bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modification of Diesohol Fuel Properties by Using Cashew Nut Shell Liquid and Biodiesel as Additives
Authors: Bangjang Thapanee , Saisangtong Rarinthron , Kaewchada Amaraporn , Jaree Attasak
Published: September 2014

In this research, modified diesohol blends were characterized with cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) and biodiesel as additives. Different proportions of CNSL, diesel, and ethanol were prepared to study the properties of the fuel blends such as viscosity, heating value, acid value, and cetane index. The minimum threshold limit of 6 % by volume of CNSL provided a stable mixture. The viscosity increased slightly with increasing CNSL content whereas the heating value was not significantly affected. All of the fuel blends did not meet the fuel standard in terms of the acid value. Biodiesel was used as a substitute for a fraction of CNSL to lower the acid value. The final fuel blend was DE20 (diesohol with 20 % ethanol content) with 0.5 % CNSL and 12 % biodiesel (by volume). The acid value, viscosity, and heating value were 0.78 mg(KOH) g−1, 2.69 cSt, and 40.11 MJ kg−1, respectively. The economic analysis showed that the ex‐refinery and retail prices of the fuel blend were 22.83 and 28.32 baht L−1, respectively (≈32 Thai baht=$1 US, with the current exchange rates).
Microwave Drying of Drilled Cuttings in the Context of Waste Disposal and Drilling Fluid Recovery
Authors: Santos Jéssika M. , Pereira Marina S. , Júnior Irineu P. , Pena Matheus M. R. , Ataíde Carlos H.
Published: September 2014

The use of drilling fluids in oil drilling process generates solid–liquid mixtures that must be separated. One of the aims of this process is compliance with environmental laws regarding to disposal of waste from drilling activities. The present study aims to investigate the microwave drying of contaminated drilled cuttings. The aspects investigated are: cuttings size and shape, bed height, composition of the drilling fluid, and application of a sweep gas. The results show that mixtures of cuttings containing rounder and larger particles lead to greater removal of drilling fluid than mixtures that consist of less‐round and finer particles. The increase of the bed height leads to higher efficiency in terms of n‐paraffin removal. The use of a sweep gas increases the n‐paraffin removal from 75 to 90 %. The higher the water content on the drilling fluid, the greater the removal of organic phase. The microwave heating does not cause significant changes in the organic phase recovered.
An Oxygen‐Insensitive Degradable Resist for Fabricating Metallic Patterns on Highly Curved Surfaces by UV‐Nanoimprint Lithography
Authors: Hu Xin , Huang Shisong , Gu Ronghua , Yuan Changsheng , Ge Haixiong , Chen Yanfeng
Published: September 2014

In this paper, an oxygen‐insensitive degradable resist for UV‐nanoimprint is designed, com­prising a polycyclic degradable acrylate monomer, 2,10‐diacryloyloxymethyl‐1,4,9,12‐tetraoxa­spiro [4.2.4.2] tetradecane (DAMTT), and a multifunctional thiol monomer pentaerythritol tetra(3‐mercaptopropionate) (PETMP). The resist can be quickly UV‐cured in the air atmosphere and achieve a high monomer conversion of over 98%, which greatly reduce the adhesion force between the resist and the soft mold. High conversion, in company with an adequate Young's modulus (about 1 GPa) and an extremely low shrinkage (1.34%), promises high nanoimprint resolution of sub‐50 nm. The cross‐linked resist is able to break into linear molecules in a hot acid solvent. As a result, metallic patterns are fabricated on highly curved surfaces via the lift off process without the assistance of a thermoplastic polymer layer.

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Clinical, positron emission tomography, and pathological studies of DNAJC13 p.N855S Parkinsonism
Authors: Appel‐Cresswell Silke , Rajput Ali H , Sossi Vesna , Thompson Christina , Silva Vanessa , McKenzie Jessamyn , Dinelle Katherine , McCormick Siobhan E. , Vilariño‐Güell Carles , Stoessl A. Jon , Dickson Dennis W , Robinson Chris A. , Farrer Matthew J. , Rajput Alex
Published: September 2014

Background

Families of Dutch‐German‐Russian Mennonite descent with multi‐incident parkinsonism have been identified as harboring a pathogenic DNAJC13 p.N855S mutation and are awaiting clinical and pathophysiological characterization.

Methods

Family members were examined clinically longitudinally, and 5 underwent dopaminergic PET imaging. Four family members came to autopsy.

Results

Of the 16 symptomatic DNAJC13 mutation carriers, 12 had clinically definite, 3 probable, and 1 possible Parkinson's disease (PD). Symptoms included bradykinesia, tremor, rigidity, and postural instability, with a mean onset of 63 years (range, 40‐85) and slow progression. Eight of ten subjects who required treatment had a good levodopa response; motor complications and nonmotor symptoms were observed. Dopaminergic PET imaging revealed rostrocaudal striatal deficits typical for idiopathic PD in established disease and subtle abnormalities in incipient disease. Pathological examinations revealed Lewy body pathology.

