bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Capillary Force Seeding of Hydrogels for Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Delivery in Wounds
Authors: Garg Ravi K. , Rennert Robert C. , Duscher Dominik , Sorkin Michael , Kosaraju Revanth , Auerbach Lauren J. , Lennon James , Chung Michael T. , Paik Kevin , Nimpf Johannes , Rajadas Jayakumar , Longaker Michael T. , Gurtner Geoffrey C.
Published: July 2014

Effective skin regeneration therapies require a successful interface between progenitor cells and biocompatible delivery systems. We previously demonstrated the efficiency of a biomimetic pullulan-collagen hydrogel scaffold for improving bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell survival within ischemic skin wounds by creating a “stem cell niche” that enhances regenerative cytokine secretion. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) represent an even more appealing source of stem cells because of their abundance and accessibility, and in this study we explored the utility of ASCs for hydrogel-based therapies. To optimize hydrogel cell seeding, a rapid, capillary force-based approach was developed and compared with previously established cell seeding methods. ASC viability and functionality following capillary hydrogel seeding were then analyzed in vitro and in vivo. In these experiments, ASCs were seeded more efficiently by capillary force than by traditional methods and remained viable and functional in this niche for up to 14 days. Additionally, hydrogel seeding of ASCs resulted in the enhanced expression of multiple stemness and angiogenesis-related genes, including Oct4, Vegf, Mcp-1, and Sdf-1. Moving in vivo, hydrogel delivery improved ASC survival, and application of both murine and human ASC-seeded hydrogels to splinted murine wounds resulted in accelerated wound closure and increased vascularity when compared with control wounds treated with unseeded hydrogels. In conclusion, capillary seeding of ASCs within a pullulan-collagen hydrogel bioscaffold provides a convenient and simple way to deliver therapeutic cells to wound environments. Moreover, ASC-seeded constructs display a significant potential to accelerate wound healing that can be easily translated to a clinical setting.
A comparison of handling methods relevant to the religious slaughter of sheep
Authors: Bates LSW , Ford EA , Brown SN , Richards GJ , Hadley PJ , Wotton SB , Knowles TG
Published: July 2014

Legislation governing non-stun slaughter of sheep in England requires that they are individually and mechanically restrained for slaughter and not moved for at least 20 s post neck cut, until unconsciousness or insensibility occurs. Complying with the need for individual handling, in what is a flock animal, has the potential to adversely affect welfare, in turn contravening the general legislative requirement to reduce any avoidable distress at slaughter. This study investigated the effects of individually loading and restraining lambs compared with the normal practice of group loading and restraint of lambs prior to slaughter when using a V-shaped restrainer. Rotating and static design loading pens were also compared to represent the range of conditions and facilities found across English abattoirs. Plasma cortisol and lactate concentrations were significantly lower in group-loaded animals and significant reductions were observed in the time duration of a range of components of handling as well as the average total time to load each lamb. Loading pen type had a less marked impact upon results, however, individual loading and restraint of lambs within a V-shaped restrainer appears particularly stressful for sheep in comparison with group loading. The loading pen type had a mixed effect although the rotating crowding pen is likely to have minimised physical exertion in lambs during loading and restraint. Based on these findings, group loading in a V-shaped restrainer, whilst complying with the 20-s standstill, is likely to be preferable in religious, non-stun slaughter of sheep.
Separation anxiety in dogs: the implications of predictability and contextual fear for behavioural treatment
Authors: Amat M , Camps T , Le Brech S , Manteca X
Published: July 2014

Separation anxiety (SA) is one of the most common canine behaviour problems and can have serious negative effects on dog welfare. Treatment of SA may include changing the environment around the dog, pharmacological treatment and behavioural therapy. The latter is considered the most important part of the treatment and is intended to habituate the dog to being alone and to reduce its dependence on the owner. The objective of this paper is to discuss two aspects of the treatment of SA that may be in contradiction with our current understanding of the stress response. Advice commonly given to owners of dogs with SA includes giving false departure cues to prevent the dog from anticipating the actual departure. Instead, we recommend increasing the predictability of the owner's departure by maintaining the cues that signal it. Animals suffering from anxiety disorders are likely to develop contextual fear, ie to be frightened by merely being exposed to the same location where they have experienced an aversive event. As a consequence, we suggest that whenever possible, fake departures done as part of the habituation exercises to being left are done in a place different from that where the dog is actually left alone.
Erosion dynamics following localized permafrost slope disturbances
Authors: Lamoureux Scott F. , Lafrenière Melissa J. , Favaro Elena A.
Published: July 2014

Slope disturbances are key sources of sediment, and the impact and recovery of disturbance on downslope erosion is poorly understood. We measured the erosional response of varying extents of slope disturbance in small permafrost catchments for 5 years following disturbance by active layer detachments. Initial erosion rates increased with the size of disturbance, but subsequent fluxes depended on specific morphological evolution of disturbances. Varying degrees of (i) channel density within the disturbances, (ii) downstream channel connectivity, and (iii) geomorphic evolution of disturbances lead to significant differences in catchment response to disturbance. Our results indicate that new equilibrium states of sediment erosion are achieved within the most disturbed and channelized catchments and contribute to greater heterogeneity of erosion on the landscape.
Quantifying Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability dynamics observed in noctilucent clouds: 2. Modeling and interpretation of observations
Authors: Fritts David C. , Baumgarten Gerd , Wan Kam , Werne Joseph , Lund Tom
Published: July 2014

