bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stimulation of the photoluminescent properties of CBD‐CdS thin films achieved by structural modifications resulting from Ag+ doping
Authors: Flores‐Pacheco A. , Contreras‐Rascón J. I. , Diaz‐Reyes J. , Angel‐Vicente P. D. , Enríquez J. P. , Castillo S. J. , Álvarez‐Ramos M. E.
Published: July 2017

The present study details the changes in photoluminescence properties stimulated by the structural changes in consequence of doping the II–VI nanocomposite thin‐film semiconductor cadmium sulfide (CdS) with the IB metallic ion Ag+. The synthesis of the matrix and doped semiconductors was performed using low‐temperature chemical bath deposition (CBD). The doping percentage of the CdS matrix was determined by energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) with a value around 3%. The crystallographic study shows a cubic (1 1 1) preferential growth plane for the undoped material. Both X‐ray and HRTEM characterizations show the presence of a polycrystalline structure for the Ag+‐doped sample. Measurements of particle size from HRTEM micrographs confirm quantum confinement with a reduction of the average particle size from 5.46 to 4.12 nm in the doped sample. The photoluminescence study shows intense downshifted emissions in the green range of the visible spectrum. This could be due to the shallow electron traps formed by crystalline defects in the lattice, which are induced by the metallic ion. This study also shows higher‐energy emissions due to the decrease of the particle size below the effective CdS exciton Bohr radius.
The Genetic Heterogeneity among Different Mouse Strains Impacts the Lung Injury Potential of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Wang Xiang , Liao Yu‐Pei , Telesca Donatello , Chang Chong Hyun , Xia Tian , Nel André E.
Published: July 2017

Genetic variation constitutes an important variable impacting the susceptibility to inhalable toxic substances and air pollutants, as reflected by epidemiological studies in humans and differences among animal strains. While multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are capable of causing lung fibrosis in rodents, it is unclear to what extent the genetic variation in different mouse strains influence the outcome. Four inbred mouse strains, including C57Bl/6, Balb/c, NOD/ShiLtJ, and A/J, to test the pro‐fibrogenic effects of a library of MWCNTs in vitro and in vivo are chosen. Ex vivo analysis of IL‐1β production in bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) as molecular initiating event (MIE) is performed. The order of cytokine production (Balb/c > A/J > C57Bl/6 > NOD/ShiLtJ) in BMDMs is also duplicated during assessment of IL‐1β production in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of the same mouse strains 40 h after oropharyngeal instillation of a representative MWCNT. Animal test after 21 d also confirms a similar hierarchy in TGF‐β1 production and collagen deposition in the lung. Statistical analysis confirms a correlation between IL‐1β production in BMDM and the lung fibrosis. All considered, these data demonstrate that genetic background indeed plays a major role in determining the pro‐fibrogenic response to MWCNTs in the lung.
A new Dienerian (Early Triassic) brachiopod fauna from South China and implications for biotic recovery after the Permian–Triassic extinction
Authors: Wang Fengyu , Chen Jing , Dai Xu , Song Haijun
Published: July 2017

Brachiopods suffered severe extinction during the Permian–Triassic crisis, such that their diversity dropped to extremely low levels in the Early Triassic. Here we describe a new brachiopod fauna from the Dienerian of Lichuan, South China. This fauna consists of three monospecific genera, including one new genus and one new species: Lichuanorelloides lichuanensis gen. et sp. nov., Lissorhynchia sp. and Crurithyris sp. These brachiopods co‐occur with the ammonoids Ussuridiscus, Jieshaniceras, Hubeitoceras and Vishnuites, suggesting an early Dienerian age. The geographical distribution of brachiopods in family Norellidae during the Early Triassic suggests that a migration took place towards higher latitudes, which may have been caused by the extreme climate warming that prevailed during the Dienerian.
Physico‐chemical and Spectroscopic Approach to Analyse the Behaviour of Surface‐Active Ionic Liquid and Conventional Surfactant in Aqueous Glycine
Authors: Chauhan Suvarcha , Kumar Ashish , Kaur Maninder , Chauhan M. S.
Published: July 2017

The present work reports a comparison of direct or indirect (water‐mediated) interactions of surface active ionic liquid SAIL, tetrabutylammonium dodecylsulphate (TBADS) in aqueous solutions of glycine with those of sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) in same solvent system, by employing techniques like conductivity, fluorescence, UV–Vis probe studies and clouding phenomenon. High hydrophobicity and penetrating ability of TBA+ counterions and most significant salting‐out effect due to the preferential hydration of glycine molecules accounts for the enhanced micellization and better surface activity of TBADS as compared to its conventional analogue SDS. Further, driving force for the micellization in both the cases is the hydrophobic interactions, whereas in the case of SDS, London dispersion interactions as alternative forces also contribute considerably at higher temperatures. In addition, the decrease in the cloud point () of aqueous TBADS solutions in the presence of glycine is attributed to the dehydration of hydrophilic head groups of micelles, resulting in their collapse and hence phase separation.
Polygonumnolides A1–B3, minor dianthrone derivatives from the roots of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb
Authors: Yang Jianbo , Yan Zheng , Ren Jin , Dai Zhong , Ma Shuangcheng , Wang Aiguo , Su Yalun
Published: July 2017

