bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reactive Template Synthesis of Inorganic/Organic VO2@Polyaniline Coaxial Nanobelts for High‐Performance Supercapacitors
Authors: Nie Guangdi , Lu Xiaofeng , Zhu Yun , Chi Maoqiang , Gao Mu , Chen Sihui , Wang Ce
Published: January 2017

Conducting polyaniline (PANi) is deposited in situ as a homogeneous shell on the monocrystalline VO2 nanobelts by using a simple and facile reactive template strategy without the assistance of any surfactant for supercapacitor electrodes. The as‐prepared VO2@PANi coaxial heterostructures show larger specific capacitance, better rate capability than the bare VO2 nanobelts, and higher cycling stability than the HCl‐doped PANi nanofibers in neutral electrolyte, owing to the synergetic contributions of the unique configuration and composition. These intriguing results can be extended to the synthesis of core/yolk‐shell or hollow inorganic/organic functional nanostructures with various shapes by tuning the pH or reaction time, which have potential applications in energy storage, optoelectronic devices, environmental governance, and catalysis.
Fluoroacetamide Moieties as NMR Spectroscopy Probes for the Molecular Recognition of GlcNAc‐Containing Sugars: Modulation of the CH–π Stacking Interactions by Different Fluorination Patterns
Authors: Unione Luca , Alcalá Maria , Echeverria Begoña , Serna Sonia , Ardá Ana , Franconetti Antonio , Cañada F. Javier , Diercks Tammo , Reichardt Niels , Jiménez‐Barbero Jesús
Published: January 2017

We herein propose the use of fluoroacetamide and difluoroacetamide moieties as sensitive tags for the detection of sugar–protein interactions by simple 1H and/or 19F NMR spectroscopy methods. In this process, we have chosen the binding of N,N′‐diacetyl chitobiose, a ubiquitous disaccharide fragment in glycoproteins, by wheat‐germ agglutinin (WGA), a model lectin. By using saturation‐transfer difference (STD)‐NMR spectroscopy, we experimentally demonstrate that, under solution conditions, the molecule that contained the CHF2CONH‐ moiety is the stronger aromatic binder, followed by the analogue with the CH2FCONH‐ group and the natural molecule (with the CH3CONH‐ fragment). In contrast, the molecule with the CF3CONH‐ isoster displayed the weakest intermolecular interaction (one order of magnitude weaker). Because sugar–aromatic CH–π interactions are at the origin of these observations, these results further contribute to the characterization and exploration of these forces and offer an opportunity to use them to unravel complex recognition processes.
Fine‐Tuning the Properties of Doped Multifunctional Materials by Controlled Reduction of Dopants
Authors: Barroux Hugo , Jiang Tengfei , Paul Camille , Massuyeau Florian , Génois Romain , Gordon Elijah E. , Whangbo Myung‐Hwan , Jobic Stéphane , Gautier Romain
Published: January 2017

The physical properties of doped multifunctional compounds are commonly tuned by controlling the amount of dopants, but this control is limited because all the properties are influenced simultaneously by this single parameter. Here, we present a strategy that enables the fine‐tuning of a specific combination of properties by controlling the reduction of dopants. The feasibility of this approach was demonstrated by optimizing the near‐IR photoluminescence of strontium titanate SrTiO3:Ni for potential applications in biomedicine for a range of absorbance in the visible/near‐IR region. We discussed how material properties, such as luminescence, conductivity, or photocatalytic properties can be designed by carefully controlling the ratio of dopants in different oxidation states.
Dibenzobarrelene‐Based Azaacenes: Emitters in Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Ganschow Michael , Koser Silke , Hahn Sebastian , Rominger Frank , Freudenberg Jan , Bunz Uwe H. F.
Published: January 2017

The synthesis of soluble dibenzobarrelene‐substituted azaacenes either by condensation reactions in solution or, more effectively, in the solid state by using a ball mill is reported herein. We relate their optical properties in thin films to their packing in the solid state. The targets are characterized by cyclic voltammetry, X‐ray crystallography and UV/Vis and fluorescence analysis. Three highly fluorescent, amorphous azaacenes were processed into organic light‐emitting diodes, and their improved performance (luminance, efficiency and efficacy) was compared with that of structurally related iptycene‐based azaacenes.
Hydroaminoalkylation of Allylsilanes and a One‐Pot Procedure for the Synthesis of 1,5‐Benzoazasilepines
Authors: Lühning Lars H. , Strehl Julia , Schmidtmann Marc , Doye Sven
Published: January 2017

Allylsilanes undergo highly regioselective intermolecular alkene hydroaminoalkylation with secondary amines in the presence of a titanium mono(formamidinate) catalyst. Corresponding reactions of a suitable allyl(2‐bromophenyl)silane which exclusively deliver the branched hydroaminoalkylation products combined with a subsequent Buchwald–Hartwig amination result in the development of an elegant one‐pot procedure for the synthesis of literature‐unknown silicon analogues of 1,5‐benzodiazepines, the so‐called 1,5‐benzoazasilepines.
Effects of Chlorination on the Tautomeric Equilibrium of 2‐Hydroxypyridine: Experiment and Theory
Authors: Calabrese Camilla , Maris Assimo , Uriarte Iciar , Cocinero Emilio J. , Melandri Sonia
Published: January 2017

