bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Geographic mode of speciation in a mountain specialist Avian family endemic to the Palearctic
Authors: Drovetski Sergei V. , Semenov Georgy , Drovetskaya Sofya S. , Fadeev Igor V. , Red'kin Yaroslav A. , Voelker Gary
Published: April 2013

Mountains host greater avian diversity than lowlands at the same latitude due to their greater diversity of habitats stratified along an elevation gradient. Here we test whether this greater ecological heterogeneity promotes sympatric speciation. We selected accentors (Prunellidae), an avian family associated with mountains of the Palearctic, as a model system. Accentors differ in their habitat/elevation preferences and south‐central Siberia and Himalayan regions each host 6 of the 13 species in the family. We used sequences of the mtDNA ND2 gene and the intron 9 of the Z chromosome specific ACO1 gene to reconstruct a complete species‐level phylogeny of Prunellidae. The tree based on joint analysis of both loci was used to reconstruct the family's biogeographic history and to date the diversification events. We also analyzed the relationship between the node age and sympatry, to determine the geographic mode of speciation in Prunellidae. Our data suggest a Miocene origin of Prunellidae in the Himalayan region. The major division between alpine species (subgenus Laiscopus) and species associated with shrubs (subgenus Prunella) and initial diversification events within the latter happened within the Himalayan region in the Miocene and Pliocene. Accentors colonized other parts of the Palearctic during the Pliocene‐Pleistocene transition. This spread across the Palearctic resulted in rapid diversification of accentors. With only a single exception dating to 0.91 Ma, lineages younger than 1.5 Ma are allopatric. In contrast, sympatry values for older nodes are >0. There was no relationship between node age and range symmetry. Allopatric speciation (not to include peripatric) is the predominant geographic mode of speciation in Prunellidae despite the favorable conditions for ecological diversification in the mountains and range overlaps among species.
Ejaculate investment and attractiveness in the stalk‐eyed fly, Diasemopsis meigenii
Authors: Harley Elisabeth , Birge Leanna M. , Small Jennifer , Tazzyman Samuel J. , Pomiankowski Andrew , Fowler Kevin
Published: April 2013

The phenotype‐linked fertility hypothesis proposes that male fertility is advertised via phenotypic signals, explaining female preference for highly sexually ornamented males. An alternative view is that highly attractive males constrain their ejaculate allocation per mating so as to participate in a greater number of matings. Males are also expected to bias their ejaculate allocation to the most fecund females. We test these hypotheses in the African stalk‐eyed fly, Diasemopsis meigenii. We ask how male ejaculate allocation strategy is influenced by male eyespan and female size. Despite large eyespan males having larger internal reproductive organs, we found no association between male eyespan and spermatophore size or sperm number, lending no support to the phenotype‐linked fertility hypothesis. However, males mated for longer and transferred more sperm to large females. As female size was positively correlated with fecundity, this suggests that males gain a selective advantage by investing more in large females. Given these findings, we consider how female mate preference for large male eyespan can be adaptive despite the lack of obvious direct benefits.
A General Procedure for the Regioselective Synthesis of Aryl Thioethers and Aryl Selenides Through C–H Activation of Arenes
Authors: Yi Chih‐Lun , Liu Tsung‐Jui , Cheng Jun‐Hao , Lee Chin‐Fa
Published: April 2013

A general procedure for the synthesis of aryl thioethers and aryl selenides in one‐pot through sequential iridium‐catalyzed C–H borylation and copper‐promoted C–S and C–Se bond formation is described. Functional groups including chloro, nitro, fluoro, trifluoromethyl, and nitrogen‐containing heterocycles were all tolerated under the reaction conditions. Importantly, not only aryl thiols and selenides but also their alkyl analogs were suitable coupling partners, and the products were obtained in good yields with high meta regioselectivity.
Natural Gas & Electricity Pricing: Waste Makes Haste: Low‐Cost Power Plants Scramble to Keep Pace
Authors: Bodell Tanya
Published: April 2013

The impact of low natural gas prices on the economics of natural gas and coal plants continues to make headlines.
Natural Gas Matters: Polarization in the LNG Export Debate
Authors: Smead Richard G.
Published: April 2013

Recent congressional hearings around the proposed export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, along with the comment process at the Department of Energy (DOE), have reflected the kind of polarization with which we have become familiar in our political process. A very bright spot was the formation of a bipartisan “LNG Export Working Group” in the House of Representatives, consisting of four Republicans and four Democrats, all from producing states and dedicated to finding a workable way to reach resolution on export issues.
How much of the deprivation gap in cancer survival can be explained by variation in stage at diagnosis: An example from breast cancer in the East of England
Authors: Rutherford M.J. , Hinchliffe S.R. , Abel G.A. , Lyratzopoulos G. , Lambert P.C. , Greenberg D.C.
Published: April 2013

