bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL VARIABILITY FOR STORMWATER CAPTURE TANK ASSESSMENT
Authors: De Paola Francesco , Ranucci Antonio
Published: September 2012

Stormwater tank design and installation is one of the most suitable actions to undertake as a strategy for the quantity and quality control of surface urban runoff during a rain event.

In the present work, the quality efficiency of a stormwater capture tank in a sewer system serving a typical Italian urban catchment is analysed on a probabilistic basis, mainly with reference to rainfall space variability on the Tyrrhenian coast side of Italy.

In particular, two probabilistic approaches (a simple and a Copula function‐based one) are applied to estimate the average efficiency of such a device to reduce the outflow pollution load into the receiver, varying the net capture tank volume from 0 (when only a combined sewer overflow, CSO, is present) up to 100 m3 per impervious catchment hectare.

In this way, simple expressions to be used for a preliminary sizing of the capacity of a capture tank, without performing complex computational continuous simulations, are provided. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Metabolic profiling reveals disorder of carbohydrate metabolism in mouse fibroblast cells induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles
Authors: Jin Chengyu , Liu Yumin , Sun Limin , Chen Tianlu , Zhang Yinan , Zhao Aihua , Wang Xiaoyan , Cristau Melanie , Wang Kaisheng , Jia Wei
Published: September 2012

As titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are widely used commercially, their potential biosafety and metabolic mechanism needs to be fully explained. In this study, the cytotoxicity of homogeneous and weakly aggregated (< 100 nm) TiO2 nanoparticles was investigated by analyzing the changes in metabolite profiles both in mouse fibroblast (L929) cells and their corresponding culture media using gas chromatograph with a time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (GC/TOFMS)‐based metabolomic strategy. With multivariate statistics analysis, satisfactory separations were observed in principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS‐DA) models. Based on the variable importance in the OPLS‐DA models, a series of differential metabolites were identified by comparison between TiO2 nanoparticle‐treated L929 cells or their corresponding culture media and the control groups. It was found that the major biochemical metabolism (carbohydrate metabolism) was suppressed in TiO2 nanoparticle‐treated L929 cells and their corresponding culture media. These results might account for the serious damage to energy metabolism in mitochondria and the increased cellular oxidation stress in TiO2 nanoparticle‐induced L929 cells. These results also suggest that the metabolomic strategy had a great potential in evaluating the cytotoxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles and thus was very helpful in understanding its underlying molecular mechanisms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A fast parallel clustering algorithm for molecular simulation trajectories
Authors: Zhao Yutong , Sheong Fu Kit , Sun Jian , Sander Pedro , Huang Xuhui
Published: September 2012

We implemented a GPU‐powered parallel k‐centers algorithm to perform clustering on the conformations of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The algorithm is up to two orders of magnitude faster than the CPU implementation. We tested our algorithm on four protein MD simulation datasets ranging from the small Alanine Dipeptide to a 370‐residue Maltose Binding Protein (MBP). It is capable of grouping 250,000 conformations of the MBP into 4000 clusters within 40 seconds. To achieve this, we effectively parallelized the code on the GPU and utilize the triangle inequality of metric spaces. Furthermore, the algorithm's running time is linear with respect to the number of cluster centers. In addition, we found the triangle inequality to be less effective in higher dimensions and provide a mathematical rationale. Finally, using Alanine Dipeptide as an example, we show a strong correlation between cluster populations resulting from the k‐centers algorithm and the underlying density. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Professional collaboration to achieve FASHRM and DFASHRM recognition
Authors: Bunting Robert F. , Benton Joyce
Published: September 2012

Members of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) are undeniably talented. They also share a spirit of volunteerism. Two ASHRM committees are fostering further member collaboration to provide individual growth, enhance educational offerings for members, and strengthen the organization's journal. Though 26% of ASHRM members have attained the CPHRM credential, only 2.5% of ASHRM members have attained a fellow designation. Primary barriers to attaining a fellow designation are the requirements for continuing education and contributions to the risk management field. The organization's Journal Editorial Review Board, in concert with its Annual Conference & Exhibition Committee, encourages members to explore opportunities to write for the Journal, speak at the annual conference, and attain one of the organization's professional designations. In addition, the Barton Certificate Program in Healthcare Risk Management promotes professional development with sessions taught on this topic for new and experienced risk managers.
An enterprise look at mHealth
Authors: Boisvert Sue
Published: September 2012

The theme of this year's annual American Society for Healthcare Risk Management conference is Getting to Zero™: the Power of One™. The widespread use of mHealth exemplifies the power of one. The power of one user to apply technology to change the way healthcare is delivered at the bedside, in the provider's office, and in the patient's home. The power of one organization to provide technology that ensures provider access to clinical information to improve decision making, facilitate access to clinical information, and provide new ways to partner with patients — wherever they may be. This article provides an overview of the current status of mHealth and describes risk management strategies appropriate for organizations of all sizes and complexities.
Hot and steady: Elevated temperatures do not enhance muscle disuse atrophy during prolonged aestivation in the ectotherm Cyclorana alboguttata
Authors: Young K.M. , Cramp R.L. , Franklin C.E.
Published: September 2012

