bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A strategy to increase lamb meat consumption from a relationship marketing perspective
Authors: Maza María Teresa , Alvarez Keyla , Uldemolins Pilar
Published: June 2024

A group of restaurants created a club around a lamb meat product to improve its promotion and achieve customers’ commitment and satisfaction. The objective is to analyse the relationship between the restaurateurs and the final consumer (B2C). A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect the data. Consumers like promotional activities, but their participation is rather low depending on age. From the structural equation model, it was determined that customer satisfaction has a high influence on customer commitment to the establishment; however, promotion and recognition have a very low influence on customer satisfaction and commitment.
Estimating the Bitumen Ratio to be Used in Highway Asphalt Concrete by Machine Learning
Authors: Çodur Muhammed Yasin , Kasil Halis Bahadir , Kuşkapan Emre
Published: June 2024

Hot mix asphalt, which is frequently used in road pavements, contains bitumen in certain proportions. This bitumen ratio varies according to the layers in the road pavements. The bitumen ratio in each pavement is usually estimated by the Marshall design method. However, this method is costly as well as time-consuming. In this study, the Naive Bayes method, which is a machine learning algorithm, was used to estimate the bitumen ratio practically. In the study, a total of 102 asphalt concrete designs were examined, which were taken from the wearing course, binder course, and asphalt concrete base course and stone mastic asphalt wearing course layers. Each road pavement layer was divided into three different classes according to the bitumen ratios and the algorithm was trained with machine learning. Then the bitumen ratio was estimated for each data set. As a result of this process, the bitumen ratios of the layers were estimated with an accuracy between 75% and 90%. In this study, it was revealed that the bitumen ratio in the road pavement layers could be estimated practically and economically.
Altered hepatic metabolism mediates sepsis preventive effects of reduced glucose supply in infected preterm newborns
Authors: Bæk Ole , Muk Tik , Wu Ziyuan , Ye Yongxin , Khakimov Bekzod , Casano Alessandra Maria , Gangadharan Bagirath , Bilic Ivan , Brunse Anders , Sangild Per Torp , Nguyen Duc Ninh
Published: July 2024

Preterm infants are susceptible to neonatal sepsis, a syndrome of pro-inflammatory activity, organ damage and altered metabolism following infection. Given the unique metabolic challenges and poor glucose regulatory capacity of preterm infants, their glucose intake during infection may have a high impact on the degree metabolism dysregulation and organ damage. Using a preterm pig model of neonatal sepsis, we previously showed that a drastic restriction in glucose supply during infection protects against sepsis via suppression of glycolysis-induced inflammation, but results in severe hypoglycemia. Now we explored clinically relevant options of reducing glucose intake to decrease sepsis risk, without causing hypoglycemia and further explore the involvement of the liver in these protective effects. We found that a reduced glucose regime during infection increased survival via reduced pro-inflammatory response, while maintaining normoglycemia. Mechanistically, this intervention enhanced hepatic oxidative phosphorylation and possibly gluconeogenesis, and dampened both circulating and hepatic inflammation. However, switching from a high to a reduced glucose supply after debut of clinical symptoms did not prevent sepsis, suggesting metabolic conditions at the start of infection are key in driving the outcome. Finally, an early therapy with purified human inter-alpha inhibitor protein, a liver derived anti-inflammatory protein, partially reversed the effects of low parenteral glucose provision, likely by inhibiting neutrophil functions that mediate pathogen clearance.Our findings suggest a clinically relevant regime of reduced glucose supply for infected preterm infants could prevent or delay the development of sepsis in vulnerable neonates.
The emergence and evolution of gene expression in genome regions replete with regulatory motifs
Authors: Fuqua Timothy , Sun Yiqiao , Wagner Andreas
Published: July 2024

Gene regulation is essential for life and controlled by regulatory DNA. Mutations can modify the activity of regulatory DNA, and also create new regulatory DNA, a process called regulatory emergence. Non-regulatory and regulatory DNA contain motifs to which transcription factors may bind. In prokaryotes, gene expression requires a stretch of DNA called a promoter, which contains two motifs called –10 and –35 boxes. However, these motifs may occur in both promoters and non-promoter DNA in multiple copies. They have been implicated in some studies to improve promoter activity, and in others to repress it. Here, we ask whether the presence of such motifs in different genetic sequences influences promoter evolution and emergence. To understand whether and how promoter motifs influence promoter emergence and evolution, we start from 50 ‘promoter islands’, DNA sequences enriched with –10 and –35 boxes. We mutagenize these starting ‘parent’ sequences, and measure gene expression driven by 240,000 of the resulting mutants. We find that the probability that mutations create an active promoter varies more than 200-fold, and is not correlated with the number of promoter motifs. For parent sequences without promoter activity, mutations created over 1500 new –10 and –35 boxes at unique positions in the library, but only ~0.3% of these resulted in de-novo promoter activity. Only ~13% of all –10 and –35 boxes contribute to de-novo promoter activity. For parent sequences with promoter activity, mutations created new –10 and –35 boxes in 11 specific positions that partially overlap with preexisting ones to modulate expression. We also find that –10 and –35 boxes do not repress promoter activity. Overall, our work demonstrates how promoter motifs influence promoter emergence and evolution. It has implications for predicting and understanding regulatory evolution, de novo genes, and phenotypic evolution.
Empowering AlphaFold2 for protein conformation selective drug discovery with AlphaFold2-RAVE
Authors: Gu Xinyu , Aranganathan Akashnathan , Tiwary Pratyush
Published: July 2024