Socioeconomic differences in cancer patient survival exist in many countries and across cancer sites. In our article, we estimated the number of deaths in women with breast cancer that could be avoided within 5 years from diagnosis if it were possible to eliminate socioeconomic differences in stage at diagnosis. We analysed data on East of England women with breast cancer (2006–2010). We estimated survival for different stage‐age‐deprivation strata using both the observed and a hypothetical stage distribution (assuming all women acquired the stage distribution of the most affluent women). Data were analysed on 20,738 women with complete stage information (92%). Affluent women were less likely to be diagnosed in advanced stage. Relative survival decreased with increasing level of deprivation. Eliminating differences in stage at diagnosis could be expected to nearly eliminate differences in relative survival for women in deprivation groups 3 and 4, but would only approximately halve the difference in relative survival for women in the most deprived group (5). This means, for a typical cohort of women diagnosed in a calendar year with breast cancer, eliminating deprivation differences in stage at diagnosis would prevent ∼40 deaths in the East of England from occurring within 5 years from diagnosis. Using appropriate weighting we estimated the respective number of avoidable deaths for the whole of England to be ∼450. The findings suggest that policies aimed at reducing inequalities in stage at diagnosis between women with breast cancer are important to reduce inequalities in breast cancer survival.
Improvement of drug elution in thin mineralized collagen coatings with PLGA‐PEG‐PLGA micelles
Authors: Ling Ting , Yu Mengfei , Weng Wenjian , Wang Huiming , Cheng Kui , Lin Jun , Du Piyi
Published: April 2013

A mineralized collagen (MC) coating on metallic implants has shown great potential as orthopedic material due to high biological responses. However, their drug delivery capacity remains unsatisfactory since a serious burst release may occur and long‐term release is hard to be achieved. Aiming to improve the drug‐eluting capability, we incorporated drug‐loaded PLGA‐PEG‐PLGA (PPP) micelles into the thin coating. The in vitro release profiles showed that the burst release in the initial 8 h of the modified coating decreased from 81% to 58% compared to MC coating alone; meanwhile, the release duration was prolonged from 3 days to 1 week. Additionally, the release kinetics of vancomycin hydrochloride (VH, the model drug) could be adjusted by changing the size and concentration of PPP micelles. Interestingly, less initial release of VH caused by micelle immobilization did not affect the antibacterial activity in the early stage of implantation according to the antimicrobial test. The cytocompatibility assay demonstrated that the VH‐loaded PPP micelles did not have negative effect on the bioactivity of coating which greatly enhanced cell activity compared to bare Ti substrates. Thus, the MC coatings with PPP micelles could be an effective implant route for bone repair. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 101A: 3256–3265, 2013.
Simple azo‐based salicylaldimine as colorimetric and fluorescent probe for detecting anions in semi‐aqueous medium
Authors: Suganya Sivalingam , Velmathi Sivan
Published: April 2013

A series of novel, highly sensitive, and selective azo‐based anion sensors 1–3 have been designed and synthesized from the condensation reaction between 4‐amino azo benzene and three different aldehydes. The structure of the sensors 1–3 were confirmed by IR, HRMS, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopic methods. Colorimetric naked‐eye analysis revealed the anion detection by receptors 2 and 3 as color changes from yellow to pink and yellow to orange, respectively. Anion sensing ability of all receptors was further investigated by 1H NMR titration, UV‐vis experiment, and fluorescence titration. UV‐vis measurements highly indicate the selective recognition of fluoride and acetate ions in 9:1 dimethyl sulfoxide–H2O (v/v) for receptors 2 and 3. Binding constant value showed among all receptors, receptor 3 has strong affinity toward F− and AcO− in semi‐aqueous medium, which is due to the presence of chromogenic signaling unit in it. The F− ion detection property of receptor 2 in organic medium was also extended in the real sample like toothpaste. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MRI in the workup of biliary tract filling defects
Authors: Eason Joseph B. , Taylor Andrew J. , Yu Jinxing
Published: April 2013

Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have made imaging the biliary tract faster while providing excellent anatomic reproduction of this duct system. MRI/MR‐cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) has now become the first‐line imaging procedure for many biliary tract problems. This work briefly discusses the MR techniques for biliary tree imaging and reviews MRI's role in the numerous diagnoses of filling defects in the biliary tract. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;37:1020–1034. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Modeling the pull‐in behavior of electrostatically actuated micro beams by an approximate finite element method
Authors: Zhou Wu , Shen Huaqin , Guo Zaoyang , Peng Bei
Published: April 2013

We establish the deflection functions of electrostatically actuated micro beams by an approximate finite element method (AFEM), in which the beam and the electrostatic load are discretized. The beam is replaced with a series of beam elements by traditional FEM. Using the total differential of the distributed electrostatic force, we represent such a force with the nodal forces on the beam elements. We calculate the deformation curve of the beam by gradually loading voltage in small increments, and pull‐in behavior is identified when the convergence of the deflection iteration cannot be achieved after voltage increment. The proposed method considers the effect of deformation on stiffness by establishing a new equivalent stiffness matrix for each voltage step based on of the results of previous steps. Through this approach, we prevent the approximate errors of the stiffness matrix from accumulating. The AFEM results on micro beams with different geometries indicate good agreement with those obtained by other studies and those derived using commercial FE software. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Epidemiology of iatrogenic facial nerve injury: A decade of experience
Authors: Hohman Marc H. , Bhama Prabhat K. , Hadlock Tessa A.
Published: April 2013

Objectives/Hypothesis

To determine the procedure‐specific incidence, risk factors, and injury patterns in patients with iatrogenic facial nerve injury as seen at a tertiary care facial nerve center.