Animals that undergo prolonged dormancy experience minimal muscle disuse atrophy (MDA) compared to animals subjected to artificial immobilisation over shorter timeframes. An association between oxidative stress and MDA suggests that metabolic depression presumably affords dormant animals some protection against muscle disuse. Because aerobic metabolism is temperature sensitive, we proposed that MDA in dormant (aestivating) ectotherms would be enhanced at elevated temperatures. In the green‐striped burrowing frog, Cyclorana alboguttata, the thermal sensitivity of skeletal muscle metabolic rate is muscle‐specific. We proposed that the degree of atrophy experienced during aestivation would correlate with the thermal sensitivity of muscle metabolic rate such that muscles with a relatively high metabolic rate at high temperatures would experience more disuse atrophy. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of temperature and aestivation on the extent of MDA in two functionally different muscles: the M. gastrocnemius (jumping muscle) and M. iliofibularis (non‐jumping muscle), in C. alboguttata aestivating at 24 or 30°C for 6 months. We compared a range of morphological parameters from muscle cross‐sections stained with succinic dehydrogenase to show that muscle‐specific patterns of disuse atrophy were consistent with the relative rates of oxygen consumption of those muscle types. However, despite muscle‐specific differences in thermal sensitivity of metabolic rate, aestivation temperature did not influence the extent of atrophy in either muscle. Our results suggest that the muscles of frogs aestivating at high temperatures are defended against additional atrophy ensuring protection of muscle function during long periods of immobilisation. J. Morphol., 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Exploring the selectivity of a ligand complex with CDK2/CDK1: a molecular dynamics simulation approach
Authors: Tripathi Sunil Kumar , Singh Sanjeev Kumar , Singh Poonam , Chellaperumal Palanisamy , Reddy Karnati Konda , Selvaraj Chandrabose
Published: September 2012

Cyclin‐dependent kinases (CDKs) are core components of the cell cycle machinery that govern the transition between phases during cell cycle progression. Abnormalities in CDKs activity and regulation are common features of cancer, making CDK family members attractive targets for the development of anticancer drugs. Their inhibitors have entered in clinical trials to treat cancer. Very recently, Heathcote et al. (J. Med. Chem. 2010, 53:8508–8522) have found a ligand BS194 that has a high affinity with CDK2 (IC50 = 3 nm) but shows low affinity with CDK1 (IC50 = 30 nm). To understand the selectivity, we used homology modeling, molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and free‐energy calculation to analyze the interactions. A rational three‐dimensional model of the CDK1/BS194 complex is built. We found that Leu83 is a key residue that recognizes BS194 more effectively with CDK2 with good binding free energies rather than CDK1. Energetic analysis reveals that van der Waals interaction and non‐polar contributions to solvent are favorable in the formation of complexes and amine group of the ligand, which plays a crucial role for binding selectivity between CDK2 and CDK1. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
BD PuraMatrix peptide hydrogel as a culture system for human fetal Schwann cells in spinal cord regeneration
Authors: Moradi Fateme , Bahktiari Mehrdad , Joghataei Mohammad Taghi , Nobakht Maliheh , Soleimani Masoud , Hasanzadeh Gholamreza , Fallah Ali , Zarbakhsh Sam , Hejazian Leila Beigom , Shirmohammadi Maryam , Maleki Fatemeh
Published: September 2012

BD PuraMatrix peptide hydrogel, a three‐dimensional cell culture model of nanofiber scaffold derived from the self‐assembling peptide RADA16, has been applied to regenerative tissue repair in order to develop novel nanomedicine systems. In this study with PuraMatrix, self‐assembling nanofiber scaffold (SAPNS) and Schwann cells (SCs) were isolated from human fetal sciatic nerves, cultured within SAPNS, and then transplanted into the spinal cord after injury (SCI) in rats. First, the peptide nanofiber scaffold was evaluated via scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. With phase‐contrast microscopy, the appearance of representative human fetal SCs encapsulated in PuraMatrix on days 3, 5, and 7 in 12‐well plates was revealed. The Schwann cells in PuraMatrix were cultured for 2 days, and the SCs had active proliferative potential. Spinal cord injury was induced by placing a 35‐g weight on the dura of T9–T10 segments for 15 min, followed by in vivo treatment with SAPNS and human fetal SCs (100,000 cells/10 μl/injection) grafted into spinal cord 7 days after SCI. After treatment, the recovery of motor function was assessed periodically using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scoring system. Eight weeks after grafting, animals were perfusion fixed, and the survival of implanted cells was analyzed with antibody recognizing SCs. Immunohistochemical analysis of grafted lumber segments at 8 weeks after grafting revealed reduced asterogliosis and considerably increased infiltration of endogenous S100+ cells into the injury site, suggesting that PuraMatrix may play an important role in the repair observed after SAPNS and human fetal SC transplantation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Retention characteristics of water‐soluble compounds on water‐holding adsorbents with immobilized zwitterionic copolymers having different ionicities
Authors: Kamichatani Waka , Inoue Yoshinori , Saito Mitsuru , Kobayashi Yasuyuki , Yamamoto Atsushi
Published: September 2012