Small molecule drug design hinges on obtaining co-crystallized ligand-protein structures. Despite AlphaFold2’s strides in protein native structure prediction, its focus on apo structures overlooks ligands and associated holo structures. Moreover, designing selective drugs often benefits from the targeting of diverse metastable conformations. Therefore, direct application of AlphaFold2 models in virtual screening and drug discovery remains tentative. Here, we demonstrate an AlphaFold2 based framework combined with all-atom enhanced sampling molecular dynamics and induced fit docking, named AF2RAVE-Glide, to conduct computational model based small molecule binding of metastable protein kinase conformations, initiated from protein sequences. We demonstrate the AF2RAVE-Glide workflow on three different protein kinases and their type I and II inhibitors, with special emphasis on binding of known type II kinase inhibitors which target the metastable classical DFG-out state. These states are not easy to sample from AlphaFold2. Here we demonstrate how with AF2RAVE these metastable conformations can be sampled for different kinases with high enough accuracy to enable subsequent docking of known type II kinase inhibitors with more than 50% success rates across docking calculations. We believe the protocol should be deployable for other kinases and more proteins generally.
Traditional art design expression based on embedded system development
Authors: Cui Yan , Zainol Amer Shakir Bin
Published: June 2024

This article describes constructing an embedded system for a painting art and style presentation platform, achieving the automatic integration of digital painting art with traditional art design. The frontend components are designed using the Bootstrap framework, with Django as the web development framework and TensorFlow architecture integrated into the code. Furthermore, the Inception module and residual connections are introduced to optimize the visual geometry group (VGG) network for recognizing and analyzing image texture features. Compared to other models, experimental results indicate that the proposed model demonstrates a 2.6% increase in image style classification accuracy, reaching 87.34% and 95.33% in architectural and landscape image classification, respectively. The system’s operational outcomes reveal that the proposed platform alleviates the burden on the logical function modules of the system, enhances scalability, and promotes the automated fusion of digital painting art with traditional art design expression.
Asymmetry of the Subjective Visual Vertical in Patients With Unilateral Peripheral Vestibular Deficit
Authors: Haijoub Souad , Lacour Michel
Published: July 2024

Background and Objectives: Perception of verticality is clinically assessed using the subjective visual vertical (SVV), a test of the otolith system that consists of aligning a bar on the gravitational vertical in darkness. Patients with acute unilateral vestibulopathy (AUVP) show a systematic SVV bias toward the affected side, whichever the side of line orientation. Whether SVV estimates are symmetrical has not been investigated.Subjects and Methods: This study included 10 patients with AUVP (vestibular neuritis) and 10 with BPPV (posterior semicircular canal). SVV measurements were made at two preset angles of line orientation (15° and 30°) toward the ipsilateral and contralateral sides, relative to the affected side.Results: The results showed asymmetrical SVV estimates in the AUVP group, with significantly greater SVV errors for ipsilateral than contralateral line orientation, as well as for the preset angle of 30° compared to 15°. SVV estimates were significantly lower in patients with BPPV who also exhibited SVV asymmetry. SVV estimates remained unchanged just after the maneuver and were normalized some days later or after supplementary maneuvers.Conclusions: SVV asymmetry should be routinely considered in the clinic. We recommend individually assessing ipsilateral and contralateral SVV and using at least two preset angles. This allows for a better assessment and diagnosis of otolith organ imbalance that can trigger chronic instability and dizziness. The contribution of neck afferents related to head position in space seems to be the main source of SVV asymmetry.
An Evaluation of Mechanical Behaviors of Baghouse Dust in Asphalt Concrete Mix Using Discrete Element Method (DEM)
Authors: I Tanimola Joshua. , Apata A. C. , Dawodu Praise Onimisi
Published: June 2024

The purpose of this study is to research the mechanical behavior of baghouse dust when integrated into asphalt concrete mixes, utilizing the Discrete Element Method. Baghouse dust, a byproduct of asphalt creation, presents natural removal challenges; nonetheless, its true capacity reuse in asphalt concrete could give an economical arrangement. This study plans to assess the attainability and execution ramifications of utilizing differing extents of baghouse dust in asphalt mixtures and combinations.
The study starts by portraying the physical and synthetic properties of baghouse dust. Accordingly, substantial examples are ready with various rates of baghouse dust to break down what the consideration of this result means for the mechanical properties of the mix.
The research uncovered that integrating baghouse dust into asphalt concrete by and large decreases the peak stress and strength attributes of the mix. In particular, the stress-strain curves show a lessening in top pressure values as the baghouse dust content increases. For example, the pinnacle pressure for the control mixes (0% residue) is roughly 25 MPa, while for mixes containing 5%, 10%, and 15% residue, the peak stresses are 22 MPa, 20 MPa, and 17 MPa, individually. Regardless of this decrease, the mechanical properties stay inside for specific applications, proposing that baghouse residue can be utilized successfully in non-basic primary layers of asphalts.
Palladium‐Catalysed Intramolecular Direct Arylation of 2‐Bromobenzenesulfonic Acid Derivatives
Authors: Bheeter Charles Beromeo , Bera Jitendra K. , Doucet Henri
Published: December 2012

