bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic Treatments for Dysplastic Barrett’s Esophagus: Resection, Ablation, What Else?
Authors: Subramanian Charumathi Raghu , Triadafilopoulos George
Published: May 2014

Background

Endoscopic eradication therapy for dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus (BE) comprises resection and mucosal ablation techniques. Over the years, these techniques have been tried with success, not only for dysplastic Barrett’s epithelium but also for non‐dysplastic Barrett’s epithelium and early adenocarcinoma. Endoscopic resection is usually carried out for visible lesions, either as endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), which is practiced widely in Western countries, or as endoscopic submucosal dissection, which is more popular in Japan and throughout Asia. Among ablative techniques are photodynamic therapy, cryotherapy, and radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Methods

We reviewed the published evidence pertaining to endoscopic treatments of dysplastic BE, with emphasis on the various resection and ablative techniques, their safety, efficacy, durability of effect, and tolerability.

Results

Both resection and ablation procedures performed endoscopically have been proved effective, and safe for treating dysplastic BE and early adenocarcinoma. Among the ablative techniques, RFA has shown to be more effective and safe, and is preferred for most cases.

Conclusions

Endoscopic therapies have revolutionized the treatment of BE and have minimized the need for surgical intervention in many patients. Concomitant treatment of acid reflux with proton pump inhibitors and continuous surveillance are essential. Combination techniques such as EMR followed by RFA may be also considered in some cases.
The Impact of Outcome-Based Control for Retail Buyers on Organizational Performance
Authors: Kim Changju , Takashima Katsuyoshi
Published: May 2014

This study addresses issues arising in the management of retail buyers. We consider the impact on supplier relationship management and organizational performance when retailers manage buyers based on an outcome-based control. To confirm the trends indicated in our proposed research model, this study conducts a survey of merchandising division heads at Japanese retail companies. The results from structural equation modeling analysis reveal that outcome-based control, through the central, mediating role of relationship continuity, encourages cooperation with suppliers, and this cooperation yields greater organizational performance for retailers. The findings raise questions as to the significance of forming a clan-like system when managing results-oriented buyers on an outcome basis.
Inflation targeting at the crossroads: Evidence from post-communist economies during the crisis
Authors: Petreski Marjan
Published: May 2014

The objective of this paper is to assess if inflation targeting post-communist economies performed better, in terms of output growth, during the crisis than their non-inflation targeting counterparts. The paper also puts the issue in the context of the preconditions of inflation targeters to adopt this regime. 26 post-communist economies of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States are analyzed during the ongoing economic crisis. Results suggest that inflation targeters of those countries performed worse than non-inflation targeters. The growth decline in inflation targeters postcommunist economies has been estimated to be deeper by about four percentage points than that in non-inflation targeters. The study finds very limited role of the preconditions for growth decline. Only the lower amount of monetary financing of the budget may have contributed in inflation-targeting countries to have gone through the crisis better.
From the provinces to the parliament: How the Ukrainian radical right mobilized in Galicia
Authors: Polyakova Alina
Published: May 2014

This article traces the on-the-ground mobilization and recruitment strategies of Ukraine’s radical right party, Svoboda (Freedom) in the years prior to its 2012 electoral breakthrough. Ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews with Svoboda party leaders and activists in Galicia show how party leaders strategically created an organizational structure aimed at recruiting young people, making linkages with pre-existing nationalist groups, and shifting the ideological focus away from cultural and toward economic issues. Interviews with party activists reveal how personal networks were key in the recruitment and radicalization process, showing that radical right activists were radicalized, or “made,” through political participation. Consequently, Svoboda’s organizational capacity allowed the party to take advantage of a political opportunity — Yanukovych’s unpopularity and weakened national democratic parties — in the 2012 parliamentary elections.
On cumulative nonlinear acoustic waveform distortions from high-speed jets
Authors: Baars W. J. , Tinney C. E. , Wochner M. S. , Hamilton M. F.
Published: May 2014

A model is proposed for predicting the presence of cumulative nonlinear distortions in the acoustic waveforms produced by high-speed jet flows. The model relies on the conventional definition of the acoustic shock formation distance and employs an effective Gol’dberg number$\Lambda $for diverging acoustic waves. The latter properly accounts for spherical spreading, whereas the classical Gol’dberg number$\Gamma $is restricted to plane wave applications. Scaling laws are then derived to account for the effects imposed by jet exit conditions of practical interest and includes Mach number, temperature ratio, Strouhal number and an absolute observer distance relative to a broadband Gaussian source. Surveys of the acoustic pressure produced by a laboratory-scale, shock-free and unheated Mach 3 jet are used to support findings of the model. Acoustic waveforms are acquired on a two-dimensional grid extending out to 145 nozzle diameters from the jet exit plane. Various statistical metrics are employed to examine the degree of local and cumulative nonlinearity in the measured waveforms and their temporal derivatives. This includes a wave steepening factor (WSF), skewness, kurtosis and the normalized quadrature spectral density. The analysed data are shown to collapse reasonably well along rays emanating from the post-potential-core region of the jet. An application of the generalized Burgers equation is used to demonstrate the effect of cumulative nonlinear distortion on an arbitrary acoustic waveform produced by a high-convective-Mach-number supersonic jet. It is advocated that cumulative nonlinear distortion effects during far-field sound propagation are too subtle in this range-restricted environment and over the region covered, which may be true for other laboratory-scale jet noise facilities.
Birthing a Nation: The Effect of Fertility Control Access on the Nineteenth-Century Demographic Transition
Authors: Lahey Joanna N.
Published: May 2014

