bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Boron‐Substituted Coronene: Intriguing Geometric and Electronic Properties, and Large Nonlinear Optical Response
Authors: Sun Wei‐Ming , Chen Cheng‐Yun , Li Chun‐Yan , Wu Di , Kang Jie , Li Ying , Li Zhi‐Ru 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBy substituting boron atoms for selected carbon atoms of a graphene quantum dot (GQD) model, namely a coronene molecule, the substituent effect on its geometric and electronic structure, as well as nonlinear optical response has been systemically investigated in theory. Our computations reveal that the boron substitution leads to a similar noncentrosymmetric apophysis structure for the boron‐substituted coronene in singlet and triplet states. Noticeably, due to the small energy difference of 2.5 kcal mol−1 between the singlet and triplet states, the boron‐substituted molecule can easily be switched between the antiferromagnetic (singlet state) and ferromagnetic (triplet state) state by slightly changing the external conditions. Notably, the boron‐substituted coronene exhibits a considerably large first hyperpolarizability of 36241 au, because boron substitution yields a raised structure with an intermediate singlet diradical character. Hence, it is expected that this study not only provides new insights for the boron‐substituent effect on the structure and properties of graphene but also may promote practical applications of GQDs in the fields of spintronics and nonlinear optics.
Complexes of Crown Ether Macrocycles with Methyl Guanidinium: Insights into the Capture of Charge in Peptides
Authors: Avilés‐Moreno Juan Ramón , Berden Giel , Oomens Jos , Martínez‐Haya Bruno 
Published: June 2018

AbstractCrown ethers are well known as modulating agents of protein function and interactions. The action of crown ethers is driven by an alteration of the charged moieties of proteins through the capping of cationic amino acid side chains. This study evaluates the conformational features involved in the binding of crown ethers to the side chain of arginine. For this purpose, isolated complexes of methyl guanidinium with 12‐crown‐4 and 18‐crown‐6 are characterized with infrared action vibrational spectroscopy and quantum chemical computations. The conformational landscapes of the two complexes comprise an extensive ensemble of conformations close in energy. In the 12‐crown‐4 complex, the crown ether has the plane of its backbone approximately perpendicular to that of the guanidinium moiety and coordinates to two or three of its NHδ+ bonds. In the 18‐crown‐6 complex, the crown ether backbone is partially folded and tilted with respect to guanidinium and fixes its position in order to facilitate up to a four‐fold coordination in the complex. The access of the complexes to multiple conformations leads to broad band structures in the N−H stretching region of their vibrational spectra.
The Combination of Hydrogen and Methanol Production through Artificial Photosynthesis—Are We Ready Yet?
Authors: Le Trung‐Anh , Huynh Tan‐Phat 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBecause 100 % quantum efficiency for the photosynthetic production of H2 from H2O under visible illumination has been achieved recently, the oxidation of H2O to O2 remains the bottleneck to the overall water‐splitting reaction. Oxidation of CH4 to CH3OH might be combined with water reduction instead, so that H2 and CH3OH chemical fuels can be simultaneously produced through a one‐step process under solar illumination. This combination would be a promising approach towards a more sustainable future of chemistry, in which developing different strategies for artificial photosynthesis is of paramount importance. By using free and adsorbed HO. radicals on the semiconductor surface, CH4 can be activated to H3C. radicals and converted into CH3OH, respectively, with great selectivity up to 100 %. The present lack of efficient photosynthetic systems for the formation of H2 and CH3OH from abundant H2O and CH4 motivates future research for basic science and industrial applications.
