysis of p60 Transcription Regulator Protein (p60TRP)
Authors: Pramanik Subrata , Kutzner Arne , Heese Klaus
Published: July 2015

The p60 transcription regulator protein (p60TRP) is a basic helix‐loop‐helix (bHLH) domain‐containing neuroprotective protein and a member of the G‐protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR)‐associated sorting protein (GPRASP) family. In the present study, multiple theoretical physico‐chemical methods (e.g. Modeller v.9.13, I‐TASSER, PROCHECK and ClusPro v2.0 with PIPER) were applied to unveil the three‐dimensional (3D) protein structure of the p60TRP homo‐dimer protein and explore potential ligand‐protein interactions. Our results suggest a Mg2+‐containing 3D p60TRP dimer protein that potentially interacts with 5‐(1‐aziridinyl)‐2,4‐dinitrobenzamide (CB1954) and [2‐(3‐dodecylimidazolidin‐1‐yl)‐1‐phosphonoethyl] phosphonic acid (B73). The discovery of CB1954 and B73 may serve as a potential lead for further drug screening tests to normalize the p60TRP signaling pathway in neurodegenerative diseases. Interference with p60TRP signaling via CB1954/B73‐related molecules might be a novel option for modifying neurodegenerative signaling pathways (e.g. RIN1, PP2A, RanBP5, CREB and SYNJ1) to treat various brain diseases.
Surface‐to‐volume ratio mapping of tumor microstructure using oscillating gradient diffusion weighted imaging
Authors: Reynaud Olivier , Winters Kerryanne Veronica , Hoang Dung Minh , Wadghiri Youssef Zaim , Novikov Dmitry S , Kim Sungheon Gene
Published: July 2015

Purpose

To disentangle the free diffusivity (D0) and cellular membrane restrictions, by means of their surface‐to‐volume ratio (S/V), using the frequency‐dependence of the diffusion coefficient D(ω), measured in brain tumors in the short diffusion‐time regime using oscillating gradients (OGSE).

Methods

In vivo and ex vivo OGSE experiments were performed on mice bearing the GL261 murine glioma model (n = 10) to identify the relevant time/frequency (t/ω) domain where D(ω) linearly decreases with ω−1/2. Parametric maps (S/V, D0) are compared with conventional DWI metrics. The impact of frequency range and temperature (20°C versus 37°C) on S/V and D0 is investigated ex vivo.

Results

The validity of the short diffusion‐time regime is demonstrated in vivo and ex vivo. Ex vivo measurements confirm that the purely geometric restrictions embodied in S/V are independent from temperature and frequency range, while the temperature dependence of the free diffusivity D0 is similar to that of pure water.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that D(ω) in the short diffusion‐time regime can be used to uncouple the purely geometric restriction effect, such as S/V, from the intrinsic medium diffusivity properties, and provides a nonempirical and objective way to interpret frequency/time‐dependent diffusion changes in tumors in terms of objective biophysical tissue parameters. Magn Reson Med 76:237–247, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Balanced UTE‐SSFP for 19F MR imaging of complex spectra
Authors: Goette Matthew J. , Keupp Jochen , Rahmer Jürgen , Lanza Gregory M. , Wickline Samuel A. , Caruthers Shelton D.
Published: July 2015

Purpose

A novel technique for highly sensitive detection of multiresonant fluorine imaging agents was designed and tested with the use of dual‐frequency 19F/1H ultrashort echo times (UTE) sampled with a balanced steady‐state free precession (SSFP) pulse sequence and three‐dimensional (3D) radial readout.

Methods

Feasibility of 3D radial balanced UTE‐SSFP imaging was demonstrated for a phantom comprising liquid perfluorooctyl bromide (PFOB). Sensitivity of the pulse sequence was measured and compared with other sequences imaging the PFOB (CF2)6 line group including UTE radial gradient‐echo (GRE) at α = 30°, as well as Cartesian GRE, balanced SSFP, and fast spin‐echo (FSE). The PFOB CF3 peak was also sampled with FSE.

Results

The proposed balanced UTE‐SSFP technique exhibited a relative detection sensitivity of 51
min−1/2 (α = 30°), at least twice that of other sequence types with either 3D radial (UTE GRE: 20
min−1/2) or Cartesian k‐space filling (GRE: 12
min−1/2; FSE: 16
min−1/2; balanced SSFP: 23
min−1/2). In vivo imaging of angiogenesis‐targeted PFOB nanoparticles was demonstrated in a rabbit model of cancer on a clinical 3 Tesla scanner.

Conclusion

A new dual 19F/1H balanced UTE‐SSFP sequence manifests high SNR, with detection sensitivity more than two‐fold better than traditional techniques, and alleviates imaging problems caused by dephasing in complex spectra. Magn Reson Med 74:537–543, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Urodynamics for incontinence after midurethral sling removal
Authors: Coskun Burhan , Lavelle Rebecca S. , Alhalabi Feras , Lemack Gary , Zimmern Philippe E.
Published: July 2015

Introduction

We reviewed the role of urodynamics (UDS) in the management of women with incontinence following mid‐urethral sling removal (MUSR).

