bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
S
entencing
P
roject, The
Authors: Foley Allison J. , Khatiashvili Giorgi
Published: July 2017

The Sentencing Project has studied the criminal justice system in the United States since 1986. The nonprofit organization's analytical work reveals a number of inequalities in the administration of justice that disproportionately impact people of color. The Sentencing Project uses this work to advocate for sentencing and other legislative reforms and to propose solutions to reduce these disparities and to improve the impact of crime policy on juveniles, women, children, and society more generally.
S
treib,
V
ictor
Authors: Foley Allison J. , Khatiashvili Giorgi
Published: July 2017

Victor Streib is a renowned legal scholar and advocate for legal reform, particularly for juveniles and women. His studies, especially in regards to the death penalty, have shaped society's views and have been cited in many landmark US Supreme Court decisions. His work contributed to a shifting consensus against the execution of juveniles, and brought attention to the previously overlooked gender bias in the imposition of the death penalty.
V
enezuela, Corrections in
Authors: Santiago Neelie Pérez , Birkbeck Christopher
Published: July 2017

The correctional system of Venezuela is best understood as a system of internment. The inmate population doubled between 2008 and 2015, and overcrowding is at 270%. Remand and sentenced inmates are usually not segregated and most centers are in a very poor physical state. Control over the interior of facilities is largely in the hands of inmates and rates of violence are very high. Early release mechanisms are a longstanding “benefit” sought by inmates but access to them has been restricted in recent years, leading to widespread and varied forms of protest. The government has recently attempted to improve conditions within internment centers, but the outcome is uncertain.
Work Release Programs
Authors: Powell Zachary A.
Published: July 2017

Work release is a rehabilitation program that offers incarcerated inmates the opportunity to seek employment in a community while serving out their sentence at a penal institution. In theory, working in the community prior to release enables an inmate to have a smoother transition into conventional society, resulting in a decreased likelihood of recidivating. While initial reports indicated that work release was a viable corrections option, rigorous research showing no real effect of work release on recidivism initiated the decline of these programs. In conjunction with a decrease in funding for rehabilitation efforts and negative publicity, work release is rarely used in contemporary corrections.
U
nited
S
tates, Corrections in
Authors: Wells Makeela J.
Published: July 2017

Corrections is an aspect of the US criminal justice system that works to punish, incapacitate, deter, or rehabilitate those who have been convicted and sentenced for a crime. There are an estimated 1.5 million individuals under some type of correctional authority in the United States. The main components of US corrections include jails, prisons, and community corrections. Jails are facilities to hold individuals who are awaiting trial and those who have been sentenced to one year or less of confinement. Prisons are facilities reserved for individuals sentenced to more than one year of incarceration. Community corrections refers to a variety of sentences that allows offenders to serve their time within the community. The most common forms of community corrections are probation and parole. Other methods of community corrections include, but are not limited to, day reporting center, electronic monitoring, and boot camps.
Security Levels
Authors: Ortiz Jennifer Marie
Published: July 2017

]p[Security levels are classifications of facilities or units within a correctional establishment based on the level of danger or threat posed by the inmates in that facility. Danger and threat are quantified through a variety of variables, including level of monitoring of inmates, fortification of the facility, and potential inmate violence. This entry provides an overview of state and federal correctional security levels and factors that determine placement in each level. The entry also provides a discussion of the effect of placement in various security levels and suggestions for future research.
U
rban Institute
Authors: Villarreal Kate
Published: July 2017

Founded in 1968, the Urban Institute (often referred to simply as Urban) is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC, whose mission is to open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research. The Justice Policy Center, established at Urban in 2000, conducts research to improve criminal justice policy and practice at the national, state, and local levels. While Urban's extensive criminal justice portfolio is diverse, this entry focuses primarily on corrections and re‐entry.
L
ombroso,
C
esare
Authors: Ystehede Per Jørgen
Published: July 2017

Cesare Lombroso (Ezechia Marco Lombroso) was born on November 6, 1835 in Verona, Italy, and died in Turin, Italy, on October 19, 1909. He studied literature, linguistics, archeology and medicine and worked as an army doctor prior to becoming a professor of medicine and later, psychiatry (in 1896) at the University of Turin. Lombroso has been acknowledged as one of the founding fathers of criminology and of scientific studies on crime and the criminal.
Recreation Programs
Authors: Norwood Melanie
Published: July 2017

Recreation programs vary widely in prisons. Their availability is based on the security level of the prison, funding to provide and implement the program, the space within the prison or inside the prison grounds to hold the program, and the gender of inmates that the prison houses. These programs largely fall into the categories of sports, education, technical and vocational skills, and the arts. Unfortunately, the general public often perceives recreation programs as luxuries, despite the vast benefits that participation in these programs may afford inmates. The benefits to offering these programs, the types of programs that might be offered, the challenges to providing these programs, and the current status of these programs are discussed in this entry.
Matrix‐Embedded Endothelial Cells Attain a Progenitor‐Like Phenotype
Authors: Abraham Eytan , Gadish Or , Franses Joseph W. , Chitalia Vipul C. , Artzi Natalie , Edelman Elazer R.
Published: July 2017