Seven new dianthrone glycosides, named polygonumnolides A1–B3 (1–7), were isolated from the 70 % EtOH extract of the dried roots of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. using column chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. Their structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectroscopy. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects against KB tumor cell lines and compounds 1–4 showed moderate cytotoxicity.
Hölder estimates for fractional parabolic equations with critical divergence free drifts
Authors: Smith Scott , Delgadino Matías G.
Published: July 2017

This work focuses on drift-diffusion equations with fractional dissipation

(−\mathrm{\Delta })^{\alpha }

in the regime

\alpha \in (1/ 2,1)

. Our main result is an a priori Hölder estimate on smooth solutions to the Cauchy problem, starting from initial data with finite energy. We prove that for some

\beta \in (0,1)

, the

C^{\beta }

norm of the solution depends only on the size of the drift in critical spaces of the form

L_{t}^{q}(\mathrm{BMO}_{x}^{−\gamma })

with

q > 2

and

\gamma \in (0,2\alpha −1]

, along with the

L_{x}^{2}

norm of the initial datum. The proof uses the Caffarelli/Vasseur variant of De Giorgi's method for non-local equations.
Volumetric and morphological characteristics of the hippocampus are associated with progression to schizophrenia in patients with first-episode psychosis
Authors: Sauras R. , Keymer A. , Alonso-Solis A. , Díaz A. , Molins C. , Nuñez F. , Rabella M. , Roldán A. , Grasa E. , Alvarez E. , Portella M.J. , Corripio I.
Published: July 2017

Background:

Abnormalities in the hippocampus have been implicated in the pathophysiology of psychosis. However, it is still unclear whether certain abnormalities are a pre-existing vulnerability factor, a sign of disease progression or a consequence of environmental factors. We hypothesized that first-episode psychosis patients who progress to schizophrenia after one year of follow up will display greater volumetric and morphological changes from the very beginning of the disorder.

Methods:

We studied the hippocampus of 41 patients with a first-episode psychosis and 41 matched healthy controls. MRI was performed at the time of the inclusion in the study. After one year, the whole sample was reevaluated and divided in two groups depending on the diagnoses (schizophrenia vs. non-schizophrenia).

Results:

Patients who progressed to schizophrenia showed a significantly smaller left hippocampus volume than control group and no-schizophrenia group (F = 3.54; df = 2, 77; P = 0.03). We also found significant differences in the morphology of the anterior hippocampus (CA1) of patients with first-episode psychosis who developed schizophrenia compared with patients who did not.

Conclusions:

These results are consistent with the assumption of hyperfunctioning dopaminergic cortico-subcortical circuits in schizophrenia, which might be related with an alteration of subcortical structures, such as the hippocampus, along the course of the disease. According with these results, hippocampus abnormalities may serve as a prognostic marker of clinical outcome in patients with a first-episode psychosis.
Making sense of a changing world: foreign policy ideas and Italy’s national role conceptions after 9/11
Authors: Caffarena Anna , Gabusi Giuseppe
Published: July 2017

In a rapidly changing world, middle powers with no obvious role to play on the global stage have the difficult task to read the international environment in order to formulate and implement a coherent and possibly effective foreign policy. In order to do so, decision makers either reproduce old ideas or develop new ones. Considering the ideas put forward in their inaugural speeches by Prime Ministers and Foreign Affairs Ministers in office after 2001, we suggest that Italy’s institutional actors appear to be aware of the changes occurred in the international system after 1989, and in particular after 9/11. The national role conceptions sustaining Italy’s present foreign policy goals reflect such awareness, being quite different with respect to the picture offered by Holsti in his seminal work published in 1970. Ideas expressing foreign policy goals are also reasonably well grounded in ideas on how the world works or linked to operational ideas, yet the country’s foreign policy appears feebly focused, even though focus is explicitly very much sought for. Some explanations for such a lack of focus which makes Italy’s foreign policy design rather ineffective are offered.
Italy and the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Playing the two-level game
Authors: Cofelice Andrea
Published: July 2017

The aim of this article is to assess Italy’s behaviour in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council, both as a recommending state and as a state under review. The UPR is a peer review mechanism launched in 2008, through which all UN member states can make recommendations to each other regarding human rights practices. Drawing on role theory, liberal and constructivist institutionalism, and the two-level game approach, the analysis reveals that Italian decision-makers played parallel games at the domestic and international tables of the UPR, and managed to adapt country’s human rights foreign policy goals according to the different social contexts where they operated. Indeed, while in the review phase in Geneva, Italy sought legitimacy for both its policies and its status as an international ‘human rights friendly’ actor, at domestic level a policy of inactivity was chosen, in order to minimize the impact of the most costly UPR recommendations, and protect the dynamics of domestic politics. The time-span of the analysis covers the first 19 UPR sessions (2008–14), broadly coinciding with Italy’s first two membership terms at the Human Rights Council.
On the instabilities of a potential vortex with a free surface
Authors: Mougel J. , Fabre D. , Lacaze L. , Bohr T.
Published: July 2017

