bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical Features and Outcomes of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Lai Chien‐Chih , Chen Wei‐Sheng , Chang Yu‐Sheng , Wang Shu‐Hung , Huang Chun‐Jui , Guo Wan‐Yuo , Yang Wu‐Chang , Huang De‐Feng
Published: May 2013

Objective

To analyze the clinical features and outcomes of patients with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), the risk factors of PRES‐related intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and all‐cause mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

Twenty‐six episodes of PRES were identified in 23 SLE patients, using an electronic medical records database of 3,746 SLE patients.

Results

The prevalence of PRES was 0.69% among SLE patients. The scores of the SLE Disease Activity Index without neurologic descriptors (SLEDAI‐N) were significantly elevated from baseline for a mean of 3.3 during PRES (P = 0.009). Rapidly deteriorating renal function, pulmonary hemorrhage, thrombotic microangiopathy, macrophage activation syndrome, or multiple organ dysfunction syndrome appeared during 65.4% of episodes. In 16 episodes, patients completely recovered from PRES‐related symptoms within a median of 7 days. Visual impairment was reversed within 2 days in 8 of 15 patients, but impairment in other patients was protracted for up to 4 months, especially when ICH was present. Hypoalbuminemia (<20 gm/liter; odds ratio [OR] 30, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.04–441.84) and thrombocytopenia (<30,000/mm3; OR 21, 95% CI 1.27–346.93) were risk factors for PRES‐related ICH. Patients with SLEDAI‐N scores >18 during a PRES attack had significantly higher mortality rates than did patients with SLEDAI‐N scores ≤18 (P = 0.009 by log rank test).

Conclusion

PRES frequently occurs during active SLE with multiple complications. Hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia may contribute to PRES‐related ICH. The extraneurologic disease activity of lupus during PRES may influence the mortality rate of SLE patients.
Polymer Nanocomposites Containing Carbon Nanofibers as Soft Printable Sensors Exhibiting Strain‐Reversible Piezoresistivity
Authors: Toprakci Hatice A. K. , Kalanadhabhatla Saral K. , Spontak Richard J. , Ghosh Tushar K.
Published: May 2013

Designed as flexible and extendable conductive print media for pervasive computing as strain sensors, nanocomposites composed of a plasticized thermoplastic or a cross‐linked elastomer and containing carbon nanofibers at concentrations just above the percolation threshold are observed to exhibit a uniquely strain‐reversible piezoresistive response upon application of quasi‐static tensile strain. At small strain levels, the electrical resistance of these nanocomposites reduces with increasing strain, indicative of negative piezoresistivity. Beyond a critical strain, however, the resistance reverses and increases with increasing strain, revealing the existence of a negative‐to‐positive piezoresistivity transition that is fully strain‐reversible and repeatable upon strain cycling. These characteristics imply that the nanocomposite morphologies are highly stable with little evidence of mechanical hysteresis. The mechanism underlying this transition is attributed to reorientation of high‐aspect‐ratio nanofibers (initially homogeneously dispersed) at low strains, followed by separation at high strains. While deposition of these nanocomposites as robust print coatings on textile fabric alters the percolation threshold, strain‐reversible piezoresistivity is retained, confirming that they are suitable as printable strain sensors.
In Vivo Bio‐Safety Evaluations and Diagnostic/Therapeutic Applications of Chemically Designed Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles
Authors: Chen Yu , Chen Hangrong , Shi Jianlin
Published: May 2013

The remarkable progress of nanotechnology and its application in biomedicine have greatly expanded the ranges and types of biomaterials from traditional organic material‐based nanoparticles (NPs) to inorganic biomaterials or organic/inorganic hybrid nanocomposites due to the unprecedented advantages of the engineered inorganic material‐based NPs. Colloidal mesoporous silica NPs (MSNs), one of the most representative and well‐established inorganic materials, have been promoted into biology and medicine, and shifted from extensive in vitro research towards preliminary in vivo assays in small‐animal disease models. In this comprehensive review, the recent progresses in chemical design and engineering of MSNs‐based biomaterials for in vivo biomedical applications has been detailed and overviewed. Due to the intrinsic structural characteristics of elaborately designed MSNs such as large surface area, high pore volume and easy chemical functionalization, they have been extensively investigated for therapeutic, diagnostic and theranostic (concurrent diagnosis and therapy) purposes, especially in oncology. Systematic in vivo bio‐safety evaluations of MSNs have revealed the evidences that the in vivo bio‐behaviors of MSNs are strongly related to their preparation prodecures, particle sizes, geometries, surface chemistries, dosing parameters and even administration routes. In vivo pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics further demonstrated the effectiveness of MSNs as the passively and/or actively targeted drug delivery systems (DDSs) for cancer chemotherapy. Especially, the advance of nano‐synthetic chemistry enables the production of composite MSNs for advanced in vivo therapeutic purposes such as gene delivery, stimuli‐responsive drug release, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, ultrasound therapy, or anti‐bacteria in tissue engineering, or as the contrast agents for biological and diagnostic imaging. Additionally, the critical issues and potential challenges related to the chemical design/synthesis of MSNs‐based “magic bullet” by advanced nano‐synthetic chemistry and in vivo evaluation have been discussed to highlight the issues scientists face in promoting the translation of MSNs‐based DDSs into clinical trials.
Catalytic Asymmetric Five‐Component Tandem Reaction: Diastereo‐ and Enantioselective Synthesis of Densely Functionalized Tetrahydropyridines with Biological Importance
Authors: Shi Feng , Tan Wei , Zhu Ren‐Yi , Xing Gui‐Juan , Tu Shu‐Jiang
Published: May 2013

