bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of Intermittent Streams to Climate Variations in the USA
Authors: Eng K. , Wolock D. M. , Dettinger M. D.
Published: August 2015

There is a great deal of interest in the literature on streamflow changes caused by climate change because of the potential negative effects on aquatic biota and water supplies. Most previous studies have primarily focused on perennial streams, and there have been only a few studies examining the effect of climate variability on intermittent streams. Our objectives in this study were to (1) identify regions of similar zero‐flow behaviour and (2) evaluate the sensitivity of intermittent streams to historical variability in climate in the USA. This study was carried out at 265 intermittent streams by evaluating (1) correlations among time series of flow metrics (number of zero‐flow events, the average of the central 50% and largest 10% of flows) with climate (magnitudes, durations and intensity) and (2) decadal changes in the seasonality and long‐term trends of these flow metrics. Results identified five distinct seasonality patterns in the zero‐flow events. In addition, strong associations between the low‐flow metrics and historical changes in climate were found. The decadal analysis suggested no significant seasonal shifts or decade‐to‐decade trends in the low‐flow metrics. The lack of trends or changes in seasonality is likely due to unchanged long‐term patterns in precipitation over the time period examined. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Planning future studies based on the precision of network meta‐analysis results
Authors: Nikolakopoulou Adriani , Mavridis Dimitris , Salanti Georgia
Published: August 2015

When there are multiple competing interventions for a healthcare problem, the design of new studies could be based on the entire network of evidence as reflected in a network meta‐analysis. There is a practical need to answer how many (if any) studies are needed, of which design (i.e., which treatments to compare), and with what sample size to infer conclusively about the relative treatment effects of a set of target or all competing treatments and their relative ranking. We consider the precision in the results obtained from network meta‐analysis: the precision of the joint distribution of the estimated basic parameters of the model and the precision in the treatment ranking. We quantify the precision in the estimated effects by considering their variance–covariance matrix and estimate the precision in ranking by quantifying the dissimilarity of the density functions of summary effect estimates. Then, based on a desirable improvement in precision, we calculate the required sample size for each possible study design and number of study arms, and we present visual tools that can help trialists select the optimal study design. We use a published network of interventions for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma to illustrate the suggested methodology. The presented methodology can aid investigators making informed and evidence‐based decisions about planning new studies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reduction Behavior and Structural Evolution of Iron Ores in Fluidized Bed Technologies—Part 2: Characterization and Evaluation of Worldwide Traded Fine Iron Ore Brands
Authors: Pichler Anton , Mali Heinrich , Plaul Friedemann , Schenk Johannes , Skorianz Michael , Weiss Bernd
Published: August 2015

The reduction of iron ore fines by means of fluidized bed technology has become an alternative route of ironmaking. To investigate the reduction behavior of fine ores and to improve fluidized bed processes, a lab scale fluidized bed facility is installed. The reactor is charged with different kinds of fine ores. The reactors get fluidized by a reducing gas mixture containing H2, H2O, CO, CO2, CH4, and N2 in variable range. Additionally, a sampling system is installed, which enables the sampling of bed material during reduction. All samples are analyzed regarding their grain size distribution, chemistry, and morphology. The comparison of the raw input ore with the reduced ore—bed samples during the tests and final material—leads to a new way of fine ore characterization. After the determination of a standardized process, globally traded iron ore fines are tested under the same process conditions. The results enable the validation of the morphological evolution of different iron ore types and brands (hematitic, magnetitic, and limonitic) during the reduction with CO‐rich reducing gas in fluidized bed processes. Further investigation on the structure and porosity of the different phases is done to evaluate the relation to reduction rate and final reduction degree.
Figures of merit for simultaneous inference and comparisons in simulation experiments
Authors: Cressie Noel , Burden Sandy
Published: August 2015

This article considers the traditional figures of merit, namely, bias and mean squared (prediction) error, which are typically used to evaluate simulation experiments. We propose functions of them that account for different variables' units; these alternative figures of merit are closely tied to simultaneous multivariate inference on an unknown parameter vector or unknown state vector. Their usefulness is illustrated in a simulation experiment, where the goal is to determine the statistical properties associated with prediction of a multivariate state. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Haftfeste Direktmetallisierung von Kunststoffen durch Beschichtung mit Ionen
Authors: Bandorf Ralf , Waschke Stefan , Vergöhl Michael , Grundmeier Guido , Bräuer Günter
Published: August 2015