Conclusion

PD associated with a DNAJC13 p.N855S mutation presents as late‐onset, often slowly progressive, usually dopamine‐responsive typical PD. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of the Ring‐Opening Polymerization of L,L‐Lactide
Authors: Pladis Prokopios , Karidi Konstantina , Mantourlias Theofanis , Kiparissides Costas
Published: September 2014

A comprehensive mathematical model was developed based on a detailed kinetic mechanism to predict the dynamic evolution of monomer conversion and molecular weight averages. The predictive capabilities of the mathematical model are demonstrated by a direct comparison of model predictions with literature and new experimental data on monomer conversion as well as number and weight average molecular‐weight of PLLA. The effects of monomer to initiator molar ratio and polymerization temperature on the polymerization rate and average molecular weight properties of polylactide were experimentally determined and compared with model predictions. For this reason, high molecular weight polylactides were synthesized in melt via the ring‐opening polymerization of L,L‐lactide, in the presence of stannous octoate.
Effects of exercise with and without different degrees of blood flow restriction on torque and muscle activation
Authors: Loenneke Jeremy P. , Kim Daeyeol , Fahs Christopher A. , Thiebaud Robert S. , Abe Takashi , Larson Rebecca D. , Bemben Debra A. , Bemben Michael G.
Published: September 2014

Introduction

An unresolved question in resistance training combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) is what percentage of estimated arterial occlusion pressure provides the most robust acute muscular response.

Methods

Forty participants were assigned to Experiments 1, 2, or 3. Each experiment completed exercise protocols differing by pressure, exercise load, and/or volume. Torque was measured pre‐ and postexercise, and muscle activation was measured pre‐ and during each set.

Results

Pressure and load did not affect torque greatly. Muscle activation increased in all conditions (P < 0.05) and was higher with 30% 1RM compared with 20% 1RM. Pressure appeared to increase muscle activation from 40% to 50% arterial occlusion [66% vs. 87% maximal voluntary contraction (30% 1RM)] but was not further increased with higher pressure.

Conclusion

Different levels of BFR may alter the acute muscular response to a degree, although higher pressures do not appear to augment these changes. Muscle Nerve 51:713–721, 2015
LOCAL TAXES AND LOCAL EXPENDITURES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: STRENGTHENING THE WICKSELLIAN CONNECTION
Authors: Bird Richard M. , Slack Enid
Published: September 2014

Many countries are decentralizing in various ways. Decentralization is often intended at least partly to make government more efficient, flexible, and responsive. Many studies have evaluated the effects of decentralization on the provision of such services as health and education as well as on corruption, stability, and growth. Because what governments do and how well they do it is inseparably entangled with the question of how they are financed, this article outlines why and how a key element in a sound decentralization program should be to strengthen the linkage between local expenditures and local revenues—called here the Wicksellian Connection. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of boundary‐layer type in a weather forecast model utilizing long‐term Doppler lidar observations
Authors: Harvey N. J. , Hogan R. J. , Dacre H. F.
Published: September 2014

Many studies evaluating model boundary‐layer schemes focus on either near‐surface parameters or short‐term observational campaigns. This reflects the observational datasets that are widely available for use in model evaluation. In this article, we show how surface and long‐term Doppler lidar observations, combined in such a way as to match model representation of the boundary layer as closely as possible, can be used to evaluate the skill of boundary‐layer forecasts. We use a two‐year observational dataset from a rural site in the UK to evaluate a climatology of boundary‐layer type forecast by the UK Met Office Unified Model. In addition, we demonstrate the use of a binary skill score (Symmetric Extremal Dependence Index, SEDI) to investigate the dependence of forecast skill on season, horizontal resolution and forecast lead time. A clear diurnal and seasonal cycle can be seen in the climatology of both model and observations, with the main discrepancies being the model overpredicting cumulus‐capped and decoupled stratocumulus‐capped boundary layers and underpredicting well‐mixed boundary layers. Using the SEDI skill score, the model is most skilful at predicting the surface stability. The skill of the model in predicting cumulus‐capped and stratocumulus‐capped stable boundary‐layer forecasts is low, but greater than a 24 h persistence forecast. In contrast, the prediction of decoupled boundary layers and boundary layers with multiple cloud layers is lower than persistence. This process‐based evaluation approach has the potential to be applied to other boundary‐layer parametrization schemes with similar decision structures.
Satellite interference evaluation: joint effect of modeling earth station locations and earth station antenna sidelobe gains as random variables
Authors: Tamo Alberth , Fortes José Mauro P.
Published: September 2014

When several satellite communication systems share the same frequency band, each system operates under the aggregate interference generated by the others. In this interfering environment, interference calculation procedures in which worst‐case situations and simplifying assumptions are considered are commonly used. Given that the geostationary satellite orbit and the frequency spectrum are limited resources, it is important to consider alternatives that lead to a more precise interference evaluation. One of these alternatives is the use of a probabilistic methodology, in which some of the parameters involved are modeled as random variables. This work considers the specific case in which the earth station geographic locations and the sidelobe gains of their antennas are modeled as random. Analytical expressions for the probability distribution function of the carrier to aggregate interference ratio are determined. The proposed methodology is applied to scenarios involving multiple multibeam satellite networks and the results are compared with those obtained with the usual deterministic procedure. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transition to a product line infrastructure: experience at Akari Software
Authors: Hegarty Paraic , O'Leary Eoghan , Dineen Danny , Bustard David , Moore Adrian
Published: September 2014

