bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Peptide inhibitors against herpes simplex virus infections
Authors: Galdiero Stefania , Falanga Annarita , Tarallo Rossella , Russo Luigi , Galdiero Emilia , Cantisani Marco , Morelli Giancarlo , Galdiero Massimiliano
Published: February 2013

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a significant human pathogen causing mucocutaneous lesions primarily in the oral or genital mucosa. Although acyclovir (ACV) and related nucleoside analogs provide successful treatment, HSV remains highly prevalent worldwide and is a major cofactor for the spread of human immunodeficiency virus. Encephalitis, meningitis, and blinding keratitis are among the most severe diseases caused by HSV. ACV resistance poses an important problem for immunocompromised patients and highlights the need for new safe and effective agents; therefore, the development of novel strategies to eradicate HSV is a global public health priority. Despite the continued global epidemic of HSV and extensive research, there have been few major breakthroughs in the treatment or prevention of the virus since the introduction of ACV in the 1980s. A therapeutic strategy at the moment not fully addressed is the use of small peptide molecules. These can be either modeled on viral proteins or derived from antimicrobial peptides. Any peptide that interrupts protein–protein or viral protein–host cell membrane interactions is potentially a novel antiviral drug and may be a useful tool for elucidating the mechanisms of viral entry. This review summarizes current knowledge and strategies in the development of synthetic and natural peptides to inhibit HSV infectivity. Copyright © 2013 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of the Ir and Zn monovacancy on the electron and positron properties in UIr2Zn20
Authors: Rubaszek Anna
Published: February 2013

In the literature, there is a striking controversy concerning the basic physical properties of UIr2Zn20 crystals that have been recently measured by various research groups. One may suppose that the particular samples are not free of defects and this is the likely reason for the discrepancy between the reported key experimental results. Here, positron annihilation spectroscopy serves as a very sensitive tool to probe lattice perfection with respect to the presence of open‐volume defects. In the present work, we perform calculations of the electron density of states (DOS), positron distribution, and positron lifetime, τ, in the UIr2Zn20 perfect crystal of Fd‐3m cubic structure (according to our best knowledge, for the first time in the literature). The results are compared with their counterparts for the crystals containing an Ir and Zn1 monovacancy. Three sharp narrow peaks from 5f U electrons are observed in the DOS close to the Fermi energy, EF, both for the perfect crystal as well as for the one containing vacancies. These peaks are located below, above and just at the Fermi level. Two peaks originate from f5/2 and f7/2 states, while the existence of the remaining one may be interpreted in terms of the dual character of uranium f electrons. The presence of vacancies considerably redistributes the positron charge in the unit cell and, in consequence, increases the value of the positron lifetime as compared with the perfect material.
Investigation of indium incorporation into InGaN by nitridation of sapphire substrate in MOVPE
Authors: Choi Jung‐Hun , Shojiki Kanako , Tanikawa Tomoyuki , Hanada Takashi , Katayama Ryuji , Matsuoka Takashi
Published: February 2013

InGaN films on nitride‐sapphire substrates were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Reciprocal space mappings of X‐ray diffraction around the $(10\bar15)$ asymmetric plane were used to measure the accurate indium composition and in‐plane strain of InGaN films. InGaN films with nitridation of sapphire substrates shows higher indium incorporation than without nitridation samples at low molar fraction ratio, TMIn/(TMIn+TEGa), of group‐III MO source. However, the high molar fraction ratio region shows relatively low indium composition of InGaN. Most of the InGaN on nitrided sapphire substrates showed narrow FWHM of 2θ –ω and X‐ray rocking curves and the surface flatness is improved, which indicates the improvement of crystal quality. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Two modes of HVPE growth of GaN and related macrodefects
Authors: Voronenkov V. V. , Bochkareva N. I. , Gorbunov R. I. , Latyshev P. E. , Lelikov Y. S. , Rebane Y. T. , Tsyuk A. I. , Zubrilov A. S. , Popp U. W. , Strafela M. , Strunk H. P. , Shreter Y. G.
Published: February 2013

GaN films with thickness up to 3 mm were grown by halide vapour phase epitaxy method. Two growth modes were observed: the high temperature (HT) mode and the low temperature (LT) mode. Films grown in HT mode had smooth surface, however the growth stress was high and caused cracking. Films grown in LT mode had rough surface with high density of V‐defects (pits), however, such films were crack‐free. The influence of growth parameters on the pit shape and evolution was investigated. Origins of pits formation and process of pit overgrowth are discussed. Crack‐free films with smooth surface and reduced density of pits were grown using combination of the LT and HT growth modes. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Characterization of MBE‐grown AlGaN layers heavily doped using silane
Authors: Zhuravlev K. S. , Osinnykh I. V. , Protasov D. Yu. , Malin T. V. , Davydov V. Yu. , Smirnov A. N. , Kyutt R. N. , Spirina A. V. , Solomonov V. I.
Published: February 2013