During the nineteenth century, the U.S. birthrate fell by half. While previous economic literature has emphasized demand-side explanations for this decline, many of these arguments are confounded by changes in the supply of technologies to control fertility. I exploit the introduction of state laws governing American women's access to abortion to measure the effect of changes in the supply of fertility technologies on the number of children born. I estimate an increase in the birthrate of 4 to 15 percent when abortion is restricted. I also explore the legal characteristics and political economy of these laws.
Phylogeography and genetic diversity ofOphidiaster ophidianus(Echinodermata: Asteroidea)—evidence for a recent range expansion in the Azores
Authors: Micael J. , Rodrigues P. , Costa A.C. , Alves M.J.
Published: May 2014

The seastarOphidiaster ophidianusis a vulnerable and protected species in the Mediterranean Sea but is common on North Atlantic islands such as the Azores and Madeira archipelagos. This work presents new insights into the phylogeography and genetic diversity ofO. ophidianusfrom the Azores, based on 67 sequences of the 16S mitochondrial gene and 46 sequences of the nuclear ATP intron 5 gene. Twenty-six samples from the Mediterranean and seven samples from Madeira were used as out-groups. The results revealed that there is a lack of genetic differentiation betweenO. ophidianusfrom the Azores and the out-groups. All, therefore, belong to the same lineage and argue for a fast and recent range expansion of this species into the Azores. Our results also suggest the existence of distinctive periods of strong gene flow followed by periods of either low or non-existent gene flow between the Mediterranean Sea and this archipelago, which could explain the presence of private haplotypes in all studied areas.
Boundedness of maximal Calderón–Zygmund operators on non-homogeneous metric measure spaces
Authors: Liu Suile , Meng Yan , Yang Dachun
Published: May 2014

Let (X, d, μ) be a metric measure space and let it satisfy the so-called upper doubling condition and the geometrically doubling condition. We show that, for the maximal Calderón–Zygmund operator associated with a singular integral whose kernel satisfies the standard size condition and the Hörmander condition, its Lp(μ)-boundedness with p ∈ (1, ∞) is equivalent to its boundedness from L1(μ) into L1,∞(μ). Moreover, applying this, together with a new Cotlar-type inequality, the authors show that if the Calderón–Zygmund operator T is bounded on L2(μ), then the corresponding maximal Calderón–Zygmund operator is bounded on Lp(μ) for all p ∈ (1, ∞), and bounded from L1(μ) into L1,∞ (μ). These results essentially improve the existing results.
The stability index of hypersurfaces with constant scalar curvature in spheres
Authors: Cheng Qing-Ming , Li Haizhong , Wei Guoxin
Published: May 2014

The totally umbilical and non-totally geodesic hypersurfaces in the (n + 1)-dimensional spheres are characterized as the only hypersurfaces with weak stability index 0. In our 2010 paper we proved that the weak stability index of a compact hypersurface M with constant scalar curvature n(n − 1)r, r> 1, in an (n + 1)-dimensional sphere Sn + 1(1), which is not a totally umbilical hypersurface, is greater than or equal to n + 2 if the mean curvature H and H3 are constant. In this paper, we prove the same results, without the assumption that H3 is constant. In fact, we show that the weak stability index of a compact hypersurface M with constant scalar curvature n(n − 1)r, r> 1, in Sn + 1(1), which is not a totally umbilical hypersurface, is greater than or equal to n + 2 if the mean curvature H is constant.
Linear stability analysis for periodic travelling waves of the Boussinesq equation and the Klein–Gordon–Zakharov system
Authors: Hakkaev Sevdzhan , Stanislavova Milena , Stefanov Atanas
Published: May 2014

The question of the linear stability of spatially periodic waves for the Boussinesq equation (in the cases p = 2, 3) and the Klein–Gordon–Zakharov system is considered. For a wide class of solutions, we completely and explicitly characterize their linear stability (instability) when the perturbations are taken with the same period T. In particular, our results allow us to completely recover the linear stability results, in the limit T → ∞, for the whole-line case.
Analysis and control of differential inclusions with anti-periodic conditions
Authors: Liu Z. H. , Migórski S.
Published: May 2014

We deal with the optimal control of systems driven by differential inclusions with anti-periodic conditions in Banach spaces. The operators in the differential inclusions, describing the control system, all depend on control variables. By a solution of the control system we mean a ‘trajectory-control’ pair. We first prove that, for fixed control variables, the set of solutions is non-empty for the corresponding differential inclusion with anti-periodic conditions. We then show the functional-topological properties of the set of solutions. Finally, we investigate the existence of solutions to the optimal control problem. These abstract results can be used to study optimal control systems of evolutionary hemi-variational inequalities.
Stability under Galerkin truncation of A-stable Runge–Kutta discretizations in time
Authors: Oliver Marcel , Wulff Claudia
Published: May 2014