Akari Software offers a family of software products supporting curriculum management in higher education. The work started with one specific commission, but within 4 years, a small product suite had been developed, with ten organisations using customised variants of those products. In effect, a product family had been created but without the underlying structure and processes needed to ensure the efficient creation and maintenance of variants. This is a common issue faced by software companies as their product range expands. In 2010, Akari began making internal changes to develop a product range infrastructure that was suitable both for its existing products and its plans for future growth. The purpose of this paper is to describe the product line transition that occurred, both to share the experience involved and to identify a number of general lessons learned. The work was supported by a FUSION project, funded by InterTradeIreland, undertaken in collaboration with the University of Ulster. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Concise Reviews: In Vitro-Produced Pancreas Organogenesis Models in Three Dimensions: Self-Organization From Few Stem Cells or Progenitors
Authors: Greggio Chiara , De Franceschi Filippo , Grapin-Botton Anne
Published: September 2014

Three-dimensional models of organ biogenesis have recently flourished. They promote a balance between stem/progenitor cell expansion and differentiation without the constraints of flat tissue culture vessels, allowing for autonomous self-organization of cells. Such models allow the formation of miniature organs in a dish and are emerging for the pancreas, starting from embryonic progenitors and adult cells. This review focuses on the currently available systems and how these allow new types of questions to be addressed. We discuss the expected advancements including their potential to study human pancreas development and function as well as to develop diabetes models and therapeutic cells. Stem Cells  2015;33:8–14
Kidney: polycystic kidney disease
Authors: Paul Binu M. , Vanden Heuvel Gregory B.
Published: September 2014

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a life‐threatening genetic disorder characterized by the presence of fluid‐filled cysts primarily in the kidneys. PKD can be inherited as autosomal recessive (ARPKD) or autosomal dominant (ADPKD) traits. Mutations in either the PKD1 or PKD2 genes, which encode polycystin 1 and polycystin 2, are the underlying cause of ADPKD. Progressive cyst formation and renal enlargement lead to renal insufficiency in these patients, which need to be managed by lifelong dialysis or renal transplantation. While characteristic features of PKD are abnormalities in epithelial cell proliferation, fluid secretion, extracellular matrix and differentiation, the molecular mechanisms underlying these events are not understood. Here we review the progress that has been made in defining the function of the polycystins, and how disruption of these functions may be involved in cystogenesis. WIREs Dev Biol 2014, 3:465–487. doi: 10.1002/wdev.152

This article is categorized under:

Signaling Pathways > Global Signaling Mechanisms

Birth Defects > Organ Anomalies
Public Health Policy in the United Kingdom: After the War on Tobacco, Is a War on Alcohol Brewing?
Authors: Cairney Paul , Studlar Donley
Published: September 2014

The United Kingdom now has one of the most comprehensive tobacco control policies in the world, a far cry from its status two decades ago. Some influential public health voices have called for a similar campaign against alcohol consumption. But is the comparison appropriate? We identify the factors which were important in the relatively successful campaign for tobacco control, then analyze the obstacles and opportunities facing the movement for more stringent alcohol control. Alcohol policy today often bears a striking resemblance to tobacco policy pre‐1990s, when the UK started on its path to becoming a leading regulatory on this policy.
Towards an environmental history of the eastern Red River Delta, Vietnam, c.900–1400
Authors: Tana Li
Published: September 2014

This article focuses on the eastern region of the Red River Delta, Vietnam, between the tenth and sixteenth centuries. This area was an important centre of economic and population growth in Đại Việt in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and nurtured Đại Việt's sophisticated and renowned ceramics industry, hosted leading schools of Vietnamese Buddhism and bred a rising class of scholars and bureaucrats. The region's rapid rise as an economic and political centre was, however, also the key to its undoing. The sudden spike in population density, and the intensive logging carried out for ceramic production, and temple and ship building, overtaxed the area's natural resources. The burden on the local ecology was exacerbated by the Trần dynasty's dyke building project, which shifted the river's course. The ensuing environmental deterioration might have been one major reason for the Vietnamese forsaking the large-scale ceramic production in Chu Đậu, deserting their main port, Vân Đồn, and for the Chinese abandoning a historical maritime invasion route.
Potent rituals and the royal dead: Historical transformations in Vietnamese ritual practice
Authors: Marouda Marina
Published: September 2014

This article considers the intricate entanglements of ritual, history and power by focusing on the recent rejuvenation of ritual practices pertaining to former kings as enacted in contemporary Huế, the former imperial capital of Việt Nam (1802–1945). It examines how the Nguyễn monarchs, who were previously repudiated by the early socialist regime, have been ritually reinstated as extraordinary ancestral figures and acknowledged as potent spirits to whom many turn for blessings. Drawing on ethnographic and historical material, the article traces changes in the locals' ritual engagements with the royal dead and pays attention to fluctuations in the posthumous fate of the Nguyễn royalty while highlighting the city's transformation from imperial capital to a tourist marketplace via the horrors of the battlefield.
The repatriation of the Chinese as a counter-insurgency policy during the Malayan Emergency
Authors: Chin Low Choo
Published: September 2014

