bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nucleation Mechanisms of CO2 Hydrate Reflected by Gas Solubility
Authors: Zhang Peng , Wu Qingbai , Mu Cuicui , Chen Xueping
Published: July 2018

The concentration of gas has been confirmed as a key factor dominating hydrate nucleation. In this study, CO2 hydrates were formed in pure water and a sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) solution using a temperature reduction method under constant pressure at different temperatures. The dissolving properties of CO2 throughout the whole induction period were investigated in detail. The experimental results showed that the ‘memory effect’ of hydrate might not be attributed to residual water structures after hydrate dissociation. Instead, residual gas molecules in the aqueous phase should receive more attention. Hydrate nucleation was confirmed to be a type of chain reaction. Low temperature was a significant factor that promoted hydrate nucleation. As a result, these two factors enhanced the stochastic features of the CO2 hydrate nucleation reaction. Even under the same conditions, critical gas concentrations beyond the threshold that hydrates can spontaneously nucleate were not fixed, but they still exhibited linear relations regarding a set temperature. Taking the significant influences of temperature into account, a new nucleation mechanism for CO2 hydrates was established based on the potential of the reaction system. Therefore, this study sheds new light when explaining the reason for the formation of gas hydrates in natural reservoirs.
Squeezing dynamics of a nanowire system with spin-orbit interaction
Authors: Mohamed R. I. , Farouk Ahmed , Homid A. H. , El-Kalaawy O. H. , Abdel-Aty Abdel-Haleem , Abdel-Aty M. , Ghose S.
Published: July 2018

We analyze the dynamics of squeezing in a ballistic quantum wire with Rashba spin-orbit interaction in the presence of both strong and weak magnetic fields and for different initial states of the system. Compared to the more standard measure of squeezing based on variances, we show that entropy squeezing is a more sensitive measure. Our results show that there is a strong relationship between the spin-orbit interaction and the strength of entropy squeezing. Furthermore, there is a relationship between the initial state and the number of squeezed components. This allows new knobs to control the strength and the component of entropy squeezing in a nanowire system.
Inhibition of the precursor and mature forms of HIV-1 protease as a tool for drug evaluation
Authors: Humpolíčková Jana , Weber Jan , Starková Jana , Mašínová Eva , Günterová Jana , Flaisigová Iva , Konvalinka Jan , Majerová Taťána
Published: July 2018

HIV-1 protease (PR) is a homodimeric enzyme that is autocatalytically cleaved from the Gag-Pol precursor. Known PR inhibitors bind the mature enzyme several orders of magnitude more strongly than the PR precursor. Inhibition of PR at the precursor level, however, may stop the process at its rate-limiting step before the proteolytic cascade is initiated. Due to its structural heterogeneity, limited solubility and autoprocessing, the PR precursor is difficult to access by classical methods, and limited knowledge regarding precursor inhibition is available. Here, we describe a cell-based assay addressing precursor inhibition. We used a reporter molecule containing the transframe (TFP) and p6* peptides, PR, and N-terminal fragment of reverse transcriptase flanked by the fluorescent proteins mCherry and EGFP on its N- and C- termini, respectively. The level of FRET between EGFP and mCherry indicates the amount of unprocessed reporter, allowing specific monitoring of precursor inhibition. The inhibition can be quantified by flow cytometry. Additionally, two microscopy techniques confirmed that the reporter remains unprocessed within individual cells upon inhibition. We tested darunavir, atazanavir and nelfinavir and their combinations against wild-type PR. Shedding light on an inhibitor’s ability to act on non-mature forms of PR may aid novel strategies for next-generation drug design.
Thermostatic properties of nitrate molten salts and their solar and eutectic mixtures
Authors: D’Aguanno B. , Karthik M. , Grace A. N. , Floris A.
Published: July 2018

Nitrate molten salts are extensively used for sensible heat storage in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants and thermal energy storage (TES) systems. They are the most promising materials for latent heat storage applications. By combining classical molecular dynamics and differential scanning calorimetry experiments, we present a systematic study of all thermostatic, high temperature properties of pure KNO3and NaNO3salts and their eutectic and ”solar salt” mixtures, technologically relevant. We first study, in solid and liquid regimes, their mass densities, enthalpies, thermal expansion coefficients and isothermal compressibilities. We then analyze thecPandcVspecific heats of the pure salts and of the liquid phase of the mixtures. Our theoretical results allow to resolve a long-standing experimental uncertainty about thecP(T) thermal behaviour of these systems. In particular, they revisit empirical laws on thecP(T) behaviour, extensively used at industrial level in the design of TES components employing the ”solar salt” as main storage material. Our findings, numerically precise and internally consistent, can be used as a reference for the development of innovative nanomaterials based on nitrate molten salts, crucial in technologies as CSP, waste heat recovery, and advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage.
Gas Phase Chemical Evolution of Uranium, Aluminum, and Iron Oxides
Authors: Koroglu Batikan , Wagnon Scott , Dai Zurong , Crowhurst Jonathan C. , Armstrong Michael R. , Weisz David , Mehl Marco , Zaug Joseph M. , Radousky Harry B. , Rose Timothy P.
Published: July 2018

