bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Image Enlargement Based on Proportional Salient Feature
Authors: Somawirata I Komang , Uchimura Keiichi , Koutaki Gou
Published: February 2014

This paper proposes an image enlargement method that produces proportional salient content of image magnification. To obtain the proportional salient image content: first, we enlarge the source image to the high size of the target image using uniform enlarging. Second, we slice the image into sections from top to bottom following the minimum energy and detect the salient feature of the image. Third, we enlarge the slice of the image region that does not containthe salient feature of the image to the full size of the target image. The proposed method has been tested in several images, such as akiyo, butterfly, cameraman, canoe, dolphin, and parrot. The experimental results show that the proposed method results in a proportional content for image enlargement in the different ratios compared with the comparison method.
Effects of Solo and Pair Programming Instructional Strategies on Students’ Academic Achievement in Visual-Basic.Net Computer Programming Language
Authors: Owolabi J. , Adedayo O.A. , Amao-Kehinde A.O , Olayanju T.A.
Published: February 2014

This study assesses the relative effectiveness of solo and pair programming instructional strategies on students’ academic achievement in the Visual-Basic.Net Computer Programming Language. Two research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The sample comprised 68 subjects distributed over the three treatment groups (27 solo programmers, 24 pair programmers, and 17 conventional programmers) from three hundred computer science students of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Yaba, Lagos State, Nigeria. The Visual-Basic.Net Achievement Test (VAT) was used to collect data for both the pre- and post-tests. The VAT test was administered to all 68 subjects in the three groups, first as pre-test and after treatment as post-test. Mean and standard deviations were used to answer the two research questions while ANCOVA and multiple comparisons were used in testing the three null hypotheses. The results of the analyses indicate that: (i) the experimental groups performed better than the control group, (ii) the treatment appeared to be more effective among male students than their female counterparts, (iii) the main effects of treatment and gender as well as the interaction effects of treatment and gender were not statistically significant.
On the velocity‐strengthening behavior of dry friction
Authors: Bar‐Sinai Yohai , Spatschek Robert , Brener Efim A. , Bouchbinder Eran
Published: February 2014

The onset of frictional instabilities, e.g., earthquakes nucleation, is intimately related to velocity‐weakening friction, in which the frictional resistance of interfaces decreases with increasing slip velocity. While this frictional response has been studied extensively, less attention has been given to steady state velocity‐strengthening friction, in spite of its potential importance for various aspects of frictional phenomena such as the propagation speed of interfacial rupture fronts and the amount of stored energy released by them. In this note we suggest that a crossover from steady state velocity‐weakening friction at small slip velocities to steady state velocity‐strengthening friction at higher velocities might be a generic feature of dry friction. We further argue that while thermally activated rheology naturally gives rise to logarithmic steady state velocity‐strengthening friction, a crossover to stronger‐than‐logarithmic strengthening might take place at higher slip velocities, possibly accompanied by a change in the dominant dissipation mechanism. We sketch a few physical mechanisms that may account for the crossover to stronger‐than‐logarithmic steady state velocity strengthening and compile a rather extensive set of experimental data available in the literature, lending support to these ideas.
An explicit representation of vertical momentum transport in a multiscale modeling framework through its 2‐D cloud‐resolving model component
Authors: Cheng Anning , Xu Kuan‐Man
Published: February 2014

In this study, an explicit representation of vertical momentum transport by convective cloud systems, including mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), is proposed and tested in a multiscale modeling framework (MMF). The embedded cloud‐resolving model (CRM) provides vertical momentum transport in one horizontal direction. The vertical momentum transport in the other direction is assumed to be proportional to the vertical mass flux diagnosed from the CRM in addition to the effects of entrainment and detrainment. In order to represent both upgradient and downgradient vertical momentum transports, the orientation of the embedded CRM must change with time instead of being stationary typically in MMFs. The orientation is determined by the stratification of the lower troposphere and environmental wind shear. Introducing the variation of the orientations of the embedded CRM is responsible for reducing the stationary anomalous precipitation and many improvements. Improvements are strengthened when the CRM simulated vertical momentum transport is allowed to modify the large‐scale circulation simulated by the host general circulation model. These include an improved spatial distribution, amplitude, and intraseasonal variability of the surface precipitation in the tropics, more realistic zonal mean diabatic heating and drying patterns, more reasonable zonal mean large‐scale circulations and the East Asian summer monsoon circulation, and an improved, annual mean implied meridional ocean transport in the Southern Hemisphere. Further tests of this convective momentum transport parameterization scheme will be performed with a higher‐resolution MMF to further understand its roles in the intraseasonal oscillation and tropical waves, monsoon circulation, and zonal mean large‐scale circulations.
Weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon at 1000–1100 A.D. within the Medieval Climate Anomaly: Possible linkage to changes in the Indian Ocean‐western Pacific
Authors: Liu Jianbao , Chen Fahu , Chen Jianhui , Zhang Xiaojian , Liu Jian , Bloemendal Jan
Published: February 2014

