bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ring/Chain Morphology Control in Overall‐Neutral, Internally Ion‐Paired Supramolecular Polymers
Authors: Manganaro Nadia , Pisagatti Ilenia , Notti Anna , Pappalardo Andrea , Patanè Salvatore , Micali Norberto , Villari Valentina , Parisi Melchiorre F. , Gattuso Giuseppe
Published: November 2017

The self‐assembly of internally ion‐paired, neutral AA/BB‐type supramolecular polymers composed of complementary di‐ionizable homoditopic pairs of monomers is reported. Host‐to‐guest double‐proton transfer mediates the recognition between bis‐calix[5]arenedicarboxylic acids and α,ω‐diaminoalkanes to yield cyclic, doughnut‐shaped assemblies with morphologies (i.e., cyclic vs. linear) that can be controlled by means of external chemical stimuli. The behavior of these intriguing aggregates, both in solution and on surfaces, has been investigated by a combination of 1H and DOSY NMR spectroscopy, light‐scattering, and atomic force microscopy.
Synthesis and Characterisation of a Paramagnetic [2]Rotaxane Based on a Crown Ether‐Like Wheel Incorporating a Nitroxide Motif
Authors: Bleve Valentina , Franchi Paola , Konstanteli Evangelia , Gualandi Lorenzo , Goldup Stephen M. , Mezzina Elisabetta , Lucarini Marco
Published: November 2017

The synthesis of the new nitroxide crown ether 8 and its use as the wheel in a bistable [2]rotaxane, containing dialkylammonium and 4,4′‐bipyridinium recognition sites, is reported. The synthesis of 8 was achieved by the sequential addition of substituted phenyl groups to a nitrone derivatives leading to the preferential formation of the cis stereoisomer. Due to charge–dipole interactions between the nitroxide unit and the bipyridinium moiety, it was possible to probe the movement of the macrocycle between the two molecular stations of the [2]rotaxane after addition of a base by measuring the nitrogen hyperfine splitting in the corresponding EPR spectra. The equilibrium constant for the complexation of dibenzyl viologen by the macrocycle 8 was also determined by EPR titration.
Knowledge fusion based on the group argumentation theory in Web 2.0 environment
Authors: Chen Xuelong , Ding Feng , Wang Yali
Published: November 2017

People can present their viewpoints on hot topics freely in the age of Web 2.0. But the different knowledge background and diverse perspectives of individuals lead to deficient description of things. Accordingly, how to integrate personal knowledge into collective knowledge in the environment of Web 2.0 and give a complete description of things is a burning question. Traditional knowledge fusion approaches cannot do well in structured representation of knowledge and quantitative calculation simultaneously and therefore cannot make knowledge fusion at an operational level. In this paper, we propose the knowledge element model to formalize the structured knowledge representation in Web 2.0 environment. On the basis of this, the cognition viewpoints of group members to something in Web 2.0 environment are abstracted into different knowledge element versions. Then, for the attributes on which members have divergences within all the knowledge element versions, the corresponding group argumentation tasks are designed. By utilizing the proposed consensus state model, whether or not the attributes belong to the knowledge element could be determined. And then, the attribute set of the knowledge element could be defined. Accordingly, knowledge fusion is achieved in the environment of Web 2.0. An experimental study demonstrates the viability and effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Thiazolidinedione therapy and breast cancer risk in diabetic women: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Du Rui , Lin Lin , Cheng Di , Xu Yu , Xu Min , Chen Yuhong , Wang Weiqing , Bi Yufang , Li Donghui , Lu Jieli
Published: November 2017

Rising experimental evidence suggests that thiazolidinediones (TZDs) exert a protective effect on breast cancer. However, studies concerning this issue were inconsistent and limited. Hence, we performed a meta‐analysis with data from currently available studies to evaluate the effect of TZDs on breast cancer risk among diabetic women. We comprehensively searched for all pertinent studies addressing TZDs use and breast cancer risk published before January 1, 2016, in PubMed, Clinical Trials, and Cochrane Library. Data synthesis was performed in a random‐effects model using Stata version 12.0 (Stata Corp, College Station, Texas). Fourteen independent studies were eventually selected in this meta‐analysis, including 5 randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs), 7 cohort studies, and 2 case‐control studies. No significant associations of TZD use and risk of breast cancer were observed in the RCTs (pooled risk ratio [RR]: 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.39‐1.53, I2 = 26%) or case‐control studies (pooled odds ratio, 0.99, 95% CI, 0.76‐1.28, I2 = 31%). A 19% reduction in breast cancer risk (pooled RR: 0.81, 95% CI, 0.66‐0.99, I2 = 72%) was found in the cohort studies. However, after removing the study with the smallest event number and the greatest effect size, the association became nonsignificant with greatly decreased heterogeneity (pooled RR: 0.94, 95% CI, 0.86‐1.03, I2 = 16%). This meta‐analysis did not find any significant association between TZDs use and risk of breast cancer among diabetic women.
Distribution and related factors of cardiometabolic disease stage based on body mass index level in Chinese adults—The National Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders Survey
Authors: Hou Xuhong , Chen Peizhu , Hu Gang , Chen Yue , Chen Siyu , Wu Jingzhu , Ma Xiaojing , Chen Lei , Yang Zhaojun , Yang Wenying , Jia Weiping ,   for the China National Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders Study Group
Published: November 2017

Background

It is important to characterize distribution of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) based on different body mass index (BMI) levels in a population. This information remains scarce in China, so we investigated the proportions and related factors of cardiometabolic disease stages based on different BMI levels in Chinese adults.