During the Malayan Emergency, British High Commissioner Henry Gurney pushed the policy of repatriating to China thousands of ‘alien’ Chinese detainees suspected of supporting the Malayan Communist Party's guerrilla war. This article traces the stages of this controversial policy, which, despite obstacles, remained a key counter-insurgency strategy until 1953. But the policy ignored the civil war in China and risked jeopardising Sino–British relations. When China closed its ports, the British administration put forth more desperate proposals to continue repatriation, often in the face of Foreign Office objections, ranging from negotiations with the PRC, to dumping deportees on the coast of China, and even approaching the Formosan government. Yet, while the Chinese were the target of both harsh early counter-insurgency techniques and communist violence, when the faltering repatriation policy was replaced by the mass resettlement of ‘squatters’ in Malaya itself, the Chinese were given a path to citizenship, changing their political future and that of the nation.
Malcolm MacDonald and Brunei: Diplomacy with intimacy
Authors: Hussainmiya B.A.
Published: September 2014

This article narrates the long-standing diplomatic relationship between Malcolm MacDonald and Brunei. Macdonald played a significant role in safeguarding Brunei's survival as an independent Malay Islamic sultanate during decolonisation. He prevented Brunei from becoming a British crown colony in 1946 unlike the neighbouring states of Sarawak and North Borneo. Having failed to unite the three North Borneo territories into a federation, he may have concurred with Brunei's decision to opt out of the Malaysian Federation in August 1963 and thereafter. Due to his empathy with the Brunei sultans, especially Omar Ali Saifuddin the III, MacDonald's approach for Brunei's future contradicted the vision of his contemporaries for democratising Brunei.
The biequivalence of locally cartesian closed categories and Martin-Löf type theories
Authors: CLAIRAMBAULT PIERRE , DYBJER PETER
Published: September 2014

Seely's paperLocally cartesian closed categories and type theory(Seely 1984) contains a well-known result in categorical type theory: that the category of locally cartesian closed categories is equivalent to the category of Martin-Löf type theories with Π, Σ and extensional identity types. However, Seely's proof relies on the problematic assumption that substitution in types can be interpreted by pullbacks. Here we prove a corrected version of Seely's theorem: that the Bénabou–Hofmann interpretation of Martin-Löf type theory in locally cartesian closed categories yields a biequivalence of 2-categories. To facilitate the technical development, we employ categories with families as a substitute for syntactic Martin-Löf type theories. As a second result, we prove that if we remove Π-types, the resulting categories with families with only Σ and extensional identity types are biequivalent to left exact categories.
Reading and rhythm in the ‘La Clayette’ manuscript (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, nouv. acq. fr. 13521)
Authors: CURRAN SEAN
Published: September 2014

Previous commentators have maligned the La Clayette manuscript as a source of Ars Antiqua motets on three grounds: that its layout is not arranged for use in performance; that its notation is unsophisticated in its use of mensural forms; and that it is heavy with errors. This article offers a palaeographical account of the music fascicle and its methods of production, arguing that its layout was tailored to match the manuscript's literary portions, and was designed first by a text scribe specialising in the vernacular, which accounts for many of the supposed problems. The article describes the notator's ‘house style’ and his means of dealing with the text scribe's frequent errors, suggesting he was largely successful in transmitting usable musical readings. All this provides an opportunity to think through the historical possibilities for literate interaction with written polyphony in the thirteenth century. It is suggested that La Clayette was understood by its users as a tool with which a single reader could teach other, perhaps non-literate people to sing polytextual pieces.
Canonic techniques in the caccia: compositional strategies and historical development
Authors: LOPATIN MIKHAIL
Published: September 2014

Canonic techniques in the Trecento caccia reveal a wide spectrum of ostinato procedures ranging from brief cadence patterns to large-scale harmonic and/or melodic repetition schemes. The ostinato phenomenon is thus an important structural component of canonic technique in the caccia. This article examines these ostinato patterns in terms of a putative historical and structural transformation of the genre at the intersection of unwritten and written practices. Special emphasis is placed on the definition of the caccia from the anonymous Trecento treatise, Capitulum de vocibus applicatis verbis, and its correlation with the early layer of the caccia repertoire.
Insecurity in architecture
Authors: Verma Neena
Published: September 2014

‘I myself do not believe in explaining anything’, wrote Shel Silverstein. It seems that architecture is always looking to explain itself. Definitions of architecture seem almost common knowledge; ask a bartender, biologist, computer scientist, economist, legislator, birdwatcher, quilter or scientist, each of whom analogises their field with respect to architecture. And several within the profession can themselves define architecture's limits quite elegantly. Most recently Steven Holl defined architecture as consisting simply of abstract, use, space and idea. However, seeking a rationale or explanation for architecture – its role in society, its impact, its value – remains an open debate. This debate has consumed the field, in academia and practice, for centuries. It suggests a dire insecurity.

Shifts in architecture's self-perception and self-explanation often relate to formal styles. Any text on architectural history covers these styles, from Neolithic to contemporary, including accompanying sub-movements such as, for the early modern category, Expressionist architecture, Art Deco, and the so-called ‘International Style’. Each style is often imagined a product of, or reaction to, a preceding style, and much the same can be said of accompanying trends in the explanation of architecture. This essay, and its underlying argument, is itself a reaction to the current state of affairs.
Assessment of the impact of comorbidity on the survival of cancer patients treated by palliative care teams
Authors: Calvo-Espinos Claudio , De Gaona-Lana Estefania Ruiz , Gonzalez-Anguren Cristina , Lama-Gay Marcos
Published: September 2014

Objective:

The usefulness of the age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI) as a gauge of the impact of comorbidity on survival is known in the geriatric population. In palliative care, there is little research studying the correlation between comorbidity and survival in the advanced stages of oncological disease. The aim of our study was to explore the impact of comorbidity, measured with the ACCI, on survival in our patients. Our hypothesis was that higher ACCI scores would be associated with lower survival rates after the first visit.