A companion paper describes high‐resolution, ground‐based imaging of apparent Kelvin‐Helmholtz instabilities (KHI) observed in noctilucent clouds (NLCs) near the polar summer mesopause. Here we employ direct numerical simulations of KHI at Richardson numbers from Ri = 0.05 to 0.20 and relatively high Reynolds numbers to illustrate the dependence of KHI and secondary instabilities on these quantities and interpret and quantify the KHI events described by Baumgarten and Fritts (2014). We conclude that one event triggered by small‐scale gravity waves provides clear evidence of strong KHI initiated at Ri ~0.05–0.10. Events arising in a more uniform shear environment exhibit KHI and small‐scale dynamics that compare reasonably well with modeled KHI initiated at Ri ~0.20. Our application of numerical modeling in quantifying KHI dynamics observed in NLCs suggests that characteristics of KHI, and perhaps other small‐scale dynamics, that are defined well in NLC displays can be used to quantify the dynamics and spatial scales of such events with high confidence. Specifically, our comparisons of KHI observations and modeling appear to indicate a “turbulent” viscosity ~5–40 times the true kinematic viscosity at the NLC altitude. This offers an alternative, or an augmentation, to more traditional radar, lidar, and/or airglow measurements employed for such studies of small‐scale dynamics at coarser spatial scales during polar summer.
Material Selection, Manufacturing and Performance Test of Ceramic High‐Temperature Heat Pipes Using Liquid Metals as Working Fluids
Authors: Meisel Peter , Schöne Sophie , Lippmann Wolfgang , Raddatz Mario , Hurtado Antonio , Gampe Uwe
Published: July 2014

Heat exchange applications at high temperatures of greater than 800 °C under corrosive or abrasive conditions require heat exchangers based on ceramic materials instead of conventionally used metals. Heat exchangers based on heat pipes are exceptionally suitable since temperature gradients and correspondent thermal stresses are inherently low for this design. At high temperatures greater than 800 °C, the structural material SSiC and working fluids sodium or zinc appear to be the most promising options. Encapsulating the working fluid in ceramic heat pipes with a sealing joint ensuring long term stability and high temperature resistance is particularly challenging. A nickel‐based alloy has been identified as solder material for SSiC heat pipes using sodium as working fluid and a glass solder was used in case of zinc filled heat pipes. Manufactured heat pipes were tested in a hot‐gas test rig at temperatures up to 1000 °C.
Evaluating the Room Temperature ECAP Processing of a NiTi Alloy via Simulation and Experiments
Authors: Shahmir Hamed , Nili‐Ahmadabadi Mahmoud , Mansouri‐Arani Mojtaba , Khajezade Ali , Langdon Terence G.
Published: July 2014

The NiTi alloys are generally considered hard‐to‐deform materials when processing by equal‐channel angular pressing (ECAP) at room temperature. Nevertheless, it is shown by experiment that a NiTi alloy may be successfully processed by ECAP for up to two passes using a core–sheath configuration. Three‐dimensional finite element simulations were used to more fully evaluate the flow behavior after the first and second pass of ECAP. The values of the microhardness were recorded across transverse directions within the cores and the results show that the imposed strain both decreases by comparison with the processing of conventional sheath‐free NiTi billet and increases by increasing the dimensions of the core. The lower areas of the cores undergo less deformation than the upper areas after successful ECAP processing but the imposed strain, and thus the microhardness values, become homogeneously distributed on the longitudinal planes after two passes of ECAP.
Towards Novel Multifunctional Pillared Nanostructures: Effective Intercalation of Adamantylamine in Graphene Oxide and Smectite Clays
Authors: Spyrou Konstantinos , Potsi Georgia , Diamanti Evmorfia K. , Ke Xiaoxing , Serestatidou Eleni , Verginadis Ioannis I. , Velalopoulou Anastasia P. , Evangelou Angelos M. , Deligiannakis Yiannis , Van Tendeloo Gustaaf , Gournis Dimitrios , Rudolf Petra
Published: July 2014

Multifunctional pillared materials are synthesized by the intercalation of cage‐shaped adamantylamine (ADMA) molecules into the interlayer space of graphite oxide (GO) and aluminosilicate clays. The physicochemical and structural properties of these hybrids, determined by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman and X‐ray photoemission (XPS) spectroscopies and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show that they can serve as tunable hydrophobic/hydrophilic and stereospecific nanotemplates. Thus, in ADMA‐pillared clay hybrids, the phyllomorphous clay provides a hydrophilic nanoenvironment where the local hydrophobicity is modulated by the presence of ADMA moieties. On the other hand, in the ADMA‐GO hybrid, both the aromatic rings of GO sheets and the ADMA molecules define a hydrophobic nanoenvironment where sp3‐oxo moieties (epoxy, hydroxyl and carboxyl groups), present on GO, modulate hydrophilicity. As test applications, these pillared nanostructures are capable of selective/stereospecific trapping of small chlorophenols or can act as cytotoxic agents.
Cerebral vein thrombosis in patients with Philadelphia‐negative myeloproliferative neoplasms An European Leukemia Net study
Authors: Martinelli Ida , De Stefano Valerio , Carobbio Alessandra , Randi Maria L. , Santarossa Claudia , Rambaldi Alessandro , Finazzi Maria C. , Cervantes Francisco , Arellano‐Rodrigo Eduardo , Rupoli Serena , Canafoglia Lucia , Tieghi Alessia , Facchini Luca , Betti Silvia , Vannucchi Alessandro M. , Pieri Lisa , Cacciola Rossella , Cacciola Emma , Cortelezzi Agostino , Iurlo Alessandra , Pogliani Enrico M. , Elli Elena M. , Spadea Antonio , Barbui Tiziano
Published: July 2014

