bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crustal structure of the eastern Borborema Province, NE Brazil, from the joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion: Implications for plateau uplift
Authors: Luz Rosana M. N. , Julià Jordi , do Nascimento Aderson F.
Published: April 2015

We investigate the crustal structure of the Borborema Province of NE Brazil by developing 44 S wave velocity‐depth profiles from the joint inversion of receiver functions and fundamental mode, Rayleigh wave group velocities. The Borborema Province is located in the northeasternmost corner of the South American continent and represents a portion of a larger Neoproterozoic mobile belt that formed during the Brasiliano‐Pan African orogeny. Extensional processes in the Mesozoic—eventually leading to the separation of Africa and South America—left a number of aborted rift basins in the continental interiors, and episodes of diffuse intraplate volcanism and uplift marked the evolution of the Province after continental breakup. Our velocity‐depth profiles reveal the existence of two crustal types in the Province: (i) the thin crustal type, which consists of 30–32.5 km thick crust, with an upper layer of 3.4–3.6 km/s overlying a lower layer of 3.7–3.8 km/s and (ii) the thick crustal type, which consists of a 35–37.5 km thick crust, with velocities between 3.5 and 3.9 km/s down to ∼30 km depth and a gradational increase in velocity (VS≥4.0 km/s) down to upper mantle depths. The crustal types correlate well with topography, with the thick crustal type being mainly found in the high‐standing southern Borborema Plateau and the thin crustal type being mostly found in the low‐lying Sertaneja depression and coastal cuestas. Interestingly, the thin crustal type is also observed under the elevated topography of the northern Plateau. We argue that the thick crustal type is rheologically strong and not necessarily related to postbreakup mantle processes, as it is commonly believed. We propose that extensional processes in the Mesozoic stretched portions of the Brasiliano crust and formed the thin crustal type that is now observed in the regions of low‐lying topography, leaving the rheologically strong thick crust of the southern Plateau at higher elevations. The crust making the northern Plateau would have thinned and subsided during Mesozoic extension as part of a greater Sertaneja depression, to then experience uplift in the Cenozoic and achieve its present elevation.
Conversation Analysis, Applied
Authors: Antaki Charles
Published: April 2015

Applied conversation analysis refers, usually, to the analysis of interactions in specific domains of employment, education, medicine, business and service encounters, and other institutions. To apply conversation analysis in this way is to try to understand how society's institutions are brought into being, and, in some cases, to intervene to change them.
Metadiscourse
Authors: Hyland Ken
Published: April 2015

Metadiscourse is the interpersonal resources used to organize a discourse or the writer's stance toward either its content or the reader. It is therefore a kind of commentary on a text made in the course of speaking or writing, expressed by words and phrases likein other words,probably, andfor example, and it is a widely used term in current discourse analysis and language teaching. This article will elaborate what metadiscourse is, outline a descriptive framework, and discuss its role in speech and writing and across languages.
Dugri
Authors: Katriel Tamar
Published: April 2015

Israelidugri[straight] speech is a culturally valorized way of speaking that privileges the mode of directness in social interaction. As a culturally inflected communication style it is analyzed with reference to Brown and Levinson's pragmatic theory of politeness strategies, which combines elements of Paul Grice's formulation of the logic of conversation with elements of Erving Goffman's analysis of facework. It is argued that a proper understanding of dugri speech as an interactional style requires attention to the meanings and values that provide cultural warrants for the routine violation of one's interlocutors' face wants in and through the performance of straight talk.
Intercultural Competence
Authors: Witteborn Saskia
Published: April 2015

This article provides an overview of the concept intercultural competence, also called intercultural communication competence. It discusses the development of two main strands of research, sociocognitive and performance‐based, focusing on the latter in the context of language and social interaction research. The overview illustrates how the concept of cultural competence from the performance‐based approach can be used for studying and engaging with different historically and sociopolitically situated ways of communicating.
Disability Discourse
Authors: Grue Jan
Published: April 2015

Disability is a historically, culturally, and sociopolitically variable phenomenon, dependent for its form and meaning not only on individual bodies, but on structural conditions and forces. Disability discourse is the collective term for ways of signifying disability from different perspectives, and for the linguistic acts that constitute disability as in its relationship to multiple domains of social practice. This article identifies key elements in current disability discourse, and the historical and intellectual forces that shaped it.
Ecolinguistic Discourse Analysis
Authors: Stibbe Arran
Published: April 2015

Ecolinguistic discourse analysis consists of analyzing discourses and judging them within a normative framework that considers both humans and the embedding of humans within a larger community of life. The normative framework, or ecosophy, may be explicit or implicit and is frequently dedicated toward practical goals such as building societies that are both socially just and which protect and preserve the ecological systems that all forms of life depend on for their continuing survival.
Impoliteness
Authors: Culpeper Jonathan
Published: April 2015

Impoliteness refers to communicative behaviors that attract negative evaluations in context and cause offense. Although rooted in pragmatics and interactional sociolinguistics, it is a multidisciplinary field, overlapping with, for example, the study of aggression and interpersonal conflict. Some approaches to impoliteness have developed as an opposite to politeness theory, especially that of Brown and Levinson (1987), others have developed in the context of facework. They have aimed to describe and theorize about the communicative resources that trigger impoliteness and how they interact with context, including interpersonal, situational, and cultural contexts. Power seems to be a crucial factor.
Formulations
Authors: Childs Carrie
Published: April 2015

