bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Children perceive speech onsets by ear and eye
Authors: JERGER SUSAN , DAMIAN MARKUS F. , TYE-MURRAY NANCY , ABDI HERVÉ
Published: January 2016

Adults use vision to perceive low-fidelity speech; yet how children acquire this ability is not well understood. The literature indicates that children show reduced sensitivity to visual speech from kindergarten to adolescence. We hypothesized that this pattern reflects the effects of complex tasks and a growth period with harder-to-utilize cognitive resources, not lack of sensitivity. We investigated sensitivity to visual speech in children via the phonological priming produced by low-fidelity (non-intact onset) auditory speech presented audiovisually (see dynamic face articulate consonant/rhyme b/ag; hear non-intact onset/rhyme: –b/ag) vs. auditorily (see still face; hear exactly same auditory input). Audiovisual speech produced greater priming from four to fourteen years, indicating that visual speech filled in the non-intact auditory onsets. The influence of visual speech depended uniquely on phonology and speechreading. Children – like adults – perceive speech onsets multimodally. Findings are critical for incorporating visual speech into developmental theories of speech perception.
Giardiasis outbreaks in the United States, 1971–2011
Authors: ADAM E. A. , YODER J. S. , GOULD L. H. , HLAVSA M. C. , GARGANO J. W.
Published: January 2016

Giardia intestinalisis the leading parasitic aetiology of human enteric infections in the United States, with an estimated 1·2 million cases occurring annually. To better understand transmission, we analysed data on all giardiasis outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 1971–2011. The 242 outbreaks, affecting ~41 000 persons, resulted from waterborne (74·8%), foodborne (15·7%), person-to-person (2·5%), and animal contact (1·2%) transmission. Most (74·6%) waterborne outbreaks were associated with drinking water, followed by recreational water (18·2%). Problems with water treatment, untreated groundwater, and distribution systems were identified most often during drinking water-associated outbreak investigations; problems with water treatment declined after the 1980s. Most recreational water-associated outbreaks were linked to treated swimming venues, with pools and wading pools implicated most often. Produce was implicated most often in foodborne outbreaks. Additionally, foods were most commonly prepared in a restaurant and contaminated by a food handler. Lessons learned from examining patterns in outbreaks over time can help prevent future disease. Groundwater and distribution system vulnerabilities, inadequate pool disinfection, fruit and vegetable contamination, and poor food handler hygiene are promising targets for giardiasis prevention measures.
Does government funding depoliticize non-governmental organizations? Examining evidence from Europe
Authors: Bloodgood Elizabeth , Tremblay-Boire Joannie
Published: January 2016

Prior work suggests that government funding can encourage non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to engage in political advocacy and public policy. We challenge this finding and examine two theoretical explanations for the dampening effect of government funding on NGO lobbying. First, donors are known to discipline NGO activity via an implicit or explicit threat to withdraw funding should the organization become too radical or political. Second, NGOs with more radical political agendas are less willing to seek or accept government funding for fear this will limit or delegitimize their activities. Using data from the European Union’s Transparency Register, we find that the share of government funding in NGO budgets is negatively associated with lobbying expenditure. This effect is statistically significant and substantial, which provides a reason for concern about NGO resource dependence. Even when governments are motivated by honorable intentions, their financial assistance has the (unintended) effect of dampening NGOs’ political activity.
High-efficiency robust perovskite solar cells on ultrathin flexible substrates
Authors: Li Yaowen , Meng Lei , Yang Yang , Xu Guiying , Hong Ziruo , Chen Qi , You Jingbi , Li Gang , Yang Yang , Li Yongfang
Published: January 2016

Wide applications of personal consumer electronics have triggered tremendous need for portable power sources featuring light-weight and mechanical flexibility. Perovskite solar cells offer a compelling combination of low-cost and high device performance. Here we demonstrate high-performance planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells constructed on highly flexible and ultrathin silver-mesh/conducting polymer substrates. The device performance is comparable to that of their counterparts on rigid glass/indium tin oxide substrates, reaching a power conversion efficiency of 14.0%, while the specific power (the ratio of power to device weight) reaches 1.96 kW kg−1, given the fact that the device is constructed on a 57-μm-thick polyethylene terephthalate based substrate. The flexible device also demonstrates excellent robustness against mechanical deformation, retaining >95% of its original efficiency after 5,000 times fully bending. Our results confirmed that perovskite thin films are fully compatible with our flexible substrates, and are thus promising for future applications in flexible and bendable solar cells.
Tellurium as a high-performance elemental thermoelectric
Authors: Lin Siqi , Li Wen , Chen Zhiwei , Shen Jiawen , Ge Binghui , Pei Yanzhong
Published: January 2016

High-efficiency thermoelectric materials require a high conductivity. It is known that a large number of degenerate band valleys offers many conducting channels for improving the conductivity without detrimental effects on the other properties explicitly, and therefore, increases thermoelectric performance. In addition to the strategy of converging different bands, many semiconductors provide an inherent band nestification, equally enabling a large number of effective band valley degeneracy. Here we show as an example that a simple elemental semiconductor, tellurium, exhibits a high thermoelectric figure of merit of unity, not only demonstrating the concept but also filling up the high performance gap from 300 to 700 K for elemental thermoelectrics. The concept used here should be applicable in general for thermoelectrics with similar band features.
The CaSm (LSm1) oncogene promotes transformation, chemoresistance and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells
Authors: Little E C , Camp E R , Wang C , Watson P M , Watson D K , Cole D J
Published: January 2016