Invited for the cover of this issue are the groups of Emilio J. Cocinero and Sonia Melandri at the University of País Vasco and the University of Bologna. The image depicts different possibilities that this tautomeric equilibrium can take according to the different positions of the chlorine atom, which, in many cases, are difficult to predict a priori. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.201604891.
Inhibitor Selectivity for Cyclin‐Dependent Kinase 7: A Structural, Thermodynamic, and Modelling Study
Authors: Hazel Pascale , Kroll Sebastian H. B. , Bondke Alexander , Barbazanges Marion , Patel Hetal , Fuchter Matthew J. , Coombes R Charles , Ali Simak , Barrett Anthony G. M. , Freemont Paul S.
Published: January 2017

Deregulation of the cell cycle by mechanisms that lead to elevated activities of cyclin‐dependent kinases (CDK) is a feature of many human diseases, cancer in particular. We identified small‐molecule inhibitors that selectively inhibit CDK7, the kinase that phosphorylates cell‐cycle CDKs to promote their activities. To investigate the selectivity of these inhibitors we used a combination of structural, biophysical, and modelling approaches. We determined the crystal structures of the CDK7‐selective compounds ICEC0942 and ICEC0943 bound to CDK2, and used these to build models of inhibitor binding to CDK7. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of inhibitors bound to CDK2 and CDK7 generated possible models of inhibitor binding. To experimentally validate these models, we gathered isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) binding data for recombinant wild‐type and binding site mutants of CDK7 and CDK2. We identified specific residues of CDK7, notably Asp155, that are involved in determining inhibitor selectivity. Our MD simulations also show that the flexibility of the G‐rich and activation loops of CDK7 is likely an important determinant of inhibitor specificity similar to CDK2.
Scalable SDN architecture with distributed placement of controllers for WAN
Authors: Zhao Zhipeng , Wu Bin
Published: January 2017

By separating control plane from data plane, software‐defined network (SDN) adopts centralized controllers to manage data flows in the network. Nevertheless, the rapid growth of network service traffic requires a large number of controllers, reducing network performance due to the scalability constraint. Therefore, we consider distributed placement of controllers in wide‐area network to construct a scalable SDN architecture, by taking service traffics, traffic propagation delay, and load balancing into account. Specifically, we first partition the network into several small sections (named SDN domains) and then place the least amount of controllers to a proper node in each domain. The architecture provides a control channel to deliver requested messages for each SDN domain, so it reduces the link delay (which is assumed to be proportional to the physical length of the link) between switches and SDN controllers. Unfortunately, it also introduces extra latency among controller sets at different SDN domain. Accordingly, we formulate an integer linear program to optimize network cost and performance by considering all those conflicting factors and propose an efficient heuristic algorithm called distributed SDN placement to solve the problem. Simulation results confirm that our proposed heuristic distributed SDN placement can achieve suboptimal solutions as compared with the integer linear program results.
Interplay among Electrostatic, Dispersion, and Steric Interactions: Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Calculations of π‐Hydrogen Bonded Complexes
Authors: Kumar Sumit , Singh Santosh K. , Vaishnav Jamuna K. , Hill J. Grant , Das Aloke
Published: January 2017

π‐Hydrogen bonding interactions are ubiquitous in both materials and biology. Despite their relatively weak nature, great progress has been made in their investigation by experimental and theoretical methods, but this becomes significantly more complicated when secondary intermolecular interactions are present. In this study, the effect of successive methyl substitution on the supramolecular structure and interaction energy of indole⋅⋅⋅methylated benzene (ind⋅⋅⋅n‐mb, n=1–6) complexes is probed through a combination of supersonic jet experiments and benchmark‐quality quantum chemical calculations. It is demonstrated that additional secondary interactions introduce a subtle interplay among electrostatic and dispersion forces, as well as steric repulsion, which fine‐tunes the overall structural motif. Resonant two‐photon ionization and IR–UV double‐resonance spectroscopy techniques are used to probe jet‐cooled ind⋅⋅⋅n‐mb (n=2, 3, 6) complexes, with redshifting of the N−H IR stretching frequency showing that increasing the degree of methyl substitution increases the strength of the primary N−H⋅⋅⋅π interaction. Ab initio harmonic frequency and binding energy calculations confirm this trend for all six complexes. Electronic spectra of the three dimers are broad and structureless, with quantum chemical calculations revealing that this is likely to be due to multiple tilted conformations of each dimer possessing similar stabilization energies.
A proposed model of psychodynamic psychotherapy linked to Erik Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development
Authors: Knight Zelda Gillian
Published: January 2017

Just as Freud used stages of psychosexual development to ground his model of psychoanalysis, it is possible to do the same with Erik Erikson's stages of development with regards to a model of psychodynamic psychotherapy. This paper proposes an eight‐stage model of psychodynamic psychotherapy linked to Erik Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development. Various suggestions are offered. One such suggestion is that as each of Erikson's developmental stages is triggered by a crisis, in therapy it is triggered by the client's search. The resolution of the search often leads to the development of another search, which implies that the therapy process comprises a series of searches. This idea of a series of searches and resolutions leads to the understanding that identity is developmental and therapy is a space in which a new sense of identity may emerge. The notion of hope is linked to Erikson's stage of Basic Trust and the proposed model of therapy views hope and trust as essential for the therapy process. Two clinical vignettes are offered to illustrate these ideas.