To investigate the characteristics and clinical course of cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT) in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) we compared 48 patients with MPN and CVT (group MPN‐CVT) to 87 with MPN and other venous thrombosis (group MPN‐VT) and 178 with MPN and no thrombosis (group MPN‐NoT) matched by sex, age at diagnosis of MPN (±5 years) and type of MPN. The study population was identified among 5,500 patients with MPN, from January 1982 to June 2013. Thrombophilia abnormalities were significantly more prevalent in the MPN‐CVT and MPN‐VT than in MPN‐NoT group (P = 0.015), as well as the JAK2 V617F mutation in patients with essential thrombocythemia (P = 0.059). Compared to MPN‐VT, MPN‐CVT patients had a higher rate of recurrent thrombosis (42% vs. 25%, P = 0.049) despite a shorter median follow‐up period (6.1 vs. 10.3 years, P = 0.019), a higher long‐term antithrombotic (94% vs. 84%, P = 0.099) and a similar cytoreductive treatment (79% vs. 70%, P = 0.311). The incidence of recurrent thrombosis was double in MPN‐CVT than in MPN‐VT group (8.8% and 4.2% patient‐years, P = 0.022), and CVT and unprovoked event were the only predictive variables in a multivariate model including also sex, blood count, thrombophilia, cytoreductive, and antithrombotic treatment (HR 1.97, 95%CI 1.05–3.72 and 2.09, 1.09–4.00, respectively). Am. J. Hematol. 89:E200–E205, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
HPLC‐ELSD determination of kanamycin B in the presence of kanamycin A in fermentation broth
Authors: Zhang Yong , He Hui‐Min , Zhang Jin , Liu Feng‐Jiao , Li Chao , Wang Bing‐Wu , Qiao Ren‐Zhong
Published: July 2014

A novel method for the direct determination of kanamycin B in the presence of kanamycin A in fermentation broth using high performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC‐ELSD) was developed. An Agilent Technologies C18 column was utilized, evaporation temperature of 40°C and nitrogen pressure of 3.5 bar, the optimized mobile phase was water–acetonitrile (65:35, v/v), containing 11.6 mm heptafluorobutyric acid (isocratic elution with flow rate of 0.5 mL/min) with the gain 11. Kanamycin B was eluted at 5.6 min with an asymmetry factor of 1.827. The method showed good linearity over the concentration range of 0.05 to 0.80 mg/mL for the kanamycin B (r2 = 0.9987). The intra‐day and inter‐day coefficients of variation obtained from kanamycin B were less than 4.3%. Mean recovery of kanamycin B from spiked fermentation broth was 95%. The developed method was applied to the determination of kanamycin B without any interference from other constituents in the fermentation broth. This method offers simple, rapid and quantitative detection of kanamycin B. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of an Amperometric Microbial Biosensor Based on Thiobacillus thioparus Cells for Sulfide and Its Application to Detection of Sulfate‐Reducing Bacteria
Authors: Qi Peng , Zhang Dun , Wan Yi
Published: July 2014

This paper describes a novel electrochemical microbial biosensor based on Thiobacillus thioparus cells for sulfide detection. The morphology and electrochemical properties of the proposed biosensor were characterized by SEM and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. Working conditions of the microbial biosensor were optimized to obtain good electrochemical performances. Under the optimum conditions, analytical performances were evaluated, and the results suggested that the microbial biosensor could be used for selective detection of sulfide. The microbial biosensor was then successfully applied in detection of sulfate‐reducing bacteria by oxidizing its characteristic metabolite, sulfide, which was accumulated in culture media during bacterial growth.
Evaluation of NLDAS‐2 evapotranspiration against tower flux site observations
Authors: Xia Youlong , Hobbins Michael T. , Mu Qiaozhen , Ek Michael B.
Published: July 2014

The North American Land Data Assimilation System project phase 2 (NLDAS‐2) has run four land surface models for a 30‐year (1979–2008) retrospective period. Land surface evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the most important model outputs from NLDAS‐2 for investigating land–atmosphere interaction or to monitor agricultural drought. Here, we evaluate hourly ET using in situ observations over the Southern Great Plains (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement/Cloud and Radiation Testbed network) for 1 January 1997–30 September 1999 and daily ET u‐sing in situ observations at the AmeriFlux network over the conterminous USA for an 8‐year period (2000–2007). The NLDAS‐2 models compare well against observations, with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Noah land surface model performing best, followed, in order, by the Variable Infiltration Capacity, Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting, and Mosaic models. Daily evaluation across the AmeriFlux network shows that for all models, performance depends on season and vegetation type; they do better in spring and fall than in winter or summer and better for deciduous broadleaf forest and grasslands than for croplands or evergreen needleleaf forest. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Connecting precipitation inputs and soil flow pathways to stream water in contrasting boreal catchments
Authors: Peralta‐Tapia A. , Sponseller R. A. , Tetzlaff D. , Soulsby C. , Laudon H.
Published: July 2014