Three kinds of water‐holding adsorbents with immobilized zwitterionic copolymers having different cationic ionicities were synthesized. To investigate the influence of the charge balance and the ionicity of the cation site, the retention properties of the water‐soluble solutes on the zwitterionic adsorbents were measured by HPLC. These adsorbents had high water contents, and the hydrating water contents depended on the amounts of immobilized copolymer. The retentions of water‐soluble solutes depended on the hydrophilic interaction, and were in the order of logPo/w (logarithm of octanol–water partition coefficient). This suggests that the partition to the hydration layer was the main retention mechanism on the zwitterionic adsorbents. On the other hand, the electrostatic interaction based on the cation site on the adsorbents was also observed. The electrostatic interaction could be reduced by decreasing the ionicity of the cation sites. These results indicate that the retentions of the water‐soluble solutes on the zwitterionic adsorbents were greatly influenced by the ionicity of the cation sites on the adsorbents.
Affinity capillary electrophoresis method for investigation of bile salts complexation with sulfobutyl ether‐β‐cyclodextrin
Authors: Østergaard Jesper , Jensen Henrik , Holm René
Published: September 2012

Sulfobutyl ether‐β‐cyclodextrin (SBEβCD) is utilized in preformulation and drug formulation as an excipient for solubilization of drugs with poor aqueous solubility. Approximately seven negative charges of SBEβCD play a role with respect to solubilization and complexation, but also have an influence on the ionic strength of the background electrolyte when the cyclodextrin is used in capillary electrophoresis. Mobility‐shift affinity capillary methods for investigation of the complexation of taurocholate and taurochenodeoxycholate with the negatively charged cyclodextrin derivative applying constant power and ionic strength conditions as well as constant voltage and varying ionic strength were investigated. A new approach for the correction of background electrolyte ionic strength was developed. Mobility‐shift affinity capillary electrophoresis experiments obtained at constant voltage and constant power settings were compared and found to provide binding parameters that were in good agreement upon correction. The complexation of taurochenodeoxycholate with SBEβCD was significantly stronger than the corresponding interaction involving taurocholate. The obtained stability constants for the bile salts were in the same range as those previously reported for the interaction with neutral β‐cyclodextrins derivatives, i.e. the positions of the negative charges on SBEβCD and the bile salts within the complex did not lead to significant electrostatic repulsion.
Relationship between Structure and Mechanical Properties of Melt Processable PTFE: Influence of Molecular Weight and Comonomer Content
Authors: Frick Achim , Sich Dorota , Heinrich Gert , Stern Claudia , Gössi Matthias , Tervoort Theo A.
Published: September 2012

The influence of molecular weight and comonomer content on the mechanical properties of several melt‐processable polytetrafluoroethylene (MP PTFE) materials is studied. Additionally, a comparison of mechanical properties including tensile properties and their dependence on environment as well as fatigue life of PTFE, MP PTFE and perfluoroalkoxy copolymer (PFA) is made. PTFE homopolymer and PTFE copolymers exhibit considerably different mechanical properties. The small strain deformation behaviour up to yielding correlates with the degree of crystallinity and comonomer content, whereas the large strain deformation was found to depend on intercrystalline connections, such as tie molecules and chain entanglements. The special role of these elements in determining the fatigue life and sensitivity to environmental stress cracking is also demonstrated.

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Polyoxazolines for Nonfouling Surface Coatings — A Direct Comparison to the Gold Standard PEG
Authors: Konradi Rupert , Acikgoz Canet , Textor Marcus
Published: September 2012

The prevention of surface fouling is becoming increasingly important for the development of anti‐infective medical implants, biosensors with improved signal‐to‐noise ratios, and low‐fouling membranes to name a few examples. We review a direct comparison of poly(ethylene glycol), the gold standard polymer to impart surfaces with nonfouling properties, to an alternative polymer, poly(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PMOXA), and show that both polymers are equally excellent in rendering surfaces nonfouling while PMOXA coatings are more stable in oxidative environments. We discuss prerequisites for the fabrication of nonfouling surface coatings and implications for the polymer choice according to application requirements.
The role of mass spectrometry in the analysis of vitamin D compounds
Authors: Gathungu Rose M. , Flarakos Caroline C. , Satyanarayana Reddy G. , Vouros Paul
Published: September 2012

This review highlights the superseding role of mass spectrometry in the structural characterization and quantitation of vitamin D compounds in comparison to other analytical methods (e.g., UV, bioassays) that lack the sensitivity and specificity of mass spectrometry. After a short introduction to the biochemistry of vitamin D compounds, an overview of the current techniques to characterize and quantitate vitamin D compounds is given with emphasis on the contribution of mass spectrometry. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 32:72–86, 2013
Ara h 1 structure is retained after roasting and is important for enhanced binding to IgE
Authors: Nesbit Jacqueline B. , Hurlburt Barry K. , Schein Catherine H. , Cheng Hsiaopo , Wei Hui , Maleki Soheila J.
Published: September 2012

Scope

Ara h 1 from roasted peanut binds higher levels of serum immunoglobulin E than raw peanuts and this is likely due to the Maillard reaction. While Ara h 1 linear IgE epitopes have been mapped, the presence and importance of structural epitopes is not clear.