Methods

Following IRB approval, women from a longitudinal database who had persistent or recurrent urinary incontinence (UI) after MUSR, desired further therapy, and subsequently underwent UDS were reviewed. Women with neurogenic bladder, obstructive symptoms without UI, urethra‐vaginal fistula, anterior compartment prolapse >Stage 2, or those who had concomitant autologous sling surgery at the time of MUSR were excluded. Interval time between MUSR and UDS, UDS findings, and UI management after UDS were recorded.

Results

From 2006 to 2013, 71 of 246 women had UDS after MUSR for persistent or recurrent UI. For the 54 women in the final analysis, mean time between tape removal and UDS was 12.4 months (range: 4–65). UDS demonstrated incontinence in 78% of patients: stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in 19 (35%), detrusor overactivity incontinence (DOI) in 6 (11%), and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) in 17 (32%). On pressure‐flow studies, the following voiding patterns were demonstrated: normal voiding (39), valsalva voiding (6), obstruction (2), underactive detrusor (1), no voiding records (6). UDS storage and emptying data were used in subsequent symptom‐based patient counseling for treatment planning. Urethral bulking agent was the most commonly chosen management (43%).

Conclusion

Our current guidelines for UDS in women after incontinence procedures and MUSR are currently based on a low level of evidence. This study reinforces the role of UDS to guide therapy for UI after MUSR. Neurourol. Urodynam. 35:939–943, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
High definition urethral pressure profilometry: Evaluating a novel microtip catheter
Authors: Klünder Mario , Amend Bastian , Vaegler Martin , Kelp Alexandra , Feuer Ronny , Sievert Karl‐Dietrich , Stenzl Arnulf , Sawodny Oliver , Ederer Michael
Published: July 2015

Introduction

Urethral pressure profilometry (UPP) is used in the diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). SUI is a significant medical, social, and economic problem, affecting about 12.5% of the population. A novel microtip catheter was developed for UPP featuring an inclination sensor and higher angular resolution compared to systems in clinical use today. Therewith, the location of each measured pressure sample can be determined and the spatial pressure distribution inside the urethra reconstructed. In order to assess the performance and plausibility of data from the microtip catheter, we compare it to data from a double balloon air charged system.

Materials and Methods

Both catheters are used on sedated female minipigs. Data from the microtip catheter are processed through a signal reconstruction algorithm, plotted and compared against data from the air‐charged catheter.

Results

The microtip catheter delivers results in agreement with previous comparisons of microtip and air‐charged systems. It additionally provides a new level of detail in the reconstructed UPPs which may lead to new insights into the sphincter mechanism of minipigs.

Conclusions

The ability of air‐charged catheters to measure pressure circumferentially is widely considered a main advantage over microtip catheters. However, directional pressure readings can provide additional information on angular fluctuations in the urethral pressure distribution. It is shown that the novel microtip catheter in combination with a signal reconstruction algorithm delivers plausible data. It offers the opportunity to evaluate urethral structures, especially the sphincter, in context of the correct location within the anatomical location of the pelvic floor. Neurourol. Urodynam. 35:888–894, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Time‐Evolution of TATB‐Based Irreversible Thermal Expansion (Ratchet Growth)
Authors: Graff Thompson Darla , Schwarz Ricardo B. , Brown Geoff W. , DeLuca Racci
Published: July 2015

TATB is an insensitive high explosive, attractive for use because of its safety aspects. TATB compactions, with or without binder, undergo irreversible volume expansion (or ratchet growth) upon thermal cycling. In the past, experimental elucidation of this phenomenon has focused on irreversible expansion as a function of the number of thermal excursions over a given temperature range, where growth is asymptotic with increasing cycle number. In this paper, we demonstrate that ratchet growth also occurs as a function of time at constant temperature, and that growth is substantial at elevated temperatures. We have measured strain response in PBX 9502, a TATB‐based composite, by performing thermal‐cycling tests with different durations at high temperature. Irreversible growth arises from the thermal ramps themselves (increasing and decreasing), as well as from the subsequent isotherms. PBX 9502 specimens with previously‐identified TATB texture/orientation were used in order to eliminate and/or evaluate texture as a variable. Measurements were also performed on dry‐pressed TATB (no binder) to confirm that expansion as a function of time (constant temperature) is not caused by the binder. A simple analysis of the time‐response data demonstrates consistency in the results. We propose that the primary driving force for irreversible expansion is the proximity of the current strain value (due to thermal history) to the strain saturation point of the current cycle (i.e. strain at infinite high‐temperature hold times or an infinite number of cycles). Such tests should aid in the understanding and modeling of ratchet growth response in these materials.
Population Pharmacokinetic Model Characterizing 24‐Hour Variation in the Pharmacokinetics of Oral and Intravenous Midazolam in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: van Rongen A , Kervezee L , Brill MJE , van Meir H , den Hartigh J , Guchelaar H‐J , Meijer JH , Burggraaf J , van Oosterhout F
Published: July 2015