Culture of endothelial cells (ECs) embedded in 3D scaffolds of denatured collagen has shown tremendous therapeutic potential in clinical trials of tissue repair. It is postulated that these matrix‐embedded ECs (MEECs) attain a differential phenotype similar to early progenitor forms, which cannot be attained in 2D culture. MEECs are compared to 2D‐ECs and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) by secretome, phenotype, and genetic fingerprint, and are found to be altered from 2D‐ECs on all levels, adopting an EPC‐like phenotype. This manifests in elevation of CD34 expression—a progenitor cell marker—and protein secretion and gene expression profiles that are similar to EPCs. Even more striking is that EPCs in 2D lose their phenotype, evident by the loss of CD34 expression, but are able to regain expression over time when embedded in the same 3D matrices, suggesting that future in vitro EPC work should use ME‐EPCs to recapitulate in vivo phenotype. These findings elucidate the relationship between EPCs and the substratum‐dependent regulation imparted by ECs which is critical to understand in order to optimize MEEC therapy and propel it into the clinic.
Attenuation of Maladaptive Responses in Aortic Adventitial Fibroblasts through Stimuli‐Triggered siRNA Release from Lipid–Polymer Nanocomplexes
Authors: Greco Chad T. , Akins Robert E. , Epps Thomas H. , Sullivan Millicent O.
Published: July 2017

Lipid–siRNA assemblies are modified with photoresponsive polymers to enable spatiotemporally controlled silencing of interleukin 1 beta (IL1β) and cadherin 11 (CDH11), two genes that are essential drivers of maladaptive responses in human aortic adventitial fibroblasts. These hybrid nanocomplexes address the critical challenge of locally mitigating fibrotic actions that lead to the high rates of vascular graft failures. In particular, the lipid–polymer formulations provide potent silencing of IL1β and CDH11 that is precisely modulated by a photorelease stimulus. Moreover, a dynamic modeling framework is used to design a multidose siRNA regimen that sustains knockdown of both genes over clinically relevant timescales. Multidose suppression illuminates a cooperative role for IL1β and CDH11 in pathogenic adventitial remodeling and is directly linked to desirable functional outcomes. Specifically, myofibroblast differentiation and cellular proliferation, two of the primary hallmarks of fibrosis, are significantly attenuated by IL1β silencing. Meanwhile, the effects of CDH11 siRNA treatment on differentiation become more pronounced at higher cell densities, characteristic of constrictive adventitial remodeling in vivo. Thus, this work offers a unique formulation design for photoresponsive gene suppression in human primary cells and establishes a new dosing method to satisfy the critical need for local attenuation of fibrotic responses in the adventitium surrounding vascular grafts.
Inorganic Acid‐Impregnated Covalent Organic Gels as High‐Performance Proton‐Conductive Materials at Subzero Temperatures
Authors: Zhong Hong , Fu Zhihua , Taylor Jared M. , Xu Gang , Wang Ruihu
Published: July 2017

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells usually suffer from severe power loss and even damage under subzero‐temperature working surroundings, which restricts their practical use in cold climates and in high‐altitude drones. One of the effective solutions to these issues is to develop new types of proton‐conductive materials at subzero temperature. This study presents a series of acylhydrazone‐based covalent organic gels (COGs). The COGs are stable in acidic media and show high proton conductivity over the temperature range of −40 to 60 °C under anhydrous conditions. Compared with other reported organic conductive materials, both a state‐of‐the‐art conductivity of 3.8 × 10−4 S cm−1 at −40 °C and superior long‐term stability are demonstrated. Moreover, the COGs possess remarkable self‐sustainability, good processability, and superior mechanical properties, and may be processed and molded into any desirable shapes for practical applications. These advantages make COGs hold great promises as solid‐state electrolytes under subzero‐temperature operating conditions.
Probing Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides MX2 (M = Mo, W and X = S, Se) using Time‐Domain Thermoreflectance
Authors: Jiang Puqing , Qian Xin , Gu Xiaokun , Yang Ronggui
Published: July 2017

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are a group of layered 2D semiconductors that have shown many intriguing electrical and optical properties. However, the thermal transport properties in TMDs are not well understood due to the challenges in characterizing anisotropic thermal conductivity. Here, a variable‐spot‐size time‐domain thermoreflectance approach is developed to simultaneously measure both the in‐plane and the through‐plane thermal conductivity of four kinds of layered TMDs (MoS2, WS2, MoSe2, and WSe2) over a wide temperature range, 80–300 K. Interestingly, it is found that both the through‐plane thermal conductivity and the Al/TMD interface conductance depend on the modulation frequency of the pump beam for all these four compounds. The frequency‐dependent thermal properties are attributed to the nonequilibrium thermal resistance between the different groups of phonons in the substrate. A two‐channel thermal model is used to analyze the nonequilibrium phonon transport and to derive the intrinsic thermal conductivity at the thermal equilibrium limit. The measurements of the thermal conductivities of bulk TMDs serve as an important benchmark for understanding the thermal conductivity of single‐ and few‐layer TMDs.
Reduction in Modulus of Suspended Sub‐2 nm Single Crystalline Silicon Nanomembranes
Authors: Zhu Xiaodong , Lu Jiwu , Pan Haihua , Zheng Zejie , Pi Xiaodong , Zhao Yi
Published: July 2017