We use a recently developed plasma-flow reactor to experimentally investigate the formation of oxide nanoparticles from gas phase metal atoms during oxidation, homogeneous nucleation, condensation, and agglomeration processes. Gas phase uranium, aluminum, and iron atoms were cooled from 5000 K to 1000 K over short-time scales (∆t < 30 ms) at atmospheric pressures in the presence of excess oxygen. In-situ emission spectroscopy is used to measure the variation in monoxide/atomic emission intensity ratios as a function of temperature and oxygen fugacity. Condensed oxide nanoparticles are collected inside the reactor for ex-situ analyses using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) to determine their structural compositions and sizes. A chemical kinetics model is also developed to describe the gas phase reactions of iron and aluminum metals. The resulting sizes and forms of the crystalline nanoparticles (FeO-wustite, eta-Al2O3, UO2, and alpha-UO3) depend on the thermodynamic properties, kinetically-limited gas phase chemical reactions, and local redox conditions. This work shows the nucleation and growth of metal oxide particles in rapidly-cooling gas is closely coupled to the kinetically-controlled chemical pathways for vapor-phase oxide formation.
Circular-polarized-light-induced spin polarization characterized for the Dirac-cone surface state at W(110) with C2v symmetry
Authors: Miyamoto K. , Wortelen H. , Okuda T. , Henk J. , Donath M.
Published: July 2018

The C2v surface symmetry of W(110) strongly influences a spin-orbit-induced Dirac-cone-like surface state and its characterization by spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. In particular, using circular polarized light, a distinctive k-dependent spin texture is observed along the $$\overline{{\boldsymbol{\Gamma }}{\boldsymbol{H}}}$$

Γ
H

¯

direction of the surface Brillouin zone. For all spin components Px, Py, and Pz, non-zero values are detected, while the initial-state spin polarization has only a Py component due to mirror symmetry. The observed complex spin texture of the surface state is controlled by transition matrix element effects, which include orbital symmetries of the involved electron states as well as the geometry of the experimental set-up.
Isolation of Cottonseed Extracts That Affect Human Cancer Cell Growth
Authors: Cao Heping , Sethumadhavan Kandan , Bland John M.
Published: July 2018

Cottonseeds are classified as glanded or glandless seeds depending on the presence or absence of gossypol glands. Glanded cottonseed has anticancer property and glandless cottonseed was reported to cause cancer in one animal study. It is important to investigate the effect of bioactive components from cottonseeds. Our objectives were to isolate ethanol extracts from cottonseeds and investigate their effects on human cancer cells. A protocol was developed for isolating bioactive extracts from seed coat and kernel of glanded and glandless cottonseeds. HPLC-MS analyzed the four ethanol extracts but only quercetin was identified in the glandless seed coat extract. Residual gossypol was detected in the glanded and glandless seed kernel extracts and but only in the glanded seed coat extract. Ethanol extracts were used to treat human cancer cells derived from breast and pancreas followed by MTT assay for cell viability. Ethanol extracts from glanded and glandless cottonseed kernels and gossypol significantly decreased breast cancer cell mitochondrial activity. Ethanol extract from glanded cottonseed kernel and gossypol also significantly decreased pancreas cancer cell mitochondrial activity. These results suggest that ethanol extracts from cottonseeds, like gossypol, contain anticancer activities.
The morphospace of language networks
Authors: Seoane Luís F. , Solé Ricard
Published: July 2018

What is the nature of language? How has it evolved in different species? Are there qualitative, well-defined classes of languages? Most studies of language evolution deal in a way or another with such theoretical contraption and explore the outcome of diverse forms of selection on the communication matrix that somewhat optimizes communication. This framework naturally introduces networks mediating the communicating agents, but no systematic analysis of the underlying landscape of possible language graphs has been developed. Here we present a detailed analysis of network properties on a generic model of a communication code, which reveals a rather complex and heterogeneous morphospace of language graphs. Additionally, we use curated data of English words to locate and evaluate real languages within this morphospace. Our findings indicate a surprisingly simple structure in human language unless particles with the ability of naming any other concept are introduced in the vocabulary. These results refine and for the first time complement with empirical data a lasting theoretical tradition around the framework ofleast effort language.
Author Correction: Effect of Plant Density, Boron Nutrition and Growth Regulation on Seed Mass, Emergence and Offspring Growth Plasticity in Cotton
Authors: Zohaib Ali , Tabassum Tahira , Jabbar Abdul , Anjum Shakeel Ahmad , Abbas Tasawer , Mehmood Azhar , Irshad Sohail , Kashif Muhammad , Nawaz Mohsin , Farooq Naila , Nasir Irfan Rasool , Rasool Tassadduq , Nadeem Mubashar , Ahmad Riaz
Published: July 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Efficient Blue-emitting Phosphor SrLu2O4:Ce3+ with High Thermal Stability for Near Ultraviolet (~400 nm) LED-Chip based White LEDs
Authors: Zhang Sheng , Hao Zhendong , Zhang Liangliang , Pan Guo-Hui , Wu Huajun , Zhang Xia , Luo Yongshi , Zhang Ligong , Zhao Haifeng , Zhang Jiahua
Published: July 2018

