bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Raman Spectroscopy in Graphene-Based Systems: Prototypes for Nanoscience and Nanometrology
Authors: Jorio Ado
Published: December 2012

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool to characterize the different types of sp2 carbon nanostructures, including two-dimensional graphene, one-dimensional nanotubes, and the effect of disorder in their structures. This work discusses why sp2 nanocarbons can be considered as prototype materials for the development of nanoscience and nanometrology. The sp2 nanocarbon structures are quickly introduced, followed by a discussion on how this field evolved in the past decades. In sequence, their rather rich Raman spectra composed of many peaks induced by single- and multiple-resonance effects are introduced. The properties of the main Raman peaks are then described, including their dependence on both materials structure and external factors, like temperature, pressure, doping, and environmental effects. Recent applications that are pushing the technique limits, such as multitechnique approach and in situ nanomanipulation, are highlighted, ending with some challenges for new developments in this field.
Time in Bed Is Associated with Decreased Physical Activity and Higher BMI in Women Seeking Weight Loss Treatment
Authors: Hart Chantelle N. , Fava Joseph L. , Subak Leslee L. , Stone Katie , Vittinghoff Eric , Demos Kathryn E. , O’Brien Erin , Cairns Alyssa , Wing Rena R.
Published: December 2012

Short sleep duration is associated with obesity risk. Despite calls to incorporate strategies to enhance sleep within the context of behavioral weight loss (BWL) treatment, little is known regarding the association between sleep and body mass index (BMI) among individuals presenting for BWL. Moreover, most research has focused on eating pathways linking sleep and BMI and has not explored how sleep may impact engagement in physical activity. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether, in a sample of women seeking treatment for weight loss, there was an association between reported time in bed (TIB), higher BMI, lower physical activity, and less favorable dietary composition. Prior to randomization, 318 women completed measures of TIB, eating, and activity; weight and height were measured. Findings demonstrated that report of “6 hours or less” TIB/night was associated with higher BMI and lower reported physical activity compared to that of the referent (>7 to ≤8 hours/night). It was not associated with the number of reported calories consumed each day or with the percent of calories consumed from fat, carbohydrates, or protein. Better understanding of the role of sleep within the context of BWL treatment in women seems warranted.
Immunohistochemical Evaluation of Cell Cycle Regulators: Impact on Predicting Prognosis in Stage T1 Urinary Bladder Cancer
Authors: Olsson Hans , Hultman Per , Monsef Nastaran , Rosell Johan , Jahnson Staffan
Published: December 2012

Background and Objective. The cell cycle is regulated by proteins at different checkpoints, and dysregulation of this cycle plays a role in carcinogenesis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are enzymes that degrade collagen and promote tumour infiltration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of various cell cycle regulators and MMPs and to correlate such expression with progression and recurrence in patients with stage T1 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). Patients and Methods. This population-based cohort study comprised 201 well-characterized patients with primary stage T1 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. Immunohistochemistry was performed on formalin-fixed material to quantify expression of cell cycle regulators and two MMPs. Results. Normal expression of p53 and abnormal expression of MMP9 were associated with greater risk of tumour recurrence. Also, normal p16 expression was related to a lower risk of tumour progression. MMP2, p21, cyclin D1, and pRb showed no significant results that could estimate progression or recurrence. Conclusions. Normal p16 expression is associated with a lower risk of tumour progression, but immunohistochemistry on cell cycle regulators and MMPs has little value in predicting the prognosis in stage T1 UCB.
Is There an Association between Keloids and Blood Groups?
Authors: Mouhari-Toure Abas , Saka Bayaki , Kombaté Koussaké , Akakpo Sefako , Egbohou Palakiyem , Tchangaï-Walla Kissem , Pitche Palokinam
Published: December 2012

Objective. The aim of the study is to investigate the possible associations between the blood groups ABO and Rhesus systems and the presence of keloids in patients with black skin. Method. This case-control study was conducted between September 2007 and August 2011 comparing dermatologic outpatients with keloids to matched controls recruited in preanesthetic consultation at Tokoin Teaching Hospital of Lomé (Togo). Results. The distribution of different ABO blood groups and Rhesus blood groups in both groups (cases versus controls) was not significantly different. This distribution of different blood groups was superimposed on the general population of blood donors at the National Blood Transfusion Center of Lomé. Univariate analysis between each blood group and the presence of keloid does not yield any statistically significant association between blood groups and presence of keloids in the subjects. Conclusion. The study shows no significant association between blood groups and the presence of keloids in our patients. Further investigation needs to be conducted to elucidate this hypothesis further by conducting multicenter studies of several ethnic groups.
Staging Patriotism: Popular Responses to Solidarność in Soviet Ukraine, 1980-1981
Authors: Wojnowski Zbigniew
Published: December 2012

