bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First Episode of Spontaneous Pneumothorax: CT‐based Scoring to Select Patients for Early Surgery
Authors: Primavesi Florian , Jäger Tarkan , Meissnitzer Thomas , Buchner Selina , Reich‐Weinberger Silvia , Öfner Dietmar , Hutter Jörg , Aspalter Manuela
Published: December 2015

Background

Although recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is frequent, guidelines do not routinely recommend surgery after first presentation. A CT‐based lung dystrophy severity score (DSS) has recently been proposed to predict recurrence following conservative therapy. This study compares the DSS in surgically and conservatively treated patients.

Methods

This is a retrospective analysis of first episode PSP patients, comparing video‐assisted thoracic surgery (VATS; group A) to conservative treatment with or without chest drainage (group B). CT scans were reviewed for blebs or bullae, and patients were assigned DSS values and stratified into risk groups (low and high‐grade). Primary end point was ipsilateral or contralateral recurrence.

Results

Fifty‐six patients were included, 33 received VATS and 23 conservative treatment. In total, 37.5 % experienced recurrence, with a 5‐year estimated recurrence rate of 40.7 % (group A: 13.3 %; group B: 73.9 %; p < 0.001). In group B, detection of any dystrophic lesions resulted in significantly higher 5‐year recurrence rates (86.7 vs. 50.0 %; p = 0.03), there was no significant difference in group A (17.7 vs. 7.7 %; p = 0.50). Greater DSS values correlated with higher 5‐year recurrence rates in group B (p = 0.02), but not in group A (p = 0.90). Comparing low‐ and high‐grade patients in group B resulted in a significant 5‐year recurrence rate of 53.8 versus 100 % (p = 0.023).

Conclusions

The DSS is useful to indicate VATS after the first episode. For routine application, assigning patients to low‐ and high‐grade groups seems most practical. We recommend CT‐evaluation for every PSP patient and early surgery for those with lesions exceeding one bleb. After VATS, the preoperative DSS is not beneficial in predicting recurrence.
Test section streaks originating from imperfections in a zither located upstream of a contraction
Authors: Pook David A. , Watmuff Jonathan H. , Orifici Adrian C.
Published: December 2015

Defining a link between wind-tunnel settling chamber screens, flow quality and test section boundary-layer spanwise variation is necessary for accurate transition prediction. The aim of this work is to begin establishing this link. The computed, steady, laminar wake of a zither (screen model) with imperfect wire spacing is tracked through a contraction and into a model test section. The contraction converts the zither wake into streamwise vorticity which then creates spanwise variation (streaks) in the test-section boundary layer. The magnitude of the spanwise variation is sensitive to the zither open-area ratio and imperfections, but the observed wavelength is relatively insensitive to the zither wire spacing. Increased spanwise variation is attributed to large wavelength variation of drag across the zither, and not the coalescence of jets phenomena. The linear stability of the streaks is predicted using the parabolized stability equations with the$\text{e}^{N}$method. A standard deviation of zither wire position error of 38.1 ${\rm\mu}$m (15 % of wire diameter) for a zither of 50 % open-area ratio is found to suppress Tollmien–Schlichting wave growth significantly.
Falling liquid films with blowing and suction
Authors: Thompson Alice B. , Tseluiko Dmitri , Papageorgiou Demetrios T.
Published: December 2015

Flow of a thin viscous film down a flat inclined plane becomes unstable to long-wave interfacial fluctuations when the Reynolds number based on the mean film thickness becomes larger than a critical value (this value decreases as the angle of inclination to the horizontal increases, and in particular becomes zero when the plate is vertical). Control of these interfacial instabilities is relevant to a wide range of industrial applications including coating processes and heat or mass transfer systems. This study considers the effect of blowing and suction through the substrate in order to construct from first principles physically realistic models that can be used for detailed passive and active control studies of direct relevance to possible experiments. Two different long-wave, thin-film equations are derived to describe this system; these include the imposed blowing/suction as well as inertia, surface tension, gravity and viscosity. The case of spatially periodic blowing and suction is considered in detail and the bifurcation structure of forced steady states is explored numerically to predict that steady states cease to exist for sufficiently large suction speeds since the film locally thins to zero thickness, giving way to dry patches on the substrate. The linear stability of the resulting non-uniform steady states is investigated for perturbations of arbitrary wavelength, and any instabilities are followed into the fully nonlinear regime using time-dependent computations. The case of small amplitude blowing/suction is studied analytically both for steady states and their stability. Finally, the transition between travelling waves and non-uniform steady states is explored as the amplitude of blowing and suction is increased.
The turbulent wall plume from a vertically distributed source of buoyancy
Authors: McConnochie Craig D. , Kerr Ross C.
Published: December 2015

We experimentally investigate the turbulent wall plume that forms next to a uniformly distributed source of buoyancy. Our experimental results are compared with the theoretical model and experiments of Cooper & Hunt (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 646, 2010, pp. 39–58). Our experiments give a top-hat entrainment coefficient of $0.048\pm 0.006$. We measure a maximum vertical plume velocity that follows the scaling predicted by Cooper & Hunt but is significantly smaller. Our measurements allow us to construct a turbulent plume model that predicts all plume properties at any height. We use this plume model to calculate plume widths, velocities and Reynolds numbers for typical dissolving icebergs and ice fronts and for a typical room with a heated or cooled vertical surface.
Qualitative Analysis of Solutions for a Class of Anisotropic Elliptic Equations with Variable Exponent
Authors: Afrouzi G. A. , Mirzapour M. , Rădulescu Vicenţiu D.
Published: December 2015