Obwohl Kunststoffe seit mehreren Jahrzehnten industriell eingesetzt werden ist die Direktmetallisierung von Kunststoffen nach wie vor ein aktuelles Thema. Speziell durch das Verbot von sechswertigem Chrom besteht ein erhöhter Bedarf an haftfesten Metallisierungsverfahren für Kunststoffe. Das Hochleistungs‐Impuls Magnetronsputtern HIPIMS ist hierbei ein junges Vakuum‐Beschichtungsverfahren, das ein hohes Anwendungspotenzial zur Lösung dieser Fragestellung bietet. Der vorliegende Artikel befasst sich mit der Direktmetallisierung von Kunststoffen mittels HIPIMS. Es wurde im Rahmen der Untersuchungen auf eine Vorbehandlung verzichtet und die Kunststoffsubstrate direkt unter Vakuum metallisiert. Es zeigte sich, dass im Vergleich zu konventionellen Sputterverfahren die Haftfestigkeit deutlich gesteigert werden konnte. Die Metallisierung von Plexiglas, die genauer betrachtet wurde, stellt hier eine besondere Herausforderung dar. Durch die Schädigung des PMMA durch die UV‐Strahlung des Plasmas ist eine konventionelle Direktmetallisierung nicht möglich. Mit Hilfe der ionisierten Beschichtung konnte Schichten mit exzellenter Haftung ohne Zwischenschichten oder Vorbehandlung hergestellt werden. Die Charakterisierung der Grenzfläche zeigt, dass beim Versuch die Metallisierung zu trennen für die optimierten Prozesse ein Kohäsionsbruch, d.h. ein Bruch im Kunststoff und nicht an der Kontaktfläche Kunststoff‐Metall stattfand.
System identification and controller design for individual pitch and trailing edge flap control on upscaled wind turbines
Authors: Chen Zhenrong J. , Stol Karl A. , Mace Brian R.
Published: August 2015

Active load reduction strategies such as individual pitch control (IPC) and trailing edge flap (TEF) actuation present ways of reducing the fatigue loads on the blades of wind turbines. This may enable development of lighter blades, improving the performance, cost effectiveness and viability of future multi‐megawatt turbine designs.

Previous investigations into the use of IPC and TEFs have been limited to turbines with ratings up to 5 MW and typically investigate the use of these load reduction strategies on a single turbine only. This paper extends the design, implementation and analysis of individual pitch and TEFs to a range of classically scaled turbines between 5 and 20 MW. In order to avoid designing controllers which favour a particular scale, identical scale‐invariant system identification and controller design processes are applied to each of the turbines studied. Gain‐scheduled optimal output feedback controllers are designed using identified models to target blade root load fluctuations at the first and second multiples of the rotational frequency using IPC and TEFs respectively.

The use of IPC and TEFs is shown in simulations to provide significant reductions in fatigue loads at the blade root. Fatigue loads on non‐rotating components such as the yaw bearing and tower root (yaw moment) are also reduced with the use of TEFs. Individual pitch performance is seen to be slightly lower on larger turbines, potentially due to a combination of reduced actuator bandwidth and movement of the rotational frequency of larger turbines into a more energetic part of the turbulent spectrum. However, TEF performance is consistent irrespective of scale. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermalization in a holographic confining gauge theory
Authors: Ishii Takaaki , Kiritsis Elias , Rosen Christopher
Published: August 2015

Abstract

Time dependent perturbations of states in the holographic dual of a 3+1 dimensional confining theory are considered. The perturbations are induced by varying the coupling to the theory’s most relevant operator. The dual gravitational theory belongs to a class of Einstein-dilaton theories which exhibit a mass gap at zero temperature and a first order deconfining phase transition at finite temperature. The perturbation is realized in various thermal bulk solutions by specifying time dependent boundary conditions on the scalar, and we solve the fully backreacted Einstein-dilaton equations of motion subject to these boundary conditions. We compute the characteristic time scale of many thermalization processes, noting that in every case we examine, this time scale is determined by the imaginary part of the lowest lying quasi-normal mode of the final state black brane. We quantify the dependence of this final state on parameters of the quench, and construct a dynamical phase diagram. Further support for a universal scaling regime in the abrupt quench limit is provided.
Heterotic moduli stabilisation and non-supersymmetric vacua
Authors: Lukas Andre , Lalak Zygmunt , Svanes Eirik E.
Published: August 2015

Abstract

We study moduli stabilisation in four-dimensional N = 1 supergravity theories which originate from compactifications of the heterotic string on certain manifolds with SU(3) structure. These theories have a non-trivial superpotential generated from geometric flux and, in general, D-terms associated to anomalous U(1) symmetries. We show that, at the perturbative level, there are no supersymmetry preserving vacua. However, subject to a certain technical condition on the D-terms which aligns the extrema of the F-term and D-term potentials, ∂

i

V
F = ∂

i

V

D
= 0, we find at the perturbative level analytic stable AdS vacua which break supersymmetry. As a result, all T-moduli and the dilaton are stabilised perturbatively with supersymmetry broken at a high scale. We also show numerically that similar vacua can be found when the technical condition on the D-term is relaxed. These vacua persist in the presence of non-perturbative effects. In all cases, the vacua remain AdS.
Efficacy of additional psychosocial intervention in reducing low birth weight and preterm birth in teenage pregnancy: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Sukhato Kanokporn , Wongrathanandha Chathaya , Thakkinstian Ammarin , Dellow Alan , Horsuwansak Pornpot , Anothaisintawee Thunyarat
Published: August 2015