Study Design

Retrospective chart review.

Methods

Facial Nerve Center patient records from 2002 to 2012 were reviewed for cases of iatrogenic facial nerve injury. These were analyzed by type of inciting procedure, injury location, patient demographics, and referral pattern.

Results

Out of 1,810 patient records, 102 were identified that involved iatrogenic facial nerve injury. Oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures accounted for 40% of injuries, resections of head and neck lesions 25%, otologic procedures 17%, cosmetic procedures 11%, and other procedures 7%. The most common operation resulting in facial nerve injury was temporomandibular joint replacement. The most frequent pattern of injury was total hemifacial weakness.

Conclusions

Iatrogenic facial nerve injury occurs most commonly in temporomandibular joint replacement, mastoidectomy, and parotidectomy. Direct visualization of the nerve may decrease the incidence of injury, and early referral for facial nerve exploration may result in improved outcomes.

Level of Evidence

2b.Laryngoscope, 124:260–265, 2014
Meromorphic Painlevé transcendents at a fixed singularity
Authors: Kaneko Kazuo , Ohyama Yousuke
Published: April 2013

We classify solutions of the third Painlevé equation \documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagestyle{empty}$P^{\prime }_{\rm III}$\end{document}, which are meromorphic around the origin, and determine their linear monodromy. Combined with 4, 5, all of meromorphic solutions of the Painlevé equations around fixed singular points of the Briot‐Bouquet type are completely determined. We characterize the linear monodromy of meromorphic solutions for the third, fifth and sixth Painlevé equations.
Optical properties of ionic liquid passivated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots dispersed in POC copolymer
Authors: Borriello C. , Concilio S. , Minarini C. , Piotto S. , Di Luccio T.
Published: April 2013

A new blue emitter oxadiazole/carbazole copolymer has been synthesized and combined with CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs). Surface passivation of the QDs by ionic liquids was crucial to improve their compatibility with the polymer allowing the deposition of homogeneous nanocomposites films. The nanocomposites have been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, infrared, UV–visible absorption, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The emission spectra of nanocomposites show a wide spectrum from blue to orange wavelengths due to the combination of colors emitted by the polymer and QDs, respectively. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:1471–1476, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Methods of linking mothers and infants using health plan data for studies of pregnancy outcomes
Authors: Johnson Karin E. , Beaton Sarah J. , Andrade Susan E. , Cheetham T. Craig , Scott Pamela E. , Hammad Tarek A. , Dashevsky Inna , Cooper William O. , Davis Robert L. , Pawloski Pamala A. , Raebel Marsha A. , Smith David H. , Toh Sengwee , Li De‐Kun , Haffenreffer Katherine , Dublin Sascha
Published: April 2013

Purpose

Research on medication safety in pregnancy often utilizes health plan and birth certificate records. This study discusses methods used to link mothers with infants, a crucial step in such research.

Methods

We describe how eight sites participating in the Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program created linkages between deliveries, infants and birth certificates for the 2001–2007 birth cohorts. We describe linkage rates across sites, and for two sites, we compare the characteristics of populations linked using different methods.

Results

Of 299 260 deliveries, 256 563 (86%; range by site, 74–99%) could be linked to infants using a deterministic algorithm. At two sites, using birth certificate data to augment mother–infant linkage increased the representation of mothers who were Hispanic or non‐White, younger, Medicaid recipients, or had low educational level. A total of 236 460 (92%; range by site, 82–100%) deliveries could be linked to a birth certificate.

Conclusions

Tailored approaches enabled linking most deliveries to infants and to birth certificates, even when data systems differed. The methods used may affect the composition of the population identified. Linkages established with such methods can support sound pharmacoepidemiology studies of maternal drug exposure outside the context of a formal registry. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recommendations for Increasing Replicability in Psychology
Authors: Asendorpf Jens B. , Conner Mark , De Fruyt Filip , De Houwer Jan , Denissen Jaap J. A. , Fiedler Klaus , Fiedler Susann , Funder David C. , Kliegl Reinhold , Nosek Brian A. , Perugini Marco , Roberts Brent W. , Schmitt Manfred , Van Aken Marcel A. G. , Weber Hannelore , Wicherts Jelte M.
Published: April 2013

Replicability of findings is at the heart of any empirical science. The aim of this article is to move the current replicability debate in psychology towards concrete recommendations for improvement. We focus on research practices but also offer guidelines for reviewers, editors, journal management, teachers, granting institutions, and university promotion committees, highlighting some of the emerging and existing practical solutions that can facilitate implementation of these recommendations. The challenges for improving replicability in psychological science are systemic. Improvement can occur only if changes are made at many levels of practice, evaluation, and reward. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nicotine affects pancreatic cell proteomics across species
Authors: Dittrich Christian
Published: April 2013