Monsoon droughts, especially on a decadal‐to‐centennial timescale, may have a profound impact on the populations of East Asia. Previous work has suggested that the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) was synchronously strong across East Asia during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA, 900–1300 A.D.); however, there is a dearth of studies addressing the issue of whether or not the EASM varied significantly during the entire duration of the MCA. Here we present results from a diverse range of proxy paleoclimatic records from the monsoonal and temperate Asian region in order to evaluate the occurrence of such short timescale variability within the MCA. Within the context of an overall strong EASM during the MCA, a weakening of the monsoon was detected in many of the records during the period 1000–1100 A.D. Comparison of the timing of this event with variations of sea surface temperature (SST) of the Indian Ocean‐western Pacific and with proxy records of solar activity reveals a significant covariation, suggesting that the driver of the event may have resulted from changes in the Indian Ocean‐western Pacific, related to changes in solar activity. To further address the issue of a terrestrial‐oceanic linkage, we used the ECHAM and the global Hamburg Ocean Primitive Equation (ECHO‐G) coupled climate model to simulate the variation of EASM precipitation over the last millennium. The model results suggest an interval of weak East Asian summer monsoon at 1000–1100 A.D., and they also reveal a significant positive correlation with the SST of the Indian Ocean‐western Pacific.
Seafloor sites could stably store centuries' worth of carbon emissions
Authors: Schultz Colin
Published: February 2014

If the world does not make a concerted effort to actively remove carbon dioxide (CO2 ) from the atmosphere, we will be locked into 10,000 years of elevated temperatures. The implementation of a large‐scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) program, however, could stave off the bulk of this warming.
Robust spring drying in the southwestern U.S. and seasonal migration of wet/dry patterns in a warmer climate
Authors: Gao Yang , Leung L. Ruby , Lu Jian , Liu Ying , Huang Maoyi , Qian Yun
Published: February 2014

This study compares climate simulations over North America produced by a regional climate model with the driving global climate simulations as well as a multimodel ensemble of global climate simulations to investigate robust changes in water availability (precipitation (P)‐evapotranspiration (E)). A robust spring‐drying signal across multiple models is identified in the Southwest that results from a decrease in P and an increase in E in the future. In the boreal winter and summer, the prominent changes in P‐E are associated with a north‐south dipole pattern, while in spring, the prominent changes in P‐E appear as an east‐west dipole pattern. The progression of the north‐south and east‐west dipole patterns through the seasons manifests clearly as a seasonal “clockwise” migration of wet/dry patterns, which is a robust feature of water availability changes in North America consistent across regional and global climate simulations.
Optimal control of uncertain quantized linear discrete‐time systems
Authors: Zhao Q. , Xu H. , Jagannathan S.
Published: February 2014

In this paper, the adaptive optimal regulator design for unknown quantized linear discrete‐time control systems over fixed finite time is introduced. First, to mitigate the quantization error from input and state quantization, dynamic quantizer with time‐varying step‐size is utilized wherein it is shown that the quantization error will decrease overtime thus overcoming the drawback of the traditional uniform quantizer. Next, to relax the knowledge of system dynamics and achieve optimality, the adaptive dynamic programming methodology is adopted under Bellman's principle by using quantized state and input vector. Because of the time‐dependency nature of finite horizon, an adaptive online estimator, which learns a newly defined time‐varying action‐dependent value function, is updated at each time step so that policy and/or value iterations are not needed. Further, an additional error term corresponding to the terminal constraint is defined and minimized along the system trajectory. The proposed design scheme yields a forward‐in‐time and online scheme, which enjoys great practical merits. Lyapunov analysis is used to show the boundedness of the closed‐loop system; whereas when the time horizon is stretched to infinity as in the case of infinite horizon, asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop system is demonstrated. Simulation results on a benchmarking batch reactor system are included to verify the theoretical claims. The net result is the design of the optimal adaptive controller for uncertain quantized linear discrete‐time systems in a forward‐in‐time manner. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Membrane distillation enhanced by an asymmetric electric field
Authors: Du Jennifer Runhong , Du Wenlin , Feng Xianshe , Zhang Yufeng , Wu Yimin
Published: February 2014

A novel membrane distillation (MD) process enhanced by an asymmetric electric field was proposed. By applying an asymmetric electric field across a membrane with an increased field intensity in the direction of permeation, the permeation of water molecules through the membrane will be facilitated by the electric potential gradient, resulting in a higher flux than that achieved with the conventional process. The effectiveness of using asymmetric electric field to enhance mass transport was confirmed experimentally, and the effects of electric field parameters (including voltage, electrode distance, and electrode geometry) on water permeation were investigated. The novel process was tested for water desalination by MD and the results showed that both permeation flux and salt rejection were increased by the electric field. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 2307–2313, 2014
Dependency of the Tunneling Decay Coefficient in Molecular Tunneling Junctions on the Topography of the Bottom Electrodes
Authors: Yuan Li , Jiang Li , Zhang Bo , Nijhuis Christian A.
Published: February 2014