The Alx Ga1–xN layers with a wide range of AlN molar fraction (0 < x < 0.6) were grown by ammonia MBE on (0001)‐oriented sapphire substrates using silane as the silicon dopant. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the layers were investigated by atomic force microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Hall, Raman, photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence measurements. It was found that doping affects surface morphology, dislocation density and luminescence intensity of the Alx Ga1–xN layers. A sharp decrease of the luminescence intensity for the heavily doped GaN and Al0.3Ga0.7N layers was explained by enhancement of the nonradiative recombination rate in degenerate GaN layers and by an increase in the defect concentration in AlGaN layers. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The quantum‐confined Stark effect and localization of charge carriers in AlxGa1‐xN/AlyGa1‐yN quantum wells with different morphologies
Authors: Shevchenko E. A. , Jmerik V. N. , Mizerov A. M. , Nechaev D. V. , Sitnikova A. A. , Ivanov S. V. , Toropov A. A.
Published: February 2013

We present a comparative study of three samples with a single Al0.3Ga0.7N/Al0.4Ga0.6N quantum well (QW) grown by plasma‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy on c ‐sapphire substrates with an AlN buffer deposited under different Al/N flux ratios. We show by means of transmission electron microscopy that strong N‐rich growth conditions result in a three‐dimensional morphology that is inherited by the QW. As a result, the QW is corrugated on the size scale of the QW photoluminescence (PL) wavelength (∼300 nm).

The Al‐rich conditions lead to a two‐dimensional growth and formation of a plane QW with flat interfaces. The PL line in the corrugated QW is 5 times more intensive and shifted toward larger energies by ∼200 meV, as compared with the plane QW. The superior emission properties are explained by simultaneous action of several factors such as suppression of the quantum‐confined Stark effect, enhanced carrier localization, and improved efficiency of light extraction. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A Trachea‐Inspired Bifurcated Microfilter Capturing Viable Circulating Tumor Cells via Altered Biophysical Properties as Measured by Atomic Force Microscopy
Authors: Kim Minseok S. , Kim Jinhoon , Lee Wonho , Cho Sang‐Joon , Oh Jin‐Mi , Lee June‐Young , Baek Sanghyun , Kim Yeon Jeong , Sim Tae Seok , Lee Hun Joo , Jung Goo‐Eun , Kim Seung‐Il , Park Jong‐Myeon , Oh Jin Ho , Gurel Ogan , Lee Soo Suk , Lee Jeong‐Gun
Published: February 2013

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), though exceedingly rare in the blood, are nonetheless becoming increasingly important in cancer diagnostics. Despite this keen interest and the growing number of potential clinical applications, there has been limited success in developing a CTC isolation platform that simultaneously optimizes recovery rates, purity, and cell compatibility. Herein, a novel tracheal carina‐inspired bifurcated (TRAB) microfilter system is reported, which uses an optimal filter gap size satisfying both 100% theoretical recovery rate and purity, as determined by biomechanical analysis and fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulations. Biomechanical properties are also used to clearly discriminate between cancer cells and leukocytes, whereby cancer cells are selectively bound to melamine microbeads, which increase the size and stiffness of these cells. Nanoindentation experiments are conducted to measure the stiffness of leukocytes as compared to the microbead‐conjugated cancer cells, with these parameters then being used in FSI analyses to optimize the filter gap size. The simulation results show that given a flow rate of 100 μL min−1, an 8 μm filter gap optimizes the recovery rate and purity. MCF‐7 breast cancer cells with solid microbeads are spiked into 3 mL of whole blood and, by using this flow rate along with the optimized microfilter dimensions, the cell mixture passes through the TRAB filter, which achieves a recovery rate of 93% and purity of 59%. Regarding cell compatibility, it is verified that the isolation procedure does not adversely affect cell viability, thus also confirming that the re‐collected cancer cells can be cultured for up to 8 days. This work demonstrates a CTC isolation technology platform that optimizes high recovery rates and cell purity while also providing a framework for functional cell studies, potentially enabling even more sensitive and specific cancer diagnostics.
Exploring the Interplay Between Ligand Derivatisation and Cation Type in the Assembly of Hybrid Polyoxometalate Mn‐Andersons
Authors: Rosnes Mali H. , Musumeci Chiara , Yvon Carine , Macdonell Andrew , Pradeep Chullikkattil P. , Sartorio Camillo , Long De‐Liang , Pignataro Bruno , Cronin Leroy
Published: February 2013

Herein a library of hybrid Mn‐Anderson polyoxometalates anions are presented: 1, [(MnMo6O18)((OCH2)3‐C‐(CH2)7CHCH2)2]3−; compound 2, [(MnMo6O18)((OCH2)3C‐NHCH2C16H9)2]3−; compound 3, [(MnMo6O18)((OCH2)3C‐(CH2)7CHCH2)1((OCH2)3C‐NHCH2C16H9)1]3−; compound 4, [(MnMo6O18)((OCH2)3C‐NHC(O)CH2CHCH2)2]3− and compounds 5–9, [(MnMo6O18)((OCH2)3C‐NHC(O)(CH2)xCH3)2]), where x = 4, 10, 12, 14, and 18 respectively. The compounds resulting from the cation exchange of the anions 1–9 to give TBA (a) and DMDOA (b) salts, and additionally for compounds 1, 2 and 3, tetraphenylphosphonium (PPh4) (c) salts, are explored at the air/water interface using scanning force microscopy, showing a range of architectures including hexagonal structures, nanofibers and other supramolecular forms. Additionally the solid‐state structures for compounds 1c, 2c, 4a, 6a, 9a, are presented for the first time and these investigations demonstrate the delicate interplay between the structure of the covalently derivatised hybrid organo‐clusters as well as the ion‐exchange cation types.
Elevated Id2 Expression Results in Precocious Neural Stem Cell Depletion and Abnormal Brain Development
Authors: Park Hee Jung , Hong Mingi , Bronson Roderick T. , Israel Mark A. , Frankel Wayne N. , Yun Kyuson
Published: February 2013