Key Practitioner Message

Psychotherapy can be approached as an eight‐stage process and linked to Erikson's eight stages model of development.

Psychotherapy may be viewed as a series of searches and thus as a developmental stage resolution process, which leads to the understanding that identity is ongoing throughout the life span.
High Redox Capacity of Al‐Doped La1−xSrxMnO3−δ Perovskites for Splitting CO2 and H2O at Mn‐Enriched Surfaces
Authors: Ezbiri M. , Becattini V. , Hoes M. , Michalsky R. , Steinfeld A.
Published: January 2017

Perovskites are attractive candidates for the solar‐driven thermochemical redox splitting of CO2 and H2O into CO and H2 (syngas) and O2. This work investigates the surface activity of La1−xSrxMn1−yAlyO3−δ (0≤x≤1, 0≤y≤1) and La0.6Ca0.4Mn0.6Al0.4O3−δ. At 1623 K and 15 mbar O2, the oxygen non‐stoichiometry of La0.2Sr0.8Mn0.8Al0.2O3−δ increases with the strontium content and reaches a maximum of δ=0.351. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicates that manganese is the only redox‐active metal at the surface. All La1−xSrxMn1−yAlyO3−δ compositions exhibit surfaces enriched in manganese and depleted in strontium. We discuss how these compositional differences of the surface from the bulk lead to the beneficially higher reduction extents and lower strontium carbonate concentrations at the aluminum‐doped surfaces. Using first principles calculations, we validate the experimental reduction trends and elucidate the mechanism of the partial electronic charge redistribution upon perovskite reduction.
Lignin‐Derived Thioacidolysis Dimers: Reevaluation, New Products, Authentication, and Quantification
Authors: Yue Fengxia , Lu Fachuang , Regner Matt , Sun Runcang , Ralph John
Published: January 2017

Lignin structural studies play an essential role both in understanding the development of plant cell walls and for valorizing lignocellulosics as renewable biomaterials. Dimeric products released by selectively cleaving β–aryl ether linkages between lignin units reflect the distribution of recalcitrant lignin units, but have been neither absolutely defined nor quantitatively determined. Here, 12 guaiacyl‐type thioacidolysis dimers were identified and quantified using newly synthesized standards. One product previously attributed to deriving from β–1‐coupled units was established as resulting from β–5 units, correcting an analytical quandary. Another longstanding dilemma, that no β–β dimers were recognized in thioacidolysis products from gymnosperms, was resolved with the discovery of two such authenticated compounds. Individual GC response factors for each standard compound allowed rigorous quantification of dimeric products released from softwood lignins, affording insight into the various interunit‐linkage distributions in lignins and thereby guiding the valorization of lignocellulosics.
VIM‐1 carbapenemase‐producing Escherichia coli in gulls from southern France
Authors: Vittecoq Marion , Laurens Chrislène , Brazier Lionel , Durand Patrick , Elguero Eric , Arnal Audrey , Thomas Frédéric , Aberkane Salim , Renaud Nicolas , Prugnolle Franck , Solassol Jérôme , Jean‐Pierre Hélène , Godreuil Sylvain , Renaud François
Published: January 2017

Acquired carbapenemases currently pose one of the most worrying public health threats related to antimicrobial resistance. A NDM‐1‐producing Salmonella Corvallis was reported in 2013 in a wild raptor. Further research was needed to understand the role of wild birds in the transmission of bacteria resistant to carbapenems. Our aim was to investigate the presence of carbapenem‐resistant Escherichia coli in gulls from southern France. In 2012, we collected 158 cloacal swabs samples from two gull species: yellow‐legged gulls (Larus michahellis) that live in close contact with humans and slender‐billed gulls (Chroicocephalus genei) that feed at sea. We molecularly compared the carbapenem‐resistant bacteria we isolated through culture on selective media with the carbapenem‐susceptible strains sampled from both gull species and from stool samples of humans hospitalized in the study area. The genes coding for carbapenemases were tested by multiplex PCR. We isolated 22 carbapenem‐resistant E. coli strains from yellow‐legged gulls while none were isolated from slender‐billed gulls. All carbapenem‐resistant isolates were positive for blaVIM‐1 gene. VIM‐1‐producing E. coli were closely related to carbapenem‐susceptible strains isolated from the two gull species but also to human strains. Our results are alarming enough to make it urgently necessary to determine the contamination source of the bacteria we identified. More generally, our work highlights the need to develop more bridges between studies focusing on wildlife and humans in order to improve our knowledge of resistant bacteria transmission routes.
Aluminum Alkali Metalate Derivatives: Factors Driving the Final Nuclearity in the Crystal Form
Authors: Muñoz M. Teresa , Barandika Gotzone , Bazán Begoña , Cuenca Tomás , Mosquera Marta E. G.
Published: January 2017

