bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Table of Contents
Authors: Reinsfelder Tom
Published: November 2014

Fall 2014 Table of Contents
Impacto de la motivación intrínseca en el rendimiento académico a través de trabajos voluntarios: Un análisis empírico
Authors: Camacho-Miñano María-del-Mar , Del Campo Campos Cristina
Published: November 2014

El rendimiento académico de los alumnos es unaspecto clave para todos los agentes implicados en una educación superior decalidad. Sin embargo, no hay unanimidad sobre la forma de medirlo. Algunosprofesionales se decantan por evaluar únicamente aspectos cognitivos y otrospor la adquisición de competencias. La necesidad de que se formen profesionalescada vez más adaptados a las exigencias de las empresas y/o que puedan competira nivel internacional en un mercado de trabajo global requiere de una formaciónmás allá de conocimientos aprendidos de memoria. La capacidad de crítica, derazonamiento lógico y de redacción escrita son habilidades muy demandasactualmente en el campo de las Ciencias Sociales. Elobjetivo de este estudio es demostrar empíricamente el impacto que los trabajosvoluntarios tienen en el rendimiento académico de los alumnos. Nuestrahipótesis de partida es que los alumnos que hacen todos los trabajosvoluntarios con calidad son aquellos más motivados y, por ende, son los quesacan mejores notas. Para demostrarlo se ha realizado un experimento con losalumnos de “Financial Accounting II” del curso 2012/13 en la Facultad deCiencias Económicas y Empresariales de la UCM. Se han planteado una serie detrabajos voluntarios que suponen la elaboración de ensayos contables, con lafinalidad de desarrollar habilidades y competencias en materias complementariasa las valoradas en el currículo de la asignatura. Al final del curso, se hacomparado tanto la realización o no del ensayo como su calidad crítica,reflexiva y de redacción. Losresultados obtenidos demuestran una relación entre los trabajos de calidadpresentados voluntariamente y la nota final de la asignatura. Esto supone quela motivación intrínseca del alumno es un elemento clave para su rendimientoacadémico. El rol del profesor se focaliza en ser un elemento motivador delaprendizaje.
Slavery, Ethnic Identity, and Christianity in Eighteenth-Century Moravian Antigua
Authors: Catron John William
Published: November 2014

Concerns over the maintenance of ethnic affiliation and conflicts with ethnic and subethnic rivals sparked interest in Christian conversion among enslaved Africans and people of African descent on the British West Indian island colony of Antigua in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Some enslaved Antiguans who identified themselves with larger ethnic groups joined Moravian mission churches to reunite with long-lost kinsmen and women and to try to find a culturally similar mate; those Afro-Antiguans who were not affiliated with large ethnic groups perceived the Moravian Church as a haven that protected them from menacing Old World antagonists. Together, Afro-Antiguans from hundreds of ethnic and subethnic backgrounds used the Moravian Church to create a new Afro-Atlantic Christianity.
De problematie van strafbaarheid van hulp bij zelfdoding door een niet-medicus
Authors: Rikmenspoel Marjolein
Published: November 2014

The issue of criminality of non-medical assistance towards the death of a loved one. The lawsuit Heringa and the call for self-determination.

Recently there’s a lot of debate within the Netherlands about the criminality of assistance by someone who’s not a doctor towards the death of a loved one. In the Heringa lawsuit a son has helped his (step)mother who wished to no longer live (considered her life to be ‘completed’) to die at an age of 99. The helper non-doctor risks criminal pursuit and punishment. The central argument of the lobby to establish a more humane approach towards the persevered need is personal autonomy. This article aims to clarify the debate and to stimulate another way of thinking towards the situation of, mostly, elderly who want to decide and act independently regarding their death.
Boerkaverbod en de terugkeer van Rousseau
Authors: Berger Maurits
Published: November 2014

Prohibition of the burqa and the return of Rousseau

The European Court of Human Rights has accepted the French ban on the wearing of a full face veil (burqa) in public based on the notion of ‘living together,’ which in the particular case of France is considered an essential part of the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

In the author’s view, this ruling is problematic as it elevates local – in this case French – customs of the majority to a legal norm. The law is to protect general freedoms, including the freedom to be different from the majority; the law is not to protect certain majority customs. Prescribing what is or is not culturally suitable may be expected from a theocracy or dictatorship, but is not what a legislator in a democratic society should do.
Dendritic Na+ spikes enable cortical input to drive action potential output from hippocampal CA2 pyramidal neurons
Authors: Sun Qian , Srinivas Kalyan V , Sotayo Alaba , Siegelbaum Steven A
Published: November 2014

Synaptic inputs from different brain areas are often targeted to distinct regions of neuronal dendritic arbors. Inputs to proximal dendrites usually produce large somatic EPSPs that efficiently trigger action potential (AP) output, whereas inputs to distal dendrites are greatly attenuated and may largely modulate AP output. In contrast to most other cortical and hippocampal neurons, hippocampal CA2 pyramidal neurons show unusually strong excitation by their distal dendritic inputs from entorhinal cortex (EC). In this study, we demonstrate that the ability of these EC inputs to drive CA2 AP output requires the firing of local dendritic Na+ spikes. Furthermore, we find that CA2 dendritic geometry contributes to the efficient coupling of dendritic Na+ spikes to AP output. These results provide a striking example of how dendritic spikes enable direct cortical inputs to overcome unfavorable distal synaptic locale to trigger axonal AP output and thereby enable efficient cortico-hippocampal information flow.
Sosiale mediers rolle i et saksbehandlingsperspektiv
Authors: Dørum Anne Mette
Published: November 2014