Ultrathin Si nanomembranes (SiNM) have attracted wide attention due to their potential applications in various fields, including flexible electronics and image sensors for spherical monocentric lens. However, due to silicon's relative high Young modulus, it is quite difficult to perfectly integrate the Si based circuits into these flexible and spherical systems. In this study, we report the reduction in modulus of SiNM when the thickness of SiNM is down to sub‐2 nm. The fabrication steps include the Si thinning process by oxidation of the silicon on insulator (SOI) wafers and the suspended process by semiconductor technology. Direct mechanical measurement by atomic force microscope in contact model shows that the Young's modulus of a 1.6‐nm‐thick SiNMs decreases to 4 Gpa. It is further confirmed by the first‐principle theory simulation. It demonstrates that the surface effects play a significant role in SiNM's mechanical properties. The results in this study are significant for the applications of SiNMs on the flexible electronics.
A Papertronic, On‐Demand and Disposable Biobattery: Saliva‐Activated Electricity Generation from Lyophilized Exoelectrogens Preinoculated on Paper
Authors: Mohammadifar Maedeh , Choi Seokheun
Published: July 2017

Portable, on‐demand micropower generation is provided by developing paper‐based biobatteries that can deliver on‐chip energy to the next generation of point‐of‐care (POC) diagnostic platforms. This work creates a low‐cost, disposable, long shelf life and eco‐friendly micropower source that can be easily integrated in paper‐based POC devices and be readily activated by one drop of saliva, which is readily available in any challenging area. A high‐performance, paper‐based, bacteria‐powered battery is created by building microbial fuel cells with inactive, lyophilized (or freeze‐dried) exoelectrogenic cells, allowing for a long shelf life, which generates power within minutes of adding saliva. An oxygen‐tight interface and engineered conductive paper reservoir achieve significant performance boosts from maximized microbial electron transfer efficiency. Exoelectrogenic bacteria preinoculated in the paper battery is freeze‐dried for long‐term storage (in this work, the bacteria cells are stored for up to four months) and can be readily rehydrated for on‐demand power generation. Sixteen microbial fuel cells are incorporated on a single sheet of paper while all are connected in series with two electrical switches mounted on a paper circuit board, which produce more than enough electrical energy to power an on‐chip, light‐emitting diode.
Modulating the Molecular Packing and Nanophase Blending via a Random Terpolymerization Strategy toward 11% Efficiency Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cells
Authors: Chen Shanshan , Cho Hye Jin , Lee Jungho , Yang Yankang , Zhang Zhi‐Guo , Li Yongfang , Yang Changduk
Published: July 2017

Despite rapid advances in the field of nonfullerene polymer solar cells (NF‐PSCs), successful examples of random polymer‐based NF‐PSCs are limited. In this study, it is demonstrated that random donor polymers based on thieno[2′,3′:5′,6′]pyrido[3,4‐g]thieno[3,2‐c]isoquinoline‐5,11(4H,10H)‐dione (TPTI) containing two simple thiophene (T) and bithiophene (2T) electron‐rich moieties (PTTI‐Tx) can be promising materials for the fabrication of highly efficient NF‐PSCs. With negligible influence on optical bandgaps and energy levels, the crystalline behavior of PTTI‐Tx polymers was modulated by varying the T:2T ratio in the polymer backbone; this resulted in the formation of different microstructures upon blending with a nonfullerene m‐ITIC acceptor in NF‐PSCs. In particular, a PTPTI‐T70:m‐ITIC system enabled favorable small‐scale phase separation with an increased population of face‐on oriented crystallites, thereby boosting the processes of effective exciton dissociation and charge transport in the device. Consequently, the highest power conversion efficiency of 11.02% with an enhanced short‐circuit current density of 17.12 mA cm−2 is achieved for the random polymer‐based NF‐PSCs thus far. These results indicate that random terpolymerization is a simple and practical approach for the optimization of a donor polymer toward highly efficient NF‐PSCs.
Some mechanistic insights into the action of facilitating agents on gas permeation through glassy polymeric membranes
Authors: Midda Md Oayes , Suresh Akkihebbal K.
Published: July 2017

Incorporation of facilitating agents is one of the promising strategies being researched in recent years to cross the Robeson bounds for gas separations using polymeric membranes. The ways in which such inclusions modify the performance of membranes are not always clear. Here, we study the performance of two glassy membranes, Polyfurfuryl alcohol and Polysulfone, in O2/N2 and CO2/N2 separations, with Cobalt phthalocyanine in insoluble and solubilized forms as the facilitating agent. The results show that in general, three effects are important: (1) a barrier effect, (2) a facilitation effect, and (3) morphological effects on the polymer matrix due to an incompatibility between the particles and the polymer. These results provide some insight into the action of facilitating agents in soluble and insoluble form, when used as membrane additives. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 186–199, 2018
Dynamic modeling and simulations of the behavior of a fixed‐bed reactor‐exchanger used for CO2 methanation
Authors: Try Rasmey , Bengaouer Alain , Baurens Pierre , Jallut Christian
Published: July 2017