The cancer-associated Sm-like (CaSm) oncogene is overexpressed in 87% of human pancreatic tumor samples and CaSm knockdown has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in murine models of pancreatic cancer. Evidence indicates that CaSm modulates messenger RNA degradation; however, its target genes and the mechanisms by which CaSm promotes pancreatic cancer remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the CaSm overexpression alters several hallmarks of cancer—including transformation, proliferation, chemoresistance and metastasis. Doxycycline-induced CaSm expression enhanced proliferation and both anchorage-dependent and -independent growth of the human Panc-1 cells in vitro. CaSm induction decreased gemcitabine-induced cytotoxicity and altered the expression of apoptotic regulation genes, including Bad, E2F1 and Bcl-XL. CaSm-overexpressing Panc-1 cells were twofold more migratory and fourfold more invasive than the driver controls and demonstrated characteristics of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition such as morphological changes and decreased E-cadherin expression. CaSm induction resulted in changes in RNA expression of metastasis-associated genes such as MMP1, SerpinB5, uPAR and Slug. Using a murine model of metastatic pancreatic cancer, injection of CaSm-induced Panc-1 cells resulted in a higher abundance of hepatic metastatic lesions. Overall, CaSm overexpression contributed to a more aggressive cancer phenotype in Panc-1 cells, further supporting the use of CaSm as a therapeutic target against pancreatic cancer.
Lubricin/Proteoglycan 4 binds to and regulates the activity of Toll-Like Receptors In Vitro
Authors: Iqbal S.M. , Leonard C. , C. Regmi S. , De Rantere D. , Tailor P. , Ren G. , Ishida H. , Hsu CY. , Abubacker S. , Pang D. SJ. , T. Salo P. , Vogel H.J. , Hart D.A. , Waterhouse C.C. , Jay G.D , Schmidt T.A. , Krawetz R.J.
Published: January 2016

Proteoglycan 4 (PRG4/lubricin) is secreted by cells that reside in articular cartilage and line the synovial joint. Lubricin may play a role in modulating inflammatory responses through interaction with CD44. This led us to examine if lubricin could be playing a larger role in the modulation of inflammation/immunity through interaction with Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK) cells overexpressing TLRs 2, 4 or 5 and surface plasmon resonance were employed to determine if full length recombinant human lubricin was able to bind to and activate TLRs. Primary human synovial fibroblasts were also examined using flow cytometry and Luminex multiplex ELISA. A rat destabilization model of osteoarthritis (OA) was used to determine if lubricin injections were able to regulate pain and/or inflammationin vivo. Lubricin can bind to and regulate the activity of TLRs, leading to downstream changes in inflammatory signalling independent of HA. We confirmed these findingsin vivothrough intra-articular injections of lubricin in a rat OA model where the inhibition of systemic inflammatory signaling and reduction in pain were observed. Lubricin plays an important role in regulating the inflammatory environment under both homeostatic and tissue injury states.
A novel 2D silicon nano-mold fabrication technique for linear nanochannels over a 4 inch diameter substrate
Authors: Yin Zhifu , Qi Liping , Zou Helin , Sun Lei
Published: January 2016

A novel low-cost 2D silicon nano-mold fabrication technique was developed based on Cu inclined-deposition and Ar+ (argon ion) etching. With this technique, sub-100 nm 2D (two dimensional) nano-channels can be etched economically over the whole area of a 4 inch n-type <100> silicon wafer. The fabricating process consists of only 4 steps, UV (Ultraviolet) lithography, inclined Cu deposition, Ar+ sputter etching and photoresist & Cu removing. During this nano-mold fabrication process, we investigated the influence of the deposition angle on the width of the nano-channels and the effect of Ar+ etching time on their depth. Post-etching measurements showed the accuracy of the nanochannels over the whole area: the variation in width is 10%, in depth it is 11%. However, post-etching measurements also showed the accuracy of the nanochannels between chips: the variation in width is 2%, in depth it is 5%. With this newly developed technology, low-cost and large scale 2D nano-molds can be fabricated, which allows commercial manufacturing of nano-components over large areas.
An interneuron progenitor maintains neurogenic potential in vivo and differentiates into GABAergic interneurons after transplantation in the postnatal rat brain
Authors: Wang Qi , Hong Peiwei , Gao Hui , Chen Yuntian , Yang Qi , Jiang Mei , Li Hedong
Published: January 2016