Blue-emitting phosphors for near ultraviolet (NUV) based tri-color RGB phosphor blend converted white light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been extensively investigated in the past few years. LED chip peaked near 400 nm is the most efficient among the NUV chips currently. However, most of blue phosphors show inefficient excitation around 400 nm. Herein, a novel blue phosphor SrLu2O4:Ce3+ matching well with near 400 nm chip and showing high thermal stability has been developed. The photoluminescence spectrum presents a broad emission band peaking at 460 nm with a bandwidth of nearly 90 nm. By optimizing the Ce3+ concentration, an internal quantum efficiency (IQE) as high as 76% was achieved. Furthermore, 86% of the room-temperature emission intensity is still maintained at 150 °C, indicating a good thermal stability and practicality. A series of white LEDs were fabricated based on 405 nm chips coated with a blend of the new blue phosphor with the commercial yellow and red phosphors. High color rendering indexes (≥90) were achieved while the correlated color temperature was tuneable in the range of 3094 to 8990 K. These results suggest that SrLu2O4:Ce3+ can be utilized as a blue-emitting phosphor in NUV based white LEDs.
Extracellular matrix scaffold and hydrogel derived from decellularized and delipidized human pancreas
Authors: Sackett Sara Dutton , Tremmel Daniel M. , Ma Fengfei , Feeney Austin K. , Maguire Rachel M. , Brown Matthew E. , Zhou Ying , Li Xiang , O’Brien Cori , Li Lingjun , Burlingham William J. , Odorico Jon S.
Published: July 2018

Extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an important developmental role by regulating cell behaviour through structural and biochemical stimulation. Tissue-specific ECM, attained through decellularization, has been proposed in several strategies for tissue and organ replacement. Decellularization of animal pancreata has been reported, but the same methods applied to human pancreas are less effective due to higher lipid content. Moreover, ECM-derived hydrogels can be obtained from many decellularized tissues, but methods have not been reported to obtain human pancreas-derived hydrogel. Using novel decellularization methods with human pancreas we produced an acellular, 3D biological scaffold (hP-ECM) and hydrogel (hP-HG) amenable to tissue culture, transplantation and proteomic applications. The inclusion of a homogenization step in the decellularization protocol significantly improved lipid removal and gelation capability of the resulting ECM, which was capable of gelation at 37 °C in vitro and in vivo, and is cytocompatible with a variety of cell types and islet-like tissues in vitro. Overall, this study demonstrates the characterisation of a novel protocol for the decellularization and delipidization of human pancreatic tissue for the production of acellular ECM and ECM hydrogel suitable for cell culture and transplantation applications. We also report a list of 120 proteins present within the human pancreatic matrisome.
Hyperspectral near infrared imaging quantifies the heterogeneity of carbon materials
Authors: Mäkelä Mikko , Geladi Paul
Published: July 2018

For many applications heterogeneity is a direct indicator of material quality. Reliable determination of chemical heterogeneity is however not a trivial task. Spectral imaging can be used for determining the spatial distribution of an analyte in a sample, thus transforming each pixel of an image into a sampling cell. With a large amount of image pixels, the results can be evaluated using large population statistics. This enables robust determination of heterogeneity in biological samples. We show that hyperspectral imaging in the near infrared (NIR) region can be used to reliably determine the heterogeneity of renewable carbon materials, which are promising replacements for current fossil alternatives in energy and environmental applications. This method allows quantifying the variation in renewable carbon and other biological materials that absorb in the NIR region. Reliable determination of heterogeneity is also a valuable tool for a wide range of other chemical imaging applications.
Electrosensory capture during multisensory discrimination of nearby objects in the weakly electric fish Gnathonemus petersii
Authors: Schumacher Sarah , Burt de Perera Theresa , von der Emde Gerhard
Published: July 2018

Animal multisensory systems are able to cope with discrepancies in information provided by individual senses by integrating information using a weighted average of the sensory inputs. Such sensory weighting often leads to a dominance of a certain sense during particular tasks and conditions, also called sensory capture. Here we investigated the interaction of vision and active electrolocation during object discrimination in the weakly electric fishGnathonemus petersii.Fish were trained to discriminate between two objects using both senses and were subsequently tested using either only vision or only the active electric sense. We found that at short range the electric sense dominates over vision, leading to a decreased ability to discriminate between objects visually when vision and electrolocation provide conflicting information. In line with visual capture in humans, we call this dominance of the electric senseelectrosensory capture. Further, our results suggest that the fish are able to exploit the advantages of multiple senses using vision and electrolocation redundantly, synergistically and complementarily. Together our results show that by providing similar information about the environment on different spatial scales, vision and the electric sense ofG. petersiiare well attuned to each other producing a robust and flexible percept.
Remote activation of nanoparticulate biomimetic activity by light triggered pH-jump
Authors: Wang Xiaopei , Gong Ao , Luo Wenhao , Wang Haiqing , Lin Changxu , Liu Xiang Yang , Lin Youhui
Published: July 2018

By incorporating flash photolysis reagents, a facile and versatile method for the photo-regulation of pH-dependent activities of artificial enzymes is presented.
Copper(i)-catalyzed N–H olefination of sulfonamides for N-sulfonyl enaminone synthesis
Authors: Liang Xiao , Huang Xin , Xiong Mingteng , Shen Kexin , Pan Yuanjiang
Published: July 2018

A novel approach for synthesis of N-sulfonyl enaminones in one-step from saturated ketones and provide an entry into accessing functionalization at α- and β-position of carbonyl group simultaneously.
The role of a vapor-assisted solution process on tailoring the chemical composition and morphology of mixed-halide perovskite solar cells
Authors: Tafazoli S. , Timasi N. , Nouri E. , Mohammadi M. R.
Published: July 2018

Herein, we report a modified two-step method to construct a uniform and pinhole-free polycrystalline perovskite film with large grains up to the microscale using lead mixed-halide (PbI2–PbCl2) precursor solutions to guarantee the device functioning.
Enhanced temperature stability in the R–T phase boundary with dominating intrinsic contribution
Authors: Lv Xiang , Wu Jiagang , Zhu Jianguo , Xiao Dingquan
Published: July 2018