Stable isotopes of water are one of the most widely used tools to track the pathways of precipitation inputs to streams. In the past, soils have often been treated as black‐boxes through which precipitation is routed to streams without much consideration of how, when, and where water is transported along soil and groundwater flow paths. Here, we use time series of stable isotopes (18O) in precipitation, soil/groundwater, and stream water to evaluate how landscape structure and heterogeneity influence seasonal hydrological patterns characteristic of boreal headwater catchments. To do this, we collected water throughout a full year at three adjacent catchments draining forest, mire, and mire/lake ecosystems within the Krycklan Experimental Catchment of northern Sweden. Isotope time series from forest and mire groundwater piezometers showed spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the dominant hydrologic flow pathways connecting precipitation to stream flow at different sites. The isotopic signature of stream water suggested strong connections to the dominant landscape elements within each catchment. These connections translated into greater temporal variability in the isotopic response of streams draining lake and wetland patches, and a much more attenuated pattern in the forest‐dominated catchment. Overall, seasonal changes in the isotopic composition of streams and groundwater illustrate how differences in landscape structure result in variable hydrological patterns in the boreal landscape. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Association of CRP genetic variants with blood concentrations of C‐reactive protein and colorectal cancer risk
Authors: Nimptsch Katharina , Aleksandrova Krasimira , Boeing Heiner , Janke Jürgen , Lee Young‐Ae , Jenab Mazda , Bueno‐de‐Mesquita H.B(as) , Jansen Eugène HJM , Tsilidis Konstantinos K , Trichopoulou Antonia , Weiderpass Elisabete , Wu Chunsen , Overvad Kim , Tjønneland Anne , Boutron‐Ruault Marie‐Christine , Dossus Laure , Racine Antoine , Kaaks Rudolf , Canzian Federico , Lagiou Pagona , Trichopoulos Dimitrios , Palli Domenico , Agnoli Claudia , Tumino Rosario , Vineis Paolo , Panico Salvatore , Johansson Anders , Van Guelpen Bethany , Khaw Kay‐Tee , Wareham Nick , Peeters Petra H , Quirós J. Ramón , Venceslá García Adoración , Molina‐Montes Esther , Dorronsoro Miren , Chirlaque María‐Dolores , Barricarte Gurrea Aurelio , Key Timothy J , Duarte‐Salles Talita , Stepien Magdalena , Gunter Marc J. , Riboli Elio , Pischon Tobias
Published: July 2014

High blood concentrations of C‐reactive protein (CRP) have been associated with elevated risk of colorectal cancer in several prospective studies including the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), but it is unknown whether these observations reflect a causal relationship. We aimed to investigate whether CRP genetic variants associated with lifelong higher CRP concentrations translate into higher colorectal cancer risk. We conducted a prospective nested case–control study within EPIC including 727 cases diagnosed between 1992 and 2003 and 727 matched controls selected according to an incidence‐density sampling protocol. Baseline CRP concentrations were measured in plasma samples by a high sensitivity assay. Tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRP gene (rs1205, rs1800947, rs1130864, rs2808630, rs3093077) were identified via HapMap. The causal effect of CRP on colorectal cancer risk was examined in a Mendelian Randomization approach utilizing multiple CRP genetic variants as instrumental variables. The SNPs rs1205, rs1800947, rs1130864 and rs3093077 were significantly associated with CRP concentrations and were incorporated in a CRP allele score which was associated with 13% higher CRP concentrations per allele count (95% confidence interval 8–19%). Using the CRP‐score as instrumental variable, genetically twofold higher CRP concentrations were associated with higher risk of colorectal cancer (odds ratio 1.74, 95% confidence interval 1.06–2.85). Similar observations were made using alternative definitions of instrumental variables. Our findings give support to the hypothesis that elevated circulating CRP may play a direct role in the etiology of colorectal cancer.
Bounded dagger principles
Authors: Usuba Toshimichi
Published: July 2014

For an uncountable cardinal κ, let be the assertion that every ω1‐stationary preserving poset of size is semiproper. We prove that is a strong principle which implies a strong form of Chang's conjecture. We also show that implies that is presaturated.
Characterization of ‐like and c0‐like equivalence relations
Authors: Ding Longyun
Published: July 2014

In this paper, notions of ‐like and c0‐like equivalence relations are introduced. We characterize the positions of ‐like and c0‐like equivalence relations in the Borel reducibility hierarchy by comparing them with equivalence relations and .
Reverse mathematics and Isbell's zig‐zag theorem
Authors: Sato Takashi
Published: July 2014

The paper explores the logical strength of Isbell's zig‐zag theorem using the framework of reverse mathematics. Working in , we show that is equivalent to Isbell's zig‐zag theorem for countable monoids: If B is a monoid extension of A, then is dominated by A if and only if b has a zig‐zag over A. Our proof of Isbell's zig‐zag theorem avoids use of strong comprehension axioms common in traditional proofs. We also analyze the strength of theorems concerning binary relations.
Microporous Polymeric 3D Scaffolds Templated by the Layer‐by‐Layer Self‐Assembly
Authors: Paulraj Thomas , Feoktistova Natalia , Velk Natalia , Uhlig Katja , Duschl Claus , Volodkin Dmitry
Published: July 2014