A palladium‐catalysed intramolecular direct arylation of 2‐bromobenzenesulfonic acid derivatives was found to proceed using 1 mol% of palladium acetate as the catalyst. The influence of the substituents on the phenol moiety of 2‐bromobenzenesulfonic acid phenyl esters reveals that electron‐donating substituents favour the reaction while electron‐withdrawing ones are unfavourable. The reactivity of sulfonamides was also studied and, in all cases, a selective activation at sp2 CH vs. sp3 CH was observed. A sulfonamide bearing both phenyl and benzyl substituents on nitrogen gave selectively the six‐membered ring product.
The prevalence of lip vermilion morphological traits in a 15‐year‐old population
Authors: Wilson Caryl , Playle Rebecca , Toma Arshed , Zhurov Alexei , Ness Andy , Richmond Stephen
Published: December 2012

The aim of this study is to describe and categorize the various lip vermilion morphological traits, prevalence, and associations present in a 15‐year‐old population The instrument we developed was checked for the reliability of assessment. The study is a cross‐sectional study of lip vermilion morphology in 2,246 fifteen‐year‐old children. Three‐dimensional surface laser scans were taken of the children, and a classification scale was derived and assessed for intra‐ and inter‐reliability. The prevalence of lip vermilion morphological traits and associations was identified. Certain features are found to be likely to be associated with each other: thin philtrum and smooth/deep indentation of the philtrum; wide philtrum and smooth/normal gradient, flat/absent Cupid's bow and smooth/normal/indentation near nose, V‐shaped Cupid's bow and indentation in middle/deep groove; thin upper lip vermilion and deep groove; thick upper lip vermilion and smooth philtrum; acute nasolabial angle and upper lip double border and thick upper lip vermilion; obtuse nasolabial angle and thin upper lip vermilion. In conclusion, we present a new method to identify the various morphological features of the vermilion of the lips. The prevalence of morphological traits has been identified in this 15‐year‐old population. In addition, the association of lip traits has been reported. This classification scale may be utilized to ascertain prevalence of features amongst other ethnic groups, to gain knowledge of what is considered to be attractive features, and to determine genotype/phenotype associations. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Factors influencing students' decisions to participate in a short “dissection experience” within a systemic anatomy course
Authors: Larkin Theresa A. , McAndrew Darryl J.
Published: December 2012

Changes in medical education have affected both curriculum design and delivery. Many medical schools now use integrated curricula and a systemic approach, with reduced hours of anatomy teaching. While learning anatomy via dissection is invaluable in educational, professional, and personal development, it is time intensive and supports a regional approach to learning anatomy; the use of prosections has replaced dissection as the main teaching method in many medical schools. In our graduate‐entry medical degree, we use an integrated curriculum, with prosections to teach anatomy systemically. However, to not exclude dissection completely, and to expose students to its additional and unique benefits, we implemented a short “Dissection Experience” at the beginning of Year 2. Students attended three two‐hour anatomy sessions and participated in dissection of the clinically relevant areas of the cubital fossa, femoral triangle, and infraclavicular region. This activity was voluntary and we retrospectively surveyed all students to ascertain factors influencing their decision of whether to participate in this activity, and to obtain feedback from those students who did participate. The main reasons students did not participate were previous dissection experience and time constraints. The reasons most strongly affecting students' decisions to participate related to experience (lack of previous or new) and new skill. Students' responses as to the most beneficial component of the dissection experience were based around practical skills, anatomical education, the learning process, and the body donors. We report here on the benefits and practicalities of including a short dissection experience in a systemic, prosection‐based anatomy course. Anat Sci Educ 6: 225–231. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.
Theory of the topical coverage of multiple databases
Authors: Egghe L.
Published: December 2012

We present a model that describes which fraction of the literature on a certain topic we will find when we use n (n = 1, 2, …) databases. It is a generalization of the theory of discovering usability problems. We prove that, in all practical cases, this fraction is a concave function of n, the number of used databases, thereby explaining some graphs that exist in the literature. We also study limiting features of this fraction for n very high and we characterize the case that we find all literature on a certain topic for n high enough.
Vergleichsberechnung eines Energieausweises nach deutschen und österreichischen Algorithmen
Authors: Gratzl‐Michlmair Markus , Graf Christian , Goerth Andrea
Published: December 2012

Häufig wird die Frage nach der Vergleichbarkeit von Energieausweis‐Berechnungen nach unterschiedlichen nationalen Normen gestellt. Dieser Artikel beschäftigt sich mit der Bewertung eines komplexen Nichtwohngebäudes sowohl nach deutschen als auch nach österreichischen Berechnungsalgorithmen. Dabei werden einerseits Vorgangsweise und Aufwand und andererseits die Ergebnisse der unterschiedlichen Berechnungen miteinander verglichen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass trotz erheblichen Mehraufwands der Großteil der Ergebniswerte der deutschen Berechnung nur geringfügig von jenen der österreichischen abweicht.