We consider semilinear evolution equations for which the linear part is normal and generates a strongly continuous semigroup, and the nonlinear part is sufficiently smooth on a scale of Hilbert spaces. We approximate their semi-flow by an implicit A-stable Runge–Kutta discretization in time and a spectral Galerkin truncation in space. We show regularity of the Galerkin-truncated semi-flow and its time discretization on open sets of initial values with bounds that are uniform in the spatial resolution and the initial value. We also prove convergence of the space-time discretization without any condition that couples the time step to the spatial resolution. We then estimate the Galerkin truncation error for the semi-flow of the evolution equation, its Runge–Kutta discretization and their respective derivatives, showing how the order of the Galerkin truncation error depends on the smoothness of the initial data. Our results apply, in particular, to the semilinear wave equation and to the nonlinear Schrodinger equation.
Design fixation: Classifications and modern methods of prevention
Authors: Youmans Robert J. , Arciszewski Thomaz
Published: May 2014

The termdesign fixationis often used interchangeably to refer to situations where designers limit their creative output because of an overreliance on features of preexisting designs, or more generally, an overreliance on a specific body of knowledge directly associated with a problem. In this paper, we argue that interdisciplinary interest in design fixation has led to increasingly broad definitions of the phenomenon that may be undermining empirical research efforts, educational efforts to minimize fixation, and the acquisition and dissemination of transdisciplinary knowledge about fixation effects. To address these issues, we recommend that researchers consider categorizing fixation phenomena into one of three classifications: unconscious adherence to the influence of prior designs, conscious blocks to change, and intentional resistance to new ideas. Next, we distinguish between concept-based design fixation, fixation to a specific class of known design concepts, and knowledge-based design fixation, fixation to a problem-specific knowledge base. With these distinctions in place, we propose a system of orders of design fixation, recommend methods for reducing fixation in inventive design, and recommend areas that are in need of further research within the field of design science.
Inferring a shape grammar: Translating designer's knowledge
Authors: Eloy Sara , Duarte José Pinto
Published: May 2014

This article focuses on a shape grammar, therabo-de-bacalhauhousing style, that was developed to enable the adaptation of existing houses to new requirements and most particular on the process of inference of the grammar. In the article we describe the process undertaken to develop the grammar and what the achievements of the transformation grammar are regarding the possibilities of a mass customization of a dwelling's rehabilitation work. The goal of this article is to describe and discuss how the designer's knowledge was encoded into shape rules. The process used to extract the architect's knowledge and to incorporate it into the transformation grammar enable us to abstract the designer's actions and to define a sequence of actions that can define a possible strategy of design. The proposed design methodology generates dwelling layouts that are legal because they follow the grammar language and adequate because they meet the a priori user and design requirements.
The relationship between socioeconomic indices and potentially zoonotic pathogens carried by wild Norway rats: a survey in Rhône, France (2010–2012)
Authors: AYRAL F. , ARTOIS J. , ZILBER A.-L. , WIDÉN F. , POUNDER K.C. , AUBERT D. , BICOUT D. J. , ARTOIS M.
Published: May 2014

Leptospira interrogans, hantaviruses (particularly Seoul virus), hepatitis E virus (HEV), andToxoplasma gondiiare rat-associated zoonoses that are responsible for human morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to describe the infection patterns of these four pathogens in wild rats (Rattus norvegicus) across socioeconomic levels in neighbourhoods in Lyon, France. The infection or exposure status was determined using polymerase chain reaction or serology for 178 wild rats captured in 23 locations; additionally, confirmatory culture or mouse inoculation was performed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate whether morphological and socioeconomic data could predict the infection status of the rats. This study revealed that the rat colony's age structure may influence the prevalence ofL. interrogans, hantavirus, and HEV. In addition, areas with high human population densities and low incomes may be associated with a greater number of infected rats and an increased risk of disease transmission.
Post-prostatectomy stress urinary incontinence: a review of contemporary surgical treatments
Authors: Resel-Folkersma Luis , Salinas-Casado Jesús , Moreno-Sierra Jesús
Published: May 2014

Prostate cancer is the most frequent tumour diagnosed in men, especially in older people. Radical prostatectomy is the treatment of choice for this disease, but is also the main cause of stress urinary incontinence in men by iatrogenic injury. This procedure is performed far more frequently now than 10 years ago, so the incidence of post-prostatectomy incontinence (PPUI) has increased. PPUI has a detrimental impact on a patient's quality of life and is a significant problem that needs to be solved. The artificial urinary sphincter is still the gold standard treatment for PPUI. In recent years, less invasive approaches such as suburethral slings have been used with promising results. The selection criteria and most appropriate choice of device for the treatment of PPUI are not well standardized. In this review, the different forms of assessment and management of PPUI will be discussed.
CAPITAL MISALLOCATION AND AGGREGATE FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY
Authors: Azariadis Costas , Kaas Leo
Published: May 2014

We propose a sectoral–shift theory of aggregate factor productivity for a class of multisector economies with AK technologies and a constant production possibilities frontier. Loans are partly secured by collateral and partly based on reputation. We find that both the growth rate and total factor productivity (TFP) respond to random and persistent endogenous fluctuations in the sectoral distribution of physical capital, which, in turn, responds to reversible exogenous shifts in relative sector productivities. Endogenous debt limits on secured and unsecured loans slow down capital reallocation, preventing the equalization of risk-adjusted equity yields across sectors. Economywide factor productivity and the aggregate growth rate are both negatively correlated with the dispersion of sectoral rates of return, sectoral TFP, and sectoral growth rates. We also find highly volatile limit cycles in economies with small amounts of collateral.
Struggling with a Roman inheritance. A response to Versluys
Authors: Hingley Richard
Published: May 2014

