bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Increased private health fund involvement in Australia's primary health care: Implications for health equity
Authors: Windle Alice , Fisher Matthew , Freeman Toby , Baum Fran , Javanparast Sara , Kay Adrian , Kidd Michael 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThis study identifies current practices of private health funds (PHFs) in Australian primary health care (PHC), including areas where their involvement is increasing, and examines the risks and benefits of these practices for quality of, and equity of access to PHC. The paper draws on research to investigate equity implications of current PHF involvement in PHC in Australia. We reviewed literature, analysed documents relating to a Senate Committee inquiry and interviewed stakeholders and experts in private health insurance policy from government, private sector and nongovernment organisations. Involvement of PHFs in the PHC sector in Australia is increasing, presenting risk of increased inequities in access to PHC based on insurance status, which could undermine the universality of PHC under Medicare. However, some stakeholders think these risks can be managed within current policy arrangements. There are also risks for quality of PHC services arising from greater involvement of PHFs in service delivery and “preferred provider” models. Differing stakeholder views on equity implications of PHF involvement in PHC are associated with different views on desirable policy action. We conclude that there is a risk of increased involvement of PHFs in PHC risks exacerbating existing inequities in the health system, but this is moderated by public support for Medicare.
Molekulares Engineering freier Porphyrinbasen als Liganden – das N‐H⋅⋅⋅X‐Bindungsmotiv in Tetrapyrrolen
Authors: Kielmann Marc , Senge Mathias O. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractDie N‐H‐Einheiten im Kern planarer Porphyrine sind oft nicht zugänglich, um Wasserstoffbrückenkomplexe mit Akzeptormolekülen zu bilden. Dies liegt daran, dass die funktionellen Aminogruppen durch das makrozyklische System abgeschirmt sind, was die Bildung intermolekularer H‐Brücken hemmt. Jedoch gibt es Methoden, um die Tetrapyrrolkonformationen so zu modulieren, dass der Vektor der N‐H‐Orientierung nach außen gerichtet wird, um so die Verfügbarkeit und Reaktivität der Pyrrolgruppen zu erhöhen. Mögliche Strategien dafür sind die Verwendung von Porpho(di)methenen und Phlorinen (Calixphyrinen) sowie sattelförmiger Porphyrine. Erstere bilden Hohlräume durch Unterbrechung des aromatischen Systems. Letztere sind hoch basische Systeme und können Anionen und neutrale Moleküle durch N‐H⋅⋅⋅X‐artige H‐Brücken binden. Dieser Aufsatz beschreibt die Rolle von Porphyrin(oid)liganden in verschiedenen komplexartigen Verbindungen und diskutiert Ansätze, mittels Wasserstoffbrücken auf den Porphyrinkern zuzugreifen, das Konzept konformativer Kontrolle und davon abgeleitete neue Anwendungen, etwa in der Organokatalyse und Sensorik.
Chemoselective Activation of Diethyl Phosphonates: Modular Synthesis of Biologically Relevant Phosphonylated Scaffolds
Authors: Adler Pauline , Pons Amandine , Li Jing , Heider Jörg , Brutiu Bogdan R. , Maulide Nuno 
Published: August 2018

