bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Isolation‐induced vocalization in the infant rat depends on the nucleus accumbens
Authors: Muller Jeff M. , Shair Harry N.
Published: July 2016

Mammalian infants vocalize when socially isolated. Vocalization guides the return of the caregiver and thereby maintains an environment critical to the infant's survival. Although the role of the periaqueductal gray area (PAG) in these vocalizations is established, other aspects of the relevant neural circuitry remain under‐studied. Here we report that output from the nucleus accumbens (Acb) is necessary for isolation‐induced vocalizations of infant rats aged postnatal days (PND) 11–13. Local inhibition via infusion of the GABAA agonist muscimol (.8 μg/side) of the Acb, but not the dorsolateral striatum, blocked isolation‐induced vocalizations, independent of whether the isolation was at room temperature, followed a brief reunion with the dam, or occurred in a cool (10 °C) environment. These findings highlight a possible anatomical area mediating the mammalian infant response to social separation and, more generally, to the development of social attachment.
Prepare first‐year students for success in college
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: July 2016

Nancy Sydnor‐Greenberg, coordinator of the Learning Services Program in the Academic Support and Access Center at American University, discussed how the program helps first‐year students with language‐based learning disabilities succeed in college.
Sex and seasonal differences in hippocampal volume and neurogenesis in brood‐parasitic brown‐headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater)
Authors: Guigueno Mélanie F. , MacDougall‐Shackleton Scott A. , Sherry David F.
Published: July 2016

Brown‐headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) are one of few species in which females show more complex space use than males. Female cowbirds search for, revisit, and parasitize host nests and, in a previous study, outperformed males on an open field spatial search task. Previous research reported a female‐biased sex difference in the volume of the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in spatial memory. Neurons produced by adult neurogenesis may be involved in the formation of new memories and replace older neurons that could cause interference in memory. We tested for sex and seasonal differences in hippocampal volume and neurogenesis of brood‐parasitic brown‐headed cowbirds and the closely related non‐brood‐parasitic red‐winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) to determine whether there were differences in the hippocampus that reflected space use in the wild. Females had a larger hippocampus than males in both species, but hippocampal neurogenesis, measured by doublecortin immunoreactivity (DCX+), was greater in female than in male cowbirds in the absence of any sex difference in blackbirds, supporting the hypothesis of hippocampal specialization in female cowbirds. Cowbirds of both sexes had a larger hippocampus with greater hippocampal DCX+ than blackbirds. Hippocampus volume remained stable between breeding conditions, but DCX+ was greater post‐breeding, indicating that old memories may be lost through hippocampal reorganization following breeding. Our results support, in part, the hypothesis that the hippocampus of cowbirds is specialized for brood parasitism. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 1275–1290, 2016
A short synthesis of siloxane phosphocholines
Authors: Frampton Mark B. , Zelisko Paul M.
Published: July 2016

Herein, we report our first generation synthesis of two new silicon‐containing phosphocholines (SiPCs) in which the fatty acid chains are terminated by trisiloxane units. We have been exploring the limits to which immobilized lipases can be used in the field of organosilicon chemistry, and the cornerstone of this work is a chemoenzymatic approach to synthesizing SiPCs that are structurally analogous to naturally occurring species such as 1‐palmitoyl‐2‐oleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine (POPC).

Practical applications: This research focuses on the chemoenzymatic synthesis of siloxane‐containing phospholipid systems. These compounds have different surface properties than the comparable biologically relevant phospholipids opening the doors for the potential application of these siloxane‐containing species as encapsulation/delivery vehicles and as a means of modifying surfaces.

Surface pressure‐molecular area isotherms for siloxane‐phospholipids.
Lewis Acidities of Indol‐3‐ylmethylium Ions and Intrinsic Barriers of Their Reactions with Phosphines and Pyridines
Authors: Follet Elsa , Mayer Peter , Mayr Herbert
Published: July 2016

Rate and equilibrium constants for the reactions of indol‐3‐ylmethylium ions with triarylphosphines and pyridines were measured spectrophotometrically. The resulting Lewis acid‐base adducts were characterized by NMR and X‐ray crystallography. All rate constants, except those for the reactions of sterically hindered bis(indol‐3‐yl)methylium ion 1j with phosphines, agreed within a factor of 4 with those calculated by the correlation log k20 °C = sN(N + E) from previously reported electrophilicity parameters E for indol‐3‐ylmethylium ions and N and sN parameters for phosphines and pyridines. Lewis acidities (LA) of indol‐3‐ylmethylium ions were calculated from the correlation log K20 °C = LA + LB using the benzhydrylium‐based Lewis basicities (LB) of phosphines and pyridines and the equilibrium constants for the reactions of these Lewis bases with indol‐3‐ylmethylium ions. The agreement of LA values derived from equilibrium constants of their reactions with different types of Lewis bases shows that indol‐3‐ylmethylium ions have a steric demand similar to the p‐ and m‐substituted benzhydrylium ions. For some reactions of indol‐3‐ylmethylium ions with phosphines and pyridines, rate and equilibrium constants could be determined, which allowed us to calculate the Marcus intrinsic barriers and compare them with those for analogous reactions with the dicarbonyl(η5‐cyclopentadienyl)‐(η2‐ethene)iron cation.
One‐Step Ruthenium‐Catalysed Transformation of 1,7‐Enynes into Strained Bicyclic Amino Esters
Authors: Moulin Solenne , Roisnel Thierry , Dérien Sylvie
Published: July 2016