Id2  is a helix-loop-helix transcription factor essential for normal development, and its expression is dysregulated in many human neurological conditions. Although it is speculated that elevated  Id2  levels contribute to the pathogenesis of these disorders, it is unknown whether dysregulated  Id2  expression is sufficient to perturb normal brain development or function. Here, we show that mice with elevated  Id2  expression during embryonic stages develop microcephaly, and that females in particular are prone to generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Analyses of  Id2  transgenic brains indicate that  Id2  activity is highly cell context specific: elevated  Id2  expression in naive neural stem cells (NSCs) in early neuroepithelium induces apoptosis and loss of NSCs and intermediate progenitors. Activation of  Id2  in maturing neuroepithelium results in less severe phenotypes and is accompanied by elevation of G1 cyclin expression and p53 target gene expression. In contrast, activation of  Id2  in committed intermediate progenitors has no significant phenotype. Functional analysis with  Id2-overexpressing and  Id2-null NSCs shows that  Id2  negatively regulates NSC self-renewal in vivo, in contrast to previous cell culture experiments. Deletion of  p53  function from  Id2-transgenic brains rescues apoptosis and results in increased incidence of brain tumors. Furthermore,  Id2  overexpression normalizes the increased self-renewal of  p53-null NSCs, suggesting that  Id2  activates and modulates the p53 pathway in NSCs. Together, these data suggest that elevated  Id2  expression in embryonic brains can cause deregulated NSC self-renewal, differentiation, and survival that manifest in multiple neurological outcomes in mature brains, including microcephaly, seizures, and brain tumors.
Effects of chronic social defeat on expression of dopamine β‐hydroxylase in rat brains
Authors: Fan Yan , Chen Ping , Li Ying , Zhu Meng‐Yang
Published: February 2013

It is documented that stress activates the locus coeruleus‐norepinephrine system. However, there are far few reports regarding effects of stress on the expression of dopamine β‐hydroxylase, a hallmark enzyme of the noradrenergic neuron. In the present study, adult Fischer 344 rats were subjected to chronic social defeat for 4 weeks. Dopamine β‐hydroxylase expressional levels in the locus coeruleus and its terminal regions were measured by in situ hybridization and western blotting. The results showed that immediately following chronic social defeat there are significantly increased mRNA and protein levels of dopamine β‐hydroxylase in the locus coeruleus, and dopamine β‐hydroxylase protein levels in the hippocampus, frontal cortex and amygdala, compared with those in the control. This chronic social defeat‐induced upregulation of dopamine β‐hydroxylase was completely abolished by adrenalectomy, and/or by treatment with corticosteroid receptor antagonists, mifepristone and spironolactone, either alone or in combination. Furthermore, treatment with desipramine, an antidepressant with specific inhibitory effects on norepinephrine transport, prevented an increased dopamine β‐hydroxylase expression by chronic social defeat in the locus coeruleus and its main terminal regions such as the hippocampus, frontal cortex and amygdala. However, treatment with fluoxetine, an antidepressant with specific inhibition for serotonin transport, only selectively blocked increased dopamine β‐hydroxylase protein levels in the hippocampus caused by CSD. The present findings indicate that chronic social defeat activates the locus coeruleus‐norepinephrine system by upregulating the expression of dopamine β‐hydroxylase, which may increase norepinephrine synthesis. This chronic social defeat induced upregulation of DBH expression was mediated through corticosterone and corticosteroid receptors, with possible interference from antidepressants. Synapse, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparison and testing of power reserve control strategies for grid‐connected wind turbines
Authors: Jeong Yunho , Johnson Kathryn , Fleming Paul
Published: February 2013

The stability of the electrical grid depends on enough generators being able to provide appropriate responses to sudden losses in generation capacity, increases in power demand or similar events. Within the United States, wind turbines largely do not provide such generation support, which has been acceptable because the penetration of wind energy into the grid has been relatively low. However, frequency support capabilities may need to be built into future generations of wind turbines to enable high penetration levels over approximately 20%. In this paper, we describe control strategies that can enable power reserve by leaving some wind energy uncaptured. Our focus is on the control strategies used by an operating turbine, where the turbine is asked to track a power reference signal supplied by the wind farm operator. We compare the strategies in terms of their control performance as well as their effects on the turbine itself, such as the possibility for increased loads on turbine components. It is assumed that the wind farm operator has access to the necessary grid information to generate the power reference provided to the turbine, and we do not simulate the electrical interaction between the turbine and the utility grid. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Statistical methods in experimentation recommendation models for discovering gene regulation pathways
Authors: Yoo Changwon
Published: February 2013

In recent years, scientists and health professionals have become overwhelmed by the amount of genomic data available for epidemiological studies and patient care. In April 1996, the genome sequence of the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaewas completed. By December 1999, the first plant's complete genome sequence fromArabidopsis thalianawas published. The Human Genome Project and Celera completed a working draft reference of the human genome DNA sequence in June 2000. Microarray and high throughput RNA sequence technology has opened a new era for gene expression studies. It enables us to measure the level of mRNA from different genes among different cells. Large microarray datasets provide opportunities to learn causal relationships among the genes, and compile in‐depth knowledge of physiology of different diseases. We have to deal with many issues to achieve this, including:

Validity of the microarray and high throughput RNA sequence measurements;

Experimental design of gene expression studies;

Analysis of gene expression experimental results.

