bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improving large class performance and engagement through student‐generated question banks
Authors: Hancock Dale , Hare Nicole , Denny Paul , Denyer Gareth 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDisciplines such as Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which involve concepts not included in the high‐school curriculum, are very challenging for many first year university students. These subjects are particularly difficult for students accustomed to surface learning strategies involving memorization and recall of facts, as a deeper understanding of the relationship between concepts is needed for successful transfer to related areas and subsequent study. In this article, we explore an activity in a very large first year Molecular Biology course, in which students create multiple‐choice questions related to targeted learning outcomes, and then answer and evaluate one another's questions. This activity encompasses elements of both self‐ and peer‐assessment and the generative tasks of creating questions and producing written feedback may contribute to a deeper understanding of the material. We make use of a free online platform to facilitate all aspects of the process and analyze the effect of student engagement with the task on overall course performance. When compared to previous semester's cohorts, we observe a pronounced improvement in class performance on exam questions targeting similar concepts to the student‐generated questions. In addition, those students that engage to a greater extent with the activity perform significantly better on the targeted exam questions than those who are less active, yet all students perform similarly on a set of isolated control questions appearing on the same exam. © 2018 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46:306–317, 2018.
Ultrasound prenatal diagnosis of typical megacystis, microcolon, intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome
Authors: Buinoiu Natalia , Panaitescu Anca , Demetrian Mihaela , Ionescu Sebastian , Peltecu Gheorghe , Veduta Alina 
Published: March 2018

Key Clinical MessageIn the presence of megacystis in the second half of pregnancy, with increased amniotic fluid, especially in a female fetus, the most likely diagnostic result is megacystis, microcolon, intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome, MMIHS. In these cases, the diagnosis of MMIHS should be strongly considered instead of lower urinary tract obstruction.
Complex visual hallucinatory experience in an elderly blind woman with glaucoma: revisiting Charles Bonnet syndrome
Authors: Nyundo Azan A. , Mwombeki Innocent R. 
Published: March 2018

Key Clinical MessageFor fear of being ridiculed, individuals with visual hallucinations hide their experiences and thus remain unrecognized and miss treatment. An elderly blind woman secondary to glaucoma experienced visual hallucinations accompanied by gross behavior disturbances. She improved with sodium valproate after haloperidol failed and remained relatively improved upon 3 months follow‐up.
Graves’ orbitopathy after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in a patient with Fanconi anemia – side effect of alemtuzumab therapy?
Authors: Cima Luminita Nicoleta , Lambrescu Ioana Maria , Stejereanu Lavinia , Colita Anca , Or Reuven , Fica Simona 
Published: March 2018

Key Clinical MessageA few cases of thyroid eye disease following alemtuzumab therapy have been described in patients with multiple sclerosis. Our patient is the first case of Graves’ orbitopathy after alemtuzumab conditioning for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Triphasic Nature of Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity Induces Storage and Catalysis Effects in Hydrogen and Oxygen Reactivity at Electrode Surfaces
Authors: Madrid Elena , Lowe John P. , Msayib Kadhum J. , McKeown Neil B. , Song Qilei , Attard Gary A. , Düren Tina , Marken Frank 
Published: March 2018

AbstractHydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction are two crucial energy conversion reactions, which are shown to be both strongly affected by the presence of intrinsically microporous polymer coatings on electrodes. Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) are known to possess extremely high internal surface area and ability to bind gases under dry conditions. It is shown here that both, hydrogen‐ and oxygen gas binding into PIMs, also occurs under wet or “triphasic” conditions in aqueous electrolyte environments (when immersed in 0.01 M phosphate buffer at pH 7). For two known PIM materials (PIM‐1 and PIM‐PY), nanoparticles are formed by an anti‐solvent precipitation protocol and then cast as a film onto platinum or glassy carbon electrodes. Voltammetry experiments reveal evidence for hydrogen and oxygen binding. Both, PIM‐1 and PIM‐PY, locally store hydrogen or oxygen gas at the electrode surface and thereby significantly affect electrocatalytic reactivity. The onset of oxygen reduction on glassy carbon is shifted by 0.15 V in the positive direction.
2‐(Hydroxyimino)aldehydes: Photo‐ and Physicochemical Properties of a Versatile Functional Group for Monomer Design
Authors: Gentili Patrizia , Nardi Martina , Antignano Irene , Cambise Paolo , D'Abramo Marco , D'Acunzo Francesca , Pinna Alessandro , Ussia Emanuele 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn the context of our research on stimuli‐responsive polymers bearing the 2‐(hydroxyimino)aldehyde (HIA) group, we have explored the photochemical behavior and physicochemical properties of a number of HIAs. Interpretation of the experimental data is supported by quantum mechanical calculations. HIAs are expected to undergo photoisomerization, chelate metal ions, yield hydrogen‐bonded dimers or oligomers, exhibit relatively low pKas, and form >C=NO. radicals through OH hydrogen abstraction or oxidation of the oximate ion. Besides the well‐established E/Z oxime photoisomerism, we observed a Norrish–Yang cyclization resulting in cyclobutanol oximes, to our knowledge not previously described in the literature. The acidity, bond dissociation enthalpies, and electrochemical properties of the HIAs are compared with literature data of simple oximes. The results are discussed in relation to the many potential applications for HIAs, with emphasis on the synthesis of novel HIA‐containing responsive polymers.
Computational Characterization of the Mechanism for the Oxidative Coupling of Benzoic Acid and Alkynes by Rhodium/Copper and Rhodium/Silver Systems
Authors: Funes‐Ardoiz Ignacio , Maseras Feliu 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDFT calculations were applied to study the oxidative coupling between benzoic acid and 1‐phenyl‐1‐propyne catalyzed by [CpRhCl2]2 (Cp=cyclopentadienyl) by using either Cu(OAc)2(H2O) or Ag(OAc) as the terminal oxidant, a process that has been experimentally shown to have subtleties related to regioselectivity (placement of the phenyl substituent of the alkyne in the isocoumarin product) and chemoselectivity (isocoumarin or naphthalene derivatives). Calculations reproduced the experimental results and showed the involvement of the oxidant throughout the catalytic cycle. The regioselectivity was found to be decided in the alkyne insertion step, in particular by the relative arrangement of the two phenyl groups. The high chemoselectivity towards isocoumarin associated to Cu(OAc)2(H2O) could be explained by the fact that the copper moiety blocks the CO2 extrusion pathway, which would lead to naphthalene derivatives, something that does not happen if Ag(OAc) is used.
Synthesis and HNO Donating Properties of the Piloty's Acid Analogue Trifluoromethanesulphonylhydroxamic Acid: Evidence for Quantitative Release of HNO at Neutral pH Conditions
Authors: Adas Sonya K. , Bharadwaj Vinay , Zhou Yang , Zhang Jiuhong , Seed Alexander J. , Brasch Nicola E. , Sampson Paul 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTrifluoromethanesulphonylhydroxamic acid, CF3SO2NHOH, is shown to release HNO under physiological pH conditions. A two‐step synthesis is presented with the first complete characterization of CF3SO2NHOH. This molecule rapidly decomposes in neutral aqueous solution to cleanly release HNO and CF3SO2−, which was demonstrated using the HNO traps TXPTS and HOCbl, and by 19F NMR spectroscopy.
Computational studies on the water‐catalyzed stereoinversion mechanism of glutamic acid residues in peptides and proteins
Authors: Nakayoshi Tomoki , Kato Koichi , Fukuyoshi Shuichi , Takahashi Ohgi , Kurimoto Eiji , Oda Akifumi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn contrast with the common belief that all the amino acid residues in higher organisms are l‐forms, d‐amino acid residues have been recently detected in various aging tissues. Aspartic acid (Asp) residues are known to be the most prone to stereoinvert via cyclic imide intermediate. Although the glutamic acid (Glu) is similar in chemical structure to Asp, little has been reported to detect d‐Glu residues in human proteins. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of the Glu‐residue stereoinversion catalyzed by water molecules using B3LYP/6‐31+G(d,p) density functional theory calculations. We propose that the Glu‐residue stereoinversion proceeds via a cyclic imide intermediate, i.e., glutarimide (GI). All calculations were performed by using a model compound in which a Glu residue was capped with acetyl and methylamino groups on the N‐ and C‐termini, respectively. We found that two water molecules catalyze the three steps involved in the GI formation: iminolization, cyclization, and dehydration. The activation energy required for the Glu residue to form a GI intermediate was estimated to be 32.3 kcal mol−1, which was higher than that of the experimental Asp‐residue stereoinversion. This calculation result suggests that the Glu‐residue stereoinversion is not favored under the physiological condition.
Isothermal titration calorimetry for chiral chemistry
Authors: Werber Liora , Mastai Yitzhak 
Published: March 2018