The first catalytic asymmetric five‐component tandem reactions of β‐keto esters, aromatic aldehydes and anilines have been established in the presence of a chiral phosphoric acid, affording densely functionalized tetrahydropyridines with concomitant generation of five σ bonds and two stereogenic centers in high diastereo‐ and enantioselectivities (up to >99:1 dr, 95:5 er). In addition, the first isolation and preparation of a diene species as the key intermediate of the reaction has been successfully realized, leading to the formation of the desired tetrahydropyridine via further condensation with in situ generated imine, which supported the proposed tandem [4+2] reaction pathway to some extent. This protocol not only represents the first enantioselective example of this five‐component tandem reaction, but also provides an unprecedented access to enantioenriched tetrahydropyridines with structural diversity, which holds great potential in medicinal chemistry.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative Coupling of α‐ Oxocarboxylic Acids with C(sp2)H of 2‐Aryloxypyridines
Authors: Yao Jinzhong , Feng Ruokun , Wu Zaihong , Liu Zhanxiang , Zhang Yuhong
Published: May 2013

An efficient palladium‐catalyzed decarboxylative ortho‐acylation of 2‐aryloxypyridines with α‐oxocarboxylic acids is described. In this new transformation, the aromatic C(sp2)H bond was successfully acylated to give diverse aromatic ketones regioselectively in moderate to good yields. The pyridine group can be removed easily after the acylation to give the corresponding 2‐hydroxy aromatic ketones.
Reactor modeling and recipe optimization of polyether polyol processes: Polypropylene glycol
Authors: Nie Yisu , Biegler Lorenz T. , Villa Carlos M. , Wassick John M.
Published: May 2013

The reactor modeling and recipe optimization of conventional semibatch polyether polyol processes, in particular for the polymerization of propylene oxide to make polypropylene glycol, is addressed. A rigorous mathematical reactor model is first developed to describe the dynamic behavior of the polymerization process based on first‐principles including the mass and population balances, reaction kinetics, and vapor‐liquid equilibria. Next, the obtained differential algebraic model is reformulated by applying a nullspace projection method that results in an equivalent dynamic system with better computational performance. The reactor model is validated against plant data by adjusting model parameters. A dynamic optimization problem is then formulated to optimize the process recipe, where the batch processing time is minimized, given a target product molecular weight as well as other requirements on product quality and process safety. The dynamic optimization problem is translated into a nonlinear program using the simultaneous collocation strategy and further solved with the interior point method to obtain the optimal control profiles. The case study result shows a good match between the model prediction and real plant data, and the optimization approach is able to significantly reduce the batch time by 47%, which indicates great potential for industrial applications. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2515–2529, 2013
Simultaneous solution approach to model‐based experimental design
Authors: Hoang M. D. , Barz T. , Merchan V. A. , Biegler L. T. , Arellano‐Garcia H.
Published: May 2013

A model‐based experimental design is formulated and solved as a large‐scale NLP problem. The key idea of the proposed approach is the extension of model equations with sensitivity equations forming an extended sensitivities‐state equation system. The resulting system is then totally discretized and simultaneously solved as constraints of the NLP problem. Thereby, higher derivatives of the parameter sensitivities with respect to the control variables are directly calculated and exact. This is an advantage in comparison with proposed sequential approaches to model‐based experimental design so far, where these derivatives have to be additionally integrated throughout the optimization steps. This can end up in a high‐computational load especially for systems with many control variables. Furthermore, an advanced sampling strategy is proposed which combines the strength of the optimal sampling design and the variation of the collocation element lengths while fully using the entire optimization space of the simultaneous formulation. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 4169–4183, 2013
A novel RASA1 mutation causing capillary malformation–arteriovenous malformation (CM–AVM) presenting during pregnancy
Authors: Durrington Hannah J. , Firth Helen V. , Patient Charlotte , Belham Mark , Jayne David , Burrows Nigel , Morrell Nicholas W. , Chilvers Edwin R.
Published: May 2013

Capillary malformation–arteriovenous malformation (CM–AVM) is a newly recognized clinical entity caused by mutation of the RASA1 gene, which encodes p120‐RasGAP. Here we describe, for the first time, a patient with CM–AVM presenting during the late stages of pregnancy with pulmonary “capillary level” microvascular shunt, worsening cutaneous capillary malformations, and gross fluid overload. Sequencing revealed a novel mutation of the RASA1 gene involving a frameshift mutation in the RASGAP domain of RASA1. This report extends our current genetic and clinical understanding of CM–AVM. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mosaic isochromosome 15q and maternal uniparental isodisomy for chromosome 15 in a patient with morbid obesity and variant PWS‐like phenotype
Authors: Wang Jia‐Chi , Vaccarello‐Cruz Mary , Ross Leslie , Owen Renius , Pratt Victoria M. , Lightman Katherine , Liu Yan , Hafezi Katayoun , Cherif Dhia , Sahoo Trilochan
Published: May 2013