Dysfunction of cortical GABAergic interneurons are involved in numerous neurological disorders including epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism; and replenishment of these cells by transplantation strategy has proven to be a feasible and effective method to help revert the symptoms in several animal models. To develop methodology of generating transplantable GABAergic interneurons for therapy, we previously reported the isolation of a v-myc-induced GABAergic interneuron progenitor clone GE6 from embryonic ganglionic eminence (GE). These cells can proliferate and form functional inhibitory synapses in culture. Here, we tested their differentiation behavior in vivo by transplanting them into the postnatal rat forebrain. We found that GE6 cells migrate extensively in the neonatal forebrain and differentiate into both neurons and glia, but preferentially into neurons when compared with a sister progenitor clone CTX8. The neurogenic potential of GE6 cells is also maintained after transplantation into a non-permissive environment such as adult cortex or when treated with inflammatory cytokine in culture. The GE6-derived neurons were able to mature in vivo as GABAergic interneurons expressing GABAergic, not glutamatergic, presynaptic puncta. Finally, we propose that v-myc-induced human interneuron progenitor clones could be an alternative cell source of transplantable GABAergic interneurons for treating related neurological diseases in future clinic.
Liquid crystal phases of two-dimensional dipolar gases and Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless melting
Authors: Wu Zhigang , Block Jens K. , Bruun Georg M.
Published: January 2016

Liquid crystals are phases of matter intermediate between crystals and liquids. Whereas classical liquid crystals have been known for a long time and are used in electro-optical displays, much less is known about their quantum counterparts. There is growing evidence that quantum liquid crystals play a central role in many electron systems including high temperature superconductors, but a quantitative understanding is lacking due to disorder and other complications. Here, we analyse the quantum phase diagram of a two-dimensional dipolar gas, which exhibits stripe, nematic and supersolid phases. We calculate the stiffness constants determining the stability of the nematic and stripe phases and the melting of the stripes set by the proliferation of topological defects is analysed microscopically. Our results for the critical temperatures of these phases demonstrate that a controlled study of the interplay between quantum liquid and superfluid phases is within experimental reach for the first time, using dipolar gases.
Evidence for redox sensing by a human cardiac calcium channel
Authors: Muralidharan Padmapriya , Cserne Szappanos Henrietta , Ingley Evan , Hool Livia
Published: January 2016

Ion channels are critical to life and respond rapidly to stimuli to evoke physiological responses. Calcium influx into heart muscle occurs through the ion conducting α1C subunit (Cav1.2) of the L-type Ca2+ channel. Glutathionylation of Cav1.2 results in increased calcium influx and is evident in ischemic human heart. However controversy exists as to whether direct modification of Cav1.2 is responsible for altered function. We directly assessed the function of purified human Cav1.2 in proteoliposomes. Truncation of the C terminus and mutation of cysteines in the N terminal region and cytoplasmic loop III-IV linker did not alter the effects of thiol modifying agents on open probability of the channel. However mutation of cysteines in cytoplasmic loop I-II linker altered open probability and protein folding assessed by thermal shift assay. We find that C543 confers sensitivity of Cav1.2 to oxidative stress and is sufficient to modify channel function and posttranslational folding. Our data provide direct evidence for the calcium channel as a redox sensor that facilitates rapid physiological responses.
OASL1 deficiency promotes antiviral protection against genital herpes simplex virus type 2 infection by enhancing type I interferon production
Authors: Oh Ji Eun , Lee Myeong Sup , Kim Young-Joon , Lee Heung Kyu
Published: January 2016

Type I interferon (IFN) interferes with virus replication, promotes antiviral responses and controls innate and adaptive immune responses to certain viruses. Recently, we reported that 2’–5’ oligoadenylate synthetase-like 1 (OASL1) negatively regulates type I IFN production by inhibiting the translation of the type I IFN-regulating master transcription factor, IRF7. Notably, while OASL1-deficient mice induce robust production of type I IFN and are resistant to systemic viral infection, the effects of OASL1 during localized viral infection has not been studied. To this end, we investigated the role of OASL1 during mucosal HSV-2 infection of the genital tract. Oasl1−/− mice exhibited better survival rates than wild type (WT) mice following intravaginal HSV-2 infection and suppressed virus replication more efficiently despite comparable recruitment of effector immune cells. Moreover, Ly6Chigh monocytes and not pDCs or other cell types, displayed enhanced production of type I IFNs in Oasl1−/− mice in response to HSV-2 infection. Furthermore, cytotoxic T cell responses including IFN-γ production were accelerated in Oasl1−/− mice after mucosal HSV-2 infection. Collectively, these results demonstrate that OASL1 deficiency promotes antiviral immunity against local mucosal viral infection and suggest that OASL1 could be a therapeutic target for treatment of HSV-2 infection of the genital mucosa.
Modified inflammation-based score as an independent malignant predictor in patients with pulmonary focal ground-glass opacity: a propensity score matching analysis
Authors: Jiang Long , Jiang Shanshan , Lin Yongbin , Yang Han , Zhao Zerui , Xie Zehua , Lin Yaobin , Long Hao
Published: January 2016