Methods

We included 45 093 participants aged ≥20 years from the National Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders Survey. Cardiometabolic disease (central obesity, elevated triglycerides, elevated blood pressure, elevated plasma glucose, reduced high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease) was classified as stage 0 (no CMD), stage 1 (mild‐to‐moderate CMD), or stage 2 (severe CMD). Overweight/obesity was defined as BMI ≥25 kg/m2.

Results

The standardized proportions of stage 0, stage 1, and stage 2 were 32.6%, 36.4%, and 30.9% in normal‐weight men, 29.9%, 42.5%, and 27.7% in normal‐weight women, 4.9%, 31.7%, and 63.4% in overweight/obese men, and 6.9%, 31.4%, and 61.7% in overweight/obese women, respectively. Multinomial regression showed that regardless of gender or region, the probability of severe cardiometabolic disease rapidly increased with increasing BMI. Severe cardiometabolic disease risk was positively associated with ageing, family history of diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease, but was inversely associated with higher levels of education and increased physical activity.

Conclusions

Of Chinese men and women with normal weight, more than one third had mild‐to‐moderate cardiometabolic disease, and less than one third had severe cardiometabolic disease, while of these with overweight or obesity, nearly one third had mild‐to‐moderate cardiometabolic disease, and nearly two thirds had severe cardiometabolic disease.
Mind the gap! Integrating taxonomic approaches to assess ant diversity at the southern extreme of the Atlantic Forest
Authors: Hanisch Priscila Elena , Lavinia Pablo D. , Suarez Andrew V. , Lijtmaer Darío Alejandro , Leponce Maurice , Paris Carolina Ivon , Tubaro Pablo Luis
Published: November 2017

Understanding patterns of species diversity relies on accurate taxonomy which can only be achieved by long‐term natural history research and the use of complementary information to establish species boundaries among cryptic taxa. We usedDNAbarcoding to characterize the ant diversity of Iguazú National Park (INP), a protected area of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion, located at the southernmost extent of this forest. We assessed ant diversity using both cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) sequences and traditional morphological approaches, and compared the results of these two methods. We successfully obtainedCOIsequences for 312 specimens belonging to 124 species, providing aDNAbarcode reference library for nearly 50% of the currently known ant fauna ofINP. Our results support a clear barcode gap for all but two species, with a mean intraspecific divergence of 0.72%, and an average congeneric distance of 17.25%. Congruently, the library assembled here was useful for the discrimination of the ants ofINPand allowed us to link unidentified males and queens to their worker castes. To detect overlooked diversity, we classified theDNAbarcodes into Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) using three different clustering algorithms, and compared their number and composition to that of reference species identified based on morphology. TheMOTUcount was always higher than that of reference species regardless of the method, suggesting that the diversity of ants atINPcould be between 6% and 10% higher than currently recognized. Lastly, our survey contributed with 78 new barcode clusters to the globalDNAbarcode reference library, and added 36 new records of ant species for theINP, being 23 of them new citations for Argentina.
An N^N Platinum(II) Bis(acetylide) Complex with Naphthalimide and Pyrene Ligands: Synthesis, Photophysical Properties, and Application in Triplet–Triplet Annihilation Upconversion
Authors: Zhong Fangfang , Zhao Jianzhang
Published: November 2017

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Jianzhang Zhao from Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China. The cover image shows a heteroleptic platinum(II) complex with naphthalimide and pyrene acetylide ligands.
Combination of HPLC with organic and inorganic mass spectrometry to study the metabolic response of the clam Scrobicularia plana to arsenic exposure
Authors: Rodríguez‐Moro Gema , García‐Barrera Tamara , Trombini Chiara , Blasco Julián , Gómez‐Ariza José Luis
Published: November 2017

Arsenic is a toxic element extensively studied in the marine environment due to differential toxicological effects of inorganic and organic species. In the present work, the bivalve Scrobicularia plana was exposed to AsV (10 and 100 μg/L) for 14 days to evaluate the metabolic perturbations caused by this element. Arsenic speciation and metabolomic analysis were performed in the digestive gland of the bivalve using two complementary analytical platforms based on inorganic and organic mass spectrometry. It has been observed the greater presence of the innocuous specie arsenobetaine produced in this organism as defense mechanism against arsenic toxicity, although significant concentrations of methylated and inorganic arsenic were also present, depending on the level of arsenic in aqueous media. Complementarily, a metabolomic study based on mass spectrometry and statistical discriminant analysis allows a good classification of samples associated to low and high As(V) exposure in relation to controls. About 15 metabolites suffer significant changes of expression by the presence of As(V): amino acids, nucleotides, energy‐related metabolites, free fatty acids, phospholipids and triacylglycerides, which can be related to membrane structural and functional damage. In addition, perturbation of the methylation cycle, associated with the increase of homocysteine and methionine was observed, which enhance the methylation of toxic inorganic arsenic to less toxic dimethylarsenic.
Graphene Oxide‐Supported β‐Tin Telluride Composite for Sodium‐ and Lithium‐Ion Battery Anodes
Authors: Grishanov Dmitry A. , Mikhaylov Alexey A. , Medvedev Alexander G. , Gun Jenny , Prikhodchenko Petr V. , Xu Zhichuan J. , Nagasubramanian Arun , Srinivasan Madhavi , Lev Ovadia
Published: November 2017