An effective method to simultaneously improve strain and its temperature stability in potassium sodium-niobate-based ceramics.
Enhancement of CO2adsorption on oxygen-functionalized epitaxial graphene surface under near-ambient conditions
Authors: Yamamoto Susumu , Takeuchi Kaori , Hamamoto Yuji , Liu Ro-Ya , Shiozawa Yuichiro , Koitaya Takanori , Someya Takashi , Tashima Keiichiro , Fukidome Hirokazu , Mukai Kozo , Yoshimoto Shinya , Suemitsu Maki , Morikawa Yoshitada , Yoshinobu Jun , Matsuda Iwao
Published: July 2018

Enhancement of CO2adsorption on functionalized graphene with epoxy oxygen was found by ambient pressure XPS, and supported by DFT calculations that include vdW interactions.
pH dependent binding in de novo hetero bimetallic coiled coils
Authors: Teare Paul , Smith Caitlin F. , Adams Samuel J. , Anbu Sellamuthu , Ciani Barbara , Jeuken Lars J. C. , Peacock Anna F. A.
Published: July 2018

pH dependent metal binding to a designed hetero bimetallic coiled coil featuring a lanthanide binding site.
The novel synthesis of a continuous tube with laminated g-C3N4 nanosheets for enhancing photocatalytic activity and oxygen evolution reaction performance
Authors: Ma Tengfei , Bai Jie , Wang Qin , Li Chunping
Published: July 2018

Novel tubular graphitic carbon nitride has been successfully prepared via electrospinning technology, high temperature calcination technology, a vapor deposition reaction method and the method of acid removal, and in this process, Al2O3 fibers used as a template can help achieve the controllable preparation of GCNTs.
2-Amino-6-chloropurine-modified polyamidoamine-mediated p53 gene transfection to achieve anti-tumor efficacy
Authors: Han Haobo , Chen Wenqi , Yang Jiebing , Zhang Jiayuan , Li Quanshun , Yang Yan
Published: July 2018

The modification of 2-amino-6-chloropurine on polyamidoamine was performed to synthesize a derivative, AP-PAMAM, which was then employed as a carrier for p53 gene delivery to achieve anti-tumor efficacy.
Multiscale porous molybdenum phosphide of honeycomb structure for highly efficient hydrogen evolution
Authors: Hou Mengjie , Teng Xue , Wang Jianying , Liu Yangyang , Guo Lixia , Ji Lvlv , Cheng Chuanwei , Chen Zuofeng
Published: July 2018

Molybdenum phosphide supported on multiscale porous honeycomb carbon was synthesized for highly efficient hydrogen evolution.
Experimental and theoretical approaches for the selective detection of thymine in real samples using gold nanoparticles as a biochemical sensor
Authors: Shrivas Kamlesh , Nirmalkar Nidhi , Thakur Santosh Singh , Kurrey Ramsingh , Sinha Deepak , Shankar Ravi
Published: July 2018

We report a simple, selective and cost effective method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of thymine in a DNA standard and in urine samples using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a label-free colorimetric biochemical sensor.
Tea saponins: effective natural surfactants beneficial for soil remediation, from preparation to application
Authors: Yu Xiao-Lan , He Yong
Published: July 2018

This review details the industrial extraction and purification processes of tea saponins from Camellia plants and clarifies their mechanisms for soil remediation.
Biomimetic fabrication of superhydrophobic loofah sponge: robust for highly efficient oil–water separation in harsh environments
Authors: Yu Mingguang , Lin Binbin , Chen Shangxian , Deng Qianjun , Liu Guang , Wang Qing
Published: July 2018

Oil/water separation has become an increasingly important field due to frequent industrial oily wastewater emission and crude oil spill accidents.
Palladium nanoparticles anchored on NCNTs@NGS with a three-dimensional sandwich-stacked framework as an advanced electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation
Authors: Li Shuwen , Yang Honglei , Zou Hai , Yang Ming , Liu Xiaodi , Jin Jun , Ma Jiantai
Published: July 2018

Pd/NCNTs@NGS, as an advanced electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation, was fabricated using a facile hydrothermal method followed by a simple chemical reduction.
Impact of ferroelectricity on the photodegradation of charged dye species: significance of polarity match
Authors: He Yiqing , Ji Muwei , Hu Yao , Yang Qinghua , Yan Changxu , Chen Yuxiong , Chang Shengding , Li Bo , Wang Jin
Published: July 2018

Polarization of BaTiO3 nanocrystals results in preferential adsorption of charged dye species at the polar surface, and either positive or negative impact on photodegradation can be expected.
Enhanced energy storage properties of a novel lead-free ceramic with a multilayer structure
Authors: Yan Fei , Yang Haibo , Ying Lin , Wang Tong
Published: July 2018

A (SrTiO3 + Li2CO3)/(0.94Bi0.54Na0.46TiO3 − 0.06BaTiO3) (STL/BNBT) lead-free ceramic with a multilayer structure was shaped via the tape-casting and subsequent lamination technique, and sintered using the conventional solid state sintering method.
Half-metallicity and spin-valley coupling in 5d transition metal substituted monolayer MnPSe3
Authors: Pei Qi , Wang Xiaocha , Zou Jijun , Mi Wenbo
Published: July 2018

Through selective 5d TM doping, diverse magnetic configurations, band features and target applications can be achieved in monolayer MnPSe3.
Investigation of dust attenuation and star formation activity in galaxies hosting GRBs
Authors: Corre D. , Buat V. , Basa S. , Boissier S. , Japelj J. , Palmerio J. , Salvaterra R. , Vergani S.D. , Zafar T.
Published: July 2018

Context. The gamma-ray bursts hosts (GRBHs) are excellent targets to study the extinction properties of dust and its effects on the global emission of distant galaxies. The dust extinction curve is measured along the GRB afterglow line of sight and the analysis of the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the host galaxy gives access to the global dust attenuation of the stellar light.