The reaction of 1,7‐enynes, synthesised from α‐amino acids, carried out with diazo compounds in the presence of the Cp*RuCl(cod) catalyst allowed the one‐step preparation of various strained bicyclic pipecolic acid derivatives in good yields under mild conditions. The stereoselectivity of the created double bond depends on the nature of the diazoalkane, and the diastereoselectivity arises essentially from steric factors.
A Facile and Cost‐effective Electroanalytical Strategy for the Quantification of Deoxyguanosine and Deoxyadenosine in Oligonucleotides Using Screen‐printed Graphite Electrodes
Authors: Brotons Ariadna , Sanjuán Ignacio , Foster Christopher W. , Banks Craig E. , Vidal‐Iglesias Francisco José , Solla‐Gullón José , Iniesta Jesús
Published: July 2016

The development of electroanalytical methods for the detection and quantification of nucleotides in DNA offers vital implications in assessing the degree of oxidation or epigenetic modification in DNA. Unfortunately, the electrochemical response of oligonucleotides is strongly influenced by the size, composition and nucleic base sequence. In this article, an optimized analytical procedure for the enzymatically breakdown of the oligonucleotides to their corresponding nucleotides for the evaluation of the electrochemical response through the use of square wave voltammetry (SWV) is presented. Enzymatic digestion of oligonucleotides has been optimized in terms of buffer composition, digestion time, strategy for stopping the enzymatic reaction and filtration requirement for enzyme removal, and then compared to an established protocol. Under the optimized protocol SWV response of a number of untreated and enzymatically digested six‐mer oligonucleotides, namely 5′‐GGGGGG‐3′, 5′‐AAAAAA‐3′, 5′‐CGCGCG‐3′ and 5′‐AAACGC‐3′ have been analysed, providing a higher sensitivity for the determination of guanosine and adenosine monophosphate species under digestion conditions with a more facile and cost effective procedure. The novel strategy for the enzymatically treated oligonucleotides in combination with the SWV response provides a proof of principle for feasible applications in the diagnosis of methylated guanosine in DNA as a potential biomarker due to its relation with cancer.
Comparison of empirical equations and artificial neural network results in terms of kinematic viscosity prediction of fuels based on hazelnut oil methyl ester
Authors: Eryilmaz Tanzer , Arslan Mevlut , Yesilyurt Murat Kadir , Taner Alper
Published: July 2016

This study investigates the prediction of kinematic viscosity values of hazelnut oil methyl ester (HOME) using empirical equations and artificial neural network (ANN) methods under varying temperature and blend ratio conditions with ultimate euro diesel (UED) fuel. Four different fuel blends (20, 40, 60, and 80% by volume mixing ratio) were studied along with UED fuel and pure biodiesel. Tests for kinematic viscosity were performed in the temperature range of 293.15–373.15 K at the intervals of 1 K for each fuel sample. Moreover, physicochemical properties of hazelnut crude oil (HCO), HOME and its blends, and also fatty acid composition of HCO and HOME were measured and discussed in light of ASTM and EN standards. Regression analyses were conducted using MATLAB software to determine the coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and correlation constants. The best R2 and RMSE values were obtained by Eq. 6 as 0.9999 and 0.0068, respectively. In the analyses conducted using ANN, R2, and RMSE were obtained as 0.999986 and 0.00149 respectively based on the overall HOME–UED fuel blends. Although R2 values obtained by these two methods were close to each other, RMSE obtained using ANN was smaller than that of the one obtained by Eq. 6. In conclusion, the ANN method captures the best accuracy for the prediction of biodiesel kinematic viscosity with the highest R2 of 0.999986 and the lowest RMSE of 0.00149, which is within ±1% error range of the experimental data. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 1827–1841, 2016
Genomic studies of multiple myeloma reveal an association between X chromosome alterations and genomic profile complexity
Authors: Sticca Tiberio , Caberg Jean‐Hubert , Wenric Stephane , Poulet Christophe , Herens Christian , Jamar Mauricette , Josse Claire , El Guendi Sonia , Max Stéphanie , Beguin Yves , Gothot André , Caers Jo , Bours Vincent
Published: July 2016

The genomic profile of multiple myeloma (MM) has prognostic value by dividing patients into a good prognosis hyperdiploid group and a bad prognosis nonhyperdiploid group with a higher incidence of IGH translocations. This classification, however, is inadequate and many other parameters like mutations, epigenetic modifications, and genomic heterogeneity may influence the prognosis. We performed a genomic study by array‐based comparative genomic hybridization on a cohort of 162 patients to evaluate the frequency of genomic gains and losses. We identified a high frequency of X chromosome alterations leading to partial Xq duplication, often associated with inactive X (Xi) deletion in female patients. This partial X duplication could be a cytogenetic marker of aneuploidy as it is correlated with a high number of chromosomal breakages. Patient with high level of chromosomal breakage had reduced survival regardless the region implicated. A higher transcriptional level was shown for genes with potential implication in cancer and located in this altered region. Among these genes, IKBKG and IRAK1 are members of the NFKB pathway which plays an important role in MM and is a target for specific treatments. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A simplified approach for efficient isolation of functional microglial cells: Application for modeling neuroinflammatory responses in vitro
Authors: Sepulveda‐Diaz Julia E. , Ouidja Mohand O. , Socias Sergio B. , Hamadat Sabah , Guerreiro Serge , Raisman‐Vozari Rita , Michel Patrick P.
Published: July 2016