We are concerned with the degenerate anisotropic problem

We first establish the existence of an unbounded sequence of weak solutions. We also obtain the existence of a non-trivial weak solution if the nonlinear termfhas a special form. The proofs rely on the fountain theorem and Ekeland's variational principle.
Catalan voiced prepalatals: Effects of nonphonetic factors on phonetic variation?
Authors: Hualde José I. , Eager Christopher D. , Nadeu Marianna
Published: December 2015

Central Catalan ‘prepalatal’ (postalveolar) consonants show a complex phonological distribution. Whereas in word-internal intervocalic position a four-way opposition obtains, involving a contrast in voice and a fricative/affricate distinction, elsewhere at least one of the two oppositions is neutralized. Position in word determines whether affrication and/or voicing is contrastive. We study the effect of this factor as well as other phonetic factors and style on the allophony of the voiced prepalatals in a large corpus of Central Catalan. The most significant conditioning factor turns out to be the preceding context, whereas position in word per se is not significant either for degree of constriction or for voicing. Thus, we do not find a direct effect of phonological contrastiveness on phonetic variation.
Standard Austrian German
Authors: Moosmüller Sylvia , Schmid Carolin , Brandstätter Julia
Published: December 2015

The development of Standard Austrian German (SAG; de-AT) is closely linked to the development of Standard German German (SGG; de-DE) as spoken in Northern Germany. Traditionally, SAG is strongly geared towards SGG norms. The orientation towards SGG norms goes back to at least 1750, when Maria Theresia ordered the adoption of the Upper Saxonian norms in place at that time (Ebner 1969, Wiesinger 1989). Since then, SAG pronunciation is modelled on SGG and Austrian newsreaders are instructed according to the norms of Duden's (2005)Aussprachewörterbuchand Siebs (1958, with an addendum for Austria) (Wächter-Kollpacher 1995, Soukup & Moosmüller 2011). This procedure leads to an inconsistent usage of SGG features in Austrian broadcasting media (Wiesinger 2009, Soukup & Moosmüller 2011, Hildenbrandt & Moosmüller 2015). Therefore, from a methodological point of view, pronunciation used in the Austrian broadcasting media is unsuitable for defining SAG (Moosmüller 2015).
Lyonnais (Francoprovençal)
Authors: Kasstan Jonathan Richard
Published: December 2015

Francoprovençal (known locally as patois) is the glottonym used as a cover term for a highly fragmented Romance dialect-grouping. These varieties are spoken in south-eastern France, and neighbouring parts of Switzerland and Italy; diasporic communities are also reported to maintain the use of Francoprovençal in Germany, Canada, and the United States (see Nagy 2011). Francoprovençal enjoys varying levels of official status across these regions. In France, for example, Francoprovençal was only recognised by the Ministry for Culture and Communication in 1999 as a ‘language of France’, but it does not constitute one of the handful of regional languages protected by law that are permitted in the education system. Conversely, in the Aosta Valley (Italy), which enjoys an autonomous status, Francoprovençal is protected under Federal law, and is taught in schools (see Josserand 2003).
Between Banyans and battle scenes: Liberal norms, contestation, and the limits of critique
Authors: Wolff Jonas , Zimmermann Lisbeth
Published: December 2015

In studying the global spread and implementation of liberal norms, scholars have moved from linear notions of norm diffusion and promotion to an emphasis on norm contestation. Contestation by the supposed beneficiaries and addressees has taken centre stage in both research on the norms that underpin global governance and in studies on democracy promotion and liberal peacebuilding. While the impetus of this scholarship is normative – to overcome the taken-for-granted nature of liberal norms – the concept of contestation itself is mainly used with an analytical interest. Yet, as we show in this article, contestation also comes with – oftentimes implicit – normative connotations. Focusing on the seminal work of Milja Kurki, Oliver Richmond, Antje Wiener, and Amitav Acharya, we reconstruct these normative connotations. It turns out that the normative take on contestation is fairly conventional in all four approaches. Contestation is largely seen as a means to enable dialogue, as illustrated by Acharya’s metaphor of the Banyan tree. Fundamental conflicts over liberal norms (‘battle scenes’) are either not considered or seen as normatively undesirable. As a way forward, we propose a typology that enables scholars to empirically analyse contestation in its different expressions and suggest two strategies to normatively assess practices of contestation.
Organizations and the Democratic Representation of Interests: What Does It Mean When Those Organizations Have No Members?
Authors: Schlozman Kay Lehman , Jones Philip Edward , You Hye Young , Burch Traci , Verba Sidney , Brady Henry E.
Published: December 2015

This article documents the prevalence in organized interest politics in the United States of organizations—for example, corporations, think tanks, universities, or hospitals—that have no members in the ordinary sense and analyzes the consequences of that dominance for the democratic representation of citizen interests. We use data from the Washington Representatives Study, a longitudinal data base containing more than 33,000 organizations active in national politics in 1981, 1991, 2001, 2006, and 2011. The share of membership associations active in Washington has eroded over time until, in 2011, barely a quarter of the more than 14,000 organizations active in Washington in 2011 were membership associations, and less than half of those were membership association with individuals as members. In contrast, a majority of the politically involved organizations were memberless organizations, of which nearly two-thirds were corporations. The dominance of memberless organizations in pressure politics raises important questions about democratic representation. Studies of political representation by interest groups raise several concerns about democratic inequalities: the extent to which representation of interests by groups is unequal, the extent to which groups fail to represent their members equally, and the extent to which group members are unable to control their leaders. All of the dilemmas that arise when membership associations advocate in politics become even more intractable when organizations do not have members.
Family Story as Political Science: Reflections on Writing Trapped in America’s Safety Net
Authors: Campbell Andrea Louise
Published: December 2015