In this paper, we address the linear stability analysis of a confined potential vortex with a free surface. This particular flow has been recently used by Tophøj et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 110(19), 2013, article 194502) as a model for the swirling flow of fluid in an open cylindrical container, driven by rotating the bottom plate (the rotating bottom experiment) to explain the so-called rotating polygons instability (Vatistas J. Fluid Mech., vol. 217, 1990, pp. 241–248; Jansson et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 96, 2006, article 174502) in terms of surface wave interactions leading to resonance. Global linear stability results are complemented by a Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin–Jeffreys (WKBJ) analysis in the shallow-water limit as well as new experimental observations. It is found that global stability results predict additional resonances that cannot be captured by the simple wave coupling model presented in Tophøj et al. (2013). Both the main resonances (thought to be at the root of the rotating polygons) and these secondary resonances are interpreted in terms of over-reflection phenomena by the WKBJ analysis. Finally, we provide experimental evidence for a secondary resonance supporting the numerical and theoretical analysis presented. These different methods and observations allow to support the unstable wave coupling mechanism as the physical process at the origin of the polygonal patterns observed in free-surface rotating flows.
Transitional flows with the entropic lattice Boltzmann method
Authors: Dorschner B. , Chikatamarla S. S. , Karlin I. V.
Published: July 2017

The accuracy and performance of entropic multi-relaxation time lattice Boltzmann models are assessed for transitional flows of engineering interest. A simulation of the flow over a low-Reynolds-number$SD7003$airfoil at$Re=6\times 10^{4}$, at an angle of attack$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=4^{\circ }$, is performed and thoroughly compared to available numerical and experimental data. In order to include blockage and curvature effects, simulations of the flow in a low-pressure turbine passage composed of$T106$blade profiles, at a chord Reynolds number of$Re=6\times 10^{4}$or$Re=1.48\times 10^{5}$, for different free-stream turbulence intensities are presented. Using a multi-domain grid refinement strategy in combination with Grad’s boundary conditions yields good agreement for all simulations. The results demonstrate that the entropic lattice Boltzmann model is a viable, parameter-free alternative to modelling approaches such as large-eddy simulations with similar resolution requirements.
Business school learning goals: Alignment with evidence-based models and accreditation standards
Authors: Brink Kyle E , Palmer Timothy B , Costigan Robert D
Published: July 2017

Programmatic learning goals serve as the foundation for an educational institution’s curriculum design and assurance of learning processes. The purpose of our study is to determine the relevance or alignment of undergraduate business school learning goals. We identify the learning goals of US undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International (AACSB) and determine the extent to which the goals are aligned with (a) evidence-based competencies that are needed for managerial success (including the ‘Great Eight’ and the ‘hyperdimensional taxonomy’) and (b) content areas identified in AACSB’sEligibility Procedures and Accreditation Standards for Business Accreditation. We found that learning goals conform to AACSB Standards and evidence-based managerial competencies, but goals are most closely aligned with AACSB Standards, followed by the Great Eight, and the hyperdimensional taxonomy, respectively. We discuss the implications of our findings with respect to business schools’ assurance of learning processes and provide recommendations for AACSB, business schools, the broader academy, and future research.
Jonathan Edwards and “The Way of Ideas”
Authors: Smith Claude A.
Published: July 2017

That Jonathan Edwards was greatly influenced by the writings of John Locke scarcely needs asserting. Edwards himself regarded his reading of the Essay Concerning Human Understanding as the major intellectual event of his youth. His major writings and private notebooks abound with comments and reflections on matters discussed by Locke. What is fascinating concerning the history of Edwardsean scholarship, however, is that the decisive significance of Locke, for Edwards, has been elucidated only very recently, in the writings of the renowned Puritan scholar, the late Perry Miller.
Ultra-bright keV X-ray source generated by relativistic femtosecond laser pulse interaction with thin foils and its possible application for HEDS investigations
Authors: Faenov A.Y. , Pikuz T.A. , Vergunova G.A. , Pikuz S.A. , Skobelev I.Y. , Andreev A. , Zhidkov A. , Kodama R.
Published: July 2017

It was shown (Faenov et al., 2015b) that the energy of femtosecond laser pulses with relativistic intensity approaching to ~1021 W/cm2 is efficiently converted to X-ray radiation and produces exotic states in solid density plasma periphery. We propose and show by one-dimensional two-temperature hydrodynamic modeling, that applying two such unique ultra-bright X-ray sources with intensities above 1017 W/cm2 – allow to generate shock waves with strength of up to some hundreds Mbar, which could give new opportunities for studies of matter in extreme conditions.
Revisiting the crystal structure of [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 using synchrotron powder diffraction: to what extent single-crystal diffraction from 1960s got it right?
Authors: Mohamud S. , Pagola S.
Published: July 2017

The crystal structure of the purpureo salt, [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2, first reported in 1963 and later revised in 1968 (in both cases from single-crystal diffraction) in the space group Pnma (No. 62), has been recently re-examined from synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction using direct methods and the software EXPO2013. The comparison of the Rietveld analysis results using the two published models and the atomic coordinates obtained from powders leads to an improved crystal structure description in the lower symmetry space group Pn21a (No. 33). As a result, the overall atom connectivity and crystal packing remain similar; however, the symmetry and internal geometry of the coordination complex are changed. The distortions from an idealized geometry in Pnma (No. 62) are likely because of energetically favorable hydrogen-bonding motifs in the crystal. The three models are compared, and their validity and limitations are discussed.
Philosophy and Religion in the Thought of Kierkegaard
Authors: Weston Michael
Published: July 2017