In this paper, we have completed the synthesis and characterization of a family of aluminum alkali metalate derivatives [MAlMe4–x{2,6‐(MeO)2C6H3O}x]n (x = 1, 2; M = Li, Na, K) by preparing the new heterometallic ‐ate compounds [MAlMe3{2,6‐(MeO)2C6H3O}]2 (M = Na and K) through the reaction between [AlMe3]2 and the appropriate alkali metal aryloxide [M{2,6‐(MeO)2C6H3O}]n (M = Na and K). Surprisingly, the solid‐state structures for these species, determined by X‐ray diffraction, show a different nuclearity than the lithium one, [AlLiMe3{2,6‐(MeO)2C6H3O}]3 previously reported by us. This behavior contrasts to the one observed when [Al(OR)Me2] is used as the aluminum precursor, which gives the tetrametallic species [AlMMe2{2,6‐(MeO)2C6H3O}2]2. To rationalize the origins of the final nuclearity variation in the solid state within this family of heterometallic ‐ate compounds, a DFT study has been performed. The results of this analysis on whether the nuclearity in the solid state could stem from crystallization factors or from how the chemical attack had taken place are presented.
Metal‐Free Visible‐Light Radical Iodoperfluoroalkylation of Terminal Alkenes and Alkynes
Authors: Yajima Tomoko , Ikegami Mako
Published: January 2017

The organic‐dye‐catalyzed visible‐light‐induced iodoperfluoroalkylation of unactivated terminal alkenes and alkynes was explored. This process was found to be effective for the simultaneous introduction of iodide and various perfluoroalkyl groups (including difluoroacetate) to alkenes and alkynes possessing a variety of functional groups. A possible reaction mechanism is proposed. This reaction provides a new, metal‐free, green method for the synthesis of perfluoroalkylated compounds.
Electrochemical Sensor based on Indium Tin Oxide Glass Modified with Poly(Ethyleneimine)/Phosphomolybdic Acid Composite Multilayers
Authors: Hao Yanjun , Feng Shun , Liu Yumei , Xu Jie , Ma Yuhua , Wang Jide
Published: January 2017

In this work, one novel electrochemical sensor was prepared by alternative deposition of phosphomolybdic acid (PMoA) and poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) on an indium tin oxide glass substrate through layer‐by‐layer assembly. The performance of as‐prepared electrode was evaluated with both of oxidizing compounds of iodate and H2O2 and reducing compounds of dopamine and ascorbic acid as models. The results showed that corresponding current response of redox peak increased linearly with the concentration of above compounds increasing in certain ranges, respectively. Limits of detection to them were in the range of 1.0×10−4 ‐ 4.3×10−4 mg mL−1 with cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 0.1 mol L−1 NaAc‐HAc buffer (pH 5.0). The electrode showed high stability and remained 95 % of its initial activity even after 100 cycles of CV scan. When applied in real samples of table salts, juice and human serum, high recoveries of 96.84 to 100.33 % were achieved with relative standard deviations of 1.11‐3.96 % (n=3) at three spiked levels. Moreover, it was also successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of dopamine and ascorbic acid in human serum with differential pulse voltammetry. The results indicated that PMoA/PEI multilayer modified electrode can be used as a universal electrochemical sensor for sensitive detection of redox compounds.
Comparative Electrochemical Study of N‐, C‐terminal and Integral Centrin on Adsorption and Metal‐Binding Properties
Authors: Rong Zhijiang , Zhao Yaqin , Shi Enxian , Zhang Wenlong , Yang Binsheng
Published: January 2017

The adsorption behavior of apo‐ciliate Euplotes octocarinatus centrin (EoCen) and N(C)‐terminal domain of EoCen (N(C)‐EoCen) at a glassy carbon (GC) electrode is studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Interestingly, the adsorption isotherms of C‐EoCen, N‐EoCen and EoCen at a GC surface differ from one another. It is considered to be associated with the different aggregation properties of three proteins. Furthermore, we analyze the metal‐binding properties of centrin and the followed changes in protein structure upon metal‐binding. Corresponding to the four binding sites of EoCen, it shows four no‐equiv signals of CV or EIS change. It indicates that the four different binding sites of EoCen can be discriminated by the EIS titration curves, which is in contrast with conventional use of spectral method. According to the electrostatic potential at the molecular surface of proteins, the favored orientation of N‐EoCen and C‐EoCen on the GC surface is modeled. These models can well explain the results of titration curves of Eu3+ to N(C)‐EoCen. This work has established the electrochemical methodology which can be used to measure metal‐binding sites involved and reveal the contribution of each metal site to the whole protein conformational change.
The interventional relationship between frequent fish consumption and depression symptoms in aging adults: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Sharifan Payam , Hosseini Motahare‐Sadat , Sharifan Anoosheh
Published: January 2017

Objective

The present investigation was intended to test the hypothesis that the elderly provided with the frequent consumption of fishes marinated in essential oil of Perilla frutescens (EOPF) or not would experience fewer depressive symptoms after 6 months.