A controversy in molecular electronics is the unexplained large spread in values of the tunneling decay coefficient β in tunneling junctions with self‐assembled monolayers of n‐alkanethiolates (SCn). We show control of the β value over the range 0.4–1.0 nC−1 in junctions by changing the topography of the bottom electrodes that support the SAMs. Very low β values (0.4–0.5 nC−1) are obtained for rough surfaces with large areas of exposed grain boundaries, while β=1.0 nC−1 for smooth surfaces with small areas of exposed grain boundaries.
Reinventing residual reserves in the sea: are we favouring ease of establishment over need for protection?
Authors: Devillers Rodolphe , Pressey Robert L. , Grech Alana , Kittinger John N. , Edgar Graham J. , Ward Trevor , Watson Reg
Published: February 2014

As systems of marine protected areas (MPAs) expand globally, there is a risk that new MPAs will be biased toward places that are remote or unpromising for extractive activities, and hence follow the trend of terrestrial protected areas in being ‘residual’ to commercial uses. Such locations typically provide little protection to the species and ecosystems that are most exposed to threatening processes.

There are strong political motivations to establish residual reserves that minimize costs and conflicts with users of natural resources. These motivations will likely remain in place as long as success continues to be measured in terms of area (km2) protected.

The global pattern of MPAs was reviewed and appears to be residual, supported by a rapid growth of large, remote MPAs. The extent to which MPAs in Australia are residual nationally and also regionally within the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Marine Park was also examined.

Nationally, the recently announced Australian Commonwealth marine reserves were found to be strongly residual, making almost no difference to ‘business as usual’ for most ocean uses. Underlying this result was the imperative to minimize costs, but without the spatial constraints of explicit quantitative objectives for representing bioregions or the range of ecological features in highly protected zones.

In contrast, the 2004 rezoning of the GBR was exemplary, and the potential for residual protection was limited by applying a systematic set of planning principles, such as representing a minimum percentage of finely subdivided bioregions. Nonetheless, even at this scale, protection was uneven between bioregions. Within‐bioregion heterogeneity might have led to no‐take zones being established in areas unsuitable for trawling with a risk that species assemblages differ between areas protected and areas left available for trawling.

A simple four‐step framework of questions for planners and policy makers is proposed to help reverse the emerging residual tendency of MPAs and maximize their effectiveness for conservation. This involves checks on the least‐cost approach to establishing MPAs in order to avoid perverse outcomes.

© 2014 The Authors. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long‐distance connections in Vanuatu: New obsidian characterisations for the Makué site, Aore Island
Authors: Galipaud Jean‐Christophe , Reepmeyer Christian , Torrence Robin , Kelloway Sarah , White Peter
Published: February 2014

A geochemical study using pXRF and LA–ICP–MS to characterise artefacts from sites dating to the initial phase of colonisation on Aore and Malo islands, Vanuatu, has confirmed the dominance of obsidian from the distant Kutau/Bao source in West New Britain, with a smaller group from local outcrops in the Banks Islands, Vanuatu. Three flakes from the Umleang/Umrei source in the Admiralty Islands have also been identified in later levels. Distance fall‐off analysis of metric and technological attributes suggests that during the early phase of human colonisation of Remote Oceania, obsidian circulated within a series of separate, loosely connected social spheres.
Query recommendation in the information domain of children
Authors: Torres Sergio Duarte , Hiemstra Djoerd , Weber Ingmar , Serdyukov Pavel
Published: February 2014

Children represent an increasing group of web users. Some of the key problems that hamper their search experience is their limited vocabulary, their difficulty in using the right keywords, and the inappropriateness of their general‐purpose query suggestions. In this work, we propose a method that uses tags from social media to suggest queries related to children's topics. Concretely, we propose a simple yet effective approach to bias a random walk defined on a bipartite graph of web resources and tags through keywords that are more commonly used to describe resources for children. We evaluate our method using a large query log sample of queries submitted by children. We show that our method outperforms by a large margin the query suggestions of modern search engines and state‐of‐the art query suggestions based on random walks. We improve further the quality of the ranking by combining the score of the random walk with topical and language modeling features to emphasize even more the child‐related aspects of the query suggestions.
Archaeology of a digitization
Authors: Mak Bonnie
Published: February 2014

This study proposes an archaeology as a means of exploring the practices by which digitally encoded resources are generated, circulated, and received. The discussion grapples with the ambiguous relationship between digitizations and their exemplars in the well‐known database,EarlyEnglishBooksOnline(EEBO), and suggests ways in which digitizations might be analyzed as witnesses of current perceptions about the past and used accordingly in scholarly research. The article therefore offers a critical reading ofEEBOand its digitizations as part of a broader effort to investigate the role of digitally encoded resources in the transmission of ideas and the production of cultural heritage.
Privacy and security issues for mobile health platforms
Authors: Harvey Melissa J. , Harvey Michael G.
Published: February 2014