Formulation is the interactional practice of referring to objects, persons, activities, or previous conversation. This article presents a brief history of formulation in the field of language and social interaction and outlines current knowledge of the practices of formulation. The article also describes three different senses of formulation that appear in the literature on conversation analysis and the relationship of these to each other.
Feminist Poststructural Discourse Analysis
Authors: Baxter Judith
Published: April 2015

Feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis (
FPDA
) is an approach to analyzing spoken interactions that focuses on the ways in which speakers negotiate their subject positions within competing and interwoven discourses. This article identifies the theoretical background to
FPDA
, its key principles, its distinctiveness from other approaches such as critical discourse analysis, and outlines some of the main directions in current research.
Guiding the Dewetting of Thin Polymer Films by Colloidal Imprinting
Authors: Ghezzi Manuel , Wang Peng‐Yuan , Kingshott Peter , Neto Chiara
Published: April 2015

Micropatterned surfaces are important in many biomedical and bioengineering applications, such as the development of biosensors. An approach for the creation of ordered surface patterns, fabricated combining colloidal crystals, consisting of ordered layers of micrometric particles, with dewetting of bilayers of thin polymer films is introduced. The produced patterns are both topographical and chemical in nature, consisting of ordered arrays of microscale holes imprinted in a polymer film, with tunable size. The spontaneous dewetting of the polymer film enables this tunability, with a maximum sevenfold increase in lateral size of the holes and sixfold increase in depth from imprinting to coalescence with neighboring holes. Polymer dewetting and layer inversion are seen to compete during the annealing of the polymer bilayers, and the optimal conditions for hole growth are identified. An in‐depth investigation highlights the effects of UV‐ozone treatment on the long‐range ordering of the colloidal crystals and on preventing the dewetting of the imprinted bilayers. Ordered patterns of different size and depth are produced over large areas by tuning of the colloidal crystal assembly, UV surface treatment and dewetting conditions. Potential applications of the micropatterns produced in the present work include microarrays for single cell studies and biosensors.
Characteristics of a Graphene Nanoplatelet Anode in Advanced Lithium‐Ion Batteries Using Ionic Liquid Added by a Carbonate Electrolyte
Authors: Agostini Marco , Rizzi Laura Giorgia , Cesareo Giulio , Russo Valeria , Hassoun Jusef
Published: April 2015

A Cu‐supported, graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) electrodes are reported a as high performance anode in lithium ion battery. The electrode precursor is an easy‐to‐handle aqueous ink cast on cupper foil and following dried in air. The scanning electron microscopy evidences homogeneous, micrometric flakes‐like morphology. Electrochemical tests in conventional electrolyte reveal a capacity of about 450 mAh g−1 over 300 cycles, delivered at a current rate as high as 740 mA g−1. The graphene‐based electrode is characterized using a N‐butyl‐N‐methyl‐pyrrolidiniumbis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide, lithium‐bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Py1,4TFSI–LiTFSI) ionic liquid‐based solution added by ethylene carbonate (EC): dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The Li‐electrolyte interface is investigated by galvanostatic and potentiostatic techniques as well as by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, in order to allow the use of the graphene‐nanoplatelets as anode in advanced lithium‐ion battery. Indeed, the electrode is coupled with a LiFePO4 cathode in a battery having a relevant safety content, due to the ionic liquid‐based electrolyte that is characterized by an ionic conductivity of the order of 10−2 S cm−1, a transference number of 0.38 and a high electrochemical stability. The lithium ion battery delivers a capacity of the order of 150 mAh g−1 with an efficiency approaching 100%, thus suggesting the suitability of GNPs anode for application in advanced configuration energy storage systems.
Upconversion for Photovoltaics – a Review of Materials, Devices and Concepts for Performance Enhancement
Authors: Goldschmidt Jan Christoph , Fischer Stefan
Published: April 2015

Upconversion of low‐energy photons into high‐energy photons increases the efficiency of photovoltaic devices by converting photons with energies below the absorption threshold of the solar cell into photons that can be utilized. In this review, an overview is provided of quantitative studies of the upconversion quantum yield of upconverter materials, and of the achieved efficiency enhancements in upconverting solar cell devices. Different materials and devices are compared based on well‐defined figures‐of‐merit and the challenges to their accurate measurement are discussed. Internal upconversion quantum yields above 13% have been reported both for Er3+‐based materials as well as for organic upconverters, using irradiance values below 0.4 W cm−2. On the upconverting solar cell device level, relative enhancements of the solar cells' short‐circuit currents by up to 0.55% have been achieved. These values document progress by orders of magnitude achieved in the last years. However, they also show that the field of upconversion needs further development to become a relevant technology option in photovoltaics. Different options regarding how upconversion performance can be increased further in the future are outlined.
Modeling permporometry of mesoporous membranes using dynamic mean field theory
Authors: Rathi Ashutosh , Edison John R. , Ford David M. , Monson Peter A.
Published: April 2015