Zbigniew Wojnowski explores Soviet popular responses to Solidarity during the early 1980s, focusing in particular on Ukraine and its western borderlands. Shifting emphasis from internal Soviet dynamics to transnational interactions in eastern Europe, Wojnowski challenges dominant narratives of late Soviet and Ukrainian history. Whereas Alexei Yurchak maintains that members of the “last Soviet generation” were essentially indifferent to the Soviet state and its ideology, popular responses to Solidarity suggest that, in some contexts at least, Soviet citizens still engaged with the state in active and meaningful ways during the early 1980s. Drawing on the rhetoric of Soviet patriotism in various public forums, many residents of Ukraine claimed the right to comment on official policies. In this sense, the types of citizenship that had developed in the USSR after 1945 survived into the early 1980s. Most surprisingly, perhaps, Soviet patriotism provided a crucial source of vitality for Leonid Brezhnev's regime even in Ukraine's western borderlands, which have often been seen as the “least Soviet” part of the USSR.
Fault Lines in Russia's Discourse of Nation: Television Coverage of the December 2010 Moscow Riots
Authors: Hutchings Stephen , Tolz Vera
Published: December 2012

This article analyzes Russian television news accounts of the December 2010 Manezhnaia riots that followed an ethnic Russian football fan's murder by a group of men from the North Caucasus. It focuses on the narrative struggle to reconcile official nation-building rhetoric with grassroots realities and broadcasters' own assumptions. Using the tools of media discourse analysis, Stephen Hutchings and Vera Tolz demonstrate that national television's conceptual apparatus consists of a multifaceted amalgam in which interpretations of the Soviet period are modified through the influences of late imperial Russian intellectual traditions and western interpretations of societal diversity. Hutchings and Tolz show how the essentialization of ethnic boundaries within this apparatus leads both to the overinterpretation of interethnic aspects of the crisis, and to their occlusion. Rather than submitting to a univocal state machine, post-Manezhnaia broadcasting reveals fault lines whose partial convergence around a single narrative reflects the restricted logic of the conceptual apparatus and a perceived need to reflect the public mood.
Control Motion Approach of a Lower Limb Orthosis to Reduce Energy Consumption
Authors: Sanz-Merodio Daniel , Cestari Manuel , Arevalo Juan Carlos , Garcia Elena
Published: December 2012

By analysing the dynamic principles of the human gait, an economic gait-control analysis is performed, and passive elements are included to increase the energy efficiency in the motion control of active orthoses. Traditional orthoses use position patterns from the clinical gait analyses (CGAs) of healthy people, which are then de-normalized and adjusted to each user. These orthoses maintain a very rigid gait, and their energy cost is very high, reducing the autonomy of the user. First, to take advantage of the inherent dynamics of the legs, a state machine pattern with different gains in each state is applied to reduce the actuator energy consumption. Next, different passive elements, such as springs and brakes in the joints, are analysed to further reduce energy consumption. After an off-line parameter optimization and a heuristic improvement with genetic algorithms, a reduction in energy consumption of 16.8% is obtained by applying a state machine control pattern, and a reduction of 18.9% is obtained by using passive elements. Finally, by combining both strategies, a more natural gait is obtained, and energy consumption is reduced by 24.6% compared with a pure CGA pattern.
Context-Aware System Applied in Industrial Assembly Environment
Authors: Stipancic Tomislav , Jerbic Bojan , Curkovic Petar
Published: December 2012

The objective of this paper is to present an ongoing development of a context-aware system used within industrial environments. The core of the system is so-called Cognitive Model for Robot Group Control. This model is based on well-known concepts of Ubiquitous Computing, and is used to control robot behaviours in specially designed industrial environments. By using sensors integrated within the environment, the system is able to track and analyse changes, and update its informational buffer appropriately. Based on freshly collected information, the Model is able to provide a transformation of high-level contextual information to lower-level information that is much more suitable and understandable for technical systems. The Model uses semantically defined knowledge to define domain of interest, and Bayesian Network reasoning to deal with the uncertain events and ambiguity scenarios that characterize our naturally unstructured world.
Robot-Crawler: Statically Balanced Gaits
Authors: Parasuraman S. , Hang F. J. , Khan M. K. A. Ahamed
Published: December 2012

This paper presents a new statically balanced walking technique for a robot-crawler. The gait design and the control of the robot crawler aim to achieve stability while walking. This statically balanced gait has to be designed in a different fashion to a wheeled robot, as there are discrete changes in the support of the robot when its legs are lifted or placed on the ground. The stability of the robot depends on how the legs are positioned relative to the body and also on the sequence and timing with which the legs are lifted and placed. In order to reduce the risk of stability loss while walking, a measure for the robot stability (so-called stability margin) is typically used in the gait and motion planning. In this paper different biological behaviours of four-legged animals are studied and mapped on a quad-legrobot-crawler. Experiments were carried out on the forward walking gaits of lizards and horses. Based on these results, the stability margins of different gaits are discussed and compared.
Adaptive Robot Control – An Experimental Comparison
Authors: Alonge Francesco , D'Ippolito Filippo
Published: December 2012