Mobile health (mHealth) platforms offer a promising solution to some of the more important problems facing the current healthcare system. This paper examines some of the key challenges facing mHealth with a focus on privacy and security issues. In the first part of the paper, the security engineering process is described, which can assist healthcare organizations in developing an architecture‐level protection strategy that is compliant with privacy and security legislation and industry initiatives. In the second part of the paper, use cases are selected to illustrate the diverse security architecture contexts in which the protection strategy will be deployed, and to emphasize the importance of integrating security across these contexts. In the third part of the paper, industry and government security best practices are discussed, which can assist healthcare organizations in implementing security architectures to meet their specific privacy and security requirements.
A Second Order Sliding Mode Path Following Control for Autonomous Surface Vessels
Authors: Valenciaga F.
Published: February 2014

This paper presents a path following control design for an autonomous surface vessel. The boat considered presents three degrees of freedom being driven by two independent propellers placed at its stern and is represented by a highly nonlinear underactuated dynamic model. The control objective is to reach and closely follow a pre‐specified trajectory, operating in an environment perturbed by currents and waves. This objective is achieved through a control scheme based on the interaction of guidance laws synthesized by Lyapunov techniques and a high order sliding mode control approach based on the Super Twisting Algorithm. This methodology allows designing robust and simple controllers that avoid chattering effects on sliding surfaces, producing continuous control actions and presenting a reduced computational burden. The control performance is analyzed through representative simulations.
Class probability estimation for medical studies
Authors: Simon Richard
Published: February 2014

I provide a commentary on two papers “Probability estimation with machine learning methods for dichotomous and multicategory outcome: Theory” by Jochen Kruppa, Yufeng Liu, Gérard Biau, Michael Kohler, Inke R. König, James D. Malley, and Andreas Ziegler; and “Probability estimation with machine learning methods for dichotomous and multicategory outcome: Applications” by Jochen Kruppa, Yufeng Liu, Hans‐Christian Diener, Theresa Holste, Christian Weimar, Inke R. König, and Andreas Ziegler. Those papers provide an up‐to‐date review of some popular machine learning methods for class probability estimation and compare those methods to logistic regression modeling in real and simulated datasets.
Preferred side‐chain conformation of arginine residues in a triple‐helical structure
Authors: Okuyama Kenji , Haga Mitsuru , Noguchi Keiichi , Tanaka Toshiki
Published: February 2014

The crystal structure of the triple‐helical peptide (Pro‐Hyp‐Gly)3‐Pro‐Arg‐Gly‐(Pro‐Hyp‐Gly)4 (POG3‐PRG‐POG4) was determined at 1.45 Å resolution. POG3‐PRG‐POG4 was designed to permit investigation of the side‐chain conformation of the Arg residues in a triple‐helical structure. Because of the alternative structure of one of three Arg residues, four side‐chain conformations were observed in an asymmetric unit. Among them, three adopt a ttg−t conformation and the other adopts a tg−g−t conformation. A statistical analysis of 80 Arg residues in various triple‐helical peptides showed that, unlike those in globular proteins, they preferentially adopt a tt conformation for χ1 and χ2, as observed in POG3‐PRG‐POG4. This conformation permits van der Waals contacts between the side‐chain atoms of Arg and the main‐chain atoms of the adjacent strand in the same molecule. Unlike many other host–guest peptides, in which there is a significant difference between the helical twists in the guest and the host peptides, POG3‐PRG‐POG4 shows a marked difference between the helical twists in the N‐terminal peptide and those in the C‐terminal peptide, separated near the Arg residue. This suggested that the unique side‐chain conformation of the Arg residue affects not only the conformation of the guest peptide, but also the conformation of the peptide away from the Arg residue. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 101: 1000–1009, 2014.
Synthetic promoters for CHO cell engineering
Authors: Brown Adam J. , Sweeney Bernie , Mainwaring David O. , James David C.
Published: February 2014