I am very grateful to Miguel John Versluys for this paper, which raises several important issues that derive from current debates in Roman archaeology. I am aware of the context of Versluys's arguments as I am a contributor to the forthcoming volumeGlobalization and the Roman world(which Versluys has jointly edited; Pitts and Versluys 2014). I am pleased to be able to develop some of the themes outlined in my chapter for that volume (Hingley 2014b) through this reflection upon Versluys's contribution to the developing debate. The issues raised by Versluys are particularly timely since a number of younger colleagues have observed that the critical focus provided by what I shall term ‘post-colonial Roman archaeologies’ (PCRAs) is stifling innovative research. PCRA is the term I use to address the body of research and publication characterized by Versluys as ‘Anglo-Saxon Roman archaeology’ (for reasons given below). I did not attend the TRAC session at Frankfurt to which Versluys refers, but I recognize his observation that there is a genuine concern about the form and content of PCRAs arising from Roman archaeologists both in Britain and overseas. PCRAs have focused around two core themes: (1) critiquing the concept of Romanization and (2) the development of new ways of approaching the Roman Empire. Versluys suggests that this discussion has culminated in ‘an uncomfortable ending’ (p. 1) for the Romanization debate and his proposal includes the reintroduction of this concept. Taking a rather different perspective, I shall propose that a dynamic and transformative agenda is spreading across several continents and that PCRAs form an important aspect of this developing perspective.
Getting out of the comfort zone. Reply to responses
Authors: Versluys Miguel John
Published: May 2014

My essay is intended as an archaeological dialogue on Romanization in the sense that it tries ‘to creatively discuss what we mean when we say “Rome”, across boundaries set by disciplines or scholarly traditions, fuelled by new developments in other fields, and especially in terms of material culture’ (p. 6). Therefore it is looking ahead on purpose, with the historiography of the field (only) serving as a means to an end and not so much as a point of discussion in its own right. Resuscitating, repairing or refitting the concept of Romanization itself is not at stake: on purpose I talked about ‘reinvigorating the Romanization debate’ while not discussing the feasibility of the concept in the present situation (‘When I use the term “reinvigorating” I explicitly do not mean to indicate that we should continue the debate as if Romanization were either good or bad, or to question whether or not we should use the term at all’) (p. 6). The essay, therefore, is not so much about Romanization 2.0 per se, but rather about triggering a debate to get us going again or, to paraphrase Woolf's conclusion, to get us out of the Romanization/‘Romanization’ comfort zone. The Romanization debate indeed seems to have brought us a new canon of reference works and key concerns, as Woolf rightly remarks. I argue that we should urgently try to refresh the canon by looking critically at what has become received wisdom and by simultaneously exploring what could become new key questions for our field. Canonization should be a dynamic and ongoing process.
Monument and material reuse at the National Memorial Arboretum
Authors: Williams Howard
Published: May 2014

Exploring the relocation and reuse of fragments and whole artefacts, materials and monuments in contemporary commemorative memorials in the United Kingdom (UK), this paper focuses on the National Memorial Arboretum (Alrewas, Staffordshire, hereafter NMA). Within this unique assemblage of memorial gardens, reuse constitutes a distinctive range of material commemoration. Through a detailed investigation of the NMA's gardens, this paper shows how monument and material reuse, while used in very different memorial forms, tends to be reserved to commemorate specific historical subjects and themes. Monument and material reuse is identified as a form of commemorative rehabilitation for displaced memorials and provides powerful and direct mnemonic and emotional connections between past and present in the commemoration through peace memorials, of military disasters and defensive actions, the sufferings of prisoners of war, and atrocities inflicted upon civilian populations. In exploring monument and material reuse to create specific emotive and mnemonic fields and triggers, this paper engages with a hitherto neglected aspect of late 20th- and early 21st-century commemorative culture.
Analytical Electron Microscopy of Thin Film / Ionic Liquid Interfaces Prepared using a Focused Ion Beam
Authors: Sloppy J.D. , Lang A.C. , Devlin R. , Ghassemi H. , Sichel-Tissot R.J. , May S. , Idrobo J.C. , Taheri M.L.
Published: May 2014

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, August 4 – August 8, 2013.
Simultaneous Correction of Spherical and Chromatic Aberrations with an Electron Mirror: An Electron Optical Achromat
Authors: Rempfer Gertrude F. , Desloge Denis M. , Skoczylas Walter P. , Griffith O. Hayes
Published: May 2014

Abstract: All lenses, whether for light or for electrons, have aberrations that limit their performance. In light optics the invention of the achromat over 200 years ago solved the problem of correcting spherical and chromatic aberrations; however, correcting aberrations of electron lenses remains a challenge. Spherical and chromatic aberrations constitute a fundamental barrier to improving resolution and reducing probe size in various types of electron-optical instruments. Recently, efforts have intensified to reduce probe size in microanalysis and lithography, and to improve resolution in the new emission microscopes being built for synchrotron light sources. The experiments described in this report show how an electron mirror can achieve simultaneous correction of spherical and chromatic aberrations.
GLOBAL DETERMINISM OF CLIFFORD SEMIGROUPS
Authors: GAN AIPING , ZHAO XIANZHONG
Published: May 2014