A multidimensional heterogeneous and dynamic model of a fixed‐bed heat exchanger reactor used for CO2 methanation has been developed in this work that is based on mass, energy and momentum balances in the gas phase and mass and energy balances for the catalyst phase. The dynamic behavior of this reactor is simulated for transient variations in inlet gas temperature, cooling temperature, gas inlet flow rate, and outlet pressure. Simulation results showed that wrong‐way behaviors can occur for any abrupt temperature changes. Conversely, temperature ramp changes enable to attenuate and even fade the wrong‐way behavior. Traveling hot spots appear only when the change of an operating condition shifts the reactor from an ignited steady state to a non‐ignited one. Inlet gas flow rate variations reveal overshoots and undershoots of the reactor maximum temperature. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 468–480, 2018
Investigation of gas–solid bubbling fluidized beds using ECT with a modified Tikhonov regularization technique
Authors: Guo Qiang , Meng Shuanghe , Wang Dehu , Zhao Yinfeng , Ye Mao , Yang Wuqiang , Liu Zhongmin
Published: July 2017

Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) provides a non‐intrusive means to visualize cross‐sectional material distribution of gas–solid bubbling fluidized beds. Successful application of ECT strongly depends on the image reconstruction algorithm used. For on‐line measurements of bubbling fluidized beds, employing an algorithm that can produce high‐quality images without extensive computation is necessary. Using the conventional Tikhonov regularization algorithm, image quality in the central area is basically satisfied but suffers from artifacts in the near‐wall region. To solve this problem, a similar division operation learned from linear back projection was introduced to modify the conventional Tikhonov algorithm. Both numerical simulations and experiments were performed to evaluate the modified technique. The results indicate that the artifacts can be effectively removed and the reconstructed image quality is similar to Landweber method with dozens of iterations. Furthermore, the modified Tikhonov technique shows high accuracy when obtaining important hydrodynamic parameters in gas–solid bubbling fluidized beds. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 29–41, 2018
Pregnancy and immune stimulation: re‐imagining the fetus as parasite to understand age‐related immune system changes in US women
Authors: Rivara Anna C. , Miller Elizabeth M.
Published: July 2017

Objectives

Pregnancy can increase production of Immunoglobulin E (IgE), an immune response more often directed towards parasite infections. An absence of parasitism makes the US population ideal to test the hypothesis that the maternal immune system recognizes a fetus as a parasite. We predict that total IgE levels are positively associated with a history of pregnancy across all ages of adult women, mirroring patterns of IgE in parasitized populations.

Methods

Reproductive‐aged women (n = 2201) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005‐2006 were analyzed in a cross‐sectional design using complex survey regression and multiple imputation to evaluate associations between total IgE levels, pregnancy history, and interactions between age and pregnancy.

Results

Women with a history of pregnancy have significantly higher IgE levels and a significantly shallower slope of IgE levels across ages (P = .031).

Conclusions

This research supports the hypothesis that maternal immune systems respond to prior pregnancies as they do to macro‐parasitic exposures, and may modify the expected linear declines of IgE levels in women that accompanies aging. These finding have implications for understanding the evolution of internal gestation in mammals.
Effect of the melt‐mixing condition on the physical property of poly(l‐lactic acid)/poly(d‐lactic acid) blends
Authors: El‐Khodary Esraa , Fukui Yoko , Yamamoto Masaki , Yamane Hideki
Published: July 2017

The effect of the mixing condition in a mill‐type mixer on the thermal property and the crystal formation of the poly(l‐lactide)/poly(d‐lactide) blends is investigated. The blends melt‐mixed at 200 and 210 °C under application of a high shear flow tend to show a single melting peak of the stereocomplex crystal (SC) in the differential scanning calorimetry first and second heating processes without indicating the trace of the melting of homo‐chiral crystal. The mixing at an elevated temperature causes a serious thermal degradation. Further kneading of the blends at an elevated temperature higher than Tm of SC causes the transesterification between the same enatiomeric chains forming block copolymers of l‐ and d‐chains. This block copolymer acts as a nucleating agent of SC and the compatibilizing agent between poly(l‐lactide) and poly(d‐lactide) and promotes the formation of SC. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45489.
Micelle‐Directing Synthesis of Ag‐Doped WO3 and MoO3 Composites for Photocatalytic Water Oxidation and Organic‐Dye Adsorption
Authors: Bate Nasen , Shi Hongfei , Chen Li , Wang Jiabo , Xu Shasha , Chen Weilin , Li Jianping , Wang Enbo
Published: July 2017

In this paper, an Ag‐doped WO3 (and MoO3) composite has been prepared by following a simple micelle‐directed method and high‐temperature sintering route. The as‐prepared samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The photocatalytic experiments reveal that their oxygen‐production rates are up to 95.43 μmol (75.45 μmol) for Ag‐doped WO3 (MoO3), which is 9.5 (7.3) times higher than that of pure WO3: 9.012 μmol (MoO3: 9.00 μmol) under visible‐light illumination (λ≥420 nm), respectively. The improvement of their photocatalytic activity is attributed to the enhancement of their visible‐light absorption and the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers by Ag doping. Moreover, Ag‐doped WO3 (MoO3) also shows excellent adsorption of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution, with maximum adsorption capacities towards RhB and MB of 822 and 820 mg g−1 for Ag‐doped WO3, and 642 and 805 mg g−1 for Ag‐doped MoO3, respectively.
Consumer response to brand involved in food safety scandal: An exploratory study based on a recent scandal in India
Authors: Roy Vivek , Tata Sai Vijay , Parsad Chandan
Published: July 2017