Mesoporous inorganic membranes have significant potential for important small‐molecule separations like carbon dioxide recovery from stack emissions. However, tailoring materials for a given separation remains an outstanding problem. Preferential adsorption, layering and capillary effects, and surface flow are key mechanisms that determine permeation rates and are ultimately linked to the mesopore characteristics. To further the understanding of these systems, a modeling approach based on dynamic mean field theory, which has previously been used to study the dynamics of adsorption in mesoporous materials, is proposed. This theory describes both relaxation dynamics and nonequilibrium steady states in membranes and is fully consistent with a mean field density functional theory of the thermodynamics. The capabilities and promise of the approach by modeling a permporometry experiment, in which a light gas permeates through a mesopore in the presence of a condensable vapor at a controlled relative pressure, are demonstrated. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 2958–2967, 2015
Evaluating the impact of allergic rhinitis on quality of life among Thai students
Authors: Sapsaprang Siwaporn , Setabutr Dhave , Kulalert Prapasri , Temboonnark Panipak , Poachanukoon Orapan
Published: April 2015

Background

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) in Thailand continues to rise. We report the prevalence and evaluate its impact upon quality of life (QoL) in students on a metropolitan campus.

Methods

From March 2013 to February 2014, 222 students from Thammasat University Medical School were evaluated using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood Questionnaire (ISAAC) questionnaire and the rhinoconjunctivitis QoL questionnaire (Rcq‐36) to assess subjective symptoms. Those students with clinical symptoms of AR underwent skin prick testing (SPT) using 5 common allergens found in Thailand. The association between AR and QoL was then determined using a paired t test.

Results

A total of 222 students were enrolled in the study; 86 (38.7%) were men. There were 183 (81.9%) students with AR symptoms and 130 (71.4%) students with positive results for SPT. The students’ QoL as defined by the Rcq‐36 revealed a significant worsening in students who self‐reported rhinitis symptoms within the past 12 months. Compared to the non‐AR group, in those with AR, eye symptoms were significantly more common.

Conclusion

The prevalence of AR at a college campus was 58.5%. The presence of rhinitis symptoms was the highest predictor of the presence of AR, with 67.7% having subsequent positive SPT. Students with AR had poorer scores in every dimension of QoL as defined by the Rcq‐36 when compared to their non‐AR counterparts. Educational performances among the 2 groups were unaffected.
Supersymmetry after the Higgs
Authors: Nath Pran
Published: April 2015

A brief review is given of the implications of a 126 GeV Higgs boson for the discovery of supersymmetry. Thus a 126 GeV Higgs boson is problematic within the Standard Model because of vacuum instability pointing to new physics beyond the Standard Model. The problem of vacuum stability is overcome in the SUGRA GUT model but the 126 GeV Higgs mass implies that the average SUSY scale lies in the several TeV region. The largeness of the SUSY scale relieves the tension on SUGRA models since it helps suppress flavor changing neutral currents and CP violating effects and also helps in extending the proton life time arising from baryon and lepton number violating dimension five operators. The geometry of radiative breaking of the electroweak symmetry and fine tuning in view of the large SUSY scale are analyzed.Consistency with the Brookhaven result is discussed. It is also shown that a large SUSY scale implied by the 126 GeV Higgs boson mass allows for light gauginos (gluino, charginos, neutralinos) and sleptons. These along with the lighter third generation squarks are the prime candidates for discovery at RUN II of the LHC. Implication of the 126 GeV Higgs boson for the direct search for dark matter is discussed. Also discussed are the sparticles mass hierarchies and their relationship with the simplified models under the Higgs boson mass constraint.
Novel phase inversion process for symmetric membrane formation through thermal quenching of polymer solution in same solvent
Authors: Chang Hsu‐Hsien , Beltsios Konstantinos G. , Yu Hsuan‐Fu , Wu Yu‐Hsuan , Cheng Liao‐Ping
Published: April 2015

A new and useful form of phase inversion for the formation of porous polymeric membranes is presented herein. As in the case of thermally induced phase separation (TIPS), this new form involves only two components (polymer and solvent) and a thermal quench; here the quench is accomplished via immersion in a cold bath of the micromolecular component (solvent) of the dope. Ιn terms of a fixed‐pressure two‐component phase diagram the quench is a non‐vertical one. We will refer to the new method as cold‐solvent induced phase separation (CIPS). In the present work we study mainly the poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol)/1,3‐propanediol system which leads to bi‐continuous structures stemming from a combination of liquid‐liquid demixing and crystallization. In addition, we compare with the case of the Nylon‐l2/formic acid system that we have briefly considered before and study further herein; the consequences of the TIPS to CIPS shift of method are different for the two systems, and the two situations are representative of two general possibilities. We also report general properties such as porosity, tensile strength, water permeation flux, and crystallinity of the produced poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) membranes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42282.
In situ synthesis of cabbage like polyaniline@hydroquinone nanocomposites and electrochemical capacitance investigations
Authors: Chen Chunnian , Fan Wei , Zhang Qi , Ma Ting , Fu Xuwang , Wang Zhongbing
Published: April 2015