In this paper we shall give characterizations of the closed subsemigroups of a Clifford semigroup. Also, we shall show that the class of all Clifford semigroups satisfies the strong isomorphism property and so is globally determined. Thus the results obtained by Kobayashi [‘Semilattices are globally determined’,Semigroup Forum29(1984), 217–222] and by Gould and Iskra [‘Globally determined classes of semigroups’Semigroup Forum28(1984), 1–11] are generalized.
The Legal Politics of Jurisdiction: Understanding ASEAN's Role in Myanmar's Disaster, Cyclone Nargis (2008)
Authors: LOEVY Karin
Published: May 2014

This paper exposes the limited perspective that we have over the problem of jurisdiction in emergencies. In the classic theory of emergency powers, sovereign control over borders is assumed, and jurisdictional problems are acknowledged when threats come from outside those borders or when they are handled outside. However, what characterizes many emergencies is not the exercise of sovereign jurisdiction but rather contestations over problems of jurisdiction and competing jurisdictional claims. To illustrate the need for a broader perspective over emergencies’ jurisdictional politics, this paper tells a multilayered story about a successful intervention by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in one of Myanmar's natural disasters (Nargis 2008). ASEAN's role in its Member State's disaster should be understood in view of its unique regional solution to the jurisdictional problem that this disaster raised—the problem of access by foreign aid to a domestic area affected by a natural disaster.
Evidence for Validity of the Brief Resilient Coping Scale in a Young Spanish Sample
Authors: Limonero Joaquín T. , Tomás-Sábado Joaquín , Gómez-Romero Maria José , Maté-Méndez Jorge , Sinclair Vaughn G. , Wallston Kenneth A. , Gómez-Benito Juana
Published: May 2014

The aim of the present study was to provide evidence of validity of the Brief Resilient Coping Scale for use in Spanish young population. A total of 365 university students responded to the Spanish version of the BRCS as well as to other tools for measuring personal perceived competence, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety, negative and positive affect, and coping strategies. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional structure of the scale. Internal consistency reliability and temporal stability through Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest correlations, respectively, were comparable to those found in the initial validation of the tool. The BRCS showed positive and significant correlations with personal perceived competence, optimism, life satisfaction, positive affect (p < .01), and some coping strategies (p < .05). Significant negative correlations were observed with depression, anxiety and negative affect. (p < .01). Multiple regression analysis with stepwise method showed that positive affect, negative affect, optimism and problem solving explained 41.8% of the variance of the BRCS (p < .001). The Spanish adaptation of the BRCS in a young population is satisfactory and comparable to those of the original version and with the Spanish version adapted in an elderly population. This supports its validity as a tool for the assessment of resilient coping tendencies in young people who speak Spanish and offers researchers and professionals interested in this area of study a simple tool for assessing it.
Rasch-Master’s Partial Credit Model in the Assessment of Children’s Creativity in Drawings
Authors: Nakano Tatiana de Cássia , Primi Ricardo
Published: May 2014

The purpose of the present study was to use the Partial Credit Model to study the factors of the Test of Creativity in Children and identify which characteristics of the creative person would be more effective to differentiate subjects according to their ability level. A sample of 1426 students from first to eighth grades answered the instrument. The Partial Credits model was used to estimate the ability of the subjects and item difficulties on a common scale for each of the four factors, indicating which items required a higher level of creativity to be scored and will differentiate the more creative individuals. The results demonstrated that the greater part of the characteristics showed good fit indices, with values between 0.80 and 1.30 both infit and outfit, indicating a response pattern consistent with the model. The characteristics of Unusual Perspective, Expression of Emotion and Originality have been identified as better predictors of creative performance because requires greater ability level (usually above two standard deviation). These results may be used in the future development of an instrument’s reduced form or simplification of the current correction model.
Climate change affects key nitrogen-fixing bacterial populations on coral reefs
Authors: Santos Henrique F , Carmo Flávia L , Duarte Gustavo , Dini-Andreote Francisco , Castro Clovis B , Rosado Alexandre S , van Elsas Jan Dirk , Peixoto Raquel S
Published: May 2014

Coral reefs are at serious risk due to events associated with global climate change. Elevated ocean temperatures have unpredictable consequences for the ocean’s biogeochemical cycles. The nitrogen cycle is driven by complex microbial transformations, including nitrogen fixation. This study investigated the effects of increased seawater temperature on bacteria able to fix nitrogen (diazotrophs) that live in association with the mussid coral Mussismilia harttii. Consistent increases in diazotroph abundances and diversities were found at increased temperatures. Moreover, gradual shifts in the dominance of particular diazotroph populations occurred as temperature increased, indicating a potential future scenario of climate change. The temperature-sensitive diazotrophs may provide useful bioindicators of the effects of thermal stress on coral reef health, allowing the impact of thermal anomalies to be monitored. In addition, our findings support the development of research on different strategies to improve the fitness of corals during events of thermal stress, such as augmentation with specific diazotrophs.
Persimmon Tannin accounts for hypolipidemic effects of persimmon through activating of AMPK and suppressing NF-κB activation and inflammatory responses in High-Fat Diet Rats
Authors: Zou Bo , Ge Zhen-zhen , Zhang Ying , Du Jing , Xu Ze , Li Chun-mei
Published: May 2014