AbstractPhosphonates have garnered considerable attention for years owing to both their singular biological properties and their synthetic potential. State‐of‐the‐art methods for the preparation of mixed phosphonates, phosphonamidates, phosphonothioates, and phosphinates rely on harsh and poorly selective reaction conditions. We report herein a mild method for the modular preparation of phosphonylated derivatives, several of which exhibit interesting biological activities, that is based on chemoselective activation with triflic anhydride. This procedure enables flexible and even iterative substitution with a broad range of O, S, N, and C nucleophiles.
Drying of nonpolar gas in a pressure swing adsorption process using canola meal biosorbents
Authors: Dhabhai Ravi , Mahaninia Mohammad , Niu Catherine H. , Dalai Ajay K. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractDrying of gases is a very important industrial operation. In the present work, drying of nonpolar gas was carried out using nitrogen as a model gas, by selective adsorption of water vapor from the moist gas using canola meal (CM)‐based biosorbents in a pressure swing adsorption process. It was demonstrated that CM did not adsorb nonpolar nitrogen but selectively adsorbed polar water vapor. Five operating parameters—temperature, pressure, input feed water concentration, input gas concentration, and particle size—were chosen to study the nitrogen drying process using a fractional factorial design. Temperature and input water concentration had significant effects on the drying process, and the maximum water adsorption capacity obtained was 0.165 kg/kg.ads. The Dubinin–Polanyi (DP) model for large pores fit the water adsorption isotherms reasonably well and indicated that water adsorption is predominantly physisorption. Furthermore, site energy distribution of water adsorption based on the DP model was carried out to determine adsorbate–adsorbent interactions. It revealed that most of the adsorption sites were in the low‐energy region of the distribution (>7,800 J/mol) and there were negligible sites with energy higher than 25,000 J/mol which again confirms that water adsorption is rapid, reversible, and low‐energy process, which is the characteristic of physisorption. The average energy and standard deviation of the site energy distribution was 5,000 J/mol. Saturated biosorbent was regenerated at 110°C and reused multiple times. The analysis of the present work can be applied to similar systems for drying of nonpolar gases.
An Ethynylene‐Bridged Pentacene Dimer: Two‐Step Synthesis and Charge‐Transport Properties
Authors: Kawano Koki , Hayashi Hironobu , Yoshimoto Shinya , Aratani Naoki , Suzuki Mitsuharu , Yoshinobu Jun , Yamada Hiroko 
Published: August 2018

AbstractA rigid and planar ethynylene‐bridged pentacene dimer (PenD) was synthesized from pentacenequinone in two steps, skipping the conventional stepwise approach. A brickwork motif in the single crystal shows two‐dimensionally extended electronic interaction in the solid state. Highly crystalline dip‐coated films exhibited average hole mobility of 0.24 cm2 V−1 s−1, comparable to that of the single‐crystal organic field‐effect transistors. This discovery and understanding of the reaction for the facile synthesis of ethynylene‐bridged π‐conjugated systems enables to the synthesis of a wide range of organic semiconducting materials.
On the monolithic and staggered solution of cell contractility and focal adhesion growth
Authors: Keshavanarayana Pradeep , Ruess Martin , de Borst René 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe mechanical response of cells to stimuli tightly couples biochemical and biomechanical processes, which describe fundamental properties such as cell growth and reorientation. Cells interact continuously with their external surroundings, the extracellular matrix (ECM), by establishing a bond between cell and ECM through the formation of focal adhesions. Focal adhesions are made up of integrins, which are mechanosensitive proteins and responsible for the communication between the cell and the ECM. The governing biochemomechanical processes can be modeled by means of a continuum approach considering mechanical and thermodynamic equilibrium to describe cell contractility and focal adhesion growth. The immanent multiphysical character of cell mechanics involves important aspects such as the coupling of fields of different scales and corresponding interface conditions that are sensitive to the solution of the governing numerical problem. These aspects become even more relevant when considering a feedback loop among the multiphysical solutions fields. In this contribution, we consider solution properties and sensitivity aspects of a nonlinear mechanical continuum model for the prognosis of stress fiber growth and reorientation incorporating a mechanosensitive feedback loop. We provide the governing equations of a Hill model–based stress fiber growth, which is coupled to a thermodynamical approach modeling the focal adhesions. Furthermore, a variational formulation including the algebraic equations is derived for staggered and monolithic solution approaches and the reaction‐diffusion equation that models the feedback mechanism. We test both schemes with regard to reliability, accuracy, and numerical efficiency for different model parameters and loading scenarios. We present algorithmic aspects of the considered solution schemes and reveal their robustness with regard to model refinement in space and time and finally provide an assessment of their overall solution performance for multiphysics problems in the context of cell mechanics.
Applications of event‐based image sensors—Review and analysis
Authors: Leñero‐Bardallo Juan A. , Carmona‐Galán Ricardo , Rodríguez‐Vázquez Angel 
Published: August 2018