This paper deals with experimental comparison between stable adaptive controllers of robotic manipulators based on Model Based Adaptive, Neural Network and Wavelet -Based control. The above control methods were compared with each other in terms of computational efficiency, need for accurate mathematical model of the manipulator and tracking performances. An original management algorithm of the Wavelet Network control scheme has been designed, with the aim of constructing the net automatically during the trajectory tracking, without the need to tune it to the trajectory itself. Experimental tests, carried out on a planar two link manipulator, show that the Wavelet-Based control scheme, with the new management algorithm, outperforms the conventional Model-Based schemes in the presence of structural uncertainties in the mathematical model of the robot, without pre-training and more efficiently than the Neural Network approach.
End-Point Contact Force Control with Quantitative Feedback Theory for Mobile Robots
Authors: Wen Shuhuan , Zhu Jinghai , Li Xiaoli , Rad Ahmad B. , Chen Xiao
Published: December 2012

Robot force control is an important issue for intelligent mobile robotics. The end-point stiffness of a robot is a key and open problem in the research community. The control strategies are mostly dependent on both the specifications of the task and the environment of the robot. Due to the limited stiffness of the end-effector, we may adopt inherent torque to feedback the oscillations of the controlled force. This paper proposes an effective control strategy which contains a controller using quantitative feedback theory. The nested loop controllers take into account the physical limitation of the system's inner variables and harmful interference. The biggest advantage of the method is its simplicity in both the design process and the implementation of the control algorithm in engineering practice. Taking the one-link manipulator as an example, numerical experiments are carried out to verify the proposed control method. The results show the satisfactory performance.
A Self-Occlusion Detection Approach Based on Depth Image Using SVM
Authors: Zhang Shi-Hui , Liu Jian-Xin
Published: December 2012

This paper describes a novel self-occlusion detection approach for depth image using SVM. This work is distinguished by three contributions. The first contribution is the introduction of a new self-occlusion detection idea, which takes the self-occlusion as a classification problem for the first time, thus the accuracy of the detection result is improved. The second contribution is two new self-occlusion-related features, named maximal depth difference and included angle. The third contribution is a specific self-occlusion detection algorithm. Experimental results not only show that the proposed approach is feasible and effective, but also show that our works produce better results than those previously published.
Energy Harvesting from Mechanical Shocks Using a Sensitive Vibration Energy Harvester
Authors: Hadas Zdenek , Vetiska Vojtech , Singule Vladislav , Andrs Ondrej , Kovar Jiri , Vetiska Jan
Published: December 2012

This paper deals with a unique principle of energy harvesting technologies. An energy harvesting device generates electric energy from its surroundings using some kind of energy conversion method. Therefore, the considered energy harvesting device does not consume any fuel or substance. The presented energy harvesting system is used forenergy harvesting of electrical energy from mechanical shocks. The presented energy harvesting system uses a very sensitive vibration energy harvester, which was developed for an aeronautic application at Brno University of Technology. This energy harvesting system is a complex mechatronic device, which consists of a precise mechanical part, an electromagnetic converter, power electronics (power management) and a load (e.g., wireless sensor). The very sensitive vibration energy harvester is capable of usingthe mechanical energy of mechanical shocks and it can harvest useful energy. This energy harvesting system is used with a wireless temperature sensor and measured results are presented in this paper.
Locomotion Control of a Compliant Legged Robot from Slow Walking to Fast Running
Authors: Kwon Oh-Seok , Choi RockHyun , Lee Dong-Ha
Published: December 2012

In this paper, we propose a locomotion control method for a compliant legged robot from slow walking to fast running. We also examine the energy efficiency of the compliant legged robot controlled by the proposed locomotion control method. Experimentally, we obtain the robot running speed of about 4.3m/s with the initial compliant leg length of 0.1m. In addition, we obtain very good energy efficiency. In the best case, the mechanical cost of transport(Cmt), known as an energy efficiency measure, is obtained at about 0.2. Comparing with the other energy efficient robots, our robot exhibits very good energy efficiency.
Adaptive Fuzzy Computed-Torque Control for Robot Manipulator with Uncertain Dynamics
Authors: Chen Yuan , Ma Guangying , Lin Shuxia , Gao Jun
Published: December 2012

To overcome the disadvantages of conventional computed-torque control and fuzzy control, and to exploit their attractive features, this paper proposes two types of adaptive control scheme combining conventional computed-torque control and different fuzzy compensators for the robust tracking control of robotic manipulators with structured and unstructured uncertainties. Fuzzy compensators based on feed-forward and feed-back are developed to compensate these uncertain dynamics. On the basis of Lyapunov stability theory, a tracking error limit is derived for the closed-loop control system and the convergence and stability of the control schemes are proved. Comparisons of their performances with conventional computed-torque controllers under the condition of these uncertainties are carried out. The validity of the two types of adaptive control scheme is shown by numerical simulations of a three-link rotary robot manipulator.
Examination of the Regulatory Frameworks Applicable to Biologic Drugs (Including Stem Cells and Their Progeny) in Europe, the U.S., and Australia: Part II—A Method of Software Documentary Analysis
Authors: Ilic Nina , Savic Snezana , Siegel Evan , Atkinson Kerry , Tasic Ljiljana
Published: December 2012