Polymeric scaffolds serve as valuable supports for biological cells since they offer essential features for guiding cellular organization and tissue development. The main challenges for scaffold fabrication are i) to tune an internal structure and ii) to load bio‐molecules such as growth factors and control their local concentration and distribution. Here, a new approach for the design of hollow polymeric scaffolds using porous CaCO3 particles (cores) as templates is presented. The cores packed into a microfluidic channel are coated with polymers employing the layer‐by‐layer (LbL) technique. Subsequent core elimination at mild conditions results in formation of the scaffold composed of interconnected hollow polymer microspheres. The size of the cores determines the feature dimensions and, as a consequence, governs cellular adhesion: for 3T3 fibroblasts an optimal microsphere size is 12 μm. By making use of the carrier properties of the porous CaCO3 cores, the microspheres are loaded with BSA as a model protein. The scaffolds developed here may also be well suited for the localized release of bio‐molecules using external triggers such as IR‐light.

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Solvent Vapor Annealing: An Efficient Approach for Inscribing Secondary Nanostructures onto Electrospun Fibers
Authors: Liu Jianzhao , Bauer Adam J. P. , Li Bingbing
Published: July 2014

Solvent vapor annealing (SVA) is originally developed to attain equilibrium nanostructures from microphase‐separated block polymer thin films. Interestingly, by carefully choosing a solvent vapor that can selectively mobilize the amorphous chains of a semicrystalline polymer while preserving the integrity of its crystalline structure, this study demonstrates that the SVA method can also be utilized to introduce hierarchical structures onto semicrystalline polymer‐based materials. This study on electrospun poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) fibers clearly shows that acetone, a poor solvent for PCL, can effectively delocalize the amorphous chains and redeposit them onto the pre‐existing crystal edges, giving rise to secondary nanostructures inscribed onto the PCL fibers. In the past decade, various fiber fabrication methods and numerous fiber products are reported. The easy one‐step approach reported here provides new insight into the design and fabrication of structurally hierarchical polymeric materials.

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Creep/Stress Relaxation of Novel Hybrid Organic‐Inorganic Polymer Systems Synthesized by Joint Polymerization of Organic and Inorganic Oligomers
Authors: Iurzhenko Maksym , Mamunya Yevgen , Boiteux Gisele , Lebedev Eugene , Davydenko Valeriy , Seytre Gerard , Matkovska Lubov
Published: July 2014

The scientific and industrial field of hybrid organic‐inorganic polymer systems (HOIS) is widened in recent years due to possibility of combination of various organic and inorganic building blocks and obtaining hybrid materials with novel characteristics. The aim of the present paper is to develop the knowledge of the relationships between mechanical properties and structure of the synthesized HOIS. Novel hybrid organic‐inorganic polymer systems have been synthesized by joint polymerization of organic and inorganic components due to reactions between their reactive groups, namely free NCO‐groups in the organic component and OH‐groups in the inorganic component. Creep and stress relaxation measurements of HOIS with different chemical composition of the organic component have been fulfilled. Good correlations between changes of mechanical parameters, structure of hybrid organic‐inorganic networks, which are formed during synthesis of HOIS, and the theoretical model have been established.
Affinity maturation of Cry1Aa toxin to the Bombyx mori cadherin‐like receptor by directed evolution based on phage display and biopanning selections of domain II loop 2 mutant toxins
Authors: Endo Haruka , Kobayashi Yuki , Hoshino Yasushi , Tanaka Shiho , Kikuta Shingo , Tabunoki Hiroko , Sato Ryoichi
Published: July 2014

Directed evolution of a Cry1Aa toxin using phage display and biopanning was performed to generate an increased binding affinity to the Bombyx mori cadherin‐like receptor (BtR175). Three mutant toxins (371WGLA374, 371WPHH374, 371WRPQ37425) with 16‐, 16‐, and 50‐fold higher binding affinities, respectively, for BtR175 were selected from a phage library containing toxins with mutations in domain II loop 2. However, the observed toxicities of the three mutants against B. mori larvae and cultured cells expressing the BtR175 toxin‐binding region did not increase, suggesting that increased binding affinity to cadherins does not contribute to the insecticidal activity. Affinity maturation of a Cry toxin to a receptor via directed evolution was relatively simple to achieve, and seems to have potential for generating a toxin with increased insecticidal activity.
Fast GRAPPA reconstruction with random projection
Authors: Lyu Jingyuan , Chang Yuchou , Ying Leslie
Published: July 2014

Purpose

To address the issue of computational complexity in generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition (GRAPPA) when several calibration data are used.

Method

GRAPPA requires fully sampled data for accurate calibration with increasing data needed for higher reduction factors to maintain accuracy, which leads to longer computational time, especially in a three‐dimensional (3D) setting and with higher channel count coils. Channel reduction methods have been developed to address this issue when massive array coils are used. In this study, the complexity problem was addressed from a different prospective. Instead of compressing to fewer channels, we propose the use of random projections to reduce the dimension of the linear equation in the calibration phase. The equivalence before and after the reduction is supported by the Johnson‐Lindenstrauss lemma. The proposed random projection method can be integrated with channel reduction sequentially for even higher computational efficiency.

Results

Experimental results show that GRAPPA with random projection can achieve comparable image quality with much less computational time when compared with conventional GRAPPA without random projection.