For meaningful interpretation of experimental results, we need to start with a sound experimental design. However, not most of the statistical methods concentrate on issues related to gene expression data analyses. They do not take into consideration experimental design of microarray studies. The main topic of this article is review of modeling methods of the expected value of experimentation for discovering gene regulation pathways. In this article, we use experimentation as both interventions (e.g., an experiment with gene knock‐outs) and observations (e.g., passively observing the expression level of genes with no interventions).WIREs Comput Stat2013, 5:121–134. doi: 10.1002/wics.1244

This article is categorized under:

Applications of Computational Statistics > Genomics/Proteomics/Genetics

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Pattern Recognition
New developments for net‐effect plots
Authors: Zhang Xin
Published: February 2013

We review the graphics for studying the net‐effects of predictors, including both the global and local net‐effect plots. Then some new definitions of net‐effects and corresponding graphical methods are introduced for studying and visualizing the main and interaction net‐effects of the mean functions and the distribution functions. A sufficient dimension reduction method, called central solution subspace bivariate sliced inverse regression (CSS‐BiSIR), is proposed for reducing the size of the graphical problem. This facilitates the graphical interpretations of the net‐effects, and also allows us to visualize the net‐effects of nonelliptically distributed predictors. WIREs Comput Stat 2013, 5:105–113. doi: 10.1002/wics.1247

This article is categorized under:

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Dimension Reduction

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Statistical Graphics and Visualization
A survey of software for fitting capture–recapture models
Authors: Bunge John A.
Published: February 2013

Capture–recapture analysis, also called mark‐ or multiple‐recapture, is aimed primarily at estimating the total size of a population. The population of interest may consist of animals, people, errors in complex software, the number of crimes committed by an oppressive political regime, coins struck by ancient dies, and so on. Statistical methods for population size estimation are well‐developed, with many extensions and variations such as allowing for birth, death or migration in the population; incorporation of predictor variables or spatial location of captures; observation by different physical methods, and so on. Accordingly, many software programs have been written and disseminated to implement these analyses, and a survey of those programs is given here. We classify the programs based on three different perspectives: types of classical closed‐population models, statistical foundations or philosophy, and extensions or variations of classical models. While the level of computing in this area has become quite sophisticated, especially for the extended models, none of the major statistical software packages has a ‘native’ capture–recapture sub‐package or routine (although some workarounds are possible), and the large number of separately released programs, though effective within their domains, tend to lack standardization and interoperability at present. The applied scientist can be reasonably confident of finding a program to fit his/her needs, but some examination of the literature will be required. WIREs Comput Stat 2013, 5:114–120. doi: 10.1002/wics.1250

This article is categorized under:

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Sampling
The Structural Chemistry of Text‐Book Species: the Tartrato‐Cuprates in Fehling's Solution
Authors: Albrecht Sandra , Klüfers Peter
Published: February 2013

Fehling's solution is an aqueous alkaline solution (pH ca. 13) of D‐, L‐, or rac‐tartrato‐cuprates(II) and both excess tartrate and hydroxide. The isolation of crystalline solids succeeded for rac‐tartrate‐containing samples. Crystal structure analyses revealed the formulas K8[Cu10(rac‐tartH‐1)4(rac‐tartH‐2)4(H2O)4]·18H2O (1), Li4[Cu2(rac‐tartH‐2‐κ2O1,O2:κ2O3,O4)2]·11.75H2O (2), and Na6[Cu(rac‐tartH‐2‐κ2O2,O3)2]·14H2O (3). The cupric central atom is in a square‐planar tetracoordination in the bis(diolato) chelate in 3, and in square‐pyramidal 4+1 coordination in the mixed carboxylato‐alkoxido chelates 1 and 2. In terms of stoichiometry, 3 is closest to typical Fehling recipes.
Non-thermal dark matter production from the electroweak phase transition: multi-TeV WIMPs and “baby-zillas”
Authors: Falkowski Adam , No Jose M.
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Particle production at the end of a first-order electroweak phase transition may be rather generic in theories beyond the standard model. Dark matter may then be abundantly produced by this mechanism if it has a sizable coupling to the Higgs field. For an electroweak phase transition occuring at a temperature T
EW ~ 50–100 GeV, non- thermally generated dark matter with mass M

X
> TeV will survive thermalization after the phase transition, and could then potentially account for the observed dark matter relic density in scenarios where a thermal dark matter component is either too small or absent. Dark matter in these scenarios could then either be multi-TeV WIMPs whose relic abundace is mostly generated at the electroweak phase transition, or “Baby-Zillas” with mass M
GUT ≫ M

