bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Role of Chalcogen Donor Atoms in Diimine‐Dichalcogenolate PtII SONLO Chromophores: Is It Worth Replacing Sulfur with Selenium?
Authors: Pintus Anna , Aragoni M. Carla , Isaia Francesco , Lippolis Vito , Lorcy Dominique , Slawin Alexandra M. Z. , Woollins J. Derek , Arca Massimiliano
Published: September 2015

Two new diimine‐diselenolate PtII chromophores [Pt(bipy)(Me‐dset)] (1) and [Pt(phen)(Me‐dset)] (2) (Me‐dset2– = N‐methyl‐2‐thioxothiazoline‐4,5‐diselenolate) were synthesized and characterized. The effect of replacing sulfur with selenium was investigated by comparing the UV/Vis spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of 1 and 2 with those of the corresponding sulfur analogues, [Pt(bipy)(Me‐dmet)] (3) and [Pt(phen)(Me‐dmet)] (4), with a particular focus on their linear and nonlinear optical properties.
Leveraging high‐throughput technology to accelerate the time to clinic: A case study of a mAb
Authors: Siva Sethu , Zhang An , Koepf Edward , Conley Lynn , Cecchini Doug , Huang Yao‐Ming , Kshirsagar Rashmi , Ryll Thomas
Published: September 2015

Acceleration of development timelines to support material production for early‐phase clinical trials has been a continuous goal within the life sciences industry, driven largely by the need to advance an ever increasing number of novel therapeutics into the clinic. This has challenged cell culture and purification development groups to become more efficient, realized in part by leveraging a platform process in the case of mAbs, adopting high‐throughput (HT) technologies, and scaling‐up directly from the HT formats to pilot and clinical scales for toxicology and clinical production. The work presented herein focuses on a case study where a mammalian cell culture process producing mAb A was developed almost exclusively utilizing HT technology. The study describes how HT systems such as microbioreactors for cell culture development and minicolumns driven by robotics for purification development were integrated to rapidly develop a robust production process that was then directly scaled‐up nearly 17 000‐fold for cell culture and 5200‐fold for purification steps to generate material for investigational new drug‐enabling toxicology studies at the 250 L bioreactor scale, followed by another rapid scale‐up to 1000 L for clinical production. Performance comparability across scales demonstrates the effectiveness of HT process development for accelerating the time to clinic.
The impact of gasification wastewater on soil microorganisms and the growth of oat and red clover
Authors: Rajczykowski Krzysztof , Marciocha Dorota , Skonieczna Magdalena
Published: September 2015

Process water generated during the biomass gasification is abundant in organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Doses of wastes used in the study were the following: 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 cm3 of process water per 100 g of dry soil mass. Obtained results showed, that, analyzed wastes can be classified as acute toxicity compounds. Cytometric analysis showed that with the wastewater concentrations of 40 and 80 cm3 per 100 g of soil, the number of microorganisms during the initial days after the contamination was markedly increased; however after 16 days it dropped to the quantity similar to the initial number. Regarding plants the contamination of soil with small volumes (10 cm3/100 g of soil and 20 cm3/100 g of soil) led to the stimulation of the oat aboveground part's growth by 6 and 23% compared to the control sample, respectively. The use of higher concentrations weakened the plants growth or arrested it completely. As a result it was also concluded, that red clover can be a better bioindicator in the analyses of toxicity of this type of wastes than oat. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 56–59, 2016
Measurement and Intervention on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviours in Bariatric Surgery Patients: Emphasis on Mobile Technology
Authors: Bond Dale S. , Thomas J. Graham
Published: September 2015

Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours (SB—i.e. activities involving low‐energy expenditure and a sitting/reclining posture) may each have significant implications for weight loss and other bariatric surgery outcomes. While early studies suggested that patients typically comply with clinical recommendations to adopt habitual PA, these data were based on retrospective questionnaires. Conversely, recent studies incorporating mobile health (mHealth) technologies (e.g. objective monitors), which assess PA and SB in real time and in the natural environment, show that most patients are inactive and highly sedentary pre‐operatively and only make modest changes in these behaviours postoperatively. In addition to using mHealth technologies for obtaining accurate and detailed information on PA and SB, they are increasingly being employed to intervene on patients' PA and SB and/or evaluate intervention outcomes. Researchers and clinicians are encouraged to consider the benefits of using mHealth technology when studying and treating PA and SB in bariatric surgery patients. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Copper and nickel effects on survival and growth of northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) tadpoles in field-collected smelting effluent water
Authors: Leduc Joël , Echaubard Pierre , Trudeau Vance , Lesbarrères David
Published: September 2015