A Cabbage like polyaniline@hydroquinone composite microsphere was synthesized using in situ polymerization and the electrochemical performance was investigated. The core template, p‐benzoquinone, is demonstrated working as an oxidizing agent for the in situ polymerization of PANI, and to be reduced to 1, 4‐hydroquinone after reaction. The morphology and microstructure of samples were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer, thermo gravimetric, and Fourier transform infrared spectra. The cyclic voltammetry, impedance and galvanostatic charge/discharge analysis demonstrates that PANI contributes electronic conductive channels for hydroquinone, and hydroquinone works as a pseudocapacitance component. The prepared PANI@hydroquinone nanocomposite exhibits brilliant electrochemical properties of a specific capacitance of 126.0 F g−1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s−1 and enhanced stability of about 85.1% of initial capacitance retained after 500 cycles scanning at a current density of 1 A g−1. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42290.
An automatic approach to weighted subject indexing—an empirical study in the biomedical domain
Authors: Lu Kun , Mao Jin
Published: April 2015

Subject indexing is an intellectually intensive process that has many inherent uncertainties. Existing manual subject indexing systems generally produce binary outcomes for whether or not to assign an indexing term. This does not sufficiently reflect the extent to which the indexing terms are associated with the documents. On the other hand, the idea of probabilistic or weighted indexing was proposed a long time ago and has seen success in capturing uncertainties in the automatic indexing process. One hurdle to overcome in implementing weighted indexing in manual subject indexing systems is the practical burden that could be added to the already intensive indexing process. This study proposes a method to infer automatically the associations between subject terms and documents through text mining. By uncovering the connections between MeSH descriptors and document text, we are able to derive the weights of MeSH descriptors manually assigned to documents. Our initial results suggest that the inference method is feasible and promising. The study has practical implications for improving subject indexing practice and providing better support for information retrieval.
User satisfaction with microblogging: Information dissemination versus social networking
Authors: Liu Ivy L.B. , Cheung Christy M.K. , Lee Matthew K.O.
Published: April 2015

Microblogging is growing in popularity and significance. Although many researchers have attempted to explain why and how people use this new medium, previous studies have produced relatively inconclusive results. For instance, in most of these studies, microblogging has been considered a social networking activity; however, quantitative analyses of microblogging usage have shown that people use microblogging as an information‐broadcasting platform. In this study, we identified the factors that drive microblogging and which of them lead to user satisfaction. We developed a theoretical framework and then empirically validated the factors and the emergent mechanisms (value evaluation processes). We empirically tested our research model using a sample of 230 microbloggers, and the results showed that content and technology gratifications are the two key factors that drive user satisfaction with microblogging. That is, it is the value of information dissemination rather than social networking that makes people feel satisfied with the use of microblogging. We believe that this study will generate interest among researchers in social media. The results also provide platform administrators with insights into how people use microblogging and why they are satisfied with the technology.
Cation‐Tuned Stimuli‐Responsive and Optical Properties of Supramolecular Hydrogels
Authors: Yamanaka Masamichi , Yanai Kazushige , Zama Yusuke , Tsuchiyagaito Junko , Yoshida Masaru , Ishii Ayumi , Hasegawa Miki
Published: April 2015

Hierarchical self‐assembly of an amphiphilic tris‐urea in aqueous media is shown. A mixture of the amphiphilic tris‐urea and an alkaline solution gave a viscous solution composed of fibrous aggregates. This viscous solution transformed into supramolecular hydrogels, which are capable of hierarchically organizing into higher‐order aggregates in response to several cationic triggers. The resulting supramolecular hydrogels were relatively stiff and their storage moduli attained over 103 Pa. The stimuli‐responsive and optical properties of the resulting hydrogels were influenced by the cationic trigger. Proton and calcium ion triggers gave pH‐ and chemical stimuli‐responsive hydrogels, respectively. A terbium ion trigger also provided a highly luminescent hydrogel through energy transfer from the tris‐urea to terbium.
Handling endogeneity and nonnegativity in correlated random effects models: Evidence from ambulatory expenditure
Authors: Maruotti Antonello , Raponi Valentina , Lagona Francesco
Published: April 2015

We describe a mixed‐effects model for nonnegative continuous cross‐sectional data in a two‐part modelling framework. A potentially endogenous binary variable is included in the model specification and association between the outcomes is modeled through a (discrete) latent structure. We show how model parameters can be estimated in a finite mixture context, allowing for skewness, multivariate association between random effects and endogeneity. The model behavior is investigated through a large‐scale simulation experiment. The proposed model is computationally parsimonious and seems to produce acceptable results even if the underlying random effects structure follows a continuous parametric (e.g. Gaussian) distribution. The proposed approach is motivated by the analysis of a sample taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The analyzed outcome, that is ambulatory health expenditure, is a mixture of zeros and continuous values. The effects of socio‐demographic characteristics on health expenditure are investigated and, as a by‐product of the estimation procedure, two subpopulations (i.e. high and low users) are identified.
Simultaneous determination of ascaridole, p‐cymene and α‐terpinene in rat plasma after oral administration of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. by GC‐MS
Authors: Hu Xiaoqian , Chu Yang , Ma Gang , Li Wei , Wang Xiangyang , Mo Hongmei , Yin Qihui , Guo Jiahua , Ma Xiaohui , Zhou Shuiping
Published: April 2015