Artikkelen behandler de arkivfaglige utfordringene knyttet til offentlige organers bruk av sosiale media.
Factors associated with use of verbally coercive, incapacitated, and forcible sexual assault tactics in a longitudinal study of college men
Authors: Zinzow Heidi M. , Thompson Martie
Published: November 2014

Although verbally coerced and incapacitated sexual assaults are common, less is known about perpetrators of these incidents in comparison to perpetrators of forcible assaults. Furthermore, few studies have investigated factors that differentiate perpetrators who employ different forms of sexual assault tactics. The current study included 526 men who completed self‐report inventories at the end of each of their four years in college. Measures assessed sexual assault tactics, demographics, incident characteristics, risky behavior, rape supportive beliefs and peer norms, antisocial traits, and childhood adversity. Perpetrators were grouped based on the most severe tactics reported over the course of 7 assessed time periods, with 13% in the verbal coercion group, 16% in the incapacitation group, and 5% in the forcible group. ANOVAs determined that the forcible group scored significantly higher than incapacitation and verbal coercion groups on risky behavior, rape supportive beliefs/norms, antisocial traits, and childhood adversity. The incapacitation group scored higher than the verbal coercion group on risky behavior. In a multinomial logistic regression analysis comparing tactic groups to non‐perpetrators, all tactic groups scored significantly higher on risky behavior and rape supportive beliefs/norms, and the forcible group scored higher on antisocial traits and childhood adversity. Perpetrators in the forcible group had engaged in more repeat offenses, and perpetrators of both the incapacitated and forcible assaults were more likely to use alcohol before the incident. Findings highlight the need for interventions that are tailored to offense trajectories, alter rape supportive attitudes and peer norms, and decrease campus substance use. Aggr. Behav. 41:34–43 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
What Next for Human Space Flight?
Authors: Sherwood Brent
Published: November 2014

Space travel is undergoing a significant period of transformation. While exploration in the last six decades has been driven by government‐funded exploration by the major powers, the possibilities are now opening up for a Space Architecture that diversifies and caters for leisure, large‐scale industrialization and permanent settlement. Experienced space architect Brent Sherwood brings into focus four potential futures for human space flight ‐ experiencing, exploring, exploiting and settling.
Moon Capital: Life on the Moon 100 Years After Apollo
Authors: Vogler Andreas
Published: November 2014

Munich‐based architect Andreas Vogler, and co‐founder of Architecture and Vision, here presents his speculative project MoonCapital, a proposal for habitation of the Moon in 2069, a century after the first lunar landing. Located in the most promising place on the planet for human settlement, the lunar south pole, MoonCapital accommodates 60 or so people in a series of modules, allowing for cellular growth.
Colonising the Red Planet: Humans to Mars in Our Time
Authors: Zubrin Robert
Published: November 2014

Astronautical engineer and President of the Mars Society Robert Zubrin explains why a human exploration of Mars is preferable to the Moon and now within our grasp, despite being an average of 225 million miles away. He advocates how missions might be realised through a Mars Direct approach that employs relatively small spacecraft launched directly to the Red Planet via boosters.
Space Tourism: Waiting for Ignition
Authors: Doule Ondřej
Published: November 2014

Space tourism is in its infancy, having been launched a little over a decade ago by billionaire businessman Dennis Tito's venture into Space. Ondřej Doule, Assistant Professor of Human‐Centered Design and Aerospace Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology, and Chair of the Space Architecture Technical Committee at the AIAA, considers the shift that will have to be made in designing Space Architecture as space shuttles and stations transition from being ostensibly high‐security labs into floating hotels.
Ground Control: Space Architecture as Defined by Variable Gravity
Authors: Doule Ondřej
Published: November 2014

The research of architect and educator Ondřej Doule focuses on human‐system integration in spaceship cockpits and space station interiors. Here he describes how his interest in Space Architecture has been fuelled and defined by gravity or the lack of it: gravity being a constant on Earth, but a constant variable in Space.
Direct Cytosolic Delivery of siRNA Using Nanoparticle‐Stabilized Nanocapsules
Authors: Jiang Ying , Tang Rui , Duncan Bradley , Jiang Ziwen , Yan Bo , Mout Rubul , Rotello Vincent M.
Published: November 2014

The use of nanoparticle‐stabilized nanocapsules (NPSCs) for the direct cytosolic delivery of siRNA is reported. In this approach, siRNA is complexed with cationic arginine‐functionalized gold nanoparticles by electrostatic interactions, with the resulting ensemble self‐assembled onto the surface of fatty acid nanodroplets to form a NPSC/siRNA nanocomplex. The complex rapidly delivers siRNA into the cytosol through membrane fusion, a mechanism supported by cellular uptake studies. Using destabilized green fluorescent protein (deGFP) as a target, 90 % knockdown was observed in HEK293 cells. Moreover, the delivery of siRNA targeting polo‐like kinase 1 (siPLK1) efficiently silenced PLK1 expression in cancer cells with concomitant cytotoxicity.
Unambiguous Assignment of Short‐ and Long‐Range Structural Restraints by Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy with Segmental Isotope Labeling
Authors: Schubeis Tobias , Lührs Thorsten , Ritter Christiane
Published: November 2014