Kierkegaard is often regarded as a precursor of existential philosophy whose religious concerns may, for philosophical purposes, be safely ignored or, at best, regarded as an unfortunate, if unavoidable, consequence of his complicity with the very metaphysics he did so much to discredit. Kierkegaard himself, however, foresaw this appropriation of his work by philosophy. ‘The existing individual who forgets that he is an existing individual will become more and more absent-minded’, he wrote, ‘and as people sometimes embody the fruits of their leisure moments in books, so we may venture to expect as the fruits of his absent-mindedness the expected existential system—well, perhaps, not all of us, but only those who are as absent-minded as he is’ (Kierkegaard, 1968, p. 110). However, it may be rejoined here, this expectation merely shows Kierkegaard's historically unavoidable ignorance of the development of existential philosophy with its opposition to the idea of system and its emphasis upon the very existentiality of the human being. How could a form of thought which, in this way, puts at its centre the very Being of the existing individual, its existentiality, be accused of absent-mindedness? Has it not, rather, recollected that which metaphysics had forgotten? Yet the impression remains that Kierkegaard would not have been persuaded himself that such recollection could constitute remembering that one is an existing individual, for he remarks, of his own ignoring of the difference between Socrates and Plato in his Philosophical Fragments, ‘By holding Socrates down to the proposition that all knowledge is recollection, he becomes a speculative philosopher instead of an existential thinker, for whom existence is the essential thing. The recollection principle belongs to speculative philosophy, and recollection is immanence, and speculatively and eternally there is no paradox’ (Kierkegaard, 1968, p. 184n). We must ask, therefore, whether the recollection of existentiality can cure an existential absent-mindedness or remains itself a form of immanence for which there is no paradox.
“Not Left-Wing, Just Human”: The Integration of Personal Morality and Structural Critique in Progressive Religious Talk
Authors: Fuist Todd Nicholas
Published: July 2017

Researchers have posited a bifurcated discursive field with regard to United States politics, with secular progressives at one pole and religious conservatives at the other. This division is typically understood to be both ideological and stylistic, with secular liberals possessing a robust language for speaking about structural inequality but lacking transcendent rhetoric about morality, and conservatives having the opposite discourses available to them. Yet this view steers us away from groups that complicate this picture, such as progressive religious communities. This article uses qualitative data collected among progressive religious groups to demonstrate that, through their ability to integrate discussions of structural inequality and personal morality, these communities create a rhetorical style that blends critical discourses with calls for righteousness. To understand different rhetorical positions, we have to examine the on-the-ground meaning making represented by politicized talk within communities that provide actors with the categories of identification which make social action possible.
Berichts- und Lernsysteme in der stationären Langzeitpflege auf dem Weg zur Implementierung
Authors: Kuske Silke , Stephan Astrid , Saβen Sascha , Febrero Maria Cartes , Wesselborg Bärbel
Published: July 2017

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Vor dem Hintergrund des steigenden Interesses an freiwilligen Berichts- und Lernsystemen in der stationären Langzeitpflege ist es notwendig, systematisch die Faktoren einer erfolgreichen Implementierung näher zu betrachten. Ziel des Beitrags ist es daher, den Nutzen dieser Meldesysteme darzustellen sowie konkrete Empfehlungen zu deren Implementierung anhand des Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research zu diskutieren. Einflussfaktoren einer erfolgreichen Implementierung: Eine erfolgreiche Implementierung hängt von einer systematischen Vorgehensweise ab. Folgende Einflussfaktoren sind nach der Analyse mit dem Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research wesentlich: (i) eine standardisierte und einfach handhabbare Gestaltung des Meldesystems; (ii) die Berücksichtigung externer Anreizsysteme; (iii) die Schaffung einer positiven Organisations- und Sicherheitskultur, die über das Implementierungsklima und Ressourcen die Fähigkeit zur Implementierung herstellt; (iv) die Wahrnehmung von Bedürfnissen, Wissensständen und individuellen Veränderungsprozessen; sowie (v) die frequente Evaluation des Implementierungsprozesses. Ausblick: Sichtbare Interventionen und eine Weiterentwicklung der Sicherheitskultur sind wichtige Schritte zur Förderung einer nachhaltigen Implementierung von Berichts- und Lernsystemen. Derzeit erscheint es notwendig, Barrieren von Implementierungsprozessen in den Blick zu nehmen. Es ist zu empfehlen, Messinstrumente zur Evaluation der Implementierungsprozesse passgenau zu entwickeln und zu erproben sowie Merkmale nachhaltiger Implementierung weiter zu untersuchen.
Alles sicher? – Risikosituationen in der häuslichen Intensivpflege aus Sicht beatmeter Patienten und ihrer Angehörigen
Authors: Ewers Michael , Schaepe Christiane , Lehmann Yvonne
Published: July 2017