SummaryThe spread of event‐driven asynchronous vision sensors during the last years has increased significantly the industrial interest and the application scenarios for them. This article reviews the main fields of application that event‐based image sensors have found during the last 20 years. We focus in the description of applications where such devices can outperform conventional frame‐based sensors. The practical functions of the three main families of asynchronous event‐based sensors are analyzed. The article also studies what are the factors that increase nowadays the demand of sensors that minimize the power and bandwidth consumption. Moreover, the technological factors that have facilitated the development of asynchronous sensors are discussed.
Tongue habit discrimination system using acoustical feature for oral habits improvement
Authors: Nakayama Masashi , Ishimitsu Shunsuke , Yamashita Kimiko , Ishii Kaori , Kasai Kazutaka , Horihata Satoshi 
Published: August 2018

AbstractOral habits are tongue protrusion in malocclusions, causing deterioration of oral functions necessary for feeding, chewing, swallowing, and vocalization. In order to realize a noninvasive measurement of the habits, we propose and experiment acoustic feature analysis to discriminate tongue habits. Compared to normal speech, tongue‐protruded speech is pronounced between the frontal teeth. The speech is emphasized at a wide‐range band of frequency components due to turbulence, as can be heard in the pronunciation of consonants. In this paper, we confirm these differences in acoustic features, such as zero‐crossing that can capture the characteristics of voiced and unvoiced sounds and Mel Frequency Cepstrum Coefficient (MFCC) that is a filter bank analysis for front‐end processing at speech recognition. We collect samples for that focus on the differences in oral habits of subjects, and significant of acoustic features that measured from the samples are confirmed. Finally, tongue habit discrimination using k‐nearest neighbor algorithm achieved discrimination rate of about 85% to 98% on the databases.
Global epigenetic analysis of BDNF Val66Met mice hippocampus reveals changes in dendrite and spine remodeling genes
Authors: Mallei Alessandra , Ieraci Alessandro , Corna Stefano , Tardito Daniela , Lee Francis S. , Popoli Maurizio 
Published: August 2018

AbstractBrain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin highly expressed in the hippocampus, plays crucial roles in cognition, neuroplasticity, synaptic function, and dendritic remodeling. The common human Val66Met polymorphism of BDNF has been implicated in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, and in the outcome of pro‐adaptive and therapeutic treatments. Altered gene‐expression profile has been previously shown in BDNF Val66Met knock‐in mice, which recapitulate the phenotypic hallmarks of individuals carrying the BDNF Met allele. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in the knock‐in mouse model on two hippocampal epigenetic marks for transcriptional repression and activation, respectively: trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3) and acetylation of histone H3 (AcH3), using a genome‐wide approach. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing of immunoprecipitated DNA (ChIP‐Seq) was carried out with specific antibodies for H3K27me3 and AcH3. Our results revealed broad alteration of H3K27me3 and AcH3 marks association profiles in BDNFMet/Met, compared to BDNFVal/Val mice. Bioinformatics analysis showed changes in several biological functions and related pathways, affected by the presence of the polymorphism. In particular, a number of networks of functional interaction contained BDNF as central node. Quantitative PCR analysis confirmed epigenetically related significant changes in the expression of five genes: Dvl1, Nos3, Reln, Lypd6, and Sh3gl2. The first three are involved in dendrite and spine remodeling, morphological features altered in BDNFMet/Met mice. This work in homozygous knock‐in mice shows that the human BDNF Val66Met polymorphism induces an array of histone H3 epigenetic modifications, in turn altering the expression of select genes crucial for structural and functional neuronal features.
SAP97‐mediated rescue of NMDA receptor surface distribution in a neuronal model of Huntington's disease
Authors: Ambroziak Wojciech , Fourie Chantelle , Montgomery Johanna M. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractHuntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of the CAG repeat tract in the HTT gene, leading to motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. At the cellular level, NMDA‐type glutamate receptors are upregulated at glutamatergic extrasynaptic sites in HD, triggering cell death signaling pathways and driving HD neurodegeneration. Extrasynaptic and synaptic glutamate receptor trafficking and surface distribution are regulated by the α and β N‐terminal isoforms of SAP97, a postsynaptic density protein localized at glutamatergic synapses. Here we examined the surface distribution of NMDARs and AMPARs in a cellular model of HD, and whether the manipulation of individual SAP97 isoforms can regulate receptor distribution in diseased neurons. Using dSTORM super‐resolution imaging, we reveal that mutant HTT drives the elevation of extrasynaptic NMDAR clusters located 100–500 nm from the postsynaptic density. This was accompanied by a decline in synaptic NMDAR‐mediated currents while surface NMDAR‐mediated currents remained unchanged. These effects were induced within 3 days of mutant HTT expression in rat hippocampal neurons in vitro, and were specific for NMDARs and not observed with AMPARs. Intriguingly, upregulation of either α‐ or βSAP97 expression increased synaptic and/or perisynaptic NMDAR localization and prevented the shift of NMDARs to extrasynaptic sites in mutant HTT neurons. This was accompanied by the rescue of normal synaptic NMDAR‐mediated currents. Taken together, our high‐resolution data reveals plasticity in surface NMDAR localization driven by mutant HTT and identifies the similar but independent roles of SAP97 N‐terminal isoforms in maintaining normal synaptic function in pathological states.
Design and implementation of a tool for conversion of search strategies between PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE
Authors: Wanner Amanda , Baumann Niki 
Published: August 2018