X
≫
${v_{\mathrm{EW}}}$
that never reach thermal equilibrium in the early universe.
Defining True Tribological Contact Through Application of the Morphological Method to Surface Topography
Authors: Lou Shan , Jiang Xiangqian , Bills Paul J. , Scott Paul J.
Published: February 2013

In tribological functions high peaks (summits) in the surface topography play a dominant role in that they determine the position of first contact and how the contact will occur. Both statistic-based methods and feature-based methods address the characterization of a single surface, while neglecting the interacting surface. A morphological method is proposed to simulate the contact of two mating surfaces. The surface under evaluation is rolled by a ball with radius meant to simulate the largest reasonable peak curvature at a contact. In such a situation the contact points of the rolling ball may serve as an identification of those surface portions that are in real contact. The morphological closing operation could then be applied to detect the contact points of the rolling ball, however, the traditional computation method does not lead to an accurate result. To overcome this deficiency, a geometrical computation approach has been developed to capture the contact points based on four searching procedures. The resulting method has been verified through experimentation and then applied to a case study in which the underlying form of the surface of a hip replacement taper junction is analyzed to remove the effect of the dominant threaded structure.
Measurements of Diacylglycerols in Skeletal Muscle by Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Lee Su‐Yeon , Kim Jung Ran , Ha Mi‐Young , Shim Soon‐Mi , Park Tae‐Sik
Published: February 2013

Diacylglycerol (DAG) is an intermediate lipid involved in the synthesis of phospholipids and triglycerides. As signaling regulators, DAG activate novel protein kinase C leading to decreased response to insulin in skeletal muscle. Alteration of DAG contents correlates with development of metabolic dysregulation in obese and diabetic conditions. Recent advances in lipidomics using mass spectrometry allow expanded measurements of various lipid species. This study describes a rapid measurement of DAG species using the triple quadrupole mass spectrometry using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in a positive ion mode. DAG in the cells and muscle tissues were separated depending on differences in chain lengths and degree of unsaturation. The limit of detection and quantification for DAG was 0.2 to 17 pmol for this method. When C2C12 cells were treated with palmitate or oleate, we found a 12‐fold and 2‐fold DAG increase respectively compared to the no‐treatment control. In the muscles of obese db/db mice, DAG levels were elevated by 6‐fold compared to those of wild‐type skeletal muscles. The present analytical method provides a rapid and sensitive quantification of DAG molecular species from various biological samples and can be used to correlate the degree of metabolic dysregulation with lipotoxic metabolites.
On the “viscous incompressible fluid + rigid body” system with Navier conditions
Authors: Planas Gabriela , Sueur Franck
Published: February 2013

In this paper we consider the motion of a rigid body in a viscous incompressible fluid when some Navier slip conditions are prescribed on the body's boundary. The whole system “viscous incompressible fluid + rigid body” is assumed to occupy the full space

\mathbb{R}^{3}

. We start by proving the existence of global weak solutions to the Cauchy problem. Then, we exhibit several properties of these solutions. First, we show that the added-mass effect can be computed which yields better-than-expected regularity (in time) of the solid velocity-field. More precisely we prove that the solid translation and rotation velocities are in the Sobolev space

H^{1}

. Second, we show that the case with the body fixed can be thought as the limit of infinite inertia of this system, that is when the solid density is multiplied by a factor converging to

+∞

. Finally we prove the convergence in the energy space of weak solutions “à la Leray” to smooth solutions of the system “inviscid incompressible fluid + rigid body” as the viscosity goes to zero, till the lifetime

T

of the smooth solution of the inviscid system. Moreover we show that the rate of convergence is optimal with respect to the viscosity and that the solid translation and rotation velocities converge in

H^{1}(0,T)

.
Nonlinear equations for fractional Laplacians, I: Regularity, maximum principles, and Hamiltonian estimates
Authors: Cabré Xavier , Sire Yannick
Published: February 2013

This is the first of two articles dealing with the equation

(−\mathrm{\Delta })^{s}v = f(v)

in

\mathbb{R}^{n}

, with

s \in (0,1)

, where

(−\mathrm{\Delta })^{s}

stands for the fractional Laplacian — the infinitesimal generator of a Lévy process. This equation can be realized as a local linear degenerate elliptic equation in

\mathbb{R}_{ + }^{n + 1}

together with a nonlinear Neumann boundary condition on

\partial \mathbb{R}_{ + }^{n + 1} = \mathbb{R}^{n}

.

In this first article, we establish necessary conditions on the nonlinearity

f

to admit certain type of solutions, with special interest in bounded increasing solutions in all of

\mathbb{R}

. These necessary conditions (which will be proven in a follow-up paper to be also sufficient for the existence of a bounded increasing solution) are derived from an equality and an estimate involving a Hamiltonian — in the spirit of a result of Modica for the Laplacian. Our proofs are uniform as

s\uparrow 1

, establishing in the limit the corresponding known results for the Laplacian.