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Die Zahl häuslich versorgter beatmeter Patienten / Patientinnen in Deutschland wächst seit Jahren. Über Strukturen, Prozesse und Ergebnisse der technikintensiven häuslichen Intensivpflege ist indes wenig bekannt. Aspekte der Patientensicherheit werden kaum thematisiert. Fragestellung / Ziel: Gefragt wurde nach Erfahrungen mit der häuslichen Intensivpflege und nach Situationen, in denen sich beatmete Patienten / Patientinnen und Angehörige (un-)sicher fühlten. Ziel war es, Einblicke in den Versorgungsalltag zu ermöglichen, Risiken aus Nutzersicht aufzudecken und Impulse zur Förderung der Patientensicherheit zu setzen. Methode: Durchgeführt wurde eine qualitativ-explorative Studie, basierend auf leitfadengestützten Interviews (beatmete Patienten N = 21; Angehörige N = 15). Samplebildung, Datenerhebung und -auswertung orientierten sich an Prinzipien der Grounded Theory. Ergebnisse: Risikosituationen entstehen aus Sicht beatmeter Patienten / Patientinnen und Angehöriger, wenn (non-)verbale Kommunikationsangebote übersehen oder missverstanden, patienten- oder technikbezogene Überwachungsaufgaben vernachlässigt, Kooperations- und Abstimmungserfordernisse unterschätzt sowie Aushandlungs-, Edukations- und Supervisionsaufgaben unterbewertet werden. Auch mangelnde Kompetenz, Selbstsicherheit und Professionalität auf Seiten der Pflegenden können Risikosituationen provozieren. Schlussfolgerungen: Patienten / Patientinnen und Angehörigen aufmerksam zuzuhören, trägt dazu bei, Qualitätsmängel in der häuslichen Intensivpflege zu identifizieren, Risikosituationen vorzubeugen und patientenzentrierte Sicherheitskonzepte für dieses Setting zu entwickeln.
Update Vorhofflimmern 2017
Authors: Breitenstein Alexander , Steffel Jan
Published: July 2017

Zusammenfassung. Zusammenfassung: Das Vorhofflimmern ist die häufigste supraventrikuläre Rhythmusstörung und entwickelt sich typischerweise bei Patienten mit kardiovaskulären Risikofaktoren oder einer zugrunde liegenden Kardiopathie. Die Bandbreite an Symptomen ist sehr weit und reicht von vollkommen asymptomatischen Patienten bis zur schweren Herzinsuffizienz. Eine korrekte Dokumentation mittels EKG ist unabdingbar für die Diagnose. Für jeden Patienten mit Vorhofflimmern ist eine komplette internistisch-kardiologische Abklärung indiziert. Von zentraler Bedeutung in der Behandlung ist die Thromboembolie-Prophylaxe bei Patienten mit einem erhöhten Risiko für einen Schlaganfall, dies unabhängig von der übrigen Therapie des Vorhofflimmerns. Beim Letzteren ist neben der antiarrhythmischen Therapie die Kontrolle der kardiovaskulären Risikofaktoren sowie die Behandlung einer allfällig vorhandenen Herzinsuffizienz entscheidend. Neben der medikamentösen Rhythmuskontrolle hat sich die Ablationsbehandlung als effektive und sichere alternative Therapieoption etabliert.
Pathologische Mediennutzung bei Kindern und Jugendlichen – eine Perspektive für die Praxis
Authors: Bilke-Hentsch Oliver
Published: July 2017

Zusammenfassung. Zusammenfassung: Die Medialisierung der Welt verändert Beziehungs- und Individuationsprozesse von Kindern und Jugendlichen rasant. Dies wirkt sich auf die schulischen Leistungen, auf Bewältigung von Entwicklungsaufgaben wie die Nähe-Distanz- und Affektregulation sowie den Umgang mit aggressiven Impulsen und sexuellen Bedürfnissen aus. Da der Einfluss der neuesten Medien nicht nur auf internetabhängige, sondern auf alle Kinder und Jugendlichen immens ist, kommen Ärztinnen und Ärzte nicht umhin, sich mit den Auswirkungen der digitalen Formate und Inhalte zu beschäftigen. Typologien von Spielern und von pathologischem Verhalten sind eine gute Orientierung. Sie werden ergänzt durch eine entwicklungspsychiatrisch fundierte und mediensoziologische Klassifikation von Spieltypen und eine übliche entwicklungspsychiatrische Diagnostik. Beratung und Therapie erfolgen je nach Schwere, Komorbidität, Spielverhalten und sozialer Einschränkung.
Experimental studies of vibrational modes in a two-dimensional amorphous solid
Authors: Zhang Ling , Zheng Jie , Wang Yinqiao , Zhang Lei , Jin Zhaohui , Hong Liang , Wang Yujie , Zhang Jie
Published: July 2017

The boson peak, which represents an excess of vibrational states compared to Debye’s prediction at low frequencies, has been studied extensively, and yet, its nature remains controversial. In this study, we focus on understanding the nature of the boson peak based on the spatial heterogeneity of modulus fluctuations using a simple model system of a highly jammed two-dimensional granular material. Despite the simplicity of our system, we find that the boson peak in our two-dimensional system shows a shape very similar to that of three-dimensional molecular glasses when approaching their boson peak frequencies. Our finding indicates a strong connection between the boson peak and the spatial heterogeneity of shear modulus fluctuations.
Effects of water level regulation on the seed germination and production of annual plant Xanthium sibiricum in the water-level-fluctuating-zone of Three Gorges Reservoir
Authors: Liu Jianhui , Lin Feng , Shi Shaohua , Ayi Qiaoli , Liu Songping , Zeng Bo
Published: July 2017