We present an efficient method for the reduction of spectral complexity in the solid‐state NMR spectra of insoluble protein assemblies, without loss of signal intensity. The approach is based on segmental isotope labeling by using the split intein DnaE from Nostoc punctiforme. We show that the segmentally 13C,15N‐labeled prion domain of HET‐s exhibits significantly reduced spectral overlap while retaining the wild‐type structure and spectral quality. A large number of unambiguous distance restraints were thus collected from a single two‐dimensional 13C,13C cross‐correlation spectrum. The observed resonances could be unambiguously identified as intramolecular without the need for preparing a dilute, less sensitive sample.
Energy Efficiency Hierarchy Evaluation Based on Data Envelopment Analysis and its Application in a Petrochemical Process
Authors: Han Yongming , Geng Zhiqiang
Published: November 2014

A novel energy evaluation framework of petrochemical industrial processes based on a data envelopment analysis (DEA)‐integrated analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model is proposed. An improved AHP method is brought up based on the differences of data themselves to build fusion matrices among energy consumption data. Then the fractional DEA model is solved by the linear programming method. The integrating evaluation method can overcome the usual shortcomings of the DEA model and is also able to reflect the effectiveness of decision‐making units among different levels. A small number of such units are analyzed using the DEA model, and a multilevel integration of DEA efficiency values is disposed by the improved AHP method. The approach is firstly applied to the energy efficiency analysis of the ethylene production process in petrochemistry to improve energy consumption and efficiency.
Treatment of gaseous effluents by using surface discharge plasma in continuous reactors: Process modelling and simulation
Authors: Assadi Aymen Amine , Bouzaza Abdelkrim , Wolbert Dominique
Published: November 2014

In the present work, the oxidation of isovaleraldehyde, a typical pollutant of indoor air, is investigated by using two different plasma DBD reactors: cylindrical and planar reactor. The study of the influence of the specific energy shows that its increment is accompanied by an increase of the removal efficiency. In fact, when specific energy extends three times, the removal efficiency is increased from 5 to 40 %. Moreover an increase of the specific energy induces a higher mineralization due to byproducts oxidation with reactive species production. The same behaviour is observed with ozone production. A generic mathematical model is developed to represent the experimental results obtained. This model is based on several mass transfer steps occurring in series between bulk and plasma phases. The degradation reaction mechanism is supposed to occur on two steps. Firstly, isovaleraldehyde leads to the formation of a fictitious equivalent intermediate (EI). In a second step, EI is transformed into CO and CO2. This approach gives a good agreement between modelling and experiments with a satisfactory overall description of byproducts formation. This original approach allows for the simulation of plasma oxidation kinetics process without knowing the complete chemical pathway.
From Ergolines to Indoles: Improved Inhibitors of the Human H3 Receptor for the Treatment of Narcolepsy
Authors: Auberson Yves P. , Troxler Thomas , Zhang Xuechun , Yang Charles R. , Feuerbach Dominik , Liu Yu‐Chih , Lagu Bharat , Perrone Mark , Lei Lijun , Shen Xiaoxia , Zhang Dushan , Wang Chunxiu , Wang Tie‐Lin , Briner Karin , Bock Mark G.
Published: November 2014

Ergolines were recently identified as a novel class of H3 receptor (H3R) inverse agonists. Although their optimization led to drug candidates with encouraging properties for the treatment of narcolepsy, brain penetration remained low. To overcome this issue, ergoline 1 ((6aR,9R,10aR)‐4‐(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl)‐N‐phenyl‐9‐(pyrrolidine‐1‐carbonyl)‐6,6a,8,9,10,10a‐hexahydroindolo[4,3‐fg]quinoline‐7(4H)‐carboxamide)) was transformed into a series of indole derivatives with high H3R affinity. These new molecules were profiled by simultaneous determination of their brain receptor occupancy (RO) levels and pharmacodynamic (PD) effects in mice. These efforts culminated in the discovery of 15 m ((R)‐1‐isopropyl‐5‐(1‐(2‐(2‐methylpyrrolidin‐1‐yl)ethyl)‐1H‐indol‐4‐yl)pyridin‐2(1H)‐one), which has an ideal profile showing a strong correlation of PD effects with RO, and no measurable safety liabilities. Its desirably short duration of action was confirmed by electroencephalography (EEG) measurements in rats.
More a finger than a nose: The trigeminal motor and sensory innervation of the Schnauzenorgan in the elephant‐nose Fish Gnathonemus petersii
Authors: Amey‐Özel Monique , von der Emde Gerhard , Engelmann Jacob , Grant Kirsty
Published: November 2014