This paper focuses on the product‐harm oriented brand crisis situation from the perspective of food safety scandal. Food safety scandals cause the deterioration of consumer confidence and thereby affect consumer food choices. However, there exists a lack of studies that examine the consumer response to a brand involved in a food safety scandal. The main research questions addressed are (a) to explicate a detailed mechanism of the consumer response towards a brand involved in food safety scandal and (b) what prompts a consumer to trust the faulty brand again. Further, this study presents empirical contextualization from a real brand‐specific food safety scandal, the 2015 monosodium glutamate scandal of Nestlé Maggi noodles in India. The study is based on 308 Indian consumers and employs structural equation modeling to analyze the data. The results show that the emotional attachment with the brand forms the basis of the restoration of brand trust by enhancing the authenticity perception of the brand among consumers. This, in turn, forms the basis for the enhancement of healthiness perception of ingredients in order to restore the purchase intention and mitigate blame attribution among consumers. The results are further analyzed from the brand perspective to outline critical implications toward food brand crisis management. This study is among the initial studies to focus on the aftermath of food safety scandals from the brand and consumer perspective.
Intravascular large B‐cell lymphoma presenting as Richter's syndrome with cerebral involvement in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Puckrin Robert , Pop Paula , Ghorab Zeina , Keith Julia , Chodirker Lisa , Lin Yulia , Callum Jeannie
Published: July 2017

Key Clinical Message

Intravascular large B‐cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is an aggressive non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma which can present with B symptoms, rash, and neurological deterioration. Up to 10% of cases of IVLBCL are associated with other hematological neoplasms, including this extremely rare presentation of IVLBCL as Richter's transformation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Nitrogen‐Doped Porous Carbon Matrix Derived from Metal‐Organic Framework‐Supported Pt Nanoparticles with Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Activity
Authors: Gu Wenling , Shang Changshuai , Li Jing , Wang Erkang
Published: July 2017

Herein, a porous nitrogen‐doped carbon material (NH2‐MIL‐101‐C) derived from the metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) of NH2‐MIL‐101 ([Fe3OX(NH2‐BDC)3]n, X: OH, NH2‐BDC: 2‐aminoterephthalic acid) is applied as a corrosion‐resistant support matrix for the growth of Pt nanoparticles (NH2‐MIL‐101‐C@Pt). The Pt nanoparticles could be uniformly and steadily deposited on the porous carbon support matrix, owing to their strong interactions, which effectively inhibited agglomeration of the nanoparticles. NH2‐MIL‐101‐C@Pt is tested for the possible factors as an excellent oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst in basic medium. Compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst, enhanced ORR activity and greater long‐time durability is obtained when using the NH2‐MIL‐101‐C@Pt catalyst. In addition, it is proved that the enhanced activity should be ascribed to the alternate local electron density of Pt in the NH2‐MIL‐101‐C@Pt catalyst, which convincingly change the d‐band center of Pt compared to the Fermi level and promotes faster ORR kinetics.
Frailty is an independent prognostic marker in elderly patients with myocardial infarction
Authors: Alonso Salinas Gonzalo Luis , Sanmartin Marcelo , Pascual Izco Marina , Rincon Luis Miguel , Pastor Pueyo Pablo , Marco del Castillo Alvaro , Garcia Guerrero Alberto , Caravaca Perez Pedro , Recio‐Mayoral Alejandro , Camino Asuncion , Jimenez‐Mena Manuel , Zamorano José Luis
Published: July 2017

Background

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients are increasingly older. Conventional prognostic scales include chronological age but do not consider vulnerability. In elderly patients, a frail phenotype represents a better reflection of biological age.

Hypothesis:

This study aims to determine the prevalence of frailty and its influence on patients age ≥75 years with ACS.

Methods

Patients age ≥75 years admitted due to type 1 myocardial infarction were included in 2 tertiary hospitals, and clinical data were collected prospectively. Frailty was defined at admission using the previously validated Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe Frailty Index (SHARE‐FI) tool. The primary endpoint was the combination of death or nonfatal myocardial reinfarction during a follow‐up of 6 months. Major bleeding (hemoglobin decrease ≥3 g/dL or transfusion needed) and readmission rates were also explored.

Results

A total of 234 consecutive patients were included. Frail patients (40.2%) had a higher‐risk profile, based on higher age and comorbidities. On multivariate analysis, frailty was an independent predictor of the combination of death or nonfatal myocardial reinfarction (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 2.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12‐5.79), an independent predictor of the combination of death, nonfatal myocardial reinfarction, or major bleeding (aHR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.13‐4.04), and an independent predictor of readmission (aHR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.00‐3.22).

Conclusions

Frailty phenotype at admission is common among elderly patients with ACS and is an independent predictor for severe adverse events. It should be considered in future risk‐stratification models.
Plasmonic Gold Nanostars Incorporated into High‐Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Batmunkh Munkhbayar , Macdonald Thomas J. , Peveler William J. , Bati Abdulaziz S. R. , Carmalt Claire J. , Parkin Ivan P. , Shapter Joseph G.
Published: July 2017