Purified microglial cells in culture are frequently used to model brain inflammatory responses but obtaining large yields of these cells on a routine basis can be quite challenging. Here, we demonstrate that it is possible to achieve high‐yield isolation of pure microglial (MAC‐1+/Fcrls+/Ccr2‐) cells from postnatal brain tissue through a simple culture procedure that mainly relies on the adhesion preference of these cells to the polycation polyethyleneimine (PEI) in serum‐supplemented DMEM medium. Accordingly, other synthetic or biological substrates failed to mimic PEI effects under the same culture conditions. Replacement of DMEM by DMEM/F12 nutrient mixture did not permit microglial cell isolation on PEI coating, indicating that PEI effects were context‐dependent. Remarkably, the lack of culture feeding during progression of microglial cell isolation strongly improved cell yield, suggesting that nutritional deprivation was required to optimize this process. When generated in large culture flasks coated with PEI, cultures of microglial cells were easily recovered by trypsin proteolysis to produce subcultures for functional studies. These cultures responded to lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1–10 ng/ml) treatment by secreting pro‐inflammatory cytokines such as TNF‐α, IL‐6, IL‐1β and by generating nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species. Most interestingly, this response was curtailed by appropriate reference drugs. Microglial cells were also strongly responsive to the mitogenic cytokine GM‐CSF, which confirms that the functional repertoire of these cells was well preserved. Because of its high yield and simplicity, we believe that the present method will prove to be especially convenient for mechanistic studies or screening assays. GLIA 2016;64:1912–1924
The imaginative mind
Authors: Abraham Anna
Published: July 2016

The astounding capacity for the human imagination to be engaged across a wide range of contexts is limitless and fundamental to our day‐to‐day experiences. Although processes of imagination are central to human psychological function, they rarely occupy center stage in academic discourse or empirical study within psychological and neuroscientific realms. The aim of this paper is to tackle this imbalance by drawing together the multitudinous facets of imagination within a common framework. The processes fall into one of five categories depending on whether they are characterized as involving perceptual/motor related mental imagery, intentionality or recollective processing, novel combinatorial or generative processing, exceptional phenomenology in the aesthetic response, or altered psychological states which range from commonplace to dysfunctional. These proposed categories are defined on the basis of theoretical ideas from philosophy as well as empirical evidence from neuroscience. By synthesizing the findings across these domains of imagination, this novel five‐part or quinquepartite classification of the human imagination aids in systematizing, and thereby abets, our understanding of the workings and neural foundations of the human imagination. It would serve as a blueprint to direct further advances in the field of imagination while also promoting crosstalk with reference to stimulus‐oriented facets of information processing. A biologically and ecologically valid psychology is one that seeks to explain fundamental aspects of human nature. Given the ubiquitous nature of the imaginative operations in our daily lives, there can be little doubt that these quintessential aspects of the mind should be central to the discussion. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4197–4211, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Making use of longitudinal information in pattern recognition
Authors: Aksman Leon M. , Lythgoe David J. , Williams Steven C.R. , Jokisch Martha , Mönninghoff Christoph , Streffer Johannes , Jöckel Karl‐Heinz , Weimar Christian , Marquand Andre F.
Published: July 2016

Longitudinal designs are widely used in medical studies as a means of observing within‐subject changes over time in groups of subjects, thereby aiming to improve sensitivity for detecting disease effects. Paralleling an increased use of such studies in neuroimaging has been the adoption of pattern recognition algorithms for making individualized predictions of disease. However, at present few pattern recognition methods exist to make full use of neuroimaging data that have been collected longitudinally, with most methods relying instead on cross‐sectional style analysis. This article presents a principal component analysis‐based feature construction method that uses longitudinal high‐dimensional data to improve predictive performance of pattern recognition algorithms. The method can be applied to data from a wide range of longitudinal study designs and permits an arbitrary number of time‐points per subject. We apply the method to two longitudinal datasets, one containing subjects with mild cognitive impairment along with healthy controls, the other with early dementia subjects and healthy controls. Across both datasets, we show improvements in predictive accuracy relative to cross‐sectional classifiers for discriminating disease subjects from healthy controls on the basis of whole‐brain structural magnetic resonance image‐based voxels. In addition, we can transfer longitudinal information from one set of subjects to make disease predictions in another set of subjects. The proposed method is simple and, as a feature construction method, flexible with respect to the choice of classifier and image registration algorithm. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4385–4404, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Calorie Labeling in Chain Restaurants and Body Weight: Evidence from New York
Authors: Restrepo Brandon J.
Published: July 2016