Comparative calculation of an energy certificate according to German and Austrian algorithms. The question of the comparability of energy certificate calculations according to different national standards is a frequently asked one. This article deals with the assessment of a complex non‐residential building by both German and Austrian algorithms. Compared were approach and complexity on the one hand and the results of the different calculation methods on the other hand. The results show that despite considerable additional effort, most of the results of the German calculation differ only slightly from those of the Austrian calculation.
Zur Neufassung der Arbeitsstättenregel ASR A3.5 Raumtemperatur
Authors: Hellwig Runa Tabea , Bux Kersten , Pangert Roland
Published: December 2012

Die Arbeitsstättenverordnung fordert eine gesundheitlich zuträgliche Raumtemperatur. Diese Anforderung wird in der 2010 revidierten Arbeitsstättenregel ASR A3.5 Raumtemperatur näher spezifiziert. Die Arbeitsstättenregel ASR A3.5 findet für alle Arten von Arbeitsplätzen im Innenraum Anwendung. Eine frühere Fassung dieser Regel forderte, dass die Raumtemperatur 26 °C nicht überschreiten soll. Nur im Falle von Außentemperaturen über 26 °C wurden höhere Raumtemperaturen im Ausnahmefall zugelassen. Im Hinblick auf Fehlinterpretationen dieser und weiterer früherer Fassungen durch Gerichte war es das Ziel, bei der Überarbeitung dieser Regel genauer zu erklären, wie mit erhöhten Raumtemperaturen in sommerlichen Hitzeperioden umzugehen ist. Im Vergleich zu den früheren Fassungen der Regel verwendet die überarbeitete Fassung ein Stufenmodell, um akzeptable Lufttemperaturen in sommerlichen Hitzeperioden zu definieren. Dabei wird dem Effekt der Adaptation an höhere Temperaturen im Sommer Rechnung getragen. Dieser Beitrag erläutert die Notwendigkeit einer Überarbeitung, das Vorgehen bei der Überarbeitung und die neue Regelung für sommerliche Außentemperaturen im Detail.

The German Rule for Workplaces ASR A3.5 ‘Room Temperature’. The German Ordinance on Workplaces calls for a room temperature range beneficial to health. This requirement is specified in a revised version of the German Rule for Workplaces ASR A3.5 ‘Room Temperature’ applying for all kind of indoor workplaces. The former version of this rule laid down that the indoor air temperature shall not exceed 26 °C. During a hot summer period with outside temperatures above 26 °C the indoor air temperature may be higher as an exception. In view of misinterpretation of this former version, the aim was to explain how to deal with an elevated room temperature during a hot summer period in Germany. In comparison to the former version of this rule, the revised version defines the requirements for acceptable room temperatures in the case of high outside temperatures using a step model following the principle of the adaptation to elevated temperatures in a hot summer period. This paper explains the need for the revision, the development of the revised version including recent scientific findings and the new rule in detail.
Assessment of Male Rodent Fertility in General Toxicology 6‐Month Studies
Authors: Mitchard Terri , Jarvis Philip , Stewart Jane
Published: December 2012

An outcome and statistical review of male reproductive performance assessed by including a mating phase within 6‐month general toxicity studies in the Han Wistar rat was undertaken. The basic study design was 16–20 animals per group dosed for approximately 9 weeks before pairing the male rats with undosed females. This design provides opportunity for remating and automatically includes general toxicity parameters. The dose levels used in the 1‐ and 6‐month studies show that male reproduction was assessed at generally similar doses. The majority of males (compound‐dosed and controls) mated within 7 days. All vehicle‐dosed males mated and 98.5% of these females were pregnant. Modeling shows that a pregnancy rate of less than 14 out of 16 pregnant animals is very unlikely to occur due to biological variability. Power calculations based on vehicle control data show that group sizes of >10 males have a >80% power of detecting a decrease in median of three embryos per group compared with the control group. Even if the number of pregnancies decreased by a third, a group size of ≥12 would still detect a decrement in the median of three embryos with >80% power. Based on the statistical modeling and inherent strengths of the study design, this review indicates that decrements in male reproductive function can be successfully detected by incorporating a mating phase into a 6‐month rat study and that a group size of 12–16 is generally adequate rather than the 16–20 group size indicated as a generic default within ICHS5(R2).
Coal mining meets chromatin research: Digging for mechanisms in epigenetic control of gene expression
Authors: Ehrenhofer‐Murray Ann , Meyer Hemmo , Nellen Wolfgang
Published: December 2012

Editor's suggested further reading in BioEssays Epigenetics meets mathematics: Towards a quantitative understanding of chromatin biology Abstract
The structural analysis of three‐dimensional fibrous collagen hydrogels by raman microspectroscopy
Authors: Hwang Yu Jer , Lyubovitsky Julia G.
Published: December 2012