This systematic review aimed to assess the efficacy of psychosocial interventions in reducing risk of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) in teenage pregnancy. Relevant studies were identified from Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, and CENTRAL databases. Randomized controlled trials investigating effect of psychosocial interventions on risk of LBW and PTB, compared to routine antenatal care (ANC) were eligible. Relative risks (RR) of LBW and PTB were pooled using inverse variance method. Mean differences of birth weight (BW) between intervention and control groups were pooled using unstandardized mean difference (USMD). Five studies were included in the review. Compared with routine ANC, psychosocial interventions significantly reduced risk of LBW by 40% (95%CI: 8%,62%) but not for PTB (pooled RR = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.42,1.05). Mean BW of the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group with USMD of 200.63 g (95% CI: 21.02, 380.25). Results of our study suggest that psychosocial interventions significantly reduced risk of LBW in teenage pregnancy.
Cell surface localised Hsp70 is a cancer specific regulator of clathrin‐independent endocytosis
Authors: Nimmervoll Benedikt , Chtcheglova Lilia A. , Juhasz Kata , Cremades Nunilo , Aprile Francesco A. , Sonnleitner Alois , Hinterdorfer Peter , Vigh Laszlo , Preiner Johannes , Balogi Zsolt
Published: August 2015

The stress inducible heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is present specifically on the tumour cell surface yet without a pro‐tumour function revealed. We show here that cell surface localised Hsp70 (sHsp70) supports clathrin‐independent endocytosis (CIE) in melanoma models. Remarkably, ability of Hsp70 to cluster on lipid raftsin vitro correlated with larger nano‐domain sizes of sHsp70 in high sHsp70 expressing cell membranes. Interfering with Hsp70 oligomerisation impaired sHsp70‐mediated facilitation of endocytosis. Altogether our findings suggest that a sub‐fraction of sHsp70 co‐localising with lipid rafts enhances CIE through oligomerisation and clustering. Targeting or utilising this tumour specific mechanism may represent an additional benefit for anti‐cancer therapy.
Sonographically Guided Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injections: Technique and Validation
Authors: Hackel Joshua G. , Khan Umar , Loveland Dustin M. , Smith Jay
Published: August 2015

Objective

To describe and validate a technique for sonographically guided posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injections.

Design

Prospective, cadaveric laboratory investigation.

Setting

Procedural skills laboratory.

Subjects

Eight unembalmed, cadaveric, mid‐thigh–knee specimens (4 left knees and 4 right knees) obtained from 4 male and 4 female donors aged 57 to 64 years (mean 60.8 years) with body mass indices of 27.7 to 36.5 kg/m2 (mean 32 kg/m2).

Methods

A 5‐2–MHz curvilinear probe and a 22‐gauge, 78‐mm stainless steel needle was used to inject 2 mL of diluted blue latex into the PCL of each specimen using an in‐plane, caudad‐to‐cephalad approach. At a minimum of 24 hours postinjection, each specimen was dissected to assess the presence and distribution of latex within the PCL.

Main Outcome

Presence and distribution of latex within the PCL.

Results

All 8 injections accurately delivered latex throughout the PCL, including the tibial and femoral footprints. In 2 of 8 specimens (25%), a small amount of latex was noted to extend beyond the PCL and into the joint space. No specimens exhibited evidence of needle injury of latex infiltration with respect to the popliteal neurovascular bundle, menisci, hyaline cartilage, or anterior cruciate ligament.

Conclusions

Sonographically guided intraligamentous PCL injections are technically feasible and can be performed with a high degree of accuracy. Sonographically guided PCL injections should be considered for research and clinical purposes to deliver therapeutic agents into the PCL postinjury or postreconstruction.
“Slowly Becoming Sales Promotion Men?”: Negotiating the Career of the Sales Representative in Britain, 1920s–1970s
Authors: FRENCH MIKE
Published: August 2015

The commercial traveler, or traveling salesman, was an agent of commercialism and modernization as well as a stock character in British popular culture. To C. Wright Mills, salesmen faced particularly challenging demands to conform to managerial direction. This article examines how British salesmen negotiated their occupational identity during the twentieth century. Developments in marketing, corporate growth, and periods of war and recession all challenged salesmen’s status and autonomy. These influences prompted a lengthy and recurring debate about how best to present, defend, and justify their work and identity. New marketing techniques and management systems evolved steadily, rather than producing sudden or uniform changes in the ways in which salesmen worked. Their culture of enterprise and individualism persisted, in part as it was shared by employers and managers. The impact of new marketing methods proved greatest in confectionery, tobacco, and other consumer goods trades as sales of branded, packaged goods expanded. Even then, salesmen contributed to shaping their work and occupational identity, proving unable to establish professional credentials and dividing over whether adopting trade union methods could improve their position.
Converging gravity currents over a permeable substrate
Authors: Zheng Zhong , Shin Sangwoo , Stone Howard A.
Published: August 2015

We study the propagation of viscous gravity currents along a thin permeable substrate where slow vertical drainage is allowed from the boundary. In particular, we report the effect of this vertical fluid drainage on the second-kind self-similar solutions for the shape of the fluid–fluid interface in three contexts: (i) viscous axisymmetric gravity currents converging towards the centre of a cylindrical container; (ii) viscous gravity currents moving towards the origin in a horizontal Hele-Shaw channel with a power-law varying gap thickness in the horizontal direction; and (iii) viscous gravity currents propagating towards the origin of a porous medium with horizontal permeability and porosity gradients in power-law forms. For each of these cases with vertical leakage, we identify a regime diagram that characterizes whether the front reaches the origin or not; in particular, when the front does not reach the origin, we calculate the final location of the front. We have also conducted laboratory experiments with a cylindrical lock gate to generate a converging viscous gravity current where vertical fluid drainage is allowed from various perforated horizontal substrates. The time-dependent position of the propagating front is captured from the experiments, and the front position is found to agree well with the theoretical and numerical predictions when surface tension effects can be neglected.
International Interventions to Build Social Capital: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Sudan
Authors: AVDEENKO ALEXANDRA , GILLIGAN MICHAEL J.
Published: August 2015