Methods and results

Mass spectrometry, immunoblot, ELISA, circular dichroism (CD), and structural analysis were used to compare structural and subsequent IgE‐binding differences in Ara h 1 purified from raw (N) and roasted peanuts (R) and denatured Ara h 1 (D). Although N and R had similar CD spectra, the latter bound significantly more IgE. Decreased IgE binding was seen with the loss of secondary structure. This same IgE‐binding pattern [R > N > D] was seen for the sera of ten peanut allergic patients. While the majority of linear epitopes are located on surface and structured regions of Ara h 1, our study shows that conformational epitopes of Ara h 1 bind better to IgE than linear epitopes.

Conclusion

Enhanced IgE binding to roasted Ara h 1 could be due to alterations such as chemical modifications to individual amino acids or increased epitope exposure. IgE binding is significantly reduced with loss of structure.
1JCC‐edited HSQC‐1,n‐ADEQUATE: a new paradigm for simultaneous direct and long‐range carbon–carbon correlation
Authors: Martin Gary E. , Blinov Kirill A. , Reibarkh Mikhail , Williamson R. Thomas
Published: September 2012

Establishing the carbon skeleton of a molecule greatly facilitates the process of structure elucidation, leaving only heteroatoms to be inserted, heterocyclic rings to be closed, and stereochemical features to be defined. INADEQUATE, and more recently PANACEA, have been the only means of coming close to the goal of totally defining the carbon skeleton of a molecule. Unfortunately, the extremely low sensitivity and prodigious sample requirements of these experiments and the multiple receiver requirement for the latter experiment have severely restricted the usage of these experiments. Proton‐detected ADEQUATE experiments, in contrast, have considerably higher sensitivity and more modest sample requirements. By combining experiments such as 1,1‐ADEQUATE and 1,n‐ADEQUATE with higher sensitivity experiments such as GHSQC through covariance processing, sample requirements can be further reduced with a commensurate improvement in the s/n ratio and F1 resolution of the covariance processed spectrum. We now wish to report the covariance processing of an inverted 1JCC 1,n‐ADEQUATE experiment with a non‐edited GHSQC spectrum to afford a spectrum that can trace the carbon skeleton of a molecule with the exception of correlations between quaternary carbons. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modeling of Anionic Polymerization in Flow With Coupled Variations of Concentration, Viscosity, and Diffusivity
Authors: Cortese Bruno , Noel Timothy , de Croon Mart H. J. M. , Schulze Simon , Klemm Elias , Hessel Volker
Published: September 2012

This paper explains the reasons behind the very low polydispersity index (PDI) obtained in living anionic polymerizations in microstructured reactors. From the results, it can be explained that a narrow molecular weight distribution can be obtained due to the presence of a highly segregated flow behavior, even in microflow conditions, provided that the mean residence time is high enough. This paper investigates the feasibility of a living anionic polymerization reaction under micro‐fluidic conditions. This is accomplished using a multiphysics model that accounts for the changes in viscosity and diffusivity. These properties descend with the increase in weight of the polymer, and could not be un‐coupled from hydrodynamics and mass transfer. The results of the model are used to understand the reasons behind the very low PDI that can be experimentally obtained in microflow conditions. This leads to the conclusion that the increased viscosity almost “suppresses” the diffusion of the monomer, even at the very short characteristic lengths of a micro‐device. These conditions generate a fully segregated flow that yields an almost monodisperse polymer regardless of the effective residence time distribution encountered in the reactor.

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Assessment of side effects coping practices of HIV‐infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Agu Kenneth Anene , Oparah Azuka Cyriacus , Ochei Uche M.
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The study assessed coping practices to HIV treatment side effects among HIV‐infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in selected hospitals in Nigeria.

Methods

In a cross‐sectional study, Side Effects Coping (SECope) instrument was administered to 3650 HIV‐infected patients receiving ART in 36 hospitals. Patients were provided pre‐treatment information on side effects of antiretroviral drugs. Factor analysis was performed using principal components extraction with varimax rotation. Factors selected for rotation had eigenvalues >1. Mean scale scores above midpoint of 3.18 on five‐point scale were regarded as positive coping practices and below as negative practices. Chi‐Square was used for inferential statistics; P < 0.05 used to determine statistical significance.