Method:

We conducted a prospective observational study over one year. Patients were attended by palliative home care teams. The main variables were: survival from metastatic disease after the first visit and ACCI score on the first visit. We also employed a descriptive analysis and a Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, including different ranges of ACCI scores.

Results:

The final sample included 66 subjects. The standard patient was a 76-year-old man with lung cancer who had received chemotherapy. The overall average ACCI score was 10.45. Significant differences were found between the different locations of metastatic disease (greater survivals in breast, ovary, and prostate; p = 0.005) and some treatments (hormone and radiotherapy; p = 0.001 for each), but not from the first visit. We found lower survival rates among lung cancer patients with higher comorbidity (ACCI ≥ 11, p = 0.047), with no differences on other primary locations or overall values.

Significance of results:

The data show that comorbidity measured by the ACCI may be an interesting prognostic factor during the late stages of disease, as we have found in lung cancer. More research is certainly needed.
Depression und Burnout
Authors: Rössler Wulf
Published: September 2014

Burnout ist keine psychiatrische Diagnose, sondern ein arbeits- und organisationspsychologisches Konzept über die Auswirkungen von unangemessenen Arbeitsbedingungen auf die Psyche von Menschen. Burnout kann ein Mediator für eine klinisch zu diagnostizierende Depression oder ähnliche Störungsbilder sein. Schwerere Ausprägungen von Burnout erfüllen meistens die Kriterien einer Anpassungsstörung. Von ärztlicher Seite steht die Klärung der Auslöser für ein Burnout im Vordergrund. Neben dem Arbeitsumfeld ist v. a. zu klären, welche Persönlichkeitsmerkmale einem Burnout ggfs. Vorschub leisten. Die psychologischen/psychotherapeutischen Ansätze sind vorzugsweise auf die Stress-Reduktion gerichtet. Die empirische Fundierung hierfür ist eher schwach.
The Effects of Processing Speed and Memory Span on Working Memory
Authors: Kunimi Mitsunobu , Kojima Haruyuki
Published: September 2014

This study examined the processing speed and memory span of young adults and older people using tasks based on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III, Wechsler, 1997 ). By comparing the data obtained from these tasks, we examined the effects of processing speed and memory span on working memory (WM). In addition, this study examined how presentation modality and the subject’s age are related to WM. Multiple regression analysis of the effect of memory span for each presentation modality used processing time as a factor to predict the WM span of various age groups. The result was two equations for predicting WM span. According to these equations, WM is negatively correlated with “age group” and “processing time,” and positively correlated with “memory span.” Memory span and processing speed were found to have similar impacts on WM, regardless of the presentation modality. However, our results suggested that visual WM and auditory WM are different functions, and that auditory WM is more strongly affected by memory span than visual WM.
Attachment and Psychological Health in Older Couples Coping with Pain
Authors: Monin Joan K. , Zhou Lu , Kershaw Trace
Published: September 2014

Attachment theory is useful for understanding how couples cope with stress across the lifespan. This study used the the Actor Partner Interdependence Model to examine the extent to which attachment related to one’s own (actor effect) and one’s partner’s (partner effect) depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction among older, married couples with a musculoskeletal condition. Pain and support were also examined as mediators. A group of 77 couples completed self-report measures as part of a larger study in which support was manipulated. Results revealed that, when one or both partners were insecurely attached, both partners reported greater depressive symptoms and lower satisfaction; however, pain and support were not significant mediators. Findings have implications for targeted, dyadic interventions to improve psychological health of couples coping with pain.
Altered Coupling of Regional Cerebral Blood flow and Brain Temperature in Schizophrenia Compared with Bipolar Disorder and Healthy Subjects
Authors: Ota Miho , Sato Noriko , Sakai Koji , Okazaki Mitsutoshi , Maikusa Norihide , Hattori Kotaro , Hori Hiroaki , Teraishi Toshiya , Shimoji Keigo , Yamada Kei , Kunugi Hiroshi
Published: September 2014

Previous studies have suggested that schizophrenia patients have dysfunctional thermoregulation. The aim of this study was to examine whether brain temperature (BT) in schizophrenia patients differs from that in patients with bipolar disorder and healthy subjects by using magnetic resonance imaging. We also evaluated the possible relationship between BT and cerebral blood flow (CBF). We analyzed the temperature of lateral ventricles as the mean BT using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) thermometry, and evaluated the relationships between the BT and the CBF using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) among 3 diagnostic groups, 22 male patients with schizophrenia, 19 male patients with bipolar disorder, and 23 healthy male subjects. There were significant positive correlations between BT in the lateral ventricles and CBF in both the patients with bipolar disorder and healthy subjects. By contrast, there were significant negative correlations in patients with schizophrenia. We could not detect the significant difference in the surrogates of BT among three diagnostic groups. We showed that patients with schizophrenia, but not those with bipolar disorder, have dysfunctional thermoregulation in the brain. Brain temperature is highly dependent on cerebral metabolism and CBF, and thus uncoupling of cerebral metabolism and CBF may occur in schizophrenics.
Voltage-gated Sodium Channels: Structure, Function, and Molecular Pharmacology
Authors: Catterall William A.
Published: September 2014