A wide range of regulatory standards applicable to production and use of tissues, cells, and other biologics (or biologicals), as advanced therapies, indicates considerable interest in the regulation of these products. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare high-tier documents within the Australian, European, and U.S. biologic drug regulatory environments using qualitative methodology. Eighteen high-tier documents from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulatory frameworks were subject to automated text analysis. Selected documents were consistent with the legal requirements for manufacturing and use of biologic drugs in humans and fall into six different categories. Concepts, themes, and their co-occurrence were identified and compared. The most frequent concepts in TGA, FDA, and EMA frameworks were “biological,” “product,” and “medicinal,” respectively. This was consistent with the previous manual terminology search. Good Manufacturing Practice documents, across frameworks, identified “quality” and “appropriate” as main concepts, whereas in Good Clinical Practice (GCP) documents it was “clinical,” followed by “trial,” “subjects,” “sponsor,” and “data.” GCP documents displayed considerably higher concordance between different regulatory frameworks, as demonstrated by a smaller number of concepts, similar size, and similar distance between them. Although high-tier documents often use different terminology, they share concepts and themes. This paper may be a modest contribution to the recognition of similarities and differences between analyzed regulatory documents. It may also fill the literature gap and provide some foundation for future comparative research of biologic drug regulations on a global level.
Defining the Content of an Opportunistic Osteoarthritis Consultation With Primary Health Care Professionals: A Delphi Consensus Study
Authors: Finney Andrew , Porcheret Mark , Grime Janet , Jordan Kelvin P. , Handy June , Healey Emma , Ryan Sarah , Jester Rebecca , Dziedzic Krysia
Published: December 2012

Objective

To define the core content for an opportunistic consultation between a health care professional (HCP) and a patient with osteoarthritis (OA) in primary care.

Methods

An ideas generation round and a 2‐round Delphi postal consensus study allowed participants to rank the importance of tasks for an opportunistic consultation. The study was conducted with a lay group (n = 18) and 3 groups of HCPs (n = 30 for general practitioners, n = 19 for practice nurses, and n = 37 for allied health professionals).

Results

The ideas generation round formulated 35 consultation tasks. There was a 50% response rate to the 2‐round postal exercise (n = 52). Consensus was reached on 12 tasks for an opportunistic OA consultation using a >80% level of agreement across all groups. Three of these consultation tasks were defined at 100%. The 3 tasks were questions asked by the HCP about how things are going with the condition, the type and amount of pain the patient has, and whether the patient is taking regular analgesia.

Conclusion

In a Delphi study to define the content of an opportunistic primary care OA consultation, 12 consultation tasks provided the content of a comprehensive consultation. Three of these tasks with 100% agreement could be adopted in any multidisciplinary consultation for OA in primary care. Inquiring about the condition, the type and amount of pain the patient has, and whether analgesia is being taken forms a core set of questions that are considered important by both lay and health professional groups in an opportunistic consultation.
Crosscultural Measurement Equivalence of the Health Assessment Questionnaire II
Authors: Oude Voshaar Martijn A. H. , Glas Cees A. W. , ten Klooster Peter M. , Taal Erik , Wolfe Frederick , van de Laar Mart A. F. J.
Published: December 2012

Objective

To evaluate the crosscultural measurement equivalence of the US and Dutch Health Assessment Questionnaire II (HAQ‐II) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

Item response theory (IRT) analyses were performed on US (n = 18,747) and Dutch (n = 1,022) HAQ‐II data to evaluate the equivalence of crosscultural item performance. The observed inconsistencies were modeled by assigning country‐specific item parameters to biased items. The impact of crosscultural item bias on the comparability of the Dutch and US total scores was analyzed by evaluating the agreement between physical function levels estimated from an IRT model with country‐specific item parameters for biased items and physical function levels estimated from the original model that did not account for cultural bias.

Results

Two items showed significant crosscultural bias. However, the agreement in physical function estimates between the respecified and original models was very high, with an intraclass correlation coefficient >0.99 and Bland‐Altman limits of agreement ranging from −0.08 to −0.01 on a latent scale with a mean of 0 and an SD of 1.

Conclusion

This study suggests that the Dutch and US HAQ‐II produce total scores that can be interpreted interchangeably across countries in RA studies, despite some minor bias at the item level.
Associations of Educational Attainment, Occupation, and Community Poverty With Hip Osteoarthritis
Authors: Cleveland Rebecca j. , Schwartz Todd A. , Prizer Lindsay P. , Randolph Randy , Schoster Britta , Renner Jordan B. , Jordan Joanne M. , Callahan Leigh F.
Published: December 2012

Objective

To examine cross‐sectional baseline data from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project for the association between individual and community socioeconomic status (SES) measures with hip osteoarthritis (OA) outcomes.