Pulmonary focal Ground-glass Opacities (fGGOs) would frequently be identified after widely implementation of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening. Because of the high false-positive rate of LDCT, antibiotics should be regarded as advocates in clinical management for detected fGGOs. Retrospectively review consecutive patients with fGGOs between August 2006 and August 2012. Then, relative Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) were constructed in three different systems, traditional GPS system (tGPS), modified GPS system 1 (m1GPS) and modified GPS system 2 (m2GPS). Moreover, propensity score matching (PSM) was employed in balancing baseline covariates. After PSM, patients were matched and included in benign and malignant groups as 1:1 ratio. All reported parameters were balanced in both groups and no statistical differences could be detected. Finally, m1GPS exhibited remarkable different distribution between benign and malignant fGGOs. In detail, m1GPS 1 was more frequently observed in benign fGGOs nodules, while m1GPS 2 in malignant fGGOs nodules. Modified inflammation-based score was identified as an independent predictor of malignancies in patients with pulmonary fGGOs. Patients with m1GPS 1 were more likely to be benign fGGOs, while victims with m1GPS 2 more likely to be malignant.
Exploration of multiphoton entangled states by using weak nonlinearities
Authors: He Ying-Qiu , Ding Dong , Yan Feng-Li , Gao Ting
Published: January 2016

We propose a fruitful scheme for exploring multiphoton entangled states based on linear optics and weak nonlinearities. Compared with the previous schemes the present method is more feasible because there are only small phase shifts instead of a series of related functions of photon numbers in the process of interaction with Kerr nonlinearities. In the absence of decoherence we analyze the error probabilities induced by homodyne measurement and show that the maximal error probability can be made small enough even when the number of photons is large. This implies that the present scheme is quite tractable and it is possible to produce entangled states involving a large number of photons.
Overlapping illusions by transformation optics without any negative refraction material
Authors: Sun Fei , He Sailing
Published: January 2016

A novel method to achieve an overlapping illusion without any negative refraction index material is introduced with the help of the optic-null medium (ONM) designed by an extremely stretching spatial transformation. Unlike the previous methods to achieve such an optical illusion by transformation optics (TO), our method can achieve a power combination and reshape the radiation pattern at the same time. Unlike the overlapping illusion with some negative refraction index material, our method is not sensitive to the loss of the materials. Other advantages over existing methods are discussed. Numerical simulations are given to verify the performance of the proposed devices.
High performance broadband photodetector using fabricated nanowires of bismuth selenide
Authors: Sharma Alka , Bhattacharyya Biplab , Srivastava A. K. , Senguttuvan T. D. , Husale Sudhir
Published: January 2016

Recently, very exciting optoelectronic properties of Topological insulators (TIs) such as strong light absorption, photocurrent sensitivity to the polarization of light, layer thickness and size dependent band gap tuning have been demonstrated experimentally. Strong interaction of light with TIs has been shown theoretically along with a proposal for a TIs based broad spectral photodetector having potential to perform at the same level as that of a graphene based photodetector. Here we demonstrate that focused ion beam (FIB) fabricated nanowires of TIs could be used as ultrasensitive visible-NIR nanowire photodetector based on TIs. We have observed efficient electron hole pair generation in the studied Bi2Se3 nanowire under the illumination of visible (532 nm) and IR light (1064 nm). The observed photo-responsivity of ~300 A/W is four orders of magnitude larger than the earlier reported results on this material. Even though the role of 2D surface states responsible for high reponsivity is unclear, the novel and simple micromechanical cleavage (exfoliation) technique for the deposition of Bi2Se3 flakes followed by nanowire fabrication using FIB milling enables the construction and designing of ultrasensitive broad spectral TIs based nanowire photodetector which can be exploited further as a promising material for optoelectronic devices.
A novel cell-penetrating peptide suppresses breast tumorigenesis by inhibiting β-catenin/LEF-1 signaling
Authors: Hsieh Tsung-Hua , Hsu Chia-Yi , Tsai Cheng-Fang , Chiu Chien-Chih , Liang Shih-Shin , Wang Tsu-Nai , Kuo Po-Lin , Long Cheng-Yu , Tsai Eing-Mei
Published: January 2016

The inhibition of β-catenin/LEF-1 signaling is an emerging strategy in cancer therapy. However, clinical targeted treatment of the β-catenin/LEF-1 complex remains relatively ineffective. Therefore, development of specific molecular targets is a key approach for identifying new cancer therapeutics. Thus, we attempted to synthesize a peptide (TAT-NLS-BLBD-6) that could interfere with the interaction of β-catenin and LEF-1 at nuclei in human breast cancer cells. TAT-NLS-BLBD-6 directly interacted with β-catenin and inhibited breast cancer cell growth, invasion, migration and colony formation as well as increased arrest of sub-G1 phase and apoptosis; it also suppressed breast tumor growth in nude mouse and zebrafish xenotransplantation models, showed no signs of toxicity and did not affect body weight. Furthermore, the human global gene expression profiles and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software showed that the TAT-NLS-BLBD-6 downstream target genes were associated with the HER-2 and IL-9 signaling pathways. TAT-NLS-BLBD-6 commonly down-regulated 27 candidate genes in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, which are concurrent with Wnt downstream target genes in human breast cancer. Our study suggests that TAT-NLS-BLBD-6 is a promising drug candidate for the development of effective therapeutics specific for Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibition.
Comprehensive maternal serum proteomics identifies the cytoskeletal proteins as non-invasive biomarkers in prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defects
Authors: Chen Lizhu , Gu Hui , Li Jun , Yang Ze-Yu , Sun Xiao , Zhang Li , Shan Liping , Wu Lina , Wei Xiaowei , Zhao Yili , Ma Wei , Zhang Henan , Cao Songying , Huang Tianchu , Miao Jianing , Yuan Zhengwei
Published: January 2016