Aims. In this pilot study we gather information on dust extinction in GRBHs to compare the properties of the extinction curve to those of the dust obscuration affecting the total stellar light of the host galaxy. Assuming the extinction curve to be representative of the dust properties, we aim to investigate which dust-stars geometries and local dust distribution in the inter stellar medium (ISM) can reproduce the observed attenuation curve.

Methods. We selected a sample of 30 GRBs for which the extinction curve along the GRB afterglow line-of-sight (l.o.s.) is measured in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) up to optical and we analysed the properties of the extinction curve as a function of the host galaxy properties. From these 30 GRBs, we selected seven GRBHs with a good rest-frame UV to near-infrared (NIR) spectral coverage for the host. The attenuation curve was derived by fitting the SEDs of the GRBH sample with the CIGALE SED fitting code. Different star formation histories (SFH) were studied to recover the star formation rates (SFR) derived using Hα luminosities. Implications for the dust-stars geometries in the ISM are inferred by a comparison with radiative transfer simulations.

Results. The most extinguished GRBs are preferentially found in the more massive hosts and the UV bump is preferentially found in the most extinguished GRB l.o.s. Five out of seven hosts are best fitted with a recent burst of star formation, leading to lower stellar mass estimates than previously found. The average attenuation in the host galaxies is about 70% of the amount of extinction along the GRB l.o.s. We find a great variety in the derived attenuation curves of GRBHs, the UV slope can be similar, flatter or even steeper than the extinction curve slope. Half of the attenuation curves are consistent with the Calzetti attenuation law and there is evidence of a UV bump in only one GRBH. We find that the flatter (steeper) attenuation curves are found in galaxies with the highest (lowest) SFR and stellar masses. The comparison of our results with radiative transfer simulations leads to a uniform distribution of dust and stars in a very clumpy ISM for half the GRBHs and various dust-stars geometries for the second half of the sample.
Asteroid models reconstructed from the Lowell Photometric Database and WISE data
Authors: Ďurech J. , Hanuš J. , Alí-Lagoa V.
Published: July 2018

Context. Information about the spin state of asteroids is important for our understanding of the dynamical processes affecting them. However, spin properties of asteroids are known for only a small fraction of the whole population.

Aims. To enlarge the sample of asteroids with a known rotation state and basic shape properties, we combined sparse-in-time photometry from the Lowell Observatory Database with flux measurements from NASA’s WISE satellite.

Methods. We applied the light curve inversion method to the combined data. The thermal infrared data from WISE were treated as reflected light because the shapes of thermal and visual light curves are similar enough for our purposes. While sparse data cover a wide range of geometries over many years, WISE data typically cover an interval of tens of hours, which is comparable to the typical rotation period of asteroids. The search for best-fitting models was done in the framework of the Asteroids@home distributed computing project.

Results. By processing the data for almost 75 000 asteroids, we derived unique shape models for about 900 of them. Some of them were already available in the DAMIT database and served us as a consistency check of our approach. In total, we derived new models for 662 asteroids, which significantly increased the total number of asteroids for which their rotation state and shape are known. For another 789 asteroids, we were able to determine their sidereal rotation period and estimate the ecliptic latitude of the spin axis direction. We studied the distribution of spins in the asteroid population. Apart from updating the statistics for the dependence of the distribution on asteroid size, we revealed a significant discrepancy between the number of prograde and retrograde rotators for asteroids smaller than about 10 km.

Conclusions. Combining optical photometry with thermal infrared light curves is an efficient approach to obtaining new physical models of asteroids. The amount of asteroid photometry is continuously growing and joint inversion of data from different surveys could lead to thousands of new models in the near future.
Molecular gas and star formation in an absorption-selected galaxy: Hitting the bull’s eye atz≃ 2.46
Authors: Ranjan A. , Noterdaeme P. , Krogager J.-K. , Petitjean P. , Balashev S. A. , Bialy S. , Srianand R. , Gupta N. , Fynbo J. P. U. , Ledoux C. , Laursen P.
Published: July 2018