We describe for the first time the creation of a library of 140 synthetic promoters specifically designed to regulate the expression of recombinant genes in CHO cells. Initially, 10 common viral promoter sequences known to be active in CHO cells were analyzed using bioinformatic sequence analysis programs to determine the identity and relative abundance of transcription factor regulatory elements (TFREs; or transcription factor binding sites) they contained. Based on this, 28 synthetic reporters were constructed that each harbored seven repeats of a discrete TFRE sequence upstream of a minimal CMV core promoter element and secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) reporter gene. After evaluation of the relative activity of TFREs by transient expression in CHO‐S cells, we constructed a first generation library of 96 synthetic promoters derived from random ligation of six active TFREs inserted into the same reporter construct backbone. Comparison of the sequence and relative activity of first generation promoters revealed that individual TFRE blocks were either relatively abundant in active promoters (NFκB, E‐box), equally distributed across promoters of varying activity (C/EBPα, GC‐box) or relatively abundant in low activity promoters (E4F1, CRE). These data were utilized to create a second generation of 44 synthetic promoters based on random ligation of a fixed ratio of 4 TFREs (NFκB 5: E‐box 3: C/EBPα 1: GC‐box 1). Comparison of the sequence and relative activity of second generation promoters revealed that the most active promoters contained relatively high numbers of both NFκB and E‐box TFREs in approximately equal proportion, with a correspondingly low number of GC‐box and C/EBPα blocks. The most active second generation promoters achieved approximately twice the activity of a control construct harboring the human cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. Lastly, we evaluated the function of a subset of synthetic promoters exhibiting a broad range of activity in different CHO cell host cell lines (CHO‐S, CHO‐K1, and CHO‐DG44) and across extended fed‐batch transient expression in CHO‐S cells. In general, the different synthetic promoters both maintained their relative activity and the most active promoters consistently and significantly exceeded the activity of the CMV control promoter. For advanced cell engineering strategies our synthetic promoter libraries offer precise control of recombinant transcriptional activity in CHO cells spanning over two orders of magnitude. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 1638–1647. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Programmed Self‐Assembly of a Quadruplex DNA Nanowire
Authors: Ma'ani Hessari Nason , Spindler Lea , Troha Tinkara , Lam Wan‐Chi , Drevenšek‐Olenik Irena , Webba da Silva Mateus
Published: February 2014

The ability to produce, reproducibly and systematically, well‐defined quadruplex DNA nanowires through controlled rational design is poorly understood despite potential utility in structural nanotechnology. The programmed hierarchical self‐assembly of a long four‐stranded DNA nanowire through cohesive self‐assembly of GpC and CpG “sticky” ends is reported. The encoding of bases within the quadruplex stem allows for an uninterrupted π‐stacking system with rectilinear propagation for hundreds of nanometers in length. The wire is mechanically stable and features superior nuclease resistance to double‐stranded DNA. The study indicates the feasibility for programmed assembly of uninterrupted quadruplex DNA nanowires. This is fundamental to the systematic investigation of well‐defined DNA nanostructures for uses in optoelectronic and electronic devices as well as other structural nanotechnology applications.
Facile One‐Pot Synthesis of [1, 2, 3]Triazolo[1, 5‐a]Pyridines from 2‐Acylpyridines by Copper(II)‐Catalyzed Oxidative NN Bond Formation
Authors: Hirayama Tasuku , Ueda Satoshi , Okada Takahiro , Tsurue Norihiko , Okuda Kensuke , Nagasawa Hideko
Published: February 2014

An efficient and simple method for the synthesis of various [1, 2, 3]triazolo[1, 5‐a]pyridines has been established. The method involves a copper(II)‐catalyzed oxidative NN bond formation that uses atmospheric oxygen as the terminal oxidant following hydrazonation in one pot. The use of ethyl acetate as the solvent dramatically promotes the oxidative NN bond‐formation reaction and enables the application of oxidative cyclization in the efficient one‐pot reaction. A mechanism for the reaction was proposed on the basis of the results of a spectroscopic study.
Origins of Large Rate Enhancements in the Nazarov Cyclization Catalyzed by Supramolecular Encapsulation
Authors: Hastings Courtney J. , Bergman Robert G. , Raymond Kenneth N.
Published: February 2014

The self‐assembled supramolecular host [Ga4L6]12− (1; L=N,N‐bis(2,3‐dihydroxybenzoyl)‐1,5‐diaminonaphthalene) catalyzes the Nazarov cyclization of 1,3‐pentadienols with extremely high levels of efficiency. The catalyzed reaction proceeds at a rate over a million times faster than that of the background reaction, an increase comparable to those observed in some enzymatic systems. A detailed study was conducted to elucidate the reaction mechanism of both the catalyzed and uncatalyzed Nazarov cyclization of pentadienols. Kinetic analysis and 18O‐exchange experiments implicate a mechanism, in which encapsulation, protonation, and water loss from substrate are reversible, followed by irreversible electrocyclization. Although electrocyclization is rate determining in the uncatalyzed reaction, the barrier for water loss and for electrocyclization are nearly equal in the assembly‐catalyzed reaction. Analysis of the energetics of the catalyzed and uncatalyzed reaction revealed that transition‐state stabilization contributes significantly to the dramatically enhanced rate of the catalyzed reaction.
Ruthenium‐Catalyzed C7 Amidation of Indoline CH Bonds with Sulfonyl Azides
Authors: Pan Changduo , Abdukader Ablimit , Han Jie , Cheng Yixiang , Zhu Chengjian
Published: February 2014