Increasingly the international community attempts to improve local public infrastructure in developing countries by creating more participatory local governance and social capital. We report on a randomized field experiment conducted in 24 communities (16 treated and 8 control) in rural Sudan. We offer a clearer theoretical statement of how these programs might alter the political landscape of the recipient villages. We measure norms using lab-in-the-field techniques and we measure network density with a survey of our 475 lab subjects. We appraise the participatory character of local governance and civic participation with a survey of 576 households. The program did not affect either networks or norms, but civic participation and the participatory nature of local governance increased. Thus we attribute the increase in citizen participation not to social capital growth but to more open local governing institutions.
Demography and Democracy: A Global, District-level Analysis of Electoral Contestation
Authors: GERRING JOHN , PALMER MAXWELL , TEORELL JAN , ZARECKI DOMINIC
Published: August 2015

According to the classical perspective, polity size and democracy are inversely related. In this article, we argue that there is an important exception that manifests itself at the district level in settings where multiparty competition is allowed. Specifically, we find that larger districts encourage greater contestation. This results from a little-noticed mechanical effect as well as from several features of constituencies that are affected by size and have direct repercussions for contestation. To demonstrate this thesis we assembled a unique dataset, the Multi-level Election Archive (MLEA), which unites electoral contests across a variety of districts (national, regional, and local) and elective offices from the eighteenth century to the present, including a total of 88 countries, 2,344 elections, 79,658 districts, and more than 400,000 contests. With this evidence we were able to conduct a broad array of statistical tests, some global and others focused on particular countries or election types, all of which support our general argument.
Tocqueville on Religion, the Enlightenment, and the Democratic Soul
Authors: HEROLD AARON L.
Published: August 2015

This article proposes a new interpretation of Tocqueville's thought, one that focuses on his account of religious psychology. From his observations of America, Tocqueville concludes that human beings have a natural hope for immortality—a hope that is driven by a paradoxical but ineradicable desire to affirm and forget oneself simultaneously. Tocqueville formulates this insight as a critique of the Enlightenment thinkers who laid the foundations for liberal democracy; I argue that he crafts his “new political science” to provide healthy outlets for the religious hopes whose existence these thinkers largely denied and whose anomalous presence in the United States has accordingly led to unforeseen dangers. Tocqueville's analysis not only helps us understand and begin to remedy those dissatisfactions that characterize democracy today but it also reveals his theoretical depth, political moderation, and sober assessment of our moral psychology in a way not seen before.
International Knowledge and Domestic Evaluations in a Changing Society: The Case of China
Authors: HUANG HAIFENG
Published: August 2015

Do knowledge and information about foreign countries affect people’s evaluation of domestic situations? Using unique survey and experimental data, this research finds that Chinese citizens with more positive perceptions and especially overestimation of foreign socioeconomic conditions have more negative evaluations of China and the Chinese government. Moreover, correcting socioeconomic misinformation about foreign countries improves one’s evaluations of China, indicating that the causal direction is at least partly from rosier estimation of foreign conditions to lower domestic evaluations. The relationship between domestic evaluations and international political knowledge, as measured by familiarity with political affairs and figures in foreign countries, is typically not significant, although awareness of political instability in other countries can increase satisfaction with one’s own country. These results contribute both substantively and conceptually to the study of politically relevant knowledge and information, and shed new light on the nuances of information flow and opinion formation in changing societies.
On the exact rate of convergence of frequencies of digits and local dimensions of multinomial measures
Authors: OLSEN L.
Published: August 2015

We study the Hausdorff dimensions of certain sets of non-normal numbers defined in terms of the exact rate of convergence of digits in theirN-adic expansions. As an application of our results we analyse the rate of convergence of local dimensions of multinomial measures.
Illegal trade pushing the Critically Endangered Black-winged MynaAcridotheres melanopterustowards imminent extinction
Authors: SHEPHERD CHRIS R. , NIJMAN VINCENT , KRISHNASAMY KANITHA , EATON JAMES A. , CHNG SERENE C. L.
Published: August 2015

The Critically Endangered Black-winged MynaAcridotheres melanopterusis being pushed towards the brink of extinction in Indonesia due to continued demand for it as a cage bird and the lack of enforcement of national laws set in place to protect it. The trade in this species is largely to supply domestic demand, although an unknown level of international demand also persists. We conducted five surveys of three of Indonesia’s largest open bird markets (Pramuka, Barito and Jatinegara), all of which are located in the capital Jakarta, between July 2010 and July 2014. No Black-winged Mynas were observed in Jatinegara, singles or pairs were observed during every survey in Barito, whereas up to 14 birds at a time were present at Pramuka. The average number of birds observed per survey is about a quarter of what it was in the 1990s when, on average, some 30 Black-winged Mynas were present at Pramuka and Barito markets. Current asking prices in Jakarta are high, with unbartered quotes averaging USD 220 per bird. Our surveys of the markets in Jakarta illustrate an ongoing and open trade. Dealers blatantly ignore national legislation and are fearless of enforcement actions. Commercial captive breeding is unlikely to remove pressure from remaining wild populations of Black-winged Mynas. Efforts to end the illegal trade in this species and to allow wild populations to recover are urgently needed. We also recommend the immediate inclusion of Black-winged Mynas in Appendix III of CITES to allow for international support to Indonesia in clamping down on international trade of the species.
Taming the wild ant-lion; a counterexample to a conjecture of Böhm
Authors: STATMAN RICK
Published: August 2015