While the genome represents a static moiety, the proteome is more dynamic and can change in response to stimuli. As such, proteomics may reveal the effect of various drugs on cellular mechanisms. Protein alterations upon exogenous perturbations are vital in outlining species‐to‐species differences that cannot otherwise be measured quantitatively. Specifically, nicotine has been shown to be an independent risk factor for a multitude of diseases. In pancreatic research its mechanism of action remains unresolved. The pioneering work of Paulo et al. (Proteomics 2013, 13, 1499–1512) is a major step toward understanding the role of nicotine, a principal toxin in cigarette smoke, in pancreatic disease. Equally important, Paulo et al. examine the effect of nicotine on stellate cells across three species, demonstrating the importance of identifying species‐specific effects in translational research.
Exploration of swapping enzymatic function between two proteins: A simulation study of chorismate mutase and isochorismate pyruvate lyase
Authors: Choutko Alexandra , Eichenberger Andreas P. , van Gunsteren Wilfred F. , Dolenc Jožica
Published: April 2013

The enzyme chorismate mutase EcCM from Escherichia coli catalyzes one of the few pericyclic reactions in biology, the transformation of chorismate to prephenate. The isochorismate pyruvate lyase PchB from Pseudomonas aeroginosa catalyzes another pericyclic reaction, the isochorismate to salicylate transformation. Interestingly, PchB possesses weak chorismate mutase activity as well thus being able to catalyze two distinct pericyclic reactions in a single active site. EcCM and PchB possess very similar folds, despite their low sequence identity. Using molecular dynamics simulations of four combinations of the two enzymes (EcCM and PchB) with the two substrates (chorismate and isochorismate) we show that the electrostatic field due to EcCM at atoms of chorismate favors the chorismate to prephenate transition and that, analogously, the electrostatic field due to PchB at atoms of isochorismate favors the isochorismate to salicylate transition. The largest differences between EcCM and PchB in electrostatic field strengths at atoms of the substrates are found to be due to residue side chains at distances between 0.6 and 0.8 nm from particular substrate atoms. Both enzymes tend to bring their non‐native substrate in the same conformation as their native substrate. EcCM and to a lower extent PchB fail in influencing the forces on and conformations of the substrate such as to favor the other chemical reaction (isochorismate pyruvate lyase activity for EcCM and chorismate mutase activity for PchB). These observations might explain the difficulty of engineering isochorismate pyruvate lyase activity in EcCM by solely mutating active site residues.
A ROADMAP FOR RIPARIAN INVASION RESEARCH
Authors: Greene Samantha L.
Published: April 2013

Riparian habitats provide numerous ecosystem services and support a diversity of ecological processes, yet they are environmentally sensitive landscapes susceptible to species invasion. As the global population grows, urban, exurban, suburban and rural development of riparian landscapes and dependence on the associated ecosystem services will increase. To preserve riparian systems, research should assess causes and consequences of riparian invasion and effective restoration measures across a diversity of biomes. This paper categorizes the types of riparian invasion research studies and investigates research trends in the riparian invasion literature. The analysis shows that research focuses on drivers and patterns of invasion is primarily focused on North America and Europe and is scant in high biodiversity biomes, such as the tropics and humid subtropics. Future population growth is predicted to occur in poorly researched regions. Future riparian invasion research should focus on regions of high biodiversity and identify consequences of invasion and restoration measures. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parsimonious conditional‐mean model selection with multiple covariates: an analysis of infant mortality in the USA
Authors: DiRienzo A. Gregory
Published: April 2013

This paper proposes and evaluates an objective methodology to select a parsimonious conditional‐mean model when faced with multiple candidate predictor variables. The methodology attempts to fine‐tune a well‐established covariate screening method such as iterative sure independence screening with smoothly clipped absolute deviation penalty by using the following: (i) cross‐validated or bootstrap estimates of prediction error; (ii) an objective model comparison strategy; and (iii) multiple hypothesis testing. The methods are analytically and numerically shown to work well in the sense that the probability that the final model selected contains one or more unimportant variables is asymptotically bounded at a preselected level for arbitrary data‐generating distributions. This methodology is illustrated with a dataset consisting of birth certificate information and mortality records from year 2001 from the US Department of Health and Human Services on non‐Hispanic African American female and male infants. It is shown how the instantaneous daily mortality hazard can be modeled flexibly by allowing both the set of important predictors and their effect on the hazard to change arbitrarily thru time. Results indicate that once controlling for birth weight, no other variables on the birth certificate are significantly associated with mortality; furthermore, time and sex modify the birth weight/survival relationship, with the strongest association at earliest days and low birth weight female infants having a better survival experience than male counterparts. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Direct Measurements of the Mechanical Strength of Carbon Nanotube–Poly(methyl methacrylate) Interfaces
Authors: Chen Xiaoming , Zheng Meng , Park Cheol , Ke Changhong
Published: April 2013