To investigate molecular effects of 1‐Ethyl‐3‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC), EDC/N‐hydroxysuccinimide (NHS), glyceraldehyde cross‐linking as well as polymerization temperature and concentration on the three‐dimensional (3D) collagen hydrogels, we analyzed the structures in situ by Raman microspectroscopy. The increased intensity of the 814 and 936 cm−1 Raman bands corresponding to the C—C stretch of a protein backbone and a shift in the amide III bands from 1241 cm−1/1268 cm−1 in controls to 1247 cm−1/1283 cm−1 in glyceraldehyde‐treated gels indicated changes to the alignment of the collagen molecules, fibrils/fibers and/or changes to the secondary structure on glyceraldehyde treatment. The increased intensity of 1450 cm−1 band and the appearance of a strong peak at 1468 cm−1 reflected a change in the motion of lysine/arginine CH2 groups. For the EDC‐treated collagen hydrogels, the increased intensity of 823 cm−1 peak corresponding to the C—C stretch of the protein backbone indicated that EDC also changed the packing of collagen molecules. The 23% decrease in the ratio of 1238 cm−1 to 1271 cm−1 amide III band intensities in the EDC‐modified samples compared with the controls indicated changes to the alignment of the collagen molecules/fibrils and/or the secondary structure. A change in the motion of lysine/arginine CH2 groups was detected as well. The addition of NHS did not induce additional Raman shifts compared to the effect of EDC alone with the exception of a 1416 cm−1 band corresponding to a COO− stretch. Overall, the Raman spectra suggest that glyceraldehyde affects the collagen states within 3D hydrogels to a greater extent compared to EDC and the effects of temperature and concentration are minimal and/or not detectable. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 99: 349–356, 2013.
Control system for reducing energy consumption in backbone computer network
Authors: Niewiadomska‐Szynkiewicz Ewa , Sikora Andrzej , Arabas Piotr , Kołodziej Joanna
Published: December 2012

Network optimization concerned with operational traffic management in existing data networks is typically oriented towards either maximizing throughput in congested networks while providing for adequate transmission quality, or towards balancing the traffic so as to maintain possibly large free capacity for carrying additional (new) traffic. Nowadays, the reduction of power consumption is a new key aspect in the development of modern wired networks. Power management capabilities allow modulating the energy consumption of devices that form a network by putting them into standby state, or by decreasing their performance in case of low incoming traffic volume. This paper presents a framework for backbone network management, which leads to the minimization of the energy used by this network. The policy for dynamic power management of the whole network through energy‐aware routing, traffic engineering, and network equipment activity control is introduced and discussed. The concept of the system is to achieve the desired trade‐off between total power consumption and the network performance according to the current load, incoming traffic, and user requirements. The effectiveness of our framework is illustrated by means of a numerical study. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Click Chemistry as a Convenient Tool for the Incorporation of a Ruthenium Chromophore and a Nickel–Salen Monomer into a Visible‐Light‐Active Assembly
Authors: Herrero Christian , Batchelor Luke , Baron Aurélie , El Ghachtouli Sanae , Sheth Sujitraj , Guillot Régis , Vauzeilles Boris , Sircoglou Marie , Mallah Talal , Leibl Winfried , Aukauloo Ally
Published: December 2012

Click chemistry was used to assemble a trimetallic RuII–NiII–RuII complex made up of two tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)‐based photosensitisers and a nickel(II)–salen complex. The electrochemical and photophysical properties of the resulting photosensitiser–metal complex are discussed. Photoinduced activation triggered by visible light absorption induces a fast intramolecular charge shift from one of the chromophores to the salen cavity to generate a nickel(III)–salen species.
Immunological and reproductive health assessment in herring gulls and black-crowned night herons in the Hudson–Raritan Estuary
Authors: Grasman Keith A. , Echols Kathy R. , May Thomas M. , Peterman Paul H. , Gale Robert W. , Orazio Carl E.
Published: December 2012

Previous studies have shown inexplicable declines in breeding waterbirds within western New York/New Jersey Harbor between 1996 and 2002 and elevated polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) eggs. The present study assessed associations between immune function, prefledgling survival, and selected organochlorine compounds and metals in herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) in lower New York Harbor during 2003. In pipping gull embryos, lymphoid cells were counted in the thymus and bursa of Fabricius (sites of T and B lymphocyte maturation, respectively). The phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin response assessed T cell function in gull and heron chicks. Lymphocyte proliferation was measured in vitro in adult and prefledgling gulls. Reference data came from the Great Lakes and Bay of Fundy. Survival of prefledgling gulls was poor, with only 0.68 and 0.5 chicks per nest surviving to three and four weeks after hatch, respectively. Developing lymphoid cells were reduced 51% in the thymus and 42% in the bursa of gull embryos from New York Harbor. In vitro lymphocyte assays demonstrated reduced spontaneous proliferation, reduced T cell mitogen-induced proliferation, and increased B cell mitogen-induced proliferation in gull chicks from New York Harbor. The PHA skin response was suppressed 70 to 80% in gull and heron chicks. Strong negative correlations (r = –0.95 to –0.98) between the PHA response and dioxins and PCBs in gull livers was strong evidence suggesting that these chemicals contribute significantly to immunosuppression in New York Harbor waterbirds. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:548–561. © 2012 SETAC
An energetic orphan in an endocrine tissue: A revised perspective of the function of estrogen receptor-related receptor alpha in bone and cartilage
Authors: Bonnelye Edith , Aubin Jane E
Published: December 2012