Results

Mean of SECope instrument return rates was 47.5% (95%CI, 37.1–57.9). Data from 2329 (63.8%) participants were analyzed: 63.1% females and 63.9% aged 25 to 44 years old. The mean SECope scale score (±SD) was 3.18 (±0.80); mean subscale scores (±SD) were 3.52 (±0.20) positive emotion focused coping, 2.82 (±0.18) information seeking, 2.57 (±0.30) social support seeking, 2.34 (±0.39) taking side effect medications, and 4.43 (±0.10) non‐adherence. Five extracted factors accounted for 67.2% of cumulative variability. All items had very significant loadings of 0.50 or greater. All subscales except positive emotion focused coping were associated with age (p < 0.05). Non‐adherence and information seeking subscales were associated with employment status (p < 0.05). Taking side effect medications was associated with educational status (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The study reported positive coping practices in positive emotion focused coping and non‐adherence subscales. Non‐adherence as a coping strategy was not significant contrary to previous research finding. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Validation of a robust proteomic analysis carried out on formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissues of the pancreas obtained from mouse and human
Authors: Kojima Kyoko , Bowersock Gregory J. , Kojima Chinatsu , Klug Christopher A. , Grizzle William E. , Mobley James A.
Published: September 2012

A number of reports have recently emerged with focus on extraction of proteins from formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) tissues for MS analysis; however, reproducibility and robustness as compared to flash frozen controls is generally overlooked. The goal of this study was to identify and validate a practical and highly robust approach for the proteomics analysis of FFPE tissues. FFPE and matched frozen pancreatic tissues obtained from mice (n = 8) were analyzed using 1D‐nanoLC‐MS(MS)2 following work up with commercially available kits. The chosen approach for FFPE tissues was found to be highly comparable to that of frozen. In addition, the total number of unique peptides identified between the two groups was highly similar, with 958 identified for FFPE and 1070 identified for frozen, with protein identifications that corresponded by approximately 80%. This approach was then applied to archived human FFPE pancreatic cancer specimens (n = 11) as compared to uninvolved tissues (n = 8), where 47 potential pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma markers were identified as significantly increased, of which 28 were previously reported. Further, these proteins share strongly overlapping pathway associations to pancreatic cancer that include estrogen receptor α. Together, these data support the validation of an approach for the proteomic analysis of FFPE tissues that is straightforward and highly robust, which can also be effectively applied toward translational studies of disease.
Study of donor–acceptor pair luminescence in highly doped and compensated Cz silicon
Authors: Rezgui Béchir Dridi , Veirman Jordi , Dubois Sébastien , Palais Olivier
Published: September 2012

The photoluminescence (PL) of highly doped and compensated Czochralski silicon has been investigated. The low‐temperature PL spectra show a donor‐to‐acceptor zero‐phonon broad band and clearly distinguished phonon replica shifting to the blue side with increasing the net doping concentration in silicon crystal. The data are consistent with DAP luminescence involving an acceptor level of about 46 meV above the valence band edge in silicon. The analysis of temperature evolution of the PL spectra indicate that the observed PL spectra are due to a donor–acceptor pair recombination with a donor level located at 46 meV. The redshift of this band with increasing excitation power was also observed. The dependence of the emission peak energy on the excitation power is characteristic of highly compensated material in which potential fluctuations influence the band structure.
Electroluminescent characteristics of ZnGa2O4:Dy3+ thin film devices fabricated on glass substrates
Authors: Krishna K. Mini , Anoop G. , Jayaraj M. K.
Published: September 2012

An alternating current thin film electroluminescent (ACTFEL) device was fabricated on commercial glass substrate with dysprosium doped zinc gallate as the active layer. The phosphor layer and the top dielectric layer were deposited using rf magnetron sputtering technique. The devices fabricated with an asymmetric double insulating structure gave a white electroluminescent (EL) emission when driven by a voltage pulse frequency of 1.5 kHz, even without post‐deposition annealing of the active layer. Such an emission resulted from the simultaneous occurrence of multicolor transitions, characteristic of the dopant ion. The exponential dependence of luminance on applied voltage was quite evident from the luminance–voltage (L–V) curves. Devices were also fabricated with a highly crystallized interfacial layer of ZnO in between the substrate and the phosphor layer. Such devices could withstand a wider range of applied voltage, henceforth resulting in enhanced device performance. The chromatic quality of the EL emissions from both the devices were gauged using chromaticity coordinates.

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The CIE coordinates of fabricated ZnGa2O4:Dy3+ ACTFEL devices (a) without and (b) with ZnO interfacial layer.
Adaptive modulation and coding for Long Term Evolution‐based mobile satellite communication system
Authors: Hong Tae Chul , Yeo Sungmoon , Kim Sooyoung , Kang Kun‐Seok , Ku Bon‐Jun
Published: September 2012

The adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) scheme is mandatory for modern wireless communication systems to overcome inevitable channel impairments. Many of the limitations using AMC are due to the long round‐trip delay of a satellite system. This paper proposes an efficient AMC scheme with power control and symbol interleaving that can be effectively applied to satellite systems. In particular, we focus on mobile satellite systems that have maximum compatibility in a Long Term Evolution system. Simulations reveal that the proposed scheme can provide a maximum 10.2% increase of average beam spectral efficiency and a maximum of 8‐dB power gain compared with a conventional AMC scheme. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trisomy 13 detection in the first trimester of pregnancy using a chromosome‐selective cell‐free DNA analysis method
Authors: Ashoor G. , Syngelaki A. , Wang E. , Struble C. , Oliphant A. , Song K. , Nicolaides K. H.
Published: September 2012

Objective

To assess the performance of chromosome‐selective sequencing of maternal plasma cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) in non‐invasive prenatal testing for trisomy 13.