Vegetation effectively slows down the deterioration rate of the ecosystem in the water-level fluctuation zone (WLFZ). In this study, we investigated the impact of impoundment on the germination of seeds from Xanthium sibiricum fruits with various degrees of maturity and produced by X. sibiricum plants growing at different elevations in the WLFZ. Seed production by X. sibiricum under the current water level regulation mode was also investigated. Seeds were collected from seven elevations of the WLFZ of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) and exposed at these elevations to submergence. Seed production of the plants germinated from X. sibiricum seeds was observed. The maturity degree of X. sibiricum fruits from different elevations has no influence on the seed production by the plants that are produced from the fruits. Under the present water-level regulation mode, X. sibiricum growing above 155 m are able to generate mature seeds and thus provide seed sources for population maintenance, although the plants growing at an elevation below 165 m failed to produce fruits in 2010 due to unusual flooding. This study is useful for the vegetation recovery and reconstruction in other regions with hydrological characteristics similar to that of the TGR.
Inhibitory effects of local anesthetics on the proteasome and their biological actions
Authors: Bahrudin Udin , Unno Masaki , Nishio Kazuya , Kita Akiko , Li Peili , Kato Masaru , Inoue Masashi , Tsujitani Shunichi , Murakami Takuto , Sugiyama Rina , Saeki Yasushi , Obara Yuji , Tanaka Keiji , Yamaguchi Hiroshi , Sakane Isao , Kawata Yasushi , Itoh Toshiyuki , Ninomiya Haruaki , Hisatome Ichiro , Morimoto Yukio
Published: July 2017

Local anesthetics (LAs) inhibit endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation, however the mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that the clinically used LAs pilsicainide and lidocaine bind directly to the 20S proteasome and inhibit its activity. Molecular dynamic calculation indicated that these LAs were bound to the β5 subunit of the 20S proteasome, and not to the other active subunits, β1 and β2. Consistently, pilsicainide inhibited only chymotrypsin-like activity, whereas it did not inhibit the caspase-like and trypsin-like activities. In addition, we confirmed that the aromatic ring of these LAs was critical for inhibiting the proteasome. These LAs stabilized p53 and suppressed proliferation of p53-positive but not of p53-negative cancer cells.
Obesity-induces Organ and Tissue Specific Tight Junction Restructuring and Barrier Deregulation by Claudin Switching
Authors: Ahmad Rizwan , Rah Bilal , Bastola Dhundy , Dhawan Punita , Singh Amar B.
Published: July 2017

Obesity increases susceptibility to multiple organ disorders, however, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The subclinical inflammation assisted by obesity-induced gut permeability may underlie obesity-associated co-morbidities. Despite eminent clinical significance of the obesity led gut barrier abnormalities, its precise molecular regulation remains unclear. It is also unknown whether barrier deregulations, similar to the gut, characterize other vital organs in obese individuals. The claudin family of proteins is integral to the tight junction (TJ), the apical cell-cell adhesion and a key regulator of the epithelial barrier. Using comprehensive physiological and biochemical analysis of intestinal and renal tissues from high-fat diet fed mice, critical for maintaining metabolic homeostasis, this study demonstrates that profound TJ-restructuring by organ and tissue-specific claudin switching characterize obese organs. Protein expression and cellular distribution were examined. In-silico analysis further highlighted potential association of select claudins, modulated by the obesity, with signaling and metabolic pathways of pathological significance. In vitro studies using Leptin or DCA-treatment suggested causal significance of obesity-induced changes in tissue microenvironment in regulating barrier deregulations in tissue-specific manner. Overall, current findings advances our understanding of the molecular undertakings of obesity associated changes that help predispose to specific diseases and also identifies novel windows of preventive and/or therapeutic interventions.
Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions influence platinum-based chemotherapy response and toxicity in non-small cell lung cancer patients
Authors: Cui Jia-Jia , Wang Lei-Yun , Zhu Tao , Gong Wei-Jing , Zhou Hong-Hao , Liu Zhao-Qian , Yin Ji-Ye
Published: July 2017

Platinum-based chemotherapy is a major therapeutic regimen of lung cancer. Various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reported were associated with platinum-based chemotherapy response and drug toxicity. However, neither of the studies explored this association from SNP-SNP interaction perspective nor taking into effects of SNP-environment consideration simultaneously. We genotyped 504 polymorphisms and explore the association of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions with platinum-based chemotherapy response and toxicity in 490 NSCLC patients. 16 SNPs were found significantly associated with platinum-based chemotherapy, and they were picked out as study object in the validation cohort. We recruited 788 patients in the validation cohort. We found that HSPD1 rs17730989-SUMF1 rs2633851 interaction was associated with platinum-based chemotherapy-induced hematologic toxicity (adjusted OR = 0.233, P = 0.018). In addition, the combined effect of ABCG2 rs2231142-CES5A rs3859104 was significantly associated with overall toxicity (adjusted OR = 8.044, P = 4.350 × 10−5). Besides, the model of ARHGAP26 rs3776332-ERCC6 rs2228528-SLC2A1 rs4658-histology was associated with platinum-based chemotherapeutic response. Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions have been identified to contribute to chemotherapy sensitivity and toxicity. They can potentially predict drug response and toxicity of platinum-based chemotherapy in NSCLC patients.
The PSMP-CCR2 interactions trigger monocyte/macrophage-dependent colitis
Authors: Pei Xiaolei , Zheng Danfeng , She Shaoping , Ma Jing , Guo Changyuan , Mo Xiaoning , Zhang Yingmei , Song Quansheng , Zhang Yu , Ma Dalong , Wang Ying
Published: July 2017