Voltage-gated sodium channels initiate action potentials in neurons and other excitable cells, and they are responsible for propagation of action potentials along nerve and muscle fibers. They are complexes of a large pore-forming α-subunit and smaller β-subunits. Multiple genes encode sodium channel subunits, and the distinct sodium channel subtypes have subtle differences in functional properties, differential expression in excitable cells, and differential distribution in subcellular compartments. These differences in function and localization contribute to the specialized functional roles of sodium channels in neuronal physiology and pharmacology. Studies of the structure and function of sodium channels have revealed the molecular basis for voltage-dependent activation, inactivation, and ion conductance and selectivity. Drugs that act on sodium channels are used in local anesthesia and in treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, epilepsy, and bipolar disorder. Current drug discovery efforts are focused on development of sodium channel blockers that would be selective for sodium channels in sensory neurons and would have long-term therapeutic benefit for chronic pain. These functional and pharmacological properties of sodium channels are now being analyzed at the structural level through x-ray crystallographic studies of ancestral bacterial sodium channels. The resulting structures have given new insight into the functional architecture of the sodium channel and its drug receptor sites at the atomic level and have revealed lateral fenestrations that would allow direct access to the local anesthetic receptor site in the pore for entry of drugs from the membrane bilayer.
The Discovery of Novel Inhaled ENaC Blockers for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease
Authors: Howsham Catherine , Danahay Henry
Published: September 2014

On a daily basis we can inhale up to 12,000 liters of air, and with this comes a wealth of particles including environmental pollutants, allergens and microbes that impact on the surface epithelium of the lung. The lungs maintain a sterile environment through the utilization of various systems, including phagocytosis of particles by lung resident macrophages, and also through mucociliary (MCC) and cough clearance (CC). An increasing body of data now highlights the degree of lung mucosal hydration as being central to effective MCC and CC, and the salient roles that a number of ion channels can play in the regulation of hydration. This chapter focuses on one of these ion channels – the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) – and the hypothesis that blocking ENaC in the lung mucosa will result in an enhancement of mucus clearance, thereby reducing the risk of acquiring respiratory infections. A review of the drug discovery approaches to attenuate airway ENaC function, and the status of key experimental compounds in clinical trials, is also provided.
The Therapeutic Potential of Small-molecule Modulators of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) Cl− Channel
Authors: Liu Jia , Cami-Kobeci Gerta , Wang Yiting , Khuituan Pissared , Cai Zhiwei , Li Hongyu , Husbands Stephen M. , Sheppard David N.
Published: September 2014

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) plays a pivotal role in fluid and electrolyte movements across ducts and tubes lined by epithelia. Loss of CFTR function causes the common life-limiting genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF) and a spectrum of disorders termed CFTR-related diseases, while unphysiological CFTR activity characterises secretory diarrhoea and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The prevalence of these disorders argues persuasively that small-molecule CFTR modulators have significant therapeutic potential. Here, we discuss how knowledge and understanding of the CFTR Cl− channel, its physiological role and malfunction in disease led to the development of the CFTR potentiator ivacaftor, the first small molecule targeting CFTR approved as a treatment for CF. We consider the prospects for developing other therapeutics targeting directly CFTR including CFTR correctors to rescue the apical membrane expression of CF mutants, CFTR corrector-potentiators, dual-acting small-molecules to correct the processing and gating defects of F508del-CFTR, the commonest CF mutant and CFTR inhibitors to prevent fluid and electrolyte loss in secretory diarrhoea and cyst swelling in ADPKD. The success of ivacaftor provides impetus to other CFTR drug development programmes and a paradigm for the creation of therapeutics targeting the root cause of other genetic disorders.
TRPV1 Antagonism: From Research to Clinic
Authors: Nash Mark S. , Verkuyl J. Martin , Bhalay Gurdip
Published: September 2014

The capsaicin receptor, TRPV1, has been one of the most extensively studied molecules in sensory research. Its contribution to the sensation of pain in numerous pre-clinical inflammatory and neuropathic paradigms has been well-established and expression analysis suggests a potential role clinically in pain and bladder conditions. The field has now reached an exciting point in time with the development of a number of high quality TRPV1 antagonist drug candidates and the release of clinical data. What has become apparent from this work is that inhibition of TRPV1 function brings with it the potential liabilities of increased body temperature and altered thermal perception. However, there is cause for optimism because it appears that not all antagonists have the same properties and compounds can be identified that lack significant on-target side-effects whilst retaining efficacy, at least pre-clinically. What is perhaps now more critical to address is the question of how effective the analgesia provided by a TRPV1 antagonist will be. Although tantalizing clinical data showing effects on experimentally-induced pain or pain following molar extraction have been reported, no clear efficacy in a chronic pain condition has yet been demonstrated making it difficult to perform an accurate risk-benefit analysis for TRPV1 antagonists. Here we provide an overview of some of the most advanced clinical candidates and discuss the approaches being taken to avoid the now well established on-target effects of TRPV1 antagonists.
Does Nature do Ion Channel Drug Discovery Better than Us?
Authors: Lewis Richard J. , Vetter Irina , Cardoso Fernanda C. , Inserra Marco , King Glenn
Published: September 2014