This study analyzes the impact of local mandatory calorie labeling laws implemented by New York jurisdictions on body weight. The analysis indicates that on average the point‐of‐purchase provision of calorie information on chain restaurant menus reduced body mass index (BMI) by 1.5% and lowered the risk of obesity by 12%. Quantile regression results indicate that calorie labeling has similar impacts across the BMI distribution. An analysis of heterogeneity suggests that calorie labeling has a larger impact on the body weight of lower income individuals, especially lower income minorities. The estimated impacts of calorie labeling on physical activity, smoking, and the consumption of alcoholic beverages, fruits, and vegetables are small in magnitude, which suggests that other margins of adjustment drive the body‐weight impacts estimated here. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ENABLING AGILE SECURITY WITH MBSE AND UPDM
Authors: Papke Barry
Published: July 2016

The agile, evolving threat environment and the increasing cost of damage being inflicted is placing tremendous pressure on the systems engineering discipline to design and implement effective security capabilities. One promising approach is the application of agile systems architecture to the design of system security. In order to be successful, however, systems engineers and security engineers will need to adopt a common design language and a common reference architecture that supports the definition and design of a system that has both resilience and continuous evolution of security capability. This paper presents an approach to overcome these obstacles through application of model‐based systems engineering and use of enterprise architecture frameworks to address specific elements of an agile systems architecture which resides in both the design time and operating time domains.
Asymmetric Hydroformylation of 4‐Vinyl‐1,3‐dioxolan‐2‐one
Authors: Pongrácz Péter , Kollár László
Published: July 2016

A chiral cyclic carbonate, 4‐vinyl‐1,3‐dioxolan‐2‐one was used as racemic substrate in asymmetric hydroformylation. The catalysts were formed in situ from “pre‐formed” PtCl2(diphosphine) and tin(II) chloride. (2S,4S)‐2,4‐Bis(diphenylphosphinopentane ((S,S)‐BDPP)), (S,S)‐2,3‐O‐izopropylidine‐2,3‐dihydroxy‐1,4‐bis(diphenylphosphino)butane ((S,S)‐DIOP)), and (R)‐2,2′‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl ((R)‐BINAP)) were used as optically active diphosphine ligands. The platinum‐containing catalytic systems provided surprisingly high activity. The hydroformylation selectivities of up to 97% were accompanied by perfect regioselectivity towards the dioxolane‐based linear aldehyde. The enantiomeric composition of all components in the reaction mixture was determined and followed throughout the reaction. The unreacted 4‐vinyl‐1,3‐dioxolan‐2‐one was recovered in optically active form. The kinetic resolution was rationalized using the enantiomeric composition of the substrate and the products.
Microstructural and microglial changes after repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in mice
Authors: Robinson Shenandoah , Berglass Jacqueline B. , Denson Jesse L. , Berkner Justin , Anstine Christopher V. , Winer Jesse L. , Maxwell Jessie R. , Qiu Jianhua , Yang Yirong , Sillerud Laurel O. , Meehan William P. , Mannix Rebekah , Jantzie Lauren L.
Published: July 2016

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health issue, with recently increased awareness of the potential long‐term sequelae of repetitive injury. Although TBI is common, objective diagnostic tools with sound neurobiological predictors of outcome are lacking. Indeed, such tools could help to identify those at risk for more severe outcomes after repetitive injury and improve understanding of biological underpinnings to provide important mechanistic insights. We tested the hypothesis that acute and subacute pathological injury, including the microgliosis that results from repeated mild closed head injury (rmCHI), is reflected in susceptibility‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion‐tensor imaging microstructural abnormalities. Using a combination of high‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging, stereology, and quantitative PCR, we studied the pathophysiology of male mice that sustained seven consecutive mild traumatic brain injuries over 9 days in acute (24 hr) and subacute (1 week) time periods. rmCHI induced focal cortical microhemorrhages and impaired axial diffusivity at 1 week postinjury. These microstructural abnormalities were associated with a significant increase in microglia. Notably, microgliosis was accompanied by a change in inflammatory microenvironment defined by robust spatiotemporal alterations in tumor necrosis factor‐α receptor mRNA. Together these data contribute novel insight into the fundamental biological processes associated with repeated mild brain injury concomitant with subacute imaging abnormalities in a clinically relevant animal model of repeated mild TBI. These findings suggest new diagnostic techniques that can be used as biomarkers to guide the use of future protective or reparative interventions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ultra‐high performance supercritical fluid chromatography of lignin‐derived phenols from alkaline cupric oxide oxidation
Authors: Sun Mingzhe , Lidén Gunnar , Sandahl Margareta , Turner Charlotta
Published: July 2016

Traditional chromatographic methods for the analysis of lignin‐derived phenolic compounds in environmental samples are generally time consuming. In this work, an ultra‐high performance supercritical fluid chromatography method with a diode array detector for the analysis of major lignin‐derived phenolic compounds produced by alkaline cupric oxide oxidation was developed. In an analysis of a collection of 11 representative monomeric lignin phenolic compounds, all compounds were clearly separated within 6 min with excellent peak shapes, with a limit of detection of 0.5–2.5 μM, a limit of quantification of 2.5–5.0 μM, and a dynamic range of 5.0–2.0 mM (R2 > 0.997). The new ultra‐high performance supercritical fluid chromatography method was also applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of lignin‐derived phenolic compounds obtained upon alkaline cupric oxide oxidation of a commercial humic acid. Ten out of the previous eleven model compounds could be quantified in the oxidized humic acid sample. The high separation power and short analysis time obtained demonstrate for the first time that supercritical fluid chromatography is a fast and reliable technique for the analysis of lignin‐derived phenols in complex environmental samples.
Sparse‐SEMAC: rapid and improved SEMAC metal implant imaging using SPARSE‐SENSE acceleration
Authors: Otazo Ricardo , Nittka Mathias , Bruno Mary , Raithel Esther , Geppert Christian , Gyftopoulos Soterios , Recht Michael , Rybak Leon
Published: July 2016

Purpose

To develop an accelerated SEMAC metal implant MRI technique (Sparse‐SEMAC) with reduced scan time and improved metal distortion correction.