High‐charge‐capacity sodium‐ and lithium‐ion battery anodes based on tin telluride are reported for the first time. Graphene oxide/cubic β‐SnTe electrodes exhibit exceptionally high reversible volumetric charge capacities above 3000 and 1300 mAh cm−3 at 100 mA g−1 charging rate for lithium and sodium ion batteries, respectively, and they show very good rate capabilities retaining 68 and 60 % of the respective capacities even at 2000 mA g−1 charging rate. The reversible charge capacity for lithiation is approximately equal to the theoretical value of the active material. The superior electrode performance is attributed to the high conductivity of tellurium, the mechanical buffering of volume changes by the large row‐V host elements, the elasticity of the reduced graphene oxide support, and the very low specific equivalent volumes involved in sodiation and lithiation of SnTe.
From manned to unmanned aircraft: Adapting airborne particle size mapping methodologies to the characteristics of sUAS and SfM
Authors: Woodget A. S. , Fyffe C. , Carbonneau P. E.
Published: November 2017

Subaerial particle size data holds a wealth of valuable information for fluvial, coastal, glacial and other sedimentological applications. Recently, we have gained the opportunity to map and quantify surface particle sizes at the mesoscale using data derived from small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) imagery processed using structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry. Typically, these sUAS‐SfM approaches have been based on calibrating orthoimage texture or point cloud roughness with particle size. Variable levels of success are reported and a single, robust method capable of producing consistently accurate and precise results in a range of settings has remained elusive. In this paper, we develop an original method for mapping surface particle size with the specific constraints of sUAS and SfM in mind. This method uses the texture of single sUAS images, rather than orthoimages, calibrated with particle sizes normalised by individual image scale. We compare results against existing orthoimage texture and roughness approaches, and provide a quantitative investigation into the implications of the use of sUAS camera gimbals. Our results indicate that our novel single image method delivers an optimised particle size mapping performance for our study site, outperforming both other methods and delivering residual mean errors of 0.02 mm (accuracy), standard deviation of residual errors of 6.90 mm (precision) and maximum residual errors of 16.50 mm. Accuracy values are more than two orders of magnitude worse when imagery is collected by a similar drone which is not equipped with a camera gimbal, demonstrating the importance of mechanical image stabilisation for particle size mapping using measures of image texture. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The geomorphic legacy of water and erosion control structures in a semiarid rangeland watershed
Authors: Nichols Mary H. , Magirl Christopher , Sayre Nathan F. , Shaw Jeremy R.
Published: November 2017

Control over water supply and distribution is critical for agriculture in drylands where manipulating surface runoff often serves the dual purpose of erosion control. However, little is known of the geomorphic impacts and legacy effects of rangeland water manipulation infrastructure, especially if not maintained. This study investigated the geomorphic impacts of structures such as earthen berms, water control gates, and stock tanks, in a semiarid rangeland in the southwestern USA that is responding to both regional channel incision that was initiated over a century ago, and a more recent land use change that involved cattle removal and abandonment of structures. The functional condition of remnant structures was inventoried, mapped, and assessed using aerial imagery and lidar data. Headcut initiation, scour, and channel incision associated with compromised lateral channel berms, concrete water control structures, floodplain water spreader berms, and stock tanks were identified as threats to floodplains and associated habitat. Almost half of 27 identified lateral channel berms (48%) have been breached and 15% have experienced lateral scour; 18% of 218 shorter water spreader berms have been breached and 17% have experienced lateral scour. A relatively small number of 117 stock tanks (6%) are identified as structurally compromised based on analysis of aerial imagery, although many currently do not provide consistent water supplies. In some cases, the onset of localized disturbance is recent enough that opportunities for mitigation can be identified to alter the potentially damaging erosion trajectories that are ultimately driven by regional geomorphic instability. Understanding the effects of prior land use and remnant structures on channel and floodplain morphologic condition is critical because both current land management and future land use options are constrained by inherited land use legacy effects. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA
Identification of 16q21 as a modifier of nonsyndromic orofacial cleft phenotypes
Authors: Carlson Jenna C. , Standley Jennifer , Petrin Aline , Shaffer John R. , Butali Azeez , Buxó Carmen J. , Castilla Eduardo , Christensen Kaare , Deleyiannis Frederic W.‐D. , Hecht Jacqueline T. , Field L. Leigh , Garidkhuu Ariuntuul , Moreno Uribe Lina M. , Nagato Natsume , Orioli Ieda M. , Padilla Carmencita , Poletta Fernando , Suzuki Satoshi , Vieira Alexandre R. , Wehby George L. , Weinberg Seth M. , Beaty Terri H. , Feingold Eleanor , Murray Jeffrey C. , Marazita Mary L. , Leslie Elizabeth J.
Published: November 2017

Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are common, complex birth defects with extremely heterogeneous phenotypic presentations. Two common subtypes—cleft lip alone (CL) and CL plus cleft palate (CLP)—are typically grouped into a single phenotype for genetic analysis (i.e., CL with or without cleft palate, CL/P). However, mounting evidence suggests there may be unique underlying pathophysiology and/or genetic modifiers influencing expression of these two phenotypes. To this end, we performed a genome‐wide scan for genetic modifiers by directly comparing 450 CL cases with 1,692 CLP cases from 18 recruitment sites across 13 countries from North America, Central or South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. We identified a region on 16q21 that is strongly associated with different cleft type (P = 5.611 × 10−8). We also identified significant evidence of gene–gene interactions between this modifier locus and two recognized CL/P risk loci: 8q21 and 9q22 (FOXE1) (P = 0.012 and 0.023, respectively). Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in the 16q21 modifier locus demonstrated significant association with CL over CLP. The marker alleles on 16q21 that increased risk for CL were found at highest frequencies among individuals with a family history of CL (P = 0.003). Our results demonstrate the existence of modifiers for which type of OFC develops and suggest plausible elements responsible for phenotypic heterogeneity, further elucidating the complex genetic architecture of OFCs.
Differences between child and adult large‐scale functional brain networks for reading tasks
Authors: Liu Xin , Gao Yue , Di Qiqi , Hu Jiali , Lu Chunming , Nan Yun , Booth James R. , Liu Li
Published: November 2017

Reading is an important high‐level cognitive function of the human brain, requiring interaction among multiple brain regions. Revealing differences between children's large‐scale functional brain networks for reading tasks and those of adults helps us to understand how the functional network changes over reading development. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 17 adults (19–28 years old) and 16 children (11–13 years old), and graph theoretical analyses to investigate age‐related changes in large‐scale functional networks during rhyming and meaning judgment tasks on pairs of visually presented Chinese characters. We found that: (1) adults had stronger inter‐regional connectivity and nodal degree in occipital regions, while children had stronger inter‐regional connectivity in temporal regions, suggesting that adults rely more on visual orthographic processing whereas children rely more on auditory phonological processing during reading. (2) Only adults showed between‐task differences in inter‐regional connectivity and nodal degree, whereas children showed no task differences, suggesting the topological organization of adults’ reading network is more specialized. (3) Children showed greater inter‐regional connectivity and nodal degree than adults in multiple subcortical regions; the hubs in children were more distributed in subcortical regions while the hubs in adults were more distributed in cortical regions. These findings suggest that reading development is manifested by a shift from reliance on subcortical to cortical regions. Taken together, our study suggests that Chinese reading development is supported by developmental changes in brain connectivity properties, and some of these changes may be domain‐general while others may be specific to the reading domain.
Workplace contextual supports for LGBT employees: A review, meta‐analysis, and agenda for future research
Authors: Webster Jennica R. , Adams Gary A. , Maranto Cheryl L. , Sawyer Katina , Thoroughgood Christian
Published: November 2017

The past decade has witnessed a rise in the visibility of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This has resulted in some organizational researchers focusing their attention on workplace issues facing LGBT employees. While empirical research has been appropriately focused on examining the impact of workplace factors on the work lives of LGBT individuals, no research has examined these empirical relationships cumulatively. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive review and meta‐analysis of the outcomes associated with three workplace contextual supports (formal LGBT policies and practices, LGBT‐supportive climate, and supportive workplace relationships) and to compare the relative influence of these workplace supports on outcomes. Outcomes were grouped into four categories: (a) work attitudes, (b) psychological strain, (c) disclosure, and (d) perceived discrimination. Results show that supportive workplace relationships were more strongly related to work attitudes and strain, whereas LGBT supportive climate was more strongly related to disclosure and perceived discrimination compared to the other supports. Our findings also revealed a number of insights concerning the measurement, research design, and sample characteristics of the studies in the present review. Based on these results, we offer an agenda for future research.
Linking physiography and evaporation using the isotopic composition of river water in 16 Canadian boreal catchments
Authors: Welch Chani , Smith Aaron A. , Stadnyk Tricia A.
Published: November 2017