Daily rhythms in physiology may affect the pharmacokinetics of a drug. The aim of this study was to evaluate 24‐hour variation in the pharmacokinetics of the CYP3A substrate midazolam. Oral (2 mg) and intravenous (1 mg) midazolam was administered at six timepoints throughout the 24‐hour period in 12 healthy volunteers. Oral bioavailability (population mean value [RSE%] of 0.28 (7.1%)) showed 24‐hour variation that was best parameterized as a cosine function with an amplitude of 0.04 (17.3%) and a peak at 12:14 in the afternoon. The absorption rate constant was 1.41 (4.7%) times increased after drug administration at 14:00. Clearance (0.38 L/min (4.8%)) showed a minor 24‐hour variation with an amplitude of 0.03 (14.8%) L/min and a peak at 18:50. Simulations show that dosing time minimally affects the concentration time profiles after intravenous administration, while concentrations are higher during the day compared to the night after oral dosing, reflecting considerable variation in intestinal processes.
Fabrication of GaN‐based ridge waveguides with very smooth and vertical sidewalls by combined plasma dry etching and wet chemical etching
Authors: Li Wanyong , Luo Yi , Xiong Bing , Sun Changzheng , Wang Lai , Wang Jian , Han Yanjun , Yan Jianchang , Wei Tongbo , Lu Hongxi
Published: July 2015

GaN‐based ridge waveguides with very smooth and vertical sidewalls are fabricated by combined inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching and wet chemical etching. The height of GaN waveguide is precisely controlled by ICP dry etching, while smooth and vertical sidewalls are realized by wet chemical etching. Compared with waveguides with rough sidewalls just after ICP etching, the propagation loss of waveguides with wet‐etched smooth sidewalls was reduced by about 2 dB mm−1 at 1.55 µm. Propagation loss can be further reduced by improving the quality of GaN epitaxial layers.
Cathodoluminescence study of optical properties along the growth direction of ZnO films on GaN substrate
Authors: Wang Jianyu , Harada Yoshitomo , Sumiya Masatomo , Shi Yi , Sekiguchi Takashi
Published: July 2015

c‐plane ZnO films were eptiaxially grown on c‐GaN/sapphire substrate by MOCVD. Cathodoluminescence (CL) line scan was performed on the cross‐sectional ZnO/GaN films. These CL spectra shapes show a variation along the growth direction with a peak position shift, which can be divided into three stages. The study of the three stages reflects the growth mode alteration from the interface between ZnO and GaN to the surface. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Nanoscopic studies of 2D‐extended defects in silicon that cause shunting of Si‐solar cells
Authors: Naumann Volker , Lausch Dominik , Hähnel Angelika , Breitenstein Otwin , Hagendorf Christian
Published: July 2015

Potential‐induced degradation (PID) can cause massive power losses in photovoltaic power plants with serially connected modules when high electrical potential between solar cells and the module front glass surface leads to shunting of Si solar cells. The shunting is reversible to a large extend through elevated temperatures and/or by application of reversed voltages. It was previously shown that PID‐related shunting (PID‐s) of the p‐n junction occurs due to Na‐decorated stacking faults in {111} planes. Defects at former PID‐shunt positions that have been thermally ‘healed' (recovered) do not show a Na decoration anymore.

In this contribution we investigate stacking faults with Na decoration and with vanished Na decoration after thermal recovery. HAADF STEM imaging is used for principal investigation of the atomic structure of PID‐s defects. The Na decorated stacking fault appears as a dark region in the HAADF STEM image. By contrast, the atomic structure of the recovered stacking fault can be clearly imaged. The orientation of Si dumbbells indicates an extrinsic stacking fault that remains after recovery by Na out‐diffusion. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Nano‐scale pattern formation on the surface of HgCdTe produced by ion bombardment
Authors: Smirnov A. B. , Gudymenko A. I. , Kladko V. P. , Korchevyi A. A. , Savkina R. K. , Sizov F. F. , Udovitska R. S.
Published: July 2015

Presented in this work are the results concerning formation of nano‐scale patterns on the surface of a ternary compound Hg1–xCdxTe (x ∼ 0.223). Modification of this ternary chalcogenide semiconductor compound was performed using the method of oblique‐incidence ion bombardment with silver ions, which was followed by low‐temperature treatment. The energy and dose of implanted ions were 140 keV and 4.8×1013 cm‐2, respectively. Atomic force microscopy methods were used for the surface topography characterization. The structural properties of MCT‐based structure was analyzed using double and triple crystal X‐ray diffraction to monitor the disorder and strain of the implanted region as a function of processing conditions. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Improved stochastic physics schemes for global weather and climate models
Authors: Sanchez Claudio , Williams Keith D. , Collins Matthew
Published: July 2015