We present the detection and detailed analysis of a diffuse molecular cloud atzabs= 2.4636 towards the quasar SDSS J 1513+0352 (zem≃ 2.68) observed with the X-shooter spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope. We measured very high column densities of atomic and molecular hydrogen with logN(H I, H2) ≃ 21.8, 21.3. This is the highest H2column density ever measured in an intervening damped Lyman-αsystem but we did not detect CO, implying logN(CO)/N(H2) < −7.8, which could be due to a low metallicity of the cloud. From the metal absorption lines, we derived the metallicity to beZ≃ 0.15Z⊙and determined the amount of dust by measuring the induced extinction of the background quasar light,AV≃ 0.4. We simultaneously detected Lyman-αemission at the same redshift with a centroid located at a most probable impact parameter of onlyρ≃ 1.4 kpc. We argue that the line of sight is therefore likely passing through the interstellar medium (ISM), as opposed to the circumgalactic medium (CGM), of a galaxy. The relation between the surface density of gas and that of star formation seems to follow the global empirical relation derived in the nearby Universe although our constraints on the star formation rate (SFR) and the galaxy extent remain too loose to be conclusive. We study the transition from atomic to molecular hydrogen using a theoretical description based on the microphysics of molecular hydrogen. We use the derived chemical properties of the cloud and physical conditions (Tk≃ 90 K andn≃ 250 cm−3) derived through the excitation of H2rotational levels and neutral carbon fine structure transitions to constrain the fundamental parameters that govern this transition. By comparing the theoretical and observed H Icolumn densities, we are able to bring an independent constraint on the incident ultra-violet (UV) flux, which we find to be in agreement with that estimated from the observed SFR.
The constraining effect of gas and the dark matter halo on the vertical stellar distribution of the Milky Way
Authors: Sarkar S. , Jog C. J.
Published: July 2018

We study the vertical stellar distribution of the Milky Way thin disk in detail with particular focus on the outer disk. We treat the galactic disk as a gravitationally coupled, three-component system consisting of stars, atomic hydrogen gas, and molecular hydrogen gas in the gravitational field of the dark matter halo. The self-consistent vertical distribution for stars and gas in such a realistic system is obtained for radii between 4–22 kpc. The inclusion of an additional gravitating component constrains the vertical stellar distribution toward the mid-plane, so that the mid-plane density is higher, the disk thickness is reduced, and the vertical density profile is steeper than in the one-component, isothermal, stars-alone case. We show that the stellar distribution is constrained mainly by the gravitational field of gas and dark matter halo in the inner and the outer Galaxy, respectively. We find that the thickness of the stellar disk (measured as the half-width at half-maximum of the vertical density distribution) increases with radius, flaring steeply beyondR= 17 kpc. The disk thickness is reduced by a factor of 3–4 in the outer Galaxy as a result of the gravitational field of the halo, which may help the disk resist distortion at large radii. The disk would flare even more if the effect of dark matter halo were not taken into account. Thus it is crucially important to include the effect of the dark matter halo when determining the vertical structure and dynamics of a galactic disk in the outer region.
Severe Vitamin D3 Deficiency in the Majority of Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Authors: Feldkamp Joachim , Jungheim Karsten , Schott Matthias , Jacobs Beatrix , Roden Michael
Published: July 2018

Diabetic foot ulcers are a severe complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. Vitamin D is associated with impaired β-cell function and insulin resistance, and is necessary for wound healing and bone metabolism. We measured the serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in 104 patients (63 inpatients, 41 outpatients) with diabetic foot ulcers and compared them to 99 healthy humans (control) and 103 patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 without diabetic foot ulcers. Calcium, creatinine, and parathyroid hormone were measured in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. The data were analysed together with glycosylated hemoglobin A1c and the severity of diabetic foot lesions according to the Armstrong classification. Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 were lower (11.8±11.3 ng/ml, p<0.001) in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (mean age 70±12 years) than in the control group (27.2±12.2 ng/ml). No difference was found between in- and outpatients. Fifty-eight (55.8%) of patients with diabetic foot ulcers had a severe 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 deficiency with levels below 10 ng/ml. Only 12% of the patients had 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels above 20 ng/ml. Secondary hyperparathyroidism was found in 27.9% of patients and 11.5% of the patients were hypocalcemic. There was a negative correlation (r=–0.241) (p<00.1) between Armstrong classification and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 status. In conclusion, patients with diabetic foot syndrome are at high risk of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 deficiency. Thus, any patient with diabetic foot syndrome should undergo 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 measurement and supplementation, if values are found to be decreased.
A New Type of Congenital Dysfibrinogen, Fibrinogen Bremen, with an Aα Gly-17 to Val Substitution Associated with Hemorrhagic Diathesis and Delayed Wound Healing
Authors: Wada Yasuo , Niwa Kazuki , Meakawa Hisato , Asakura Shinji , Sugo Teruko , Nakanishi Makoto , Auerswald Günter , Popp Manfred , Matsuda Michio
Published: July 2018

We have identified a new type of Aα Gly-17 to Val substitution in a congenital dysfibrinogen, fibrinogen Bremen, derived from a 15-year-old boy having manifested easy bruising and delayed wound healing. The functional abnormality was characterized by altered fibrin monomer polymerization, which became evident by increasing the salt concentration and pH. A synthetic tetrapeptide with a sequence of the amino-terminal segment of normal fibrin α-chain, Gly-Pro-Arg-Val, substantially inhibited polymerization of both normal and the patient-derived fibrin monomers. A synthetic tetrapeptide with the Bremen type sequence of Val-Pro-Arg-Val inhibited polymerization of the patient’s fibrin monomers partially at a peptide: fibrin monomer molar ratio of 4,000:1, and that of normal one at a much higher ratio of 10,000:1. Likewise, a synthetic peptide Ala-Pro-Arg-Val with a replacement of the Gly residue by another aliphatic amino acid Ala inhibited similarly the patient’s fibrin monomer polymerization. Thus, the hypothetical two-pronged socket-like structure consisting of the α-amino group of the amino-terminal Gly and the guanidino group of an Arg at position 3 of the normal fibrin α-chain seems to be restored considerably in the mutant fibrin α-chain at low ionic strengths and pH’s, despite the replacement of the amino-terminal Gly by another aliphatic amino acid Val.
Recombinant Human Soluble Thrombomodulin Delivers Bounded Thrombin to Antithrombin III: Thrombomodulin Associates with Free Thrombin and Is Recycled to Activate Protein C
Authors: Aritomi Masaharu , Watanabe Naoko , Ohishi Rika , Gomi Komakazu , Kiyota Takao , Yamamoto Shuji , Ishida Torao , Maruyama Ikuro
Published: July 2018

Recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rhs-TM), having no transmembrane domain or chondroitin sulfate, was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Interactions between rhs-TM, thrombin (Th), protein C (PC) and antithrombin III (ATIII) were studied. Equilibrium between rhs-TM and Th had no detectable time lag in clotting inhibition (K
d = 26 nM) or PC activation (K
d = 22 nM), while ATIII inhibited Th at a bimolecular rate constant = 5,200 M-1s-1 (K
d <0.2 nM). A mixture of ATIII, Th and rhs-TM showed that ATIII reacted with Th slower than rhs-TM, whose presence did not affect the reaction between ATIII and Th. In a mixture of rhs-TM, ATIII and PC, the repeated addition of Th caused the repeated activation of PC; which was consistent with the Simulation based on the assumption that rhs-TM is recycled as a Th cofactor. From these results, we concluded that upon inhibition of the rhs-TM-Th complex by ATIII, rhs-TM is released to recombine with free Th and begins to activate PC, while the Th-ATIII complex does not affect rhs-TM-Th equilibrium.
Evidence that the Protein C Activation Pathway Amplifies the lnhibition of Thrombin Generation by Recombinant Human Thrombomodulin in Plasma
Authors: ohishi Rika , watanabe Naoko , Aritomi Masaharu , Gomi Komakazu , Kiyota Takao , Yamamoto Shuji , lshida Torao , Maruyama Ikuro
Published: July 2018

Thrombomodulin (TM) is a cofactor for the thrombin-catalyzed activation of anticoagulant protein C. However, we have no evidence that thrombomodulin actually activates protein C during blood coagulation processing, nor do we know whether this activated protein C acts as an anticoagulant. We studied the inhibitory action of recombinant human soluble TM (rhs-TM) on thrombin generation in whole plasma. Human plasma was activated with small amounts of tissue factor using phospholipid vesicles in place of activated platelets. Thrombin generation was observed. The addition of only 2 nM of rhs-TM prevented rapid generation of thrombin and reduced the total amount of thrombin generated. In order to study the influence of the protein C activation pathway on this inhibitory action of rhs-TM, protein C-depleted plasma was used. rhs-TM had little inhibitory effect on protein C-depleted plasma. However, the addition of protein C caused a delay in thrombin generation and a reduction of the maximum thrombin concentration. We concluded that the anticoagulant activity of rhs-TM was amplified by the protein C activation pathway.
Evaluation of Factor Vlll Deficient Plasmas
Authors: Barrowcliffe T W , Tubbs Jill E , Wong Man Yu ,   On behalf of the Haemostasis and Thrombosis Task Force of the British Committee for Standards in Haematology
Published: July 2018

Immunodepleted plasmas from Organon Teknika, Dade, Stago, Diagen and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS), and haemophilic plasma from Immuno were compared by several laboratories with haemophilic plasma from local donors as substrates in one-stage factor VIII assays. Five clinical plasma samples and four concentrates were assayed against British Standard plasma and International Standard concentrate.

Potencies of all plasma samples were not significantly different from those with local haemophilic plasma for Immuno, Organon Teknika, Stago and SNBTS substrates. Dade differed from haemophilic on one sample and Diagen on three. Buffer blank times and slopes of Standard lines were similar with all substrates. A positive drift between the beginning and end of the assay was found with the Immuno substrate and a negative drift with the Organon Teknika substrate.

In the concentrate study results for all substrate plasmas were not significantly different from haemophilic on the intermediate purity and conventional high purity products. On the monoclonal and recombinant products, there was a tendency for the immunodepleted substrates to give lower potencies than the haemophilic, and significant differences were found with Dade and Stago on the monoclonal concentrate, and with Dade, Stago and Diagen on the recombinant concentrate.

Overall, this study indicates that most commercially available substrate plasmas are suitable as replacements for locally collected haemophilic plasma in one-stage assays of clinical samples, and of intermediate purity and conventional high purity concentrates. For assays of very high purity concentrates (monoclonal and recombinant), haemophilic plasma is preferable as some immunodepleted plasmas give low results.
Cross-Linked αsγt-Chain Hybrids in Plasma Clots Studied by 1D- and 2D Electrophoresis and Western Blotting
Authors: Grøn B , Filion-Myklebust C , Bjørnsen S , Haidaris P , Brosstad F
Published: July 2018