Methods

Sparse‐SEMAC jointly exploits the inherent sparsity along the additional phase‐encoding dimension and multicoil encoding capabilities to significantly accelerate data acquisition. A prototype pulse sequence with pseudorandom ky‐kz undersampling and an inline image reconstruction was developed for integration in clinical studies. Three patients with hip implants were imaged using the proposed Sparse‐SEMAC with eight‐fold acceleration and compared with the standard‐SEMAC technique used in clinical studies (three‐fold GRAPPA acceleration). Measurements were performed with SEMAC‐encoding steps (SES) = 15 for Sparse‐SEMAC and SES = 9 for Standard‐SEMAC using high spatial resolution Proton Density (PD) and lower‐resolution STIR acquisitions. Two expert musculoskeletal (MSK) radiologists performed a consensus reading to score image‐quality parameters.

Results

Sparse‐SEMAC enables up to eight‐fold acceleration of data acquisition that results in two‐fold scan time reductions, compared with Standard‐SEMAC, with improved metal artifact correction for patients with hip implants without degrading spatial resolution.

Conclusion

The high acceleration enabled by Sparse‐SEMAC would enable clinically feasible examination times with improved correction of metal distortion. Magn Reson Med 78:79–87, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
A rapid inversion technique for the measurement of longitudinal relaxation times of brain metabolites: application to lactate in high‐grade gliomas at 3 T
Authors: Landheer Karl , Sahgal Arjun , Myrehaug Sten , Chen Albert P. , Cunningham Charles H. , Graham Simon J.
Published: July 2016

The aim of this study was to develop a time‐efficient inversion technique to measure the T1 relaxation time of the methyl group of lactate (Lac) in the presence of contaminating lipids and to measure T1 at 3 T in a cohort of primary high‐grade gliomas. Three numerically optimized inversion times (TIs) were chosen to minimize the expected error in T1 estimates for a given input total scan duration (set to be 30 min). A two‐cycle spectral editing scheme was used to suppress contaminating lipids. The T1 values were then estimated from least‐squares fitting of signal measurements versus TI. Lac T1 was estimated as 2000 ± 280 ms. After correcting for T1 (and T2 from literature values), the mean absolute Lac concentration was estimated as 4.3 ± 2.6 mm. The technique developed agrees with the results obtained by standard inversion recovery and can be used to provide rapid T1 estimates of other spectral components as required. Lac T1 exhibits similar variations to other major metabolites observable by MRS in high‐grade gliomas. The T1 estimate provided here will be useful for future MRS studies wishing to report relaxation‐corrected estimates of Lac concentration as an objective tumor biomarker. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
P/CAF mediates PAX3–FOXO1‐dependent oncogenesis in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
Authors: Bharathy Narendra , Suriyamurthy Sudha , Rao Vinay Kumar , Ow Jin Rong , Lim Huey Jin , Chakraborty Payal , Vasudevan Madavan , Dhamne Chetan Anil , Chang Kenneth Tou En , Min Victor Lee Kwan , Kundu Tapas K , Taneja Reshma
Published: July 2016

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) is an aggressive paediatric cancer of skeletal muscle with poor prognosis. A PAX3–FOXO1 fusion protein acts as a driver of malignancy in ARMS by disrupting tightly coupled but mutually exclusive pathways of proliferation and differentiation. While PAX3–FOXO1 is an attractive therapeutic target, no current treatments are designed to block its oncogenic activity. The present work shows that the histone acetyltransferase P/CAF (KAT2B) is overexpressed in primary tumours from ARMS patients. Interestingly, in fusion‐positive ARMS cell lines, P/CAF acetylates and stabilizes PAX3–FOXO1 rather than MyoD, a master regulator of muscle differentiation. Silencing P/CAF, or pharmacological inhibition of its acetyltransferase activity, down‐regulates PAX3–FOXO1 levels concomitant with reduced proliferation and tumour burden in xenograft mouse models. Our studies identify a P/CAF–PAX3–FOXO1 signalling node that promotes oncogenesis and may contribute to MyoD dysfunction in ARMS. This work exemplifies the therapeutic potential of targeting chromatin‐modifying enzymes to inhibit fusion oncoproteins that are a frequent event in sarcomas. Copyright © 2016 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SiOyNx/SiNx stack: a promising surface passivation layer for high‐efficiency and potential‐induced degradation resistant mc‐silicon solar cells
Authors: Zhou Chunlan , Zhu Junjie , Zhou Su , Tang Yehua , Foss Sean E. , Haug Halvard , Nordseth Ørnulf , Marstein Erik S. , Wang Wenjing
Published: July 2016