The importance of probabilistic weather predictions and climate projections is growing. One of the key elements of the former is stochastic physics, schemes that perturb some uncertain processes in a general circulation model (GCM), such as physical parametrizations or diffusion. They help to increase the ensemble dispersion of ensemble prediction systems (EPS) and in some cases improve certain atmospheric processes by noise‐induced drifts. We have developed a new configuration of stochastic physics schemes for the Met Office Unified Model (MetUM). It consists of an improved Stochastic Kinetic Energy Backscatter v2 (SKEB2), plus the Stochastic Perturbation of Tendencies (SPT).

The improvements to SKEB2 remove spurious physical artefacts, e.g. a spurious wave caused by low‐wave‐number perturbations, and improve the resolution sensitivity of the scheme. The SPT produces a larger ensemble spread in the Tropics than present schemes, but its impact on long‐term climate budgets makes the use of conservation constraints for water vapour and energy essential.

The new configuration produces a higher impact in the Tropics, increasing the ensemble spread and improving some long‐standing climate biases in areas of excessive convection, whilst minimizing the negative impact on tropical processes like tropical convective waves.
Testing the water: detecting artificial water points using freely available satellite data and open source software
Authors: Owen Harry Jon Foord , Duncan Clare , Pettorelli Nathalie
Published: July 2015

Deserts are among the most poorly understood biomes in the world, currently experiencing among the highest rates of environmental change and biodiversity loss. A major controlling factor on the ecology and distribution of vegetation and animal populations in these harsh arid systems is the abundance and distribution of water sources. Accordingly, extraction and redistribution of water at artificial water points across desert landscapes can constitute a real threat to local ecosystem dynamics. A major challenge in tackling this potential threat is identifying changes in the distribution of artificial water points through space and time, due to the difficulties of collecting such information at relevant spatial and temporal scales. We here investigate the potential for freely available satellite imagery to provide reliable information about the distribution of artificial water points using the Ouadi Rime‐Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve (OROAFR), Chad, as a case study. We reveal that Landsat 8 data combined with texture analysis can accurately detect these artificial landmarks across the heterogeneous environment of OROAFR; 75.68% of artificial water points within the site were successfully identified and false positive detection rate was minimal at 7.69%. The methodological framework developed for this work, based on the treatment of freely available satellite data using open source software, adds to other works attempting to help monitor threats to biodiversity in desert ecosystems, enabling up‐to‐date information on the level of anthropogenic activities in these habitats to be easily and regularly collected.
Efficient verifiable data streaming
Authors: Kim Kee Sung , Jeong Ik Rae
Published: July 2015

In 2012, D. Schr
der and H. Schr
der introduced verifiable data streaming (VDS) that enables a client to append, search, verify, and update the streamed data efficiently. After storing the data with a server, a client issues a query to receive a proof that the data of the client are still correctly stored. Anyone can check the validity of the proof publicly in VDS. However, the length of a secret of a client, the length of a proof, and the complexity of appending an element in the previous VDS schemes are O(logn), where n is the upper bound on the number of elements to be stored. In this paper, we suggest a more efficient VDS scheme. In our scheme, the length of a secret of a client is only O(1), and the length of a proof and the complexity of appending an element are O(logi), where i(≤n) is the index of an element. We also show that our scheme is secure under any collision‐resistant hash functions and unforgeable signature schemes without random oracles. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Attacks and improvements to chaotic map‐based RFID authentication protocol
Authors: Akgün Mete , Bayrak Ali Osman , Çaǧlayan Mehmet Ufuk
Published: July 2015

Because of its low cost and ease of deployment, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology offers great potential for all applications that require identification. Main obstacle for wide adoption of this technology is the concerns about its security and privacy issues. Many RFID authentication protocols have been proposed to provide desired security and privacy level for RFID systems. Recently, Benssalah et al. have proposed a chaotic map‐based RFID security protocol. In this paper, we analyze the security of this protocol and discover its vulnerabilities. We show that message generation arises some weaknesses, and this protocol is vulnerable to tracking, tag impersonation, and de‐synchronization attacks. The success probabilities of the proposed attacks are significant, and their complexities are polynomial. Furthermore, we propose an RFID authentication protocol. Our protocol utilizes the Chebyshev chaotic map hard problem and conforms to the EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 (EPC C1‐G2) standard. Our protocol eliminates the weaknesses of the protocol of Benssalah et al. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Magnetic and pH‐responsive starch‐g­‐poly(acrylic acid‐co­acrylamide)/graphene oxide superabsorbent nanocomposites: One‐pot synthesis, characterization, and swelling behavior
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Hossein , Ramin Sonia
Published: July 2015