Incorporating appropriate plasmonic nanostructures into photovoltaic (PV) systems is of great utility for enhancing photon absorption and thus improving device performance. Herein, the successful integration of plasmonic gold nanostars (AuNSs) into mesoporous TiO2 photoelectrodes for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is reported. The PSCs fabricated with TiO2‐AuNSs photoelectrodes exhibited a device efficiency of up to 17.72 %, whereas the control cells without AuNSs showed a maximum efficiency of 15.19 %. We attribute the origin of increased device performance to enhanced light absorption and suppressed charge recombination.
Frapbot: An open‐source application for FRAP data
Authors: Kohze Robin , Dieteren Cindy E.J. , Koopman Werner J.H. , Brock Roland , Schmidt Samuel
Published: July 2017

We introduce Frapbot, a free‐of‐charge open source software web application written in R, which provides manual and automated analyses of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) datasets. For automated operation, starting from data tables containing columns of time‐dependent intensity values for various regions of interests within the images, a pattern recognition algorithm recognizes the relevant columns and identifies the presence or absence of prebleach values and the time point of photobleaching. Raw data, residuals, normalization, and boxplots indicating the distribution of half times of recovery (t1/2) of all uploaded files are visualized instantly in a batch‐wise manner using a variety of user‐definable fitting options. The fitted results are provided as .zip file, which contains .csv formatted output tables. Alternatively, the user can manually control any of the options described earlier. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Cardiac muscle wasting in individuals with cancer cachexia
Authors: Barkhudaryan Anush , Scherbakov Nadja , Springer Jochen , Doehner Wolfram
Published: July 2017

Aims

Cachexia is a severe complication of cancer that adversely affects the course of the disease and is associated with high rates of mortality. Patients with cancer manifest symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and impaired exercise tolerance, which are clinical signs of chronic heart failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiac muscle wasting in cancer individuals.

Methods and results

We retrospectively analysed 177 individuals who died of cancer, including 58 lung, 60 pancreatic, and 59 gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, and 42 cancer‐free controls who died of other, non‐cardiovascular reasons. Cancer cachexia (CC) was defined based on clinical and/or pathological diagnosis, body mass index (BMI) <20.0 kg/m2 and/or oedema‐free body weight loss of 5.0% during the previous year or less. The pathology reports were analysed for BMI, heart weight (HW), and left and right ventricular wall thicknesses (LVWT and RVWT, respectively). The analysis of clinical data included recording of biochemical parameters and medication data of study patients. CC was detected in 54 (30.5%) subjects. Individuals with CC had a significantly lower HW than non‐cachectic subjects (363.1 ± 86.2 vs. 447.0 ± 128.9 g, P < 0.001) and control group (412.9 ± 75.8 g, P < 0.05). BMI correlated with HW in cases with GI cancer (r = 0.44, P < 0.001), lung cancer (r = 0.53, P < 0.0001), and pancreatic cancer (r = 0.39, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Body weight loss in individuals with lung, pancreatic, and GI cancers is accompanied by a decrease in HW. In patients with CC who receive cancer treatment, screening for cardiac muscle wasting may have clinical importance.
A Novel Cerium Tungstate Nanosheets Modified Electrode for the Effective Electrochemical Detection of Carcinogenic Nitrite Ions
Authors: Vinoth Kumar J. , Karthik R. , Chen Shen‐Ming , Balasubramanian P. , Muthuraj V. , Selvam V.
Published: July 2017

In this present scenario, for the first time, we propose a facile and simple wet chemical approach for the fabrication of two‐dimensional (2D) cerium tungstate (CeW2O9;CeW) nanosheets and evaluated as an electrochemical sensor for the detection of nitrite ions. The successful formation of CeW2O9 nanosheets was confirmed by various physicochemical techniques such as X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman, Scanning electron microscope, Transmission electron microscope and Energy dispersive X‐ray studies. The electrochemical properties of the CeW nanosheets were studied by using cyclic voltammograms (CV) and chronoamperometric techniques. As an electrochemical sensor, the CeW nanosheets modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) showed superior electrocatalytic activity in the oxidation of nitrite in terms of higher anodic peak current and lower oxidation potential when compared with unmodified GCE. CeW nanosheets based electrochemical sensor has been fabricated which detect nitrite in wide linear response range, good sensitivity and very low detection limit of 0.02–986 μM, 2.85 μA μM−1 cm−2 and 8 nM, respectively. Moreover, the CeW nanosheets modified GCE exhibited excellent selectivity even in the presence of common metal ions and biologically co‐interfering compounds. For the practical viability of the prepared amperometric sensor has been utilized in various water samples such as tap, lake and drinking water and the obtained recoveries are appreciable.
Generation of Hydrogen through the Reaction between Plasma‐Modified Aluminum and Water
Authors: Urbonavicius Marius , Varnagiris Sarunas , Milcius Darius
Published: July 2017

One of the main challenges related to hydrogen energy technologies is hydrogen storage in a safe and economically reasonable way. A promising solution could be related to the use of aluminum or its alloys to reduce water to form hydrogen when needed. The aluminum–water reaction is thermodynamically favorable, but does not proceed due to the passivation of the aluminum surface by the protective aluminum oxide layer, which prevents water molecules from coming into direct contact with metal particles. Herein, the surface of aluminum particles was modified by using a low‐temperature plasma‐activation approach. Such a modification induces a hydrophilicity effect and the modified aluminum powder sinks instantly in water, whereas unmodified powder floats on the top of the water. The plasma‐based activation technology is also discussed in detail. The structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by using SEM, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and XRD. BET surface area analyses were also performed. The elemental composition on the nanoscale level and formation of polar groups were experimentally investigated by using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Amounts of oxygen/hydrogen were measured by using the inert‐gas fusion method. Tests show that hydrogen production starts after 1 min of aluminum powder immersion into slightly alkaline water and continues for up to 20 min. The reaction by‐product is environmentally friendly and could be used for the production of aluminum oxide.
Prenatal diagnosis of Sotos syndrome characterized by fetal growth restriction
Authors: Zhang Yi , Lin Shaobing , Fang Qun
Published: July 2017