Angelman and Prader–Willi syndromes are reciprocal imprinting disorders caused by loss of maternally or paternally expressed genes, respectively, within 15q11.2–q13. Angelman syndrome (AS; OMIM 105830) is a neurodevelopmental disorder and is due to the loss of maternally expressed UBE3A gene. Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS; OMIM 176270) is a clinically distinct disorder caused by the loss of paternally expressed genes in the human chromosome region 15q11.2–q13. Recently published data strongly suggest a role for the paternally expressed small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) cluster, SNORD116, in PWS etiology. Uniparental disomy (UPD) 15 is one of the important causes of PWS and AS. Interestingly, balanced and unbalanced chromosomal aberrations in the form of Robertsonian translocation, isochromosomes, supernumerary marker chromosomes and copy number variations have been strongly linked with the occurrence of UPD. Here we report on a very unique case with a mosaic isochromosome for the entire long arm of 15, that is, i(15)(q10), resulting in mosaic uniparental isodisomy for 15q and with no copy number alterations. This is the first report of UPD15 constituted by a mosaic, but copy number neutral chromosomal rearrangement in a patient with a variant PWS‐like phenotype. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Deletions of 16p11.2 and 19p13.2 in a family with intellectual disability and generalized epilepsy
Authors: Bassuk Alexander G. , Geraghty Eileen , Wu Shu , Mullen Saul A. , Berkovic Samuel F. , Scheffer Ingrid E. , Mefford Heather C.
Published: May 2013

Rare copy number variants (CNVs) have been established as an important cause of various neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability (ID) and epilepsy. In some cases, a second CNV may contribute to a more severe clinical presentation. Here we present two siblings and their mother who have mild ID, short stature, obesity and seizures. Array CGH studies show that each affected individual has two large, rare CNVs. The first is a deletion of chromosome 16p11.2, which has been previously associated with ID and autism. The second is a 0.9 Mb deletion of 19p13.2, which results in the deletion of a cluster of zinc finger genes. We suggest that, while the 16p11.2 deletion is likely the primary cause of the obesity and ID in this family, the 19p13.2 deletion may act as a modifier of the epilepsy phenotype, which is not a core feature of the 16p11.2 deletion syndrome. We investigate the potential role of ZNF44, a gene within the deleted region, in a cohort of patients with generalized epilepsy. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Severe obstructive sleep apnea in loeys–dietz syndrome successfully treated using continuous positive airway pressure
Authors: Takenouchi Toshiki , Saito Hideyuki , Maruoka Ryo , Oishi Naoki , Torii Chiharu , Maeda Jun , Takahashi Takao , Kosaki Kenjiro
Published: May 2013

Loeys–Dietz syndrome is a recently recognized connective tissue disorder characterized by severe craniofacial and skeletal abnormalities as well as arterial tortuosity with aggressive aneurysm formation. Marfan syndrome, a classic connective tissue disorder, is known to be associated with a risk of obstructive sleep apnea, but sleep‐related breathing disorders have not been previously documented in Loeys–Dietz syndrome. The propositus had the prototypic features of Loeys–Dietz syndrome with a de novo mutation in TGFBR2. He developed severe obstructive sleep apnea during his infancy. Continuous positive airway pressure was introduced at age 7 years and provided significant improvement in his nocturnal apnea and sleep apnea‐related symptoms, such as enuresis. Marfan syndrome is known to be associated with a high risk of sleep apnea because of its characteristic craniofacial and connective tissue abnormalities. Similarly, the severe craniofacial abnormalities in Loeys–Dietz syndrome may predispose patients to severe obstructive sleep apnea, even at a very young age. Despite the severity of obstructive sleep apnea in the propositus, the administration of continuous positive airway pressure was highly effective in alleviating his symptoms. In summary, severe obstructive sleep apnea was successfully treated using continuous positive airway pressure in a patient with Loeys–Dietz syndrome. Careful evaluation and aggressive intervention for the alleviation of obstructive sleep apnea is warranted in Loeys–Dietz syndrome. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Gorlin–chaudhry–moss syndrome revisited: Expanding the phenotype
Authors: Rosti Rasim O. , Karaer Kadri , Karaman Birsen , Torun Deniz , Guran Sefik , Bahce Muhterem
Published: May 2013

Gorlin–Chaudhry–Moss syndrome (OMIM 233500) is a rare congenital malformation syndrome with the cardinal manifestations of craniofacial dysostosis, hypertrichosis, underdeveloped genitalia, ocular, and dental anomalies. Since 1960, only six affected individuals have been reported. We report a 4‐year and 6‐month‐old female patient with this phenotype and review the clinical presentation of all patients known so far. Previously unreported malformations of the extremities, larynx, and nose are also described, expanding the phenotype of this rare syndrome. Array‐CGH analysis did not show pathological deletions or duplications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Descriptive epidemiology of idiopathic clubfoot
Authors: Werler Martha M. , Yazdy Mahsa M. , Mitchell Allen A. , Meyer Robert E. , Druschel Charlotte M. , Anderka Marlene , Kasser James R. , Mahan Susan T.
Published: May 2013