In Barendregt (1984), Corrado Böhm conjectured that every adequate (Barendregt 1984, 6.4.2 (ii)) numeral system of normal combinators has normal successor, predecessor and zero test. In this note, we give a counterexample to this conjecture. Our example is shown to have no normal zero test. Böhm has informed us that Intrigila (1994) has given an example with no normal successor. Our strategy, in terms of the ant-lion paradigm, is to pry open the trap so wide that it enters its active state before its jaws are shut.
THE DOUBLE COVER OF ODD GENERAL SPIN GROUPS, SMALL REPRESENTATIONS, AND APPLICATIONS
Authors: Kaplan Eyal
Published: August 2015

We construct local and global metaplectic double covers of odd general spin groups, using the cover of Matsumoto of spin groups. Following Kazhdan and Patterson, a local exceptional representation is the unique irreducible quotient of a principal series representation, induced from a certain exceptional character. The global exceptional representation is obtained as the multi-residue of an Eisenstein series: it is an automorphic representation, and it decomposes as the restricted tensor product of local exceptional representations. As in the case of the small representation of$\mathit{SO}_{2n+1}$of Bump, Friedberg, and Ginzburg, exceptional representations enjoy the vanishing of a large class of twisted Jacquet modules (locally), or Fourier coefficients (globally). Consequently they are useful in many settings, including lifting problems and Rankin–Selberg integrals. We describe one application, to a calculation of a co-period integral.
SEMANTIC POLLUTION AND SYNTACTIC PURITY
Authors: READ STEPHEN
Published: August 2015

Logical inferentialism claims that the meaning of the logical constants should be given, not model-theoretically, but by the rules of inference of a suitable calculus. It has been claimed that certain proof-theoretical systems, most particularly, labelled deductive systems for modal logic, are unsuitable, on the grounds that they are semantically polluted and suffer from an untoward intrusion of semantics into syntax. The charge is shown to be mistaken. It is argued on inferentialist grounds that labelled deductive systems are as syntactically pure as any formal system in which the rules define the meanings of the logical constants.
Ultrathin MoS2 Nanosheets with Superior Extreme Pressure Property as Boundary Lubricants
Authors: Chen Zhe , Liu Xiangwen , Liu Yuhong , Gunsel Selda , Luo Jianbin
Published: August 2015

In this paper, a new kind of oil-soluble ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets is prepared through a one-pot process. A superior extreme pressure property, which has not been attained with other nano-additives, is discovered when the nanosheets are used as lubricant additives. The as-synthesized MoS2 nanosheet is only a few atomic layers thick and tens of nanometers wide and it is surface-modified with oleylamine so it can be well dispersed in oil or lubricant without adscititious dispersants or surfactants. By adding 1 wt% ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets, at the temperature of 120 °C, the highest load liquid paraffin can bear is tremendously improved from less than 50 N to more than 2000 N. Based on the tribological tests and analysis of the wear scar, a lubrication mechanism is proposed. It is believed that the good dispersion and the ultrathin shape of the nanosheets ensure that they can enter the contact area of the opposite sliding surfaces and act like a protective film to prevent direct contact and seizure between them. This work enriches the investigation of ultrathin MoS2 and has potential application in the mechanical industry.
Examining the safety of respiratory and intravenous inoculation of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and Micavibrio aeruginosavorus in a mouse model
Authors: Shatzkes Kenneth , Chae Richard , Tang Chi , Ramirez Gregory C. , Mukherjee Somdatta , Tsenova Liana , Connell Nancy D. , Kadouri Daniel E.
Published: August 2015

Bdellovibrio spp. and Micavibrio spp. are Gram-negative predators that feed on other Gram-negative bacteria, making predatory bacteria potential alternatives to antibiotics for treating multi-drug resistant infections. While the ability of predatory bacteria to control bacterial infections in vitro is well documented, the in vivo effect of predators on a living host has yet to be extensively examined. In this study, respiratory and intravenous inoculations were used to determine the effects of predatory bacteria in mice. We found no reduction in mouse viability after intranasal or intravenous inoculation of B. bacteriovorus 109J, HD100 or M. aeruginosavorus. Introducing predators into the respiratory tract of mice provoked a modest inflammatory response at 1 hour post-exposure, but was not sustained at 24 hours, as measured by RT-qPCR and ELISA. Intravenous injection caused an increase of IL-6 in the kidney and spleen, TNF in the liver and CXCL-1/KC in the blood at 3 hours post-exposure, returning to baseline levels by 18 hours. Histological analysis of tissues showed no pathological changes due to predatory bacteria. Furthermore, qPCR detected predators were cleared from the host quickly and efficiently. This work addresses some of the safety concerns regarding the potential use of predatory bacteria as a live antibiotic.
Streptococcus mutans copes with heat stress by multiple transcriptional regulons modulating virulence and energy metabolism
Authors: Liu Chengcheng , Niu Yulong , Zhou Xuedong , Zheng Xin , Wang Shida , Guo Qiang , Li Yuqing , Li Mingyun , Li Jiyao , Yang Yi , Ding Yi , Lamont Richard J. , Xu Xin
Published: August 2015