BackgroundBoth PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE contain records from the MEDLINE database. However, there are subtle differences in content, functionality, and search syntax between the two. There are many instances in which researchers may wish to search both interfaces, such as when conducting supplementary searching for a systematic review to retrieve a unique content from PubMed or when using a previously published search strategy from a different interface, but little guidance on how to best conduct these searches.The aim of this project is to describe differences in search functionality between Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed, provide guidance for converting search strategies between the two, and develop an easy‐to‐use, freely available web‐based tool to automate search syntax translations.Case presentationIn this paper, we present a custom‐built freely available online tool, Medline Transpose, to streamline the process of converting search strategies between Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed. With this tool, users can paste a strategy formatted for one interface into the search box and immediately retrieve an output formatted for use in the other interface, with recommendations for changes that users can make to the strategy where an exact translation does not exist.ConclusionThis novel approach has the potential to reduce time and errors that database users spend translating search strategies.
Tribological research of leaf‐surface wax derived from plants of Pinaceae
Authors: Feng Xin , Hu Yichao , Xia Yanqiu 
Published: August 2018

AbstractTwo kinds of leaf‐surface waxes are extracted from the leaves of Picea wilsonii Mast (PM) and Pinussylvestris (PS) and used as additive in synthetic ester base oil. The tribological properties were investigated using an MFT‐R4000 tribology tester at room temperature. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis was performed to identify the composition of the PM and PS leaf‐surface wax, and scanning electron microscopy and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry were used to investigate friction mechanisms. The results suggest that the leaf‐surface wax of PM and PS could successfully reduce the friction and wear of steel‐aluminium and steel‐steel sliding pairs as compared with synthetic ester containing Terpineol additives. The excellent tribological properties were attributed to the protective film generated on the worn surfaces by leaf‐surface wax during the friction process.
Gene Expression of Endocannabinoid System Components in Skeletal Muscle and Adipose Tissue of South Asians and White Caucasians with Overweight
Authors: Nahon Kimberly J. , Kantae Vasudev , den Haan Roy , Hanssen Mark J.W. , Harms Amy C. , van der Stelt Mario , Hankemeier Thomas , Jazet Ingrid M. , van Marken Lichtenbelt Wouter D. , Rensen Patrick C.N. , Boon Mariëtte R. 
Published: August 2018