The weakly electric fish Gnathonemus petersii uses its electric sense to actively probe the environment. Its highly mobile chin appendage, the Schnauzenorgan, is rich in electroreceptors. Physical measurements have demonstrated the importance of the position of the Schnauzenorgan in funneling the fish's self‐generated electric field. The present study focuses on the trigeminal motor pathway that controls Schnauzenorgan movement and on its trigeminal sensory innervation and central representation. The nerves entering the Schnauzenorgan are very large and contain both motor and sensory trigeminal components as well as an electrosensory pathway. With the use of neurotracer techniques, labeled Schnauzenorgan motoneurons were found throughout the ventral main body of the trigeminal motor nucleus but not among the population of larger motoneurons in its rostrodorsal region. The Schnauzenorgan receives no motor or sensory innervation from the facial nerve. There are many anastomoses between the peripheral electrosensory and trigeminal nerves, but these senses remain separate in the sensory ganglia and in their first central relays. Schnauzenorgan trigeminal primary afferent projections extend throughout the descending trigeminal sensory nuclei, and a few fibers enter the facial lobe. Although no labeled neurons could be identified in the brain as the trigeminal mesencephalic root, some Schnauzenorgan trigeminal afferents terminated in the trigeminal motor nucleus, suggesting a monosynaptic, possibly proprioceptive, pathway. In this first step toward understanding multimodal central representation of the Schnauzenorgan, no direct interconnections were found between the trigeminal sensory and electromotor command system, or the electrosensory and trigeminal motor command. The pathways linking perception to action remain to be studied. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:769–789, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rapid and cost‐efficient enumeration of rare cancer cells from whole blood by low‐loss centrifugo‐magnetophoretic purification under stopped‐flow conditions
Authors: Kirby Daniel , Glynn Macdara , Kijanka Gregor , Ducrée Jens
Published: November 2014

We present a substantially improved design and functionality of a centrifugo‐magnetophoretic platform which integrates direct immunoseparation and cost‐efficient, bright‐field detection of cancer cells in whole blood. All liquid handling takes place in a disposable cartridge with geometry akin to a conventional compact disc (CD). The instrumentation required to process such a “lab‐on‐a‐disc” cartridge can be as simple and cost‐efficient as the rotor on a common optical disc drive. In a first step, target cells in a blood sample are specifically bound to paramagnetic microbeads. The sample is then placed into the disc cartridge and spun. In the second step, magnetically tagged target cells are separated by a co‐rotating, essentially lateral magnetic field from the background population of abundant blood cells, and also from unbound magnetic beads. A stream of target cells centrifugally sediments through a stagnant liquid phase into a designated detection chamber. The continuous, multiforce immunoseparation proceeds very gently, i.e. the mechanical and hydrodynamic stress to the target cells is minimized to mitigate the risk of cell loss by collective entrapment in the background cells or vigorous snapping against a wall. We successfully demonstrate the extraction of MCF7 cancer cells at concentrations as low as 1 target cell per μl from a background of whole blood, with capture efficiencies of up to 88%. Its short time‐to‐answer is a notable characteristic of this system, with 10% of target cells collected in the first minute after their loading to the system and the remainder captured within the following 10 min. All the above‐mentioned factors synergetically combine to leverage the development of a prospective point‐of‐care device for CTC detection. © 2014 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
A Copper Complex of a Noninnocent Iminophenol‐Amidopyridine Hybrid Ligand: Synthesis, Characterization, and Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation
Authors: Alaji Zahra , Safaei Elham , Chiang Linus , Clarke Ryan M. , Mu Changhua , Storr Tim
Published: November 2014

Reaction of the noninnocent iminophenol‐iminopyridine hybrid ligand HLIPIP, where LIPIP denotes [2‐((E)‐{(E)‐2‐[(E)‐pyridin‐2‐ylmethyleneamino]benzylidene}amino)‐4,6‐di‐tert‐butylphenolate], with copper acetate afforded a copper complex, LAPIPCuII, in which one of the imine functional groups is oxidized to an amide during metal complexation. The new CuII complex is capable of catalyzing efficient aerobic alcohol oxidation under mild conditions. The crystal structure of LAPIPCuII exhibits a square‐planar geometry with the CuII center coordinated by three nitrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Electrochemical studies were conducted to evaluate the redox‐active behavior of the complex, and the results showed a quasireversible reduction and a ligand‐based oxidation process. The neutral species of LAPIPCuII is EPR active, which is consistent with a paramagnetic electronic ground state (d9, S = 1/2), whereas the one‐electron oxidized complex was X‐band EPR silent. One‐electron chemical oxidation of LAPIPCuII gave a new species that can be attributed to a CuII‐phenoxyl radical complex. Based on EPR measurements in conjunction with density functional theory calculations, [LAPIPCuII]+ is proposed to have a triplet electronic ground state, exhibiting a weak ferromagnetic interaction between the CuII center and the coordinated phenoxyl radical.
Controlled Linker Dependence of Solution‐ and Solid‐State Emission of Vaulted trans‐Bis(salicylaldiminato)platinum(II) Complexes with Amino Functionalities
Authors: Komiya Naruyoshi , Okada Minoru , Hoshino Makoto , Le Ngoc Ha‐Thu , Naota Takeshi
Published: November 2014

The synthesis, structures, and emission properties of vaulted trans‐bis(salicylaldiminato)platinum(II) complexes 1 with diethylamino functionalities are described and compared with the non‐substituted analogues. The amino substitution provides an improvement of the linker dependence both for the color change of the trans‐bis(salicylaldiminato)platinum(II) platform in the glass state and for the acid‐induced emission enhancement in the solution state. The linker dependence of the crystalline‐state emission intensity changes with the amino functionality, which leads to intense emission of the vaulted crystals with low structural dependence. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies and DFT calculations revealed that the unique photophysical properties arising from the amino functionality are attributable to enhanced planarity and self‐constraint of the coordination platform, which is due to their strong contribution to d–π conjugation and intermolecular hydrogen bonding.
Synthesis of (E)‐1,4‐Enediones from α‐Halo Ketones Through a Sodium Sulfinate Mediated Reaction
Authors: Li Su‐Yi , Wang Xiao‐Bing , Jiang Neng , Kong Ling‐Yi
Published: November 2014