A sensitive and reliable GC‐MS method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of ascaridole, p‐cymene and α‐terpinene in rat plasma using naphthalene as internal standard. The plasma samples were extracted with ethyl acetate. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a HP‐5MS capillary analytical column (30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 µm) and detection was performed on a quadrupole mass spectrometer detector operated under selected ion monitoring mode. The method showed excellent linearity over the investigated concentration range (r > 0.99) with the limit of quantitation down to 50, 10 and 5 ng/mL for ascaridole, p‐cymene and α‐terpinene, respectively. The intra‐day and inter‐day precisions (RSD) were <11.3%, and the accuracy was between 90.7 and 113.8%. The method was successfully applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. following oral administration to rats. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of Diaryl Sulfones at Room Temperature: Cu‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling of Arylsulfonyl Chlorides with Arylboronic Acids
Authors: Hu Feng , Lei Xiangyang
Published: April 2015

An efficient and convenient method for the synthesis of diaryl sulfones was developed through the Cu‐catalyzed cross‐couplings of arylsulfonyl chlorides and arylboronic acids at room temperature in open air. This method is characterized by the use of inexpensive and readily available catalyst and substrates, mild reaction conditions, wide functionality tolerance, short reaction times for most substrates, and moderate to good yields.
Adamantane‐Based Wide‐Bandgap Host Material: Blue Electrophosphorescence with High Efficiency and Very High Brightness
Authors: Gu Yu , Zhu Liping , Li Yifan , Yu Ling , Wu Kailong , Chen Tianheng , Huang Manli , Wang Feng , Gong Shaolong , Ma Dongge , Qin Jingui , Yang Chuluo
Published: April 2015

An adamantane‐based host material, namely, 4‐{3‐[4‐(9H‐carbazol‐9‐yl)phenyl]adamantan‐1‐yl}benzonitrile (CzCN‐Ad), was prepared by linking an electron‐donating carbazole unit and an electron‐accepting benzonitrile moiety through an adamantane bridge. In this approach, two functional groups were attached to tetrahedral points of adamantane to construct an “sp3” topological configuration. This design strategy endows the host material with a high triplet energy of 3.03 eV due to the disruption of intramolecular charge transfer. Although CzCN‐Ad has a low molecular weight, the rigid nonconjugated adamantane bridge results in a glass transition temperature of 89 °C. These features make CzCN‐Ad suitable for fabricating blue phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes (PhOLEDs). The devices based on sky‐blue phosphor bis[(4,6‐difluorophenyl)pyridinato‐N,C2′](picolinato)iridium(III) (FIrpic) achieved a high maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 24.1 %, which is among the best results for blue PhOLEDs ever reported. Furthermore, blue PhOLEDs with bis(2,4‐difluorophenylpyridinato)‐tetrakis(1‐pyrazolyl)borate iridium(III) (FIr6) as dopant exhibited a maximum EQE of 14.2 % and a maximum luminance of 34 262 cd m−2. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest luminance ever reported for FIr6‐based PhOLEDs.
Pathophysiological mechanisms of hepatic encephalopathy
Authors: Tranah T.H. , Paolino A. , Shawcross Debbie L.
Published: April 2015

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Pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy
Authors: Garonzik‐Wang Jacqueline M. , Majella Doyle M. B.
Published: April 2015

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Controlling Localization and Excretion of Nanoparticles by Click Modification of the Surface Chemical Structures inside Living Cells
Authors: Ito Takeo , Nakamura Takuma , Kusaka Eriko , Kurihara Ryohsuke , Tanabe Kazuhito
Published: April 2015

Invited for this month’s cover is the group of Drs. Takeo Ito and Kazuhito Tanabe from Kyoto University, Japan. The cover image shows accumulation of silica nanoparticles on the plasma membrane by click modification of the surface in living cells. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/cplu.201402436.
Cultural evolution as a nonstationary stochastic process
Authors: Nicholson Arwen E. , Sibani Paolo
Published: April 2015

We present an individual based model of cultural evolution, where interacting agents are coded by binary strings standing for strategies for action, blueprints for products or attitudes and beliefs. The model is patterned on an established model of biological evolution, the Tangled Nature Model (TNM), where a “tangle” of interactions between agents determines their reproductive success. In addition, our agents also have the ability to copy part of each other's strategy, a feature inspired by the Axelrod model of cultural diversity. Unlike the latter, but similarly to the TNM, the model dynamics goes through a series of metastable stages of increasing length, each characterized by mutually enforcing cultural patterns. These patterns are abruptly replaced by other patterns characteristic of the next metastable period. We analyze the time dependence of the population and diversity in the system, show how different cultures are formed and merge, and how their survival probability lacks, in the model, a finite average life‐time. Finally, we use historical data on the number of car manufacturers after the introduction of the automobile to the market, to argue that our model can qualitatively reproduce the flurry of cultural activity which follows a disruptive innovation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 214–223, 2016
Melt‐Polymerization of TEMPO Methacrylates with Nano Carbons Enables Superior Battery Materials
Authors: Vlad Alexandru , Rolland Julien , Hauffman Guillaume , Ernould Bruno , Gohy Jean‐François
Published: April 2015