Conclusion

The proposed random projection method is able to reduce the computational time of GRAPPA, especially in a 3D setting, without compromising the image quality, or to improve the reconstruction quality by allowing more data for calibration when the computational time is a limiting factor. Magn Reson Med 74:71–80, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Broadband absorption enhancement in ultra‐thin crystalline Si solar cells by incorporating metallic and dielectric nanostructures in the back reflector
Authors: Jain Samarth , Depauw Valerie , Miljkovic Vladimir D. , Dmitriev Alexander , Trompoukis Christos , Gordon Ivan , Van Dorpe Pol , El Daif Ounsi
Published: July 2014

We propose a back reflecting scheme in order to enhance the maximum achievable current in one micron thick crystalline silicon solar cells. We perform 3D numerical investigations of the scattering properties of metallic nanostructures located at the back side and optimize them for enhancing absorption in the silicon layer. We validate our numerical results experimentally and also compare the absorption enhancement in the solar cell structure, both with quasi‐periodic and random metallic nanostructures. We have looked at the interplay between the metallic nanostructures and an integrated back reflector. We show that the combination of metallic nanoparticles and a metallic reflector results in significant parasitic absorption. We compared this to another implementation based on titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which act as a Lambertian reflector of light. Our simulation and experimental results show that this proposed configuration results in reduced absorption losses and in broadband enhancement of absorption for ultra‐thin solar cells, paving the way to an optimal back reflector for thin film photovoltaics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conditional Control Charts for Weibull Quantiles Under Type II Censoring
Authors: Haghighi Firoozeh , Pascual Francis , Castagliola Philippe
Published: July 2014

In this article, we propose control charts for the quantiles of the Weibull distribution, for type II censored data, based on the distribution of a pivotal quantity conditioned on ancillary statistics. These control charts must be considered as alternatives to bootstrap type control charts. We derive an analytical form of the conditional distribution function of the monitored statistic and we use this function to propose ARL‐unbiased control limits. We further demonstrate that the proposed conditional chart have a general analytical form for the ARL that can be evaluated numerically without use of simulations and we also show that these charts perform at least as well as the bootstrap type ones. We finally apply the conditional charts to a dataset on the strength of carbon fibers to detect shifts in a specified Weibull quantile. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Coloring networks for attacker identification and response
Authors: Sairam Ashok Singh , Roy Sangita , Sahay Rishikesh
Published: July 2014

Network‐based attacks such as denial‐of‐service attacks are usually performed by spoofing the source IP address. Packet marking techniques are used to trace such attackers as close as possible to their source. A packet mark consists of some traceback information pertaining to a router being embedded in the IP packet header. In this work, we use the concept of star coloring to assign reusable colors (marks) to routers but at the same time limits false positives and false negatives. The proposed scheme minimizes the bit space required for marking in the IP header. We introduce the concept of path identifier, to identify an attack path. The path identifiers are used to provide an elegant solution to collect attack packets in the midst of a distributed denial‐of‐service attack and then traceback. Although identifying the attacker is crucial to institute protection measures against future attacks, it cannot mitigate the effects of an ongoing attack. We establish the use of path identifiers, to filter packets during an ongoing attack. We present a validation of the proposed techniques in an emulated environment using real attack traffic. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reversible Chemical Tuning of Charge Carriers for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Conversion and Probing of Living Cells
Authors: Wang Yongcheng , Tang Jing , Zhou Tong , Da Peimei , Li Jun , Kong Biao , Yang Zhongqin , Zheng Gengfeng
Published: July 2014

A facile, solution method for reversible tuning of oxygen vacancies inside TiO2 nanowires, in which the reducing treatment of TiO2 by NaBH4 leads to 2.4‐fold increase of photocurrent density, compared to pristine TiO2 nanowires, is reported. Subsequent oxidizing treatment using KMnO4 or annealing in air can reset the photocurrent density to the original values. The incident photo‐to‐current conversion efficiency measurement exhibits that the reduced TiO2 nanowires present both enhanced photoactivity in both UV and visible regions. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the oxygen vacancies in the reduced TiO2 cause defect states in the band structure and result in enhanced carrier density and conductivity. In addition, the enhanced solar energy‐driven photoelectrochemical conversion allows real‐time, sensitive chemical probing of living cells that are directly grown on the TiO2 nanowire photoanodes. As proofs‐of‐concept, after functionalized with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) on the surface, the reduced TiO2 NWs demonstrate sensitive, real‐time monitoring of the H2O2 levels in several distinctive living cell lines, with the lowest detectable H2O2 concentration of 7.7 nm. This reversible tuning of oxygen vacancies suggests a facile means for transition metal oxides, with enhanced photoconversion activity and electrochemical sensitivity.
Enzymatically Modified Fats Based on Mutton Tallow and Rapeseed Oil Suitable for Fatty Emulsions
Authors: Kowalska Małgorzata , Żbikowska Anna , Kowalski Bolesław
Published: July 2014

The aim of this work was to develop a new fat by enzymatic interesterification of mutton tallow with rapeseed oil. It was assumed that by inducing hydrolysis of fats by addition of water to the enzymatic preparation (8, 10, 15 wt%) natural emulsifiers would be produced in the reaction environment. Fat blends obtained from the enzymatic reactions were evaluated as a fat base for emulsion systems. It was found that the fat resulting from interesterification in the presence of Lipozyme RM IM (immobilized lipase from Rhizomucor miehei, Novozymes Bagsvaerd, Denmark) with 15 wt% of water possessed the highest content of polar fraction (MAG and DAG), and served as the most suitable blend for emulsification, producing emulsions that exhibited the highest stability.
Atypical Femoral Fractures: A Teaching Perspective
Authors: Khan Aliya A. , Leslie William D. , Lentle Brian , Iles Sian , Kaiser Stephanie M. , Frame Heather , Burrell Steven , Cheung Angela M.
Published: July 2014