A series of dual stimuli‐responsive starch‐based superabsorbent nanocomposites (SANCs) were prepared by a facile one‐pot strategy. The SANCs were synthesized via the simultaneous formation of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MIONs) and in situ radical solution polymerization of superabsorbents based on poly(acrylic acid‐co‐acryl amide) grafted onto starch backbones in the presence of graphene oxide (GO) nano sheets. The chemical structure, morphology, and phase composition of the obtained SANCs were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐Ray diffraction (XRD), UV‐Vis spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The swelling behaviors of the SANCs showed that the incorporation of GO nanoplates in the polymeric network leads to a remarkable improvement in the swelling capacity of the SANCs. These results may be attributed to the sheet‐like structure, high surface area, presence of hydrophilic oxygen‐containing groups, and multifunctional crosslinking by GO. Furthermore, the SNACs displayed high water absorption capacity under an external magnetic field due to the presence of MIONs in the polymer network. Absorbance of SNACs was also examined in solutions with various pH. The SNACs exhibited a pH‐responsiveness character so that a swelling–deswelling pulsatile behavior was recorded at pHs 3 and 9. The results indicate that the synthesized SNACs may be useful for potential applications as smart and superabsorbent nanocomposites for magnetically controlled drug release systems, magnetic‐sensitive sensors, and pseudo‐muscular actuators.
Optimising the heat moisture treatment of Morado banana starch by response surface analysis
Authors: Hoyos‐Leyva Javier D. , Bello‐Pérez Luis A. , Agama‐Acevedo Edith , Alvarez‐Ramirez José
Published: July 2015

Heat moisture treatment (HMT) was considered to modify the characteristics of Morado banana starch. Morado banana starch was isolated to a purity of 84 g/100 g dry sample (ds) with an amylose content of 31.5 g/100 g ds. Response surface analysis was used to estimate the best moisture content and heating time to obtain the optimal treatment conditions at 100°C. The optimised conditions were 32.2% for moisture content and 6.5 h of heating time to achieve the highest slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) content. Gelatinised HMT starch contained 12.1 g/100 g ds of SDS and 30.7 g/100 g ds of RS. Differential scanning calorimetry in excess water indicated structural changes, as reflected by increased phase transition temperatures and enthalpy. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy showed an increase in the 995/1022 cm−1 ratio, which indicated the rearrangement of the double helices’ packing within the crystalline lamella. The X‐ray diffraction pattern showed that HMT increased the crystalline content from 28.9 to 31.5% compared to the native counterpart.
Novel Lanthanide(III) Ternary Complexes with Naphthoyltrifluoroacetone: A Synthetic and Spectroscopic Study
Authors: Trieu Thi‐Nguyet , Dinh Thi‐Hien , Nguyen Hung‐Huy , Abram Ulrich , Nguyen Minh‐Hai
Published: July 2015

A series of lanthanide complexes with general formula [Ln(NTA)3X] were prapared [Ln = Y (a), Er (b), Eu (c), NTA = naphthoyltrifluoroacetone, X = H2O (1), phen = phenanthroline (2), bpyO1 = 2, 2′‐bipyridine N‐oxide (3), and bpyO2 = 2, 2′‐bipyridine‐N,N′‐dioxide (4)]. The crystal structures of [Eu(NTA)3bpyO2] (4b), [Er(NTA)3bpyO1] (3c), and [Er(NTA)3phen] (2c) were determined. X‐ray crystallographic analysis reveals that the complexes are of mononuclear structure with three NTA and one ancillary ligand. The photoluminescence spectra of 3c and 4b exhibit strong characteristic emissions arising from Eu3+ central ion due to the efficient sensitization of bpyO1 and bpyO2, respectively.
Xenopus LAP2β protein knockdown affects location of lamin B and nucleoporins and has effect on assembly of cell nucleus and cell viability
Authors: Dubińska-Magiera Magda , Chmielewska Magdalena , Kozioł Katarzyna , Machowska Magdalena , Hutchison Christopher J. , Goldberg Martin W. , Rzepecki Ryszard
Published: July 2015

Xenopus LAP2β protein is the single isoform expressed in XTC cells. The protein localizes on heterochromatin clusters both at the nuclear envelope and inside a cell nucleus. The majority of XLAP2β fraction neither colocalizes with TPX2 protein during interphase nor can be immunoprecipitated with XLAP2β antibody. Knockdown of the XLAP2β protein expression in XTC cells by synthetic siRNA and plasmid encoded siRNA resulted in nuclear abnormalities including changes in shape of nuclei, abnormal chromatin structure, loss of nuclear envelope, mislocalization of integral membrane proteins of INM such as lamin B2, mislocalization of nucleoporins, and cell death. Based on timing of cell death, we suggest mechanism associated with nucleus reassembly or with entry into mitosis. This confirms that Xenopus LAP2 protein is essential for the maintenance of cell nucleus integrity and the process of its reassembly after mitosis.
State and Personhood in Southeast Asia: The Promise and Potential for Law and Society Research
Authors: CHUA Lynette J. , ENGEL David M.
Published: July 2015