A thin SiOyNx film was inserted below a conventional SiNx antireflection coating used in c‐Si solar cells in order to improve the surface passivation and the solar cell's resistance to potential‐induced degradation (PID). The effect of varying the flow ratio of the N2O and SiH4 precursors and the deposition temperature for the SiOyNx thin film upon material properties were systematically investigated. An excellent surface passivation was obtained on FZ p‐type polished silicon wafers, with the best results obtained with a SiOyNx film deposited at a very low temperature of 130 °C and with an optical refractive index of 1.8. In the SiOyNx/SiNx stack structure, a SiOyNx film with ~6 nm thickness is sufficient to provide excellent surface passivation with an effective surface recombination velocity Seff < 2 cm/s. Furthermore, we applied the optimized SiOyNx/SiNx stack on multicrystalline Si solar cells as a surface passivation and antireflection coating, resulting in a 0.5% absolute average conversion efficiency gain compared with that of reference cells with conventional SiNx coating. Moreover, the cells with the SiOyNx/SiNx stack layers show a significant increase in their resistance to PID. Nearly zero degradation in shunt resistance was obtained after 24 h in a PID test, while a single SiNx‐coated silicon solar cell showed almost 50% degradation after 24 h. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Universal power law behavior of the AC conductivity versus frequency of agglomerate morphologies in conductive carbon nanotube‐reinforced epoxy networks
Authors: Greenhoe Brian M. , Hassan Mohammad K. , Wiggins Jeffrey S. , Mauritz Kenneth A.
Published: July 2016

The Jonscher universal power law for ac conductivity versus frequency (f = ω/2π) in the dispersion region was tested for a multiwall carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposite. The effect of changes in agglomerate morphology on the fitting parameters A and n in the equation σac = Aωn was investigated. Changing nanotube agglomerate morphology was tracked by optical microscopy through curing. Evolving morphology was compared alongside ac conductivity obtained via a broadband dielectric spectrometer to elucidate possible physical meaning of the universal power law in the context of this system. The −logA/n was unaffected by changes in agglomerate morphology affected during cure, yet connected with each other in their dependence on temperature. For this system, the relationship between the fitting parameters in the universal dynamic response equation remains empirical at this stage with regard to biphasic “texture” or morphology within such a network. Electrical conductivity σ versus frequency ω for a composite consisting of agglomerated multiwalled carbon nanotubes dispersed throughout a cured epoxy matrix was discovered to follow the empirical universal dynamic response equation of Jonscher. The frequency behavior of the exponent n is discussed in terms of underlying morphology throughout which charge carriers migrate. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 1918–1923
F‐theory and unpaired tensors in 6D SCFTs and LSTs
Authors: Morrison David R. , Rudelius Tom
Published: July 2016

We investigate global symmetries for 6D SCFTs and LSTs having a single “unpaired” tensor, that is, a tensor with no associated gauge symmetry. We verify that for every such theory built from F‐theory whose tensor has Dirac self‐pairing equal to −1, the global symmetry algebra is a subalgebra of . This result is new if the F‐theory presentation of the theory involves a one‐parameter family of nodal or cuspidal rational curves (i.e., Kodaira types I1 or II) rather than elliptic curves (Kodaira type I0). For such theories, this condition on the global symmetry algebra appears to fully capture the constraints on coupling these theories to others in the context of multi‐tensor theories. We also study the analogous problem for theories whose tensor has Dirac self‐pairing equal to −2 and find that the global symmetry algebra is a subalgebra of . However, in this case there are additional constraints on F‐theory constructions for coupling these theories to others.
A Generalized Wiener Process Degradation Model with Two Transformed Time Scales
Authors: Wang Zhihua , Li Junxing , Ma Xiaobing , Zhang Yongbo , Fu Huimin , Krishnaswamy Sridhar
Published: July 2016

Degradation analysis is very useful in reliability assessment for complex systems and highly reliable products, because few or even no failures are expected in a reasonable life test span for them. In order to further our study on degradation analysis, a novel Wiener process degradation model subject to measurement errors is proposed. Two transformed time scales are involved to depict the statistical property evolution over time. A situation where one transformed time scale illustrates a linear form for the degradation trend and the other transformed time scale shows a generalized quadratic form for the degradation variance is discussed particularly. A one‐stage maximum likelihood estimation of parameters is constructed. The statistical inferences of this model are further discussed. The proposed method is illustrated and verified in a comprehensive simulation study and two real applications for indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive film and light emitting diode (LED). The Wiener process model with mixed effects is considered as a reference. Comparisons show that the proposed method is more general and flexible, and can provide reasonable results, even in considerably small sample size circumstance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CUSUM and EWMA Control Charts for Negative Binomial Distribution
Authors: Urbieta Pablo , Lee HO Linda , Alencar Airlane
Published: July 2016

In public health surveillance, control charts based on the daily number of hospitalizations may be monitored to detect outbreaks and/or to plan the offer of health assistance. A generalized linear model with negative binomial distribution is proposed to the number of hospitalizations, and it depends on the exposed population and covariates, as the day of week and sines and cosines to describe the seasonality. The objective of this study is to compare (in terms of ARL1) the exponentially weighted moving average and the cumulative sum control charts for monitoring daily counts based on simulations of the daily number of hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases for people over 65 years old in São Paulo city (Brazil). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Understand risks of using behavior contracts as misconduct sanctions
Authors: Masinter Michael R.
Published: July 2016