We developed a mild and practical protocol for the synthesis of 1,4‐enedione from α‐halo ketones through a sodium sulfinate mediated reaction. This reaction enables the construction of symmetric and unsymmetric 1,4‐enedione with complete E selectivity. Sodium 4‐toluenesulfinate plays an important role in this reaction.
Catalytic Asymmetric Alkylation of Aryl Heteroaryl Ketones
Authors: Ortiz Pablo , del Hoyo Ana M. , Harutyunyan Syuzanna R.
Published: November 2014

Tertiary diarylmethanols are highly bioactive structural motifs. A new strategy to access chiral tertiary diarylmethanols through copper‐catalyzed direct alkylation of (di)(hetero)aryl ketones by using Grignard reagents was developed. The low reactivity and the similarity of the enantiotopic faces of bis‐aromatic ketones were partially overcome, which resulted in moderate to good yields and enantioselectivities.
Heterogeneously‐Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide to Methane using RuNi Bimetallic Catalysts
Authors: Lange Felix , Armbruster Udo , Martin Andreas
Published: November 2014

One facet of the future energy supply can be covered by the use of synthetic natural gas (SNG) obtained from carbon dioxide and hydrogen using excess solar or wind energy to power water electrolysis. In this article, zirconia supported RuNi bimetallic catalysts were evaluated for this reaction at 300–400 °C, 10 bar, and space velocities up to 36 000 h−1. In general, the reaction is close to the equilibrium; CO2 conversion is complete, and SNG selectivity is close to 100 %. The studies have shown that Ru can be partially substituted by Ni to achieve similar product performance. Bimetallic catalysts with low loadings show the formation of alloys but higher loadings lead to segregation and agglomeration of Ni particles. The SNG productivity (at 36 000 h−1) reached on the best catalysts approximately 70 kg kgRu−1 h−1 and 40 kg kgNi−1 h−1, respectively. Thus, a SNG space‐time‐yield of approximately 50–100 kg kgmetal−1 h−1 (70–140 N m3 h−1) can be obtained to this point.
Hyperglycemia and chronic liver diseases on risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes––National cohort of Taiwan Diabetes Study
Authors: Li Chia‐Ing , Chen Hsuan‐Ju , Lai Hsueh‐Chou , Liu Chiu‐Shong , Lin Wen‐Yuan , Li Tsai‐Chung , Lin Cheng‐Chieh
Published: November 2014

This study examined whether glycated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) and chronic liver diseases are associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in Type 2 diabetic patients. A retrospective cohort study consisting of 51,705 patients with Type 2 diabetes aged 30 and over enrolled in the National Diabetes Care Management Program before 2004 was used in Cox proportional hazards models. HbA1C was independently associated with HCC incidence, and multivariate‐adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of HCC was 1.20 (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.02–1.41) for patients with a level of HbA1c ≥ 9% compared with patients with a level of HbA1c <7% after multivariate adjustment. We observed a significant linear trend in HCC incidence with increasing HbA1c (p for trend = 0.02, HR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.01–1.12 for every 1% increment in HbA1c). We observed significant HRs of HCC for patients with a level of HbA1c ≥ 9% with alcoholic liver damage, liver cirrhosis, HBV, HCV and any one of chronic liver diseases compared with patients with a level of HbA1c <9% and no counterpart comorbidity in the entire sample (HR = 8.63, 95% CI = 1.41–52.68; HR = 5.02, 95% CI = 3.10–8.12; HR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.10–5.85; HR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.01–3.17; and HR = 3.59, 95% CI = 2.56–5.02, respectively). Our results suggest significant joint associations of HbA1c ≥ 9% and chronic liver diseases. Lifestyle or treatment interventions such as maintaining a satisfactory glycemic control and chronic liver diseases may reduce the burden of HCC.
Phosphorylation of AKT(Ser473) serves as an independent prognostic marker for radiosensitivity in advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Freudlsperger Christian , Horn Dominik , Weißfuß Sebastian , Weichert Wilko , Weber Klaus‐Josef , Saure Daniel , Sharma Sarika , Dyckhoff Gerhard , Grabe Niels , Plinkert Peter , Hoffmann Jürgen , Freier Kolja , Hess Jochen
Published: November 2014