High molecular weight persimmon tannin is a central component accounting for the anti-hyperlipidemic effects of consuming persimmon fruits via AMPK pathway.
Semi-continuous, label-free immunosensing approach for Ca2+-based conformation change of a calcium-binding protein
Authors: Paek Sung-Ho , Park Ji-Na , Kim Dong-Hyung , Kim Hee-Soo , Ha Un-Hwan , Seo Sung-Kyu , Paek Se-Hwan
Published: May 2014

Label-free immunosensing based on the conformational change of CBP depending on analyte concentration was explored for semi-continuous analysis of Ca2+.
An electrochemical sensor for paracetamol based on an electropolymerized molecularly imprinted o-phenylenediamine film on a multi-walled carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode
Authors: Peng Youyuan , Wu Zhibo , Liu Zhigang
Published: May 2014

An electrochemical sensor combining a molecularly imprinted technique and an electropolymerization method is developed in this work.
Immobilization of bioactive factor-loaded liposomes on the surface of electrospun nanofibers targeting tissue engineering
Authors: Monteiro Nelson , Martins Albino , Pires Ricardo , Faria Susana , Fonseca Nuno A. , Moreira João N. , Reis Rui L. , Neves Nuno M.
Published: May 2014

Dexamethasone-loaded liposomes immobilized at the surface of electrospun polycaprolactone nanofiber meshes successfully promoted the osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.
Formation of ceramophilic chitin and biohybrid materials enabled by a genetically engineered bifunctional protein
Authors: Malho Jani-Markus , Heinonen Hanna , Kontro Inkeri , Mushi Ngesa E. , Serimaa Ritva , Hentze Hans-Peter , Linder Markus B. , Szilvay Géza R.
Published: May 2014

An engineered bifunctional protein from an oyster shell protein and a chitin-binding domain enables the formation of mineralized biohybrid materials.
A bilayer triangular lattice with crown-like Co7 spin cluster SBUs exhibiting high spin frustration
Authors: Li Ya-Min , Lun Hui-Jie , Xiao Chang-Yu , Xu Yan-Qing , Wu Ling , Yang Jing-He , Niu Jing-Yang , Xiang Sheng-Chang
Published: May 2014

An unprecedented crown-like Co7(OH)6 spin cluster is assembled in a bilayer triangular lattice, showing high spin frustration.
Quantum yield in blue-emitting anthracene derivatives: vibronic coupling density and transition dipole moment density
Authors: Uejima Motoyuki , Sato Tohru , Yokoyama Daisuke , Tanaka Kazuyoshi , Park Jong-Wook
Published: May 2014

Diagonal vibronic couplings in the Franck–Condon S1 state cause torsional distortion, which gives rise to enhancement of fluorescence with a large transition dipole moment.
Synthesis of free-standing, curved Si nanowires through mechanical failure of a catalyst during metal assisted chemical etching
Authors: Lai Chang Quan , Choi W. K.
Published: May 2014

Perforated metal films on Si are designed to tear and rotate during etching, leading to curved nanowire formation.
Spin-semiconducting properties in silicene nanoribbons
Authors: Zhao Yin-Chang , Ni Jun
Published: May 2014

Our investigations show that silicene nanoribbons with one sawtooth edge are spin-semiconductors (left). They become spin gapless semiconductors under a suitable electric field (middle) or compressive strain (right).
Template-assisted nano-patterning of magnetic core–shell particles in gradient fields
Authors: Xue Xiaozheng , Furlani Edward P.
Published: May 2014

Controlling the assembly of colloidal magnetic core–shell particles into patterned monolayer structures with nanoscale feature resolution using soft-magnetic template elements.
1JCH couplings in Group 14/IVA tetramethyls from the gas-phase NMR and DFT structural study: a search for the best computational protocol
Authors: Nazarski Ryszard B. , Makulski Włodzimierz
Published: May 2014

The gas-phase 1J0,CHs in ‘isolated’ molecules of EMe4 were determined and discussed in terms of their geometric/electronic properties obtained from DFT calculations.
Controlled in situ fabrication of Ag2O/AgO thin films by a dry chemical route at room temperature for hybrid solar cells
Authors: Wei Jie , Lei Yan , Jia Huimin , Cheng Jiamei , Hou Hongwei , Zheng Zhi
Published: May 2014

Silver oxides (Ag2O and AgO) have attracted increasing attention as potential solar cell materials for photovoltaic devices due to their ideal bandgap and non-toxicity.
In vitrotransport and satiety of a beta-lactoglobulin dipeptide and beta-casomorphin-7 and its metabolites
Authors: Osborne Simone , Chen Wei , Addepalli Rama , Colgrave Michelle , Singh Tanoj , Tran Cuong , Day Li
Published: May 2014

In vitrotransport of β-CM7 occurs through rapid hydrolysis into three peptide metabolites that transport at variable rates.
Enhanced properties of porous CoFe2O4–reduced graphene oxide composites with alginate binders for Li-ion battery applications
Authors: Kumar P. Ramesh , Kollu Pratap , Santhosh Chella , Eswara Varaprasada Rao K. , Kim Do Kyung , Grace Andrews Nirmala
Published: May 2014

Porous CoFe2O4 nanoclusters with different concentrations of graphene based composites were synthesized by a simple solvothermal process.
Shape-controlled synthesis of nanopyramids and nanoprisms of nickel sulfide (Ni3S4)
Authors: Liu Qingsheng , Díaz Agustín , Prosvirin Andrey , Luo Zhiping , Batteas James D.
Published: May 2014