Monocytes/macrophages have been found to be an important component of colitis. However, the key chemokine that initiates the CCR2+ monocytes migration from circulation to colitis tissue remains to be undiscovered. PC3-secreted microprotein (PSMP) is a novel chemokine whose receptor is CCR2. The physiological and pathological functions of PSMP have not yet been reported. In this study, PSMP was found to be expressed in colitis and colonic tumor tissues from patients and significantly up-regulated in mouse DSS-induced colitis tissues. PSMP overexpression in the colon aggravated the DSS-induced colitis and the anti-PSMP neutralizing antibody mollified the colitis by reducing macrophage infiltration and inhibiting the expression of IL-6, TNF-α and CCL2. Furthermore, we demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide and muramyl dipeptide induced PSMP expression in the colonic epithelial cells. PSMP was up-regulated in the initial stage prior to IL-6, TNF-α and CCL2 up-regulated expression in DSS colitis and promoted the M1 macrophages to produce CCL2. PSMP chemo-attracted Ly6Chi monocytes in a CCR2 dependent manner via in situ chemotaxis and adoptive transfer assays. Our data identify PSMP as a key molecule in ulcerative colitis, which provides a novel mechanism of monocyte/macrophage migration that affects gut innate immunity and makes PSMP a potential target for controlling colitis.
Prototype of a bistable polariton field-effect transistor switch
Authors: Suchomel H. , Brodbeck S. , Liew T. C. H. , Amthor M. , Klaas M. , Klembt S. , Kamp M. , Höfling S. , Schneider C.
Published: July 2017

Microcavity exciton polaritons are promising candidates to build a new generation of highly nonlinear and integrated optoelectronic devices. Such devices range from novel coherent light emitters to reconfigurable potential landscapes for electro-optical polariton-lattice based quantum simulators as well as building blocks of optical logic architectures. Especially for the latter, the strongly interacting nature of the light-matter hybrid particles has been used to facilitate fast and efficient switching of light by light, something which is very hard to achieve with weakly interacting photons. We demonstrate here that polariton transistor switches can be fully integrated in electro-optical schemes by implementing a one-dimensional polariton channel which is operated by an electrical gate rather than by a control laser beam. The operation of the device, which is the polariton equivalent to a field-effect transistor, relies on combining electro-optical potential landscape engineering with local exciton ionization to control the scattering dynamics underneath the gate. We furthermore demonstrate that our device has a region of negative differential resistance and features a completely new way to create bistable behavior.
Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 augments myoblast adhesion and fusion through homophilic trans-interactions
Authors: Pizza Francis X. , Martin Ryan A. , Springer Evan M. , Leffler Maxwell S. , Woelmer Bryce R. , Recker Isaac J. , Leaman Douglas W.
Published: July 2017

The overall objective of the study was to identify mechanisms through which intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) augments the adhesive and fusogenic properties of myogenic cells. Hypotheses were tested using cultured myoblasts and fibroblasts, which do not constitutively express ICAM-1, and myoblasts and fibroblasts forced to express full length ICAM-1 or a truncated form lacking the cytoplasmic domain of ICAM-1. ICAM-1 mediated myoblast adhesion and fusion were quantified using novel assays and cell mixing experiments. We report that ICAM-1 augments myoblast adhesion to myoblasts and myotubes through homophilictrans-interactions. Such adhesive interactions enhanced levels of active Rac in adherent and fusing myoblasts, as well as triggered lamellipodia, spreading, and fusion of myoblasts through the signaling function of the cytoplasmic domain of ICAM-1. Rac inhibition negated ICAM-1 mediated lamellipodia, spreading, and fusion of myoblasts. The fusogenic property of ICAM-1-ICAM-1 interactions was restricted to myogenic cells, as forced expression of ICAM-1 by fibroblasts did not augment their fusion to ICAM-1+ myoblasts/myotubes. We conclude that ICAM-1 augments myoblast adhesion and fusion through its ability to self-associate and initiate Rac-mediated remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton.
A Five-Region Hypothesis Test for Exposure-Disease Associations
Authors: Shih Han-Yi , Lee Wen-Chung
Published: July 2017

Characterizing exposure-disease associations is a central issue in epidemiology, one which epidemiologists often approach by adopting the index of the odds ratio and presenting its point estimate, p-value and confidence interval. In this study, the parameter space of the odds ratio is partitioned into five mutually exclusive regions corresponding to ‘strong protective factor’, ‘weak protective factor’, ‘no association’, ‘weak risk factor’, and ‘strong risk factor’, respectively. The authors presented a suite of statistical methods tailored to such a five-region demarcation, including methods for hypothesis testing, confidence interval estimation and calculation of the sample size needed to obtain the desired level of statistical power. The authors show that the five-region methods can efficiently and informatively describe a putative exposure-disease association, including its presence or absence, as well as its direction and strength (if any association exists). Three published results were re-analyzed to demonstrate the methods. R code is provided for convenience as well. The five-region methods are recommended for routine use during the analysis of epidemiologic data.
A novel STK1-targeted small-molecule as an “antibiotic resistance breaker” against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Kant Sashi , Asthana Shailendra , Missiakas Dominique , Pancholi Vijay
Published: July 2017