The diversity and pluralism of Southeast Asia make it an ideal subject for law and society researchers, but by and large they have not given the region the attention it deserves. In this article, we argue for a more intense and systematic linking of research about Southeast Asia and the field of law and society. We focus on the theme ofstate and personhoodto suggest how some of the central concerns of law and society may be relevant to Southeast Asian peoples and cultures. We illustrate our argument by selecting nine excellent articles by Southeast Asian scholars who do not currently identify their work with the law and society field, and we demonstrate that their research is rich with implications for the field. We welcome in particular the ways in which they have portrayed personhood as an ongoing construction and have highlighted its contingent relationship with the state. Building on these themes, we conclude the article with a plea for a more far-reaching engagement between Southeast Asian studies and law and society research.
Gambling with the State: Land Titles and Personhood Rights among the Urban Poor in Indonesia
Authors: MULYANI Lilis
Published: July 2015

Due to the pressures of urbanization, the urban poor often find themselves trapped in illegal settlements and informal employment. As housing is not affordable and formal employment is inaccessible to them because of their lack of education and skills, they live a precarious existence with insecure land tenure and employment. Discriminated against by the state on the grounds of their illegal status, the urban poor are unable to establish their identity and personhood rights as urban citizens, and so cannot access basic rights such as health care and social security. This article is based on fieldwork in Surakarta in Indonesia which studied the impact of a land-titling programme in an area previously characterized by informal tenure. It finds that the legitimation provided by land titles had a significant impact upon the lives of the residents, enabling them to access other personhood rights.
Modeling Spread of KPC-Producing Bacteria in Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals in the Chicago Region, USA
Authors: Haverkate Manon R. , Bootsma Martin C. J. , Weiner Shayna , Blom Donald , Lin Michael Y. , Lolans Karen , Moore Nicholas M. , Lyles Rosie D. , Weinstein Robert A. , Bonten Marc J. M. , Hayden Mary K.
Published: July 2015

OBJECTIVE

Prevalence ofblaKPC-encoding Enterobacteriaceae (KPC) in Chicago long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) rose rapidly after the first recognition in 2007. We studied the epidemiology and transmission capacity of KPC in LTACHs and the effect of patient cohorting.

METHODS

Data were available from 4 Chicago LTACHs from June 2012 to June 2013 during a period of bundled interventions. These consisted of screening for KPC rectal carriage, daily chlorhexidine bathing, medical staff education, and 3 cohort strategies: a pure cohort (all KPC-positive patients on 1 floor), single rooms for KPC-positive patients, and a mixed cohort (all KPC-positive patients on 1 floor, supplemented with KPC-negative patients). A data-augmented Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method was used to model the transmission process.

RESULTS

Average prevalence of KPC colonization was 29.3%. On admission, 18% of patients were colonized; the sensitivity of the screening process was 81%. The per admission reproduction number was 0.40. The number of acquisitions per 1,000 patient days was lowest in LTACHs with a pure cohort ward or single rooms for colonized patients compared with mixed-cohort wards, but 95% credible intervals overlapped.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence of KPC in LTACHs is high, primarily due to high admission prevalence and the resultant impact of high colonization pressure on cross transmission. In this setting, with an intervention in place, patient-to-patient transmission is insufficient to maintain endemicity. Inclusion of a pure cohort or single rooms for KPC-positive patients in an intervention bundle seemed to limit transmission compared to use of a mixed cohort.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2015;36(10):1148–1154
Fatty acid profile of plasma NEFA does not reflect adipose tissue fatty acid profile
Authors: Walker Celia G. , Browning Lucy M. , Stecher Lynne , West Annette L. , Madden Jackie , Jebb Susan A. , Calder Philip C.
Published: July 2015

Adipose tissue (AT) fatty acid (FA) composition partly reflects habitual dietary intake. Circulating NEFA are mobilised from AT and might act as a minimally invasive surrogate marker of AT FA profile. Agreement between twenty-eight FA in AT and plasma NEFA was assessed using concordance coefficients in 204 male and female participants in a 12-month intervention using supplements to increase the intake of EPA and DHA. Concordance coefficients generally showed very poor agreement between AT FA and plasma NEFA at baseline SFA: 0·07; MUFA: 0·03;n-6 PUFA: 0·28;n-3 PUFA: 0·01). Participants were randomly divided into training (70 %) and validation (30 %) data sets, and models to predict AT and dietary FA were fitted using data from the training set, and their predictive ability was assessed using data from the validation set. ATn-6 PUFA and SFA were predicted from plasma NEFA with moderate accuracy (mean absolute percentage errorn-6 PUFA: 11 % and SFA: 8 %), but predicted values were unable to distinguish between low, medium and high FA values, with only 25 % ofn-6 PUFA and 33 % of SFA predicted values correctly assigned to the appropriate tertile group. Despite an association between AT and plasma NEFA EPA (P=0·001) and DHA (P=0·01) at baseline, there was no association after the intervention. To conclude, plasma NEFA are not a suitable surrogate for AT FA.
Luck, Compatibilism, and Libertarianism
Authors: HAJI ISHTIYAQUE
Published: July 2015