Methods

A total of 180 participants were recruited from Sina Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, who were diagnosed with depression based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision and Beck Depression Inventory. Participants (n = 180) were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to Groups A, B, and C. The last two were provided with an instruction to consume Caspian white fish marinated in the presence or absence of EOPF (434 g each week or four meals per week). Group A served as the control with the common diet. The outcome measures were performed using the Beck Depression Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in depressive symptom scores between groups with frequent fish consumption as compared with the control (p > 0.05). Yet adjustment for covariates showed that there was a significant reduction in depression among them (p < 0.05). Moreover, consumption of fish and EOPF was associated with more considerable improvements than Groups A and B (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

It could be concluded that high intakes of unsaturated fatty acids can afford to diminish likelihood of late‐life depression. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An improved method for single flow direction calculation in grid digital elevation models
Authors: Shin Sanghoon , Paik Kyungrock
Published: January 2017

This paper presents improvements to the global D8 (GD8) method for calculating single flow directions in a grid digital elevation model. Flow directions computed from grid digital elevation models serve as the foundation for much of the analysis and modeling of hydrological processes that are driven by topographic gradients. The literature includes both single flow direction methods, where flow goes to only one downslope cell, and multiple flow direction methods that apportion flow among multiple downslope cells. Among single flow direction methods, the standard D8 method, in which the flow direction is set based on the steepest local slope, results in bias on surfaces that do not align with the grid directions. Efforts to address this problem have led to the development of extended methods that account for elevation values further upslope in determining flow directions. We have identified discrepancies in one such method, GD8, and have examined ways to resolve these discrepancies. An improvement to GD8, named iGD8, is presented that allows replacing a reference cell from which path deviations are accumulated and that considers horizontal path deviation rather than global slope as a flow direction criterion. The improved method is found to be effective in resolving the problems encountered with GD8 and to be more efficient than a previously proposed alternative method (least transversal deviation (LTD) based D8, namely D8‐LTD) that uses recursive searching for the largest upstream area when multiple flow paths converge. The proposed improved GD8 method offers the opportunity for improved analysis and modeling of topographically driven hydrological processes by providing better foundational flow directions for these analyses.
Tumour cell conditioned medium reveals greater M2 skewing of macrophages in the absence of properdin
Authors: Al‐Rayahi Izzat A.M. , Browning Michael J. , Stover Cordula
Published: January 2017

Introduction

The tumour microenvironment is shaped by the interaction of immune, non immune, and tumour cells present in close proximity. Tumour cells direct the development of a locally immune suppressed state, affecting the activity of anti tumour T cells and preparing the escape phase of tumour development. Macrophages in the tumour typically develop into so‐called tumour associated macrophages with a distinct profile of activities which lead to a reduction in inflammation and antigen presentation. The direct impact of tumour cell conditioned medium on the activity profile of macrophages in dependence of their complement component expression has not yet been investigated.

Methods

In our in vitro study, macrophages differentiated from bone marrows of properdin deficient and wildtype mice were stimulated with conditioned medium of a syngeneic tumour cell line, B16F10, a mouse melanoma subline.

Results

In comparison with macrophages from wildtype mice, those from congenic properdin deficient mice showed skewing towards M2 profile, encompassing mRNA expression for genes involved in arginine metabolism, production of type 2 cytokines, and relatively lower surface expression of molecules needed for antigen presentation.

Conclusions

These data suggest that properdin insufficiency promotes a tumour environment that helps the tumour evade the immune response.
Genome‐wide two‐locus interaction analysis identifies multiple epistatic SNP pairs that confer risk of prostate cancer: A cross‐population study
Authors: Shen Jiawei , Li Zhiqiang , Song Zhijian , Chen Jianhua , Shi Yongyong
Published: January 2017

Prostate cancer is one of the most common carcinomas among adult males. Recently, genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several susceptibility genes of prostate cancer. However, these single locus results can only explain a small proportion of the genetic etiology. In order to understand how multiple genetic variants may contribute to the penetrance of prostate cancer, we conducted a genome‐wide SNP–SNP interaction study in four populations, involving 5,269 cases and 5,289 controls. We exhaustively evaluated all pairs of SNP–SNP interactions for 661,658 SNPs that were consensus in all four groups, and then performed a meta‐analysis to combine the results. We found multiple variants within region 7p21.3 and 18p11.22 significantly interacted with each other and reached genome‐wide significance levels. The most significant epistasis was between rs1105255 (intergenic, near RBSG3) and rs651431 (intergenic, near VAPA) (p = 1.4 × 10−14). Notably, VAPA was identified to be the protein‐coding transcripts as PTEN competing endogenous RNA in prostate cancer. And PTEN is a critical tumor suppressor gene frequently altered in cancers. In addition, 7p21.3 involves several pseudogenes, whose parental genes are cancer‐related. Recently, growing evidence strongly suggests they are of multifaceted involvements in the pathogenesis of cancer. Multiple regulatory elements were found within 7p21.3 and 18p11.22, indicating the variants might regulate the nearby genes and confer risk of disease. Additionally, we also found several other significant epistasis, most of which were near or in cancer‐related genes. Drug target enrichment analysis suggested genes in top epistasis significantly overlapped with target genes of FDA‐approved drugs for treatment of prostate cancer.
Patterns of persistent HPV infection after treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN): A systematic review
Authors: Hoffman Sarah R. , Le Tam , Lockhart Alexandre , Sanusi Ayodeji , Dal Santo Leila , Davis Meagan , McKinney Dana A. , Brown Meagan , Poole Charles , Willame Corinne , Smith Jennifer S.
Published: January 2017