Methods

We analyzed data on 3,087 individuals (68% white and 32% African American). Educational attainment and occupation were used as individual measures of SES. Census block group household poverty rate was used as a measure of community SES. Hip OA outcomes included radiographic OA and symptomatic OA in one or both hip joints. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association of each hip OA outcome with each SES variable separately, and then with all SES measures simultaneously. Associations between hip OA outcomes and SES variables were evaluated for effect modification by race and sex.

Results

Living in a community of high household poverty rate showed independent associations with hip radiographic OA in one or both hips (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.18–1.92) and bilateral (both hips) radiographic OA (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.32–2.66). Similar independent associations were found between low educational attainment among those with symptomatic OA in one or both hips (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.09–1.91) or bilateral symptomatic OA (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.08–3.39), after adjusting for all SES measures simultaneously. No significant associations were observed between occupation and hip OA outcomes, nor did race or sex modify the associations.

Conclusion

Our data provide evidence that hip OA outcomes are associated with both education and community SES measures, associations that remained after adjustment for covariates and all SES measures.
Architecturing of Metal‐Based Composites with Concurrent Nanostructuring: A New Paradigm of Materials Design
Authors: Bouaziz Olivier , Kim Hyong Seop , Estrin Yuri
Published: December 2012

Over the past decades severe plastic deformation (SPD) techniques advanced to one of the most potent ways of producing bulk ultrafine grained materials. The main advantage of SPD is the ultra‐high strength they can deliver. While the improvement of the strength there is a limit to what is achievable SPD when they are applied to individual materials especially for strain‐hardening and ductility. Therefore a new application of SPD processes in manufacturing of architecture hybrid materials with simultaneous nanostructuring is investigated experimentally and theoretically.
A Possible Reaction Pathway to Fabricate a Half‐Metallic Wire on a Silicon Surface
Authors: Lu Yun Hao , Jin Hongmei , Zhu Hongjun , Yang Shuo‐Wang , Zhang Chun , Jiang Jian Zhong , Feng Yuan Ping
Published: December 2012

Based on first‐principles electronic structure calculations and molecular dynamics simulations, a possible reaction pathway for fabricating half‐metallic Mo‐borine sandwich molecular wires on a hydrogen‐passivated Si(001) surface is presented. The molecular wire is chemically bonded to the silicon surface and is stable up to room temperature. Interestingly, the essential properties of the molecular wire are not significantly affected by the Si substrate. Furthermore, their electronic and magnetic properties are tunable by an external electric field, which allows the molecular wire to function as a molecular switch or a basic component for information storage devices, leading to applications in future molecular electronic and spintronic devices.
Arsonic Acid Self‐Assembled Monolayers Protect Oxide Surfaces from Micronewton Nanomechanical Forces
Authors: LaFranzo Natalie A. , Maurer Joshua A.
Published: December 2012

The development of new surface coatings is critical for combating wear and increasing the device lifetime in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Here, a class of arsonic acid self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) is reported that form readily on oxide substrates including silicon oxide, borosilicate glass, and titanium oxide. Monolayers are easily prepared using a straightforward soaking technique, which is amenable to large‐scale commercial applications. Monolayer formation on borosilicate glass and titanium oxide is characterized using infrared spectroscopy. Monolayers on borosilicate glass, native silicon oxide and titanium oxide are evaluated with contact angle measurements, as well as wear measurements using nanoscratching experiments. On titanium oxide and borosilicate glass, monolayers prepared from hexadecylarsonic acid provide significantly greater surface protection than surfaces reacted under similar conditions with hexadecylphosphonic acid, a common modifying agent for oxide substrates.
Highly Stable Graphene‐Based Multilayer Films Immobilized via Covalent Bonds and Their Applications in Organic Field‐Effect Transistors
Authors: Ou Xiaowei , Jiang Lang , Chen Penglei , Zhu Mingshan , Hu Wenping , Liu Minghua , Zhu Junfa , Ju Huanxin
Published: December 2012