Methods

Two‐phase case–control study on a single plasma sample per case. The first phase was used to optimize the trisomy 13 algorithm, which was then applied to a second dataset to determine the risk score for trisomy 13 by laboratory personnel who were blinded to the fetal karyotype.

Results

In the first phase, trisomy 13 risk scores were given for 11 cases of trisomy 13 and 145 euploid cases at 11–13 weeks' gestation. The test identified seven (63.6%) cases of trisomy 13 with no false positives. The trisomy 13 algorithm was subsequently modified and the trisomy 13 risk score was > 99% in all 11 cases of trisomy 13 and < 0.01% in all 145 euploid cases. In the second phase, the new algorithm was used to generate trisomy 13 risk scores for 10 cases of trisomy 13 and 1939 euploid cases. The trisomy 13 risk scores were > 99% in eight (80.0% (95% confidence interval (CI), 49.0–94.3%)) cases of trisomy 13. In the 1939 euploid cases the risk score for trisomy 13 was < 0.01% in 1937 (99.9%), 0.79% in one, and > 99% in one. Therefore, at the predefined risk cut‐off of 1% for classifying a sample as high or low risk, the false‐positive rate (FPR) was 0.05% (95% CI, 0.0–0.3%).

Conclusions

Chromosome‐selective sequencing of cfDNA can detect the majority of cases of trisomy 13 at an FPR of less than 0.1%.
Does the ‘Higgs’ have Spin Zero?
Authors: Ellis John , Hwang Dae Sung
Published: September 2012

Abstract

The Higgs boson is predicted to have spin zero. The ATLAS and CMS experiments have recently reported of an excess of events with mass ~ 125 GeV that has some of the characteristics expected for a Higgs boson. We address the questions whether there is already any evidence that this excess has spin zero, and how this possibility could be confirmed in the near future. The excess observed in the γγ final state could not have spin one, leaving zero and two as open possibilities. We review the angular distribution of γγ pairs from the decays of a graviton-like spin-two boson produced in gluon-gluon collisions, which is well-defined and distinct from the spin-zero case. We also calculate the distributions for lepton pairs that would be produced in the W W
* decays of a spin-two boson, which are very different from those in Higgs decays, and note that the kinematics of the event selection currently used in the analysis of the W W
* final state have reduced efficiency for spin two.
Production of recombinantAgaricus bisporustyrosinase inSaccharomyces cerevisiaecells
Authors: Lezzi Chiara , Bleve Gianluca , Spagnolo Stefano , Perrotta Carla , Grieco Francesco
Published: September 2012

It has been demonstrated that Agaricus bisporus tyrosinase is able to oxidize various phenolic compounds, thus being an enzyme of great importance for a number of biotechnological applications. The tyrosinase-coding PPO2 gene was isolated by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using total RNA extracted from the mushroom fruit bodies as template. The gene was sequenced and cloned into pYES2 plasmid, and the resulting pY-PPO2 recombinant vector was then used to transform Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by enzymatic activity staining with l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) indicated that the recombinant tyrosinase is biologically active. The recombinant enzyme was overexpressed and biochemically characterized, showing that the catalytic constants of the recombinant tyrosinase were higher than those obtained when a commercial tyrosinase was used, for all the tested substrates. The present study describes the recombinant production of A. bisporus tyrosinase in active form. The produced enzyme has similar properties to the one produced in the native A. bisporus host, and its expression in S. cerevisiae provides good potential for protein engineering and functional studies of this important enzyme.
Recovering plane curves of low degree from their inflection lines and inflection points
Authors: Pacini Marco , Testa Damiano
Published: September 2012

In this paper we consider the following problem: is it possible to recover a smooth plane curve of degree d ≥ 3 from its inflection lines? We answer the posed question positively for a general smooth plane quartic curve, making the additional assumption that also one inflection point is given, and for any smooth plane cubic curve.
Serological muscle loss biomarkers: an overview of current concepts and future possibilities
Authors: Nedergaard Anders , Karsdal Morten A. , Sun Shu , Henriksen Kim
Published: September 2012

Background

The skeletal muscle mass is the largest organ in the healthy body, comprising 30–40 % of the body weight of an adult man. It confers protection from trauma, locomotion, ventilation, and it represents a “sink” in glucose metabolism and a reservoir of amino acids to other tissues such as the brain and blood cells. Naturally, loss of muscle has dire consequences for health as well as functionality. Muscle loss is a natural consequence of especially aging, inactivity, and their associated metabolic dysfunction, but it is strongly accelerated in critical illness such as organ failure, sepsis, or cancer. Whether this muscle loss is considered a primary or secondary condition, it is known that muscle loss is a symptom that predicts morbidity and mortality and one that is known to impact quality of life and independence. Therefore, monitoring of muscle mass is relevant in a number of pathologies as well as in clinical trials as measures of efficacy as well as safety.