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to determine the estimates of and definitions for human papillomavirus (HPV) persistence in women following treatment of cervical intra‐epithelial neoplasia (CIN). A total of 45 studies presented data on post‐treatment HPV persistence among 6,106 women. Most studies assessed HPV persistence after loop excision (42%), followed by conization (7%), cryotherapy (11%), laser treatment (4%), interferon‐alpha, therapeutic vaccination, and photodynamic therapy (2% each) and mixed treatment (38%). Baseline HPV testing was conducted before or at treatment for most studies (96%). Follow‐up HPV testing ranged from 1.5 to 80 months after baseline. Median HPV persistence tended to decrease with increasing follow‐up time, declining from 27% at 3 months after treatment to 21% at 6 months, 15% at 12 months, and 10% at 24 months. Post‐treatment HPV persistence estimates varied widely and were influenced by patient age, HPV‐type, detection method, treatment method, and minimum HPV post‐treatment testing interval. Loop excision and conization appeared to outperform cryotherapy procedures in terms of their ability to clear HPV infection. This systematic review provides evidence for the substantial heterogeneity in post‐treatment HPV DNA testing practices and persistence estimates.
The dental resin monomers HEMA and TEGDMA have inhibitory effects on osteoclast differentiation with low cytotoxicity
Authors: Inamitsu Hiroyuki , Okamoto Kuniaki , Sakai Eiko , Nishishita Kazuhisa , Murata Hiroshi , Tsukuba Takayuki
Published: January 2017

The dental resin monomers 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) are released from the resin matrix due to unpolymerized monomers; once released, they influence various biological functions and the viability of cells in the oral environment. Although HEMA and TEGDMA have various effects on cells, including inflammation, inhibition of cell proliferation or differentiation, and apoptosis, the effects of these monomers on osteoclasts remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of HEMA and TEGDMA on osteoclast differentiation of bone marrow‐derived macrophages or murine monocytic cell line RAW‐D. Both HEMA and TEGDMA inhibited osteoclast formation and their bone‐resorbing activity at non‐cytotoxic concentrations. Moreover, HEMA and TEGDMA decreased the expression of nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic‐1 (NFATc1), a master regulator of osteoclast differentiation, and of osteoclast markers that are transcriptionally regulated by NFATc1, including Src and cathepsin K. Regarding their effects on signaling pathways involved in osteoclast differentiation, HEMA impaired the phosphorylation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase and Jun N‐terminal kinase, whereas TEGDMA attenuated the phosphorylation of Akt and Jun N‐terminal kinase. Thus, HEMA and TEGDMA inhibit osteoclast differentiation through different signaling pathways. This is the first report on the effects of the monomers HEMA and TEGDMA on osteoclasts. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vacuum ultraviolet photon–mediated production of [18F]F2
Authors: Krzyczmonik Anna , Keller Thomas , Kirjavainen Anna K. , Forsback Sarita , Solin Olof
Published: January 2017

The chemistry of F2 and its derivatives are amenable to facile aliphatic or aromatic substitution, as well as electrophilic addition. The main limitation in the use of [18F]F2 for radiopharmaceutical synthesis is the low specific activity achieved by the traditional methods of production. The highest specific activities, 55 GBq/μmol, for [18F]F2 have been achieved so far by using electrical discharge in the post‐target production of [18F]F2 gas from [18F]CH3F. We demonstrate that [18F]F2 is produced by illuminating a gas mixture of neon/F2/[18F]CH3F with vacuum ultraviolet photons generated by an excimer laser. We tested several illumination chambers and production conditions. The effects of the initial amount of [18F]F‐, amount of carrier F2, and number of 193‐nm laser pulses at constant power were evaluated regarding radiochemical yield and specific activity. The specific activity attained for [18F]F2‐derived [18F]NFSi was 10.3 ± 0.9 GBq/μmol, and the average radiochemical yield over a wide range of conditions was 6.7% from [18F]F‐. The production can be improved by optimization of the synthesis device and procedures. The use of a commercially available excimer laser and the simplicity of the process can make this method relatively easy for adaptation in radiochemistry laboratories.
Confirming therapeutic target of protopine using immobilized β2‐adrenoceptor coupled with site‐directed molecular docking and the target‐drug interaction by frontal analysis and injection amount–dependent method
Authors: Liu Guangxin , Wang Pei , Li Chan , Wang Jing , Sun Zhenyu , Zhao Xinfeng , Zheng Xiaohui
Published: January 2017

Drug‐protein interaction analysis is pregnant in designing new leads during drug discovery. We prepared the stationary phase containing immobilized β2‐adrenoceptor (β2‐AR) by linkage of the receptor on macroporous silica gel surface through N,N′‐carbonyldiimidazole method. The stationary phase was applied in identifying antiasthmatic target of protopine guided by the prediction of site‐directed molecular docking. Subsequent application of immobilized β2‐AR in exploring the binding of protopine to the receptor was realized by frontal analysis and injection amount–dependent method. The association constants of protopine to β2‐AR by the 2 methods were (1.00 ± 0.06) × 105M−1 and (1.52 ± 0.14) × 104M−1. The numbers of binding sites were (1.23 ± 0.07) × 10−7M and (9.09 ± 0.06) × 10−7M, respectively. These results indicated that β2‐AR is the specific target for therapeutic action of protopine in vivo. The target‐drug binding occurred on Ser169 in crystal structure of the receptor. Compared with frontal analysis, injection amount–dependent method is advantageous to drug saving, improvement of sampling efficiency, and performing speed. It has grave potential in high‐throughput drug‐receptor interaction analysis.
Modeling Tree Loss Versus Tree Recruitment Processes in SW Iberian Rangelands as Influenced by Topography and Land use and Management
Authors: Herguido Estela , Lavado Contador Joaquín Francisco , Gómez Gutiérrez Álvaro , Schnabel Susanne
Published: January 2017