Ion channels are important drug targets for a range of diseases including pain, epilepsy and addiction. However, progress towards the development of more selective inhibitors that generate fewer dose-limiting side effects, or open up new therapeutic opportunities, has been slow. Due to the potentially higher selectivity offered by venom peptides, many pharmaceutical companies are embracing biological-based approaches to the identification of novel ion channel modulators. This will help overcome some of the limitations of low molecular weight modulators, whose affinity is often driven by factors such as lipid solubility and interactions with more conserved transmembrane domains. This chapter will cover this rapidly emerging field, providing examples of venom peptide and small molecule approaches towards the development of Cav2.2, Nav1.7 and Kv1.3 inhibitors for the treatment of pain and autoimmune diseases.
Ion Channel Drug Discovery: Future Perspectives
Authors: Gosling Martin
Published: September 2014

Ion channels are the subject of continued interest by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as targets for the development of novel therapeutics. Their prosecution as viable drug targets has been aided by a number of recent advances, including those in the technologies available to study ion channels in addition to powerful insights into channel function in heath and disease provided by human genetics. This chapter highlights some areas of opportunity for future ion channel drug discovery and the challenges these enigmatic targets still pose.
Recovery and redispersion of gold nanoparticles using the self-assembly of a pH sensitive zwitterionic amphiphile
Authors: Morita-Imura Clara , Imura Yoshiro , Kawai Takeshi , Shindo Hitoshi
Published: September 2014

The pH-responsive self-assembly of a zwitterionic amphiphile was expanded to the recovery of gold (Au) nanoparticles. Multilayered lamellae were incorporated into the nanoparticles. Redispersion of nanoparticles was achieved by the transition of self-assembly based on pH.
The crucial roles of MgCl2 as a non-innocent additive in the Ni-catalyzed carboxylation of benzyl halide with CO2
Authors: Sayyed Fareed Bhasha , Sakaki Shigeyoshi
Published: September 2014

MgCl2 accelerates the CO2 insertion as a non-innocent additive and the one-electron reduction process as one reagent in the Ni-catalyzed carboxylation of benzyl chloride with CO2.
A short synthetic route towards merosesquiterpenes with a benzoxanthene skeleton
Authors: Fernández Antonio , Alvarez Esteban , Alvarez-Manzaneda Ramón , Chahboun Rachid , Alvarez-Manzaneda Enrique
Published: September 2014

A short synthetic sequence for the preparation of merosesquiterpenes with a benzoxanthene skeleton starting from (−)-sclareol is reported. The D ring of the target compound is obtained through a Diels–Alder cycloaddition.
Resistivity peaks and magnetic properties of an annealed graphene
Authors: Park Chang-Soo , Zhao Yu , Kim Heetae , Shon Yoon , Kim Eun Kyu
Published: September 2014

We report on the transport and magnetic properties of graphene annealed at 800 °C under an Ar atmosphere.
The role of carbonate as a catalyst of Fenton-like reactions in AOP processes: CO3˙− as the active intermediate
Authors: Burg Ariela , Shamir Dror , Shusterman Inna , Kornweitz Haya , Meyerstein Dan
Published: September 2014

The reaction Co(H2O)62+ + H2O2 proceeds via a transient that decomposes into CoII(H2O)(OOH)(OH)2 + CO3˙−. Plausible biological implications are pointed out.
Structural trends in hybrid perovskites [Me2NH2]M[HCOO]3(M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn): computational assessment based on Bader charge analysis
Authors: Kosa Monica , Major Dan Thomas
Published: September 2014

Charge partition between the metal and the ligand governs the geometry evolution in hybrid perovskites.
A novel approach for analyzing electrochemical properties of mixed conducting solid oxide fuel cell anode materials by impedance spectroscopy
Authors: Nenning A. , Opitz A. K. , Huber T. M. , Fleig J.
Published: September 2014

A novel impedance spectroscopic method enables quantification of conductivity and kinetics of mixed conducting thin film SOFC electrodes.
Influence of exothermic chemical reactions on laser-induced shock waves
Authors: Gottfried Jennifer L.
Published: September 2014

Laser initiated exothermic chemical reactions produce larger heat-affected zones in the surrounding atmosphere (facilitating deflagration of particles ejected from the sample surface) and generate faster shock front velocities compared to inert materials.
Tavorite-FeSO4F as a potential cathode material for Mg ion batteries: a first principles calculation
Authors: Wu Jiandong , Gao Guohua , Wu Guangming , Liu Bo , Yang Huiyu , Zhou Xiaowei , Wang Jichao
Published: September 2014

The electrochemical and Mg ion diffusion properties of tavorite-Mg0.5FeSO4F were studied by using first principles calculations.
Facile synthesis of graphite nitrate-like ammonium vanadium bronzes and their graphene composites for sodium-ion battery cathodes
Authors: Fei Hailong , Li Huan , Li Zhiwei , Feng Wenjing , Liu Xin , Wei Mingdeng
Published: September 2014

A novel graphite nitrate-like ammonium vanadium bronze cathode material for sodium-ion batteries delivers high capacity.
Structural evolution of NiAu nanoparticles under ambient conditions directly revealed by atom-resolved imaging combined with DFT simulation
Authors: Xiang Xia , Nie Jinlan , Sun Kai , Zhang Li , Liu Wei , Schwank Johannes , Wang Shifa , Zhong Mian , Gao Fei , Zu Xiaotao
Published: September 2014