Two different nickel precursors (NiCl2 or Ni(acac)2) produced high purity Ni3S4 nanoparticles with shape control in a one-pot colloidal synthesis. By simply changing the nickel precursors, the shape of the obtained Ni3S4 nanocrystals can be readily tuned from triangular nanoprisms to nanopyramids.
Hybrid materials science: a promised land for the integrative design of multifunctional materials
Authors: Nicole Lionel , Laberty-Robert Christel , Rozes Laurence , Sanchez Clément
Published: May 2014

Hybrid organic–inorganic materials: past, present, and future.
Cerium(iii)-catalyzed cascade cyclization: an efficient approach to functionalized pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinolines
Authors: Feng Chengtao , Yan Yizhe , Zhang Zhenglei , Xu Kun , Wang Zhiyong
Published: May 2014

A general and practical route to the synthesis of multisubstituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinolines has been described from 2-alkylazaarenes and nitroolefins using cerium chloride as a catalyst via a tandem Michael addition, cyclization and aromatization.
Supramolecular flower micelle formation of polyrotaxane-containing triblock copolymers prepared from macro-chain transfer agents bearing molecular hooks
Authors: Tamura Atsushi , Tanaka Hajime , Yui Nobuhiko
Published: May 2014

A precise synthesis of polyrotaxanes (PRX)-containing triblock copolymers was achieved using PRX macro-chain transfer agents with terminal hooks. Also, polymeric micelle formation of them in aqueous solution was investigated.
Molecular dynamics study on graphene-mediated pyrazinamide drug delivery onto the pncA protein
Authors: Saikia Nabanita , Jha Anupam Nath , Deka Ramesh Chandra
Published: May 2014

Graphene nanomaterial can open up future perspective as suitable delivery payloads for the pyrazinamide antitubercular drug targeting the pncA protein.
Molecular dynamics simulation of binary hard sphere colloids near the glass transition
Authors: van Swol Frank , Petsev Dimiter N.
Published: May 2014

We present extended timescale molecular dynamics results of binary hard sphere systems near the glass transition.
Heterogeneous phase formation in diluted magnetic semiconducting Zn1−x−yCoxAlyO (CAZO) nanoparticles
Authors: Siddheswaran R. , Medlín R. , Bělský P. , Vavruňková V. , Očenášek J. , David B. , Šutta P.
Published: May 2014

This article reports a systematic investigation of the synthesis and structural characterization of composite CAZO [(Zn1−x−yCoxAlyO; x = 0.04, 0.03, 0.02; y = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03)] nanoparticles from combustion.
Reversible piezofluorochromic nature and mechanism of aggregation-induced emission-active compounds based on simple modification
Authors: Cao Yuanle , Xi Wengang , Wang Lianke , Wang Huizhen , Kong Lin , Zhou Hongping , Wu Jieying , Tian Yupeng
Published: May 2014

Compound 2 can be smartly switched in fluorescence emissions by various external stimuli, such as grinding, annealing and solvent-fuming.
Understanding the fate of an anesthetic, nalorphine upon interaction with human serum albumin: a photophysical and mass-spectroscopy approach
Authors: Chen Zhengyan , Xu Hongyu , Zhu Yulin , Liu Jingying , Wang Kaiyan , Wang Peixu , Shang Shujun , Yi Xiuna , Wang Zili , Shao Wei , Zhang Shudong
Published: May 2014

Nalorphine is an injectable opioid agonist–antagonist.
Effect of bulk and surface structural changes in Li5FeO4positive electrodes during first charging on subsequent lithium-ion battery performance
Authors: Okumura Toyoki , Shikano Masahiro , Kobayashi Hironori
Published: May 2014

Specific charge–discharge properties of Li5FeO4positive electrodes with regard to bulk and surface structural changes during the first charging process analyzed by synchrotron techniques including XRD, XANES, and EXAFS.
Recyclable enzyme mimic of cubic Fe3O4nanoparticles loaded on graphene oxide-dispersed carbon nanotubes with enhanced peroxidase-like catalysis and electrocatalysis
Authors: Wang Hua , Li Shuai , Si Yanmei , Sun Zongzhao , Li Shuying , Lin Yuehe
Published: May 2014

Fe3O4nanocatalysts loaded on graphene oxide-dispersed CNTs (GCNTs) for GCNT–Fe3O4nanocomposites with enhanced aqueous stability and peroxidase-like catalysis and electrocatalysis.
An ordered array based on vapor-processed phthalocyanine nanoribbons
Authors: Min Qiubing , Zhao Xiaoli , Cai Bin , Liu Yan , Tang Qingxin , Tong Yanhong , Hu Wenping , Liu Yichun
Published: May 2014

Highly ordered CuPc/F16CuPc nanoribbon arrays have been formed via an in situ vapor growth method and a pushing transfer method from vapor-grown bundle-like nanoribbons.
Environment-dependent optical scattering of cuprous oxide microcrystals in liquid dispersions and Langmuir–Blodgett films
Authors: Qiu Chao , Bao Ying , Netzer Nathan L. , Jiang Chaoyang
Published: May 2014

Extinction peaks of cuprous oxide microcrystals are systematically blue shifted with the refractive index increase of their environment.
Highly accurate 3D wireless indoor positioning system using white LED lights
Authors: Nadeem U. , Hassan N.U. , Pasha M.A. , Yuen C.
Published: May 2014