The sustainability of Iberian open wooded rangelands is threatened by recent land use changes and lack of tree recruitment. As trees are key elements of these systems, the characterization of their spatiotemporal trend is essential for the system's management. Our objective is to develop spatial models reflecting the temporal dynamic of trees in terms of recent tree loss and tree gain processes in farms, evaluating the influence on the models of topography and land use and management. Aerial photographs of 1956 and 2009 were compared, analyzing lost and new trees in five dehesas of Extremadura (Spain). Multivariate adaptive regression splines was used to produce the spatial models that characterize the proneness of an area to undergo tree loss or recruitment. Models showed good performances. Although land use and management intensively influenced on tree dynamics, because it depends on topography, models built by considering just the topographic variables showed only slightly lower fitness. Tree recruitment mostly happened in the marginal places with steep slopes, while tree loss occurred in elevated, gently undulated and more intensively used places of the farms. A spatial polarization of both processes has been observed that leads to the lack of replacement of lost trees. The work provides some clues on the design of tree management procedures for dehesas and montados. The implementation of measures to address the degradation processes in dehesas should take into account the spatial arrangement of the areas where tree loss or gain is actually happening or it is likely to occur. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A novel de novo frameshift deletion in EHMT1 in a patient with Kleefstra Syndrome results in decreased H3K9 dimethylation
Authors: Blackburn Patrick R. , Williams Monique , Cousin Margot A. , Boczek Nicole J. , Beek Geoffrey J. , Lomberk Gwen A. , Urrutia Raul A. , Babovic‐Vuksanovic Dusica , Klee Eric W.
Published: January 2017

Background

Kleefstra Syndrome (KS) (MIM# 610253) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by haploinsufficiency of euchromatic histone methyltransferase‐1 (EHMT1, GLP). EHMT1 (MIM# 607001) encodes a histone methyltransferase that heterodimerizes with EHMT2 (also known as G9a, MIM# 604599), which together are responsible for mono‐ and dimethylation of H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me1 and ‐me2), resulting in transcriptional repression of target genes.

Methods

This report describes an 18‐year‐old woman with intellectual disability, severely limited speech, hypotonia, microcephaly, and facial dysmorphisms, who was found to have a novel de novo single‐base frameshift deletion in EHMT1.

Results

Functional studies using patient fibroblasts showed decreased H3K9me2 compared to wild‐type control cells, thus providing a rapid confirmatory test that complements molecular studies.

Conclusion

Whole exome sequencing revealed a novel frameshift deletion in EHMT1 after a lengthy diagnostic odyssey in this patient. Functional testing using this patient's fibroblasts provides proof‐of‐concept for the analysis of variants of uncertain significance that are predicted to impact EHMT1 enzymatic activity.
Asymptotic stability of stationary solutions to the compressible bipolar Navier–Stokes–Poisson equations
Authors: Cai Hong , Tan Zhong
Published: January 2017

In this paper, we consider the compressible bipolar Navier–Stokes–Poisson equations with a non‐flat doping profile in three‐dimensional space. The existence and uniqueness of the non‐constant stationary solutions are established when the doping profile is a small perturbation of a positive constant state. Then under the smallness assumption of the initial perturbation, we show the global existence of smooth solutions to the Cauchy problem near the stationary state. Finally, the convergence rates are obtained by combining the energy estimates for the nonlinear system and the L2‐decay estimates for the linearized equations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bingham flow in porous media with obstacles of different size
Authors: Bunoiu Renata , Cardone Giuseppe
Published: January 2017

By using the unfolding operators for periodic homogenization, we give a general compactness result for a class of functions defined on bounded domains presenting perforations of two different size. Then we apply this result to the homogenization of the flow of a Bingham fluid in a porous medium with solid obstacles of different size. Next, we give the interpretation of the limit problem in terms of a nonlinear Darcy law. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Wideband circularly polarized his backed fan‐shaped antenna with directional patterns covering L1‐L5 GPS bands
Authors: Babakhani Behrouz , Sharma Satish K. , Mishra Ghanshyam
Published: January 2017

A wideband circularly polarized (CP) fan‐shaped antenna employing a sequential phase feed network (SPFN) covering L1 to L5 global positioning system (GPS) bands is presented. The antenna geometry consists of two crossed bow‐tie shaped dipoles with four arms which offers bidirectional CP radiation. A SPFN feeds dipole arms with equal amplitudes and 0°, 90°, 180° and 270° phase values. To achieve directional patterns, the bidirectional antenna is backed by a mushroom‐like electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure which serves as wideband high impedance surface (HIS). Measurement verifies that the HIS backed antenna offers acceptable impedance matching, axial ratio (AR), antenna efficiency, gain and pattern performance between 1170 MHZ to 1630 MHZ (around 32% fractional bandwidth). The measured broadside (θ = 0°) AR is below 3 dB from 1.15 GHz to 1.7 GHz (38% bandwidth). The directional RHCP measured de‐embedded gain is 5.8 dBic, 6.1 dBic, 5.5 dBic and 4.6 dBic at 1170 GHz, 1220 GHz, 1380 GHz and 1570 GHz, respectively. The de‐embedded antenna efficiency is better than 60% between 1.15 GHz and 1.6 GHz with the maximum of 90% at 1.4 GHz. The measured and simulation results agree very well. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:497–500, 2017
Co‐design of two‐way doherty power amplifier and filter for concurrent dual‐band application
Authors: Dai Zhijiang , He Songbai , Peng Jun , Pang Jingzhou , Hao Peng , Huang Chaoyi
Published: January 2017