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is frequently characterized by high resistance to radiotherapy, which critically depends on both altered signaling pathways within tumor cells and their dynamic interaction with the tumor microenvironment. This study evaluated the prognostic value of the phosphorylation status of AKT on Ser473 and Thr308 for the clinical outcome of patients with advanced HNSCC on radiotherapy. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of AKT(Ser473) phosphorylation [p‐AKT(Ser473)] in the context of radioresistance using ex vivo tissue cultures that resemble the complex tissue architecture and paracrine interaction with the tumor microenvironment. In a cohort of 120 patients with advanced HNSCC, who were treated with primary or adjuvant radiotherapy, a significant association was found between relative p‐AKT(Ser473) levels and overall survival (p = 0.006) as well as progression‐free survival (p = 0.021), while no significant correlation was revealed for relative p‐AKT(Thr308) levels. In ex vivo tissue cultures p‐AKT(Ser473) levels were increased upon irradiation and treatment with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 inhibited both basal and irradiation induced AKT(Ser473) phosphorylation. Strikingly, pretreatment with LY294002 sensitized tissue cultures derived from primary and recurrent tumors to radiotherapy as determined by impaired tumor cell proliferation and enhanced DNA damage. In conclusion, phosphorylation status of AKT(Ser473) in tumor specimens serves as a novel biomarker to identify patients with advanced HNSCC at high risk for treatment failure following radiotherapy, and our data from ex vivo tissue cultures support the assumption that pharmacological inhibition of AKT(Ser473) phosphorylation might circumvent radioresistance to improve efficiency and reduce toxicity of current treatment modalities.
Fourfold Alkoxy‐Substituted [2.2.2]Paracyclophane‐1,9,17‐trienes–ROMP into PPVs with Unusual Topologies
Authors: Mäker Dominic , Bunz Uwe H. F.
Published: November 2014

The synthesis of two 4,7,12,15‐tetrakisalkoxy‐substituted [2.2.2]‐paracyclophane‐1,9,17‐trienes and their polymerization employing ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using Ru‐carbenes (third‐generation Grubbs catalyst) is reported. Phenylene ethynylene trimers are reduced via a Grignard reagent, followed by an intramolecular McMurry cyclization to give the cyclophenes. The cyclophenes are polymerized into soluble poly(para‐phenylene vinylene)s (PPV), which are analyzed in solution by NMR, UV–vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. They are spin coated into amorphous, fluorescent thin films, and investigated by optical spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry.

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Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in infants
Authors: Gassas Adam , Ashraf Kaleem , Zaidman Irina , Ali Muhammad , Krueger Joerg , Doyle John , Schechter Tal , Leucht Stephan
Published: November 2014

Background

It is rare for infants, who are less than 365 days old, to receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Our objective was to review the indications, survival, and late effects of infants who received HSCT.

Procedure

Between April 1992 and March 2010, a total of 1,363 children underwent HSCT (775 allogeneic [allo]; 588 autologous [auto]) in the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Of these, 51 (3.7%) were infants.

Results

Seventeen infants received allo HSCT for a genetic metabolic disorder. The median age at HSCT was 211 days (29–334 days). After median follow‐up of 8.9 years (2.9–20.2 years), 12 patients remained alive, representing an overall survival rate of 70%. Infants with non‐metabolic disorders (n = 34); 10 (three neuroblastoma [NBL], three brain tumor, two acute meylogenous leukemia [AML], one rhabdomyosarcoma, and one retinoblastoma) received auto HSCT, and 24 (eight hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis [HLH], four juvenile meylomonocytic leukemia [JMML], four Wiscott–Aldrych Syndrome [WAS], three acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL], two AML, one severe aplastic anemia [SAA], one chronic granulomatous disease [CGD], and one amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia) received allo HSCT. Their median age at HSCT was 255 days (142–365 days). At median follow‐up of 8.7 years (2.5–17.6 years), 26 infants remained alive, representing an overall survival rate of 76%. In the auto HSCT category, eight of 10 infants are long‐term survivors. Late effects such as organ dysfunction, endocrinopathy, and secondary tumors were within accepted range.

Conclusion

The survival rate of infants who receive HSCT is encouraging. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:517–521. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Electrostatic analysis of bacterial expansins
Authors: Pastor Nina , Dávila Sonia , Pérez‐Rueda Ernesto , Segovia Lorenzo , Martínez‐Anaya Claudia
Published: November 2014

Expansins are a family of proteins with plant cell wall remodeling‐activity, which bind cell wall components through hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. A shallow area on the surface of the protein serves as the polysaccharide binding site (PBS) and it is composed of conserved residues. However, electric charge differences on the opposite face of the PBS produce basic, neutral, or acidic proteins. An analysis of forty‐four bacterial expansins, homologues of BsEXLX1, revealed two main groups defined by: (a) the presence or absence of disulfide bonds; and (b) by the proteins isoelectric point (pI). We determined the location of the residues responsible for the pI on the structure of representative expansins. Our results suggest that the electric charge at the opposite site of the PBS may help in substrate differentiation among expansins from different species; in addition, electrostatic polarization between the front and the back of the molecule could affect expansin activity on cellulose. Proteins 2015; 83:215–223. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Testing conditions for reversibility of martensitic transformations with an isotropic potential for identical particles
Authors: Laguna M. F.
Published: November 2014

A simple interparticle potential for a set of classical identical particles is used to model martensitic transformations in two dimensions. The influence of the symmetry of the phases involved in the transformation on the reversibility of such process is analyzed. Numerical simulations are used to confirm the theoretical suggestion that a necessary condition for reversibility is that transformations be group–subgroup.
CuPc:C60 nanocomposite: A pathway to control organic microstructure and phase transformation
Authors: Stock Taylor J. Z. , Ogundimu Tolu , Baribeau Jean‐Marc , Lu Zheng‐Hong , Nogami Jun
Published: November 2014