A solvent‐free, melt polymerization process of a 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl (TEMPO) precursor for rechargeable organic radical batteries is proposed. In situ carbon incorporation in the melted monomer phase yields a nanoscale homogenous polymer composite. Superior battery performances including higher power and cycling stability are attained by using the melt‐polymerization method.
Soil water depletion and recharge under different land cover in China's Loess Plateau
Authors: Fan Jun , Wang Quanjiu , Jones Scott B. , Shao Mingan
Published: April 2015

Vegetation restoration can greatly influence water infiltration and root water uptake depths in semi‐arid regions. Soil water dynamics within different vegetated/non‐vegetated land cover patterns were studied over time from 2008 to 2013 in an erodible small watershed on the Loess Plateau of China. Results showed that distinct differences in soil water dynamics and water balances existed among different vegetation types. Soil water recharge depths extended deeper than 5 m under bare land and farmland, but introduced forage (alfalfa) and shrub (caragana) species depleted the soil water stores in the 0‐ to 6‐m layers within a few years, prevented deep soil water recharge and exhibited negative water balances. Local food crops can maintain a sustainable soil water balance although there was low productivity. Native grasses should be the best land use type for this region based on the soil water balances observed in this short field study. Because it was difficult to avoid soil desiccation under introduced vegetation, vegetation with high water demands should be combined with shallow rooting plants, and water‐saving methods should be taken into account. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Copper(I)‐Catalyzed A3‐Coupling Based Reaction of Alkynes, Aldehydes, and Amines: An Efficient Approach to 2,5‐Polysubstituted Dihydrofurans and 2,5‐Disubstituted Furans
Authors: Fan Wu , Ma Shengming
Published: April 2015

An efficient and practical A3‐coupling based reaction that gives a variety of 2,5‐polysubstituted dihydrofurans and 2,5‐disubstituted furan derivatives has been developed. This domino copper‐catalyzed three‐component coupling reaction of propargylic alcohol, ethyl glyoxalate, and an amine affords a propargylic amine intermediate, which undergoes an alkyne–allene isomerization followed by a cyclization to yield the dihydrofuran. Upon treatment with CH3I and base, the latter was smoothly converted into a 2,5‐disubstituted furan. Alternatively, the furan derivatives can be directly prepared by a two‐step reaction sequence.
Nuclear factor kappa B–mediated CD47 up‐regulation promotes sorafenib resistance and its blockade synergizes the effect of sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma in mice
Authors: Lo Jessica , Lau Eunice Yuen Ting , Ching Rachel Hiu Ha , Cheng Bowie Yik Ling , Ma Mark Kin Fai , Ng Irene Oi Lin , Lee Terence Kin Wah
Published: April 2015

Sorafenib is a new standard treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the survival benefit of this treatment is modest, partly owing to drug resistance. Recent evidence has demonstrated the existence of tumor‐initiating cells (T‐ICs) as the culprit for treatment resistance. To examine whether sorafenib resistance was a result of the presence of liver T‐ICs, we developed sorafenib‐resistant HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo through continuous exposure to sorafenib. Using these models, we found that sorafenib‐resistant clones demonstrated enhanced T‐IC properties, including tumorigenicity, self‐renewal, and invasiveness. In addition, several T‐IC markers were found to be up‐regulated, among which CD47 was found to be most significant. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and expression analyses, CD47 expression was found to be regulated by nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) through a specific response element in the promoter of CD47, and the site occupancy and expression were increased and decreased upon stimulation and inhibition of NF‐κB, respectively. Consistently, NF‐κB was activated in sorafenib‐resistant HCC cells, and this finding was confirmed in clinical HCC samples, which showed a positive correlation between NF‐κB and CD47 expression. Functional characterization of CD47 in sorafenib‐resistant HCC cells was evaluated using a lentivirus‐based knockdown approach and showed increased sensitization to sorafenib upon CD47 knockdown. Furthermore, blockade of CD47 using anti‐CD47 antibody (Ab) showed a similar effect. Using a patient‐derived HCC xenograft mouse model, we found that anti‐CD47 Ab (500 μg/mouse) in combination with sorafenib (100 mg/kg, orally) exerted synergistic effects on tumor suppression, as compared with sorafenib and anti‐CD47 Ab alone. Conclusions: NF‐κB‐mediated CD47 up‐regulation promotes sorafenib resistance, and targeting CD47 in combination with sorafenib is an attractive therapeutic regimen for the treatment of HCC patients. (Hepatology 2015;62:534–545
Reduced memory skills and increased hair cortisol levels in recent Ecstasy/MDMA users: significant but independent neurocognitive and neurohormonal deficits
Authors: Downey Luke A. , Sands Helen , Jones Lewis , Clow Angela , Evans Phil , Stalder Tobias , Parrott Andrew C.
Published: April 2015

Objectives

The goals of this study were to measure the neurocognitive performance of recent users of recreational Ecstasy and investigate whether it was associated with the stress hormone cortisol.