Highly seasonal boreal catchments are hydrologically complex and generally data poor and, hence, are ripe for investigation using tracer‐aided hydrologic models. The influence of physiography on isotopic metrics was assessed to identify the catchment characteristics dominating evaporative enrichment. A multiyear stable isotope of water dataset was collected at the outlets of 16 boreal catchments in central Canada ranging in area from 12 to 15,282 km2. Physiographic characteristics were obtained through raster analysis of freely available land cover images, stream networks, and digital elevation models. Correlation analysis indicated that as the percentage coverage of open water increased, so too did the evaporative effects observed at the catchment outlet. Correlation to wetland metrics indicated that increasing the percentage coverage of wetlands can reduce or increase evaporative effects observed, depending on the isotopic metric used and the corresponding drainage density, catchment slope, and presence of headwater lakes. The slopes of river evaporative‐mixing lines appear to reflect multifaceted relationships, strongest between catchment slope, headwater lakes, and connected wetlands, whereas mean line‐conditioned excess is more directly linked to physiographic variables. Hence, the slopes of river evaporative‐mixing lines and mean line‐conditioned excess are not interchangeable metrics of evaporative enrichment in a catchment. Relationships identified appear to be independent of catchment scale. These results suggest that adequate inclusion of the distribution of open water throughout a catchment, adequate representation of wetland processes, catchment slope, and drainage density are critical characteristics to include in tracer‐aided hydrologic models in boreal environments in order to minimize structural uncertainty.
Up‐regulated WDR5 promotes gastric cancer formation by induced cyclin D1 expression
Authors: Sun Wei , Guo Fuchao , Liu Mingkai
Published: November 2017

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth common cancer and second leading cause of cancer‐related mortality in the world. WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) has been identified that its functions as an important role in various biological functions through the epigenetic regulation of gene transcription. However, the oncogenic effect of WDR5 in gastric cancer remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of WDR5 in gastric cancer genesis. We found that WDR5 expression is increased in gastric cancer patients. Through survival analysis, we found that high expression of WDR5 is associated with high risk gastric cancer; patients who with WDR5 high expression have poor survival rate compared with those who with WDR5 low expression. To make further investigation, we identified that WDR5 is targeted for cell cycle arrest by the Cyclin D1 in a process that is regulated by H3K4me3. Moreover, over‐expression of WDR5 promotes cell proliferation, induces S/G2/M arrest in cell cycle, and promotes the expression of WDR5 targets, as well as that of H3K4me3 on the promoter of its targets. Inversely, WDR5 knockdown by shRNA inhibits cell proliferation, reverses S/G2/M arrest in cell cycle, and suppresses the expression of WDR5 targets, as well as that of H3K4me3. We also observed the positive correlation of WDR5 expression with its target in the cohort study of gastric patients. Taken together, our data reveal that WDR5 may have oncogenic effect and WDR5‐mediated H3K4 methylation plays an important role in gastric cancer.
Comparative characterization of CD271+ and CD271− subpopulations of CD34+ human adipose‐derived stromal cells
Authors: Beckenkamp Liziane R. , Souza Lucas E. B. , Melo Fernanda U. F. , Thomé Carolina H. , Magalhães Daniele A. R. , Palma Patrícia V. B. , Covas Dimas T.
Published: November 2017

Adipose‐derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) are promising candidates for cell‐based therapies. However, the lack of markers able to unequivocally identify these cells, the differential expression of cell surface molecules among stromal progenitors from different tissues and cellular alterations caused by culture are phenomena that need to be comprehensively addressed in order to improve ASC purification and consequently refine our knowledge about their function and therapeutic efficiency. In this study, we investigated the potential of CD271, a marker used for purification of bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells, on enriching ASCs from CD34+ stromal cells of human adipose tissue. Putative ASC populations were sorted based on CD271 expression (CD45−CD31−CD34+CD271+ and CD45−CD31−CD34+CD271− cells) and compared regarding their clonogenic efficiency, proliferation, immunophenotypic profile, and multilineage potential. To shed light on their native identity, we also interrogated the expression of key perivascular cell markers in freshly isolated cells. CD271− cells displayed twofold higher clonogenic efficiency than CD271+ cells. Upon culture, the progeny of both populations displayed similar immunophenotypic profile and in vitro adipogenic and chondrogenic potentials, while CD271+ cells produced more calcified extracellular matrix. Interestingly, uncultured freshly isolated CD271+ cells displayed higher expression of pericyte‐associated markers than CD271− cells and localized in the inner region of the perivascular wall. Our results demonstrate that cells with in vitro ASC traits can be obtained from both CD271+ and CD271− stromal populations of human adipose tissue. In addition, gene expression profiling and in situ localization analyses indicate that the CD271+ population displays a pericytic phenotype.
Model of the stochastic electromagnetic field coupling to multiconductor transmission lines above a ground plane
Authors: Kasper Johanna , Vick Ralf
Published: November 2017

A solution for the coupling of stochastic electromagnetic fields to multiconductor transmission lines (MTLs) is presented in this article. The presented method is suitable for MTLs of any geometry that fulfills the conditions of transmission line theory. The simulation model is based on the Baum‐Liu‐Tesche equations using complex per‐unit‐length parameters. The model is validated against the method of moments and shows a very good agreement. Because of its time efficiency compared to full numerical models, the focus of this work lies on the analytical model. The coupling of stochastic electromagnetic fields to a MTL consisting of 2 single‐wire lines above a conducting ground plane is simulated. For different setups of the MTL, the average squared magnitude of the coupled terminal currents of the lines is calculated and discussed.
Adsorption orientation of 8‐azaadenine on silver nanoparticles determined by SERS and DFT
Authors: Harroun Scott G. , Zhang Yaoting , Chen Tzu‐Heng , Hsu Chia‐Lun , Chang Huan‐Tsung
Published: November 2017