Methods and results

Existing biomarkers of muscle mass or muscle loss have shown to be either too unreliable or too impractical in relation to the perceived clinical benefit to reach regular clinical research or use. We suggest serological neoepitope biomarkers as a possible technology to address some of these problems. Blood biomarkers of this kind have previously been shown to respond with high sensitivity and shorter time to minimum significant change than available biomarkers of muscle mass. We provide brief reviews of existing muscle mass or function biomarker technologies, muscle protein biology, and existing neoepitope biomarkers and proceed to present tentative recommendations on how to select and detect neoepitope biomarkers.

Conclusion

We suggest that serological peptide biomarkers whose tissue and pathology specificity are derived from post‐translational modification of proteins in tissues of interest, presenting so‐called neoepitopes, represents an exciting candidate technology to fill out an empty niche in biomarker technology.
The Ottoman Empire and the Imperial Turn
Authors: Mikhail Alan , Philliou Christine M.
Published: September 2012

As a polity that existed for over six centuries and that ruled on three continents, the Ottoman Empire is perhaps both the easiest and hardest empire to compare in world history. It is somewhat paradoxical then that the Ottoman Empire has only recently become a focus of students of empires as historical phenomena. This approach to the Ottoman Empire as an empire has succeeded in generating an impressive profusion of scholarship. This article critically assesses this literature within the larger context of what we term the Imperial Turn to explain how comparative perspectives have been used to analyze the empire. In doing so, it sheds new light on some older historiographical questions about the dynamics of imperial rule, periodization, and political transformation, while at the same time opening up new avenues of inquiry and analysis about the role of various actors in the empire, the recent emphasis on the empire's early modern history, and the scholarly literature of comparative empires itself. Throughout, the authors speak both to Ottoman specialists and others interested in comparative imperial histories to offer a holistic picture of recent Ottoman historiography and to suggest many possible directions for future scholarship. Instead of accepting comparison for comparison's sake, the article offers a bold new vocabulary for rigorous comparative work on the Ottoman Empire and beyond.
Rethinking the Violence of Pacification: State Formation and Bandits in Turkey, 1914–1937
Authors: Üngör Uğur Ümit
Published: September 2012

This article discusses the changing relationship between Kurdish bandits and the Ottoman and Turkish states. Considerable research has been conducted on the impact of state formation on the establishment and maintenance of a monopoly of violence. But little is known about the state's use of outlaws for various security tasks. I address this hiatus and focus on the ebb and flow of Kurdish chieftains' relations to the state. Although these states followed consistent policies of disarmament and pacification, in periods of crisis, such as war, this changed as they tried to use the outlaws for their own purposes. I draw on previously untapped Ottoman and Western sources to portray the experience of one group of Kurdish tribal outlaws who found themselves at times diametrically opposed to the state, but in other times in accord with it.
Rome and North Korea: Totalitarian Questions
Authors: ROSENBLITT ALISON
Published: September 2012

On 19 December 2011, the death was announced of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il. He was succeeded in power by his third son, Kim Jong-un. The BBC has called it a ‘choreographed Stalinist-style succession’ but, for students of the classical world, there is an uncanny resemblance to the death of Augustus in AD 14 and the accession of his adopted son and heir, Tiberius. A death is announced; there are allegations that it occurred earlier than is officially acknowledged, with announcement postponed so that all can be put in order for a smooth transfer of power. News of the death is received with public displays of grief, while the new autocrat is greeted with a pledge or oath of loyalty. The first necessity is to take control of the military, and military orders are issued by the successor before any formal power is conferred. There are omens. The state calls for its new leader to accept power. Money or food is distributed in the name of the head of state recently deceased. Much is made of coincidences (the date on which Augustus assumed the principate and died; the date on which Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un respectively became supreme commander). When it comes to the formal transfer of power, the written will of the dead leader is cited to legitimate his successor.
Transposing Aristophanes: The Theory and Practice of Translating Aristophanic Lyric
Authors: ROBSON JAMES
Published: September 2012

The reception of Aristophanes has gained extraordinary momentum as a topic of academic interest in the last few years. Contributions range from Gonda Van Steen's ground-breaking Venom in Verse. Aristophanes in Modern Greece to Hall and Wrigley's Aristophanes in Performance 421 BC–AD 2007, which contains contributions from a wide range of scholars and writers, a number of whom have had experience of staging Aristophanes' plays as live theatre. In Found in Translation, J. Michael Walton has also made strides towards marrying the theory of translation to the practice of translating Aristophanes (something I have myself also sought to do in print). And with the history of Aristophanic translation, adaptation, and staging being rapidly pieced together (in the English-speaking world at least, where Hall, Steggle, Halliwell, Sowerby, Walsh, and Walton, for example, have all made their own contributions), much of the groundwork has been laid for a study such as is attempted in this article. Here I aim to take a broad look across a range of translations in order to see how one particular text type within Aristophanic drama has been approached by translators, namely Aristophanes' lyric passages. The aim of this study will be to give both an insight into the numerous considerations that translators take into account when translating Aristophanic lyric and an impression of the range of end products that have emerged over the last two hundred years.
Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions for the p-Laplace operator: what is in between?
Authors: Chill Ralph , Warma Mahamadi
Published: September 2012