Estrogen receptor-related receptor alpha (ERRα) is an orphan nuclear receptor with sequence homology to the estrogen receptors, ERα/β, but it does not bind estrogen. ERRα not only plays a functional role in osteoblasts but also in osteoclasts and chondrocytes. In addition, the ERRs, including ERRα, can be activated by coactivators such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 (PGC1α and β) and are implicated in adipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, and oxidative stress defense, suggesting that ERRα—through its activity in bone resorption and adipogenesis—may regulate the insulin and leptin pathways and contribute to aging-related changes in bone and cartilage. In this review, we discuss data on ERRα and its cellular and molecular modes of action, which have broad implications for considering the potential role of this orphan receptor in cartilage and bone endocrine function, on whole-organism physiology, and in the bone aging process. © 2013 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Cinacalcet as adjunctive therapy for hereditary 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D–resistant rickets
Authors: Srivastava Tarak , Alon Uri S
Published: December 2012

Secondary hyperparathyroidism from inadequate calcium absorption in the gut, is the underlying pathophysiology for rachitic changes in hereditary vitamin D–resistant rickets (HVDRR). We describe a novel use of Cinacalcet to treat a child with HVDRR in whom conventional modes of therapy had to be discontinued. Cinacalcet therapy with high-dose oral calcium effectively normalized the metabolic abnormalities and bone condition. The relative ease of administration of the calcimimetic as a once- or twice-daily oral preparation, compared with traditional intravenous calcium administration, should encourage its move to the frontline of treatment of the disorder. © 2013 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Novel ADAMTS13 mutations in an obstetric patient with Upshaw‐Schulman syndrome
Authors: Deal Taylor , Kremer Hovinga Johanna A. , Marques Marisa B. , Adamski Jill
Published: December 2012

Upshaw‐Schulman syndrome (USS) is a rarely reported congenital form of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) that results from mutations in the ADAMTS13 gene. Many USS patients are diagnosed during the second or third trimester of their first pregnancy. We present a patient diagnosed with USS following retinal detachments and intrauterine fetal demise at 34 weeks of gestation. The patient's plasma was tested for ADAMTS13 activity, inhibitor, and antibody. Subsequently, she and her first‐degree relatives had ADAMTS13 gene sequencing. Initially, the patient was found to have an ADAMTS13 activity of <5% in the absence of an ADAMTS13 inhibitor (FRETS assay) or antibody (immunoassay). Repeat studies in the months following hospital discharge showed persistent, undetectable ADAMTS13 activity and she was given a clinical diagnosis of USS. Molecular sequencing demonstrated two novel missense mutations in the ADAMTS13 gene: one in the maternal exon 17 (p.Ala690Thr due to nucleotide substitution c.2068 G>A) and another in the paternal exon 22 (p.Arg915Cys due to nucleotide substitution c.2746 C>T). In addition to being compound heterozygous for two ADAMTS13 mutations, the patient also had two maternally inherited single nucleotide polymorphisms: p.P618A (exon 16) and p.A732V (exon 18). Her parents and only sister had normal or near‐normal ADAMTS13 activity. Each was heterozygous for one of the novel missense mutations. This case highlights the importance of molecular analysis of the ADAMTS13 gene in patients and family members when the severe ADAMTS13 deficiency does not appear to be autoimmune in nature. J. Clin. Apheresis 28:311–316, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Anaerobic treatment of fortified municipal wastewater in temperate climates
Authors: Lester John , Jefferson Bruce , Eusebi Anna‐Laura , McAdam Ewan , Cartmell Elise
Published: December 2012

BACKGROUND

Fortification utilizes pre‐hydrolysed sludge to increase organic sewage strength for support of anaerobic development. Significantly, enhancing organic strength also permits organic loading rate to be de‐coupled from hydraulic retention time, enabling greater contact times for temperate, municipal wastewater. This study therefore describes the application of fortification to facilitate anaerobic treatment of crude wastewater in temperate climates.

RESULTS

Fortification with primary sludge significantly increased methane (CH4) from 0.021 m3CH4 m‐3 for crude wastewater to 0.095 m3CH4 m‐3. This increased yield demonstrates that fortification enables methane yields equivalent to conventional full‐flow anaerobic treatment through only partial treatment of wastewater (up to 50%) which lowers both capital and operational costs. Total chemical oxygen demand (COD) and soluble COD removals of 89% and 5 % were recorded following fortified crude wastewater treatment, permitting a similar effluent COD profile to treated crude wastewater. Pre‐hydrolysis of the fortified wastewater maximized methane production to 0.156 m3CH4 m‐3. Furthermore, a similar yield was reported for wastewater fortified with pre‐hydrolysed waste activated sludge, providing new opportunities for on‐site treatment with concomitant benefits in sludge reduction and enhanced energy production. Solids breakthrough occurred with pre‐hydrolysed fortification and reduced effluent quality; it is postulated that optimizing pre‐treatment and upflow velocity will improve effluent quality to that attained with standard fortification. However, fortification also reduced losses of dissolved methane in the effluent stream.