Methods

The 101 participants included 27 recent light users of Ecstasy (one to four times in the last 3 months), 23 recent heavier Ecstasy users (five or more times) and 51 non‐users. Rivermead paragraph recall provided an objective measure for immediate and delayed recall. The prospective and retrospective memory questionnaire provided a subjective index of memory deficits. Cortisol levels were taken from near‐scalp 3‐month hair samples.

Results

Cortisol was significantly raised in recent heavy Ecstasy users compared with controls, whereas hair cortisol in light Ecstasy users was not raised. Both Ecstasy groups were significantly impaired on the Rivermead delayed word recall, and both groups reported significantly more retrospective and prospective memory problems. Stepwise regression confirmed that lifetime Ecstasy predicted the extent of these memory deficits.

Conclusions

Recreational Ecstasy is associated with increased levels of the bio‐energetic stress hormone cortisol and significant memory impairments. No significant relationship between cortisol and the cognitive deficits was observed. Ecstasy users did display evidence of a metacognitive deficit, with the strength of the correlations between objective and subjective memory performances being significantly lower in the Ecstasy users. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Glimpse into the Future: Cross‐border Judicial Cooperation in Insolvency Cases in the European Union
Authors: Wessels Bob
Published: April 2015

After 2 years of study, discussion and consultation, in February 2015, the EU Cross‐Border Insolvency Court‐to‐Court Cooperation Principles were published. The EU Cross‐Border Insolvency Court‐to‐Court Cooperation Principles (‘EU JudgeCo Principles’) contain 26 principles. The EU JudgeCo Principles aim to strengthen efficient and effective communication between courts in EU Member States in insolvency cases with cross‐border effects. The EU JudgeCo Principles, in short, include principles on their non‐binding status and their objectives, case management of courts and the equal treatment of creditors, and principles about the judicial decisions itself, on the reasoning and for instance on providing a stay or moratorium. Several principles relate to the course of the proceedings, such as notifications and authentication of documents, and the last principles concern the outcome of judicial cooperation, for instance, cross‐border sales, assistance to a reorganisation or rules for binding creditors to an international reorganisation plan. The Principles include 18 EU Cross‐Border Insolvency Court‐to‐Court Communications Guidelines (‘EU JudgeCo Guidelines’). These EU JudgeCo Guidelines aim to facilitate communications in practice, in individual cross‐border cases. The EU JudgeCo Principles try to overcome present obstacles for courts in EU Member States such as formalistic and detailed national procedural law, concerns about a judge's impartiality, uneasiness with the use of certain legal concepts and terms, and, evidently, language. Presently, court‐to‐court communication between judges in insolvency matters in the EU, especially on the continent, is limited to only a few cases. In the near future, judicial cooperation and communication will be a cornerstone in the efficient and effective administration of insolvency cases within the EU. The EU JudgeCo Principles will then certainly serve as a significant guide. Copyright © 2015 INSOL International and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Interspecies and Interkingdom Signaling via Quorum Signals
Authors: Clinton Allie , Rumbaugh Kendra P.
Published: April 2015

Quorum sensing (QS) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of cell‐to‐cell communication utilized by hundreds of different species of microbes. QS is mediated by small molecules and their corresponding receptors, many of which are similar in structure and function. Consequently, microbes have developed ways to detect signals produced by their prokaryotic and eukaryotic neighbors and alter their behavior accordingly. These interactions have been termed interspecies and interkingdom signaling, respectively. In most described cases, bacteria use this sensory information to either up‐regulate their own virulence or down‐regulate the virulence of their neighbor. In this review, we describe many of the known interspecies and interkingdom signaling events that are mediated by quorum signals, and discuss the impact these may have on the ability of microbes to interact with each other and with their hosts.
Involvement of Different networks in mammary gland involution after the pregnancy/lactation cycle: Implications in breast cancer
Authors: Zaragozá Rosa , García‐Trevijano Elena R. , Lluch Ana , Ribas Gloria , Viña Juan R.
Published: April 2015

Early pregnancy is associated with a reduction in a woman's lifetime risk for breast cancer. However, different studies have demonstrated an increase in breast cancer risk in the years immediately following pregnancy. Early and long‐term risk is even higher if the mother age is above 35 years at the time of first parity. The proinflammatory microenvironment within the mammary gland after pregnancy renders an “ideal niche” for oncogenic events. Signaling pathways involved in programmed cell death and tissue remodeling during involution are also activated in breast cancer. Herein, the major signaling pathways involved in mammary gland involution, signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3), nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB), transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), and retinoid acid receptors (RARs)/retinoid X receptors (RXRs), are reviewed as part of the complex network of signaling pathways that crosstalk in a contextual‐dependent manner. These factors, also involved in breast cancer development, are important regulatory nodes for signaling amplification after weaning. Indeed, during involution, p65/p300 target genes such as MMP9, Capn1, and Capn2 are upregulated. Elevated expression and activities of these proteases in breast cancer have been extensively documented. The role of these proteases during mammary gland involution is further discussed. MMPs, calpains, and cathepsins exert their effect by modification of the extracellular matrix and intracellular proteins. Calpains, activated in the mammary gland during involution, cleave several proteins located in cell membrane, lysosomes, mitochondria, and nuclei favoring cell death. Besides, during this period, Capn1 is most probably involved in the modulation of preadipocyte differentiation through chromatin remodeling. Calpains can be implicated in cell anchoring loss, providing a proper microenvironment for tumor growth. A better understanding of the role of any of these proteases in tumorigenesis may yield novel therapeutic targets or prognostic markers for breast cancer. © 2015 IUBMB Life, 67(4):227–238, 2015
Prohibitin 2: At a communications crossroads
Authors: Bavelloni Alberto , Piazzi Manuela , Raffini Mirco , Faenza Irene , Blalock William L.
Published: April 2015