Many have thought that libertarian accounts of free action succumb to a problem about luck. Recently, it has been proposed that compatibilist accounts, which unlike libertarian ones, maintain that free action and determinism are compatible, are also vulnerable to a problem about luck. In this paper, I argue that the problem of compatibilist luck is not novel insofar as it is one manifestation of a more general concern to which compatibilists and libertarians have responded. Furthermore, these responses are not effective responses to the problem of libertarian luck.
THE IMPACT OF HENRY PARKER-WILLIS AND THE FEDERAL RESERVE ON THE INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN OF THE IRISH CURRENCY ACT 1927
Authors: DREA EOIN
Published: July 2015

The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 provided monetary independence to the newly established Irish Free State. The existing historiography views Irish monetary and banking policy post-independence as following British precedent in terms of the structure and design of state monetary institutions. However, this article considers how Professor Henry Parker-Willis's experience of establishing the United States (US) Federal Reserve system in 1913 had a direct impact on his work as chair of the Irish banking commission in 1926. This research highlights that Parker-Willis played a significantly more important role in formulating the Irish Currency Act 1927 than is currently recognized. It further identifies that Parker-Willis's design for a wholly independent, non-political Irish currency commission was primarily based on his disillusionment with the political interference then evident in the management of the Federal Reserve system. This article, therefore, challenges the dominant view that Irish monetary institution building in the 1920s automatically followed British precedent, but rather identifies the direct influence of US monetary structures on the development of Irish institutions. This is an internationalist dimension not recognized in the existing historiography.
BROTHERS OF LIBERTY: GARIBALDI'S BRITISH LEGION
Authors: BACCHIN ELENA
Published: July 2015

This article examines the enrollment of a brigade of armed volunteers which took place in Great Britain in summer 1860 to help the Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi in southern Italy. Through the narrative strategies used to promote the enlistment and the images of the brigade that circulated in both Great Britain and Italy, it reveals features of a cosmopolitanism of nations and of a commitment based on transnational values spread in the nineteenth century. This article argues that the narratives used to mobilize men for a foreign cause not only shared values of freedom, justice, fraternity among nations, and a romantic appeal, but they had a strong national connotation. It was British pride in its freedom and constitution that gave the power and legitimacy to interfere in foreign affairs. Moreover, joining foreign causes strengthened a sentiment of British national pride and identity. The Legion's organizational and disciplinary problems also shed light on the biases and difficulties that troubled these kinds of expeditions and on the latent contradictions between a sense of patriotic duty, the transnational ideals that dominated the rhetoric, and the underlying disillusionment and frustration of the daily routine.
HABITS OF SEDUCTION: ACCOUNTS OF PORTUGUESE NUNS IN BRITISH OFFICERS' PENINSULAR WAR MEMOIRS
Authors: HURL-EAMON JENNINE
Published: July 2015

In their published memoirs of the Peninsular War, a surprising number of British officers mentioned visits to Portuguese convents and openly confessed to having flirted with the sisters – occasionally to the point of outright seduction – and abandoned them when the regiment moved on. This seems like a very negative self-fashioning to modern readers, but can best be understood in the context of the political and cultural climate in which these memoirs were produced. This article argues that officers' descriptions of convent visiting and their professions of sympathy for cloistered women revealed the influence of gothic, erotic, romantic, and travel literature on military life writing. Their depiction of nuns differed from nuns’ portrayal by common soldiers due to its infusion with masculine ideals of chivalry and sensibility. Elite memoirists saw no need to justify their abandonment of nuns because they viewed it in light of other literary accounts of soldiers who broke nuns’ hearts. At the same time, they contrasted themselves with the barbarism of the French, believing themselves to be far more compassionate and tolerant of Catholic strictures. Officers’ portrayals of Portuguese sisters can thus also be seen as an expression of Britons’ sense of their relationship with Portugal in the war.
THE PARTY'S OVER? THE ANGRY BRIGADE, THE COUNTERCULTURE, AND THE BRITISH NEW LEFT, 1967–1972
Authors: TAYLOR J. D.
Published: July 2015

This article analyses the emergence of politically motivated acts of left-wing terrorism in Britain between 1967 and 1972. Through the case of the ‘Angry Brigade’, an ill-defined grouping which claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against property between 1970 and 1971, it analyses how protest and political violence emerged from discourses and events in the British New Left, the anti-war protest movements, the counterculture, and the underground press. Against common interpretations of ’68 as a watershed of naïve hopes that waned into inaction, this article identifies a consistency of political activity that developed beyond traditional party and class politics towards a more internationally aware and diverse network of struggles for civil equality. Among the shared political and cultural commitments of the counterculture, campaigns around squatting, women's liberation, or the necessity of ‘armed propaganda’ each became possible and at times overlapped. It analyses the group's development, actions, communications, as well as surrounding media discourses, subsequent police investigation, and the criminal trials of ten individuals for their involvement in the Angry Brigade. The article reappraises their overlooked historical significance among the wider countercultural militancy and discourses of political violence of the late 1960s to early 1970s.
GENDER, LABOUR, AND STATE FORMATION IN SIXTEENTH-CENTURY SWEDEN
Authors: PIHL CHRISTOPHER
Published: July 2015

This article examines how the system for organizing resources created by the Swedish state in the sixteenth century was formed by, and intersected with, local societies. By looking at the organization of the local administration and economic production within crown demesnes and estates, this article nuances and broadens the understanding of the early phases of the fiscal-military state. It shows that notions about gender and especially the gender division of labour were important for the organization and further development of the state in its endeavour to mobilize and transform resources. This article argues that gendered divisions of labour and traditional ways of organizing work and administration played a crucial role in the first phases of early modern Swedish state formation; women's work affected the organization of the state and vice versa. By looking at the emergence of the male official and the all-male bureaucracy from a gender perspective, and by emphasizing the household as an organizational form, the present study contributes to the understanding of both state formation and gender relations in the early modern period.
The influence of habitat fragmentation on helminth communities in rodent populations from a Brazilian Mountain Atlantic Forest
Authors: Cardoso T.S. , Simões R.O. , Luque J.L.F. , Maldonado A. , Gentile R.
Published: July 2015

The influence of habitat structure on helminth communities of three sigomdontinae rodent species (Akodon cursor, A. montensisandOligoryzomys nigripes) was investigated in forest fragments within an agricultural landscape in south-eastern Brazil. This is a pionner study correlating the occurrence of helminth species of rodent hosts with microhabitat characteristics. Rodents were collected from 12 fragments and in a continuous conserved area. Up to 13 nematode, three cestode and two trematode species were identified, and habitat fragmentation was found to have more influence on the helminth composition ofO. nigripescompared to the other two rodent species. Fragmentation appeared to limit the development of some helminths’ life cycles, e.g. with some species such asTrichofreitasia lenti, Protospirura numidica, Cysticercus fasciolarisandAvellariasp., occurring mostly in areas with less anthropic impact. However, fragmentation did not seem to affect the life cycles of other dominant helminths, such as the trematodeCanaania obesa,the nematodesStilestrongylus lanfrediae,S. etaandS. aculeata,and the cestodeRodentolepis akodontis.The helminth community structure followed a nested pattern of distribution inA. montensisandO. nigripes.Stilestrongylus lanfrediaeseemed to be more associated with dense understorey,C. obesawith open canopy and dense understorey, andGuerrerostrongylus zettawith organic matter on the ground. Their presence in each area may be explained by aspects of their life cycles that take place in the external environment outside the host.
Incidental head and neck findings on18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography computed tomography
Authors: Williams S P , Kinshuck A J , Williams C , Dwivedi R , Wieshmann H , Jones T M
Published: July 2015

Objective:

The overlapping risk factors for lung and head and neck cancer present a definite risk of synchronous malignant pathology. This is the first study to specifically review incidental positron emission tomography computed tomography findings in the head and neck region in lung carcinoma patients.

Methods:

A retrospective review was performed of all lung cancer patients who underwent positron emission tomography computed tomography imaging over a five-year period (January 2008 – December 2012), identified from the Liverpool thoracic multidisciplinary team database.

Results:

Six hundred and nine patients underwent positron emission tomography computed tomography imaging over this period. In 76 (12.5 per cent) scans, incidental regions of avid18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose uptake were reported in the head and neck region. In the 28 patients who were fully investigated, there were 4 incidental findings of malignancy.

Conclusion:

In lung cancer patients undergoing investigative positron emission tomography computed tomography scanning, a significant number will also present with areas of clinically significant18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose uptake in the head and neck region. Of these, at least 5 per cent may have an undiagnosed malignancy.
Mathematical and experimental simulation of a cylindrical plasma target trap with inverse magnetic mirrors
Authors: Berendeev E. A. , Dimov G. I. , Dudnikova G. I. , Ivanov A. V. , Lazareva G. G. , Vshivkov V. A.
Published: July 2015

A plasma target for highly efficient neutralization of powerful negative ion beams is considered. The plasma is confined within a magnetic trap with multipole magnetic walls. It is proposed to use inverse magnetic mirrors to limit plasma outflow through the inlet and outlet holes in the trap. Using the particle-in-cell method, mathematical simulation of plasma dynamics in the trap has been performed. The estimates of plasma distribution and particle confinement efficiency in the region of the magnetic mirrors has been obtained. Simulation results were compared with experimental data.