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common group of major birth defects. Presently there are no clinically used biomarkers for prenatally detecting CHDs. Here, we performed a comprehensive maternal serum proteomics assessment, combined with immunoassays, for the discovery of non-invasive biomarkers for prenatal diagnosis of CHDs. A total of 370 women were included in this study. An isobaric tagging for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) proteomic approach was used first to compare protein profiles in pooled serum collected from women who had CHD-possessing or normal fetuses and 47 proteins displayed significant differential expressions. Targeted verifications were performed on 11 proteins using multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS) and the resultant candidate biomarkers were then further validated using ELISA analysis. Finally, we identified a biomarker panel composed of 4 cytoskeletal proteins capable of differentiating CHD-pregnancies from normal ones [with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.938, P < 0.0001]. The discovery of cytoskeletal protein changes in maternal serum not only could help us in prenatal diagnosis of CHDs, but also may shed new light on CHD embryogenesis studies.
Additive manufacturing of biologically-inspired materials
Authors: Studart André R.
Published: January 2016

Analogous to the layer-by-layer and site-specific deposition of building blocks carried by living organisms during biomineralization (left), additive manufacturing technologies offer a compelling route for the fabrication of bioinspired heterogeneous architectures for next generation composite materials (right).
Bioinspired surfaces and materials
Authors: Schirhagl Romana , Weder Christoph , Lei Jiang , Werner Carsten , Textor Hans Marcus
Published: January 2016

Guest editors Romana Schirhagl, Christoph Weder, Jiang Lei, Carsten Werner and Hans Marcus Textor introduce the Bioinspired Surfaces and Materials issue of Chemical Society Reviews.
Disruptive catalysis by zeolites
Authors: Abate S. , Barbera K. , Centi G. , Lanzafame P. , Perathoner S.
Published: January 2016

Emerging concepts and novel possibilities in catalysis by zeolites for a new scenario in chemical and energy vector production.
Verifiable emission reductions in European urban areas with air-quality models
Authors: Skouloudis A. N. , Rickerby D. G.
Published: January 2016

The first and second AutoOil programmes were conducted since 1992 as a partnership between the European Commission and the automobile and oil industries. These have introduced emission reductions in Europe based on numerical modelling for a target year. They aimed to identify the most cost-effective way to meet desired future air quality over the whole European Union. In their time, these regulatory efforts were considered an important step towards a new approach for establishing European emission limits. With this work, we review the effectiveness of forecasts carried out with numerical modelling and compare these with the actual measurements at the target year, which was the year 2010. Based on these comparisons and new technological innovations these methodologies can incorporate new sectorial assessments for improving the accuracy of the modelling forecasts and for examining the representativeness of emissions reductions, as well as for the simultaneous assessment of population exposure to cocktails of toxic substances under realistic climatological conditions. We also examined at the ten AutoOil domains the geographical generalisation of the forecasts for CO and NO2 at 1065 European urban areas on the basis of their population and the local population density.
DUSP19, a downstream effector of leptin, inhibits chondrocyte apoptosis via dephosphorylating JNK during osteoarthritis pathogenesis
Authors: Wang Yang , Xu Zhengli , Wang Jialin , Xu Shuogui
Published: January 2016

Increased mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity has been found in human osteoarthritis (OA).
Functionalisation of silica–carbonate biomorphs
Authors: Opel J. , Wimmer F. P. , Kellermeier M. , Cölfen H.
Published: January 2016

Biomorphs are a unique class of self-organised silica–carbonate mineral structures with elaborate shapes. This work presents first approaches to convert these inorganic architectures into organic/inorganic hybrids through silane chemistry, while maintaining the original structural complexity. Further functionality can be added by binding of metal nanoparticles or quantum dots or via local organic polymerisation at the carbonate surfaces.
Tribological characteristics of few-layer graphene over Ni grain and interface boundaries
Authors: Tripathi Manoj , Awaja Firas , Paolicelli Guido , Bartali Ruben , Iacob Erica , Valeri Sergio , Ryu Seunghwa , Signetti Stefano , Speranza Giorgio , Pugno Nicola Maria
Published: January 2016

The tribological properties of metal-supported few-layered graphene depend strongly on the grain topology of the metal substrate.
Levelling the playing field: screening for synergistic effects in coalesced bimetallic nanoparticles
Authors: Tan Rachel Lee Siew , Song Xiaohui , Chen Bo , Chong Wen Han , Fang Yin , Zhang Hua , Wei Jun , Chen Hongyu
Published: January 2016

We develop a new screening method that cancels out the structural effects of bimetallic nanoparticles in catalysis, so that synergistic effects can stand out from the level ground of comparison.
A dramatic enhancing effect of InBr3 towards the oxidative Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction of 2-ethynylanilines
Authors: Ikeda A. , Omote M. , Kusumoto K. , Komori M. , Tarui A. , Sato K. , Ando A.
Published: January 2016

A dramatic enhancing effect of InBr3 was observed towards the oxidative Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction of 2-ethynylaniline with (E)-trimethyl(3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-enyl)silane.
Facile synthesis of SAM–peptide conjugates through alkyl linkers targeting protein N-terminal methyltransferase 1
Authors: Zhang Gang , Huang Rong
Published: January 2016