The case of a fetus with a de novo microdeletion in NSD1 associated with Sotos syndrome characterized by fetal growth restriction is described.
Alkaline Phosphatase: Discovery and Naming of Our Favorite Enzyme
Authors: Siller Alejandro F , Whyte Michael P
Published: July 2017

Alkaline phosphatase can be considered “our favorite enzyme” for reasons apparent to those who diagnose and treat metabolic bone diseases or who study skeletal biology. Few might know, however, that alkaline phosphatase likely represents the most frequently assayed enzyme in all of medicine. Elevated activity in the circulation is universally recognized as a marker for skeletal or hepatobiliary disease. Nevertheless, the assay conditions in many ways are nonphysiological. The term alkaline phosphatase emerged when it became necessary to distinguish “bone phosphatase” from the phosphatase in the prostate that features an acidic pH optimum. Beginning in 1948, studies of the inborn-error-of-metabolism hypophosphatasia would identify the natural substrates and establish the physiological role of alkaline phosphatase, including in biomineralization. Here, we recount the discovery in 1923 and then eventual naming of this enzyme that remains paramount in our field. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
A novel splice site variant in CYP11A1 in trans with the p.E314K variant in a male patient with congenital adrenal insufficiency
Authors: Lara‐Velazquez Montserrat , Perdomo‐Pantoja Alexander , Blackburn Patrick R. , Gass Jennifer M. , Caulfield Thomas R. , Atwal Paldeep S.
Published: July 2017

Background

The CYP11A1 gene encodes the cytochrome P450 side‐chain cleavage enzyme, which is essential for steroid formation. Recessive variants in this gene can lead to impairment of sexual differentiation caused by a complete or partial loss of steroid hormone production. The phenotypic spectrum in affected 46XY males may vary from surgically repairable defects including cryptorchidism and hypospadias to complete feminization of external gonads, accompanied by symptoms of adrenal dysfunction.

Methods

Whole‐exome sequencing (WES) of a 12‐year‐old male proband and his parents was performed after a protracted diagnostic odyssey failed to uncover the cause of his primary adrenal insufficiency. Of note, the proband had early symptomatology and corrective surgery for hypospadias, raising suspicion for a disorder of steroidogenesis.

Results

WES identified compound heterozygous variants in CYP11A1 including a novel canonical splice site variant (c.425+1G>A) and a previously reported p.E314K variant, which were consistent with a diagnosis of congenital adrenal insufficiency with partial 46XY sex reversal.

Conclusion

Congenital adrenal insufficiency with 46XY sex reversal is a rare disorder that is characterized by dysregulation of steroid hormone synthesis, leading to adrenal and gonadal dysfunction. In this report, we describe a patient with adrenal insufficiency, hypospadias, and skin hyperpigmentation who was found to have a novel c.425+1G>A variant in trans with the p.E314K variant in CYP11A1. We performed structural analyses to examine the effect of the p.E314K variant on protein function and show that it falls in the core of the protein may disrupt cholesterol binding in the active site.
MD2 Blockage Protects Obesity‐Induced Vascular Remodeling via Activating AMPK/Nrf2
Authors: Wang Lintao , Han Jibo , Shan Peiren , You Shengban , Chen Xuemei , Jin Yiyi , Wang Jingying , Huang Weijian , Wang Yi , Liang Guang
Published: July 2017

Objective

Obesity and increased free fatty acid (FFA) levels are tightly linked with vascular oxidative stress and remodeling. Myeloid differentiation 2 (MD2), an important protein in innate immunity, is requisite for endotoxin lipopolysaccharide responsiveness. This study shows that palmitic acid (PA) also bonds to MD2, initiating cardiac inflammatory injury. However, it is not clear whether MD2 plays a role in noninflammatory systems such as obesity‐ and FFA‐related oxidative stress involved in vascular remodeling and injury. The aim of this study is to examine whether MD2 participates in reactive oxygen species increase and vascular remodeling.

Methods

Male MD2−/− mice and wild‐type littermates with a C57BL/6 background were fed a high‐fat diet (HFD) to establish obesity‐induced vascular remodeling. Rat aortic endothelial cells (RAECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were treated with PA to induce oxidative stress and injury.

Results

In vivo, MD2 deficiency significantly reduced HFD‐induced vascular oxidative stress, fibrosis, and remodeling, accompanied with AMP‐activated kinase (AMPK) activation and nuclear factor erythroid (Nrf2) upregulation. In VSMCs and RAECs, inhibition of MD2 by neutralizing monoclonal antibody to MD2 or small interfering RNA knockdown significantly activated the AMPK/Nrf2‐signaling pathway and reduced PA‐induced oxidative stress and cell injury.