Dental caries is closely associated with the virulence of Streptococcus mutans. The virulence expression of S. mutans is linked to its stress adaptation to the changes in the oral environment. In this work we used whole-genome microarrays to profile the dynamic transcriptomic responses of S. mutans during physiological heat stress. In addition, we evaluated the phenotypic changes, including, eDNA release, initial biofilm formation, extracellular polysaccharides generation, acid production/acid tolerance and ATP turnover of S. mutans during heat stress. There were distinct patterns observed in the way that S. mutans responded to heat stress that included 66 transcription factors for the expression of functional genes being differentially expressed. Especially, response regulators of two component systems (TCSs), the repressors of heat shock proteins and regulators involved in sugar transporting and metabolism co-ordinated to enhance the cell’s survival and energy generation against heat stress in S. mutans.
CD73 and AMPD3 deficiency enhance metabolic performance via erythrocyte ATP that decreases hemoglobin oxygen affinity
Authors: O’Brien III William G. , Berka Vladimir , Tsai Ah-Lim , Zhao Zhaoyang , Lee Cheng Chi
Published: August 2015

Erythrocytes are the key target in 5′-AMP induced hypometabolism. To understand how regulation of endogenous erythrocyte AMP levels modulates systemic metabolism, we generated mice deficient in both CD73 and AMPD3, the key catabolic enzymes for extracellular and intra-erythrocyte AMP, respectively. Under physiological conditions, these mice displayed enhanced capacity for physical activity accompanied by significantly higher food and oxygen consumption, compared to wild type mice. Erythrocytes from Ampd3−/− mice exhibited higher half-saturation pressure of oxygen (p50) and about 3-fold higher levels of ATP and ADP, while they maintained normal 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-BPG), methemoglobin levels and intracellular pH. The affinity of mammalian hemoglobin for oxygen is thought to be regulated primarily by 2,3-BPG levels and pH (the Bohr effect). However, our results show that increased endogenous levels of ATP and ADP, but not AMP, directly increase the p50 value of hemoglobin. Additionally, the rise in erythrocyte p50 directly correlates with an enhanced capability of systemic metabolism.
A new highly Zn2+-selective and “off–on” fluorescent chemosensor based on the pyrene group
Authors: Gao Cunji , Zhu Hongmei , Zhang Mingliang , Tan Ting , Chen Jia , Qiu Hongdeng
Published: August 2015

A highly zinc ion selective fluorescent chemosensorH2Lbased on a pyrene derivative was described. Importantly, this chemosensor can clearly distinguish Zn2+from Cd2+.
Metal-free carbonyl C(sp2)–H oxidative alkynylation of aldehydes using hypervalent iodine reagents leading to ynones
Authors: Ouyang Xuan-Hui , Song Ren-Jie , Wang Cheng-Yong , Yang Yuan , Li Jin-Heng
Published: August 2015

The metal-free and facile synthesis of ynonesviacarbonyl C(sp2)–H oxidative alkynylation of aldehydes with enynyl benziodoxolones is presented.
Comparative study of bioethanol transformation catalyzed by Ru or Pt nanoparticles supported on KL zeolite
Authors: Almohalla M. , Gallegos-Suarez E. , Arcoya A. , Rodríguez-Ramos I. , Guerrero-Ruiz A.
Published: August 2015

The catalytic properties of two noble metals, Pt and Ru, supported on KL zeolite were investigated in the selective transformation of bioethanol.
Folic acid-targeted magnetic Tb-doped CeF3fluorescent nanoparticles as bimodal probes for cellular fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Ma Zhi-Ya , Liu Yu-Ping , Bai Ling-Yu , An Jie , Zhang Lin , Xuan Yang , Zhang Xiao-Shuai , Zhao Yuan-Di
Published: August 2015

Folic acid-targeted magnetic Tb-doped CeF3nanoparticles were fabricated for cellular MRI and fluorescence dual mode imaging simultaneously.
Molecular weight dependence of structure and properties of chitosan oligomers
Authors: Tian Meng , Tan Hong , Li Hao , You Chao
Published: August 2015

Molecular weight dependence of water solubility of COS.
Facile fabrication of 3D SnO2/nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels for superior lithium storage
Authors: Hong Xia , Liang Junfei , Fan Hua , Guo Lin
Published: August 2015

3D SnO2/nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels was prepared by a facile approach, and demonstrated to have outstanding lithium storage performance.
Enhanced formaldehyde selectivity in catalytic methane oxidation by vanadia on Ti-doped SBA-15
Authors: Wallis P. , Schönborn E. , Kalevaru V. N. , Martin A. , Wohlrab S.
Published: August 2015

During catalytic methane oxidation V/Ti-SBA-15 showed an improved selectivity towards formaldehyde over all conversions compared to V/SBA-15.
Growth habit and optical properties of γ-CuI single crystals via a temperature difference method
Authors: Lv Yangyang , Ye Liwang , Zhang Zhaojun , Zhang Bin-Bin , Xu Zhihuang , Zhuang Xinxin , Yao Shuhua , Su Genbo
Published: August 2015