Clubfoot is a common structural malformation, occurring in approximately 1/1,000 live births. Previous studies of sociodemographic and pregnancy‐related risk factors have been inconsistent, with the exception of the strong male preponderance and association with primiparity. Hypotheses for clubfoot pathogenesis include fetal constraint, Mendelian‐inheritance, and vascular disruption, but its etiology remains elusive. We conducted a population‐based case–control study of clubfoot in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and New York from 2007 to 2011. Mothers of 677 clubfoot cases and 2,037 non‐malformed controls were interviewed within 1 year of delivery about socio‐demographic and reproductive factors. Cases and controls were compared for child's sex, maternal age, education, cohabitation status, race/ethnicity, state, gravidity, parity, body mass index (BMI), and these pregnancy‐related conditions: oligohydramnios, breech delivery, bicornuate uterus, plural birth, early amniocentesis (<16 weeks), chorionic villous sampling (CVS), and plural gestation with fetal loss. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were adjusted for state. Cases were more likely to be male (OR: 2.7; 2.2–3.3) and born to primiparous mothers (1.4; 1.2–1.7) and mothers with BMI ≥30 kg/m2 (1.4; 1.1–1.8). These associations were greatest in isolated and bilateral cases. ORs for the pregnancy‐related conditions ranged from 1.3 (breech delivery) to 5.6 (early amniocentesis). Positive associations with high BMI were confined to cases with a marker of fetal constraint (oligohydramnios, breech delivery, bicornuate uterus, plural birth), inheritance (family history in 1st degree relative), or vascular disruption (early amniocentesis, CVS, plural gestation with fetal loss). Pathogenetic factors associated with obesity may be in the causal pathway for clubfoot. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Genetic heterogeneity in type III familial cutaneous syndactyly and linkage to chromosome 7q36
Authors: Al‐Qattan Mohammad M. , Shamseldin Hanan E. , Al Mazyad Mohammed , Al Deghaither Saud , Alkuraya Fowzan S.
Published: May 2013

The ZRS (zone of polarizing activity regulatory sequence) is a long‐range limb‐specific Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) enhancer. In humans, the ZRS is located in chromosome 7q36 within intron 5 of LMBR1; approximately 1 Mb telomeric of SHH. Point mutations and duplications of the ZRS lead to a variable phenotype of preaxial polydactyly/triphalangeal thumb, tibial hypoplasia, radial ray deficiency, and type IV familial syndactyly (syndactyly of all digits with polydactyly). The ZRS is conserved among mammals and fish and regulates the expression of SHH. In mice, the conserved ZRS within the Lmbr1 gene is found in chromosome 5. The Hammertoe (Hm) mouse mutants have a mutation in the Lmbr1 locus and show syndactyly of digits 2–5 without polydactyly. No previous reports have described isolated syndactyly without polydactyly to be related to the LMBR1 locus in humans. In this report, we describe a family with simple cutaneous syndactyly involving digits 2–5, without polydactyly which is consistent with the phenotype of type III syndactyly. The locus we identified on ch7q36.3 is syntenic to the Hm locus; and affected members of the family had a phenotype analogous to Hm. Hence, the type of syndactyly described in the current report may be equivalent to Hm mice. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Renal‐hepatic‐pancreatic dysplasia: A sibship with skeletal and central nervous system anomalies and NPHP3 mutation
Authors: Copelovitch Lawrence , O'Brien Maureen M. , Guttenberg Marta , Otto Edgar A. , Kaplan Bernard S.
Published: May 2013

We report on five consecutive sibs three with fatal renal‐hepatic‐pancreatic dysplastic (RHPD) syndrome and two pregnancies ending in early abortion. Three of the fetuses reached term and two survived for 15 and 58 days. They had diffusely cystic kidneys with absence of the distal collecting tubules, hepatic fibrosis, bile duct paucity, and pancreatic fibrosis with irregularly dilated ducts. These findings correspond to many of those reported by Ivemark et al. [Ivemark et al. (1959); Acta Paediat Scand 48: 1–11] as part of the RHPD syndrome. There are several notable differences in this family: one patient had hypocalvaria and a choroid plexus cyst at the right foramen of Luschka, multiple bone abnormalities including widened growth plates and abnormal development of the trabeculae of the ribs, “handle‐bar” clavicles, wedge defects of the inferior margin of several thoracic vertebrae; the second patient had hypocalvaria and abnormally developed brain with bilateral exposure of the insulae; and a third patient had anencephaly. Mutational analysis of the two who survived beyond post‐delivery demonstrated compound heterozygous novel frameshift mutations in the nephronophthisis type 3 gene (NPHP3). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Natural rubber protein as interfacial enhancement for bio‐based nano‐fillers
Authors: Jong Lei
Published: May 2013

Natural rubber was enhanced with soy protein nano‐aggregates and carbon black using a hybrid process. The rubber composites reinforced with an optimum amount of soy protein or soy protein/carbon black showed useful tensile properties. The stress‐strain behaviors were analyzed with a micro‐mechanical model that describes the stress–strain measurements well. The model analysis provides insight into filler network characteristics and entanglement modulus. The composites were also analyzed with both linear and nonlinear viscoelastic properties. Temperature and frequency dependent modulus as well as the model analysis of stress softening effect describe the ability of soy protein to constraint polymer chains in the highly filled composites. For the composites reinforced with soy protein, the good tensile properties are attributed to good filler‐polymer adhesion through the compatibilization effect of natural rubber protein. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2188–2197, 2013
Alkali treatment of viscose cellulosic fibers from eucalyptus wood: Structural, morphological, and thermal analysis
Authors: Rojo Ester , Alonso M. Virginia , Domínguez Juan C. , Saz‐Orozco Belén Del , Oliet Mercedes , Rodriguez Francisco
Published: May 2013