In addition, we study regularity issues, as well as maximum and Harnack principles associated to the equation.
Engrailed homeobox transcription factors as potential markers and targets in cancer
Authors: McGrath Sophie E. , Michael Agnieszka , Pandha Hardev , Morgan Richard
Published: February 2013

Engrailed (En) is a member of the homeobox gene family, which encodes a homeodomain‐containing transcription factor that is essential during early development. The only known site of normal adult Engrailed protein (EN) expression is in the nervous system, and it has been implicated in the development of both young‐onset Parkinson's disease as well as autism. Over‐expression of EN has been linked to tumour development in adults, particularly in breast, prostate, melanoma and ovarian cancers, and there is a growing interest in its role as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. It is hoped that further work may confirm associations between En expression and therapy‐resistant, poor prognosis cancers, similar to that identified with other homeobox gene profiles.
Reliability and Validity of the Self-administered Chinese Version of the Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (C-SOBQ) in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Fung Alexandra , Chan Lewina L.C. , So C.T. , Chau Stanley S.L. , Chan T.M. , Chan Catherine , Chu Aileen W.Y. , Ng Bobby H.P. , Cheung Brian Y.H. , Chan Andy K.K. , Wong Witt K.W. , Chu Chris W.H. , Fong Kenneth N.K.
Published: February 2013

Background

Dyspnoea is crucial in evaluating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (UCSD SOBQ) assesses shortness of breath in activities of daily living (ADL). It has been translated into Chinese and used clinically in Hong Kong for many years.

Objective

To investigate the reliability and validity of a self-administered Chinese version of the Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (C-SOBQ) with pictorial enhancement in patients with COPD in Hong Kong.

Methods

A total of 119 patients with COPD were recruited by convenience sampling from seven public clinical settings and two community self-help groups. The C-SOBQ score for each patient was correlated with a set of criterion parameters including age, body mass index (BMI), 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) test, lung function physiological parameters, BODE index, the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnoea Scale (MMRC Dyspnoea Scale), and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) COPD classifications. For test–retest reliability, 22 out of 119 patients were selected and assessed using the C-SOBQ followed by a reassessment within 1 week by the same rater.

Results

The C-SOBQ shows good test–retest reliability with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.915 (p ≤ .05). It demonstrates significant correlations with the MMRC Dyspnoea Scale, GOLD COPD classifications, BODE index, BMI, and 6MWD. The BODE index, MMRC Dyspnoea Scale, and 6MWD were valid predictors of C-SOBQ total score. A total of 50.4% of patients could be correctly grouped in quartiles of the BODE index using the C-SOBQ.

Conclusion

The C-SOBQ with pictorial enhancement is a valid and reliable instrument which gives precise information about the impact of dyspnoea on functional activities for patients with COPD.
Ergodic Theory
Authors: Petersen Karl E.
Published: February 2013

The study of dynamical systems forms a vast and rapidly developing field even when one considers only activity whose methods derive mainly from measure theory and functional analysis. Karl Petersen has written a book which presents the fundamentals of the ergodic theory of point transformations and then several advanced topics which are currently undergoing intense research. By selecting one or more of these topics to focus on, the reader can quickly approach the specialized literature and indeed the frontier of the area of interest. Each of the four basic aspects of ergodic theory - examples, convergence theorems, recurrence properties, and entropy - receives first a basic and then a more advanced, particularized treatment. At the introductory level, the book provides clear and complete discussions of the standard examples, the mean and pointwise ergodic theorems, recurrence, ergodicity, weak mixing, strong mixing, and the fundamentals of entropy. Among the advanced topics are a thorough treatment of maximal functions and their usefulness in ergodic theory, analysis, and probability, an introduction to almost-periodic functions and topological dynamics, a proof of the Jewett-Krieger Theorem, an introduction to multiple recurrence and the Szemeredi-Furstenberg Theorem, and the Keane-Smorodinsky proof of Ornstein's Isomorphism Theorem for Bernoulli shifts. The author's easily-readable style combined with the profusion of exercises and references, summaries, historical remarks, and heuristic discussions make this book useful either as a text for graduate students or self-study, or as a reference work for the initiated.
Adaptive Optics Simulations for Siding Spring
Authors: Goodwin Michael , Jenkins Charles , Lambert Andrew
Published: February 2013

Using an observationally derived model of optical turbulence profile, we have investigated the performance of adaptive optics (AO) at Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. The simulations cover the performance for AO techniques of single-conjugate adaptive optics (SCAO), multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO), and ground-layer adaptive optics (GLAO). The simulation results presented in this paper predict the performance of these AO techniques as applied to the Australian National University (ANU) 2.3-m and Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) 3.9-m telescopes for astronomical wavelength bandsJ,H, andK. The results indicate that the AO performance is best for the longer wavelengths (Kband) and in the best seeing conditions (sub 1 arcsec). The most promising results are found for GLAO simulations (field of view of 180 arcsec), with the field RMS for encircled energy 50% diameter (EE50d) being uniform and minimally affected by the free-atmosphere turbulence. The GLAO performance is reasonably good over the wavelength bands ofJ,H, andK. The GLAO field mean of EE50d is between 200 and 800 mas, which is a noticeable improvement compared with the nominal astronomical seeing (870–1 700 mas).
A Study on W Ursae Majoris-Type Systems Recognised by the ROTSE-IIId Experiment
Authors: Çoker D. , Özdemir S. , Yeşilyaprak C. , Yerli S. K. , Aksaker N. , Güçsav B. B.
Published: February 2013