This article provides an overview of atypical femoral fractures with a highlight on their radiographic findings. Potent antiresorptive agents such as bisphosphonates or denosumab have been associated with the development of such fractures. However, at this time, a causal association has not been conclusively established. Atypical femoral fractures are insufficiency fractures, which frequently present with bone pain. Early identification of characteristic radiographic features and withdrawal of antiresorptive therapy may prevent the development of completed atypical femoral fractures.
The FIGO Leadership in Obstetrics and Gynecology for Impact and Change (LOGIC) Initiative in Maternal and Newborn Health
Authors: Taylor David J. , Vander Plaetse Bart
Published: July 2014

The FIGO Leadership in Obstetrics and Gynecology for Impact and Change (LOGIC) Initiative in Maternal and Newborn Health developed the organizational capacity of national professional organizations of obstetrics and gynecology in eight African and Asian countries. The initiative was funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and had three key objectives. These goals were to support the eight FIGO member associations to strengthen their capacity to work effectively; to influence national policies on maternal and newborn health; and to work toward improving clinical practice in this area. The current supplement presents evidence that the focus and effectiveness of a national obstetric and gynecologic association—as well as its influence on major public health issues (such as United Nations Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5)—can be substantially broadened and enhanced by the provision of external support.
Reading the Unreadable: Kenneth Goldsmith, Conceptual Writing and the Art of Boredom
Authors: DUFFY NIKOLAI
Published: July 2014

This article explores conceptual writing and the linked concept of boredom in the work of Kenneth Goldsmith. Specifically, the article examines Goldsmith's claims about boredom and uncreativity; suggesting that Goldsmith's work furthers our understanding both of the materiality of language and of the “function of language,” situating Goldsmith's work within the context of a “gift economy,” and, most centrally, proposing Goldsmith's poetics as “durational” rather than “spatial.” The argument then develops this reading via an extended discussion of the role of boredom in Goldsmith's volume Day.
Use of the nine-step inflation/deflation test and resting middle-ear pressure range as predictors of middle-ear barotrauma in aircrew members
Authors: Hussein A , Abousetta A
Published: July 2014

Objective:

To explore the role of the nine-step inflation/deflation tympanometric test and resting middle-ear pressure range as predictors of barotrauma in aircrew members.

Methods:

A prospective, non-randomised study was conducted on 100 aircrew members. Resting middle-ear pressure was measured and the nine-step inflation/deflation test performed on all subjects before flights. Subjects were allocated to two groups according to resting middle-ear pressure range (group A, within the range of +26 to +100 and −26 to −100 mmH2O; group B, −25 to +25 mmH2O). All aircrew members were assessed after flights regarding the presence and the grade of barotrauma.

Results:

In both groups, the sensitivity and specificity values of the entire post-inflation/deflation test were close to those of the post-deflation part of the test. The post-deflation test had a higher negative predictive value than the post-inflation test. Ears with resting middle-ear pressure lower than −55 mmH2O experienced barotrauma, regardless of good or poor post-inflation or post-deflation test results.

Conclusion:

In an aircrew member, a resting middle-ear pressure within the range of −55 and +50 mmH2O, together with good post-deflation test results, are considered reliable predictors for fitness to fly.
Operation and Handling in Escort Tugboat Manoeuvres with the aid of Automatic Towing Winch Systems
Authors: Carral Couce Luis , Carral Couce Juan Carlos , Fraguela Formoso José Ángel
Published: July 2014

An escort tugboat comes to the aid of a vessel when that vessel is navigating in confined waters and at a speed that is usually higher than six knots. In the escort manoeuvre, two systems come into play. One is the propulsion and steering of the vessel. The other involves the tug winch in terms of the tension it exerts and the length of towline released. In this way, the tug winch becomes a key piece of equipment. Along with the difficulties of carrying out the manoeuvre itself are the risks resulting from the operation of the winch. For this reason, automatic manoeuvring systems have been developed to facilitate this operation. They consist of information technology applications that help the skipper with manoeuvring the tug. At the same time, they make it possible to display and monitor the most important parameters of the towing winch. This study will describe a control system for the towline so that it can help carry out the towing manoeuvre with an escort tug. It indicates the control parameters for the manoeuvre, as well as the operational variables of the winch on which the system runs.
Tailoring the physicochemical properties of zeolite catalysts
Authors: Rimer J. D. , Kumar M. , Li R. , Lupulescu A. I. , Oleksiak M. D.
Published: July 2014

Here we summarize our recent findings in the area of zeolite synthesis, focusing on pathways to control crystallization in the absence of organics, tailoring crystal habit with growth modifiers, and pioneering techniques in zeolite surface science to elucidate the mechanisms of growth.
Study of Schottky contact in binary and ternary hybrid CdSe quantum dot solar cells
Authors: Ramar M. , Suman C. K. , Manimozhi R. , Ahamad R. , Srivastava R.
Published: July 2014