The modification of viscose cellulosic fibers from eucalyptus wood was performed by alkali treatment to improve the surface properties of the fibers for subsequent incorporation as reinforcement into phenolic composites. The treatment was carried out at various NaOH concentrations (1–20 wt %) and soaking times (1 and 2 h). The structural transformations of the fibers were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). Morphological observations of the fibers were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and wettability between the fibers and a resol‐type phenolic resin was studied by contact angle measurements. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to determine the thermal properties. The treatment of cellulosic fibers with 5 wt % NaOH for 2 h was selected as optimum. According to the analyses, these conditions increase the amorphous regions of the fibers (FTIR), reduce the crystallinity (XRD), swell the microfibers and fibers (SEM), and improve the wettability and the thermal stability. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2198–2204, 2013
Transcription Factor Mohawk and the Pathogenesis of Human Anterior Cruciate Ligament Degradation
Authors: Nakahara Hiroyuki , Hasegawa Akihiko , Otabe Koji , Ayabe Fumiaki , Matsukawa Tetsuya , Onizuka Naoko , Ito Yoshiaki , Ozaki Toshifumi , Lotz Martin K. , Asahara Hiroshi
Published: May 2013

Objective

To investigate the expression and function of Mohawk (MKX) in human adult anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tissue and ligament cells from normal and osteoarthritis (OA)–affected knees.

Methods

Knee joints were obtained at autopsy (within 24–48 hours postmortem) from 13 donors with normal knees (mean ± SD age 36.9 ± 11.0 years), 16 donors with knee OA (age 79.7 ± 11.4 years), and 8 aging donors without knee OA (age 76.9 ± 12.9 years). All cartilage surfaces were graded macroscopically. MKX expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. ACL‐derived cells were used to study regulation of MKX expression by interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β). MKX was knocked down with small interfering RNA (siRNA) to analyze the function of MKX in extracellular matrix (ECM) production and differentiation in ACL‐derived cells.

Results

The expression of MKX was significantly decreased in ACL‐derived cells from OA knees compared with normal knees. Consistent with this finding, immunohistochemistry analysis showed that MKX‐positive cells were significantly reduced in ACL tissue from OA donors, in particular in cells located in disorientated fibers. In ACL‐derived cells, IL‐1β strongly suppressed MKX expression and reduced expression of the ligament ECM genes COL1A1 and TNXB. In contrast, SOX9, a chondrocyte master transcription factor, was up‐regulated by IL‐1β treatment. Importantly, knockdown of MKX expression with siRNA up‐regulated SOX9 expression in ACL‐derived cells, whereas the expression of COL1A1 and TNXB was reduced.

Conclusion

Reduced expression of MKX is a feature of degenerated ACL in OA‐affected joints, and this may be mediated in part by IL‐1β. MKX appears necessary to maintain the tissue‐specific cellular differentiation status and ECM production in adult human tendons and ligaments.
An event attribution of the 2010 drought in the South Amazon region using the MIROC5 model
Authors: Shiogama Hideo , Watanabe Masahiro , Imada Yukiko , Mori Masato , Ishii Masayoshi , Kimoto Masahide
Published: May 2013

We produced 100‐member event attribution ensembles during 2009–2012 under all forcing conditions and in two different counterfactual worlds without anthropogenic forcing (mainly greenhouse gases and aerosols) and without aerosol emission changes using the MIROC5 atmospheric general circulation model. It seemed that both human influences and the sea surface temperature (SST) natural variability increased probabilities of the 2010 severe drought in the South Amazon region, and that changes in aerosols emissions had little effect on the drought. It should be noted that our assessments were sensitive to bias corrections according to the relationships between the SST natural variability and precipitation.
Changes in the tropopause height induced by landing typhoons in China during the last 50 years
Authors: Wu Jian , Yang Qidong , Yang Xiong , Zhao Deming
Published: May 2013

Trends in the thermal tropopause height observed using radiosondes near landing typhoon tracks in China from 1951 to 2008 were analyzed. The main findings were that the majority of tropopause rises induced by typhoons are in the range of 200–500 m, and the maximum tropopause height is observed between 12 and 24 h after the typhoon had passed at each station. Tropopause height increase induced by a super typhoon is more rapid and prominent than that of a typhoon, although the absolute increases are similar. The magnitude of the increase in the tropopause height induced by typhoons has increased over the last 40 years.
Secure Preventive Detention in Germany: Incapacitation or Treatment Intervention?
Authors: Drenkhahn Kirstin
Published: May 2013

Secure preventive detention of dangerous offenders has been a major source of debate in German law and practice. Unlike the other two custodial measures of correction and security in the Penal Code (confinement in a psychiatric hospital and in a detoxification clinic), it has served mainly as incapacitation. Judgments by the German Federal Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights challenged this traditional concept of secure preventive detention, which led to a redefinition of the measure. It is now conceived as an offending behavior treatment measure in a secure environment. This article reports on the background of this development and analyzes its implications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Sequences of the Eleven‐Residue Peptaibiotics: Suzukacillins‐B
Authors: Röhrich Christian René , Vilcinskas Andreas , Brückner Hans , Degenkolb Thomas
Published: May 2013