We report the first chemical synthesis of SAM–peptide conjugates through alkyl linkers to prepare bisubstrate analogs for protein methyltransferases.
Evaluation of electrical, dielectric and magnetic characteristics of Al–La doped nickel spinel ferrites
Authors: Aziz Hafiz Sartaj , Rasheed Saadia , Khan Rafaqat Ali , Rahim Abdur , Nisar Jan , Shah Syed Mujtaba , Iqbal Farasat , Khan Abdur Rahman
Published: January 2016

The paper reports the effects of lanthanum and aluminum ions, on the structural, electrical and magnetic properties of NiFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles.
Nanoparticles change drop breakup mechanism to obtain icecream-like microparticles in inverse suspension polymerization
Authors: Li Guanghui , Yang Manping , Ma Pinghua , Zhang Guicai
Published: January 2016

Nanoparticle modify particle shaped in suspension polymerization by changing drop breakup. (a) 0.4% initiator, (b) 0.05% initiator.
Natural collagen fiber-enabled facile synthesis of carbon@Fe3O4 core–shell nanofiber bundles and their application as ultrahigh-rate anode materials for Li-ion batteries
Authors: Chen Zerui , Zhou Jianfei , Wang Xiaoling , Liao Xuepin , Huang Xin , Shi Bi
Published: January 2016

Natural collagen fiber-enabled facile synthesis of carbon@Fe3O4 core–shell nanofiber bundles and their application as ultrahigh-rate anode materials for Li-ion batteries.
Novel chitosan-based nanobiohybrid membranes for wound dressing applications
Authors: Moghadas Babak , Dashtimoghadam Erfan , Mirzadeh Hamid , Seidi Farzad , Hasani-Sadrabadi Mohammad Mahdi
Published: January 2016

Montmorillonite nanolayers were treated with chitosan sulfate, as a functional biocompatibilizer, and then exfoliated in chitosan matrix to design nanohybrid membranes for potential wound dressing applications with enhanced physical, mechanical and antibacterial properties.
Highly stretchable and tough pH-sensitive hydrogels with reversible swelling and recoverable deformation
Authors: Liu Xue Jiao , Li Hai Qiang , Zhang Bao Yuan , Wang Ya Jun , Ren Xiu Yan , Guan Shuang , Hui Gao Guang
Published: January 2016

Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are becoming increasingly important for controlled drug delivery, biosensing, and tissue engineering. It would be much advantageous for intelligent hydrogels if they exhibit superior mechanical performances.
Exploring the low-lying structures of Aun(CO)+ (n = 1–10): adsorption and stretching frequencies of CO on various coordination sites
Authors: Wang Jie , Yan Qing-Bo , Ma Jun , Cao Xizi , Xing Xiaopeng , Wang Xuefeng
Published: January 2016

Adsorption of CO on cationic gold clusters is insensitive to the structural details of the adsorption site.
Micelle-templated synthesis of Pt hollow nanospheres for catalytic hydrogen evolution
Authors: Sasidharan Manickam , Bhanja Piyali , Senthil Chenrayan , Bhaumik Asim
Published: January 2016

We report an efficient, mild and simple strategy for the fabrication of colloidal hollow platinum nanospheres with the ability to tune wall-thickness and void-space over several nanometers, for application in hydrogen evolution from ammonia–borane.
Solvent-dependent conductance decay constants in single cluster junctions
Authors: Choi Bonnie , Capozzi Brian , Ahn Seokhoon , Turkiewicz Ari , Lovat Giacomo , Nuckolls Colin , Steigerwald Michael L. , Venkataraman Latha , Roy Xavier
Published: January 2016

We study single cluster electrical transport in a series of metal chalcogenide molecular clusters using scanning tunneling microscope-based break-junction measurements.
Achieving remarkable mechanochromism and white-light emission with thermally activated delayed fluorescence through the molecular heredity principle
Authors: Xu Bingjia , Mu Yingxiao , Mao Zhu , Xie Zongliang , Wu Haozhong , Zhang Yi , Jin Chongjun , Chi Zhenguo , Liu Siwei , Xu Jiarui , Wu Yuan-Chun , Lu Po-Yen , Lien Alan , Bryce Martin R.
Published: January 2016

An asymmetric molecule created by molecular heredity exhibits remarkable mechanochromism and white-light emission.
DC fault protection structures at a DC‐link node in a radial multi‐terminal high‐voltage direct current system
Authors: Li Rui , Fletcher John E. , Yao Liangzhong , Williams Barry W.
Published: January 2016