The dynamics of oxidation (top left) and reduction (top right) processes on Ni(111) surfaces of NiAu nanoparticles are illustrated based on HAADF imaging (bottom) and DFT simulation.
Magnetic/NIR-thermally responsive hybrid nanogels for optical temperature sensing, tumor cell imaging and triggered drug release
Authors: Wang Hui , Yi Jinhui , Mukherjee Sumit , Banerjee Probal , Zhou Shuiqin
Published: September 2014

The paper demonstrates a class of multifunctional core–shell hybrid nanogels with fluorescent and magnetic properties, which have been successfully developed for simultaneous optical temperature sensing, tumor cell imaging and magnetic/NIR-thermally responsive drug carriers.
CdSe–CdS quantum dots co-sensitized ZnO hierarchical hybrids for solar cells with enhanced photo-electrical conversion efficiency
Authors: Yuan Zhimin , Yin Longwei
Published: September 2014

A sketch of the photoelectrical conversion of the CdSe–CdS QDs co-sensitized ZnO hierarchical structure with a Cu2S-counter electrode.
Classic, liquid, and matrix-assisted dip-pen nanolithography for materials research
Authors: Zhong Jian , Sun Gang , He Dannong
Published: September 2014

The focus of this review is on the development of three types of dip-pen nanolithography (classic, liquid, and matrix-assisted DPN) for studying the patterning of inorganic, organic, and biological materials onto a variety of substrates.
Facile synthesis, pharmacokinetic and systemic clearance evaluation, and positron emission tomography cancer imaging of64Cu–Au alloy nanoclusters
Authors: Zhao Yongfeng , Sultan Deborah , Detering Lisa , Luehmann Hannah , Liu Yongjian
Published: September 2014

New64Cu alloyed gold nanostructures with controlled radioactivity and stability were prepared and showed great potential for targeted cancer imaging.
Insights into the programmed ketoreduction of partially reducing polyketide synthases: stereo- and substrate-specificity of the ketoreductase domain
Authors: Soehano Ishin , Yang Lifeng , Ding Feiqing , Sun Huihua , Low Zhen Jie , Liu Xuewei , Liang Zhao-Xun
Published: September 2014

Evidence are provided to support that partially reducing polyketide synthases achieve programmed ketoreduction by differential recognition of polyketide intermediates.
Development and characterisation of switchable polyaniline-functionalised flow-through capillary monoliths
Authors: Floris Patrick , Connolly Damian , White Blanaid , Morrin Aoife
Published: September 2014

Polymer monoliths were prepared in capillary format (250 μm i.d.) and used as solid supports for the immobilisation of the conducting polymer polyaniline (PANI).
A fusion enzyme consisting of bacterial expansin and endoglucanase for the degradation of highly crystalline cellulose
Authors: Nakashima Kazunori , Endo Koji , Shibasaki-Kitakawa Naomi , Yonemoto Toshikuni
Published: September 2014

Fusion enzymes composed of bacterial expansin (EXLX1) and cellulase (CelD) exhibited high binding ability and increased digestibility to cellulose with various crystallinity.
Crack growth mechanism of natural rubber under fatigue loading studied by a real-time crack tip morphology monitoring method
Authors: Weng Gengsheng , Yao Hong , Chang Aijun , Fu Kun , Liu Yanpeng , Chen Zhongren
Published: September 2014

Tear energy dependence of NR crack tip morphology.
Regioselective and diastereoselective aminoarylation of 1,3-dienes
Authors: Bao Hongli , Bayeh Liela , Tambar Uttam K.
Published: September 2014

The 1,4-functionalization of dienes is a synthetically useful strategy for incorporating molecular complexity into a class of simple substrates.
Effects of ultraviolet soaking on surface electronic structures of solution processed ZnO nanoparticle films in polymer solar cells
Authors: Bao Qinye , Liu Xianjie , Xia Yuxin , Gao Feng , Kauffmann Louis-Dominique , Margeat Olivier , Ackermann Jörg , Fahlman Mats
Published: September 2014

Effects of ultraviolet soaking on surface electronic structures of solution processed ZnO nanoparticle films in combination with vacuum or oxygen in polymer solar cells were researched.
Space‐time adaptive processing‐based algorithm for meteor trail suppression in high‐frequency surface wave radar
Authors: Xin Zhang , Yanhua Su , Qiang Yang , Yingning Dong , Weibo Deng
Published: September 2014

Meteor trail arises as a result of meteorites burning in the Earth's atmosphere at far altitudes with the characteristics of short lifetime and the ability of scattering high‐frequency (HF) signal. It is a classical universal interference for high‐frequency surface wave radar, which can provide the capabilities of target monitoring and ocean remote sensing by working on HF band. In this study, the authors propose the superiorities of utilising the space‐time adaptive processing‐based algorithm for meteor trail suppression. They modify the calculation of the covariance matrix based on the distribution and characteristics of meteor trail aiming to fit for meteor trail better. Finally, they verify the effectiveness of the modified algorithm by measured data. The results show that the modified algorithm can not only detect targets better, but can also make Bragg lines buried in meteor trail visible.