A home-designed temperature difference method was developed and used to grow γ-CuI single crystals, resulting in a great improvement for the luminescence performance of γ-CuI crystals.
Palladacycles derived from arylphosphinamides for mild Suzuki–Miyaura cross-couplings
Authors: Wu Guo-Jie , Han Fu-She , Zhao Yu-Long
Published: August 2015

We present the arylphosphinamide-derived palladacyclic complexes (see Scheme) which could be used as efficient and versatile precatalysts for mild Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling.
Preparation of hierarchically porous carbon nanofoams for electrode materials of supercapacitors
Authors: Zhang Yong , Wang Youfu , Hu Aiguo
Published: August 2015

Hierarchically porous carbon nanofoams were prepared via the formation of core–shell organosilica nanoparticles and subsequent Friedel–Crafts chemistry. The specific capacitance of them as electrode materials reached 170 F g−1 in an aqueous electrolyte.
Observation of novel oxygen⋯oxygen interaction in supramolecular assembly of cobalt(iii) Schiff base complexes: a combined experimental and computational study
Authors: Das Mithun , Ghosh Biswa Nath , Bauzá Antonio , Rissanen Kari , Frontera Antonio , Chattopadhyay Shouvik
Published: August 2015

Structural features of two newly synthesized mononuclear cobalt(iii) complexes have been examined by DFT calculations.
Micrometer-sized network structure of novel DNA–lipid conjugates induced by heat stimulation
Authors: Takahashi K. , Matsuo M. , Banno T. , Toyota T.
Published: August 2015

We have developed a novel lipid-bearing DNA that forms hairpin modules, including a single RNA monomer; this can be used to create micrometer-sized structures from nanometer-sized building blocks during breakage at the RNA site.
Structural influence of porous FeOx@C nanorods on their performance as anodes of lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Li Xueying , Zhang Zhiyun , Li Jing , Ma Yuanyuan , Qu Yongquan
Published: August 2015

Compared to the mesoporous FeOx-AN@C, FeOx-HY@C with large internal voids, porous thin shells and an elastic carbon shell, as the anode of lithium ion batteries, can effectively buffer volume swing and mechanical stresses, synchronize lithium diffusion and charge transport processes, and facilitate lithium ion transport.
Defects in Haem Synthesis in Mammalian Tissues in Experimental Lead Poisoning and Experimental Porphyria
Authors: Gibson Sheila L. M. , Goldberg A.
Published: August 2015

1. The biochemical effects of experimental lead poisoning and experimental porphyria induced by allyl-isopropylacetamide have been compared in New Zealand White rabbits.

2. In lead poisoning there was an increase in urinary coproporphyrin excretion within 48 hr of the first dose of lead. Urinary δ-aminolaevulic acid excretion increased about 1 week later and urinary porphobilinogen excretion about 3 weeks later.

3. In lead-poisoned rabbits the activity of the enzyme δ-aminolaevulic acid dehydrase was impaired in the brain, liver, kidney and bone marrow. This inhibition was largely due to interference with the sulphydryl groups of the enzyme.

4. No inhibition of the enzyme haem synthetase could be detected in homogenates prepared from lead poisoned tissues but the addition of lead acetate in concentrations similar to those present in the original unhomogenized tissues produced marked inhibition.

5. There was no increase in either the δ-aminolaevulic acid or the porphobilinogen content of the brain in lead poisoning but the δ-aminolaevulic acid content of the liver, kidney and bone marrow, and the porphobiliogen content of the kidney were significantly increased.

6. Inhibition by lead of the enzymes δ-aminolaevulic acid dehydrase and haem synthetase may explain the biochemical abnormalities observed in lead poisoning.

7. In experimental porphyria the main enzyme abnormality found was a large increase in δ-aminolaevulic acid synthetase activity in the liver with increases in δ-aminolaevulic acid dehydrase activity in the liver and kidney.
Abnormal Renal Haemodynamics and Renin Suppression in Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Schalekamp M. A. D. H. , Schalekamp-Kuyken M. P. A. , Birkenhäger W. H.
Published: August 2015

1. Intra-arterial pressure, renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate were estimated in thirty-two patients with benign essential hypertension. In twenty cases plasma renin concentrations were also determined. Variability of blood pressure was estimated by automatic indirect pressure recording.

2. There was an even distribution between high and low values of renal vascular resistance and filtration fraction. Variability of blood pressure was inversely related to renal vascular resistance.

3. In five patients plasma renin concentration was found to be abnormally low both in the recumbent and in the 45° tilt position.

4. Plasma renin concentration was related to renal blood flow, renal vascular resistance, filtration fraction and variability of blood pressure.

5. The results suggest that in hypertension renin release is suppressed by an increase in intravascular pressure at the level of the juxtaglomerularcells. The extent of renin suppression seems to be related to the stage of hypertensive disease.
Fibrinogen Catabolism: Kinetics of Catabolism following Sudden Elevation of the Pool with Exogenous Fibrinogen
Authors: Regoeczi E.
Published: August 2015

1. Fibrinogen catabolism was studied in ten rabbits before and after suddenly elevating the intravascular pool by injecting a single dose of homologous fibrinogen equivalent to 18–83% of the corresponding protein already present in this pool. Of the two metabolic tracers used, [131I]fibrinogen was injected 3–4 days before and [125I]fibrinogen at the time of introducing the change.