8‐Azaadenine (8AA) is structurally similar to both adenine and benzotriazole, and therefore, it is reasonable that it could adsorb onto noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) in an orientation analogous to either one. In this study, Raman and surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of 8AA are investigated to determine its adsorption orientation on Ag NPs. In support of the analysis, the Raman spectra of 8AA and various Ag+/8AA complexes were simulated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP level. For both normal Raman and surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy, good agreement is observed between the experimental and simulated spectra. Our findings show that 8AA adsorbs onto Ag NPs via its N3 and N9 atoms side in an adenine‐like manner. This result may be useful for nanoparticle‐mediated drug delivery strategies of 8‐azapurines or similar molecules with biological activities.
Extracting interface locations in multilayer polymer waveguide films using scanning angle Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Bobbitt Jonathan M. , Smith Emily A.
Published: November 2017

There is an increasing demand for nondestructive in situ techniques that measure chemical content, total thickness, and interface locations for multilayer polymer films, and scanning angle (SA) Raman spectroscopy in combination with appropriate data models can provide this information. A SA Raman spectroscopy method was developed to measure the chemical composition of multilayer polymer waveguide films and to extract the location of buried interfaces between polymer layers with 7‐ to 80‐nm axial spatial resolution. The SA Raman method acquires Raman spectra as the incident angle of light upon a prism‐coupled thin film is scanned. Six multilayer films consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene or poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) were prepared with total thicknesses ranging from 330 to 1,260 nm. The interface locations were varied by altering the individual layer thicknesses between 140 and 680 nm. The Raman amplitude ratio of the 1,605‐cm−1 peak for polystyrene and 812‐cm−1 peak for poly(methyl methacrylate) was used in calculations of the electric field intensity within the polymer layers to model the SA Raman data and extract the total thickness and interface locations. There is an average 8% and 7% difference in the measured thickness between the SA Raman and profilometry measurements for bilayer and trilayer films, respectively.
Detection of 13 mycotoxins in feed using modified QuEChERS with dispersive magnetic materials and UHPLC–MS/MS
Authors: Qian Mingrong , Yang Hua , Li Zuguang , Liu Yanping , Wang Jianmei , Wu Huizhen , Ji Xiaofeng , Xu Jie
Published: November 2017

An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 13 mycotoxins in feed by magnetic dispersive solid‐phase extraction combined with ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was developed. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile/water (80:20, v/v, containing 3% acetic acid), and separated by centrifugation after salting‐out, and then treated with magnetic adsorbents to remove interferences. The separation of target mycotoxins was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 column using a mobile phase consisting of 1 mmol/L ammonium acetate with 0.1% formic acid and methanol by gradient elution. Good linearities for the 13 mycotoxins were achieved with correlation coefficients over 0.99, and the recoveries of mycotoxins were in the range of 89.3–112.6% at spiking at levels of 5, 20, and 100 μg/kg, with relative standard deviations of 0.9–10.4%. Based on the functional magnetic materials (MDN@Fe3O4, PSA@Fe3O4, ZrO2@Fe3O4) applied in dispersive solid‐phase extraction, the pretreatment process is more convenient and it is beneficial to reduce the experimental cost by reusing the recycled magnetic materials. It is a simple, rapid, and environmentally friendly analytical method for the determination of mycotoxins in feed.
Decreasing mortality and disease severity in hepatitis C patients awaiting liver transplantation in the United States
Authors: Kwong Allison , Kim W. Ray , Mannalithara Ajitha , Heo Nae‐Yun , Udompap Prowpanga , Kim Donghee
Published: November 2017

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been the leading indication for liver transplantation (LT) in the United States. Since 2013, interferon‐free antiviral therapy has led to sustained virological response in many LT candidates. We compared the wait‐list mortality of HCV patients with that of patients with other chronic liver diseases. Data for primary LT candidates were obtained from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database. Adult wait‐list registrants were divided into 3 cohorts: cohort 1 included patients on the waiting list as of January 1, 2004; cohort 2 as of January 1, 2009; and cohort 3 as of January 1, 2014. The primary outcome was wait‐list mortality, and the secondary outcome was the rate of change in Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to evaluate 12‐month wait‐list mortality. The cohorts included 7627 LT candidates with HCV and 13,748 patients without HCV. Compared with cohort 2, HCV patients in cohort 3 had a 21% lower risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67‐0.93). Among patients with non‐HCV liver disease, no difference in mortality was seen between cohorts 2 and 3 (HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.86‐1.09). Among HCV patients, the mean rate of change in MELD decreased from 2.35 per year for cohort 2 to 1.90 per year for cohort 3, compared with 1.90 and 1.66 in cohorts 2 and 3, respectively, among non‐HCV patients. In this population‐based study, wait‐list mortality and progression of disease severity decreased in recent HCV patients for whom direct‐acting antiviral agents were available. Liver Transplantation 24 735–743 2018 AASLD.
Con: Liver transplantation for expanded criteria malignant diseases
Authors: Schaefer Benedikt , Zoller Heinz , Schneeberger Stefan
Published: November 2017