Understanding the interfacial stress transfer between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polymer matrices is of great importance to the development of CNT‐reinforced polymer nanocomposites. In this paper, an experimental study is presented of the interfacial strength between individual double‐walled CNTs and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) using an in situ nanomechanical single‐tube pull‐out testing scheme inside a high‐resolution electron microscope. By pulling out individual tubes with different embedded lengths, this work reveals the shear lag effect on the nanotube–polymer interface and demonstrates that the effective interfacial load transfer occurs only within a certain embedded length. These results show that the CNT–PMMA interface possesses an interfacial fracture energy within 0.054–0.80 J/m2 and a maximum interfacial strength within 85–372 MPa. This work is useful to better understand the local stress transfer on nanotube–polymer interfaces.
Efficient Welding of Silver Nanowire Networks without Post‐Processing
Authors: Lee Jaemin , Lee Inhwa , Kim Taek‐Soo , Lee Jung‐Yong
Published: April 2013

Silver nanowire (AgNW) random meshes have attracted considerable attention as flexible and high‐performance transparent electrodes. Notably, post‐treatment of the AgNW random meshes, such as thermal annealing, is usually required to guarantee comparable optical transparency and electrical conductivity to commercial indium tin oxide (ITO). Here, the integral elements of preparing a high‐performance, large‐area AgNW random mesh network are discussed. High‐performance nanostructured transparent electrodes can be obtained without any post‐treatment, thereby relieving the restrictions related to the substrate. Solvent washing and a large‐area spray‐coating method effectively reduce the wire–wire contact resistances, thus reducing or eliminating the requirement for post‐treatment.
High consequence systems phenomenological characterization: A tutorial
Authors: Sanders Gary A. , Sarkani Shahram , Mazzuchi Thomas
Published: April 2013

Effective and efficient risk management processes include the use of modeling and simulation during the concept exploration phase as part of the technology and risk assessment activities, with testing and evaluation tasks occurring in later design development phases. However, some safety requirements and design architectures may be dominated by the low probability/high consequence, previously unknown or uncharacterized vulnerabilities that require very early testing to characterize and efficiently mitigate. Failure to address these unique risks has led to catastrophic systems failures including the Space Shuttle Challenger, Deepwater Horizon, the Fukushima nuclear reactor, and Katrina levee failures. Discovering and addressing these risks later in the design and development process can be very costly or even lead to project cancellation. This paper presents a framework for the risk management process adoption of early hazard phenomenology testing to inform the technical risk assessment, requirements definition, and conceptual design. A case study of the lightning design vulnerability of the insensitive high explosives being used in construction, demolition, and defense industries will be presented to examine the impact of this vulnerability testing during the concept exploration phase of the design effort. ©2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 16:
Improved detection rate of structural abnormalities in the first trimester using an extended examination protocol
Authors: Iliescu D. , Tudorache S. , Comanescu A. , Antsaklis P. , Cotarcea S. , Novac L. , Cernea N. , Antsaklis A.
Published: April 2013

Objective

To assess the potential of first‐trimester sonography in the detection of fetal abnormalities using an extended protocol that is achievable with reasonable resources of time, personnel and ultrasound equipment.

Methods

This was a prospective two‐center 2‐year study of 5472 consecutive unselected pregnant women examined at 12 to 13 + 6 gestational weeks. Women were examined using an extended morphogenetic ultrasound protocol that, in addition to the basic evaluation, involved a color Doppler cardiac sweep and identification of early contingent markers for major abnormalities.

Results

The prevalence of lethal and severe malformations was 1.39%. The first‐trimester scan identified 40.6% of the cases detected overall and 76.3% of major structural defects. The first‐trimester detection rate (DR) for major congenital heart disease (either isolated or associated with extracardiac abnormalities) was 90% and that for major central nervous system anomalies was 69.5%. In fetuses with increased nuchal translucency (NT), the first‐trimester DR for major anomalies was 96%, and in fetuses with normal NT it was 66.7%. Most (67.1%) cases with major abnormalities presented with normal NT.

Conclusions

A detailed first‐trimester anomaly scan using an extended protocol is an efficient screening method to detect major fetal structural abnormalities in low‐risk pregnancies. It is feasible at 12 to 13 + 6 weeks with ultrasound equipment and personnel already used for routine first‐trimester screening. Rate of detection of severe malformations is greater in early‐ than in mid‐pregnancy and on postnatal evaluation. Early heart investigation could be improved by an extended protocol involving use of color Doppler. Copyright © 2013 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Glycosaminoglycans in biomedicine
Authors: Scott Rebecca A. , Panitch Alyssa
Published: April 2013