Let p ∈ (1, ∞) and let Ω ⊆ ℝN be a bounded domain with Lipschitz continuous boundary. We characterize on L2(Ω) all order-preserving semigroups that are generated by convex, lower semicontinuous, local functionals and are sandwiched between the semigroups generated by the p-Laplace operator with Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. We show that every such semigroup is generated by the p-Laplace operator with Robin-type boundary conditions.
Selling France to the French: The French Zone of Occupation in Western Germany, 1945–c.1955
Authors: ADLER K. H.
Published: September 2012

This article contributes to the literature of occupation, as well as to transnational history, by exploring the social history of the military government in the French Zone of Occupation in West Germany (ZFO). It uses the Zone as a case study to understand the construction of a French community abroad by looking at systems of buying and selling, and asks whether these systems were not in themselves constitutive of the very transformation of members of the military government into a ‘French community’. By investigating the insistence that French customers buy French goods at the économat, the shop restricted to their use, the article claims that gender, family and commercial practice helped to define home for members of the French administration in Germany.
‘I Terroni in Città’: Revisiting Southern Migrants’ Militancy in Turin's ‘Hot Autumn’
Authors: PIZZOLATO NICOLA
Published: September 2012

This article proposes a revision of the predominant view of southern Italians during the ‘Hot Autumn’ of 1969 in Turin, one of the most remarkable moments of working-class mobilisation in modern European history. The representation of southern Italians as ‘primitive rebels’ and ‘spontaneous’ radicals has its roots in an earlier notion of southerners as social deviants and has obscured a much more complex historical reality. This image, endorsed by historians and popularised in fictional accounts, contradicts contemporary evidence which points to southerners’ singular mix of radicalism and conservatism, resistance and integration.
Mitigation of 21st century Antarctic sea ice loss by stratospheric ozone recovery
Authors: Smith Karen L. , Polvani Lorenzo M. , Marsh Daniel R.
Published: September 2012

We investigate the effect of stratospheric ozone recovery on Antarctic sea ice in the next half‐century, by comparing two ensembles of integrations of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, from 2001 to 2065. One ensemble is performed by specifying all forcings as per the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5; the second ensemble is identical in all respects, except for the surface concentrations of ozone depleting substances, which are held fixed at year 2000 levels, thus preventing stratospheric ozone recovery. Sea ice extent declines in both ensembles, as a consequence of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. However, we find that sea ice loss is ∼33% greater for the ensemble in which stratospheric ozone recovery does not take place, and that this effect is statistically significant. Our results, which confirm a previous study dealing with ozone depletion, suggest that ozone recovery will substantially mitigate Antarctic sea ice loss in the coming decades.
Monoenergetic high‐energy electron precipitation in thin auroral filaments
Authors: Dahlgren H. , Ivchenko N. , Lanchester B. S.
Published: September 2012

The energy distribution of the electron precipitation responsible for extremely narrow (70 m) and dynamic auroral filaments is found to be sharply peaked at around 8 keV. The events were captured with high resolution low‐light optical imagers located near Tromsø, Norway. The method uses imaging in two emissions which have different energy dependent responses to auroral electron precipitation. The key feature of the events was that no difference in the altitude of the two emissions was detected, nor any time‐of‐flight dispersion, thus leading to the conclusion that the filaments were caused by monoenergetic precipitation. Comparisons with an electron transport and ion chemistry model show that the high energy filaments were embedded in a region of lower energy precipitation of about 4 keV. There is currently no consistent theory to explain the characteristics of the observed auroral structures.
Magma mobilization by downward‐propagating decompression of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic plumbing system
Authors: Tarasewicz Jon , White Robert S. , Woods Andrew W. , Brandsdóttir Bryndís , Gudmundsson Magnús T.
Published: September 2012

Detailed observations of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruptions in Iceland show seismic activity propagating vertically through the entire crust during a ten‐week period of volcanic unrest comprising multiple eruption episodes. Systematic changes in magma chemistry suggest a complex magmatic plumbing system, tapping several accumulation zones at different depths containing magma of differing ages and compositions. During the eruption, a systematic downward propagation of seismicity through the crust and into the upper mantle to ∼30 km depth occurred in a series of steps, each of which preceded an explosive surge in eruption rate. Here we show that the sequence of seismicity and eruptive activity may be explained by the downward propagation of a decompression wave that triggers magma release from progressively deeper sills in the crust. Comparing observations of the downward‐propagating seismicity with the decompression of a series of model elastic sills suggests that each sill was 1–10 km3 in size.