CONCLUSIONS

With a reduction in aeration requirements and potential savings in primary treatment and sludge treatment, fortification represents a major advance upon current practice. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Well Wrapped Eggs: Effects of Egg Shell Structure on Heat Resistance and Hatchling Mass in the Invasive Land Snail Cornu aspersum
Authors: Nicolai Annegret , Vernon Philippe , Lenz Roman , Le Lannic Joseph , Briand Valérie , Charrier Maryvonne
Published: December 2012

In ectotherms, the temperature changes that accompany climate shifts, microhabitat changes, and species range extensions can have profound effects on the performance of organisms. The aim of this laboratory study on the terrestrial invasive gastropod Cornu aspersum was to investigate the effect of dietary calcium source on egg shell structure and heat resistance of eggs in two populations from different climatic regions of France (Western Atlantic and Mediterranean). To date no literature is known about heat stress in calcified ectothermic eggs while exposed to heat peaks using fluctuating thermal regimes and optimal humidity. In snails from the Mediterranean population fed exclusively with CaCO3 from limestone we found the thinnest egg shells and the smallest hatchlings. Limestone represents the most accessible calcium source for snails, but is, however, responsible for thinner and more mineralized egg shells (higher ash content). Hence thicker egg shells result from a low mineralized mucopolysaccharide–glycoprotein matrix that could play a nutritional role for hatchlings. Exposed to heat peaks, eggs in both populations had lower incubation time variability at the detriment of hatching rate. This study highlights the need for functional studies in this invasive species to understand the effects on population dynamics of interacting biotic and abiotic environmental factors under climate and anthropic habitat changes. J. Exp. Zool. 319A:63–73, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Applications of planar microfluidic devices and gas chromatography for complex problem solving
Authors: Luong Jim , Gras Ronda , Shellie Robert A. , Cortes Hernan J.
Published: December 2012

The application of planar microfluidic devices in GC for the separation of components of interest otherwise difficult to separate in a single analysis is presented. A variety of configurations were used for parallel chromatography, column effluent splitting, back flushing, selectivity tuning, valve less switching and column isolation, heart cutting, and comprehensive multidimensional chromatography. The synergies of recently commercialized planar microfluidic devices combined with the resolving power of fused‐silica capillary columns are demonstrated. Difficult separations were accomplished in one single analysis, such as light hydrocarbons in air with high‐moisture content, fixed gases in hydrocarbons, trace sulfur containing compounds in natural gas, and oxygenated compounds in hydrocarbons, among others.
Bioengineered Chimeric Spider Silk‐Uranium Binding Proteins
Authors: Krishnaji Sreevidhya Tarakkad , Kaplan David L.
Published: December 2012

Heavy metals constitute a source of environmental pollution. Here, novel functional hybrid biomaterials for specific interactions with heavy metals are designed by bioengineering consensus sequence repeats from spider silk of Nephila clavipes with repeats of a uranium peptide recognition motif from a mutated 33‐residue of calmodulin protein from Paramecium tetraurelia. The self‐assembly features of the silk to control nanoscale organic/inorganic material interfaces provides new biomaterials for uranium recovery. With subsequent enzymatic digestion of the silk to concentrate the sequestered metals, options can be envisaged to use these new chimeric protein systems in environmental engineering, including to remediate environments contaminated by uranium.

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Long‐term outcomes of surgical therapies for Parkinson's disease
Authors: Rodriguez‐Oroz Maria C. , Moro Elena , Krack Paul
Published: December 2012

The surgical lesion of different brain structures has been used as a treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) for several decades. More recently, the favored therapeutic approach has involved the administration of levodopa and the use of DBS. These two major therapeutic advances have greatly modified both the clinical condition of patients and the history of the disease. With the introduction of L‐dopa in 1967, patients could regain mobility, because their akinesia, tremor, and rigidity were greatly improved, with consequent significant improvement in quality of life and increased life expectancy. However, after the so‐called “honeymoon” period in which the disease seemed to be controlled, motor fluctuations and L‐dopa‐induced dyskinesias mitigated the initial enthusiasm. In the 1990s, unilateral pallidotomy and DBS of the globus palllidus internus and STN reduced these motor fluctuations and dyskinesias remarkably, thereby inaugurating a new era in the surgical treatment of PD. Short‐ and medium‐term follow‐up studies of patients who underwent surgery have documented sustained, significant motor benefits. However, given the progressive nature of PD and the purely symptomatic effects of pallidotomy and DBS, the long‐term clinical evolution of these surgical patients currently seems to be associated with a new PD phenotype, mainly characterized by axial motor problems and cognitive impairment. Here, we analyze the long‐term clinical outcomes of surgical PD patients with at least 5‐year follow‐up, focusing on the long‐term motor symptoms that were initially responsive to surgery. © 2012 Movement Disorder Society
On enhanced descent algorithms for solving frictional multicontact problems: application to the discrete element method
Authors: Dumont S.
Published: December 2012