In a multi‐terminal high‐voltage direct current (HVDC) system, DC circuit breakers (DCCBs) are conventionally connected in a star configuration to enable isolation of a DC fault from the healthy system parts. However, a star connection of DCCBs has disadvantages in terms of loss, capacity, reliability and so on. By rearranging the star connection, a novel delta configuration of DCCBs is proposed. The total loss of the proposed delta configuration is only 33.3% of that of star configuration, yielding a high efficiency. Moreover, any DC fault current is shared between two DCCBs instead of one DCCB in the faulty branch suffering the fault current. Thus, DCCB capacities in the proposed delta configuration are only half of those in a star arrangement. Additionally, in the case of one or two DCCBs out of order, the power can still be transferred among three or two terminals, thereby affording high supply security of all HVDC links. On the basis of the DCCB delta configuration, two novel DC fault protection structures with external and internal DC inductances are proposed. Their characteristics are discussed and it is shown a DC fault can be isolated using slow DCCBs. The results demonstrate DC fault tolerant operation is achieved by using the proposed DC fault protection structures with delta configuration.
Voltage and frequency regulation of standalone self‐excited induction generator for micro‐hydro power generation using discrete‐time adaptive control
Authors: Scherer Lucas Giuliani , Tambara Rodrigo Varella , de Camargo Robinson Figueiredo
Published: January 2016

This study deals with the development of a control system for voltage and frequency regulation of a micro hydro power generation system, fed by self‐excited induction generator (IG). The generation system considers a four‐wire three‐phase grid, composed by three phases plus neutral conductor, fed by three‐phase three‐wires IG. The neutral conductor is created from the neutral point of star connection of excitation capacitors bank. The four‐wire configuration allows the connection of three‐phase loads in star or delta configuration, as well as single‐phase loads. The voltage regulation is performed through a four‐legs distribution static synchronous compensator (DSTATCOM) shunt connected to the AC bus. It is considered the employment of adaptive control techniques and the compensation of load current unbalances, which offers suitable voltage regulation in conditions of system's parameters variations such as load connection and disconnection, and changes in IG's unmodelled parameters, and voltage unbalance compensation, respectively. Frequency regulation is obtained by electronic load control connected to the DC bus of DSTATCOM. Experimental results were obtained to demonstrate the good performance of the voltage and frequency regulation control system during loads transient, including three‐phase and single‐phase loads.
Thermally Rearranged Poly(benzoxazole) Copolymer Membranes for Improved Gas Separation: A Review
Authors: Scholes Colin A.
Published: January 2016

Polymeric membranes for gas separation have application in a wide range of industries such as natural gas sweetening and air enrichment. Recently, high-performance gas separation polymeric membranes have been developed based on a novel thermal rearrangement process that produces the resistant poly(benzoxazole) (TR-PBO). This review reports on the current state of the art TR-PBO membranes for gas separation and the underlying chemistry needed to achieve such high separation performance. Particular focus is applied to copolymers based on TR-PBO for membranes as these have attracted considerable research interest recently for their gas separation performance and superior mechanical properties compared with TR-PBO. Also included in this review is a discussion of the future directions of research on TR-PBO-based membranes for gas separation.
Molecular and biochemical characterisation of a novel type II peroxiredoxin (XvPrx2) from the resurrection plant Xerophyta viscosa
Authors: Govender Kershini , Thomson Jennifer A. , Mundree Sagadevan , ElSayed Abdelaleim Ismail , Rafudeen Mohammed Suhail
Published: January 2016

A type II peroxiredoxin gene (XvPrx2) was isolated from a Xerophyta viscosa (Baker) cDNA cold-stress library. The polypeptide displayed significant similarity to other plant type II peroxiredoxins, with the conserved amino acid motif (PGAFTPTCS) proposed to constitute the active site of the enzyme. Northern blot analyses showed that XvPrx2 gene was stress-inducible in response to abiotic stresses while gel analyses revealed that XvPrx2 homologues exist within the X. viscosa proteome. Using a yellow fluorescent reporter protein, the XvPrx2 protein localised to the cytosol. A mutated protein (XvV7) was generated by converting the valine at position 76 to a cysteine and an in vitro DNA protection assay showed that, in the presence of either XvPrx2 or XvV7, DNA protection occurred. In addition, an in vivo assay showed that increased protection was conferred to Escherichia coli cells overexpressing either XvPrx2 or XvV7. The XvPrx2 activity was maximal with DTT as electron donor and H2O2 as substrate. Using E. coli thioredoxin, a 2–15-fold lower enzyme activity was observed. The XvPrx2 activity with glutathione was significantly lower and glutaredoxin had no measurable effect on this reaction. The XvV7 protein displayed significantly lower activity compared with XvPrx2 for all substrates assessed.
Negating speech
Authors: Fleming Luke
Published: January 2016

With the exception of Plains Indian Sign Language and Pacific Northwest sawmill sign languages, highly developed alternate sign languages (sign languages typically employed by and for the hearing) share not only common structural linguistic features, but their use is also characterized by convergent ideological commitments concerning communicative medium and linguistic modality. Though both modalities encode comparable denotational content, speaker-signers tend to understand manual-visual sign as a pragmatically appropriate substitute for oral-aural speech. This paper suggests that two understudied clusters of alternate sign languages, Armenian and Cape York Peninsula sign languages, offer a general model for the development of alternate sign languages, one in which the gesture-to-sign continuum is dialectically linked to hypertrophied forms of interactional avoidance up-to-and-including complete silence in the co-presence of affinal relations. These cases illustrate that the pragmatic appropriateness of sign over speech relies upon local semiotic ideologies which tend to conceptualize the manual-visual linguistic modality on analogy to the gestural communication employed in interactional avoidance, and thus as not counting as true language.
A Contrastive Study of 18th-Century Word-Lists
Authors: Fernández Rodríguez Rebeca
Published: January 2016