Growth and thermal behavior of copper‐phthalocyanine (CuPc) and fullerene (C60) organic nanocomposite thin films, grown on SiO2 and Cu(111) surfaces, have been studied using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). It is found that the growth of pure CuPc organic thin films follows an island‐type growth mode. The island formation is found to be dramatically suppressed by the inclusion of C60 during deposition. XRD and STM studies reveal that the CuPc molecular packing is altered upon C60 inclusion, producing disordered CuPc–C60 interfaces. The ordered molecular stacking of CuPc is found to be disrupted completely when C60 concentration reaches 30 wt.%. The thermal stability of the CuPc thin film has been significantly improved upon C60 inclusion. It is suggested that the molecular diffusion kinetics rather than thermodynamics are responsible for the improved stability.
Adaptive tracking control for uncertain switched systems under asynchronous switching
Authors: Wu Caiyun , Zhao Jun , Sun Xi‐Ming
Published: November 2014

This paper addresses the state‐tracking model reference adaptive control problem for a class of switched systems with parametric uncertainties, where switchings between subsystems and designed adaptive controller are asynchronous. First, we establish a stability criterion for a switched reference model and convert the state‐tracking problem into the stability problem of an error switched system. Then, an adaptive law is designed, and the global practical stability of the error switched system is guaranteed under a class of switching signals characterized by a dwell‐time condition. An electrohydraulic system is given as an example to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed design method. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using the climate change vulnerability index to inform adaptation planning: Lessons, innovations, and next steps
Authors: Young Bruce E. , Dubois Natalie S. , Rowland Erika L.
Published: November 2014

New tools and approaches are becoming available for wildlife conservation managers to help support climate adaptation activities, but few studies have documented how practitioners have applied these tools and perceive their utility. We surveyed the literature and users of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI), a tool that is widely used in North America to assess species' vulnerability to climate change, to characterize 1) how the tool has been used; 2) the objectives addressed by projects using the tool; 3) novel approaches that might be useful to other users; 4) how the results contributed to climate change adaptation planning; and 5) needed improvements recognized by users of the tool. Responses from 25 CCVI users, representing state agencies and natural heritage programs, conservation organizations, and universities, combined with published reports from 20 CCVI assessments, indicated that the CCVI has been applied to large numbers of species from diverse taxonomic groups. Results from these assessments have been used to communicate about climate change vulnerability, select species to be prioritized for management, inform management decisions, identify monitoring needs, and inform land‐acquisition decisions. Users of the CCVI have developed novel ways to address uncertainty in climate and species natural‐history data, involve stakeholders, evaluate migratory species, address specific management questions, and combine outputs with the results of parallel spatial analyses. To address user needs, future iterations of the tool should address climate exposure in the full life cycle of migratory species; better examine species dependent on specific vegetation microhabitats; and improve treatment of the effects of climate on diseases, parasites, and natural enemies. © 2015 The Authors. The Wildlife Society Bulletin published by The Wildlife Society.
Nocturnal movements and habitat selection of mesopredators encountering bobwhite nests
Authors: Cooper Susan M. , Jhala Shesh , Rollins Dale , Feagin Rusty A.
Published: November 2014

Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) represent a valuable resource for upland game‐bird hunters and the rural economies they support; however, bobwhite populations are declining across the United States. As ground‐nesting birds, bobwhites are highly susceptible to mammalian predation during the breeding season. We placed global positioning collars on 6 coyotes (Canis latrans), 4 bobcats (Lynx rufus), and 11 raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Texas, USA, during the nesting season of bobwhites (April–August of 2009–2011) to assess their habitat selection and use, as well as determine the relative frequency with which they may encounter bobwhite nests. Overall, nightly encounter rate of predators with known bobwhite nest sites was low. Coyotes encountered nest sites 3 times more frequently than male raccoons and 7 times more frequently than bobcats. Female raccoons did not come within 50 m of any nest locations. The higher encounter rate of coyotes with bobwhite nest sites was associated with the similarity of habitat preference of coyotes and bobwhites for grasslands and grass–shrub habitats and the wide‐ranging nocturnal paths of coyotes. Bobcats and raccoons had shorter nightly paths and mainly used habitats providing a greater degree of cover than is typically suitable for nesting bobwhites. Male raccoons were more mobile than females and made greater use of the grass–shrub habitat, and thus were more likely to encounter quail nests. Despite having lower individual encounter rates with bobwhite nest sites than did coyotes, male raccoons remain important predators of quail nests because they have the behavioral ability to attain greater population densities than those of the more territorial coyotes and bobcats. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.
The Fossil Fishes of the English Wealden and Purbeck Formations
Authors: Woodward Arthur Smith
Published: November 2014

The Purbeck and Wealden formations of southern England represent marginal marine and continental deposition during the latest Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods. More famous for their fossil dinosaurs and mammals, these units also yield the remains of fishes. In this work, first published in three parts between 1916 and 1919, Arthur Smith Woodward (1864–1944) provides the most extensive overview of the Purbeck and Wealden ichthyofauna, describing and illustrating some thirty genera of cartilaginous, lobe-finned, and ray-finned fishes. Woodward finds the preservation of fishes from both deposits to be suboptimal, but nevertheless comes to some important conclusions: he shows that the fish fauna of the English Wealden is nearly identical to that of the famous coeval deposits of Bernissart in Belgium, and finds that the species from both the Wealden and Purbeck show closer affinities with Jurassic forms than with later Cretaceous lineages like those described in his monograph on fishes from the Chalk.
Once a Sacred and Secluded Place: Early Bronze Age Monuments at Church Lawton, near Alsager, Cheshire
Authors: Reid Malcolm ,   with contributions from, Brooks Ian , Innes Jim , Needham Stuart , Roe Fiona , Smith Ian , Walsh Sam , Woodward Ann
Published: November 2014