AbstractOne of the most powerful techniques that are currently available to measure thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy (ΔH), Gibbs free energy (ΔG), entropy changes (ΔS), and binding affinity in chemical reactions is isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Recent advances in instrumentation have facilitated the development of ITC as a very essential analytical tool in biology and chemistry. In this article, we will focus on a review of the literature on the application of ITC for the study of chiral systems and chiral interactions. We present studies in which the ITC technique is used to study chiral interactions, for instance in chiral solutions, chiral organometallic complexes, guest‐host chiral binding interactions, and biological macromolecules. Finally, we put strong emphasis on the most recent application of ITC for the study of chirality in nanosystems and at the nanoscale.
Estimation of transversely isotropic material properties from magnetic resonance elastography using the optimised virtual fields method
Authors: Miller Renee , Kolipaka Arunark , Nash Martyn P. , Young Alistair A. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractMagnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has been used to estimate isotropic myocardial stiffness. However, anisotropic stiffness estimates may give insight into structural changes that occur in the myocardium as a result of pathologies such as diastolic heart failure. The virtual fields method (VFM) has been proposed for estimating material stiffness from image data. This study applied the optimised VFM to identify transversely isotropic material properties from both simulated harmonic displacements in a left ventricular (LV) model with a fibre field measured from histology as well as isotropic phantom MRE data. Two material model formulations were implemented, estimating either 3 or 5 material properties. The 3‐parameter formulation writes the transversely isotropic constitutive relation in a way that dissociates the bulk modulus from other parameters. Accurate identification of transversely isotropic material properties in the LV model was shown to be dependent on the loading condition applied, amount of Gaussian noise in the signal, and frequency of excitation. Parameter sensitivity values showed that shear moduli are less sensitive to noise than the other parameters. This preliminary investigation showed the feasibility and limitations of using the VFM to identify transversely isotropic material properties from MRE images of a phantom as well as simulated harmonic displacements in an LV geometry.
Catalytic Hydrogen Production by Janus CuAg Nanostructures
Authors: Zhang Jin , Shao Qi , Wang Pengtang , Guo Jun , Huang Xiaoqing 
Published: March 2018

AbstractJanus nanostructures comprising intimate interfaces can integrate distinct building blocks into a single unit and generate new synergetic effects and desirable functionality through the interfaces. Herein, we report a wet‐chemistry approach mediated by n‐butylamine to directly create heterogeneous CuAg nanoparticles (NPs). Such newly created heterostructures with unique interfaces between the Cu and Ag domains exhibit superior catalytic performance for the water‐gas shift (WGS) reaction to produce hydrogen (H2). By optimizing the composition of the heterogeneous CuAg NPs, the supports, as well as the reaction parameters, the CuAg NPs/ZnO can deliver a TOF value of 673.5 h−1 and a 198.1 μmol yield of H2, significantly outperforming Cu NPs, Ag NPs, mixed Cu/Ag NPs, as well as CuAg NPs without an interface. XPS analysis indicates that the excellent performance is attributed to a unique interface effect, which endows the optimized catalyst with an enhanced antioxidant ability and thus large ratio of metallic Cu. The catalyst also shows outstanding durability with a largely maintained interface and activity after nine runs.
Statistical analysis of Amazon EC2 cloud pricing models
Authors: Portella Gustavo , Rodrigues Genaina N. , Nakano Eduardo , Melo Alba C.M.A. 
Published: March 2018