A ruthenium‐catalyzed direct C7 amidation of indoline CH bonds with sulfonyl azides was developed. This procedure allows the synthesis of a variety of 7‐amino‐substituted indolines, which are useful in pharmaceutical. The good functional tolerances, as well as the mild conditions, are prominent feature of this method.
Double CaromH Activation Associated with Etheral Oxygen Insertion to Phenazine Architecture in Oxidisable Ruthenium(III) Complexes: A Mechanistic Insight
Authors: Roy Suman K , Samanta Subhas , Chowdhury Nabanita Saha , Mondal Tapan K. , Goswami Sreebrata
Published: February 2014

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Sreebrata Goswami at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science. The image depicts an unexpected aromatic ring hydroxylation reaction. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.201303932.
Cartesian and Spherical Tensors in NMR Hamiltonians
Authors: Man Pascal P.
Published: February 2014

NMR Hamiltonians are anisotropic due to their orientation dependence with respect to the strong, static magnetic field. They are best represented by product of two rank‐2 tensors: one is the space‐part tensorTand the other is the spin‐part tensorA. We reformulated the dot product of Cartesian tensors and the dyadic product of spherical tensors in NMR Hamiltonian as the double contraction of these two tensors. As the double contract has two definitions (double inner product and double outer product of two rank‐2 tensors), there are two sets of spherical tensor components in terms of Cartesian tensor components for any rank‐2 tensor, two Cartesian Hamiltonians, and two spherical Hamiltonians. We succeeded in determining the spherical components of tensorsAandTthat verify the Cartesian Hamiltonian defined by the double inner product of two rank‐2 tensors and the spherical Hamiltonian defined by the double outer product of two rank‐2 tensors. In particular, we established the spherical components of space‐part tensorTin terms of Cartesian tensor components provided by Cook and De Lucia. Throughout the article, Wigner active rotation matrix is used to illustrate the active rotation of spherical vector, spherical harmonics, and spherical tensor as well as the passive rotation via their rotational invariants. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 42A: 197–244, 2013.
MASCC/ISOO clinical practice guidelines for the management of mucositis secondary to cancer therapy
Authors: Lalla Rajesh V. , Bowen Joanne , Barasch Andrei , Elting Linda , Epstein Joel , Keefe Dorothy M. , McGuire Deborah B. , Migliorati Cesar , Nicolatou‐Galitis Ourania , Peterson Douglas E. , Raber‐Durlacher Judith E. , Sonis Stephen T. , Elad Sharon ,   The Mucositis Guidelines Leadership Group of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO).
Published: February 2014

BACKGROUND

Mucositis is a highly significant, and sometimes dose‐limiting, toxicity of cancer therapy. The goal of this systematic review was to update the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for mucositis.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted to identify eligible published articles, based on predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Each article was independently reviewed by 2 reviewers. Studies were rated according to the presence of major and minor flaws as per previously published criteria. The body of evidence for each intervention, in each treatment setting, was assigned a level of evidence, based on previously published criteria. Guidelines were developed based on the level of evidence, with 3 possible guideline determinations: recommendation, suggestion, or no guideline possible.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 8279 papers, 1032 of which were retrieved for detailed evaluation based on titles and abstracts. Of these, 570 qualified for final inclusion in the systematic reviews. Sixteen new guidelines were developed for or against the use of various interventions in specific treatment settings. In total, the MASCC/ISOO Mucositis Guidelines now include 32 guidelines: 22 for oral mucositis and 10 for gastrointestinal mucositis. This article describes these updated guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

The updated MASCC/ISOO Clinical Practice Guidelines for mucositis will help clinicians provide evidence‐based management of mucositis secondary to cancer therapy. Cancer 2014;120:1453–1461. © 2014 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society.
Single‐Molecule Super‐Resolution Light‐Sheet Microscopy
Authors: Hu Ying S. , Zimmerley Maxwell , Li Yu , Watters Robin , Cang Hu
Published: February 2014

Single‐molecule super‐resolution imaging is a new promising tool for investigation of sub‐cellular structures. Concurrently, light‐sheet microscopy, also known as selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM), has gained rapid favor with the imaging community in developmental biology due to its fast speed, high contrast, deep penetration, and low phototoxicity. While nearly a dozen reviews thoroughly describe the development of light‐sheet microscopy and its technological breakthroughs with a main focus on improving the 3D imaging speed of fish embryos, central nervous system, and other tissues, few have addressed the potential of combining light‐sheet microscopy and localization‐based super‐resolution imaging to achieve sub‐diffraction‐limited resolution. Adapting light‐sheet illumination for single‐molecule imaging presents unique challenges for instrumentation and reconstruction algorithms. In this Minireview, we provide an overview of the recent developments that address these challenges. We compare different approaches in super‐resolution and light‐sheet imaging, address advantages and limitations in each approach, and outline future directions of this emerging field.
I Collect Therefore I am—Autonoetic Consciousness and Hoarding in Asperger Syndrome
Authors: Skirrow Paul , Jackson Paul , Perry Ewan , Hare Dougal Julian
Published: February 2014