Fibrinogen and fibrin related chains in reduced human plasma as well as the bonds interlinking partially cross-linked fibrin from plasma clots have been studied by means of 1D- and 2D electrophoresis and Western blotting. Immunovisualization of reduced plasma or partially cross-linked fibrin with monoclonal antibodies specific for the α-chains or the γ-chains have shown that several bands represent material belonging to both chains. In order to decide whether these bands constitute αγ-chain hybrids or superimposed α- and γ-chain dimers, the cross-linked material was separated according to both isoelectric point (pI) and molecular weight (MW) using Pharmacia’s Multiphor II system. Western blotting of the second dimension gels revealed that partially cross-linked fibrin contains αsγt-chain hybrids and γ- polymers, in addition to the well-known γ-dimers and α-polymers. The main αsγt-chain hybrid has a pI between that of the α- and the γ-chains, a MW of about 200 kDa and contains Aα-chains with intact fibrinopeptide A (FPA). It was also observed that soluble fibrinogen/fibrin complexes as well as partially cross-linked fibrin contain degraded α-dimers with MWs close to the γ-dimers. These findings demonstrate that factor XIII-catalyzed cross-linking of fibrin is a more complex phenomenon than earlier recognized.
The Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Complex Is lnvolved in the Adhesion of Activated Platelets to Leukocytes
Authors: Spangenberg Peter , Redlich Helge , Bergmann Iris , Lösche Wolfgang , Götzrath Matthias , Kehrel Beate
Published: July 2018

The adhesion of activated platelets to leukocytes (rosette formation) seems to be mediated by CD62 on platelets and its counterreceptor (CD 15 or a sialic acid-containing glycoprotein) on polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). However, neither treatment of platelets with an anti-CD62 antibody or fucoidan nor treatment of PMNL with anti-CD15 antibody or neuraminidase are able to inhibit completely the adhesion. Therefore, we have studied the platelet GPIIb/IIIa complex (CD41a) for its involvement in the adhesion of activated platelets to PMNL. The following evidences point to a participation of CD41a in the adhesion of activated platelets to leukocytes: a) inhibition of adhesion by monoclonal antibodies (mab) raised toward CD41a, b) inhibition of adhesion by peptides such as RGDS and echistatin, c) inhibition of adhesion by dissociation of the CD41a complex with EGTA, and d) inhibition of rosette formation using platelets from a thrombasthenic patient which have almost no CD41a in the surface membrane but a normal expression of CD62. It is likely that fibrinogen is involved in the adhesion of platelets to PMNL via CD41a, since fibrinogen increases the rosette formation of ADP-stimulated platelets. Furthermore, the incubation of unstimulated platelets with fibrinogen and an antibody raised against glycoprotein III a which stimulates fibrinogen binding to the platelet surface results in an enlarged rosette formation.
New Bleeding Time Devices with Retractable Blades Evaluated in Children, Healthy Volunteers and Patients with Prolonged Bleeding Time
Authors: Lethagen Stefan , Kling stefan
Published: July 2018

The Simplate II-R and the Simplate Paediatric, are two new Simplate bleeding time devices with retractable blades. In this study we compared the Simplate II-R with the Simplate II bleeding time and found a good correlation when performed by the same technician both in 30 healthy volunteers and in 7 patients with prolonged bleeding time. The same normal ranges may be applied for the Simplate II-R as for the Simplate II bleeding time. The Simplate II-R bleeding time was highly reproducible in healthy volunteers when performed by the same technician. We found no correlation between age and bleeding time, and no significant difference in bleeding time between males and females.

We performed the Simplate Paediatric bleeding time test and calculated the normal ranges in 84 healthy children in 4 age groups: 3 days, 3 months, 1 year and 3–6 years of age. The Simplate Paediatric bleeding times were shorter in the children than the Simplate II-R bleeding times in the adults. We found no significant correlation between bleeding time and the inverse platelet count, and no significant difference in bleeding time between boys and girls. The retractable blades in the Simplate II-R and the Simplate Paediatric reduce the risk of accidental cuts. Both devices yield reproducible bleeding time measurements and can be used instead of older Simplate variants.
Comparison of the Non-Specific Binding of Unfractionated Heparin and Low Molecular Weight Heparin (Enoxaparin) to Plasma Proteins
Authors: Young Edward , Cosmi Benilde , Weitz Jeffrey , Hirsh Jack
Published: July 2018

The non-specific binding of anticoagulantly-active heparin to plasma proteins may influence its anticoagulant effect. We used low affinity heparin (LAH) essentially devoid of anti-factor Xa activity to investigate the extent and possible mechanism of this non-specific binding. The addition of excess LAH to platelet-poor plasma containing a fixed amount of unfractionated heparin doubled the anti-factor Xa activity presumably because it displaces anticoagulantly-active heparin from plasma proteins. Although dextran sulfates of varying molecular weights also increased the anti-factor Xa activity, less sulfated heparin-like polysaccharides had no effect. These findings suggest that the ability to displace active heparin from plasma protein binding sites is related to charge and may be independent of molecular size. In contrast to its effect in plasma containing unfractionated heparin, there was little augmentation in anti-factor Xa activity when LAH was added to plasma containing low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), indicating that LMWH binds less to plasma proteins than unfractionated heparin. This concept is supported by studies comparing the anticoagulant activity of unfractionated heparin and LMWH in plasma with that in buffer containing antithrombin III. The anti-factor Xa activity of unfractionated heparin was 2-fold less in plasma than in the purified system. In contrast, LMWH had identical anti-factor Xa activity in both plasma and buffer, respectively. These findings may be clinically relevant because the recovered anti-factor Xa activity of unfractionated heparin was 33% lower in plasma from patients with suspected venous thrombosis than in plasma from healthy volunteers. The reduced heparin recovery in patient plasma reflects increased heparin binding to plasma proteins because the addition of LAH augmented the anti-factor Xa activity. In contrast to unfractionated heparin, there was complete recovery of LMWH added to patient plasma and little increase of anti-factor Xa activity after the addition of LAH. These findings may explain why LMWH gives a more predictable dose response than unfractionated heparin.