SummaryIn this paper, we conduct statistical analyses for two Amazon cloud pricing models: on demand and spot. On demand cloud instances are charged a fixed price and can only be terminated by the user, with very high availability. On the other hand, spot instances are charged a dynamic price determined by a market‐driven model and can be revoked by the provider when the spot price becomes higher than the user‐defined price, having possibly low availability. Our analysis for on‐demand instances resulted in multiple linear regression equations that represent the influence of characteristics of the processor and RAM memory in the composition of the price of different types of instances available on the Amazon EC2 provider. In order to analyze the Amazon spot pricing, we used time‐smoothed moving averages by 12‐hour periods, aiming to provide a price‐availability trade‐off to the user. Our experiments with spot price histories from September to November 2016 show that the user's bid can be set at 30% of the on‐demand price, with an availability above of 90%, depending on instance type.
STMs in practice: Partial rollback vs pure abort mechanisms
Authors: Anand Anshu S. , Shyamasundar R. K. , Peri Sathya 
Published: March 2018

SummaryIn this paper, we propose an enhanced Automatic Checkpointing and Partial Rollback (CaPR++) algorithm to realize Software Transactional Memory (STM), that employs partial rollback mechanism for conflict resolution. We have comparatively evaluated the “Abort” and “Partial Rollback” mechanisms for STMs. For purposes of comparison, we have used the state‐of‐the‐art RSTM system and for the “Partial Rollback”, and we have used our earlier CaPR+ algorithm that has been enhanced for our requirements. Note that we have enriched the STAMP benchmarks with varied delayed transaction times. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the Partial Rollback mechanism over pure abort mechanisms for applications consisting of large transaction delays, with up to 1.6x performance gain for applications with large transactional delays. Our study makes the case for a hybrid system of pure aborts and partial rollbacks, which can extract the benefits of both mechanisms. Keeping in line with our study, we have proposed a hybrid implementation where some of the transactions of an application subscribe to abort mechanisms and the rest to partial rollback. Our initial implementation demonstrates various scenarios where the hybrid approach outperforms the pure abort and partial rollback approaches.
Sibling experience modulates perceptual narrowing toward adult faces in the first year of life
Authors: Proietti Valentina , Rigoldi Marta , Croci Emanuela , Macchi Cassia Viola 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDuring the first year of life face discrimination abilities narrow toward adult human faces of the most frequently encountered ethnic group/s. Earlier studies showed that perceptual learning under laboratory‐training protocols can modulate this narrowing process. Here we investigated whether natural experience acquired in everyday settings with an older sibling's face can shape the trajectory of perceptual narrowing towards adult faces. Using an infant‐controlled habituation procedure we measured discrimination of adult (Experiment 1) and child faces (Experiment 2) in 3‐ and 9‐ month‐old infants with and without a child sibling. Discrimination of adult faces was observed for infants at both ages, although accompanied by posthabituation preferences in opposite directions, whereas at both ages the discrimination of child faces critically depended on sibling experience. These results provide the first evidence that natural experience acquired with siblings affects the tuning properties of infant face representation.
Mapping floral resources for honey bees in New Zealand at the catchment scale
Authors: Ausseil Anne‐Gaelle E. , Dymond John R. , Newstrom Linda 
Published: March 2018