Intimate ethnography presents a number of challenges: How could I write about my own family in a way that was true to their experience but also an “objective” report? How could I convey telling details without robbing my family of their privacy? How could I rein in my emotions to report their story, and did I pick and choose facts to protect them or to make them more sympathetic? How could I generalize from their experience to that of millions of social assistance recipients? In this Reflections essay, I consider these challenges in light of what other social scientists have said about the issues of close work with individual, sometimes vulnerable, research subjects.
An excitatory ventral hippocampus to lateral septum circuit that suppresses feeding
Authors: Sweeney Patrick , Yang Yunlei
Published: December 2015

Previous research has focused on feeding circuits residing in the hindbrain and midbrain that govern homeostatic or hedonic control of food intake. However, the feeding circuits controlling emotional or cognitive aspects of food intake are largely unknown. Here we use chemical genetics and optogenetic techniques to dissect appetite control circuits originating from ventral hippocampus (vHPC), a brain region implicated in emotion and cognition. We find that the vHPC projects functional glutamatergic synaptic inputs to the lateral septum (LS) and optogenetic activation of vHPC projections in LS reduces food intake. Consistently, food intake is suppressed by chemogenetic activation of glutamatergic neurons in the vHPC that project to the LS and inactivation of LS neurons blunts vHPC-induced suppression of feeding. Collectively, our results identify an anorexigenic neural circuit originating from vHPC to LS in the brain, revealing a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of anorexia or other appetite disorders.
Hypomethylation of smoking-related genes is associated with future lung cancer in four prospective cohorts
Authors: Fasanelli Francesca , Baglietto Laura , Ponzi Erica , Guida Florence , Campanella Gianluca , Johansson Mattias , Grankvist Kjell , Johansson Mikael , Assumma Manuela Bianca , Naccarati Alessio , Chadeau-Hyam Marc , Ala Ugo , Faltus Christian , Kaaks Rudolf , Risch Angela , De Stavola Bianca , Hodge Allison , Giles Graham G. , Southey Melissa C. , Relton Caroline L. , Haycock Philip C. , Lund Eiliv , Polidoro Silvia , Sandanger Torkjel M. , Severi Gianluca , Vineis Paolo
Published: December 2015

DNA hypomethylation in certain genes is associated with tobacco exposure but it is unknown whether these methylation changes translate into increased lung cancer risk. In an epigenome-wide study of DNA from pre-diagnostic blood samples from 132 case–control pairs in the NOWAC cohort, we observe that the most significant associations with lung cancer risk are for cg05575921 in AHRR (OR for 1 s.d.=0.37, 95% CI: 0.31–0.54, P-value=3.3 × 10−11) and cg03636183 in F2RL3 (OR for 1 s.d.=0.40, 95% CI: 0.31–0.56, P-value=3.9 × 10−10), previously shown to be strongly hypomethylated in smokers. These associations remain significant after adjustment for smoking and are confirmed in additional 664 case–control pairs tightly matched for smoking from the MCCS, NSHDS and EPIC HD cohorts. The replication and mediation analyses suggest that residual confounding is unlikely to explain the observed associations and that hypomethylation of these CpG sites may mediate the effect of tobacco on lung cancer risk.
Synergistic multi-doping effects on the Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolyte for fast lithium ion conduction
Authors: Shin Dong Ok , Oh Kyungbae , Kim Kwang Man , Park Kyu-Young , Lee Byungju , Lee Young-Gi , Kang Kisuk
Published: December 2015

Here, we investigate the doping effects on the lithium ion transport behavior in garnet Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) from the combined experimental and theoretical approach. The concentration of Li ion vacancy generated by the inclusion of aliovalent dopants such as Al3+ plays a key role in stabilizing the cubic LLZO. However, it is found that the site preference of Al in 24d position hinders the three dimensionally connected Li ion movement when heavily doped according to the structural refinement and the DFT calculations. In this report, we demonstrate that the multi-doping using additional Ta dopants into the Al-doped LLZO shifts the most energetically favorable sites of Al in the crystal structure from 24d to 96 h Li site, thereby providing more open space for Li ion transport. As a result of these synergistic effects, the multi-doped LLZO shows about three times higher ionic conductivity of 6.14 × 10−4 S cm−1 than that of the singly-doped LLZO with a much less efforts in stabilizing cubic phases in the synthetic condition.
Thermodynamic Insights and Conceptual Design of Skin-Sensitive Chitosan Coated Ceramide/PLGA Nanodrug for Regeneration of Stratum Corneum on Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Jung Sang-Myung , Yoon Gwang Heum , Lee Hoo Chul , Jung Moon Hee , Yu Sun Il , Yeon Seung Ju , Min Seul Ki , Kwon Yeo Seon , Hwang Jin Ha , Shin Hwa Sung
Published: December 2015

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex skin disease primarily characterized by psoriasis of the stratum corneum. AD drugs have usually been used in acidic and hydrophilic solvents to supply moisture and prevent lipid defects. Ceramide is a typical treatment agent to regenerate the stratum corneum and relieve symptoms of AD. However, ceramide has limitation on direct use for skin because of its low dispersion properties in hydrophilic phase and side effects at excessive treatment. In this study, ceramide imbedded PLGA nanoparticles were developed with chitosan coating (Chi-PLGA/Cer) to overcome this problem. The chitosan coating enhanced initial adherence to the skin and prevented the initial burst of ceramide, but was degraded by the weakly acidic nature of skin, resulting in controlled release of ceramide with additional driving force of the squeezed PLGA nanoparticles. Additionally, the coating kinetics of chitosan were controlled by manipulating the reaction conditions and then mathematically modeled. The Chi-PLGA/Cer was not found to be cytotoxic and ceramide release was controlled by pH, temperature and chitosan coating. Finally, Chi-PLGA/Cer was demonstrated to be effective at stratum corneum regeneration in a rat AD model. Overall, the results presented herein indicated that Chi-PLGA/Cer is a novel nanodrug for treatment of AD.
Successive site translocating inoculation potentiates DNA/recombinant vaccinia vaccination
Authors: Ren Yanqin , Wang Na , Hu Weiguo , Zhang Xiaoyan , Xu Jianqing , Wan Yanmin
Published: December 2015

DNA vaccines have advantages over traditional vaccine modalities; however the relatively low immunogenicity restrains its translation into clinical use. Further optimizations are needed to get the immunogenicity of DNA vaccine closer to the level required for human use. Here we show that intramuscularly inoculating into a different limb each time significantly improves the immunogenicities of both DNA and recombinant vaccinia vaccines during multiple vaccinations, compared to repeated vaccination on the same limb. We term this strategy successive site translocating inoculation (SSTI). SSTI could work in synergy with genetic adjuvant and DNA prime-recombinant vaccinia boost regimen. By comparing in vivo antigen expression, we found that SSTI avoided the specific inhibition of in vivo antigen expression, which was observed in the limbs being repeatedly inoculated. Employing in vivo T cell depletion and passive IgG transfer, we delineated that the inhibition was not mediated by CD8+ T cells but by specific antibodies. Finally, by using C3−/− mouse model and in vivo NK cells depletion, we identified that specific antibodies negatively regulated the in vivo antigen expression primarily in a complement depended way.
MycoCAP - Mycobacterium Comparative Analysis Platform
Authors: Choo Siew Woh , Ang Mia Yang , Dutta Avirup , Tan Shi Yang , Siow Cheuk Chuen , Heydari Hamed , Mutha Naresh V. R. , Wee Wei Yee , Wong Guat Jah
Published: December 2015

Mycobacterium spp. are renowned for being the causative agent of diseases like leprosy, Buruli ulcer and tuberculosis in human beings. With more and more mycobacterial genomes being sequenced, any knowledge generated from comparative genomic analysis would provide better insights into the biology, evolution, phylogeny and pathogenicity of this genus, thus helping in better management of diseases caused by Mycobacterium spp.With this motivation, we constructed MycoCAP, a new comparative analysis platform dedicated to the important genus Mycobacterium. This platform currently provides information of 2108 genome sequences of at least 55 Mycobacterium spp. A number of intuitive web-based tools have been integrated in MycoCAP particularly for comparative analysis including the PGC tool for comparison between two genomes, PathoProT for comparing the virulence genes among the Mycobacterium strains and the SuperClassification tool for the phylogenic classification of the Mycobacterium strains and a specialized classification system for strains of Mycobacterium abscessus. We hope the broad range of functions and easy-to-use tools provided in MycoCAP makes it an invaluable analysis platform to speed up the research discovery on mycobacteria for researchers. Database URL: http://mycobacterium.um.edu.my
A comprehensive analysis of radiosensitization targets; functional inhibition of DNA methyltransferase 3B radiosensitizes by disrupting DNA damage regulation
Authors: Fujimori Hiroaki , Sato Akira , Kikuhara Sota , Wang Junhui , Hirai Takahisa , Sasaki Yuka , Murakami Yasufumi , Okayasu Ryuichi , Masutani Mitsuko
Published: December 2015

A comprehensive genome-wide screen of radiosensitization targets in HeLa cells was performed using a shRNA-library/functional cluster analysis and DNMT3B was identified as a candidate target. DNMT3B RNAi increased the sensitivity of HeLa, A549 and HCT116 cells to both γ-irradiation and carbon-ion beam irradiation. DNMT3B RNAi reduced the activation of DNA damage responses induced by γ-irradiation, including HP1β-, γH2AX- and Rad51-foci formation. DNMT3B RNAi impaired damage-dependent H2AX accumulation and showed a reduced level of γH2AX induction after γ-irradiation. DNMT3B interacted with HP1β in non-irradiated conditions, whereas irradiation abrogated the DNMT3B/HP1β complex but induced interaction between DNMT3B and H2AX. Consistent with radiosensitization, TP63, BAX, PUMA and NOXA expression was induced after γ-irradiation in DNMT3B knockdown cells. Together with the observation that H2AX overexpression canceled radiosensitization by DNMT3B RNAi, these results suggest that DNMT3B RNAi induced radiosensitization through impairment of damage-dependent HP1β foci formation and efficient γH2AX-induction mechanisms including H2AX accumulation. Enhanced radiosensitivity by DNMT3B RNAi was also observed in a tumor xenograft model. Taken together, the current study implies that comprehensive screening accompanied by a cluster analysis enabled the identification of radiosensitization targets. Downregulation of DNMT3B, one of the targets identified using this method, radiosensitizes cancer cells by disturbing multiple DNA damage responses.
Triclosan causes spontaneous abortion accompanied by decline of estrogen sulfotransferase activity in humans and mice
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Chen Xiaojiao , Feng Xuejiao , Chang Fei , Chen Minjian , Xia Yankai , Chen Ling
Published: December 2015

Triclosan (TCS), an antibacterial agent, is identified in serum and urine of humans. Here, we show that the level of urinary TCS in 28.3% patients who had spontaneous abortion in mid-gestation were increased by 11.3-fold (high-TCS) compared with normal pregnancies. Oral administration of TCS (10 mg/kg/day) in mice (TCS mice) caused an equivalent urinary TCS level as those in the high-TCS abortion patients. The TCS-exposure from gestation day (GD) 5.5 caused dose-dependently fetal death during GD12.5–16.5 with decline of live fetal weight. GD15.5 TCS mice appeared placental thrombus and tissue necrosis with enhancement of platelet aggregation. The levels of placenta and plasma estrogen sulfotransferase (EST) mRNA and protein in TCS mice or high-TCS abortion patients were not altered, but their EST activities were significantly reduced compared to controls. Although the levels of serum estrogen (E2) in TCS mice and high-TCS abortion patients had no difference from controls, their ratio of sulfo-conjugated E2 and unconjugated E2 was reduced. The estrogen receptor antagonist ICI-182,780 prevented the enhanced platelet aggregation and placental thrombosis and attenuated the fetal death in TCS mice. The findings indicate that TCS-exposure might cause spontaneous abortion probably through inhibition of EST activity to produce placental thrombosis.
Fear learning circuitry is biased toward generalization of fear associations in posttraumatic stress disorder
Authors: Morey R A , Dunsmoor J E , Haswell C C , Brown V M , Vora A , Weiner J , Stjepanovic D , Wagner H R ,   VA Mid-Atlantic MIRECC Workgroup, Brancu Mira , Marx Christine E , Naylor Jennifer C , Van Voorhees Elizabeth , Taber Katherine H , Beckham Jean C , Calhoun Patrick S , Fairbank John A , Szabo Steven T , LaBar K S
Published: December 2015

Fear conditioning is an established model for investigating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, symptom triggers may vaguely resemble the initial traumatic event, differing on a variety of sensory and affective dimensions. We extended the fear-conditioning model to assess generalization of conditioned fear on fear processing neurocircuitry in PTSD. Military veterans (n=67) consisting of PTSD (n=32) and trauma-exposed comparison (n=35) groups underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during fear conditioning to a low fear-expressing face while a neutral face was explicitly unreinforced. Stimuli that varied along a neutral-to-fearful continuum were presented before conditioning to assess baseline responses, and after conditioning to assess experience-dependent changes in neural activity. Compared with trauma-exposed controls, PTSD patients exhibited greater post-study memory distortion of the fear-conditioned stimulus toward the stimulus expressing the highest fear intensity. PTSD patients exhibited biased neural activation toward high-intensity stimuli in fusiform gyrus (P<0.02), insula (P<0.001), primary visual cortex (P<0.05), locus coeruleus (P<0.04), thalamus (P<0.01), and at the trend level in inferior frontal gyrus (P=0.07). All regions except fusiform were moderated by childhood trauma. Amygdala–calcarine (P=0.01) and amygdala–thalamus (P=0.06) functional connectivity selectively increased in PTSD patients for high-intensity stimuli after conditioning. In contrast, amygdala–ventromedial prefrontal cortex (P=0.04) connectivity selectively increased in trauma-exposed controls compared with PTSD patients for low-intensity stimuli after conditioning, representing safety learning. In summary, fear generalization in PTSD is biased toward stimuli with higher emotional intensity than the original conditioned-fear stimulus. Functional brain differences provide a putative neurobiological model for fear generalization whereby PTSD symptoms are triggered by threat cues that merely resemble the index trauma.
Selective hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines catalyzed by a novel iron complex
Authors: Chakraborty Subrata , Leitus Gregory , Milstein David
Published: December 2015

A novel complex based on earth-abundant iron, and its application in the catalytic homogeneous hydrogenation of (hetero)aromatic, benzylic, and aliphatic nitriles to selectively form primary amines is discovered.
Halogen-bonding for visual chloride ion sensing: a case study using supramolecular poly(aryl ether) dendritic organogel systems
Authors: Liu Zhi-Xiong , Sun Yihua , Feng Yu , Chen Hui , He Yan-Mei , Fan Qing-Hua
Published: December 2015

A convenient and straightforward method for the visual recognition of chloride ion has been established through a chloride-responsive dendritic organogel.
Very strong −N–X+⋯−O–N+ halogen bonds
Authors: Puttreddy Rakesh , Jurček Ondřej , Bhowmik Sandip , Mäkelä Toni , Rissanen Kari
Published: December 2015

Very strong halogen bonds are formed between N-haloimides and pyridine N-oxides exhibiting a −N–X+⋯-O–N+ binding motif.
An expedient synthesis of functionalized 1,4-diketone-derived compounds via silyloxyallyl cation intermediates
Authors: Stepherson Jacob R. , Fronczek Frank R. , Kartika Rendy
Published: December 2015

Herein we describe the synthesis of highly functionalized 1,4-diketones that are readily differentiated as monosilylenol ethers via direct capture of silyloxyallyl cations by silyl enolates under Brønsted acid catalysis.
Ultrafast structural flattening motion in photoinduced excited state dynamics of a bis(diimine) copper(i) complex
Authors: Du Likai , Lan Zhenggang
Published: December 2015

The intriguing ultrafast photoinduced structural change dynamics of a prototypical Cu(i) complex, namely, [Cu(dmp)2]+ (dmp = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline), is investigated based on the theoretical analysis of static and dynamical calculations at the all-atomic level.
Kinetics stabilized doping: computational optimization of carbon-doped anatase TiO2 for visible-light driven water splitting
Authors: Sun Yi-Yang , Zhang Shengbai
Published: December 2015

Carbon dimers exhibiting strong C–C binding could be ideal kinetics-stabilized dopants enhancing the visible-light activity of TiO2 for photocatalysis.
Silica/MAO/(n-BuCp)2ZrCl2 catalyst: effect of support dehydroxylation temperature on the grafting of MAO and ethylene polymerization
Authors: Bashir Muhammad Ahsan , Vancompernolle Tom , Gauvin Régis M. , Delevoye Laurent , Merle Nicolas , Monteil Vincent , Taoufik Mostafa , McKenna Timothy F. L. , Boisson Christophe
Published: December 2015

This study reports the role of silica dehydroxylation temperature on the performance of Silica/MAO/(n-BuCp)2ZrCl2 catalysts in ethylene homopolymerization.
Catalytic dehydration of ethanol over hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites: studies of their acidity and porosity properties
Authors: Tarach Karolina A. , Tekla Justyna , Makowski Wacław , Filek Urszula , Mlekodaj Kinga , Girman Vladimir , Choi Minkee , Góra-Marek Kinga
Published: December 2015

The catalytic activity of novel micro/mesoporous ZSM-5 in the dehydration process of alcohols has been studied with respect to their acidity and porosity.
A new metal–organic polymeric system capable of stimuli-responsive controlled release of the drug ibuprofen
Authors: Lago Ana Belén , Pino-Cuevas Arantxa , Carballo Rosa , Vázquez-López Ezequiel M.
Published: December 2015

New polymeric zinc coordination compounds capable of release ibuprofen drug.
Water oxidation by a soluble iron(iii)–cyclen complex: new findings
Authors: Najafpour Mohammad Mahdi , Safdari Rasoul , Ebrahimi Foad , Rafighi Parvin , Bagheri Robabeh
Published: December 2015

Herein, the role of iron oxide in the electrochemical water oxidation of an iron cyclen (cyclen = 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) is considered.
Effect of humic acid on the kinetics of silver nanoparticle sulfidation
Authors: Thalmann Basilius , Voegelin Andreas , Morgenroth Eberhard , Kaegi Ralf
Published: December 2015

Humic acid increases the sulfidation rate of AgNP and leads to the formation of hollow spheresviathe Kirkendall effect.
Extracts of Tsai Tai (Brassica chinensis): enhanced antioxidant activity and anti-aging effects both in vitro and in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Chen Jing , Zhang Ju , Xiang Yanxia , Xiang Limin , Liu Yongmei , He Xiangjiu , Zhou Xiaoju , Liu Xin , Huang Zebo
Published: December 2015

Tsai Tai is one of the most widely consumed Brassica vegetables in Asian countries because of its good taste and its nutritional benefits.
High-precision zircon U/Pb geochronology by ID-TIMS using new 1013 ohm resistors
Authors: von Quadt Albrecht , Wotzlaw Jörn-Frederik , Buret Yannick , Large Simon J. E. , Peytcheva Irena , Trinquier Anne
Published: December 2015

Accessory mineral U–Pb geochronology by isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) requires precise and accurate determinations of parent–daughter isotope ratios.
Microfluidic perfusion systems for secretion fingerprint analysis of pancreatic islets: applications, challenges and opportunities
Authors: Castiello F. Rafael , Heileman Khalil , Tabrizian Maryam
Published: December 2015

A review of the most recent pancreatic islet microfluidic devices and candidate biosensors for dynamic monitoring of islet secretion products.
Nickel(ii) complex covalently anchored on core shell structured SiO2@Fe3O4 nanoparticles: a robust and magnetically retrievable catalyst for direct one-pot reductive amination of ketones
Authors: Sharma Rakesh Kumar , Dutta Sriparna , Sharma Shivani
Published: December 2015

A magnetic silica based nickel nanocatalyst has been fabricated for the direct one-pot reductive amination of ketones.
Calcinated gold nanoparticle arrays for on-chip, multiplexed and matrix-free mass spectrometric analysis of peptides and small molecules
Authors: Hinman Samuel S. , Chen Chih-Yuan , Duan Jicheng , Cheng Quan
Published: December 2015

Patterned gold nanoparticle microarrays, with a nanoscale silicate coating, have been developed for on-chip, high-throughput mass spectrometric analysis of biomolecules.
Solubility studies of inorganic–organic hybrid nanoparticle photoresists with different surface functional groups
Authors: Li Li , Chakrabarty Souvik , Jiang Jing , Zhang Ben , Ober Christopher , Giannelis Emmanuel P.
Published: December 2015

The solubility behavior of Hf and Zr based hybrid nanoparticles with different surface ligands in different concentrations of photoacid generator as potential EUV photoresists was investigated in detail.
Evidence does not support absorption of intact solid lipid nanoparticles via oral delivery
Authors: Hu Xiongwei , Fan Wufa , Yu Zhou , Lu Yi , Qi Jianping , Zhang Jian , Dong Xiaochun , Zhao Weili , Wu Wei
Published: December 2015

Evidence by ACQ probes marking integral SLNs doesn't support absorption of intact vehicles, which are mainly located in intestinal mucus layers.
Synthesis of highly enantio-enriched stereoisomers of hydroxy-GR24
Authors: Morris J. C. , McErlean C. S. P.
Published: December 2015

In contrast to a biomimetic electrophilic cyclisation cascade, we employ a contra-biomimetic nucleophilic cyclisation cascade to give the tricyclic core of 4-hydroxy-GR24 in a single step.
Antibacterial activity of novel Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticles against pathogenic strains
Authors: Kumar R. Saravana , Maddirevula Sateesh , Easwaran Maheswaran , Dananjaya S. H. S. , Kim Moon-Deock
Published: December 2015

Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticles exhibited robust antibacterial activity against the pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
Preparation of a hierarchical flower-like γ-Al2O3@C composite exhibiting enhanced adsorption performance for congo red by high temperature transformation of γ-AlOOH@C precursors
Authors: Fang Beibei , Bao Zepei , Lu Lun , Zhao Lijun , Wang Huiyuan
Published: December 2015

A single flower-like γ-Al2O3@C structures and the elemental mappings.
Regioselective α-arylation of coumarins and 2-pyridones with phenylhydrazines under transition-metal-free conditions
Authors: Chauhan Parul , Ravi Makthala , Singh Shikha , Prajapati Prashant , Yadav Prem P.
Published: December 2015

A transition-metal-free regioselective α-arylation of coumarins and 2-pyridones has been accomplished by the reaction of phenylhydrazines with coumarins or 2-pyridones.
An SiO2/ZnBr2mediated expeditious approach to 3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one derivatives in water under microwave irradiation
Authors: Parveen Mehtab , Azaz Shaista , Malla Ali Mohammed , Ahmad Faheem , Ahmad Musheer , Gupta Mayank
Published: December 2015

An efficient and eco-friendly synthesis of pyrazolone derivatives.
Ultra-low dielectric closed porous materials via incorporating surface-functionalized hollow silica microspheres: preparation, interface property and low dielectric performance
Authors: Wei Xiaonan , Zhao Cuijiao , Ma Jiajun , Huang Yawen , Cao Ke , Chang Guanjun , Yang Junxiao
Published: December 2015

One effective route to reduce the dielectric constant is to directly incorporate hollow silica (HoSiO2) microspheres into a polymeric matrix.
Ultracentrifugation-based multi-target affinity selection mass spectrometry
Authors: Jin Yan , Cheng Xueheng , Yang Fengzhi , Fu Lei
Published: December 2015

A rate-zonal density gradient ultracentrifugation-based affinity selection mass spectrometry approach has been developed for simultaneous multi-target screening.
Green synthesis of a bifunctional Fe–montmorillonite composite during the Fenton degradation process and its enhanced adsorption and heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalytic properties
Authors: Guo Sheng , Zhang Gaoke
Published: December 2015

A novel Fe–MMT-I composite was synthesized during the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) through Fenton's method, which could degrade RhB, reuse iron sludge and obtain high efficient bifunctional composite at the same time.
A dual-functional lanthanide nanoprobe for both living cell imaging and ICP-MS quantification of active protease
Authors: Feng Duan , Tian Fang , Qin Weijie , Qian Xiaohong
Published: December 2015

A novel nanoprobe is successfully developed for simultaneous living cell imaging and sensitive quantification of caspase-3 in cancer cells.
Magneto-structural correlations in arsenic- and selenium-ligated dysprosium single-molecule magnets
Authors: Pugh Thomas , Vieru Veacheslav , Chibotaru Liviu F. , Layfield Richard A.
Published: December 2015

A series of arsine-, arsenide, arsinidene and selenium-ligated dysprosium single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are described. The arsenide- and selenolate-ligated SMMs show anisotropy barriers up to 300 cm−1 upon magnetic dilution.
Wide-field tissue polarimetry allows efficient localized mass spectrometry imaging of biological tissues
Authors: Tata Alessandra , Gribble Adam , Ventura Manuela , Ganguly Milan , Bluemke Emma , Ginsberg Howard J. , Jaffray David A. , Ifa Demian R. , Vitkin Alex , Zarrine-Afsar Arash
Published: December 2015

Targeted and localized mass spectrometry imaging allows faster characterization of cancer compared to conventional methods.
Mucin architecture behind the immune response: design, evaluation and conformational analysis of an antitumor vaccine derived from an unnatural MUC1 fragment
Authors: Martínez-Sáez Nuria , Supekar Nitin T. , Wolfert Margreet A. , Bermejo Iris A. , Hurtado-Guerrero Ramón , Asensio Juan L. , Jiménez-Barbero Jesús , Busto Jesús H. , Avenoza Alberto , Boons Geert-Jan , Peregrina Jesús M. , Corzana Francisco
Published: December 2015

Presentation and dynamics of the sugar moiety in MUC1-based vaccines could play a crucial role in the elicitation of a strong immune response.
Microfluidic processing of concentrated surfactant mixtures: online SAXS, microscopy and rheology
Authors: Martin Hazel P. , Brooks Nicholas J. , Seddon John M. , Luckham Paul F. , Terrill Nick J. , Kowalski Adam J. , Cabral João T.
Published: December 2015

We investigate the effect of microfluidic flow on the microstructure and dynamics of a model surfactant mixture, combining synchrotron Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), microscopy and rheology.
Dispersion of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in solution and in polycaprolactone composite scaffolds
Authors: Goonasekera Chandhi S. , Jack Kevin S. , Cooper-White Justin J. , Grøndahl Lisbeth
Published: December 2015

Structure–property–performance in TIPS fabricated nanocomposite scaffolds: influence of polymer–solvent interaction and phase-separation process on the dispersion and surface distribution of particles.
Tuning the electrode work function via a vapor-phase deposited ultrathin polymer film
Authors: Baek Jieung , Lee Junseok , Joo Munkyu , Han Donggeon , Kim Houngkyung , Seong Hyejeong , Lee Jinsup , Kim Jihan , Yoo Seunghyup , Jeon Seokwoo , Im Sung Gap
Published: December 2015

Work functions of the various electrodes was successfully controlled by deposition of polymeric film via initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD).
Alkylsilyl compounds as enablers of atomic layer deposition: analysis of (Et3Si)3As through the GaAs process
Authors: Sarnet Tiina , Hatanpää Timo , Laitinen Mikko , Sajavaara Timo , Mizohata Kenichiro , Ritala Mikko , Leskelä Markku
Published: December 2015

A new chemistry has been developed to deposit GaAs, the quintessential compound semiconductor.
Outage performance of cognitive cooperative networks with relay selection over double‐Rayleigh fading channels
Authors: Duy Tran Trung , Alexandropoulos George C. , Tung Vu Thanh , Son Vo Nguyen , Duong Trung Q.
Published: December 2015

This study considers a dual‐hop cognitive inter‐vehicular relay‐assisted communication system where all communication links are non‐line of sight ones and their fading is modelled by the double Rayleigh fading distribution. Road‐side relays (or access points) implementing the decode‐and‐forward relaying protocol are employed and one of them is selected according to a predetermined policy to enable communication between vehicles. The performance of the considered cognitive cooperative system is investigated for Kth best partial and full relay selection (RS) as well as for two distinct fading scenarios. In the first scenario, all channels are double Rayleigh distributed. In the second scenario, only the secondary source to relay and relay to destination channels are considered to be subject to double Rayleigh fading whereas, channels between the secondary transmitters and the primary user are modelled by the Rayleigh distribution. Exact and approximate expressions for the outage probability performance for all considered RS policies and fading scenarios are presented. In addition to the analytical results, complementary computer simulated performance evaluation results have been obtained by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The perfect match between these two sets of results has verified the accuracy of the proposed mathematical analysis.
Observation of helix associations for insertion of a retinal molecule and distortions of helix structures in bacteriorhodopsin
Authors: Urano Ryo , Okamoto Yuko
Published: December 2015

We applied a newly proposed prediction method for membrane protein structures to bacteriorhodopsin that has distorted transmembrane helices in the native structure. This method uses an implicit membrane model, which restricts sampling space during folding in a membrane region, and includes helix bending. Replica-exchange simulations were performed with seven transmembrane helices only without a retinal molecule. Obtained structures were classified into clusters of similar structures, which correspond to local-minimum free energy states. The two lowest free energy states corresponded to a native-like structure with the correct empty space for retinal and a structure with this empty space filled with a helix. Previous experiments of bacteriorhodopsin suggested that association of transmembrane helices enables them to make a room for insertion of a retinal. Our results are consistent with these results. Moreover, distortions of helices in the native-like structures were successfully reproduced. In the distortions, whereas the locations of kinks for all helices were similar to those of Protein Data Bank’s data, the amount of bends was more similar for helices away from the retinal than for those close to the retinal in the native structure. This suggests a hypothesis that the amino-acid sequence specifies the location of kinks in transmembrane helices and that the amount of distortions depends on the interactions with the surrounding molecules such as neighboring helices, lipids, and retinal.
Many-body Green’s function theory for electron-phonon interactions: The Kadanoff-Baym approach to spectral properties of the Holstein dimer
Authors: Säkkinen Niko , Peng Yang , Appel Heiko , van Leeuwen Robert
Published: December 2015

We present a Kadanoff-Baym formalism to study time-dependent phenomena for systems of interacting electrons and phonons in the framework of many-body perturbation theory. The formalism takes correctly into account effects of the initial preparation of an equilibrium state and allows for an explicit time-dependence of both the electronic and phononic degrees of freedom. The method is applied to investigate the charge neutral and non-neutral excitation spectra of a homogeneous, two-site, two-electron Holstein model. This is an extension of a previous study of the ground state properties in the Hartree (H), partially self-consistent Born (Gd) and fully self-consistent Born (GD) approximations published in Säkkinen et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 143, 234101 (2015)]. Here, the homogeneous ground state solution is shown to become unstable for a sufficiently strong interaction while a symmetry-broken ground state solution is shown to be stable in the Hartree approximation. Signatures of this instability are observed for the partially self-consistent Born approximation but are not found for the fully self-consistent Born approximation. By understanding the stability properties, we are able to study the linear response regime by calculating the density-density response function by time-propagation. This amounts to a solution of the Bethe-Salpeter equation with a sophisticated kernel. The results indicate that none of the approximations is able to describe the response function during or beyond the bipolaronic crossover for the parameters investigated. Overall, we provide an extensive discussion on when the approximations are valid and how they fail to describe the studied exact properties of the chosen model system.
Inertia-gravity wave radiation from the merging of two co-rotating vortices in the f-plane shallow water system
Authors: Sugimoto Norihiko
Published: December 2015

Inertia-gravity wave radiation from the merging of two co-rotating vortices is investigated numerically in a rotating shallow water system in order to focus on cyclone–anticyclone asymmetry at different values of the Rossby number (Ro). A numerical study is conducted on a model using a spectral method in an unbounded domain to estimate the gravity wave flux with high accuracy. Continuous gravity wave radiation is observed in three stages of vortical flows: co-rotating of the vortices, merging of the vortices, and unsteady motion of the merged vortex. A cyclone–anticyclone asymmetry appears at all stages at smaller Ro (≤20). Gravity waves from anticyclones are always larger than those from cyclones and have a local maximum at smaller Ro (∼2) compared with that for an idealized case of a co-rotating vortex pair with a constant rotation rate. The source originating in the Coriolis acceleration has a key role in cyclone–anticyclone asymmetry in gravity waves. An additional important factor is that at later stages, the merged axisymmetric anticyclone rotates faster than the elliptical cyclone due to the effect of the Rossby deformation radius, since a rotation rate higher than the inertial cutoff frequency is required to radiate gravity waves.