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) compose one of four classes of mammalian biopolymers, and are arguably the most complex. The research areas of glycobiology, glycopolymers, and the use of GAGs within tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have grown exponentially during the past decade. Researchers are closing in on high throughput methods for GAG synthesis and sequencing, but our understanding of glycan sequence and the information contained in this sequence lags behind. Screening methods to identify key GAG–biopolymer interactions are providing insights into important targets for nanomedicine, regenerative medicine, and pharmaceutics. Importantly, GAGs are most often found in the form of glycolipids and proteoglycans. Several studies have shown that the clustering of GAGs, as is often the case in proteoglycans, increases the affinity between GAGs and other biopolymers. In addition, GAG clustering can create regions of high anionic charge, which leads to high osmotic pressure. Recent advances have led to proteoglycan mimics that exhibit many of the functions of proteoglycans including protection of the extracellular matrix from proteolytic activity, regulation of collagen fibril assembly on the nanoscale, alteration of matrix stiffness, and inhibition of platelet adhesion, among others. Collectively, these advances are stimulating possibilities for targeting of drugs, nanoparticles, and imaging agents, opening new avenues for mimicking nanoscale molecular interactions that allow for directed assembly of bulk materials, and providing avenues for the synthesis of proteoglycan mimics that enhance opportunities in regenerative medicine. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2013, 5:388–398. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1223

This article is categorized under:

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and Replacement
Dental applications of nanostructured bioactive glass and its composites
Authors: Polini Alessandro , Bai Hao , Tomsia Antoni P.
Published: April 2013

To improve treatments of bone or dental trauma and diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, and infections, scientists who perform basic research are collaborating with clinicians to design and test new biomaterials for the regeneration of lost or injured tissue. Developed some 40 years ago, bioactive glass (BG) has recently become one of the most promising biomaterials, a consequence of discoveries that its unusual properties elicit specific biological responses inside the body. Among these important properties are the capability of BG to form strong interfaces with both hard and soft tissues, and its release of ions upon dissolution. Recent developments in nanotechnology have introduced opportunities for materials sciences to advance dental and bone therapies. For example, the applications for BG expand as it becomes possible to finely control structures and physicochemical properties of materials at the molecular level. Here, we review how the properties of these materials have been enhanced by the advent of nanotechnology, and how these developments are producing promising results in hard‐tissue regeneration and development of innovative BG‐based drug delivery systems. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2013, 5:399–410. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1224

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and Replacement
New Tripodal Tridentate Ligands with {NS2} Donor Set and a Backbone Hydroxo Anchor, and Their Copper(I) and ­Copper(II) Complexes
Authors: Rittmeier Markus , Dechert Sebastian , Demeshko Serhiy , Meyer Franc
Published: April 2013

A series of five tripodal tridentate ligands (HO)C[(CH2)xNR2](CH2SR)2 (HL1–HL5) with {NS2} donor set has been synthesized via an efficient two‐step protocol starting from 1, 3‐dichloroacetone. All five ligands bear a backbone hydroxo group that is available for further functionalization. The five ligands differ by the type of N‐donor (NR2 = pyridine‐2‐yl or imidazol‐2‐yl), by the spacer between the backbone‐C and the N‐donor heterocycle (x = 0, 1), and with respect to their topology, viz. whether two thioether‐S are part of a cyclic 1, 4‐dithiacycloheptane fragment or not (R = Et or –CH2–). Copper(I) and copper(II) complexes have been prepared and studied in solution (ESI‐MS, UV/Vis, and NMR spectroscopy in case of the copper(I) complexes) as well as in solid state (single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction of [(HL2)Cu(MeCN)]n(OTf)n, [(HL3)Cu(MeCN)](PF6) and [(HL5)Cu(MeCN)]n(PF6)n as well as [(L4)2Cu3(MeCN)3](PF6)2 and [(L2)2Cu2Cl2], [(L3)4Cu4](OTf)4, and [(L4)2Cu2(MeCN)2](OTf)2; SQUID magnetometry of [(L2)2Cu2Cl2] and [(L3)4Cu4](OTf)4,). The ligand scaffolds show ambidentate character depending on the metal ion oxidation state. All copper(I) ions are found in distorted tetrahedral environment comprising an {NS2} ligation of the tridentate ligand as well as an exogenous MeCN; either mononuclear complex cations or 1D polymeric structures are found. In case of all copper(II) complexes the backbone‐alcohol group is deprotonated and bridges two metal ions, giving dinuclear or tetranuclear species with antiferromagnetic coupling. The Cu–S bond lengths are found to vary significantly, which reflects the plasticity of the Cu‐thioether bond known from metalloproteins and synthetic analogs.
Image of God and Community Volunteering among Religious Adherents in the United States
Authors: Mencken F. Carson , Fitz Brittany
Published: April 2013