Organ shortage requires policies and guidelines to aid organ allocation along the principles of urgency or utility. Identifying patients with significant benefit and withholding liver transplantation (LT) from patients too sick for transplantation are ongoing challenges, in particular in patients with malignancies. An arbitrary threshold of >50% 5‐year overall survival (OS) is broadly considered a minimum standard for LT. In patients transplanted for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCC), this was only achieved in select cases and when the tumor had a diameter of <2 cm. In patients with extrahepatic and hilar cholangiocarcinoma (CCC), strict selection criteria and combined preoperative radiotherapy/chemotherapy according to the Mayo protocol showed that acceptable longterm results can be achieved in a single high‐volume center but are difficult to repeat elsewhere. Furthermore, only rigorously selected patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) meeting the NET Milan criteria adopted by United Network for Organ Sharing can also have >50% 5‐year OS. A prospective study in patients with unresectable colorectal cancer metastases in the liver has shown promising OS rates, but further prospective trials are warranted. Current evidence shows that none of the proposed expanded malignant criteria justify deviation of scarce donor organs to patients with hilar CCC, iCC > 2 cm, metastatic NET beyond NET Milan criteria, or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) outside clinical trials. Liver Transplantation 24 104–111 2018 AASLD.
Inkjet Printing Based Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly Capable of Composite Patterning of Multilayered Nanofilms
Authors: Choi Moonhyun , Heo Jiwoong , Choi Daheui , Hwangbo Sunghee , Hong Jinkee
Published: November 2017

Surface modification involves developing a versatile thin film by combining the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of the functional materials and can facilitate controlling material for desirable aims. Layer‐by‐layer (LbL) assembly can be used to create materials with controlled thicknesses and morphologies, diverse functionalities, and unique structures on any surface. However, despite the advantages of the LbL fabrication technique, there are limits to its application because it is a time‐consuming process and has difficulty controlling the shape of nanofilms. In addition, controlling the lateral organization is difficult because the preparation methods are based on one‐pot self‐assembly. In this study, a multilayered fabrication system is developed for the high‐throughput LbL assembly of nanofilms through inkjet printing. With various types of materials from synthetic polymer to graphene oxide to natural polymer and protein, the approach can tune the preparation of nanoscale multilayers with desired structures and shapes for specific applications on various substrates, including a silicon wafer, quartz glass, and cellulose‐based paper.
Dysfunction in emotion processing underlies functional (psychogenic) dystonia
Authors: Espay Alberto J. , Maloney Thomas , Vannest Jennifer , Norris Matthew M. , Eliassen James C. , Neefus Erin , Allendorfer Jane B. , Chen Robert , Szaflarski Jerzy P.
Published: November 2017

Objective

We sought to determine whether abnormalities in emotion processing underlie functional (psychogenic) dystonia, one of the most common functional movement disorders.

Methods

Motor and emotion circuits were examined in 12 participants with functional dystonia, 12 with primary organic dystonia, and 25 healthy controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging at 4T and a finger‐tapping task (motor task), a basic emotion‐recognition task (emotional faces task), and an intense‐emotion stimuli task.

Results

There were no differences in motor task activation between groups. In the faces task, when compared with the other groups, functional dystonia patients showed areas of decreased activation in the right middle temporal gyrus and bilateral precuneus and increased activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral occipital cortex and fusiform gyrus, and bilateral cerebellum. In the intense‐emotion task, when compared with the other groups, functional dystonia patients showed decreased activation in the left insular and left motor cortices (compared to organic dystonia, they showed an additional decrease in activation in the right opercular cortex and right motor cortex) and increased activation in the left fusiform gyrus.

Conclusions

Functional dystonia patients exhibited stimulus‐dependent altered activation in networks involved in motor preparation and execution, spatial cognition, and attentional control. These results support the presence of network dysfunction in functional dystonia. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
A Vertex Elimination Algorithm for Enumerating all Simple Paths in a Graph
Authors: Fratta L. , Montanari U.
Published: November 2017

If a suitable definition of sum and multiplication between sets of paths is given, the sets of all simple paths between all pairs of vertices in a graph can be characterized as the solution of a system of linear equations. The well‐known matrix technique for enumerating such paths corresponds to an iterative solution of this system. A new and more efficient algorithm is here described and analyzed which finds all simple paths by a vertex elimination technique similar to Jordan's method for matrix inversion. Experimental results about a FORTRAN implementation of the algorithm are finally reported.
A robust optimal preconditioner for the mixed finite element discretization of elliptic optimal control problems
Authors: Gong Wei , Tan Zhiyu , Zhang Shuo
Published: November 2017