Highly stable graphene oxide (GO)‐based multilayered ultrathin films can be covalently immobilized on solid supports through a covalent‐based method. It is demonstrated that when (3‐aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTMS), which works as a covalent cross‐linking agent, and GO nanosheets are assembled in an layer‐by‐layer (LBL) manner, GO nanosheets can be covalently grafted on the solid substrate successfully to produce uniform multilayered (APTMS/GO)N films over large‐area surfaces. Compared with conventional noncovalent LBL films constructed by electrostatic interactions, those assembled using this covalent‐based method display much higher stability and reproducibility. Upon thermal annealing‐induced reduction of the covalent (APTMS/GO)N films, the obtained reduced GO (RGO) films, (APTMS/RGO)N, preserve their basic structural characteristics. It is also shown that the as‐prepared covalent (APTMS/RGO)N multilayer films can be used as highly stable source/drain electrodes in organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs). When the number of bilayers of the (APTMS/RGO)N film exceeds 2 (ca. 2.7 nm), the OFETs based on (APTMS/RGO)N electrodes display much better electrical performance than devices based on 40 nm Au electrodes. The covalent protocol proposed may open up new opportunities for the construction of graphene‐based ultrathin films with excellent stability and reproducibility, which are desired for practical applications that require withstanding of multistep post‐production processes.
Micro and Nanoparticle‐Based Delivery Systems for Vaccine Immunotherapy: An Immunological and Materials Perspective
Authors: Leleux Jardin , Roy Krishnendu
Published: December 2012

The development and widespread application of vaccines has been one of the most significant achievements of modern medicine. Vaccines have not only been instrumental in controlling and even eliminating life‐threatening diseases like polio, measles, diphtheria, etc., but have also been immensely powerful in enhancing the worldwide outlook of public health over the past century. Despite these successes, there are still many complex disorders (e.g., cancer, HIV, and other emerging infectious diseases) for which effective preventative or therapeutic vaccines have been difficult to develop. This failure can be attributed primarily to our inability to precisely control and modulate the highly complex immune memory response, specifically the cellular response. Dominated by B and T cell maturation and function, the cellular response is primarily initiated by potent immunostimulators and antigens. Efficient and targeted delivery of these immunomodulatory and immunostimulatory molecules to appropriate cells is key to successful development of next generation vaccine formulations. Over the past decade, particulate carriers have emerged as an attractive means for enhancing the delivery efficacy and potency of vaccines and associated immunomodulatory molecules. Specifically, polymer‐based micro and nanoparticles are being extensively studied for a wide variety of applications. In this review, we discuss the immunological fundamentals for developing effective vaccines and how materials and material properties can be exploited to improve these therapies. Particular emphasis is given to polymer‐based particles and how the route of administration of particulate systems affects the phenotype and robustness of an immune response. Comparison of various strategies and recent advancements in the field are discussed along with insights into current limitations and future directions.
Endotoxin Removal by Magnetic Separation‐Based Blood Purification
Authors: Herrmann Inge K. , Urner Martin , Graf Samuel , Schumacher Christoph M. , Roth‐Z'graggen Birgit , Hasler Melanie , Stark Wendelin J. , Beck‐Schimmer Beatrice
Published: December 2012

This work describes a magnetic separation‐based approach using polymyxin B‐functionalized metal alloy nanomagnets for the rapid elimination of endotoxins from human blood in vitro and functional assays to evaluate the biological relevance of the blood purification process. Playing a central role in gram‐negative sepsis, bacteria‐derived endotoxins are attractive therapeutic targets. However, both direct endotoxin detection in and removal from protein‐rich fluids remains challenging. We present the synthesis and functionalization of ultra‐magnetic cobalt/iron alloy nanoparticles and a magnetic separation‐based approach using polymyxin B‐functionalized nanomagnets to remove endotoxin from human blood in vitro. Conventional chromogenic Limulus Amebocyte Lysate assays confirm decreased endotoxin activity in purified compared to untreated samples. Functional assays assessing key steps in host defense against bacteria show an attenuated inflammatory mediator expression from human primary endothelial cells in response to purified blood samples compared to untreated blood and less chemotactic activity. Exposing Escherichia coli‐positive blood samples to polymyxin B‐functionalized nanomagnets even impairs the ability of gram‐negative bacteria to form colony forming units, thus making magnetic separation based blood purification a promising new approach for future sepsis treatment.
Decanter Anomaly
Authors: Luyben William L.
Published: December 2012

A counter‐intuitive decanter level control structure was reported in an earlier article which the aqueous level controller had to use reverse action for stable control. The Aspen model used in this study was the simple Decanter model, which assumes that there are only two liquid phases and pressure remains constant. This article presents results when the alternative Flash3 model is used. The aqueous level controller with direct action works well. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2088–2095, 2013
A Novel Approach to Well‐Aligned TiO2 Nanotube Arrays and Their Enhanced Photocatalytic Performances
Authors: Zhang Weixin , Chen Gongde , Yang Zeheng , Zeng Chunyan
Published: December 2012

A simple route has been developed to prepare well‐aligned TiO2 nanotube arrays, which is based on outward coating of TiO2 and inward etching of Cu(OH)2 nanorod templates. Effects of annealing temperature and time on the crystal size and crystallinity of TiO2 nanotube arrays and photocatalytic activities of TiO2 nanotube arrays for degradation of Rhodamine B in aqueous solution have been investigated. The results indicate that the TiO2 nanotube arrays annealed at 500°C for 2 h possessed an enhanced photocatalytic activity in comparison with the TiO2 nanotube arrays without post heating and commercial anatase TiO2 nanoparticle film and presented a good life cycle performance. Scale‐up of the process has also been demonstrated. Our work opens a new avenue to fabricate free‐standing TiO2 nanotube arrays and demonstrates an excellent photocatalytic performance of the anatase TiO2 nanotube arrays for wastewater treatment. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2134–2144, 2013
Fluid‐phase coexistence for the oxidation of CO2 expanded cyclohexane: Experiment, molecular simulation, and COSMO‐SAC
Authors: Merker T. , Hsieh C.‐M. , Lin S.‐T. , Hasse H. , Vrabec J.
Published: December 2012