ObjectiveThe study aimed to investigate whether markers of endocannabinoid signaling differed between men with overweight of South Asian and white Caucasian descent.MethodsWe included South Asian (n = 10) and white Caucasian (n = 10) men with overweight and prediabetes aged 35 to 50 years. Plasma samples were analyzed for endocannabinoids, their congeners, and lipids. In white adipose tissue (WAT) and skeletal muscle biopsies, mRNA expression of genes involved in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) was assessed using quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Fasting lipid oxidation and glucose oxidation were determined with indirect calorimetry.ResultsCompared to white Caucasians, South Asians had higher levels of plasma 2‐linoleoyl glycerol (P < 0.01) and N‐linoleoylethanolamine (P < 0.05). Interestingly, in skeletal muscle of South Asians, expression of cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 was 10‐fold lower (P < 0.001) and that of the endocannabinoid degradation enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase 2 (FAAH2) was 5‐fold lower (P < 0.001) compared to white Caucasians. Expression of genes involved in the ECS in WAT were not different between the two ethnicities. After pooling of both ethnicities, plasma 2‐arachidonoylglycerol (2‐AG) positively correlated with plasma triglycerides (R = 0.77, P < 0.001) and lipid oxidation (R = 0.55, P < 0.05).ConclusionsSouth Asian men with overweight have higher plasma 2‐linoleoyl glycerol and N‐linoleoylethanolamine levels and lower expression of CB receptors and the endocannabinoid degradation enzyme FAAH2 in skeletal muscle compared to white Caucasians.
Metabolic Effects of Low‐Calorie Sweeteners: A Brief Review
Authors: Sylvetsky Allison C. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractLow‐calorie sweeteners (LCS) are found in a variety of foods and beverages, yet their role in diet, weight, and obesity‐related chronic disease is controversial. This article summarizes proceedings from one of four presentations during a preconference session entitled “Low‐Calorie Sweeteners and Weight Management,” which took place at the 2017 Obesity Society Annual Meeting in Washington, District of Columbia. The objective of this brief review is to summarize findings of observational and interventional studies of LCS effects on weight and metabolic health and to provide potential explanations for their discrepant results. Key research priorities for advancing the understanding of the role of LCS in weight and chronic disease are also discussed. The existing literature suggests that LCS consumption is consistently associated with obesity, diabetes, and related cardiometabolic conditions in observational studies. Although several plausible mechanisms have been proposed to explain these associations and have received considerable support in cellular and rodent models, the relevance of these mechanisms to humans has yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, randomized controlled trials demonstrate that NNS may benefit weight loss and weight maintenance. This is the case particularly when LCS are administered in the context of behavioral weight loss support and are consumed knowingly by habitual LCS consumers. Although these findings suggest that LCS may be useful for weight control among those cognitively engaged in weight loss and who are aware of their LCS consumption, LCS administration in these studies does not reflect typical consumption. Furthermore, few interventional studies have assessed the role of LCS on metabolic outcomes other than body weight. Additional factors must be considered before recommending LCS for weight management and chronic disease prevention and further study of LCS effects on a variety of cardiometabolic outcomes, including visceral adiposity and glucose homeostasis is warranted.
Digital social media: Enabling performance quality of Indian Railway services
Authors: Narayanaswami Sundaravalli 
Published: August 2018

Indian Railways (IR) is the single largest organization that manages and operates a mammoth of transportation services in the World's largest democracy. IR services are operated through 7,137 stations, a route length of 66,030 km, and a total track of 117,996 km. The number of passengers carried every day is 23 million with passenger earnings of INR 42190 crores. Scale of operations translates to humungous everyday challenges. Quite understandably, customer dissatisfaction is prevalent, in spite of subsidized travel fares and multiple initiatives. In recent times, IR has become very active in the digital social media space to provide real‐time and dynamic service improvements. In this talk, we will be discussing the beginning of technology intervention in IR, managerial challenges in exploiting technology advancements, and the current status in managing a large‐scale public transport operations. We will also discuss about the insights, deployability in comparative segments, and the way forward.
Is an infectious trigger always required for primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis? Lessons from in utero and neonatal disease
Authors: Heeg Maximilian , Ammann Sandra , Klemann Christian , Panning Marcus , Falcone Valeria , Hengel Harmut , Lehmberg Kai , zur Stadt Udo , Wustrau Katharina , Janka Gritta , Ehl Stephan 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn this report, we evaluate the hypothesis that hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in patients with defects of lymphocyte cytotoxicity is usually triggered by infections. We show that in the majority of patients, extensive virus PCR panels performed in addition to routine microbiological investigations remain negative and summarize 25 patients with onset of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in utero or within the first 10 days of life, in none of which an associated bacterial or viral infection was reported. These observations, even though preliminary, invite to consider a key role of lymphocyte cytotoxicity in controlling T‐cell homeostasis also in the absence of apparent infectious stimuli.