Conclusions

It was demonstrated that the deletion or inhibition of MD2 protects against HFD/FFA‐induced vascular oxidative stress and remodeling by activating the AMPK/Nrf2‐signaling pathway.
Oral Contraceptive Pill Alters Acute Dietary Protein‐Induced Thermogenesis in Young Women
Authors: Duhita Maharani Retna , Schutz Yves , Montani Jean‐Pierre , Dulloo Abdul G. , Miles‐Chan Jennifer L.
Published: July 2017

Objective

There is much interest in the role of dietary protein for weight control. However, there remains a need to characterize individual determinants of the thermogenic effects of protein. This study aimed to investigate the influence of menstrual cycle phase and the combined, monophasic oral contraceptive pill on the thermogenic response to a standardized high‐protein (HP) versus normal‐protein (NP) meal.

Methods

Following an overnight fast, resting energy expenditure (EE) was measured in 16 healthy young women (8 taking and 8 not taking the pill) and 8 men for 30 minutes pre ingestion and 3 hours post ingestion of a NP (11%) or HP (24%) meal.

Results

There was no effect of menstrual phase or contraceptive pill use on fasting EE or NP response. However, HP increased EE significantly more than NP in women not taking the oral contraceptive pill and in men, but not in women taking the pill.

Conclusions

This study shows an absence of the greater thermic effect of HP versus NP in women taking the oral contraceptive pill and has important implications regarding the effectiveness of HP for body weight regulation in women. With current obesity treatment/prevention strategies remaining largely ineffective, understanding the relationship between oral contraceptive pill use and protein‐induced thermogenesis may enable the successful recalibration of existing dietary recommendations.
Routine surveillance imaging after end of therapy for pediatric extracranial tumors: A retrospective analysis
Authors: Lakkis Farah , Alaiwi Sarah Abou , Naffaa Lena , Atweh Lamya , Khoury Nabil , Abboud Miguel , Muwakkit Samar , Tarek Nidale , El Solh Hassan , Saab Raya
Published: July 2017

Frequent surveillance imaging is routine practice for pediatric patients after cancer therapy. This retrospective study evaluated the follow‐up of 301 children with extracranial tumors diagnosed between 2002 and 2012, at a tertiary pediatric cancer center in Beirut, Lebanon. Recurrence occurred in 15% of patients, at a median of 12 months after end of primary therapy. Outcome was not different comparing patients with recurrence detected via imaging surveillance versus clinically. False positive findings in 55 patients led to further interventions. These results raise important questions regarding benefit of current surveillance practices as standard care, especially in countries with limited resources.
Computational design of a specific heavy chain/κ light chain interface for expressing fully IgG bispecific antibodies
Authors: Froning K. J. , Leaver‐Fay A. , Wu X. , Phan S. , Gao L. , Huang F. , Pustilnik A. , Bacica M. , Houlihan K. , Chai Q. , Fitchett J. R. , Hendle J. , Kuhlman B. , Demarest S. J.
Published: July 2017

The use of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) to treat human diseases is on the rise. Increasingly complex and powerful therapeutic mechanisms made possible by BsAbs are spurring innovation of novel BsAb formats and methods for their production. The long‐lived in vivo pharmacokinetics, optimal biophysical properties and potential effector functions of natural IgG monoclonal (and monospecific) antibodies has resulted in a push to generate fully IgG BsAb formats with the same quaternary structure as monoclonal IgGs. The production of fully IgG BsAbs is challenging because of the highly heterogeneous pairing of heavy chains (HCs) and light chains (LCs) when produced in mammalian cells with two IgG HCs and two LCs. A solution to the HC heterodimerization aspect of IgG BsAb production was first discovered two decades ago; however, addressing the LC mispairing issue has remained intractable until recently. Here, we use computational and rational engineering to develop novel designs to the HC/LC pairing issue, and particularly for κ LCs. Crystal structures of these designs highlight the interactions that provide HC/LC specificity. We produce and characterize multiple fully IgG BsAbs using these novel designs. We demonstrate the importance of specificity engineering in both the variable and constant domains to achieve robust HC/LC specificity within all the BsAbs. These solutions facilitate the production of fully IgG BsAbs for clinical use.
Role of Information Feedback in Soil Nitrogen Management: Results from a Dynamic Simulation Game
Authors: Saysel Ali Kerem
Published: July 2017

Agricultural production depends on the consumption of nitrogen fertilizers, which are mostly produced by artificially fixing inert atmospheric N2 gas. Crops assimilate a fraction of the applied nitrogen (N) on farmlands, and the residual inorganic N in the soil solution is lost to the atmosphere and oceans, contributing to global climate change, water pollution and eutrophication. There is worldwide evidence indicating that N‐fertilizers are overused beyond profit‐maximizing levels, leading to dramatically low nitrogen use efficiencies. In this study, we focus on the problem of residual nitrogen accumulation on farmlands and the role of information feedback on fertilizer application rates. The vehicle is dynamic simulation and decision experimentation. Results of pilot experiments with students reveal that annual information feedback on farm profits and residual N help subjects adjust their rates towards economically meaningful quantities that do not create superfluous N losses. Because in real life, cause‐and‐effect between fertilizer rates and crop yields is confounded by various environmental factors, timely information on residual N may serve as a better cue for informing farmers' fertilizer decisions. When applied to farmer communities, the simulator is expected to facilitate learning about soil N accumulation and create the missing incentive for implementing regular soil analysis likely to lead towards more appropriate fertilizer rates. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.