Individual theological beliefs provide important motivations for religious people to volunteer in their communities. Compassion and loving one's neighbor are both ideas that can motivate individuals to volunteer their time and talents. Religious believers who have conservative theological beliefs may see volunteering for their communities as a minor factor in their religious calling. Recent research on the role of social embeddedness within religious communities, however, has questioned the importance of theology as a motivation to volunteer (Putnam and Campbell, in American Grace. Simon and Schuster, New York, 2010 ; Lewis et al., in Soc Sci Res 42: 331–346, 2013 ). In this paper we test the effects of a religious adherent's image of God's disposition toward the world on their pattern of community volunteering. Using data from the 2005 Baylor Religion Survey and multinomial logit models, we find that having an image of God as judgmental lowers the odds that religious adherents report having volunteered for the community independent of their place of worship. Adherents who are most willing to engage the external community independent of a place of worship are those with less judgmental images of God. We also find that embeddedness is associated with volunteering for and with the place of worship in the community. Implications for theory, research and social capital formation are discussed.
Reflecting on clinical education
Authors: Bonke B.
Published: April 2013

None
Transition and Students With Twice Exceptionality
Authors: Prior Susan
Published: April 2013

Twice exceptional is one of the terms used to describe students who have giftedness and a disability. This is a small heterogeneous population of individual learners who are underserved in special, gifted, and mainstream education settings. Despite the availability of research on transition for students with disabilities, there is little research or literature available on transition for students who experience twice exceptionality (2E). This paper provides a review of the literature available on 2E, taking a lifespan perspective and a school transitions context for students experiencing 2E. Finally, the synthesis of 2E and transition highlights a potential way forward in the research across special, gifted, mainstream and inclusive education to transform student profiling, identification and transition.
Rhetoric, Accountability, Advocacy: Postschool Transition of Students With Specific Learning Difficulties in Hong Kong
Authors: Poon-McBrayer Kim Fong
Published: April 2013

The international literature reflects the significance of transition services for postschool outcomes of students with disabilities. In 2008, the Hong Kong Government introduced a policy to support students with disabilities, especially those with specific learning difficulties (SLD), to transition to postschool life in inclusive settings. This article focuses on the status of policy implementation in Hong Kong and its link to the higher education participation of students with SLD. Analyses are based on expectations of policymakers for school practices in transition services, parental experiences, and a discussion forum involving postsecondary students with SLD, advocacy groups, and university student affair personnel. Findings reveal a lack of expectation for implementation and school accountability from policymakers, an extremely low participation rate of students with SLD in higher education, a slow development of support systems in higher education, and the significant role played by an advocacy group on moving the higher education support forward in the absence of a policy mandate. By focusing on the close relationship between transition services and postsecondary outcomes, the use of legislation for disability policies to ensure the provision of transition services and the role of self and external advocacy to lobby for such legislation are recommended and discussed.
Coumarin attenuates hepatic steatosis by down-regulating lipogenic gene expression in mice fed a high-fat diet
Authors: Um Min Young , Moon Mi Kyeong , Ahn Jiyun , Youl Ha Tae
Published: April 2013

Coumarin is a natural compound abundant in plant-based foods such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, vegetables and green tea. Although coumarin has been reported to exhibit anti-coagulant, anti-inflammation and cholesterol-lowering properties, the effect of coumarin on hepatic lipid metabolism remains unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the ability of coumarin to protect against hepatic steatosis associated with a high-fat diet (HFD) and investigated potential mechanisms underlying this effect. C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet, HFD and HFD containing 0·05 % courmarin for 8 weeks. The present results showed that coumarin reduced weight gain and abdominal fat mass in mice fed the HFD for 8 weeks (P< 0·05). Coumarin also significantly reduced the HFD-induced elevation in total cholesterol, apoB, leptin and insulin (P< 0·05). In the liver of HFD-fed mice, coumarin significantly reduced total lipids, TAG and cholesterol (38, 22 and 9 % reductions, respectively;P< 0·05), as well as lipid droplet number and size. Additionally, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance levels, as an indicator of hepatic steatosis, were attenuated by coumarin (P< 0·05). Finally, coumarin suppressed the HFD-induced up-regulation in fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity, and the expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1, FAS, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, PPARγ and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α in the liver. Taken together, these results demonstrate that coumarin could prevent HFD-induced hepatic steatosis by regulating lipogenic gene expression, suggesting potential targets for preventing hepatic steatosis.
A Quantitative Description of the Henan Famine of 1942
Authors: GARNAUT ANTHONY
Published: April 2013

The Henan famine of 1942 occurred during the middle of the Sino-Japanese war, in a province that was divided between Japanese, Nationalist and Communist political control. Partly due to this wartime context, existing accounts of the famine rely almost exclusively on eyewitness reports. This paper presents a range of statistical sources on the famine, including weather records, contemporary economic surveys and population censuses. These statistical sources allow similarities to be drawn between the Henan famine and other famines that occurred during the Second World War, such as in Bengal, when the combination of bad weather, war-induced disruptions to food markets, and the relegation of famine relief to the war effort, brought great hardship to civilians living near the war front.
Identification ofBesnoitia besnoitiproteins that showed differences in abundance between tachyzoite and bradyzoite stages by difference gel electrophoresis
Authors: FERNÁNDEZ-GARCÍA AURORA , ALVAREZ-GARCÍA GEMA , MARUGÁN-HERNÁNDEZ VIRGINIA , GARCÍA-LUNAR PAULA , AGUADO-MARTÍNEZ ADRIANA , RISCO-CASTILLO VERÓNICA , ORTEGA-MORA LUIS M.
Published: April 2013