Dealing with disability‐related disruptive conduct is one of the harder problems schools face.
Follow 10 steps to conduct an effective campus climate survey
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: July 2016

The reasons for conducting a campus climate survey have become more convincing than ever. And it's not just the pressure from student activists and the media. Many student affairs departments lack objective data needed to shape effective campus response and programming to address sexual assault, dating violence, and gender‐based stalking.
Review tips for helping search committees create positive perceptions during Skype interviews
Authors: Fatzinger Jim B.
Published: July 2016

At a time when phone interviews are being replaced with face‐to‐face Skype interviews, search committees could benefit from practical guidance to help them make the most of this relatively new tool in their hiring process.
Innovative strategies prove effective for managing personnel, budget, enrollment challenges
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: July 2016

A 35‐year career in student affairs has presented Richard Walker, Ed.D., with plenty of challenges, which he's turned into opportunities for developing creative solutions. Named one of NASPA's Pillars of the Profession for the Class of 2016, Walker is vice chancellor/vice president for student affairs and enrollment services at the University of Houston. He shared innovative strategies for some of his biggest challenges.
Testimonial Injustice Without Credibility Deficit (or Excess)
Authors: Luzzi Federico ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: July 2016

Miranda Fricker has influentially discussed testimonial injustice: the injustice done to a speaker S by a hearer H when H gives S less-than-merited credibility. Here, I explore the prospects for a novel form of testimonial injustice, where H affords S due credibility, that is, the amount of credibility S deserves. I present two kinds of cases intended to illustrate this category, and argue that there is presumptive reason to think that testimonial injustice with due credibility exists. I show that if it is denied that ultimately these cases exemplify testimonial injustice without credibility deficit, then either they must be taken to exemplify a novel kind of epistemic, non-testimonial injustice, or they bring to light a significant exegetical result.
Ca2Mg5GeN6 – A Layered Nitridomagnesogermanate
Authors: Poesl Christine , Schnick Wolfgang
Published: July 2016

The nitridomagnesogermanate Ca2Mg5GeN6 was synthesized at 780 °C using a sodium flux in sealed tantalum ampules. Pure metals were used as starting materials and sodium azide NaN3 was added as nitrogen source. Ca2Mg5GeN6 was obtained as a byproduct in the form of colorless platelet‐like crystals. Solution and refinement of the crystal structure [space group P63/mmc (no. 194), Z = 1, a = 3.453(2), c = 17.506(13) Å and V = 180.8(2) Å3] were performed on the basis of single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction data. Ca2Mg5GeN6 represents the first layered nitridogermanate. Its structure is made up of corner‐sharing (Mg/Ge)N4 tetrahedra and corner‐sharing trigonal planar (Mg/Ge)N3 units with mixed occupancy of Mg and Ge. Ca2+ ions are located in between the sheets. The crystal structure is closely related to that of the nitridomagnesoaluminate CaMg2AlN3 as well as to the carbides ScAl3C3 and UAl3C3.
Estimation of the water quality of a large urbanized river as defined by the European WFD: what is the optimal sampling frequency?
Authors: Vilmin Lauriane , Flipo Nicolas , Escoffier Nicolas , Groleau Alexis
Published: July 2016

Assessment of the quality of freshwater bodies is essential to determine the impact of human activities on water resources. The water quality status is estimated by comparing indicators with standard thresholds. Indicators are usually statistical criteria that are calculated on discrete measurements of water quality variables. If the time step of the measured time series is not sufficient to fully capture the variable’s variability, the deduced indicator may not reflect the system’s functioning. The goal of the present work is to assess, through a hydro-biogeochemical modeling approach, the optimal sampling frequency for an accurate estimation of 6 water quality indicators defined by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) in a large human-impacted river, which receives large urban effluents (the Seine River across the Paris urban area). The optimal frequency depends on the sampling location and on the monitored variable. For fast varying compounds that originate from urban effluents, such as PO

$_{4}^{3-}$

4

3
−

, NH

$_{4}^{+}$

4

+

and NO

$_{2}^{-}$

2

−

, a sampling time step of one week or less is necessary. To be able to reflect the highly transient character of bloom events, chl a concentrations also require a short monitoring time step. On the contrary, for variables that exert high seasonal variability, as NO

$_{3}^{-}$

3

−

and O 2, monthly sampling can be sufficient for an accurate estimation of WFD indicators in locations far enough from major effluents. Integrative water quality variables, such as O 2, can be highly sensitive to hydrological conditions. It would therefore be relevant to assess the quality of water bodies at a seasonal scale rather than at annual or pluri-annual scales. This study points out the possibility to develop smarter monitoring systems by coupling both time adaptative automated monitoring networks and modeling tools used as spatio-temporal interpolators.
Open Wedge Distal Femoral Osteotomy: Accuracy of Correction and Patient Outcomes
Authors: Elattar Osama , Swarup Ishaan , Lam Aaron , Nguyen Joseph , Fragomen Austin , Rozbruch S. Robert
Published: July 2016

Background

There is a renewed interest in joint preservation surgery, and lateral opening wedge distal femoral osteotomy (DFO), a joint-preserving procedure, has been used to treat symptomatic genu valgum when the deformity originates in the distal femur.