In this paper, we consider the efficient solving of the resulting algebraic system for elliptic optimal control problems with mixed finite element discretization. We propose a block‐diagonal preconditioner for the symmetric and indefinite algebraic system solved with minimum residual method, which is proved to be robust and optimal with respect to both the mesh size and the regularization parameter. The block‐diagonal preconditioner is constructed based on an isomorphism between appropriately chosen solution space and its dual for a general control problem with both state and gradient state observations in the objective functional. Numerical experiments confirm the efficiency of our proposed preconditioner.
A triangular spectral method for the Stokes eigenvalue problem by the stream function formulation
Authors: Cao Junying , Wang Ziqiang , Chen Lizhen
Published: November 2017

An efficient spectral method is developed in this paper for the two‐dimensional Stokes eigenvalues on arbitrary triangle. By using the spectral theory of compact operator and approximate property of orthogonal polynomial, we give the error estimate of the approximate eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. In addition, we also present some numerical results to show the validity of our algorithm and the correctness of the theoretical results.
Tunnel oxide passivating electron contacts as full‐area rear emitter of high‐efficiency p‐type silicon solar cells
Authors: Richter Armin , Benick Jan , Müller Ralph , Feldmann Frank , Reichel Christian , Hermle Martin , Glunz Stefan W.
Published: November 2017

Tunnel oxide passivating contacts (TOPCon) consisting of an ultrathin tunnel oxide capped by a doped Si film exhibit excellent passivation and contact properties. The application of these contacts has so far resulted in efficiencies of up to 25.7% realized with an n‐type Si solar cell featuring a front‐side boron‐doped p+ emitter and n‐TOPCon as full‐area rear electron contact. In this work, we study the same cell structure on p‐type Si. In this case, the p+ diffusion on the front acts as a front surface field (FSF) and the n‐TOPCon layer as a full‐area rear emitter. One benefit of this rear‐junction cell design is that the whole base contributes to the hole transport towards the local contacts on the front, which means that the lateral current transport within the FSF is less important than in the case of the front emitter of the n‐type cell. To study this, we addressed the influence of the FSF lateral conductivity on the performance of these rear‐junction cells theoretically (based on a simulation study) as well as experimentally (with fabricated cells). Efficiencies up to 24.3% (independently confirmed) have been achieved with this structure applying a FSF and up to 23.9% without the full‐area FSF. As such, these results demonstrate a high device performance for these TOPCon rear emitter cells even without a lateral conductivity in the FSF. This bears the potential to simplify the process chain quite substantially as no full‐area boron diffusion is required.
Reconstructing photoluminescence spectra at liquid nitrogen temperature from heavily boron‐doped regions of crystalline silicon solar cells
Authors: Wu HuiTing , Nguyen Hieu T. , Liu AnYao , Macdonald Daniel
Published: November 2017

When measured at low temperature (79 K), the photoluminescence (PL) spectra from silicon wafers containing a diffused heavily doped layer exhibit a second peak due to band gap narrowing in the diffused region. This work aims to decompose this peak into components arising from the various doping concentrations within the diffused layer. Whilst the peak position of silicon band‐to‐band PL spectra changes significantly with the doping concentration in silicon, the shape of the spectra also varies strongly with doping concentrations due to the broadening effects of band‐filling and band‐tail states. By measuring PL spectra on a range of uniformly heavily doped wafers, we show that these changes in spectral position and shape can be accurately modelled for doping concentrations above 1 × 1019 cm−3 using simple parameterisations, with minimal impact of variations in excitation intensity or injection level. This allows the PL spectra for a range of arbitrary doping concentrations to be reconstructed. We then show that the PL spectra from a thermally boron‐diffused wafer, in which the boron concentration changes with depth, can be reconstructed based on a superposition of PL spectra arising from the layers of different doping beneath the surface. Furthermore, the scaling factor for each layer can be accurately estimated based on the doping profile and the fraction of incident light absorbed in the layer.
Organellar Omics—A Reviving Strategy to Untangle the Biomolecular Complexity of the Cell
Authors: Tharkeshwar Arun Kumar , Gevaert Kris , Annaert Wim
Published: November 2017

A eukaryotic cell encompasses many membrane‐enclosed organelles, each of these holding several types of biomolecules that exhibit tremendous diversity in terms of their localization and expression. Despite the development of increasingly sensitive analytical tools, the enormous biomolecular complexity that exists within a cell cannot yet be fully resolved as low abundant molecules often remain unrecognized. Moreover, a drawback of whole cell analysis is that it does not provide spatial information and therefore it is not capable of assigning distinct biomolecules to specific compartments or analyzing changes in the composition of these compartments. Reduction of the biomolecular complexity of a sample helps to identify low abundant molecules, but such a reductionist approach requires methods that enable proper isolation and purification of individual cellular organelles. Decades of research have led to the development of a plethora of isolation methods for a broad range of subcellular organelles; yet, in particular, intrinsically dynamic compartments belonging to the endocytic machinery, including the plasma membrane, remain difficult to isolate in a sufficiently pure fraction. In this review, we discuss various methods that are commonly used to isolate subcellular organelles from cells and evaluate their advantages and disadvantages.