In this letter, an architecture is presented to solve problems of classical concurrent dual‐band Doherty power amplifiers (DPAs) and its design procedure is given. It is a codesign of two single‐band DPAs and four filters. Two of filters at the output port are used for impedance transformation, harmonic components suppressing and signal isolating, while the another two split concurrent dual‐band signals at the input port. In this way, intermodulation components of the two bands can be effectively suppressed and each band can achieve a good performance as single‐band one's. This design concept is demonstrated through implementing of a practical dual‐band DPA operating at 1.8 and 2.5 GHz. Measurement results show that efficiencies are 65.0 and 56.3% at the 6 dB output power back‐off for concurrent application. The intermodulation components and harmonic components are lower than −40 dB except second harmonic component at 1.8 GHz (−32 dB). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:530–533, 2017
Magnetic resonance wireless power transfer for laptop computer with a ground plane
Authors: Nguyen Van Thuan , Kang Seok Hyon , Jung Chang Won
Published: January 2017

This paper proposes a new method to increase the transfer efficiency of a wireless power transfer (WPT) system, having a source coil, a sprial transmitter (Tx) coil, a load coil and a ground plane, by utilizing the ground plane itself. The creation of cross slits at the ground center and employment of a lumped capacitor on the ground plane transform the ground plane into an additional resonator, which makes the original WPT system work as a 4‐coil WPT system, producing a higher efficiency. By experiment, with an optimized capacitor on the ground plane of C = 2180 pF, the measurement of transfer efficiency shows a maximum improvement of 10% at a transfer distance of 40 cm, compared to the case without the ground plane. The transfer efficiency of the proposed system at transfer distance of 15 cm is 46%. Circuit theory and electromagnetic simulations are employed to analyze the proposed WPT system, giving results consistent with the measured ones. The operating frequency of the proposed system is 6.78 MHz. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:514–521, 2017
High gain microstrip antenna array for 60 GHz band point to point WLAN/WPAN communications
Authors: Rabbani M.S. , Ghafouri‐Shiraz H.
Published: January 2017

A microstrip patch antenna array has been designed with 24 ultra‐wide patch elements to improve the antenna gain up to around 20 dBi for 60 GHz band point to point wireless local area network (WLAN) and wireless personal area network (WPAN) applications. Both series and parallel feeding techniques have been collaborated to excite the patch elements. Reverse impedance matching method has been adopted to enhance the antenna's fabrication tolerance. The measured and simulation results showed a close agreement. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:511–514, 2017
Electromagnetic scattering from inhomogeneous objects embedded in spherically multilayered media solved by the method of moments
Authors: Chen Yongjin , Han Feng , Liu Na , Wen Paiju , Liu Qinghuo
Published: January 2017

The method of moments (MOM) is applied to solve electromagnetic (EM) scattering problems in spherically multilayered media. A spectral‐domain dyadic Green's function (DGF) in a spherically multilayered medium is constructed in terms of the spherical vector wave functions by using the method of scattering superposition in the spherical coordinate system. Its expression is later transformed to that in the Cartesian coordinate. We discretize the computational domain which contains the scatterer into N size‐independent cells in the Cartesian coordinate. Based on the transformed DGFs, the volume integral equations can be solved by MOM combined with Krylov subspace iterative methods. In this letter, we choose the bi‐conjugate gradient stabilized (BCGS) iteration method due to its fast convergence. Numerical results compared with FDTD solutions from a commercial software are presented to validate the accuracy and efficiency of our method. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:526–530, 2017
An electrically small sicrr metamaterial‐inspired dual‐band antenna for WLAN and WiMAX applications
Authors: Sharma Sameer Kumar , Abdalla Mahmoud A. , Chaudhary Raghvendra Kumar
Published: January 2017

This study presents the design of an electrically small metamaterial antenna with dual‐band characteristics for WLAN and WiMAX applications with coplanar ground. The proposed antenna consists of stepped‐impedance closed ring resonator (SICRR) and a small rectangular patch which is designed by etching a split ring resonator (SRR) from a rectangular patch which is turn fed through main feed. Such metamaterial composite exhibits dual‐band behavior with first band operating at 2.45 GHz with an impedance bandwidth (|S11| < −10 dB) of 8.16% while second band is resonant at 3.37 GHz having an impedance bandwidth of 23.74% respectively. The proposed antenna is designed specifically to operate at WLAN (2.5 GHz) and WiMAX (3.5 GHz) and shows compact nature with a radiating element size of 0.16λo × 0.097λo × 0.013λo. Equivalent circuit of proposed antenna has also been modeled which is in good agreement with the antenna behavior. The proposed structure shows end fire radiation pattern in H‐plane and omni‐directional radiation pattern in E‐plane at all operating frequencies with low cross polarization levels. The prototype has been fabricated and experimentally tested to validate the simulation results which are in good agreement with the measured results. The antenna is suitable for use in Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMAX. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:573–578, 2017