The gas solubility of pure oxygen and of pure carbon dioxide as well as of their gaseous mixture are measured in the ternary liquid mixture cyclohexane + cyclohexanone + cyclohexanol at 313.6 K with a high‐pressure view‐cell technique using the synthetic method. The new experimental data are used to assess the capability of molecular simulation and conductor‐like screening model (COSMO)‐SAC to predict multicomponent fluid‐phase coexistence behavior. These methods are also compared systematically on the basis of experimental binary fluid‐phase coexistence data. In that comparison also the Peng–Robinson (PR) equation of state is included as a reference. Molecular simulation and COSMO‐SAC yield good results and are found to be far superior to the PR equation of state both in predictive and in adjusted mode. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2236–2250, 2013
Modeling, Simulation, and Optimization of Hybrid Fe(II)/Fe(III) Redox Flow Fuel Cell System
Authors: Hojjati Hossein , Penev Kalin , Pupkevich Victor R. , Karamanev Dimitre G.
Published: December 2012

The kinetic parameters of ferrous iron oxidation, covering both lag and growth phases at low pH, were determined using a free suspended culture of the bacterium Leptospirillum ferriphilum. A mathematical model was developed to simulate the dynamics of a continuous bioreactor used for operation of a novel hybrid Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox flow fuel cell system. By changing the current load within a predefined range, three runs were performed to predict time‐varying ferrous iron concentration, bacterial cell concentration, and pH as the major output variables of simulation program. The model was experimentally validated through three runs. It was found out that the key variable in dynamic analysis of the bioreactor was the current load applied. To optimize the bioreactor and the fuel cell conditions for a normal‐steady‐state operation, the optimal current profile for a transient phase was determined. A selected optimal policy was also implemented and validated during the mini‐pilot‐scale system experiments. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 1844–1854, 2013
Liquid Fuels from Alternative Carbon Sources Minimizing Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Authors: Metzger Matthew J. , Glasser Benjamin J. , Patel Bilal , Fox James , Sempuga Baraka Celestin , Hildebrandt Diane , Glasser David
Published: December 2012

The energy needs of the world continue to grow, as does the resulting environmental impact. Policy makers continue to call for alternative energies to replace today's petroleum‐based liquid fuels. However, liquid fuels have significant advantages, and it is probably unwise to abandon the existing infrastructure without appropriately exploring alternatives to lessen the environmental burden of producing liquid fuels. Biomass and coal are often proposed as alternatives to petroleum‐based carbon sources, but those processes lose a significant amount of their potential product to unwanted carbon dioxide emissions. However, combining biomass and coal with cleaner natural gas yields processes with less environmental impact to produce liquid fuels with small, zero, or even negative carbon dioxide emissions. Our process synthesis approach is applied to commonly encountered liquid fuel production methods to identify promising routes and to establish feasibility limits on those less promising alternatives. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2062–2078, 2013
Nitrile‐functionalized Hg(II)‐ and Ag(I)‐N‐heterocyclic carbene complexes: synthesis, crystal structures, nuclease and DNA binding activities
Authors: Haque Rosenani A. , Budagumpi Srinivasa , Choo Sze Yii , Choong Mei Kee , Lokesh Bhadravathi Eswara , Sudesh Kumar
Published: December 2012

Various nitrile‐functionalized benzimidazol‐2‐ylidene carbene complexes of Hg(II) and Ag(I) were synthesized by the interaction of 1‐benzyl/1‐butyl‐3‐(cyano‐benzyl)‐3 H‐benzimidazol‐1‐ium mono/dihexafluorophosphate with Hg(OAc)2/Ag2O in acetonitrile. Two of the benzimidazolium salts were structurally characterized by single crystal X‐ray diffraction technique. Structures of reported compounds were characterized by 1 H, 13C NMR, FT‐IR, UV–visible spectroscopic techniques, and molar conductivity and elemental analyses. For bis‐benzimidazolium salt, dinuclear Hg(II)– and Ag(I)–carbene complexes were obtained. Nuclease activity and binding interactions of the synthesized benzimidazolium salts and their Ag(I)–carbene complexes with DNA were studied using agarose gel electrophoresis and, absorption spectroscopy and viscosity measurements, respectively. Ag(I)–carbene complexes showed higher DNA binding activity compared to their respective benzimidazolium salts. However, a benzimidazolium salt and two of the Ag(I) complexes showed remarkably higher nuclease activity both, in the presence and absence of an oxidizing agent. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How can journal impact factors be normalized across fields of science? An assessment in terms of percentile ranks and fractional counts
Authors: Leydesdorff Loet , Zhou Ping , Bornmann Lutz
Published: December 2012