AbstractHoney bees require nectar and pollen from flowers: nectar for energy and pollen for growth. The demand for nectar and pollen varies during the year, with more pollen needed in spring for colony population growth and more nectar needed in summer to sustain the maximum colony size and collect surplus nectar stores for winter. Sufficient bee forage is therefore necessary to ensure a healthy bee colony. Land‐use changes can reduce the availability of floral resources suitable for bees, thereby increasing the susceptibility of bees to other stressors such as disease and pesticides. In contrast, land‐based management decisions to protect or plant bee forage can enhance pollen and nectar supply to bees while meeting other goals such as riparian planting for water‐quality improvement. Commercial demand for honey can also put pressure on floral resources through over‐crowding of hives. To help understand and manage floral resources for bees, we developed a spatial model for mapping monthly nectar and pollen production from maps of land cover. Based on monthly estimated production data we mapped potential monthly supply of nectar and pollen to a given apiary location in the landscape. This is done by summing the total production within the foraging range of the apiary while subtracting the estimated nectar converted to energy for collection. Ratios of estimated supply over theoretical hive demand may then be used to infer a potential landscape carrying capacity to sustain hives. This model framework is quantitative and spatial, utilizing estimated flight energy costs for nectar foraging. It can contribute to management decisions such as where apiaries could be placed in the landscape depending on floral resources and where nectar limited areas may be located. It can contribute to planning areas for bee protection or planting such as in riparian vegetation. This would aid managed bee health, wild pollinator protection, and honey production. We demonstrate the methods in a case study in New Zealand where there is a growing demand for mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey production.
The Proposal of Isolated Single‐Stage AC‐DC Converter
Authors: MAEKAWA SARI , TAMADA SHUNSUKE , MOCHIKAWA HIROSHI , NAKAZAWA YOSUKE , USAMI YUTAKA , KUSAKA TOYOYASU 
Published: March 2018

SUMMARYAn isolated ac‐dc converter has been used in various applications, such as power supply and as a battery charger for electric vehicle. In conventional converters, a loss in each conversion stage can be reduced by applying a soft switching method. However, a conventional converter has many conversion stages including the rectifier stage, power factor correction, and dc/dc converter stages; thus, it is difficult to reduce the total converter loss and size. In this paper, we propose a novel isolated‐type ac‐dc converter with only one conversion stage; it can realize a zero‐voltage switching operation in all switching devices.
Physical Properties, Microstructure, Intermolecular Forces, and Oxidation Stability of Soybean Oil Oleogels Structured by Different Cellulose Ethers
Authors: Meng Zong , Qi Keyu , Guo Ying , Wang Yong , Liu Yuanfa 
Published: March 2018

Edible oleogels are prepared by different kinds of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and methylcellulose (MC) through emulsion‐templated method. Physical properties of the oleogels such as rheological behavior and oil binding capacity are evaluated. Polarizing light microscopy (PLM) as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used to gain information on the microstructure of the samples. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) are used to evaluate intermolecular forces between the polysaccharides in the oleogels. It is found that oil‐water interface layers of the emulsions are strengthened by polysaccharides (HPMC and xanthan gum [XG] or MC and XG), and it prohibits oil droplets from coalescing during drying. The formation of semi‐crystalline structure of oleogels to trap the oil is attributed to intramolecular/intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the polysaccharides. The higher viscosity grade results in better structure with respect to emulsions, vacuum dried emulsions, and oleogels compared to that of lower viscosity grade for HPMC or MC. The mechanical strengths of vacuum dried emulsions and oleogels stabilized by HPMC are harder compared to that of MC. The study will provide guidance for the production of functional fat products with zero trans and low saturated fatty acids.Practical Applications: HPMC and MC, two types of dietary fiber, are two kinds of the most commonly used cellulose ethers which are food‐approved additives. The oleogels prepared by HPMC and MC using an emulsion‐templated method can be used to produce functional fat products with zero trans and low saturated fatty acids, which will be beneficial to human health. The properties of oleogels structured by different HPMC and MC with the different degree of polymerization (DP) and substitution (DS) are different. The physical properties, microstructure, and intermolecular forces for oleogels are evaluated in order to lay the basis for the application of the oleogels.A schematic representation of the structure of oleogels stabilized by hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and xanthan gum (XG).