Bovine besnoitiosis is a chronic and debilitating disease, caused by the apicomplexan parasiteBesnoitia besnoiti. Infection of cattle byB. besnoitiis governed by the tachyzoite stage, which is related to acute infection, and the bradyzoite stage gathered into macroscopic cysts located in subcutaneous tissue in the skin, mucosal membranes and sclera conjunctiva and related to persistence and chronic infection. However, the entire life cycle of this parasite and the molecular mechanisms underlying tachyzoite-to-bradyzoite conversion remain unknown. In this context, a different antigenic pattern has been observed between tachyzoite and bradyzoite extracts. Thus, to identify stage-specific proteins, a difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) approach was used on tachyzoite and bradyzoite extracts followed by mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. A total of 130 and 132 spots were differentially expressed in bradyzoites and tachyzoites, respectively (average ratio±1·5,P<0·05 int-test). Furthermore, 25 differentially expressed spots were selected and analysed by MALDI-TOF/MS. As a result, 5 up-regulated bradyzoite proteins (GAPDH, ENO1, LDH, SOD and RNA polymerase) and 5 up-regulated tachyzoite proteins (ENO2; LDH; ATP synthase; HSP70 and PDI) were identified. The present results set the basis for the identification of new proteins as drug targets. Moreover, the role of these proteins in tachyzoite-to-bradyzoite conversion and the role of the host cell environment should be a subject of further research.
Vector abundance determinesTrypanosomaprevalence in nestling blue tits
Authors: MARTÍNEZ–DE LA PUENTE J. , MARTÍNEZ J. , RIVERO-DE-AGUILAR J. , DEL CERRO S. , MERINO S.
Published: April 2013

The effect of insect vectors on avian exposure to infection by pathogens remains poorly studied. Here, we used an insect repellent treatment to reduce the number of blood-sucking flying insects in blue titCyanistes caeruleusnests and examined its effect on nestling health status measured as body mass, nestling phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) response and blood parasite prevalence. We found that (i) the insect repellent treatment significantly reduced the number of blood-sucking flying insects in nests and (ii) the number of blood-sucking flying insects had a significant effect on the prevalence of the blood parasiteTrypanosomaindependently of the treatment. In addition, we found support for an adverse effect of parasite infections on nestling PHA response. Nestlings infected byTrypanosomamounted a weaker response against PHA than non-parasitized ones. In addition, the number of blowflies in the nest was negatively associated with nestling PHA response. Overall, we found support for the hypothesis that blood-sucking flying insects attacking nestlings increase their exposure to parasite infections. Our results further substantiate the adverse effect of parasites on nestling condition.
Comparing existing MAC tables – hints to possible developments
Authors: Caussin Pierre
Published: April 2013

Publicly available mass absorption coefficients (MAC) tables do not comprise accuracy data and are typically created from relatively old sources. The idea of comparing tables is not new (De Boer), but current software tools make it possible to quickly develop interactive software to analyze the discrepancies in finer detail and get hints to the reason for the difference. Such a tool has been created and used to compare six public domain databases. Several reasons for sizeable discrepancies have been identified, ranging from probable typos to misplaced or missing absorption edges. In addition to the discrepancies that can reasonably be pigeonholed huge differences exist for all elements below 1000 eV. Since there are many cases where reliable standards are scarce or inexistent the development of a better, consistent MAC table especially in the low energy and low Z regions, and with reliable error bars is a requirement for further development of XRF methods in many advanced fields such as waste management, user safety (RoHS), renewable energy sources, and many more. The international initiative for improved FP which involves several industrial and academic organizations aims to address the issue as a whole, i.e. not only for MAC. Creating such a complete database requires considerable resources; the comparison tool may alleviate the effort in the MAC field by readily showing which energy regions and elements deserve more attention.
Formality in design communication
Authors: Eckert Claudia , Stacey Martin , Earl Christopher
Published: April 2013

How designers communicate within design teams, and with users, suppliers, and customers, differs in formality both between industries and between different situations within one project. This paper identifies three layers of structure in design communication, each of which can be more or less formal: the design process, the interaction between participants, and the representations of design information that are constructed and used. These layers can be formal across a spectrum from explicit rules to habitual conventions. The paper draws on a range of contrasting case studies in mechanical engineering and knitwear design, as well as a larger corpus of cases comparing design domains more generally, to analyze how formality affects design interaction in different situations and process contexts. Mismatches in the understanding of formality can lead to misunderstandings, in particular across expertise boundaries and between designers and their clients or customers. Formality can be modulated in the mannerism of communication, the rhetoric employed, and how representations are constructed, to make communication more effective. The effort and skill put into modulating formality is greater in domains where designers work with end users, like architecture, than it is in companies where designers interact mainly with other professionals.