At the end of the 18th century Russian Empress Catherine II sent a letter to Spanish King Charles III containing two lists. The first was a list of grammars and vocabularies of American and Asian languages, while the second was a lexical compilation to be translated into as many American and Philippine languages as possible by missionaries and Spanish civil servants. The so-called List no. 2, a matrix list of around 445 words, was translated into approximately fifty languages. These translations were sent to Spain but they never left the country. Although the matrix list in Spanish has already been published, a comparative study focusing on its different translations is still to be made. The compilation and translation of these lists – Pallas’ and List no. 2 – constitute one of the first large-scale projects in comparative linguistics. They were pioneers in their selection criteria, structure and methodology. This paper is a general overview of both the original matrix list (in Spanish) and the manuscripts containing the translations in more than fifty languages, which are to the present day preserved without being studied in the Archivo General de Indias in Seville and the Real Biblioteca in Madrid. In this paper, special attention will be paid to the compilation and translation strategies followed by the missionaries.
Mission, Politics and Linguistic Research
Authors: Rademaker Laura
Published: January 2016

This article investigates the ways local mission and national politics shaped linguistic research work in mid-20th century Australia through examining the case of the Church Missionary Society’s Angurugu Mission on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory and research into the Anindilyakwa language. The paper places missionary linguistics in the context of broader policies of assimilation and national visions for Aboriginal people. It reveals how this social and political climate made linguistic research, largely neglected in the 1950s (apart from some notable exceptions), not only possible, but necessary by the 1970s. Finally, it comments on the state of research into Aboriginal languages and the political climate of today. Until the 1950s, the demands of funding and commitment to a government policy of assimilation into white Australia meant that the CMS could not support linguistic research and opportunities for academic linguists to conduct research into Anindilyakwa were limited. By the 1960s, however, national consensus about the future of Aboriginal people and their place in the Australian nation shifted and governments reconsidered the nature of their support for Christian missions. As the ‘industrial mission’ model of the 1950s was no longer politically or economically viable, the CMS looked to reinvent itself, to find new ways of maintaining its evangelical influence on Groote Eylandt. Linguistics and research into Aboriginal cultures – including in partnership with secular academic agents – were a core component of this reinvention of mission, not only for the CMS but more broadly across missions to Aboriginal people. The resulting collaboration across organisations proved remarkably productive from a research perspective and enabled the continuance of a missionary presence and relevance. The political and financial limitations faced by missions shaped, therefore, not only their own practice with regards to linguistic research, but also the opportunities for linguists beyond the missionary fold. The article concludes that, in Australia, the two bodies of linguists – academic and missionary – have a shared history, dependent on similar political, social and financial forces.
Patterns of Argumentation and the Heterogeneity of Social Knowledge
Authors: Wengeler Martin
Published: January 2016

This paper outlines an approach to the analysis of topoi that rests on a notion of topos as a synonym for “argumentation pattern”. The approach is embedded within the overall theoretical and methodical considerations of the discourse linguistic “school” called “linguistic discourse history” or “historic discourse semantics”. After explaining the background of topos analysis, several examples from migration-related public discourse will be used to illustrate the scope and limits of the approach proposed in the paper. A special focus will be given to two partial results of a study of the public discourse on work-related migration between 1960 and 1985 (cf. Wengeler 2003), supplemented by the treatment of the same topic around the year 2000. Within our analysis of the discourse on migration, manifold argumentation patterns will be highlighted in the different periods pointing to the heterogeneity of common sense functionalised for argumentative purposes.
Reassessing the influence of word position on the variation of Spanish syllable-finals
Authors: Kapovic Marko
Published: January 2016

Word position, together with the following phonetic context, is generally considered to be one of the most important linguistic factors that condition the weakening of Spanish syllable-finals. In this article a critical look is taken at the ways its influence has been studied up to this date, and, based on the data from our own previous research in Ciudad Real, Spain, a more precise way of assessing its relevance is proposed. It is argued that the procedure of comparing one word-internal context (preconsonantal) with three word-final ones (preconsonantal, prevocalic and prepausal) is fundamentally flawed, and it is suggested that the possible influence of all contextual factors needs to be eliminated for us to be able to appraise the actual importance of the distributional factors. When assessed in this way, word position seems to play a far more marginal role than is usually considered.
The role of interpreters in adjudicating blame
Authors: Mason Marianne
Published: January 2016

This paper provides a linguistic analysis of the interpreter’s role in shaping the discursive reality of the Spanish-English bilingual courtroom. The paper examines the interpreter’s rendition of morphosyntactic features, specifically clitic pronouns and active-passive voice using excerpts from an actual jury trial. The aim of the study is to show how the interpreter’s treatment of linguistic features in exchanges between attorneys and witnesses may attribute agency to the defendant, and possibly suggest a relationship between the defendant and his alleged associates or victims that is not intended in the original utterance. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the field of courtroom interpreting by providing further insight into the relationship between an interpreter’s rendition of morphosyntactic features in attorney-witness exchanges and the attorney’s and witness’s ability to convey meaning and intent in a bilingual courtroom.