Prohibitins (PHBs) are a highly conserved class of proteins first discovered as inhibitors of cellular proliferation. Since then PHBs have been found to have a significant role in transcription, nuclear signaling, mitochondrial structural integrity, cell division, and cellular membrane metabolism, placing these proteins among the key regulators of pathologies such as cancer, neuromuscular degeneration, and other metabolic diseases. The human genome encodes two PHB proteins, prohibitin 1 (PHB1) and prohibitin 2 (PHB2), which function not only as a heterodimeric complex, but also independently. While many previous reviews have focused on the better characterized prohibitin, PHB1, this review focuses on PHB2 and new data concerning its cellular functions both in complex with PHB1 and independent of PHB1. © 2015 IUBMB Life, 67(4):239–254, 2015
Preclinical safety evaluation of low molecular weight heparin–deoxycholate conjugates as an oral anticoagulant
Authors: Kim Ji‐young , Jeon Ok‐Cheol , Moon Hyun Tae , Hwang Seung Rim , Byun Youngro
Published: April 2015

The preclinical safety of a newly developed oral anticoagulant, the low molecular weight heparin–deoxycholate conjugate (OH09208), was evaluated by a comprehensive evaluating program in compliance with standard guidelines. The single dose oral toxicity study in rats receiving 2000 and 5000 mg kg−1 of OH09208 did not reveal any mortality, unusual body weight changes or necropsy findings. The results of the 4‐week oral toxicity study with a 4‐week recovery program in rats receiving OH09208 in doses of 100, 300 and 1000 mg kg−1 day−1 did not reveal any mortality, or indicate any unusual clinical signs, or show any toxicokinetic relationships to the administration of OH09208. Although the increase in liver enzymes in one male dog treated with 300 mg kg−1 day−1 and one female dog treated with 1000 mg kg−1 day−1 could not be excluded from the effect of the test substance, no other toxicologically significant changes were observed in the 4‐week oral toxicity study with a 4‐week recovery in beagle dogs. Thus, while the no‐observed‐adverse‐effect level value from the 4‐week study in both male and female rats was 1000 mg kg−1 day−1, those from the 4‐week study in male and female beagle dogs were 300 and 1000 mg kg−1 day−1, respectively. Furthermore, OH09208 did not induce anaphylactic reactions in guinea pigs, micronucleated bone marrow cells in male ICR mice, chromosomal aberration in Chinese hamster lung cell lines, bacterial reverse mutation, and any abnormalities in hERG current assay, mouse central nervous system and dog cardiovascular studies. Overall, there were no unexpected toxicities in this preclinical study that might have precluded the safe administration of OH09208 to humans. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fibroblastic Synoviocytes Secrete Plasma Proteins Via α2‐Macroglobulins Serving as Intracellular and Extracellular Chaperones
Authors: Zhao Ke‐Wei , Murray Elsa J. Brochmann , Murray Samuel S.
Published: April 2015

Changes in plasma protein levels in synovial fluid (SF) have been implicated in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It was previously thought that the presence of plasma proteins in SF reflected ultrafiltration or extravasation from the vasculature, possibly due to retraction of inflamed endothelial cells. Recent proteomic analyses have confirmed the abundant presence of plasma proteins in SF from control and arthritic patients. Systematic depletion of high‐abundance plasma proteins from SF and conditioned media from synoviocytes cultured in serum, and protein analysis under denaturing/reducing conditions have limited our understanding of sources and the native structures of “plasma protein” complexes in SF. Using Western blotting, qPCR, and mass spectrometry, we found that Hig‐82 lapine fibroblastic synovicytes cultured under serum‐free conditions expressed and secreted plasma proteins, including the cytokine‐binding protein secreted phosphoprotein 24 kDa (Spp24) and many of the proteases and protease inhibitors found in SF. Treating synoviocytes with TGF‐β1 or BMP‐2 for 24 h upregulated the expression of plasma proteins, including Spp24, α2‐HS‐glycoprotein, α1‐antitrypsin, IGF‐1, and C‐reactive protein. Furthermore, many of the plasma proteins of mass <151 kDa were secreted as disulfide‐bound complexes with members of the α2‐macroglobulin (A2M) family, which serve as intracellular and extracellular chaperones, not protease inhibitors. Using brefeldin A to block vesicular traffic and protease inhibitors to inhibit endogenous activation of naïve A2M, we demonstrated that the complexes were formed in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen and that Ca2+cysteine protease‐dependent processes are involved. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 2563–2576, 2015. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA