bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparation and characterization of poly(Ether block amide)/graphene membrane for recovery of isopropanol from aqueous solution via pervaporation
Authors: Najafi Monavar , Mousavi Seyed Mahmoud , Saljoughi Ehsan
Published: August 2016

In the present research, for the first time, hydrophobic graphene nanoplatelets were used as filler to prepare novel poly(ether block amide) /graphene membranes for enhancing the removal of isopropanol from the aqueous solution by pervaporation (PV) process. Graphene at the concentrations of 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 wt% was added to the polymeric solutions. The membranes were characterized using tests of scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffractometer, thermogravimetric analysis, mechanical strength, degree of swelling, and contact angle. The pervaporation experiments were accomplished using the feed containing 4 wt% of isopropanol at 50°C and permeate pressure of 20 mm Hg. The results showed that with the addition of graphene, thermal stability, tensile strength, and hydrophobicity of the prepared membranes were increased. Permeate flux, separation factor, and swelling degree of the prepared membranes were increased with the initial increase in the graphene content, whereas when the graphene content exceeded 1–1.5 wt%, these parameters decreased. The highest separation factor (10.04) and isopropanol flux (248.5 g/(m2 h)) were obtained for the hybrid membrane containing 1.5 wt% graphene in the polymeric solution. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:2259–2267, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers
Mechanisms for allosteric activation of protease DegS by ligand binding and oligomerization as revealed from molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Lu Cheng , Stock Gerhard , Knecht Volker
Published: August 2016

A local perturbation of a protein may lead to functional changes at some distal site, a phenomenon denoted as allostery. Here, we study the allosteric control of a protease using molecular dynamics simulations. The system considered is the bacterial protein DegS which includes a protease domain activated on ligand binding to an adjacent PDZ domain. Starting from crystallographic structures of DegS homo‐trimers, we perform simulations of the ligand‐free and ‐bound state of DegS at equilibrium. Considering a single protomer only, the trimeric state was mimicked by applying restraints on the residues in contact with other protomers in the DegS trimer. In addition, the bound state was also simulated without any restraints to mimic the monomer. Our results suggest that not only ligand release but also disassembly of a DegS trimer inhibits proteolytic activity. Considering various observables for structural changes, we infer allosteric pathways from the interface with other protomers to the active site. Moreover, we study how ligand release leads to (i) catalytically relevant changes involving residues 199–201 and (ii) a transition from a stretched to a bent conformation for residues 217–219 (which prohibits proper substrate binding). Finally, based on ligand‐induced Cα shifts we identify residues in contact with other protomers in the DegS trimer that likely transduce the perturbation from ligand release from a given protomer to adjacent protomers. These residues likely play a key role in the experimentally known effect of ligand release from a protomer on the proteolytic activity of the other protomers. Proteins 2016; 84:1690–1705. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Object kinetic Monte Carlo study of the effect of grain boundaries in martensitic Fe–Cr–C alloys
Authors: Chiapetto Monica , Malerba Lorenzo , Puype Athina , Becquart Charlotte S.
Published: August 2016

Fe–Cr–C alloys with chromium concentrations in the range from ∼2 to 12 wt.% form ferritic‐martensitic structures by rapid cooling from the austenite state already in the presence of relatively low carbon concentrations. In this process it is possible to obtain different ratios of ferrite and martensite, as well as formation of carbides, by varying the thermal treatment. The presence of ferrite or martensite might have an influence on the nanostructural evolution under irradiation of these alloys. Here, considering a tempered martensite reference alloy with 9% Cr, we make use of an already validated object kinetic Monte Carlo (OKMC) model in order to study the possible effect of the formation of martensite laths on the material nanostructural evolution under neutron irradiation, assuming that the relevant boundaries act as sinks for radiation defects. The results show that the reduction of the grain size (including in this definition the average size of prior austenite grains, packets, blocks, and laths) does not play any relevant role until sizes of the order of ∼0.5 µm are reached: for smaller grains, the number of defects being absorbed by the boundaries becomes dominant. However, this threshold is lower than the experimentally observed martensite lath dimensions, thereby suggesting that what makes the difference in martensitic Fe–Cr–C alloys with respect to ferrite, concerning events and mechanisms taking place during irradiation, are not the lath boundaries as sinks. Differences between the nanostructural evolution under neutron irradiation in ferrite and martensite should therefore be ascribed to other factors.
Effect of Oral Silymarin Administration on Prevention of Radiotherapy Induced Mucositis: A Randomized, Double‐Blinded, Placebo‐Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Elyasi Sepideh , Hosseini Sare , Niazi Moghadam Mohammad Reza , Aledavood Seyed Amir , Karimi Gholamreza
Published: August 2016

Mucositis is a frequent severe complication of radiation therapy in patient with head and neck cancer. Silymarin is a polyphenolic flavonoid extracted from the milk thistle that exhibits strong antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities. In this study, we evaluate silymarin efficacy in prevention of radiotherapy induced mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer, as the first human study. During this pilot, randomized, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled clinical trial, the effect of oral silymarin 420 mg daily in three divided doses starting at the first day of radiotherapy for 6 weeks, on oral mucositis occurrence was assessed. Twenty‐seven patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria assigned to the silymarin or placebo group. World Health Organization and National Cancer Institute–Common Terminology Criteria oral mucositis grading scale scores were recorded at baseline and weekly during these 6 weeks. The median World Health Organization and National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria scores were significantly lower in silymarin group at the end of the first to sixth week (p < 0.05). The scores increased significantly in both placebo and silymarin groups during radiotherapy, but there was a delay for mucositis development and progression in silymarin group. Prophylactic administration of conventional form of silymarin tablets could significantly reduce the severity of radiotherapy induced mucositis and delay its occurrence in patients with head and neck cancer. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Idealized simulations of the effect of Taiwan topography on the tracks of tropical cyclones with different steering flow strengths
Authors: Tang Chi Kit , Chan Johnny C. L.
Published: August 2016

This is the fourth part of a study on the effect of topography on tropical cyclone (TC) tracks. In previous parts, idealized simulations were conducted using the Weather Research and Forecasting model to investigate the underlying mechanisms for the upstream deflection and the local and remote topography effect on TCs with different sizes. None of these simulations included any background flow. In this part, uniform easterly steering flows of 5 and 10 m s−1 are introduced to study the track changes under such conditions.

Lee vortices are generated downstream of the Taiwan topography by the steering flow. The TC–terrain‐induced gyres found in the previous parts also develop when the TC circulation begins to interact with the topography and subsequently dominate over Taiwan. The cyclonic gyre merges with the cyclonic lee vortex induced by the steering flow and the anticyclonic gyre is advected cyclonically around the TC centre, which later deflects the TC. Because the circulation at the outer radii of a TC ‘competes’ with the steering flow, a smaller TC under a stronger steering flow has to move closer to Taiwan in order to generate such gyres. This ‘delayed’ generation of the gyres then leads to the ‘delayed’ onset of the northward deflection for such a TC. For a large TC, the circulation at its southern part is weakened by the steering flow so that the track of the anticyclonic terrain‐induced gyre is changed, which results in a larger track deflection of the TC.
Theoretical study of metal‐free organic dyes based on different configurations for efficient dye‐sensitized solar cells
Authors: Ferdowsi Parnian , Mokhtari Javad
Published: August 2016

Considering different solar dyes configuration, four novel metal‐free organic dyes based on phenoxazine as electron donor, thiophene and cyanovinylene linkers as the
‐conjugation bridge and cyanoacrylic acid as electron acceptor were designed to optimize open circuit voltage and short circuit current parameters and theoretically inspected. Density functional theory and time‐dependent density functional theory calculations were used to study frontier molecular orbital energy states of the dyes and their optical absorption spectra. The results indicated that D2‐4 dyes can be suitable candidates as sensitizers for application in dye sensitized solar cells and among these three dyes, D3 showed a broader and more bathochromically shifted absorption band compared to the others. The dye also showed the highest molar extinction coefficient. This work suggests optimizing the configuration of metal‐free organic dyes based on simple D‐
‐A configuration containing alkyl chain as substitution, starburst conformation, and symmetric double D‐
‐A chains would produce good photovoltaic properties.
Security analysis and design of an efficient ECC‐based two‐factor password authentication scheme
Authors: Maitra Tanmoy , Obaidat Mohammad S. , Islam SK Hafizul , Giri Debasis , Amin Ruhul
Published: August 2016

Client‐server‐based communications provide a facility by which users can get several services from home via the Internet. As the Internet is an insecure channel, it is needed to protect information of communicators. An authentication scheme can fulfill the aforementioned requirements. Recently, Huang et al. presented an elliptic curve cryptosystem‐based password authentication scheme. This work has demonstrated that the scheme of Huang et al. has security weakness against the forgery attack. In addition, this paper also presented that the scheme of Huang et al. has some design drawbacks. Therefore, this paper has focused on excluding the security vulnerabilities of the scheme of Huang et al. by proposing an elliptic curve cryptosystem‐based password authentication scheme using smart card. The security of our scheme is based on the hardness assumption of the one‐way hash functions and elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that our scheme is secured against known attacks. The performance of our scheme is also nearly equal when compared to related competing schemes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis, Characterisation, Photophysical and Interfacial Electron Transfer Studies to TiO2 Nanoparticle of Novel Heteroleptic Ruthenium Terpyridyl Complex
Authors: Rana Prem Jyoti Singh , Kundi Varun , Singh Pallavi , Kar Prasenjit
Published: August 2016

In this context we have synthesised and characterised a novel heteroleptic [Ru (4′‐(4 N,N dimethyl phenyl) 2,2′6’:2′′‐terpyridine) 4′‐(4Carboxyphenyl)‐2,2′6’:2′′‐terpyridine]2PF6 complex [PR2] with prolonged excited‐state lifetime τ of6.37 ns which is 25 fold more than the homologous [Ru(tpy)2](PF6)2. The appropriate selection of ligand moieties is employed for engineering the energy level of3MLCTand 3MC excited states to restrain the nonradiativeemissionfromthermally populated 3MC excited state.This task is well judged by counter balancing effect ofStrong σ‐ donor and π‐ acceptor substituent attached to terpyridyl moiety. This title complex exhibits an oxidation potential (E1/2) of 1.28 V vs Ag/AgCl. Thetime‐resolved absorption spectroscopy employed for interfacial charge transfer study reveals strong coupling in title complex–semiconducting TiO2 nanoparticle system which facilitates pulse width limited (<100 fs) ultrafast single exponential electron injection.
Structurally Diverse Polynuclear Copper(I) Complexes Bridged by Pyrimidine–, Pyrazine–, and Triazine–based Ligands with Several 2–Pyridyl Groups
Authors: Maekawa Masahiko , Sugimoto Kunihisa , Okubo Takashi , Kuroda–Sowa Takayoshi , Munakata Megumu
Published: August 2016

The reactions of [Cu(MeCN)4]BF4 or [Cu(C2H4)n]ClO4 complexes with 4,6–bis(2–pyridyl)pyrimidine (bppym) in Me2CO under C2H4 afforded dinuclear Cu(I)–bppym/C2H4 adducts [Cu2‐(bppym)(C2H4)2](BF4)2•Me2CO (1) and [Cu2(bppym)2(C2H4)2](ClO4)2•Me2CO (2), respectively. One Cu(I) atom is coordinated by bppym and C2H4 in a distorted trigonal–planar geometry. The other Cu(I) atom is coordinated by bppym, Me2CO, and C2H4 toward a distorted tetrahedral geometry. The reaction of [Cu(MeCN)4]BF4 with 2,3–bis(2–pyridyl)pyrazine (bppz) in MeOH under C2H4 afforded a Cu(I)–bppz coordination polymer {[Cu2(bppz)2](BF4)2•MeOH}n (3). Two Cu(I) atoms are alternately bridged by two bppz to form a 1–D zigzag–chain structure. Each Cu(I) coordination sphere is largely distorted from a normal tetrahedral structure toward a square planar structure. The reaction of [Cu(MeCN)4]PF6 with 2,4,6–tris(2–pyridyl)–s–triazine (tptz) in MeEtCO under C2H4 afforded a tetranuclear Cu(I)–tptz/C2H4 adduct [Cu4(tptz)2(C2H4)2(MeCN)2](PF6)4•MeEtCO (4 b). Two Cu(I) atoms are bridged by the central triazine ring, the 2–pyridyl group, the central triazine ring, and the 2–pyridyl group in a different tptz to form a double helical structure. The other Cu(I) atom is coordinated by the central triazine ring, the 2–pyridyl group, MeCN, and C2H4 in a distorted tetrahedral geometry. The reaction of [Cu(MeCN)4]PF6 with tetra–2–pyridylpyrazine (tppz) in MeOH under C2H4 afforded a tetranuclear Cu(I)–tppz complex [Cu4(tppz)2(MeCN)4](PF6)4•MeOH (5 a). Each Cu(I) atom is coordinated by the central pyrazine ring, the 2–pyridyl group, the 2–pyridyl group in a different tppz, and MeCN in a distorted tetrahedral geometry. These four Cu(I) atoms are bridged by the two opposite tppz ligands to form a unique tetranuclear Cu(I) cage structure.
Structure, Ionization, and Fragmentation of Hydrogenated Aluminoboron Clusters: Al2B2H2n (n=0‐6)
Authors: Muz İskender , Canko Osman , Atiş Murat
Published: August 2016

This study presents a systematic investigation of the energetic and structural stabilities of Al2B2H2n (n=0‐6) clusters. The potential energy surfaces of a series of these clusters have been explored using stochastic search algorithm based on density functional theory at the RB3LYP/6‐31G level. The low‐lying isomers are recalculated at the RB3LYP/6‐311++G** level of theory, then single‐point RCCSD(T) calculations are performed to compute relative energies. For the most stable isomers, the ionization potentials, HOMO‐LUMO energy gaps, H2 loss energies are further analyzed. Moreover, the adaptive natural density partitioning method is used for chemical bonding analysis. The current study is also compared with the structure and electronic properties of AlB3H2n and Al3BH2n (n=0‐6) clusters. The results show that the stability of hydrogenated Al2B2 clusters increases as more hydrogen molecules are adsorbed, while the H2 loss energy decreases. The results agree well with available theoretical data.
Beyond Manhattan: Localized competition and organizational failure in urban hotel markets throughout the United States, 2000–2014
Authors: Kalnins Arturs
Published: August 2016

Research summary: I conducted a nationwide replication of Baum and Mezias' (1992) pioneering single-market study of localized competition by pooling the populations of 90 urban U.S. hotel markets. Consistent with Baum and Mezias' three hypotheses, I demonstrate a negative market-level effect on survival duration of size-based, geographic-based, and price-based localized competition. When analyzing submarket “windows,” I found support for size-based and geographic-based localized competition. In contrast, Baum and Mezias find support for only size-based localized competition at the market level, but for all three forms of localized competition when analyzing submarket windows. I extend their analysis by (1) using standardized measures of localized competition, and (2) showing separate results for key subpopulations. I conclude that there are indeed firm-level benefits of avoiding localized competition.

Managerial summary: This paper demonstrates that—at a broad level of analysis such as a city—hotels are more likely to survive if there are fewer other properties (1) in their geographical vicinity, (2) of similar size, and (3) at their price point. Thus, prospective owners should be leery of location in the more crowded niches even if these may be plausibly more lucrative for some. Sparsely populated niches appear to be less risky on average. When we study this phenomenon within a narrower geographic scope such as a part of the city, the least crowded niches in terms of geography, price or size no longer appear to provide benefits in terms of survival. Thus, it is possible that only the most sparsely populated niches citywide improve a hotel's likelihood of survival. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aggregation Induced Emission Fluorogens Based Nanotheranostics for Targeted and Imaging‐Guided Chemo‐Photothermal Combination Therapy
Authors: Wang Ke , Fan Xingliang , Zhao Lingyun , Zhang Xiaoyong , Zhang Xiqi , Li Zhen , Yuan Qian , Zhang Qingsong , Huang Zengfang , Xie Wensheng , Zhang Yuanyuan , Wei Yen
Published: August 2016

Nanotheranostics for biomedical imaging‐guided cancer therapy have attracted increasing interest due to their capabilities of both precise tumor diagnosis and high therapeutic efficacy. Among the diverse imaging models, fluorescence imaging have been extensively researched for their high sensitivity, simple operation, and low cost. In this work, aggregation induced emission (AIE) fluorogens based targeted nanotheranostics are facilely fabricated via paclitaxel (PTX) induced assembly of proteins for the first time. Thanks to the unique fluorescence property of AIE fluorogens PhENH2, the prepared theranostic nanoplatforms can emit bright fluorescence even after being incorporated with the photothermal therapy agent polypyrrole (PPy), which will often decrease or quench the emission of common fluorescence dyes. The target moiety of cyclic arginine–glycine–aspartic acid (cRGD) endows the nanotheranostics with outstanding targeting ability, which can further facilitate the targeted imaging and cancer treatment. As revealed by the in vitro and in vivo experiments, the prepared nanotheranostics human serum albumin‐PhENH2‐PPy‐PTX‐cRGD shows impressive performance in the targeted fluorescence imaging even after intravenous injection for 48 h, and their combined chemo‐photothermal therapy is also very effective. These results indicate that AIE fluorogens based nanotheranostics would find a promising prospect in further improved multimodal imaging and imaging guided cancer treatment.
A Bloom filter based semi‐index on q‐grams
Authors: Grabowski Szymon , Susik Robert , Raniszewski Marcin
Published: August 2016

We present a simple q‐gram based semi‐index, which allows to look for a pattern typically only in a small fraction of text blocks. Several space‐time tradeoffs are presented. Experiments on Pizza & Chili datasets show that our solution is up to three orders of magnitude faster than the Claude et al. (Journal of Discrete Algorithms 2012; 11:37) semi‐index at a comparable space usage. Moreover, the construction of our data structure is fast and easily parallelizable. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Engineering order‐preserving pattern matching with SIMD parallelism
Authors: Chhabra Tamanna , Faro Simone , Külekci M. Oğuzhan , Tarhio Jorma
Published: August 2016

The order‐preserving pattern matching problem has gained attention in recent years. It consists in finding all substrings in the text, which have the same length and relative order as the input pattern. Typically, the text and the pattern consist of numbers. Since recent times, there has been a tendency to utilize the ability of the word RAM model to increase the efficiency of string matching algorithms. This model works on computer words, reading and processing blocks of characters at once, so that usual arithmetic and logic operations on words can be performed in one unit of time. In this paper, we present a fast order‐preserving pattern matching algorithm, which uses specialized word‐size packed string matching instructions, grounded on the single instruction multiple data instruction set architecture. We show with experimental results that the new proposed algorithm is more efficient than the previous solutions. ©2016 The Authors. Software: Practice and Experience Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Anti‐windup synthesis for a model predictive control system
Authors: Wada Nobutaka , Saeki Masami
Published: August 2016

In this paper, an anti‐windup design problem for a model predictive control system is studied. The plant is assumed to be stable. First, we propose the structure of an output feedback model predictive controller with an anti‐windup compensator. Then we show a design method of the anti‐windup compensator that guarantees closed‐loop stability and improves the transient response. The design problem of the anti‐windup compensator is reduced to a linear matrix inequality (LMI) optimization problem. Further, it is shown that there always exists an anti‐windup compensator that ensures global asymptotic stability. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Outcomes associated with fetal hepatobiliary cysts: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Leombroni M. , Buca D. , Celentano C. , Liberati M. , Bascietto F. , Gustapane S. , Marrone L. , Manzoli L. , Rizzo G. , D'Antonio F.
Published: August 2016

Objective

To explore the outcomes associated with fetal hepatobiliary cysts.

Methods

MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for studies reporting on outcomes of fetal hepatobiliary cysts. Outcomes observed were resolution/reduction and increase in cyst size, associated congenital anomalies of the biliary tract and liver, abnormal postnatal liver function tests, clinical symptoms, need for surgery, postsurgical complications and predictive accuracy of prenatal ultrasound in identifying correctly hepatobiliary cysts. Meta‐analysis of proportions was used to analyze the data.

Results

The search identified 1498 articles, and 22 studies (252 fetuses) were included in the systematic review. For fetal hepatic cysts, resolution or reduction in cyst size either pre‐ or postnatally occurred in 59.3% (95% CI, 30.9–84.7%) of cases, while an increase in cyst size occurred in 8.7% (95% CI, 1.1–22.4%). No case of hepatic cyst had associated malformations of the biliary tract at birth. Clinical symptoms occurred in 14.8% (95% CI, 6.3–26.1%) of cases and, in 5.4% (95% CI, 0.9–13.6%), they were related to the presence of bile obstruction due to compression of the cyst on the biliary tract. No case of hepatic cyst had abnormal liver function at birth. For fetal biliary cysts, resolution or reduction in cyst size occurred in 8.7% (95% CI, 2.7–17.5%) of cases and an increase in size occurred in 34.4% (95% CI, 20.5–49.8%). Congenital anomalies of the biliary tract and liver, such as fibrosis, occurred in 21.5% (95% CI, 10.2–35.6%) and 17.4% (95% CI, 5.4–34.4%) of cases, respectively. 57.3% (95% CI, 33.9–79.0%) of cases showed impairment in liver function after birth, while 55.0% (95% CI, 37.5–71.9%) showed clinical symptoms, mainly due to bile obstruction (47.9% (95% CI, 29.4–66.7%)). Postsurgical complications occurred in 10.9% (95% CI, 3.7–21.3%) of operated cases. Risk assessment according to different cut‐offs of cyst size could not be performed in view of the very small number of included studies.

Conclusions

Fetal hepatic cysts are benign, with a low likelihood of associated anomalies of the hepatobiliary tract, abnormal liver function or clinical symptoms. Congenital biliary cysts are associated with a high rate of progression, abnormal liver function after birth and clinical symptoms. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Aero‐structural dynamics of a flexible hub connection for load reduction on two‐bladed wind turbines
Authors: Luhmann Birger , Seyedin Homan , Cheng Po‐Wen
Published: August 2016

In this study, an innovative concept for load reduction on the two‐bladed Skywind 3.4 MW prototype is presented. The load reduction system consists of a flexible coupling between the hub mount, carrying the drive train components including the hub assembly, and a nacelle carrier supported by the yaw bearing. This paper intends to assess the impact of introducing a flexible hub connection on the system dynamics and the aero‐elastic response to aerodynamic load imbalances. In order to limit the rotational joint motion, a cardanic spring‐damper element is introduced between the hub mount and the nacelle carrier flange, which affects the system response and the loads. A parameter variation of the stiffness and damping of the connecting spring‐damper element has been performed in the multi‐body simulation solver Simpack. A deterministic, vertically sheared wind field is applied to induce a periodic aerodynamic imbalance on the rotor. The aero‐structural load reduction mechanisms of the coupled system are thereby identified. It is shown that the fatigue loads on the blades and the turbine support structure are reduced significantly. For a very low structural coupling, however, the corresponding rotational deflections of the hub mount exceed the design limit of operation. The analysis of the interaction between the hub mount motion and the blade aerodynamics in a transient inflow environment indicates a reduction of the angle of attack amplitudes and the corresponding fluctuations of the blade loading. Hence, it can be concluded that load reduction is achieved by a combination of reduced structural coupling and a mitigation of aerodynamic load imbalances. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Different responses of photosystem II and antioxidants to drought stress in two contrasting populations of Sour jujube from the Loess Plateau, China
Authors: Wang Yong , An Yuyan , Yu Jing , Zhou Ziyun , He Shaoxuan , Ru Mei , Cui Beimi , Zhang Yu , Han Ruilian , Liang Zongsuo
Published: August 2016

Sour jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill. var. spinosus (Bge.) Hu) has gained considerable attention for its adaptation to drought prone environments. To characterize the physiological and biochemical basis of this drought adaptation, the effects of drought stress on Sour jujube seedlings were investigated in a greenhouse. Two contrasting populations were employed in our study, which were from the wet (YL) and dry (SB) climatic regions in the Loess Plateau of China. Results showed that SB exhibited lower water consumption and growth inhibition, but higher water use efficiency than YL under drought stress, indicating that growth of the wet‐climate population is more sensitive to drought stress. SB exhibited higher non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ) during progressive soil drying, higher photochemical quenching (qP) during the sustained water supply stage, and higher ΔF/ and qP during a re‐watering period than YL. These results further indicate that the dry‐climate population possesses better PSII efficiency under adverse conditions. YL showed larger increases in the production rate of superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals than SB during the progressive soil drying stage, indicating that SB suffered from less oxidative damage than YL. Antioxidant enzymes including catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase and glutathione reductase, and antioxidants including carotenoids, flavonoids and proline; when these interact, they contribute greatly to the antioxidant capacity of the dry‐climate population. Taken together, the better photosynthetic potential and antioxidant capacity contribute to the better performance of Sour jujube from the dry‐climate, providing useful information for understanding the drought tolerance mechanisms of Sour jujube.
Effects of Lipid Structure Changed by Interesterification on Melting Property and Lipemia
Authors: Wang Tong , Wang Xiaosan , Wang Xingguo
Published: August 2016

Interesterification or the randomization reaction changes fatty acid positional distribution and solid fat content of fats, which may consequently affect fat absorption and metabolism. It is well established that saturated fatty acids in the sn‐2 position of triacylglycerols (TAG) have better digestibility and lower postprandial chylomicron clearance compared to those in the sn‐1,3 positions in animal experiments. TAG structure is also shown to affect fasting lipid level and atherosclerosis in animals, but fat interesterification it has been shown to not affect fasting lipid level in human adults. However, its effect on postprandial responses is controversial. In this review, the complex results of studies of interesterification and lipemia were briefly discussed. More importantly, the confounding of two factors that are both changed by interesterification, TAG structure and solid fat content as the main limitation on understanding how interesterification affects lipemia is emphasized. Separation of the two factors is possible using paired fats as demonstrated. This paper also discusses some intriguing effects of fats having saturated fatty acids in the sn‐2 position and the need for future research.
Topological Structures and Membrane Nanostructures of
Erythrocytes after Splenectomy in Hereditary Spherocytosis
Patients via Atomic Force Microscopy
Authors: LI Ying , Lu Liyuan , LI Juan
Published: August 2016

Hereditary spherocytosis is an inherited red blood cell membrane disorder resulting from mutations of genes encoding erythrocyte membrane and cytoskeletal proteins. Few equipments can observe the structural characteristics of hereditary spherocytosis directly expect for atomic force microscopy In our study, we proved atomic force microscopy is a powerful and sensitive instrument to describe the characteristics of hereditary spherocytosis. Erythrocytes from hereditary spherocytosis patients were small spheroidal, lacking a well-organized lattice on the cell membrane, with smaller cell surface particles and had reduced valley to peak distance and average cell membrane roughness vs. those from healthy individuals. These observations indicated defects in the certain cell membrane structural proteins such as α- and β-spectrin, ankyrin, etc. Until now, splenectomy is still the most effective treatment for symptoms relief for hereditary spherocytosis. In this study, we further solved the mysteries of membrane nanostructure changes of erythrocytes before and after splenectomy in hereditary spherocytosis by atomic force microscopy. After splenectomy, the cells were larger, but still spheroidal-shaped. The membrane ultrastructure was disorganized and characterized by a reduced surface particle size and lower than normal Ra values. These observations indicated that although splenectomy can effectively relieve the symptoms of hereditary spherocytosis, it has little effect on correction of cytoskeletal membrane defects of hereditary spherocytosis. We concluded that atomic force microscopy is a powerful tool to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms of hereditary spherocytosis and to monitor treatment efficacy in clinical practices. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to study hereditary spherocytosis with atomic force microscopy and offers important mechanistic insight into the underlying role of splenectomy.
Anpassung an den Klimawandel als Herausforderung für Biosphärenreservate – das Beispiel Flusslandschaft Elbe-Brandenburg
Authors: Rannow Sven , Warner Barbara
Published: August 2016

Dealing with the effects of climate change poses new challenges for biosphere reserves as model regions for sustainable development. Although the impacts on ecosystems or landscapes can only be managed to a limited extent and are difficult to predict, the effects of climate change should be strategically addressed. Furthermore, it is necessary to involve numerous actors with various perspectives in the decisions that must be reached against a background of uncertain prognoses for the future. The paper uses the example of the UNESCO-Biosphere Reserve Elbe-Brandenburg River Landscape to illustrate the concrete fields of action that are emerging and the possible work phases involved in a planned approach to dealing with climate change. Various measures relevant to landscape water balance, vegetation, fauna and land use are demonstrated. On the Elbe, river basin management is particularly important. The discussion of possible strategic fields of action elucidates the roles that can be assumed by the administrations of biosphere reserves in a process of climate adaptation. The options and the extent to which biosphere reserves can develop into model regions for adaptation to climate change depend in practice on the capacities and expertise available.
Reframing Marketing as a Social Science: A Look Back at the Special Session in Dublin
Authors: Layton Roger
Published: August 2016

The debate as to whether marketing is a science, or perhaps a social science, is of long standing. It has however been put to one side by the need to respond to the growing needs of marketing managers. It is now timely to think again about marketing, re-framing it in a systems setting, and linking it to the increasing urgency of informed policy responses to system wide, often global issues. A change like this will take time but if marketing is to remain relevant we need to start now.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Subcoracoid Region and Its Relationship with Subscapularis Lesions in the Chinese Population
Authors: Hay-Man Wan Keith , Wai-hung Lie Chester , Nin-yuan Pan , Yuen-yi Cheuk , Hung-lit Chow , Lam Chan Wai , Cheung Wong Wing
Published: August 2016

Introduction

Coracoid impingement is considered a known yet frequently overlooked cause of anterior shoulder pain. Subcoracoid stenosis has been shown to be related to subscapularis tear. Studies have shown that patients with coracoid impingement have a shorter coracohumeral distance (CHD) and a larger coracoid overlap (CO) but these are based on data from Western populations. The aim of our study was to provide a local database on the MRI measurement of these parameters in our Chinese population and raise the awareness of this disease entity.

Methods

All the shoulder MRI films taken in our hospital in 2011 were retrospectively reviewed and classified into two cohorts. The control group consisted of patients who had no subscapularis lesion. The subscapularis lesion group consisted of patients with complete tear, partial tear or abnormal signal over the subscapularis tendon. The CHD and CO were measured.

Results

We reviewed 133 sets of shoulder MRI obtained in our hospital during 2011. Thirteen patients were noted to have subscapularis lesion. The CHD in the subscapularis lesion group was 6.24 ± 2.18 mm. The CHD in the control group was 9.95 ± 3.9 mm. Women had shorter CHD (8.18 ± 2.57 mm) than men (11.0 ± 4.54 mm). We failed to notice any statistically significant difference with regards to CO, coracoid process and lesser tuberosity morphology between the two groups of patients.

Conclusion

MRI assessment of CHD can be useful in identifying patients at risk of having subscapularis lesion and coracoids impingement.
Emergency Medical Assistance Team Response following Taiwan Chi-Chi Earthquake
Authors: Hsu Edbert B. , Ma Matthew , Lin Fang Yue , VanRooyen Michael J. , Burkle Frederick M.
Published: August 2016

Introduction:

On 21 September, 1999, an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, struck central Taiwan near the town of Chi-Chi. The event resulted in 2,405 deaths and 11,306 injuries. Ad hoc emergency medical assistance teams (EMATs) from Taiwan assumed the responsibility for initiating early assessments and providing medical care.

Objective:

To determine whether the EMATs served a key role in assisting critically injured patients through the assessment of number and level of hospitals responding, training background, timeliness of response, and acuity of patient encounters.

Methods:

Local and national health bureaus were contacted to identify hospitals that responded to the disaster. A comprehensive questionnaire was piloted and then, sent to those major medical centers that dispatched EMATs within the first 72 hours following the quake. In-depth interviews also were conducted with team leaders.

Results:

A total number of 104 hospitals/clinics responded to the disaster, including nine major medical centers and 12 regional hospitals. Each of the major medical centers/regional hospitals that dispatched EMATs during the first 72 hours following the quake were surveyed. Also, 20 individual team leaders were interviewed. Seventy-nine percent of the EMATs from the hospitals responded spontaneously to the scene, while only 21% were dispatched directly by national or local health authorities. Combining the phases of the disaster response, it is estimated that only 7% of EMATs were providing on-site care within the first 12 hours following the earthquake, 17% within <18 hours, and 20% within <24 hours. Thus, 80% of these EMATs required >24 hours to respond to the site. Based on a ED I-IV triage system (Level-I, highest acuity; Level-IV, lowest acuity), the vast majority of patient encounters consisted of Level-III and Level-IV patients. Fewer than 16% of teams encountered >10 Level-I patients, and <28% of teams evaluated >10 Level-II patients.

Conclusions:

1. The response from EMATs was impressive, but largely uncoordinated in the absence of a pre-existing dispatching mechanism.

2. Most of the EMATs required >24 hours to reach the disaster sites, and generally, did not arrive in time to affect the outcome of victims with preventable deaths. Therefore, there is an urgent need to strengthen local prehospital care.

3. A central governmental body that ensures better horizontal and vertical integration, and a comprehensive emergency management system is required in order to improve future disaster response and mitigation efforts.
Interface between Hospital and Fire Authorities — A Concept for Management of Incidents in Hospitals
Authors: Gretenkort Peter , Harke Henning , Blazejak Jan , Pache Bernd , Leledakis Georgios
Published: August 2016

Introduction:

Although every hospital needs a security plan for the support of immobile patients who do not possess autonomous escape capabilities, little information exists to assist in the development of practical patient evacuation methods.

Hypothesis:

1) In hospitals during disasters, incident leadership of the fire authorities can be supported effectively by hospital executives experienced in the management of mass casualties; and 2) As an alternative for canvas carry sheets, rescue drag sheets can be employed for emergency, elevator-independent, patient evacuation.

Methods:

A hospital evacuation exercise was planned and performed to obtain experiences in incident command and to permit calculation of elevator-independent patient transport times. Performance of incident leadership was observed by means of pre-defined checklists. The effectiveness and efficiency of carrying teams with five persons each were compared to those with a rescue drag sheet employed by a single person.

Results:

Incident command for hospitals during a disaster is enhanced considerably by pre-defined and trained executives who are placed at the immediate disposal of the fire authorities. For elevator-independent patient transport, the rescue drag sheet was superior to conventional carrying measures because of a reduced number of transport personnel required to move each patient. With this method, patient transport times averaged 54 m/min. flat and 18 seconds for one floor descent.

Conclusion:

Experiences from a hospital during an evacuation exercise provided decision criteria for changes in the disaster preparedness plan. Hospital incident leadership was assigned to executives-in-charge in close co-operation with the fire authorities. All beds were equipped with a rescue drag sheet. Both concepts may help to cope with an emergency evacuation of a hospital.
Description of Ambulance Diversions in the Edmonton Region
Authors: Sookram Sunil , Riddle Kent , Chang Eddie , Sosnowski Terry
Published: August 2016

Background:

Diversion of ambulances by hospital emergency departments has become a day-to-day occurrence in many jurisdictions within Canada. Yet, despite the increasing prevalence of this phenomenon, its impact on transported patients, on the EMS system, and on the health care system overall has not, to date, been well quantified. Despite the increasing sophistication and capabilities of North American EMS systems, it is difficult to argue with the principle that unstable or potentially unstable patients are best served by expeditious transport for definitive care to acute care facilities. T o this end, this study represents an effort to assess the systemic and patient care impacts of ambulance diversions.