Ser/Thr protein kinase (STK1) plays a critical role in cell wall biosynthesis of and drug resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA strains lacking STK1 become susceptible to failing cephalosporins, such as Ceftriaxone and Cefotaxime. STK1, despite being nonessential protein for MRSA survival, it can serve as an important therapeutic agent for combination therapy. Here, we report a novel small molecule quinazoline compound, Inh2-B1, which specifically inhibits STK1 activity by directly binding to its ATP-binding catalytic domain. Functional analyses encompassing in vitro growth inhibition of MRSA, and in vivo protection studies in mice against the lethal MRSA challenge indicated that at high concentration neither Inh2-B1 nor Ceftriaxone or Cefotaxime alone was able to inhibit the growth of bacteria or protect the challenged mice. However, the growth of MRSA was inhibited, and a significant protection in mice against the bacterial challenge was observed at a micromolar concentration of Ceftriaxone or Cefotaxime in the presence of Inh2-B1. Cell-dependent minimal to no toxicity of Inh2-B1, and its abilities to down-regulate cell wall hydrolase genes and disrupt the biofilm formation of MRSA clearly indicated that Inh2-B1 serves as a therapeutically important “antibiotic-resistance-breaker,” which enhances the bactericidal activity of Ceftriaxone/Cefotaxime against highly pathogenic MRSA infection.
Sustainable Electrochemical Depolymerization of Lignin in Reusable Ionic Liquids
Authors: Dier Tobias K. F. , Rauber Daniel , Durneata Dan , Hempelmann Rolf , Volmer Dietrich A.
Published: July 2017

Lignin’s aromatic building blocks provide a chemical resource that is, in theory, ideal for substitution of aromatic petrochemicals. Moreover, degradation and valorization of lignin has the potential to generate many high-value chemicals for technical applications. In this study, electrochemical degradation of alkali and Organosolv lignin was performed using the ionic liquids 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate and triethylammonium methanesulfonate. The extensive degradation of the investigated lignins with simultaneous almost full recovery of the electrolyte materials provided a sustainable alternative to more common lignin degradation processes. We demonstrate here that both the presence (and the absence) of water during electrolysis and proton transport reactions had significant impact on the degradation efficiency. Hydrogen peroxide radical formation promoted certain electrochemical mechanisms in electrolyte systems “contaminated” with water and increased yields of low molecular weight products significantly. The proposed mechanisms were tentatively confirmed by determining product distributions using a combination of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry, allowing measurement of both polar versus non-polar as well as volatile versus non-volatile components in the mixtures.
Mutual influence between current-induced giant magnetoresistance and radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations in the GaAs/AlGaAs 2DES
Authors: Samaraweera R. L. , Liu H.-C. , Wang Z. , Reichl C. , Wegscheider W. , Mani R. G.
Published: July 2017

Radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations are examined in the GaAs/AlGaAs 2D system in the regime where an observed concurrent giant magnetoresistance is systematically varied with a supplementary dc-current, I
dc
. The I
dc
tuned giant magnetoresistance is subsequently separated from the photo-excited oscillatory resistance using a multi-conduction model in order to examine the interplay between the two effects. The results show that the invoked multiconduction model describes the observed giant magnetoresistance effect even in the presence of radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations, the magnetoresistance oscillations do not modify the giant magnetoresistance, and the magnetoresistance oscillatory extrema, i.e., maxima and minima, disappear rather asymmetrically with increasing I
dc
. The results suggest the interpretation that the I
dc
serves to suppress scattering between states near the Fermi level in a strong magnetic field limit.
AhpC of the mycobacterial antioxidant defense system and its interaction with its reducing partner Thioredoxin-C
Authors: Wong Chui Fann , Shin Joon , Subramanian Manimekalai Malathy Sony , Saw Wuan Geok , Yin Zhan , Bhushan Shashi , Kumar Arvind , Ragunathan Priya , Grüber Gerhard
Published: July 2017

Despite the highly oxidative environment of the phagosomal lumen, the need for maintaining redox homeostasis is a critical aspect of mycobacterial biology. The pathogens are equipped with the sophisticated thioredoxin- (Trx) and peroxiredoxin system, including TrxC and the alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit C (AhpC), whereby TrxC is one of the reducing partners of AhpC. Here we visualize the redox modulated dodecamer ring formation of AhpC from Mycobacterium bovis (BCG strain; MbAhpC) using electron microscopy and present novel insights into the unique N-terminal epitope (40 residues) of mycobacterial AhpC. Truncations and amino acid substitutions of residues in the unique N-terminus of MbAhpC provide insights into their structural and enzymatic roles, and into the evolutionary divergence of mycobacterial AhpC versus that of other bacteria. These structural details shed light on the epitopes and residues of TrxC which contributes to its interaction with AhpC. Since human cells lack AhpC, the unique N-terminal epitope of mycobacterial AhpC as well as the MbAhpC-TrxC interface represent an ideal drug target.
Repression of Abd-B by Polycomb is critical for cell identity maintenance in adult Drosophila testis
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Pan Chenyu , Lv Xiangdong , Wu Wei , Chen Hao , Wu Wenqing , Wu Hailong , Zhang Lei , Zhao Yun
Published: July 2017

Hox genes play a fundamental role in regulating animal development. However, less is known about their functions on homeostasis maintenance in adult stem cells. Here, we report that the repression of an important axial Hox gene, Abdominal-B (Abd-B), in cyst stem cells (CySCs) is essential for the homeostasis and cell identity maintenance in the adult Drosophila testis. Derepression of Abd-B in CySCs disrupts the proper self-renewal of both germline stem cells (GSCs) and CySCs, and leads to an excessive expansion of early stage somatic cells, which originate from both lineages. We further demonstrate that canonical Polycomb (Pc) and functional pathway of Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are responsible for maintaining the germline cell identity non-autonomously via repressing Abd-B in CySCs in the adult Drosophila testis.