A growing number of studies have highlighted impairments in the ability of individuals with autism spectrum disorders to recall specific, personally experienced material. These difficulties have been related to underlying problems with autonoetic consciousness, namely the subjective awareness of one's own existence in subjective time. The current paper describes the manifestation of these difficulties in three individuals diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. For the people described, lifelong collecting and hoarding behaviours appeared to serve the function of constituting and maintaining aspects of their sense of self, particularly the sense of continuity and agency over time. On the basis of this clinical information and previous research into self‐related processes in people with autism spectrum disorders, an initial model of collecting and hoarding behaviours amongst individuals with Asperger syndrome was formulated. The implications of this formulation for both clinical practice and future research are discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Key Practitioner Message

People with Asperger syndrome can have problems in developing a functional sense of self.

Collecting and hoarding behaviour by people with Asperger syndrome may reflect such underlying difficulties in their sense of self rather than being symptoms of comorbid mental illness.

Interventions need to take account of the function of such behaviours rather than solely regarding them as discrete pathological signs.
Surface‐morphology evolution of ZnO nanostructures grown by hydrothermal method
Authors: Zhang X. L. , Dai H. T. , Zhao J. L. , Wang S. G. , Sun X. W.
Published: February 2014

Surface‐morphology evolution of ZnO nanocrystals has been observed by the hydrothermal process. The effects of stirring time and ammonia content on the morphology evolution have been discussed, respectively. Extension of stirring time of the precursor results in morphology transformation from star‐like to wire‐like ZnO nanocrystals. ZnO nuclei aggregation and uniform Zn(OH)2 precipitation can readily explain these two morphologies, respectively. By increasing the ammonia content in the solution, the morphology of ZnO crystals is transformed from an irregular shape to hexagon sheets to nanorods, and the side length of ZnO crystals is decreased accordingly. Hollow structures are realized at the subsequent solution aging process. Variation of zinc ammonic complex and minimum surface energy can well explain the morphology evolution of ZnO nanostructures.
Fischer–Tropsch Reaction on a Thermally Conductive and Reusable Silicon Carbide Support
Authors: Liu Yuefeng , Ersen Ovidiu , Meny Christian , Luck Francis , Pham‐Huu Cuong
Published: February 2014

The Fischer–Tropsch (FT) process, in which synthesis gas (syngas) derived from coal, natural gas, and biomass is converted into synthetic liquid fuels and chemicals, is a strongly exothermic reaction, and thus, a large amount of heat is generated during the reaction that could severely modify the overall selectivity of the process. In this Review, we report the advantages that can be offered by different thermally conductive supports, that is, carbon nanomaterials and silicon carbide, pure or doped with different promoters, for the development of more active and selective FT catalysts. This Review follows a discussion regarding the clear trend in the advantages and drawbacks of these systems in terms of energy efficiency and catalytic performance for this most‐demanded catalytic process. It is demonstrated that the use of a support with an appropriate pore size and thermal conductivity is an effective strategy to tune and improve the activity of the catalyst and to improve product selectivity in the FT process. The active phase and the recovery of the support, which also represents a main concern in terms of the large amount of FT catalyst used and the cost of the active cobalt phase, is also discussed within the framework of this Review. It is expected that a thermally conductive support such as β‐SiC will not only improve the development of the FT process, but that it will also be part of a new support for different catalytic processes for which high catalytic performance and selectivity are strongly needed.
Energy efficiency based on joint mobile node grouping and data packet fragmentation in short‐range communication system
Authors: Zhang Zufan , Yi Yinxue , Yang Jing
Published: February 2014

Energy efficiency is a key requirement for the design of short‐range network. In order to alleviate energy consumption constraint, a two‐layer short‐range communication architecture is proposed in this paper. We designed an energy‐efficient scheme on the basis of joint mobile nodes (MNs) grouping and data packet fragmentation, analyzed the energy efficiency corresponding to different packet length and group sizes, and established an appropriate energy consumption model. Simulation results show that when MNs of short‐range system are grouped by the proposed MN grouping algorithm and all nodes of each group are operating with the same size of data packet fragmentation, the short‐range communication system can provide significant energy savings. The results provide useful insights into the possible operation of the strategies and show that significant energy reductions are possible. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Filling the gap in functional trait databases: use of ecological hypotheses to replace missing data
Authors: Taugourdeau Simon , Villerd Jean , Plantureux Sylvain , Huguenin‐Elie Olivier , Amiaud Bernard
Published: February 2014