A wireless indoor positioning system using white LED lights is proposed. The time difference of arrival technique is employed and the phase differences between the received signals are determined to develop a positioning algorithm which can estimate the receiver location with a mean localisation error as low as 1 mm in a room of dimensions 5 × 5 × 3 m. Through simulations, it is identified that the optimum receiver height where localisation error gets minimised is between 2.5 and 3 m from the ceiling which corresponds well with the typical dimensions of a room.
Dual‐band microstrip‐to‐coplanar stripline Wilkinson balun using composite right‐ and left‐handed transmission lines and its application in feeding dual‐band bow‐tie antenna
Authors: Bemani Mohammad , Nikmehr Saeid , Takfallah Hamid‐Reza
Published: May 2014

Using a composite right‐ and left‐handed transmission lines, a dual‐band microstrip‐to‐coplanar stripline balun is proposed that presents the benefits of bandwidth enlargement, excellent isolation and equal power split between output ports in the two passbands. Also, the dual‐band nature of the balun, close space between output ports and ease of integration with a printed antenna in a compact size make it well suited for feeding dual‐band planar two‐wire antennas. As an example of an application, the proposed balun is designed and fabricated to work at two arbitrary frequency bands, 0.9 and 1.8 GHz. There is a good agreement between the measured and predicted results, which verifies the proposed design methodology. The fabricated balun shows a measured differential output phase bandwidth (180° ± 10°) of 22.95% and 18.76% for the first and second frequency bands, respectively. Moreover, this device is shown to have enhanced bandwidth performance in both isolation and 3‐dB magnitude balance. To validate the performance of the proposed balun, the balun is employed to feed a dual‐band metamaterial‐loaded bow‐tie antenna. The experimental results show that the return losses for both the operating bands remain below 10 dB. Likewise, the dual‐band bow‐tie antenna provides quasi‐omnidirectional radiation over the frequency bands.
Producing Cr2O3 nanooxide from chromite concentrates
Authors: Aghaie‐Khafri Mehrdad , Navazany Shiva
Published: May 2014

High‐purity (99.9+%) nanosize Cr2O3 was produced from chromite concentrates. Sodium dichromate was produced from an alkaline melt of chromite ore and then nanosize Cr2O3 was obtained by reaction between sodium dichromate and sulphur. Nanooxides were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The size of particles was 50–148 nm. The nanoparticles show a loosely agglomerated structure. The presented method is simple and economical.
Evolution of the vibrational spectra of doped hydrogen clusters with pressure
Authors: Santamaria Ruben , Soullard Jacques , Bokhimi Xim , Martínez-Alanis Paulina R.
Published: May 2014

The evolution of the vibrational spectra of the isoelectronic hydrogen clusters H26, H24He, and H24Li+ is determined with pressure. We establish the vibrational modes with collective character common to the clusters, identify their individual vibrational fingerprints and discuss frequency shifts in the giga-Pascal pressure region. The results are of interest for the identification of doping elements such as inert He and ionic Li+ in hydrogen under confinement or, conversely, establish the pressure of doped hydrogen when the vibrational spectrum is known. At high pressure, the spectra of the nanoclusters resemble the spectrum of a solid, and the nanoclusters may be considered crystals of nanometer scale. The computations are performed at the gradient-corrected level of density functional theory. The investigation is the first of its kind.
Biased gradient squared descent saddle point finding method
Authors: Duncan Juliana , Wu Qiliang , Promislow Keith , Henkelman Graeme
Published: May 2014

The harmonic approximation to transition state theory simplifies the problem of calculating a chemical reaction rate to identifying relevant low energy saddle points in a chemical system. Here, we present a saddle point finding method which does not require knowledge of specific product states. In the method, the potential energy landscape is transformed into the square of the gradient, which converts all critical points of the original potential energy surface into global minima. A biasing term is added to the gradient squared landscape to stabilize the low energy saddle points near a minimum of interest, and destabilize other critical points. We demonstrate that this method is competitive with the dimer min-mode following method in terms of the number of force evaluations required to find a set of low-energy saddle points around a reactant minimum.
Photoluminescence lineshape and dynamics of localized excitonic transitions in InAsP epitaxial layers
Authors: Merritt T. R. , Meeker M. A. , Magill B. A. , Khodaparast G. A. , McGill S. , Tischler J. G. , Choi S. G. , Palmstrøm C. J.
Published: May 2014

The excitonic radiative transitions of InAsxP1−x (x = 0.13 and x = 0.40) alloy epitaxial layers were studied through magnetic field and temperature dependent photoluminescence and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. While the linewidth and lineshape of the exciton transition for x = 0.40 indicate the presence of alloy broadening due to random anion distribution and the existence of localized exciton states, those of x = 0.13 suggest that this type of compositional disorder is absent in x = 0.13. This localization is further supported by the behavior of the exciton transitions at low temperature and high magnetic fields. InAs0.4P0.6 exhibits anomalous “S-shaped” temperature dependence of the excition emission peak below 100 K as well as linewidth broadening at high magnetic fields due to the compression of the excitonic volume amid compositional fluctuations. Finally, photoluminescence decay patterns suggest that the excitons radiatively relax through two channels, a fast and a slow decay. While the lifetime of the fast decay is comparable for both compositions (∼30 ps), that of the slow decay increases from 206 ps to 427 ps as x increases from 0.13 to 0.40, attributable to carrier migration between the localization states of InAs0.4P0.6.