Questions/Purposes

This study aimed to measure the accuracy of lateral opening wedge DFO in achieving deformity correction using radiographic parameters. In addition, the ability of lateral opening wedge DFO to improve patient outcomes as measured by Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) lower limb module (LLM) scores leading to successful joint preservation was assessed.

Methods

The clinical charts and radiographs of 28 consecutive patients that underwent 41 DFOs (15 unilateral and 13 staged bilateral) using a locking plate construct were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age of patients undergoing DFO was 44 years (range 22–72), and 22 of the patients were female. The mean follow-up was 26 months (range 12–57 months). Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were evaluated for mechanical axis deviation (MAD), lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), and the patella congruence angle (PCA). These measurements were compared to determine the accuracy of deformity correction. Clinical outcomes were assessed with preoperative and postoperative SF-36 and AAOS LLM, as well as Oxford knee scores at follow-up.

Results

The accuracy of deformity correction was 95%. The MAD significantly improved from 25.3 mm lateral to the midline to 8 mm medial to the midline ( p < 0.01). The LDFA significantly improved from 83.4° to 91.7° ( p < 0.01). The PCA significantly improved from 30.4° lateral to 5.7° lateral ( p = 0.02). Mean SF-36 scores significantly improved from 37.5 to 50.2 ( p = 0.01); mean LLM scores improved from 71.6 to 85.9 ( p = 0.021), and the mean postoperative Oxford knee score was 35 ± 6.2 (range 23–46). No patients required total knee arthroplasty at the time of final follow-up.

Conclusion

Opening wedge lateral DFO is a reliable procedure for the treatment of valgus knee malalignment with or without arthritic changes in the lateral compartment. Deformity correction is accurate, and patient outcomes reveal significant improvement after surgery. Longer follow-up is required to access the survivorship of this procedure.
Bone Marrow-Derived Progenitor Cells Are Functionally Impaired in Ischemic Heart Disease
Authors: Nollet Evelien , Hoymans Vicky Y. , Rodrigus Inez R. , De Bock Dina , Dom Marc , Vanassche Bruno , Van Hoof Viviane O. M. , Cools Nathalie , Van Ackeren Katrijn , Wouters Kristien , Vermeulen Katrien , Vrints Christiaan J. , Van Craenenbroeck Emeline M.
Published: July 2016

To determine whether the presence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) per se, or rather the co-presence of heart failure (HF), is the primum movens for less effective stem cell products in autologous stem cell therapy, we assessed numbers and function of bone marrow (BM)-derived progenitor cells in patients with coronary artery disease (n = 17), HF due to ischemic cardiomyopathy (n = 8), non-ischemic HF (n = 7), and control subjects (n = 11). Myeloid and erythroid differentiation capacity of BM-derived mononuclear cells was impaired in patients with underlying IHD but not with non-ischemic HF. Migration capacity decreased with increasing IHD severity. Hence, IHD, with or without associated cardiomyopathy, is an important determinant of progenitor cell function. No depletion of hematopoietic and endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) within the BM was observed, while circulating EPC numbers were increased in the presence of IHD, suggesting active recruitment. The observed myelosuppression was not driven by inflammation and thus other mechanisms are at play.
Recognition of Normal Fetal Cardiac Structures
Authors: Uzun Orhan , Balcı Burçin Karamustafaoğlu , Goynumer Gokhan
Published: July 2016

Fetal heart examination requires in depth knowledge of fetal cardiac physiology and fetal cardiac anatomy. Therefore, the cardiac sonographer must possess considerable skills to acquire optimum images on cardiac anatomy on predefined standard views. An appropriate interpretation of acquired fetal cardiac images is also a basic requirement that is expected from a cardiac sonographer. Any cardiac ultrasound operator who performs the fetal heart scan is expected to recognize normal cardiac structures, to assess myocardial function and heart rhythm but also should be able to pick up any deviation from well-defined normality.
New method to compute the missed approach fuel consumption and its emissions – CORRIGENDUM
Authors: Murrieta-Mendoza A. , Botez R. Mihaela
Published: July 2016

Steven Ford was omitted from the list of authors in the article by Murrieta-Mendoza(1). The correct authorship is:

A. Murrieta-Mendoza, R. Mihaela Botez and S. Ford

The article has now been updated with the correct authorship; this change has been made to the online version only.
Probability unfolding, 1965‒2015
Authors: Bingham N. H.
Published: July 2016

We give a personal (and we hope, not too idiosyncratic) view of how our subject of probability theory has developed during the last half-century, and the author in tandem with it.
Sur les processus arithmétiques liés aux diviseurs
Authors: de la Bretèche R. , Tenenbaum G.
Published: July 2016

For natural integer n, let Dn denote the random variable taking the values log d for d dividing n with uniform probability 1/τ(n). Then t↦ℙ(Dn≤nt) (0≤t≤1) is an arithmetic process with respect to the uniform probability over the first N integers. It is known from previous works that this process converges to a limit law and that the same holds for various extensions. We investigate the generalized moments of arbitrary orders for the limit laws. We also evaluate the mean value of the two-dimensional distribution function ℙ(Dn≤nu, D{n/Dn}≤nv).