We present a study on characterising the light curves of W UMa-type systems gathered from the archive containing 5 years of data observed with the Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment Telescope (ROTSE-IIId) located in Turkey. A sample of 45 W UMa-type systems was studied on the basis of Fourier decomposition of light curves and some basic geometrical parameters, namely degree of contact (f), mass ratio (q), and orbital inclination (i), as approximated values for these systems were determined. Moreover, methods based on the Fourier transform technique were applied to the discrete data to determine the orbital periods of those systems. Preliminary estimates for the system parameters were presented and compared with the values available in the literature.
Australian Participation in the Gaia Follow-up Network for Solar System Objects
Authors: Todd M. , Coward D. M. , Tanga P. , Thuillot W.
Published: February 2013

The Gaia satellite, planned for launch by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2013, is the next-generation astrometry mission following Hipparcos. Gaia’s primary science goal is to determine the kinematics, chemical structure, and evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy. In addition to this core science goal, the Gaia space mission is expected to discover thousands of Solar System objects. Because of orbital constraints, Gaia will only have a limited opportunity for astrometric follow-up of these discoveries. In 2010, the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) initiated a program to identify ground-based optical telescopes for a Gaia follow-up network for Solar System Objects to perform the following critical tasks: confirmation of discovery, identification of body, object tracking to constrain orbits. To date, this network comprises 37 observing sites (representing 53 instruments). The Zadko Telescope, located in Western Australia, was highlighted as an important network node because of its southern location, longitude, and automated scheduling system. We describe the first follow-up tests using the fast moving Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2005 YU55 as the target.
Who Gets a Swiss Passport? A Natural Experiment in Immigrant Discrimination
Authors: HAINMUELLER JENS , HANGARTNER DOMINIK
Published: February 2013

We study discrimination against immigrants using microlevel data from Switzerland, where, until recently, some municipalities used referendums to decide on the citizenship applications of foreign residents. We show that naturalization decisions vary dramatically with immigrants’ attributes, which we collect from official applicant descriptions that voters received before each referendum. Country of origin determines naturalization success more than any other applicant characteristic, including language skills, integration status, and economic credentials. The average proportion of “no” votes is about 40% higher for applicants from (the former) Yugoslavia and Turkey compared to observably similar applicants from richer northern and western European countries. Statistical and taste-based discrimination contribute to varying naturalization success; the rewards for economic credentials are higher for applicants from disadvantaged origins, and origin-based discrimination is much stronger in more xenophobic municipalities. Moreover, discrimination against specific immigrant groups responds dynamically to changes in the groups’ relative size.
SOME REVERSES OF THE JENSEN INEQUALITY WITH APPLICATIONS
Authors: DRAGOMIR S. S.
Published: February 2013

Two new reverses of the celebrated Jensen’s inequality for convex functions in the general setting of the Lebesgue integral, with applications to means, Hölder’s inequality and$f$-divergence measures in information theory, are given.
Breast-feeding and formula feeding in healthy term infants and bone health at age 10 years
Authors: Fewtrell M. S. , Kennedy K. , Murgatroyd Peter R. , Williams J. E. , Chomtho S. , Lucas A.
Published: February 2013

Few studies have investigated the effects of infant nutrition on later bone health in term infants, although low sn-2 palmitate in infant formulas has been shown to result in the formation of stool fatty acid soaps, reduced Ca absorption and lower bone mass in the short term. To investigate the effect of (1) breast-feeding (BF) and (2) the type of infant formula (standard fat blend v. high-sn-2 fat blend) on bone mass at age 10 years, anthropometry and bone mass (from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (GE Lunar Prodigy); lumbar spine (LS) and total body less head; adjusted for size (bone mineral apparent density standard deviation score (SDS) and regression)) were measured in 10-year-old subjects born at term and either breast-fed (n 34) or randomised to a standard control formula (n 27) or a high-sn-2 palmitate formula (n 30) for the first 12 weeks of life. At follow-up, previously BF children were older but lighter (by 0·5 SDS, P= 0·03) than formula-fed children with a lower LS bone mineral density SDS (by 0·44, P= 0·03), but size-adjusted bone mass did not differ. There were no significant differences in bone mass between the formula-fed groups. These findings suggest that there is no significant effect of BF or high-sn-2 infant formula on size-adjusted bone mass in mid-childhood, and that the effects of infant nutrition on bone mass previously reported may be confined to the short term. A larger study would be required to exclude smaller effects.
Bacterial carbohydrate-degrading capacity in foal faeces: changes from birth to pre-weaning and the impact of maternal supplementation with fermented feed products
Authors: Faubladier Céline , Julliand Véronique , Danel Justine , Philippeau Christelle
Published: February 2013