Using the CD‐ROM version of the Science Citation Index 2010 (N = 3,705 journals), we study the (combined) effects of (a) fractional counting on the impact factor (IF) and (b) transformation of the skewed citation distributions into a distribution of 100 percentiles and six percentile rank classes (top‐1%, top‐5%, etc.). Do these approaches lead to field‐normalized impact measures for journals? In addition to the 2‐year IF (IF2), we consider the 5‐year IF (IF5), the respective numerators of these IFs, and the number of Total Cites, counted both as integers and fractionally. These various indicators are tested against the hypothesis that the classification of journals into 11 broad fields by PatentBoard/NSF (National Science Foundation) provides statistically significant between‐field effects. Using fractional counting the between‐field variance is reduced by 91.7% in the case of IF5, and by 79.2% in the case of IF2. However, the differences in citation counts are not significantly affected by fractional counting. These results accord with previous studies, but the longer citation window of a fractionally counted IF5 can lead to significant improvement in the normalization across fields.
NIR Mega‐Stokes Fluorophores for Bioorthogonal Labeling and Energy Transfer Systems–An Efficient Quencher for Daunomycin
Authors: Cserép Gergely B. , Enyedi Kata N. , Demeter Attila , Mező Gábor , Kele Péter
Published: December 2012

A set of new azide‐ and alkyne‐bearing lepidinium‐based fluorophores were synthesized for bioorthogonal labeling schemes. These fluorescent dyes all show large Stokes‐shifts with emission maxima in the near‐infrared (NIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The applicability of these dyes in the construction of energy‐transfer systems was tested using one of these new fluorescent tags and daunomycin (Dau), an anticancer drug with fluorescent features. These daunomycin conjugates are the very first examples of fluorescently modulated constructs of this anticancer agent. The dually labeled architectures proved that the applied fluorescent dye can be utilized as an efficient quencher for daunomycin. Enzymatic cleavage of a dually labeled enzyme substrate resulted in full recovery of the fluorescence of daunomycin. Such fluorescently modulated Dau conjugates can provide useful information for the mechanism of action of Dau‐regulated cell death processes.
Tragverhalten von Offshore Gründungskonstruktionen
Authors: Rücker Werner , Lüddecke Falk , Thöns Sebastian
Published: December 2012

Dieser Artikel enthält eine Zusammenfassung von Ergebnissen des Forschungsverbundvorhabens “OGOWIN: Optimierung aufgelöster Gründungsstrukturen für Offshore‐Windenergieanlagen hinsichtlich Materialeinsatz, Montageablauf und neuer Fertigungsverfahren”. Die Ergebnisse umfassen (1) eine Untersuchung des dynamischen Verhaltens der verschiedenen Gründungsvarianten Monopile, Tripod und Jacket, (2) die Ermittlung einer Wöhlerlinie für den Grundwerkstoff eines Stahlgussknotens, (3) die Ermittlung der Traglast eines Stahlgussknotens in einem 1:1‐Versuch sowie (4) Berechnungen zur Form‐ und Materialoptimierung. Zur Überwachung der Gebrauchstauglichkeit während des Betriebes wurden relevante Parameter hinsichtlich ihres Einflusses auf die ersten Eigenfrequenzen der o. g. Gründungskonstruktionen rechnerisch untersucht. Untersuchungen der Ermüdungsfestigkeit und die erstmalige experimentelle Ermittlung der Traglast eines Gussknotens tragen zu einem optimierten Entwurf durch genaue Kenntnis des Materialverhaltens und der höchstbeanspruchten Bereiche bei. Darüber hinaus konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine geometrische Optimierung des Stahlgussknotens unter konstruktiven Randbedingungen zu einer Verringerung des Materialaufwandes bzw. zu einer Erhöhung der Traglast führen kann.

Structural behaviour of offshore support structures – Computational and experimental analysis

This paper contains a summary of the joint research project “OGOWIN: Optimisation of support structures for offshore wind turbines regarding the material consumption, the construction and production sequence as well as new production methodologies”. The results comprise (1) a modal analyses of various types of offshore wind turbine support structures, (2) the fatigue strength testing of the cast steel material, (3) a large scale ultimate capacity test of a cast steel tube connection and (4) an optimisation of the tube connection aiming at material and stress reduction. The sensitivity of the relevant parameters on the first natural frequencies was quantified and the most influencing parameters were identified. The analyses of the fatigue strength and of the ultimate capacity of the cast steel tube connection support an optimised design by precise knowledge of the failure mechanisms and material behaviour. Moreover, it is shown that optimising the cast steel node can reduce the material use and stress concentration.