Functional trait databases are powerful tools in ecology, though most of them contain large amounts of missing values. The goal of this study was to test the effect of imputation methods on the evaluation of trait values at species level and on the subsequent calculation of functional diversity indices at community level using functional trait databases. Two simple imputation methods (average and median), two methods based on ecological hypotheses, and one multiple imputation method were tested using a large plant trait database, together with the influence of the percentage of missing data and differences between functional traits. At community level, the complete‐case approach and three functional diversity indices calculated from grassland plant communities were included. At the species level, one of the methods based on ecological hypothesis was for all traits more accurate than imputation with average or median values, but the multiple imputation method was superior for most of the traits. The method based on functional proximity between species was the best method for traits with an unbalanced distribution, while the method based on the existence of relationships between traits was the best for traits with a balanced distribution. The ranking of the grassland communities for their functional diversity indices was not robust with the complete‐case approach, even for low percentages of missing data. With the imputation methods based on ecological hypotheses, functional diversity indices could be computed with a maximum of 30% of missing data, without affecting the ranking between grassland communities. The multiple imputation method performed well, but not better than single imputation based on ecological hypothesis and adapted to the distribution of the trait values for the functional identity and range of the communities. Ecological studies using functional trait databases have to deal with missing data using imputation methods corresponding to their specific needs and making the most out of the information available in the databases. Within this framework, this study indicates the possibilities and limits of single imputation methods based on ecological hypothesis and concludes that they could be useful when studying the ranking of communities for their functional diversity indices.
The limited impact of vegetation on the water balance of mine waste cover systems in semi‐arid Australia
Authors: Arnold S. , Schneider A. , Doley D. , Baumgartl T.
Published: February 2014

In (semi‐)arid environments, mine waste cover systems aim to minimize drainage into underlying hazardous wastes by maximizing evaporation from soil and transpiration from vegetation. We estimated the evapotranspiration (ET) for an area occupied by characteristic semi‐arid native Australian plant species. Using an open top chamber, we measured diurnal and daily ET of two plant species – Senna artemisioides (silver cassia) and Sclerolaena birchii (galvanized burr) – after a simulated rainfall event, as well as evaporation (E) from bare soil. Both ET and E decreased with increasing time after initial watering. However, we observed different temporal patterns for daily ET and E, indicating that S. artemisioides and S. birchii are relatively intensive and extensive water exploiters, respectively. We found a strong positive linear relationship between ET or E and the atmospheric water demand represented by the vapour pressure deficit. This correlation was more pronounced in the morning than in the afternoon, indicating a diminishing water supply from the soil associated with a declining unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil in the afternoon. We used the estimated values of ET and E to project the effect of species composition on plot ET in relation to total vegetation coverage. Although both species survive and grow under the dry conditions at the study site, their influence on plot ET was rather small because of the low vegetation coverage. On this basis, we conclude that the relevance of plants on ET cover systems is small under such water‐limited conditions of semi‐arid and arid climates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
12‐Channel Peltier array temperature control unit for single molecule enzymology studies using capillary electrophoresis
Authors: Craig Douglas B. , Reinfelds Gundars , Henderson Anna
Published: February 2014

Capillary electrophoresis has been used to demonstrate that individual molecules of a given enzyme support different catalytic rates. In order to determine how rate varies with temperature, and determine activation energies for individual β‐galactosidase molecules, a 12‐channel Peltier array temperature control device was constructed where the temperature of each cell was separately controlled. This array was used to control the temperature of the central 30 cm of a 50 cm long capillary, producing a temperature gradient along its length. Continuous flow single β‐galactosidase molecule assays were performed allowing measurement of the catalytic rates at different temperatures. Arrhenius plots were produced and the distribution of activation energies for individual β‐galactosidase molecules was found to be 56 ± 10 kJ/mol with a range of 34–72 kJ/mol.
Dynamics of ten‐eleven translocation hydroxylase family proteins and 5‐hydroxymethylcytosine in oligodendrocyte differentiation
Authors: Zhao Xianghui , Dai Jinxiang , Ma Yue , Mi Yajing , Cui Daxiang , Ju Gong , Macklin Wendy B. , Jin Weilin
Published: February 2014

The ten‐eleven translocation (TET) family of methylcytosine dioxygenases catalyze oxidation of 5‐methylcytosine (5mC) to 5‐hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and promote DNA demethylation. Despite the abundance of 5hmC and TET proteins in the brain, little is known about their role in oligodendrocytes (OLs). Here, we analyzed TET expression during OL development in vivo and in vitro, and found that three TET family members possess unique subcellular and temporal expression patterns. Furthermore, the level of 5hmC exhibits dynamic changes during OL maturation, which implies that 5hmC modification may play a role in the expression of critical genes necessary for OL maturation. siRNA‐mediated silencing of the TET family proteins in OLs demonstrated that each of the TET proteins is required for OL differentiation. However, based on their unique domain structures, we speculate that the three TET members may function by different mechanisms. In summary, we have established the temporal expression of TET proteins and the dynamic level of 5hmC during OL development and demonstrate that all three TET members are necessary for OL differentiation. GLIA 2014;62:914–926