Methods:

Patient-care and corresponding ambulance trip records for all patients transported by this EMS system for a five week period were abstracted to identify those patients in which an ambulance was diverted from its initial destination. Adverse events include hypotensive episodes, airway compromise, changes in level of consciousness, and the onset of violent behavior. Response and transport times also were abstracted, comparisons utilized student's t-test and 95% Confidence Intervals. Results: Ambulance diversions increased EMS response times and prehospital transport times. Adverse medical events occurred during 4.3% of diverted ambulance runs. Patients, when faced with the prospect of transport to other than their hospital of choice, not infrequently cancelled EMS transport and sought other means of transport. Subsequent interfacility transport was required for 4.3% of the diverted patients.

Conclusions:

Diversion of ambulances impacts the EMS system by increasing response and transport times; the region, by generating subsequent interfacility transports; and patients, as adverse medical events can occur during the diverted transport.
Resuscitation for Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Singapore
Authors: Lim Ghee Hian , Seow Eillyne
Published: August 2016

Aim:

To evaluate characteristics and outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED), and to examine factors that could be used to determine to prolong or abort resuscitation for these patients.

Method:

All OHCA patients presenting to the ED were studied over a three-month period from November 2001 through January 2002. Patient with traumatic cardiac arrest were excluded. Data were collected from the ambulance case records, ED resuscitation charts, and the ED Very High Frequency (VHF) radio case-log sheet. Information collected included the patient's demographic characteristics, timings (time from call to ambulance arrival on scene, time from arrival at scene to departure from scene, time from scene to arrival in the ED) recorded in the pre-hospital setting, the outcome of the resuscitation, and the final outcome for patients who survived ED resuscitation.

Results:

Ninety-three non-traumatic patients with an OHCA were studied during the three-month period. Of the 93 patients, 15 (16.1%) survived ED resuscitation, and one survived to hospital discharge. There were no statistically significant differences for age, race, or gender with regards to the outcome of the resuscitation. The initial cardiac rhythms were asystole (65), pulseless electrical activity (21), and ventricular fibrillation (7). Fourteen (15%) received bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). All seven patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) on arrival in the ED survived ED resuscitation. The ambulance took an average of 11.80 ±3.36 minutes for the survivors and 11.8 ±4.22 minutes for the non-survivors from the time of call to get to these patients. The average of the scene times was 12.5 ±4.61 minutes for the survivors and 12.0 ±4.02 minutes for the non-survivors. Transport time from the scene to the ED took an average of 39.1 ±8.32 minutes for the survivors and 37.2 ±9.00 minutes for the non-survivors.

Conclusion:

The survival rate for patients with OHCA after ED resuscitation is similar to the results from other studies. There is a need to increase the awareness and delivery of basic life support by public education. Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) should be available widely to ensure that the chance of early defibrillation is increased. Prolonged resuscitation efforts appear to be futile for OHCA patients if the time from cardiac arrest until arrival in the ED is ≥30 minutes coupled with no ROSC, and if continuous asystole has been documented for >10 minutes.
Instrument Development and Evaluation of Domestic Preparedness Training for First Responders
Authors: Beaton Randal D. , Johnson L. Clark
Published: August 2016

Introduction:

In the wake of domestic terrorists attacks on 11 September 2001 and subsequent bioterrorist events employing anthrax, there no longer can be any debate about the potential for attacks employing Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical (NBC)/Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). As one way of acknowledging this long-standing threat and, in a concerted effort to mitigate the effects of possible future domestic NBC/WMD terrorist attacks, the US Department of Defense (DOD) and other US governmental agencies already had mounted an effort to provide Domestic Preparedness Training for First Responders in urban centers throughout the USA.

Methods:

A paper and pencil questionnaire specifically designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Domestic Preparedness Training for Emergency First Responders has been developed. An earlier version of this instrument was piloted with a convenience sample of firefighters and paramedics (n = 78) in a northwest state. Based on replies to the pilot questionnaire, a pool of 27 items based on the objectives and content of the NBC/WMD Domestic Preparedness Awareness and Operations courses (plus additional background and appraised competency items) were selected for inclusion in a Domestic Preparedness Questionnaire (DPQ).

Results:

This paper first describes the essential psychometric properties of the DPQ based on replies from baseline and follow-up samples (n = 206 and n = 246 respectively) of urban firefighters and paramedics employed by a metropolitan city in a northwest state. The DPQ was employed to evaluate the outcomes of Domestic Preparedness training provided to a sample of urban fire-service personnel. The DPQ documented significant improvements in a group of “DP trained”-urban firefighters (n = 80) both in their awareness and operations content knowledge as well as in their perceived competencies to respond to acts of biological, chemical, or nuclear terrorism “in their own community” at four months post-training. A comparison group of “Not DP-trained” firefighters (n = 78) showed no statistically significant changes on these DPQ indices, suggesting that the documented improvements in the “DP-trained” firefighters on the DPQ were not due to “test reactivity” or to “historical” factors.

Conclusion:

The findings suggest that the DPQ has adequate inter-item and test-retest reliability, possesses concurrent validity, and appears to be a sensitive measure of the Domestic Preparedness Training provided for urban firefighter and paramedic First Responders.