Two round barrows were excavated in 1982–3 at Church Lawton near to the eastern edge of the Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain. One of the barrows was defined by a ring of nine glacial boulders and it is possible that these monoliths initially formed a free-standing stone circle. The remains constitute a rare example of the use of stone to enhance a Bronze Age barrow in the lowlands of central western England. Beneath the mound demarcated by the boulders were the burnt remains of a small, roughly rectangular turf stack associated with fragments of clay daub and pieces of timber. No direct evidence of burial was found within the monument. A radiocarbon date suggests that the structural sequence began sometime in the late 3rd–early 2nd millennium calbc. The other barrow was principally a two-phased construction and contained urned and un-urned cremation burials. A battle-axe was placed next to one of the burials. Radiocarbon dates obtained from the cremations and associated deposits indicate that individuals were being interred from the late 3rd or early 2nd millennium calbc, with the practice continuing until the middle of the 2nd millennium. The barrows formed part of a cemetery, consisting of three known mounds.
War with Crazy Types
Authors: Acharya Avidit , Grillo Edoardo
Published: November 2014

This article introduces a model of war and peace in which leaders believe that their adversaries might be crazy types who always behave aggressively, regardless of whether it is strategically optimal to do so. In the model, two countries are involved in a dispute that can either end in a peaceful settlement or escalate into ‘limited war’ or ‘total war.’ If it is common knowledge that the leaders of the countries are strategically rational, then the only equilibrium outcome of the model is peace. Yet if a leader believes that there is a chance that her adversary is a crazy type, then even a strategically rational adversary may have an incentive to adopt a madman strategy in which he pretends to be crazy. This leads to limited war with positive probability, even when both leaders are strategically rational. The article shows that despite having two-sided incomplete information, the model has a generically unique equilibrium. Moreover, the model identifies two countervailing forces that drive equilibrium behavior: a reputation motive and a defense motive. When the prior probability that a leader is crazy decreases, the reputation motive promotes less aggressive behavior by that leader, while the defense motive pushes for more aggressive behavior. These two forces underlay several comparative statics results. For example, the study analyzes the effect of increasing the prior probability that a leader is crazy, and the effect of changing the relative military strengths of the countries, on the equilibrium behavior of both leaders. The analysis also characterizes the conditions under which the madman strategy is profitable (or not), which contributes to the debate in the literature about its effectiveness.
'Better than anywhere else'
Authors: Monsour Anne
Published: November 2014

Until the 1960s, the settlement of Lebanese migrants in Queensland was characteristically regional, with the immigrants dispersed widely throughout the state. Immigrant settlement involves a dynamic and complex interaction between the immigrants and the social, political and economic structures of the receiving society. An analysis of the settlement experience of Lebanese immigrants in Queensland from the 1880s reveals the interplay of several factors, which resulted in a distinct pattern of settlement. Fundamental to this experience was the influence of racially exclusive state and Commonwealth legislation and immigration policies. Additionally, Queensland’s particular geography and style of development, in conjunction with the predominance of self-employment and the segregation of Lebanese in petty commercial occupations such as hawking and shopkeeping, significantly determined the immigrants’ geographic settlement pattern. Finally, a less obvious but nonetheless important factor was the determination of the immigrants to settle permanently in Queensland. Whatever the reasons, this dispersed settlement pattern significantly shaped the lives of the immigrants and their descendants.
A Chinese shopkeeper on the Atherton Tablelands
Authors: Loy-Wilson Sophie
Published: November 2014

Taking My Life and Work as a starting point, this article examines Chinese shops and shopkeepers in regional Queensland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Focusing on Chinese shops spaces, it argues that commercial development in Australian rural towns was interwoven with regional Chinese economies in ways not yet fully explored by historians. It does so by examining two sets of sources dating between 1885 and 1940: the diaries and oral testimonies of Chinese shopkeepers and shop workers in regional Queensland (such as My Life and Work) and Australian depictions of Chinese shopkeepers in travel literature and memoirs from the same period.
White African migrants in regional Queensland
Authors: Gehrmann Richard
Published: November 2014

During the political tension that accompanied the Movement for Democratic Change campaigns and the related farm invasions in the year 2000, international journalists converged on Zimbabwe. In one of the reports on this complex human tragedy, Times journalist Daniel McGrory noted that the Australian High Commission was receiving 400 visa inquiries a day, and that ‘brochures for Kangaroo Island and [the] Darling Downs are in many a farmhouse’. It seems surprising that this particular area of regional Queensland would appear significant enough to be mentioned in The Times, and this raises the question of why it might have been a chosen destination for white Africans. The reasons that white Africans migrate to Australia are well documented, but the question of why some choose to settle in regional Queensland is intriguing. Such migration supports the contention that regional areas are not moribund or isolated from external forces, but that they are shaped by the active movement of peoples with diverse cultures and experiences.