Trace metals can have subtle yet chronic impacts on organisms by inducing physiological stress that reduces their survival or impedes their ability to tolerate additional environmental stressors. The toxicity literature indicates, however, that aquatic organisms react differently to trace metals depending on the environments in which they reside. The objective of the present study was to understand the response of northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) larvae to ionic copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and their combination within an effluent water collected downstream of a tailings wetland area. Tadpoles were assigned randomly to 1 of 8 Cu concentrations (8–200 μg/L), 7 Ni concentrations (160–1200 μg/L), or 8 Cu and Ni combined concentrations (8:160–200:1200 μg/L) and showed significant differences in survival and life history traits among treatments. In the Cu and Cu and Ni combined treatments, tadpole survival decreased with increased Cu exposure starting at Cu = 160 μg/L and in the Ni treatment, tadpole survival decreased with increased Ni exposure starting at Ni = 650 μg/L. All Cu-exposed treatments induced a growth increase as the concentration increased, whereas the tadpoles showed a significant decrease in growth rate in Ni treatments. These contrasting outcomes suggest a plastic response to trace metals whereby tadpoles allocate energy reserves toward either escaping or coping with stress. Finally, the authors' argue that future studies will benefit from examining the impacts of multiple stressors in aquatic ecosystems to provide better environmental mitigation. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:687–694. © 2015 SETAC
An efficient WENO limiter for discontinuous Galerkin transport scheme on the cubed sphere
Authors: Guo Wei , Nair Ramachandran D. , Zhong Xinghui
Published: September 2015

The discontinuous Galerkin (DG) transport scheme is becoming increasingly popular in the atmospheric modeling due to its distinguished features, such as high‐order accuracy and high‐parallel efficiency. Despite the great advantages, DG schemes may produce unphysical oscillations in approximating transport equations with discontinuous solution structures including strong shocks or sharp gradients. Nonlinear limiters need to be applied to suppress the undesirable oscillations and enhance the numerical stability. It is usually very difficult to design limiters to achieve both high‐order accuracy and non‐oscillatory properties and even more challenging for the cubed‐sphere geometry. In this paper, a simple and efficient limiter based on the weighted essentially non‐oscillatory (WENO) methodology is incorporated in the DG transport framework on the cubed sphere. The uniform high‐order accuracy of the resulting scheme is maintained because of the high‐order nature of WENO procedures. Unlike the classic WENO limiter, for which the wide halo region may significantly impede parallel efficiency, the simple limiter requires only the information from the nearest neighboring elements without degrading the inherent high‐parallel efficiency of the DG scheme. A bound‐preserving filter can be further coupled in the scheme that guarantees the highly desirable positivity‐preserving property for the numerical solution. The resulting scheme is high‐order accurate, non‐oscillatory, and positivity preserving for solving transport equations based on the cubed‐sphere geometry. Extensive numerical results for several benchmark spherical transport problems are provided to demonstrate good results, both in accuracy and in non‐oscillatory performance. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An efficient semi‐implicit subgrid method for free‐surface flows on hierarchical grids
Authors: Platzek F. W. , Stelling G. S. , Jankowski J. A. , Patzwahl R. , Pietrzak J. D.
Published: September 2015

We present a new modelling strategy for improving the efficiency of computationally intensive flow problems in environmental free‐surface flows. The approach combines a recently developed semi‐implicit subgrid method with a hierarchical grid solution strategy. The method allows the incorporation of high‐resolution data on subgrid scale to obtain a more accurate and efficient hydrodynamic model. The subgrid method improves the efficiency of the hierarchical grid method by providing better solutions on coarse grids. The method is applicable to both steady and unsteady flows, but we particularly focus on river flows with steady boundary conditions. There, the combined hierarchical grid–subgrid method reduces the computational effort to obtain a steady state with factors up to 43. For unsteady models, the method can be used for efficiently generating accurate initial conditions on high‐resolution grids. Additionally, the method provides automatic insight in grid convergence. We demonstrate the efficiency and applicability of the method using a schematic test for the vortex shedding around a circular cylinder and a real‐world river case study. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Signal Diffusion Mapping: Optimal Forecasting with Time‐Varying Lags
Authors: Gaskell Paul , McGroarty Frank , Tiropanis Thanassis
Published: September 2015

We introduce a new methodology for forecasting, which we call signal diffusion mapping. Our approach accommodates features of real‐world financial data which have been ignored historically in existing forecasting methodologies. Our method builds upon well‐established and accepted methods from other areas of statistical analysis. We develop and adapt those models for use in forecasting. We also present tests of our model on data in which we demonstrate the efficacy of our approach. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Corridor Volatility Risk and Expected Returns
Authors: Dotsis George , Vlastakis Nikolaos
Published: September 2015

This paper examines the pricing of volatility risk using SPX corridor implied volatility. We decompose model‐free implied volatility into various components using different segments of the cross‐section of out‐of‐the money put and call option prices. We find that only model‐free volatility computed from the cross‐section of out‐of‐the‐money call option prices carries a significant negative risk premium in the cross‐section of stock returns and subsumes all relevant information for forecasting future volatility. Our empirical results provide strong evidence that SPX out‐of‐the money put option prices do not contain useful information for pricing aggregate volatility risk in the cross‐section of stock returns. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 36:488–505, 2016
A Window on the Past
Authors: Unterstell Rembert
Published: September 2015

For more than 35 years, Christian II, Prince of Anhalt‐Bernburg kept a diary which paints a vivid picture of everyday life far from the great battlefields of the Thirty Years War. Now this extraordinary personal testimony is being digitally published as part of a long‐term project to provide a new research instrument and a laboratory for the digital humanities.
Standsicherheitsnachweis in der tiefen Gleitfuge unter Berücksichtigung von Strömungskräften
Authors: Berhane Gebreselassie
Published: September 2015

Im Beitrag wird die Auswirkung einer Strömungskraft, die sich infolge einer Grundwasserabsenkung hinter einer durchlässigen Verbauwand ergibt, auf den Nachweis der tiefen Gleitfuge behandelt. Die genannte Belastungssituation lässt sich zurzeit mit gängigen EDV‐Programmen im Zusammenhang mit dem Nachweis der tiefen Gleitfuge nicht abbilden. Die Fachliteratur behandelt dieses Thema nur lückenhaft. Des Öfteren liegen die Grundwasserabsenkkurven außerhalb des aktiven Gleitkeils der Verbauwände, jedoch innerhalb des für den Nachweis der tiefen Gleitfuge zu betrachtenden Gleitkörpers. In der Praxis wird in solchen Fällen die erforderliche Ankerlänge häufig unter Berücksichtigung des nicht abgesenkten Grundwasserspiegels ermittelt. Anhand von praktischen Beispielen (geschichteter Untergrund, mehrfach rückverankerter Verbau) wird gezeigt, dass die so ermittelten Ankerlängen nicht zwangsläufig auf der sicheren Seite liegen. Ein Nachweiskonzept zur Berücksichtigung der Strömungskräfte wurde im Technischen Büro Tiefbau der Zentralen Technik, Ed. Züblin AG, bodenmechanisch abgeleitet und findet aktuell Anwendung bei Ausführungsprojekten.

Overall stability of anchored walls using sliding block method with due consideration of flow forces. The paper presents the effect of additional groundwater flow forces that arise as a result of lowering of ground water behind a permeable retaining wall on the overall stability based on the sliding block method. This load situation cannot be solved with current computer programs for the overall stability analysis. The literature also deals with this topic very scarcely. Depending on the permeability of the underground, the groundwater table after drawdown may lie outside the active sliding wedge of a retaining wall, but within the sliding block to be considered for the overall stability of an anchored wall. In such case, the required anchor length is usually calculated in practice assuming a full groundwater table before drawdown. On the basis of practical examples (multi‐anchored walls in a multi‐layered underground), the article shows that the anchor length determined in such a way may not necessarily lie on the safe side. A concept to account for the groundwater flow forces in the overall stability (sliding block method) has been developed for anchored walls in the geotechnical department of the Zentrale Technik, Ed. Züblin AG. The approach is currently used in practical projects and is presented in detail in the following.
Langzeitkontrolle der Sicherungsmaßnahmen der Sonderabfalldeponie Malsch
Authors: Dietzel Fred , Lächler Walter , Mergelsberg Werner , Unterweger Hans‐Ulrich
Published: September 2015

Nachdem in den 1980er‐Jahren im Vorland der Sonderabfalldeponie Malsch in erheblichem Umfang Umweltschäden aufgetreten waren, wurde die Deponie in den Jahren 1992 bis 1995 gesichert. Dazu wurden ein Dränagesystem, eine vollständige Umschließung mittels Dichtwand und eine Oberflächenabdichtung hergestellt.

Von Beginn an war es das Ziel, die dauerhafte Wirksamkeit der Sicherungsmaßnahmen zu kontrollieren. In diesem Beitrag werden die einzelnen Sicherungsmaßnahmen und die zugehörigen Kontrollsysteme kurz erläutert. Detailliert wird auf die Ergebnisse der direkten und indirekten Kontrollen der Dichtwand mittels geophysikalischer Messungen eingegangen. Dabei werden sowohl die Messungen zur Überprüfung der Dichtwand selbst (Mise‐à‐la‐masse) als auch die Messungen zum Nachweis von Veränderungen der Schadstoffbelastung im Vorland durch Widerstandsmessungen sowie durch Messung der Polarisation vorgestellt und in ihrer Aussagekraft bewertet. Daneben wird auch auf die Entwicklung der Sickerwassermengen über die Jahre eingegangen sowie das Setzungsverhalten der Deponie aufgezeigt. Abschließend werden die gewählten Verfahren zur langfristigen Kontrolle der Sicherheitssysteme bei dieser Deponie bewertet.

Long‐term monitoring of the safeguards of the hazardous waste dump Malsch. After significant environmental damage had occurred in the 1980s in the berm of the hazardous waste landfill Malsch, the dump underwent remediation between 1992 and 1995. For this purpose, a leachate collection drain system, a complete enclosure by means of a cut‐off wall and a sealing cover were constructed.

From the outset the objective was to control the permanent effectiveness of protective measures. In this paper, the individual protective measures and associated control systems are briefly explained. The results of the direct and indirect controls of the sealing wall by means of geophysical measurements are discussed in detail. Both the measurements to verify the cut‐off wall itself (mise‐à‐la‐masse) and the measurements for the detection of changes in the pollution in the berm by means of resistance and polarization measurements are presented and their significance assessed. Furthermore, the development of the leachate volume over the years is addressed and the settlement behaviour of the landfill highlighted. The chosen method for the long‐term control of the safety systems are finally evaluated at this landfill in the article.
Impact of baseline patient‐reported dysphagia on acute gastrostomy placement in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma undergoing definitive radiation
Authors: Lango Miriam N. , Galloway Thomas J. , Mehra Ranee , Ebersole Barbara , Liu Jeffrey Chang‐Jen , Moran Kathleen , Ridge John A.
Published: September 2015

Background

Dysphagia‐related symptoms in patients with head and neck cancer are common before treatment. We hypothesized greater self‐reported baseline dysphagia would predict gastrostomy placement during primary radiation.

Methods

Swallowing‐specific/general surveys (SwalQOL/EuroQOL) collected prospectively before definitive radiation were analyzed for associations with gastrostomy placement. Prophylactic gastrostomy was recommended at the discretion of a multidisciplinary team blinded to the surveys.

Results

Of 84 patients in the cohort, 42 patients (50%) received feeding tubes. Eleven patients (13%) who underwent prophylactic feeding tube placement reported the greatest pretreatment dysphagia, whereas those who avoided gastrostomies reported the least. Prophylactic gastrostomy was more strongly associated with patient‐reported measures than other clinical criteria. Controlling for stage IV, T3 to T4 classification, smoking, chemotherapy, and pretreatment weight loss, baseline dysphagia remained an independent predictor of feeding tube placement (odds ratio [OR] = 0.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.05–0.55; p = .01). Patients without gastrostomies during treatment avoided persistent gastrostomy dependence.

Conclusion

Baseline dysphagia‐related symptoms before radiation are independent predictors of gastrostomy placement. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1318–E1324, 2016
Impact of lateral flow and spatial scaling on the simulation of semi‐arid urban land surfaces in an integrated hydrologic and land surface model
Authors: Reyes Bryant , Maxwell Reed M. , Hogue Terri S.
Published: September 2015

Understanding and representing hydrologic fluxes in the urban environment is challenging because of fine scale land cover heterogeneity and lack of coherent scaling relationships. Here, the impact of urban land cover heterogeneity, scale, and configuration on the hydrologic and surface energy budget (SEB) is assessed using an integrated, coupled land surface/hydrologic model at high spatial resolutions. Archetypes of urban land cover are simulated at varying resolutions using both the National Land Cover Database (NLCD; 30 m) and an ultra high‐resolution land cover dataset (0.6 m). The analysis shows that the impact of highly organized, yet heterogeneous, land cover typical of the urban domain can cause large variations in hydrologic and energy fluxes within areas of similar land cover. The lateral flow processes that occur within each simulation create variations in overland flow of up to ±200% and ±4% in evapotranspiration. The impact on the SEB is smaller and largely restricted to the wet season for our semi‐arid forcing scenarios. Finally, we find that this seasonal bias, predominantly caused by lateral flow, is displaced by a systematic diurnal bias at coarser resolutions caused by deficiencies in the method used for scaling of land surface and hydrologic parameters. As a result of this research, we have produced land surface parameters for the widely used NLCD urban land cover types. This work illustrates the impact of processes that remain unrepresented in traditional high‐resolutions land surface models and how they may affect results and uncertainty in modeling of local water resources and climate. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Time‐varying Predictability for Stock Returns, Dividend Growth and Consumption Growth
Authors: McMillan David G.
Published: September 2015

Using a state‐space model, this paper examines time variation in the predictive regressions for stock returns, dividend growth and consumption growth. Moreover, we linked time variation explicitly to movements in economic factors that can account for risk and cash flow. Results support the view that stock return predictability is enhanced when risk is high (negative growth, higher volatility and positive growth/return covariance). In contrast, dividend growth and consumption growth predictability is enhanced during economic expansions. These results are supported by subsample analysis and a vector autoregressive approach. Furthermore, these latter exercises may uncover differences in the stock return predictability relationship when viewed over different time horizons. Overall, the paper contributes to the literature by highlighting the different nature of returns predictability, which arises largely through the risk channel, and dividend and consumption growth predictability, which arise through the cash flow channel. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Online Dating on Assortative Mating: Evidence from South Korea
Authors: Lee Soohyung
Published: September 2015

Online dating services have increased in popularity around the world, but a lack of quality data hinders our understanding of their role in family formation. This paper studies the effect of online dating services on marital sorting, using a novel dataset with verified information on people and their spouses. Estimates based on matching techniques suggest that, relative to other spouse search methods, online dating promotes marriages that exhibit weaker sorting along occupation and geographical proximity but stronger sorting along education and other demographic traits. Sensitivity analysis, including the Rosenbaum Bounds approach, suggests that online dating's impact on marital sorting is robust to potential selection bias. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A resorbable antibiotic eluting bone void filler for periprosthetic joint infection prevention
Authors: Jones Zachary , Brooks Amanda E. , Ferrell Zachary , Grainger David W. , Sinclair Kristofer D.
Published: September 2015

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total knee arthroplasty is a globally increasing procedural complication. These infections are difficult to treat and typically require revision surgery. Antibiotic‐loaded bone cement is frequently utilized to deliver antibiotics to the site of infection; however, bone cement is a nondegrading foreign body and known to leach its antibiotic load, after an initial burst release, at subtherapeutic concentrations for months. This work characterized a resorbable, antibiotic‐eluting bone void filler designed to restore bone volume and prevent PJI. Three device formulations were fabricated, consisting of different combinations of synthetic inorganic bone graft material, degradable polymer matrices, salt porogens, and antibiotic tobramycin. These formulations were examined to determine the antibiotic's elution kinetics and bactericidal potential, the device's degradation in vitro, as well as osteoconductivity and device resorption in vivo using a pilot rabbit bone implant model. Kirby‐Bauer antibiotic susceptibility tests assessed bactericidal activity. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry measured antibiotic elution kinetics, and scanning electron microscopy was used to qualitatively assess degradation. Results indicated sustained antibiotic release from all three formulations above the Staphylococcus aureus minimum inhibitory concentration for a period of 5 to 8 weeks. Extensive degradation was observed with the Group 3 formulation after 90 days in phosphate‐buffered saline, with a lesser degree of degradation observed in the other two formulations. Results from the pilot rabbit study showed the Group 3 device to be biocompatible, with minimal inflammatory response and no fibrous encapsulation in bone. The device was also highly osteoconductive—exhibiting an accelerated mineral apposition rate. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1632–1642, 2016.
Vertebral Strength and Estimated Fracture Risk Across the BMI Spectrum in Women
Authors: Bachmann Katherine N , Bruno Alexander G , Bredella Miriam A , Schorr Melanie , Lawson Elizabeth A , Gill Corey M , Singhal Vibha , Meenaghan Erinne , Gerweck Anu V , Eddy Kamryn T , Ebrahimi Seda , Koman Stuart L , Greenblatt James M , Keane Robert J , Weigel Thomas , Dechant Esther , Misra Madhusmita , Klibanski Anne , Bouxsein Mary L , Miller Karen K
Published: September 2015

Somewhat paradoxically, fracture risk, which depends on applied loads and bone strength, is elevated in both anorexia nervosa and obesity at certain skeletal sites. Factor-of-risk (Φ), the ratio of applied load to bone strength, is a biomechanically based method to estimate fracture risk; theoretically, higher Φ reflects increased fracture risk. We estimated vertebral strength (linear combination of integral volumetric bone mineral density [Int.vBMD] and cross-sectional area from quantitative computed tomography [QCT]), vertebral compressive loads, and Φ at L4 in 176 women (65 anorexia nervosa, 45 lean controls, and 66 obese). Using biomechanical models, applied loads were estimated for: 1) standing; 2) arms flexed 90°, holding 5 kg in each hand (holding); 3) 45° trunk flexion, 5 kg in each hand (lifting); 4) 20° trunk right lateral bend, 10 kg in right hand (bending). We also investigated associations of Int.vBMD and vertebral strength with lean mass (from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DXA]) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT, from QCT). Women with anorexia nervosa had lower, whereas obese women had similar, Int.vBMD and estimated vertebral strength compared with controls. Vertebral loads were highest in obesity and lowest in anorexia nervosa for standing, holding, and lifting (p < 0.0001) but were highest in anorexia nervosa for bending (p < 0.02). Obese women had highest Φ for standing and lifting, whereas women with anorexia nervosa had highest Φ for bending (p < 0.0001). Obese and anorexia nervosa subjects had higher Φ for holding than controls (p < 0.03). Int.vBMD and estimated vertebral strength were associated positively with lean mass (R = 0.28 to 0.45, p ≤ 0.0001) in all groups combined and negatively with VAT (R = –[0.36 to 0.38], p < 0.003) within the obese group. Therefore, women with anorexia nervosa had higher estimated vertebral fracture risk (Φ) for holding and bending because of inferior vertebral strength. Despite similar vertebral strength as controls, obese women had higher vertebral fracture risk for standing, holding, and lifting because of higher applied loads from higher body weight. Examining the load-to-strength ratio helps explain increased fracture risk in both low-weight and obese women. © 2015 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Rapid ADAMTS13 availability impacts treatment for microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia
Authors: Martin Isabella W. , Katus Matthew C. , Martin Christi‐Lynn B. , Szczepiorkowski Zbigniew M. , Gorham James D. , Dunbar Nancy M.
Published: September 2015

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) can present with a spectrum of clinical manifestations. When TTP is in a patient's clinical differential diagnosis, therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) should be initiated emergently. Enzyme activity level of A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with a Thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13) in conjunction with the evolving clinical picture can guide further therapy, including duration and frequency of TPE and choice of fluid replacement. Our experience switching reference laboratories to obtain a more rapid turnaround time of ADAMTS13 activity level resulted in significant changes in clinical management, including fewer overall TPE procedures and the occasional use of albumin for a portion of the replacement fluid in patients without severe deficiency of ADAMTS13 and a low index of clinical suspicion for TTP. J. Clin. Apheresis 31:419–422, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Initial Investigation of Nature‐Based, Child‐Centered Play Therapy: A Single‐Case Design
Authors: Swank Jacqueline M. , Shin Sang Min , Cabrita Carla , Cheung Christopher , Rivers Brittany
Published: September 2015

The authors implemented an A‐B‐A single‐case research design to examine the degree of treatment effect for a nature‐based, child‐centered play therapy intervention with early elementary school children (N = 4) exhibiting behavioral problems. Two participants exhibited behavioral change during the 7‐week intervention and maintained the change during follow‐up, as measured by classroom observations. Implications for using this approach in counseling are discussed.
Relationship Conditions and Multicultural Competence for Counselors of Children and Adolescents
Authors: Swan Karrie L. , Schottelkorb April A. , Lancaster Sarah
Published: September 2015

A single‐case research design (N = 3) was implemented to explore the efficacy of a multicultural skills‐based experiential training model on the multicultural competency and relationship conditions of counselors. Results indicated that counselor perceptions of multicultural competence and relationship conditions increased as a result of participating in this particular training intervention. Possible implications and future research are discussed.
Effect of a Mindfulness‐Based Intervention on Counselor–Client Attunement
Authors: Schomaker Stefani A. , Ricard Richard J.
Published: September 2015

The authors implemented a single‐case research design to evaluate a 6‐week mindfulness‐based intervention on counselor–client attunement with counselor trainees. Mindfulness‐trained counselors (n = 5) demonstrated attunement levels at 1.58 times the rate of a comparison group (n = 4). The authors discuss future research on mindfulness in counselor training and the usefulness of single‐case methods for empirical validation of interventions.
Real‐time ultrasound‐guided placement of a pigtail catheter in supine position for draining pleural effusion in pediatric patients who have undergone liver transplantation
Authors: Miraglia Roberto , Maruzzelli Luigi , Piazza Marcello , Gallo Giuseppe , D'Amico Mario , Spada Marco , Vitulo Patrizio , Luca Angelo
Published: September 2015

Purpose

Ultrasound (US) guidance is currently used for placement of wire‐guided thoracic drains, and its use is associated with a decreased risk of complications. However, most studies conducted to date in this field have been performed on adult patients. The aim of this study was to report the technical success and complication rates observed during real‐time US‐guided placement of a thoracic pigtail catheter in pediatric liver‐transplant recipients with symptomatic pleural effusion.

Methods

This was a single‐center retrospective review of the clinical records and images from pediatric liver‐transplant patients with symptomatic pleural effusion who had undergone real‐time US‐guided pleural‐space puncture followed by placement (via the Seldinger technique) of a pigtail catheter for drainage, between May 2006 and June 2014.

Results

We identified 25 patients who had undergone 41 pigtail catheter–placement procedures during the study period. The patients' mean age (± SD) was 4.2 ± 3.9 years (range, 2 months to 16 years), and their mean weight was 14.2 ± 7.2 kg (range, 4.5–33 kg). Seventeen procedures had been performed in the intensive care unit, and 8, in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Twelve of the 41 procedures had been performed in patients with altered hemostasis (ie, platelet count < 50 × 103/μl and/or international normalized ratio > 1.5). The size of the pigtail catheters ranged from 5 F to 8.5 F. The technical success rate was 100%, with no major complications such as pneumothorax or hemothorax. Accidental dislocation of the catheter occurred in four patients (9%) over 3–10 days after the first procedure.

Conclusions

In our experience, real‐time US‐guided pleural‐space puncture, performed at bedside, with the patient in the supine position, followed by placement of a pigtail catheter for drainage of effusion, is safe to use and has a high rate of technical success in pediatric patients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 44:284–289, 2016
Modeling the threshold voltage of PNIN SSOI tunnel field‐effect transistor
Authors: Li Yuchen , Liu Shulin , Tong Jun , Zhang Yan
Published: September 2015

In this paper, a physically based analytical threshold voltage model for PNIN strained‐silicon‐on‐insulator tunnel field‐effect transistor (PNIN SSOI TFET) is proposed by solving the two‐dimensional (2D) Poisson equation in narrow N+ layer and intrinsic region. In the proposed model, the effect of strain (in terms of equivalent Ge mole fraction), narrow N+ layer and gate dielectric, and so on, is being considered. The validity of the proposed model is verified by comparing the model results with 2D device simulation results. It is demonstrated that the proposed model can correctly predicts the trends in threshold voltage with varying the device parameters. This proposed model can be effectively used to design, simulate, and fabricate the PNIN SSOI TFETs with the desired performance. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification and quantification of bisphenol A and bisphenol B in polyvinylchloride and polycarbonate medical devices by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry
Authors: Gimeno Pascal , Spinau Coline , Lassu Nelly , Maggio Annie‐Françoise , Brenier Charlotte , Lempereur Laurent
Published: September 2015

A gas chromatography with mass spectrometry method has already been developed and published for the identification and quantification of 14 phthalates and five nonphthalate plasticizers in polyvinylchloride medical devices. In order to assay, in addition to plasticizers, bisphenols A and B possibly present in polyvinylchloride samples, this previous method was extended to the assay of these additional potential endocrine disruptors. Furthermore, as bisphenol A could also be present in polycarbonate samples, the method used for the polyvinylchloride sample was tested and validated for the assay of bisphenols A and B in polycarbonate medical devices. The separation of all compounds, including bisphenols A and B, is obtained on a cross‐linked 5%‐phenyl/95%‐dimethylpolysiloxane capillary column using a temperature gradient. For both plastics, samples are dissolved in tetrahydrofuran followed by a precipitation of the plastic by addition of ethanol. Results obtained point out residual bisphenol A amounts for polycarbonate samples ranging from 0.6 to 0.8% and for polyvinylchloride samples less or equal to 5 ppm. No bisphenol B was detected in the samples tested. For bisphenols A and B, mean recoveries obtained on spiked polyvinylchloride or polycarbonate sample preparations ranged from 87 to 108% in accordance with in‐house specification (80–110%).
The correlation between symptoms of definite Meniere's disease and endolymphatic hydrops visualized by magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Wu Qianru , Dai Chunfu , Zhao Menglong , Sha Yan
Published: September 2015

Objective/Hypothesis

This study aimed at investigating the correlation between a battery of diagnostic symptoms of definite Meniere's disease (MD) and the degree of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) in the inner ear.

Study Design

Prospective study.

Methods

Fifty‐four patients diagnosed with unilateral definite MD were enrolled in the study. The hearing levels of all patients at the low, middle, and high frequencies were evaluated. Three‐dimensional fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery (3D‐FLAIR) and three‐dimensional real inversion recovery (3D‐real IR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed 24 hours after bilateral intratympanic injection of gadolinium to assess the presence and grading of EH.

Results

Various degrees of EH were observed in the vestibule and/or each turn of the cochlea in the affected ears of all patients. The duration of MD disease and low‐tone and middle‐tone hearing thresholds were proportional to the extent of EH in the vestibule and cochlear. However, no significant correlation was demonstrated between EH and other aspects of symptoms such as high‐tone hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness. Of all subjects, 16.7% exhibited bilateral EH on MRI exam who were diagnosed with unilateral MD based on diagnostic criteria.

Conclusions

EH in the inner ear of MD patients exhibits a progressive deteriorative trend over time. Low‐tone and middle‐tone hearing thresholds can indirectly reflect the severity of EH in the cochlea. EH may not be the primary cause of tinnitus and aural fullness in patients with MD. Patients diagnosed with unilateral MD should maintain long‐term regular follow‐ups for the possibility of developing bilateral EH.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 126:974–979, 2016
Supercontinuum generation in bandgap engineered, back‐end CMOS compatible silicon rich nitride waveguides
Authors: Wang Ting , Ng Doris K. T. , Ng Siu‐Kit , Toh Yeow‐Teck , Chee A. K. L. , Chen George F. R. , Wang Qian , Tan Dawn T. H.
Published: September 2015

CMOS‐compatible nonlinear optics platforms with negligible nonlinear losses and high nonlinearity are of great merit. Silicon, silicon nitride and Hydex glass have made significant headway in nonlinear optical signal processing, though none of these platforms possesses the highly sought after combination of high nonlinearity and negligible nonlinear losses. In this manuscript, we present a nonlinear optics platform based on silicon‐rich nitride, deposited at a low temperature of 250°C compatible with back‐end CMOS processing. The silicon‐rich nitride is designed and engineered in composition to have a bandgap of 2.05 eV, such that the two‐photon absorption edge is well below 1.55 μm. The designed and developed waveguides have a nonlinear parameter of 550 W−1/m, 500 times larger than that in silicon nitride waveguides, while at the same time not possessing two‐photon and free‐carrier losses. Using 500‐fs pulses, we generate supercontinuum exceeding 0.6 of an octave.
Regional Morphology and Transport of PAMAM Dendrimers Across Isolated Rat Intestinal Tissue
Authors: Hubbard Dallin , Bond Tanner , Ghandehari Hamidreza
Published: September 2015

Intestinal permeability of PAMAM dendrimers has been observed, giving rationale for their use in oral drug delivery as potential carriers of associated molecules. This study assessed the apparent permeability coefficients (Papp) of dendrimers across isolated rat intestinal regional mucosae, along with estimation of the maximum non‐toxic concentration. Caco‐2 monolayers were also used to assess the comparative Papp values between isolated mucosae and cell culture models. Concentrations from 0.1 to 10 mM of anionic and cationic dendrimers were tested in mucosae to assess their Papp, membrane TEER, [14C]‐mannitol Papp, and histology. 0.1 mM concentrations of dendrimers were assessed over 120 min in Caco‐2 cell monolayers as concentrations above that were cytotoxic. Jejunal transport of dendrimers was higher than transport in colonic epithelium. Monolayer Papp values of dendrimers were comparable to those of jejunal mucosae. Mucosae exposed to dendrimer concentrations of 10 mM for 120 min caused significant reduction in TEER and changes in tissue morphology; however, G3.5 was the only analogue that caused significant TEER reduction and morphological changes at 1 mM concentrations. Transport in jejunal mucosae appears to be the greatest indicating that the small intestinal will be the most likely region to target for oral drug delivery using PAMAM dendrimers.
Film Instability of Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Thin Films Driven by Solvent Annealing and Drying
Authors: Sun Ya‐Sen , Chen Yu‐Chung , Liou Jiun‐You , Su Fan Jun
Published: September 2015

This paper investigates the film instability and structural evolution of solvent‐annealed polystyrene‐block‐poly(4‐vinylpyridine), P(S‐b‐4VP), as thin films of initially monolayer thickness on bare substrates (SiOx/Si) and substrates coated with end‐grafting PS (PS–SiOx/Si) under tetrahydrofuran vapor. At an early stage of solvent annealing, merging of nanospheres to form nanocylinders produces film rupture, creating small holes within a continuous layer. Because of the connectivity, the coalescence of incipient holes is driven by 2D pressure relaxation. Upon further iterative solvent annealing and drying, flat islands progressively grow outward at the expense of expanding holes until they contact with the edges of holes to form a network‐like cellular structure, and then decay into hemispherical droplets. The capillary driving forces associated with the negative excess interfacial entropy are responsible for the film instability of micelles on PS–SiOx/Si. In contrast, thin P(S‐b‐4VP) films on SiOx/Si reveal only small holes during iterative swelling and drying. The presence of these small holes is ascribed to an incomplete coverage during the merging of nanospheres and the anchoring of P(S‐b‐4VP) chains on SiOx/Si. Adsorption in micellar films has three important effects—retarding the motion of micelles, increasing the film stability, and favoring complete wetting.

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Toward Hybrid Materials: Group Transfer Polymerization of 3‐(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl Methacrylate
Authors: Chung Justin J. , Jones Julian R. , Georgiou Theoni K.
Published: September 2015

In this study, the group transfer polymerization (GTP) of the functional monomer 3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPMA) is reported to produce polymers of different architectures and topologies. TMSPMA is successfully polymerized and copoly­merized with GTP to produce well‐defined (co)polymers that can be used to fabricate functional hybrid materials like hydrogels and films.

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Shape‐Memory PVDF Exhibiting Switchable Piezoelectricity
Authors: Hoeher Robin , Raidt Thomas , Novak Nikola , Katzenberg Frank , Tiller Joerg C.
Published: September 2015

In this study, a material is designed which combines the properties of shape‐memory and electroactive polymers. This is achieved by covalent cross‐linking of polyvinylidene fluoride. The resulting polymer network exhibits excellent shape‐memory properties with a storable strain of 200%, and fixity as well as recovery values of 100%. Programming upon rolling induces the transformation from the nonelectroactive α‐phase to the piezoelectric β‐phase. The highest β‐phase content is found to be 83% for a programming strain of 200% affording a d33 value of −30 pm V−1. This is in good accordance with literature known values for piezoelectric properties. Thermal triggering this material does not only result in a shape change but also renders the material nonelectroactive.

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Transcriptional and post‐translational modifications of B‐Raf in quinol‐thioether induced tuberous sclerosis renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Cohen Jennifer D. , Labenski Matthew , Mastrandrea Nicholas J. , Canatsey Ryan D. , Monks Terrence J. , Lau Serrine S.
Published: September 2015

Increased activity of B‐Raf has been identified in approximately 7% of human cancers. Treatment of Eker rats (Tsc‐2EK/+), bearing a mutation in one allele of the tuberous sclerosis‐2 (Tsc‐2) gene, with the nephrocarcinogen 2,3,5‐tris‐(glutathion‐S‐yl) hydroquinone (TGHQ) results in loss of the wild‐type allele of Tsc‐2 in renal preneoplastic lesions and tumors. These tumors have increased protein expression of B‐Raf, C‐Raf (Raf‐1), and increased expression and activity of ERK kinase. Similar changes are observed in Raf kinases following TGHQ‐mediated transformation of primary renal epithelial cells derived from Tsc‐2EK/+ rats (QTRRE cells), cells that are also null for tuberin. Herein, we utilized LC‐MS/MS to identify constitutive phosphorylation of S345 and S483 in both 100‐ and 95‐kDa forms of B‐Raf in QTRRE cells. Using microRotofor liquid‐phase isoelectric focusing, we identified four fractions of B‐Raf that contain different post‐translational modification profiles in QTRRE cells. Amplification of the kinase domain of B‐Raf from QTRRE cells, outer‐stripe of the outer medulla of 8‐month TGHQ‐ or vehicle‐treated Tsc‐2+/+and Tsc‐2EK/+ rats, as well as tumors excised from 8‐month TGHQ‐treated Tsc‐2EK/+ rats revealed three splice variants of B‐Raf within the kinase domain. These splice variants differed by approximately 340, 544, and 600 bp; confirmed by sequencing. No point mutations within the kinase domain of B‐Raf were identified. In addition, B‐Raf/Raf‐1/14‐3‐3 complex formation in the QTRRE cells was decreased by sorafenib, with concomitant selective decreases in p‐ERK levels. Transcriptional and post‐translational characterization of critical kinases, such as B‐Raf, may contribute to the progression of tuberous sclerosis RCC. (246/250) © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Negative effects of G‐protein‐coupled free fatty acid receptor GPR40 on cell migration and invasion in fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells
Authors: Ishii Shuhei , Kitamura Yuka , Hirane Miku , Tomimatsu Ayaka , Fukushima Kaori , Takahashi Kaede , Fukushima Nobuyuki , Honoki Kanya , Tsujiuchi Toshifumi
Published: September 2015

G‐protein‐coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) and GPR120 mediate a variety of biological functions by the binding of long and medium chain free fatty acids. In the present study, we investigated a role of GPR40 in the pathogenesis of fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells. The GPR40 gene expression was detected in HT1080 cells, but not the GPR120 gene. The cell motile and invasive activities were markedly enhanced by GPR40 knockdown, compared with control cells. To evaluate whether GPR40 is involved in the cellular functions of HT1080 cells during anticancer drug treatment, HT1080 cells were maintained in condition medium containing cisplatin (CDDP) (0.01–1.0 μM) for 6 mo. The expression levels of the GPR40 gene was elevated by the long‐term CDDP treatment in HT1080 cells, while the GPR120 gene expression remained unchanged. The cell motile and invasive activities of HT1080 cells treated with CDDP were significantly lower than those of untreated cells. In gelatin zymography, the activities of matrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2) and MMP‐9 of HT1080 cells were enhanced by the long‐term CDDP treatment. In addition, GW9508 which is an agonist of GPR40 and GPR120 suppressed the cell motile and invasive activities of HT1080 cells treated with CDDP as well as the MMP activation. These results suggest that GPR40 negatively regulates the tumor progression of fibrosarcoma cells. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.