2. Analysis of total body as well as of the circulating radioactivities indicated that the excess protein did not affect the fractional catabolic rate constant, thus permitting the conclusion that fibrinogen catabolism closely follows a first order kinetic reaction. In some animals a fraction of the injected fibrinogen shifted to extravascular sites and altered the pool ratio. Elimination of the excess protein took about 5 days and was accompanied by changes in the synthesis rate of fibrinogen.
Clinical Studies on Inflammation in Human Knee Joints: Xenon (133Xe) Clearances Correlated with Clinical Assessment in Various Arthritides and Studies on the Effect of Intra-Articularly Administered Hydrocortisone in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Dick C. , Whaley K. , St. Onge R. A. , Downie W. W. , Boyle J. A. , Nuki G. , Gillespie F. C. , Buchanan W. Watson
Published: August 2015

1. The rate of disappearance of intra-articularly administered 133Xe from the knee joint was studied in normal subjects and in patients suffering from various arthritides. The disappearance curve was monoexponential and could be described by a biological half life . The half lives were shown to be reproducible, but could be reduced marginally by aspirating knee joint effusion when present.

2. It was demonstrated that the values depended, not upon the pathological diagnosis, but upon the degree of inflammatory involvement of the knee joint at the time of study.

3. The effect of intra-articularly administered hydrocortisone upon the value was investigated in twenty-five rheumatoid subjects. The mean value obtained before injection of hydrocortisone was significantly lower than the mean value obtained 24 hr later. Significant clinical improvement was also noted. The relationship between individual clinical improvement and the change in value was examined.
The Distribution of Histamine in the Blood of Healthy and Asthmatic Children
Authors: Porter J. F. , Mitchell R. G.
Published: August 2015

1. Histamine levels in whole blood and blood plasma, together with circulating basophil, eosinophil and total leucocyte counts, were determined in three groups of asthmatic children and in a control group of non-asthmatic children.

2. Blood histamine levels were significantly higher than the control levels during asthmatic symptoms, but fell to near normal values in the quiescent phase of asthma and during long-term steroid treatment.

3. Plasma histamine levels were found to be minimal in all the subjects studied (< 1 ng/ml).

4. Significant correlations were found between whole blood histamine levels and basophil counts and between whole blood histamine levels and log eosinophil counts in the control children. The findings in the asthmatic children suggested that the relationships between these phenomena in asthma are more complex than in normal individuals.
The Release of Renin into the Renal Circulation of the Anaesthetized Dog
Authors: Hosie K. F. , Brown J. J. , Harper A. M. , Lever A. F. , MacAdam R. F. , MacGregor J. , Robertson J. I. S.
Published: August 2015

1. In anaesthetized dogs the rate at which renin was released into the circulation of the right and left kidneys was estimated from renal blood flow, haematocrit, and the V-A renin concentration difference across the kidney. Renin was also measured in samples of renal lymph collected at the same time.

2. The effect on renin release of reducing blood flow in one kidney was studied. For all observations (control and experimental), renal venous plasma renin concentration (RVR) was directly related to arterial plasma renin concentration and to renin release; RVR was inversely related to renal plasma flow.

3. The concentration of renin in renal lymph was considerably higher than that in renal venous plasma taken at the same time. Arterial plasma renin concentration was directly related to the sum of the rates at which renin was released from the two kidneys.

4. Clamping the renal artery of one kidney for 1 hr led to a marked reduction of renal blood flow, to a marked increase in RVR and to a variable change in renin release. Removal of the clamp was followed by increased renin release and by reversal of a previously positive V-A renin difference in the control kidney.

5. On several other occasions negative V-A renin differences were observed. That is, more renin appeared to enter the kidney in arterial blood than left in the renal vein.
The in Vivo Metabolism of Radioiodinated Cold Agglutinins of Anti-I Specificity
Authors: Brown D. L. , Cooper A. G.
Published: August 2015

1. The metabolism of six purified and radioiodinated cold agglutinins has been studied in five patients with chronic cold haemagglutinin disease and in six normal controls. Two of the patients showed overt haemolysis at the time of this study and all had complement components adsorbed to the surface of their red cells.

2. The mean fractional catabolic rate (FCR) of the cold agglutinins, studied in the patients from whom they were isolated (14·5%/day), was similar to the mean FCR of the same cold agglutinins in normal controls (15·6%/day) and there was no correlation between the FCR and the presence of haemolysis. Exposure to cold with a concomitant increase in haemolysis during the course of one of these studies had no effect on the catabolic rate of the cold agglutinin.

3. Individual values for the FCR ranged from 10·8 to 19·4%/day (corresponding to half-lives of 4·9–7·8 days) and appeared to be characteristic for each recipient. When two different cold agglutinins were studied simultaneously in the same subject their catabolism was virtually identical.

4. Untreated patients with chronic cold haemagglutinin disease were calculated to be synthesizing IgM at approximately ten times the normal rate. The fall in serum IgM concentration and agglutinin and haemolysin titres, following treatment with alkylating agents, appeared to be due to a diminution in the rate of synthesis and not due to increased catabolism.

5. ‘7S’ subunits of one of the cold agglutinins, which retained cold haemagglutinating activity, were rapidly catabolized in a normal subject.