The filamentous fungus designated ‘Trichoderma viride’ strain 63 C‐1 simultaneously produces suzukacillins (SZs), two microheterogeneous groups of peptaibols, under submerged culture conditions. Both groups are readily distinguishable by TLC: the major group is designated SZ‐A, whereas the minor group with a higher Rf value is named SZ‐B. The peptide mixture was obtained from a MeOH extract of the mycelium. SZ‐B was separated from SZ‐A by Sephadex LH‐20 column chromatography. Although it provided one single spot on silica‐gel TLC plates, 15 individual peptides could be separated by C8 reversed‐phase (RP) HPLC, and their sequences were determined by HPLC/QqTOF‐ESI‐HRMS. Fourteen peptides exhibit the C‐terminal sequence Pro6‐Lxx‐Lxx‐Aib‐Pro‐Vxxol/Lxxol11, which is common for eleven‐residue peptaibols. The remaining peptide is tentatively assigned as a ten‐residue sequence, in which the C‐terminal 1,2‐amino alcohol is deleted, thus terminating in free proline. Nine of the peptides carry an Ac‐Aib residue at the N‐terminus, very frequently found in eleven‐residue peptaibols. Four peptides comprise the rare Ac‐Ala N‐terminus, and for two peptides, N‐terminal Ac‐D‐Iva residues were identified. One peptide contains a C‐terminal residue of yet undetermined structure. Comparison with previously reported eleven‐residue peptaibol sequences reveals that eight of the peptides represent new sequence analogs.
Spin‐Echo Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy of a Pore‐Forming (Lipo)Peptaibol in Model and Bacterial Membranes
Authors: Dzuba Sergei A. , Raap Jan
Published: May 2013

This review compiles the unusual structural and dynamic peculiarities of trichogin GA IV and its analogs in lipid bilayers. Different electron spin echo (ESE) spectroscopic techniques were employed to study a set of spin‐labeled analogs of trichogin GA IV in model and natural membranes. Pulsed electron‐electron double resonance (PELDOR) method enabled the elucidation of the peptide conformation, while the ESE envelope modulation (ESEEM) technique was applied to study the insertion of the site‐specifically spin‐labeled peptide into the core of the membrane. The latter technique was also used to examine the water accessibility for peptide‐attached spin labels at different levels of membrane depth. Finally, it will be shown that measurement of the ESE decays at different temperatures reveals molecular information on the mobility of the transmembrane lipopeptide aggregate. The experimental results are discussed in terms of the antibiotic and toxic activities of trichogin GA IV.
3D Structure, Dynamics, and Activity of Synthetic Analog of the Peptaibiotic Trichodecenin I
Authors: Gatto Emanuela , Bocchinfuso Gianfranco , Palleschi Antonio , Oncea Simona , De Zotti Marta , Formaggio Fernando , Toniolo Claudio , Venanzi Mariano
Published: May 2013

In this contribution, we report on the conformational preferences of synthetic analogs of the antimicrobial peptide trichodecenin I in solution. This 6‐amino acid residue long peptide is characterized by a single, strongly helicogenic Aib residue in the central part of the sequence and is rich in the conformationally mobile Gly residues. It has been reported that, in CHCl3 solution and in the crystal state, this peptaibiotic adopts a non‐helical, multiple β‐turn conformation, whereas a 310/α‐helical structure was obtained from an X‐ray diffraction study on a trichodecenin I analog (TDT4W6) containing the fluorescent Trp residue in position 6 (replacing Ile) and an equally helicogenic TOAC residue in position 4 (replacing Aib). In this work, we applied spectroscopic techniques and molecular‐dynamics calculations, in particular, on the fluorescent TDT4W6 trichodecenin I analog with the aim at investigating its 3D‐structural and dynamical features in solution. Our results revealed that TDT4W6 can be described by an ensemble of conformers quickly interconverting in the nanosecond time scale. The most populated cluster has a conformation similar to the NMR structure of native trichodecenin I in CHCl3. However, also helical‐like conformers are present, even if poorly populated and less stable under the analytical conditions.
The Comprehensive Peptaibiotics Database
Authors: Stoppacher Norbert , Neumann Nora K. N. , Burgstaller Lukas , Zeilinger Susanne , Degenkolb Thomas , Brückner Hans , Schuhmacher Rainer
Published: May 2013

Peptaibiotics are nonribosomally biosynthesized peptides, which – according to definition – contain the marker amino acid α‐aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) and possess antibiotic properties. Being known since 1958, a constantly increasing number of peptaibiotics have been described and investigated with a particular emphasis on hypocrealean fungi. Starting from the existing online ‘Peptaibol Database’, first published in 1997, an exhaustive literature survey of all known peptaibiotics was carried out and resulted in a list of 1043 peptaibiotics. The gathered information was compiled and used to create the new ‘The Comprehensive Peptaibiotics Database’, which is presented here. The database was devised as a software tool based on Microsoft (MS) Access. It is freely available from the internet at http://peptaibiotics‐database.boku.ac.at and can easily be installed and operated on any computer offering a Windows XP/7 environment. It provides useful information on characteristic properties of the peptaibiotics included such as peptide category, group name of the microheterogeneous mixture to which the peptide belongs, amino acid sequence, sequence length, producing fungus, peptide subfamily, molecular formula, and monoisotopic mass. All these characteristics can be used and combined for automated search within the database, which makes The Comprehensive Peptaibiotics Database a versatile tool for the retrieval of valuable information about peptaibiotics. Sequence data have been considered as to December 14, 2012.
Conformational Properties of Secondary Amino Acids: Replacement of Pipecolic Acid by N‐Methyl‐L‐alanine in Efrapeptin C
Authors: Dutt Konar Anita , Vass Elemér , Hollósi Miklós , Majer Zsuzsanna , Grüber Gerhard , Frese Katrin , Sewald Norbert
Published: May 2013

The efrapeptins, a family of naturally occurring peptides with inhibitory activities against ATPases, contain several α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids such as α‐aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) or isovaline (Iva) besides pipecolic acid (Pip), β‐Ala, Leu, Gly, and a C‐terminal heterocyclic residue. Secondary α‐amino acids such as proline are known to stabilize discrete conformations in peptides. A similar influence is ascribed to N‐alkyl α‐amino acids. We synthesized two efrapeptin C analogs with replacement of Pip by N‐methyl‐L‐alanine (MeAla) using a combination of solid‐ and solution‐phase techniques in a fragment‐condensation strategy to compare the conformational bias of both secondary amino acids. The solution conformation was investigated by vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) to probe whether the analogs adopt a 310‐helical conformation. The MeAla‐containing analogs [MeAla1,3]efrapeptin C and [MeAla1,3,11]efrapeptin C inhibit ATP hydrolysis by the A3B3 complex of A1A0‐ATP synthase from Methanosarcina mazei Gö1.
Impact of Organic Ligands on the Structure and Hydrogenation Performance of Colloidally Prepared Bimetallic PtSn Nanoparticles
Authors: Altmann Lena , Wang Xiaodong , Stöver Jörg , Klink Miriam , Zielasek Volkmar , Thiel Karsten , Kolny‐Olesiak Joanna , Al‐Shamery Katharina , Borchert Holger , Parisi Jürgen , Bäumer Marcus
Published: May 2013

The catalytic performance of ligand‐capped monometallic Pt and bimetallic PtSn nanoparticles supported on SiO2 toward the selective hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene in ethylene‐rich streams was investigated. To evaluate the effect of organic ligands on the hydrogenation performance, dodecylamine (DDA)‐capped monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles were compared with ligand‐free nanoparticles. Both ligands and Sn promote the selectivity of the catalysts. The most selective catalyst was found to be the DDA‐capped PtSn catalyst, with a nominal metal atom ratio of 1:1. An increase in Pt content resulted in a decrease in the selectivity, whereas an increase in Sn content caused a decrease in the activity.
Application of a Slurry Bubble Column Reactor for the Production of Substitute Natural Gas
Authors: Götz Manuel , Bajohr Siegfried , Graf Frank , Reimert Rainer , Kolb Thomas
Published: May 2013

Bei der Methanisierung ist eine effektive Abfuhr der Reaktionswärme eine zentrale Herausforderung. Die Dreiphasen‐Methanisierung ist unter diesem Aspekt durch einfach zu gestaltende Energieabfuhr und Temperaturregelung vorteilhaft und erlaubt eine isotherme Fahrweise. Durch die hohe Wärmekapazität der Suspensionsflüssigkeit kühlt der Reaktor langsam aus und bietet sich daher für die Power‐to‐Gas (PtG) Prozesskette mit ihrer schwankenden Eduktgas‐Bereitstellung an. Verschiedene Flüssigkeiten und Betriebsbedingungen wurden bezüglich ihrer Eignung für die Dreiphasen‐Methanisierung untersucht.
Toward Improved Closure Relations for the Turbulent Kinetic Energy Equation in Bubble‐Driven Flows
Authors: Wörner Martin , Erdogan Sercan
Published: May 2013

There is a considerable interest within both academia and industry to develop improved computational fluid dynamic methods for gas‐liquid flows in bubble columns in order to support their scale‐up and optimal design. One main model limitation in current Eulerian two‐fluid and multi‐fluid models concerns adequate closure relations for turbulence in bubble‐driven flows. This article highlights some special features of bubble‐induced turbulence, discusses shortcomings of common concepts for closure of the liquid phase turbulence kinetic energy equation and presents an approach for development and validation of improved models. Some problematic issues related to the direct numerical simulation of bubble swarms in narrow bubble columns are also discussed.
Scattering and Localization Properties of Highly Oscillatory Potentials
Authors: Duchêne V. , Vukićević I. , Weinstein M. I.
Published: May 2013

We investigate scattering, localization, and dispersive time decay properties for the one‐dimensional Schrödinger equation with a rapidly oscillating and spatially localized potential
, where
is periodic and mean zero with respect to y. Such potentials model a microstructured medium. Homogenization theory fails to capture the correct low‐energy (k small) behavior of scattering quantities, e.g., the transmission coefficient
as ∊ tends to zero. We derive an effective potential well
such that
is small, uniformly for
as well as in any bounded subset of a suitable complex strip. Within such a bounded subset, the scaled limit of the transmission coefficient has a universal form, depending on a single parameter, which is computable from the effective potential. A consequence is that if ϵ, the scale of oscillation of the microstructure potential, is sufficiently small, then there is a pole of the transmission coefficient (and hence of the resolvent) in the upper half‐plane on the imaginary axis at a distance of order
from . It follows that the Schrödinger operator
has an
bound state with negative energy situated a distance
from the edge of the continuous spectrum. Finally, we use this detailed information to prove the local energy time decay estimate:
urn:x-wiley:00103640:media:cpa21459:cpa21459-math-0012
where
denotes the projection onto the continuous spectral part of . © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A general metric and parallel framework for adaptive image fusion in clusters
Authors: Wei Jingbo , Liu Dingsheng , Wang Lizhe
Published: May 2013

This article is dedicated to techniques and theories of image fusion in automatic ways and addresses two issues—the parameter setting and quality assessment. Optimal parameters are in demand for specific applications or comparison between fusion methods because, as basic evidence, different parameters bring different fusion effects varying over a large range. In this paper, we propose a general framework of online parameter training to search optimal values that best suit input images. Furthermore, we optimized the compute‐intensive training process using parallelization and genetic algorithm, as well as patches extraction. We also propose a metric—spatial and spectral distortion—as the learning target. The spatial and spectral distortion is a fuzzy combination of mean potential energy measuring spatial distortion and Q4 measuring spectral distortion. Optimization validation on weighted Gram–Schmidt fusion indicated linear or superlinear acceleration ability, which proved that the proposed learning framework can speed up the learning process of image fusion to an acceptable time, and can thus be applied to high‐performance platforms to process large volumes of data. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parallel spherical harmonic transforms on heterogeneous architectures (graphics processing units/multi‐core CPUs)
Authors: Szydlarski Mikolaj , Esterie Pierre , Falcou Joel , Grigori Laura , Stompor Radek
Published: May 2013

Spherical harmonic transforms (SHT) are at the heart of many scientific and practical applications ranging from climate modelling to cosmological observations. In many of these areas, new cutting‐edge science goals have been recently proposed requiring simulations and analyses of experimental or observational data at very high resolutions and of unprecedented volumes. Both these aspects pose formidable challenge for the currently existing implementations of the transforms. This paper describes parallel algorithms for computing SHT with two variants of intra‐node parallelism appropriate for novel supercomputer architectures, multi‐core processors and Graphic Processing Units (GPU). It also discusses their performance, alone and embedded within a top‐level, Message Passing Interface‐based parallelisation layer ported from the S2HAT library, in terms of their accuracy, overall efficiency and scalability. We show that our inverse SHT run on GeForce 400 Series GPUs equipped with latest Compute Unified Device Architecture architecture (Fermi) outperforms the state of the art implementation for a multi‐core processor executed on a current Intel Core i7‐2600K. Furthermore, we show that an Message Passing Interface/Compute Unified Device Architecture version of the inverse transform run on a cluster of 128 Nvidia Tesla S1070 is as much as 3 times faster than the hybrid Message Passing Interface/OpenMP version executed on the same number of quad‐core processors Intel Nehalem for problem sizes motivated by our target applications. Performance of the direct transforms is however found to be at the best comparable in these cases. We discuss in detail the algorithmic solutions devised for the major steps involved in the transforms calculation, emphasising those with a major impact on their overall performance and elucidates the sources of the dichotomy between the direct and the inverse operations.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PGAS‐FMM: Implementing a distributed fast multipole method using the X10 programming language
Authors: Milthorpe Josh , Rendell Alistair P. , Huber Thomas
Published: May 2013

The fast multipole method (FMM) is a complex, multi‐stage algorithm over a distributed tree data structure, with multiple levels of parallelism and inherent data locality. X10 is a modern partitioned global address space language with support for asynchronous activities. The parallel tasks comprising FMM may be expressed in X10 by using a scalable pattern of activities. This paper demonstrates the use of X10 to implement FMM for simulation of electrostatic interactions between ions in a cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. X10's task‐parallel model is used to express parallelism by using a pattern of activities mapping directly onto the tree. X10's work stealing runtime handles load balancing fine‐grained parallel activities, avoiding the need for explicit work sharing. The use of global references and active messages to create and synchronize parallel activities over a distributed tree structure is also demonstrated. In contrast to previous simulations of ion trajectories in cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers, our code enables both simulation of realistic particle numbers and guaranteed error bounds. Single‐node performance is comparable with the fastest published FMM implementations, and critical expansion operators are faster for high accuracy calculations. A comparison of parallel and sequential codes shows the overhead of activity management and work stealing in this application is low. Scalability is evaluated for 8k cores on a Blue Gene/Q system and 512 cores on a Nehalem/InfiniBand cluster. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Versatile Approach towards the Compaction, Decompaction, and Immobilization of DNA at Interfaces by Using Cyclodextrins
Authors: González‐Pérez Alfredo , Ruso Juan M.
Published: May 2013

We investigate the temperature dependence of interactions of β‐cyclodextrin (CD)/hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) self‐assemblies with DNA during the decompaction of DNA/CTAB complexes. By combining direct imaging techniques with density and sound‐velocity measurements, we can explain the decompaction process and suggest a suitable model. The DNA‐decompaction process by using CDs is accompanied by interactions with surfaces, such as glass or mica. The mechanism of β‐CD/CTAB self‐assembly is elucidated and the immobilization of DNA onto negatively charged surfaces is explained. Differences between the fractal dimensions of DNA that is adsorbed onto the surfaces are related to strong and weak binding, which permit the partial relaxation of DNA on the surfaces. The β‐CD/CTAB self‐assembled monolayers are demonstrated to be a facile and efficient route for surface functionalization, which allows for the immobilization of biomacromolecules in close proximity without any intermediate binding or deprotection steps. Moreover, this route is expected to show several advantages that might contribute to improving the performance of future biosensors as gentle immobilization‐limiting alteration of the protein structure, oriented immobilization, thereby allowing homogeneous accessibility, reversible immobilization, thereby allowing reutilizations, and high compatibility with various types of biomacromolecules.