In this article, various numerical methods to solve multicontact problems within the nonsmooth discrete element method are presented. The techniques considered to solve the frictional unilateral conditions are based both on the bipotential theory introduced by G. de Saxcé and the augmented Lagrangian theory introduced by P. Alart. Following the ideas of Z.‐Q. Feng a new Newton method is developed to improve these classical algorithms, and numerical experiments are presented to show that these methods are faster than the previous ones, provide results with a better quality, and are less sensitive to the numerical parameters. Moreover, a stopping criterion that ensures a good mechanical property of the solution is provided. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stability Analysis of Decoupled Solution Strategies for Coupled Multi‐field Problems – A General Framework
Authors: Zinatbakhsh Seyedmohammad , Markert Bernd , Ehlers Wolfgang
Published: December 2012

A coupled partial differential equation (PDE) system, stemming from the mathematical modelling of a coupled phenomenon, is usually solved numerically following a monolithic or a decoupled solution method. In spite of the potential unconditional stability offered by monolithic solvers, their usage for solving complex problems sometimes proves cumbersome. This has motivated the development of various partitioned and staggered solution strategies, generally known as decoupled solution schemes. To this end, the problem is broken down into several isolated yet communicating sub‐problems that are independently advanced in time, possibly by different integrators. Nevertheless, using a decoupled solver introduces additional errors to the system and, therefore, may jeopardise the stability of the solution [1]. Consequently, to scrutinise the stability of the solution scheme becomes a pertinent step in proposing decoupled solution strategies. Here, we endeavour to present a practical stability analysis algorithm, which can readily be used to reveal the stability condition of numerical solvers. To illustrate its capabilities, the algorithm is then utilised for the stability analysis of solution schemes applied to multi variate coupled PDE systems resulting from the mathematical modelling of surface‐ and volume‐coupled multi‐field problems. (© 2012 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Carbon‐dioxide storage and phase transitions: towards an understanding of crack development in the cap‐rock layer
Authors: Häberle Kai , Ehlers Wolfgang
Published: December 2012

Supercritical CO2can be injected into deep saline aquifers to reduce the amount of CO2in the atmosphere and thus, lessen the impact on the global warming. Qualified reservoirs should be in a sufficient depth to guarantee the thermodynamical environment for the supercritical state of CO2and should be confined by an impermeable cap‐rock layer. It is crucial to guarantee the safety of the storage site. Therefore, deformation processes and crack development of the rock matrix and the cap‐rock layer, which might be induced by the high pressure injection of CO2, must be investigated. If cracks occur, CO2could migrate into shallower regions, where the temperature and pressure cannot support the supercritical condition of the CO2anymore. Thus, it is important to describe the phase transition process between supercritical, liquid and gaseous CO2. The Theory of Porous Media (TPM), see e. g. [1], provides a useful continuum‐mechanical basis to describe real natural systems in a thermodynamically consistent way. Hence, the TPM is applied to model multiphasic flow of CO2and water and to include elasto‐plastic solid deformations of the porous matrix. The Peng‐Robinson equation, e. g. [2], is implemented as a cubic equation of state to describe the phase behaviour of CO2. However, the two‐phase region cannot be represented by a continuously differentiable function such as the Peng‐Robinson equation and thus, the Antoine equation provides additional information of the vapourisation curve. The Extended Finite‐Element Method (XFEM) will be used to account for the discontinuities arising from crack development due to solid deformations [3]. Herein, special attention has to be paid to the matrix‐fracture interaction of the fluid phases. Numerical examples are performed to investigate the injection of CO2into a saline aquifer. These are computed with the FE program PANDAS, which allows for solutions of strongly coupled multiphasic problems in deformable porous media. (© 2012 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
XFEM‐modelling of stationary magnetic and coupled magneto‐mechanical boundary value problems
Authors: Goldmann Joseph , Spieler Christian , Kästner Markus , Ulbricht Volker
Published: December 2012

To analyse a composite material with magnetically switchable stiffness properties, the coupling between the magnetic and the mechanical field has to be considered. Here the mechanical as well as the magnetic problem are computed using the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM). After a brief introduction of the framework, some results are presented focusing on the ability to calculate correct loads and displacements as well as on convergence rates. (© 2012 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Hot‐wire measurement in turbulent flow behind a parallel‐line heat source
Authors: Antos Pavel , Uruba Vaclav
Published: December 2012

An interaction of the free turbulent shear flow and the steady temperature field, which develops to the homogeneity, was studied. The temperature field was generated by parallel thin heated wires. The isotropic grid turbulence is supposed. Heated wire generates large cross temperature gradients and development of the temperature field was investigated experimentally. (© 2012 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Multipoint Aerodynamical Shape Optimization of Flying Configurations with Spanwise Movable Leading Edge Flaps, in Supersonic Flow
Authors: Nastase Adriana
Published: December 2012

The multipoint aerodynamical shape optimization of a flying configuration (FC) is realized by morphing. Spanwise movable leading edge flaps are used. It leads to two enlarged variational problems, with free boundaries. The own developed iterative optimum‐optimorum theory, which searches the global optimized shape inside an elitary class of flying configurations (FCs) and new hybrid solutions for the compressible full Navier‐Stokes PDEs, are used. (© 2012 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)