The present study aimed at (1) describing age-related changes in faecal bacterial functional groups involved in carbohydrate degradation and in their activities in foals (n10) from birth (day (d) 0) to 6 months (d180) and (2) investigating the effect of maternal supplementation (five mares per treatment) from d − 45 to d60 with fermented feed products on response trends over time of the foal bacterial carbohydrate-degrading capacity. Maternal supplementation with fermented feed products stimulated foal growth from d0 to d60 and had an impact on the establishment of some digestive bacterial groups and their activities in foals from d0 to d5 but not in the longer term. Irrespective of the maternal treatment, total bacteria, total anaerobic, lactate-utilising and amylolytic bacteria were established immediately after birth (P< 0·05) and were active as shown by the significant increase in total volatile fatty acids. In the foals of supplemented mares, total anaerobes and lactate utilisers were established rapidly between d0 and d2 (P= 0·021 and 0·066, respectively) and the increase in the percentage of propionate occurred earlier (P= 0·013). Maternal supplementation had no effect on the establishment of fibrolytic bacteria and their activity. Cellulolytic bacteria andFibrobacter succinogenesfirst appeared at d2 and d5, and increased progressively, reaching stable values at d30 and d60, respectively. From the second week of life, the increase in the molar percentage of acetate and the ratio (acetate+butyrate):propionate (P< 0·05) suggested that fibrolytic activity had begun. From d60, only minor changes in bacterial composition and activities occurred, showing that the bacterial carbohydrate-degrading capacity was established at 2 months of age.
Gastrointestinal effects of resistant starch, soluble maize fibre and pullulan in healthy adults
Authors: Klosterbuer Abby S. , Hullar Meredith A. J. , Li Fei , Traylor Elizabeth , Lampe Johanna W. , Thomas William , Slavin Joanne L.
Published: February 2013

Fibre has been shown to exert a number of benefits on gastrointestinal (GI) health, yet its intake is low. Addition of novel fibres to food products may increase fibre intake and improve gut health. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of three novel fibres on GI outcomes in healthy human subjects. A total of twenty healthy participants (ten men and ten women) with normal BMI (23 (sem 2) kg/m2) participated in the present randomised, double-blind, cross-over study with five treatment periods. Participants consumed a maltodextrin control or 20–25 g/d fibre from soluble maize fibre (SCF) or resistant starch (RS), alone or in combination with pullulan (SCF+P and RS+P). The treatment periods were 7 d with a 3-week washout between the periods. Stool samples were collected on day 7 of each period, and GI tolerance was assessed via a questionnaire on days 1 and 6. There were no treatment differences in stool weight or consistency. SCF significantly reduced stool pH and increased total SCFA production compared with RS and control. RS+P significantly increased the percentage of butyrate compared with all the other treatments. Overall, GI symptoms were minimal. SCF+P led to the highest GI score on day 1, while RS+P had the highest score on day 6. Both SCF treatments caused a significant shift in the gut microbial community. These functional fibres are generally well tolerated, have minimal effects on laxation and may lead to beneficial changes in SCFA production in healthy adults.
Creatine and guanidinoacetate content of human milk and infant formulas: implications for creatine deficiency syndromes and amino acid metabolism
Authors: Edison Erica E. , Brosnan Margaret E. , Aziz Khalid , Brosnan John T.
Published: February 2013

Creatine is essential for normal neural development; children with inborn errors of creatine synthesis or transport exhibit neurological symptoms such as mental retardation, speech delay and epilepsy. Creatine accretion may occur through dietary intake orde novocreatine synthesis. The objective of the present study was to determine how much creatine an infant must synthesisede novo. We have calculated how much creatine an infant needs to account for urinary creatinine excretion (creatine's breakdown product) and new muscle lay-down. To measure an infant's dietary creatine intake, we measured creatine in mother's milk and in various commercially available infant formulas. Knowing the amount of milk/formula ingested, we calculated the amount of creatine ingested. We have found that a breast-fed infant receives about 9 % of the creatine needed in the diet and that infants fed cows' milk-based formula receive up to 36 % of the creatine needed. However, infants fed a soya-based infant formula receive negligible dietary creatine and must rely solely onde novocreatine synthesis. This is the first time that it has been shown that neonatal creatine accretion is largely due tode novosynthesis and not through dietary intake of creatine. This has important implications both for infants suffering from creatine deficiency syndromes and for neonatal amino acid metabolism.
Inorganic geochemistry of the type Caradoc series (Sandbian to middle Katian, Upper Ordovician), Onny valley, Shropshire, UK
Authors: HANNIGAN R. , BROOKFIELD M. E.
Published: February 2013

The geochemistry and petrology of the type section of the Caradoc Series in the Onny valley indicate that it was deposited on a marginal basin continental shelf similar to the western side of the present Sea of Japan. The lower beds form a transgressive–regressive sequence in which the rocks become less mature upwards. All the coarser sediments above the basal quartzites and conglomerates are greywackes in which the apparent muddy and ferrous matrix is due to the breakdown of unstable minerals and particles. Higher values of Na2O and Na/K ratios are found in the coarser shallow-water sandstones of the Horderley Sandstone Formation and decrease markedly in the succeeding beds, accompanied by an increase in K2O. Higher values of carbonate-corrected (and hence related) other major and minor elements like SiO2, CaO, P2O5, MnO and most trace elements correlate with the transgressive systems and maximum flooding surfaces of the three sequences recognized where they are related to condensation at those horizons. Chemical Indices of Alteration (CIA) suggest that the Horderley Sandstone Formation underwent greater predepositional physical weathering than lower and higher beds, which is compatible with the petrography, and were deposited during a cool phase within overall warm Sandbian–Katian times. Trace element ratios suggest an oxic to suboxic depositional environment.