Hybrid binary and ternary organic solar cell devices were fabricated from P3HT–PCBM with CdSe quantum dot materials.
Au nanoparticles on ultrathin MoS2sheets for plasmonic organic solar cells
Authors: Yang Xi , Liu Wenqing , Xiong Min , Zhang Yingying , Liang Tao , Yang Jingting , Xu Mingsheng , Ye Jian , Chen Hongzheng
Published: July 2014

A novel hole transport layer (HTL) composed of ultrathin two-dimensional, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) sheets decorated with 20 nm gold nanoparticles (NPs) (MoS2@Au) was developed to make use of plasmonics for organic solar cells (OSCs).
NiS nanorod-assembled nanoflowers grown on graphene: morphology evolution and Li-ion storage applications
Authors: Geng Hua , Kong Shao Feng , Wang Yong
Published: July 2014

The morphology, size and phase of NiS nanoflowers are tuned in the preparation of the NiS–graphene composite, which shows large reversible capacities at both low and high current rates for rechargeable Li-ion batteries.
Optics design of the divertor infrared television of KSTAR
Authors: Oh S. , Lee K. , Lee H. H. , Wi H. M. , Kim Y. S. , Kang C. S.
Published: July 2014

The divertor Infrared television (IR TV) system for monitoring the temperature of a divertor and localized hot spots will be installed on the upper port of the N-port in the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR). The cassette of KSTAR makes a periscope inevitable for the divertor IR TV. In this article, 4 design concepts for the periscope were examined, and the design based on Keplerian was shown to have better stabilities in alignment and the vibration. The final optics design based on an f-theta lens, Keplerian, and telecentric lens was derived.
Form drag effect and Hopf bifurcation in Dupuit-Darcy thermal convection in a shallow well-packed porous enclosure
Authors: Rebhi Redha , Mamou Mahmoud , Alliche Mounir
Published: July 2014

In the present paper, numerical and analytical investigations were performed to assess the effect of the form drag force on Dupuit-Darcy convection in a shallow porous enclosure, subject to a vertical thermal gradient. The effect of the form drag on the threshold of Hopf bifurcation (characterizing the transition from steady to unsteady convection) was also investigated. The governing parameters were the Rayleigh number, RT, the porous layer aspect ratio, A, and the form drag coefficient ($1/P_r^*$1/Pr*), characterized by a modified Prandtl number, $P_r^*$Pr*. In the limit of a shallow enclosure, long wave convective flows were possible where a closed form analytical solution was derived, whereas numerical solutions of the full governing equations were obtained for an arbitrary aspect ratio enclosure. Both the numerical and analytical results were found to be in good agreement as long as the flow remains steady. As known, for a large Rayleigh number, the flow intensity and the Nusselt number were found to vary with RT as $\left| {\Psi _0 } \right| = \sqrt {5/12} R_T^{1/2}$Ψ0=5/12RT1/2 and Nu = 6, for a pure Darcy porous medium, respectively. For a pure Dupuit porous medium, where the Darcy flow is negligible, it was found that $\left| {\Psi _0 } \right| = \left( {2/27} \right)^{1/3} \left( {R_T P_r^* } \right)^{1/3}$Ψ0=2/271/3RTPr*1/3 and Nu = 5. In general, the form drag effect was found to have a significant influence on the flow intensity and the heat transfer rate. The threshold for the onset of stationary convection was unaffected. However, as RT is made very large, transition to unsteady convective flow occurred through a Hopf bifurcation. In infinite or finite aspect ratio enclosure, with single or multiple cells convective flows, the threshold for Hopf bifurcation, $R_{{\rm TC}}^{{\rm Hopf}},$R TC Hopf , was found to increase significantly as the form drag coefficient ($1/P_r^*$1/Pr*) increased. Far from the onset of stationary convection, multiple stable convective solutions were found to exist. In a square enclosure with two-cell convection, broken flow pattern symmetry was observed near and beyond the Hopf bifurcation threshold.
Thickness determination of few-layer hexagonal boron nitride films by scanning electron microscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy
Authors: Sutter P. , Sutter E.
Published: July 2014

We assess scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) for thickness measurements on few-layer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), the layered dielectric of choice for integration with graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Observations on h-BN islands with large, atomically flat terraces show that the secondary electron intensity in SEM reflects monolayer height changes in films up to least 10 atomic layers thickness. From a quantitative analysis of AES data, the energy-dependent electron escape depth in h-BN films is deduced. The results show that AES is suitable for absolute thickness measurements of few-layer h-BN of 1 to 6 layers.
Thermal imaging of plasma with a phased array antenna in QUEST
Authors: Mishra Kishore , Idei H. , Zushi H. , Nagata K. , Akimoto R. , Yamamoto M. K. , Hanada K. , Hasegawa M. , Nakamura K. , Fujisawa A. , Nagashima Y. , Banerjee S. , Onchi T. , Kuzmin A.
Published: July 2014

A thermal imaging system to measure plasma Electron Bernstein Emission (EBE) emanating from the mode conversion region in overdense plasma is discussed. Unlike conventional ECE/EBE imaging, this diagnostics does not employ any active mechanical scanning mirrors or focusing optics to scan for the emission cones in plasma. Instead, a standard 3 × 3 waveguide array antenna is used as a passive receiver to collect emission from plasma and imaging reconstruction is done by accurate measurements of phase and intensity of these signals by heterodyne detection technique. A broadband noise source simulating the EBE, is installed near the expected mode conversion region and its position is successfully reconstructed using phase array technique which is done in post processing.