Differences in the persistence of spatial memory deficits induced by a chronic stressor in adolescents compared to juveniles
Authors: Stylianakis Anthea A. , Harmon‐Jones Sylvia K. , Richardson Rick , Baker Kathryn D. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAdolescence is thought of as a stress‐sensitive developmental period. While many studies have compared adolescent responses to stress relative to that of adults, a growing body of work has examined stress responses in juveniles. Here we investigated if a chronic stressor has a differential effect on spatial memory in rats depending on whether it occurs during adolescence or the juvenile period. Male rats were exposed to the stress hormone corticosterone (Cort) in their drinking water, a vehicle control (2.5% ethanol), or water, for 7 days before being tested on a novel Object/Place task 6 days or 6 weeks later. Exposure to Cort or ethanol at either age impaired spatial memory at the 6‐day test. The ethanol induced impairment was attenuated 6 weeks later. However, rats given Cort during adolescence, but not the juvenile period, were still impaired. Together, these results suggest that adolescence is indeed a stress‐sensitive period.
A novel cardiac output response to stress test developed to improve diagnosis and monitoring of heart failure in primary care
Authors: Charman Sarah J. , Okwose Nduka C. , Stefanetti Renae J. , Bailey Kristian , Skinner Jane , Ristic Arsen , Seferovic Petar M. , Scott Mike , Turley Stephen , Fuat Ahmet , Mant Jonathan , Hobbs Richard F.D. , MacGowan Guy A. , Jakovljevic Djordje G. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAimsPrimary care physicians lack access to an objective cardiac function test. This study for the first time describes a novel cardiac output response to stress (CORS) test developed to improve diagnosis and monitoring of heart failure in primary care and investigates its reproducibility.Methods and resultsProspective observational study recruited 32 consecutive primary care patients (age, 63 ± 9 years; female, n = 18). Cardiac output was measured continuously using the bioreactance method in supine and standing positions and during two 3 min stages of a step‐exercise protocol (10 and 15 steps per minute) using a 15 cm height bench. The CORS test was performed on two occasions, i.e. Test 1 and Test 2. There was no significant difference between repeated measures of cardiac output and stroke volume at supine standing and Stage 1 and Stage 2 step exercises (all P > 0.3). There was a significant positive relationship between Test 1 and Test 2 cardiac outputs (r = 0.92, P = 0.01 with coefficient of variation of 7.1%). The mean difference in cardiac output (with upper and lower limits of agreement) between Test 1 and Test 2 was 0.1 (−1.9 to 2.1) L/min, combining supine, standing, and step‐exercise data.ConclusionsThe CORS, as a novel test for objective evaluation of cardiac function, demonstrates acceptable reproducibility and can potentially be implemented in primary care.
Able to purchase? Agency problems in China's social health insurance system and the pitfalls of third‐party strategic purchasing
Authors: Liu Kai , He Alex Jingwei 
Published: June 2018

SummaryThe notion of strategic purchasing has gained increasing currency in the global health policy discourse. It is believed that an active prudent purchaser is able to act in the best interest of both government and consumers as a third party negotiating with providers for cost‐effective care. It would be wrong, however, to assume that the formation of a third‐party purchaser automatically leads to such desired outcomes. A variety of agency problems relating to incompetence often prevent purchasers from fulfilling their mandates, aggravating cost inflation. This study provides an alternative explanation for the rapid cost inflation in the Chinese health system, by focusing on the unique role played by the social health insurance administration. Provincial‐level panel data analysis reveals that misaligned bureaucratic incentives and limited administrative capacity of the social health insurance administration contribute significantly to rapidly escalating costs. This study argues that despite the merit of the notion of third‐party strategic purchasing, it must not be forgotten that effective purchasing hinges on certain crucial prerequisites that may not necessarily be present in reality. Appropriate alignment of the social health insurance administration's organizational mandates and development of its capacity is essential to China's move towards strategic purchasing of health services.
Management of intersex newborns: Legal and ethical developments
Authors: Dickens Bernard M. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractCountries worldwide are increasingly expanding male/female binary sex classifications to recognize a third status. Intersex newborns may be included in this third category on birth certification. Parents, families, and communities require counselling and education to accommodate intersex newborns without stigma or discrimination. Whatever its biological or genetic origin, intersex status is a natural if relatively uncommon condition (one in 1500–2000 live births) that distinguishes sex from gender. The tendency of societies to recognize only male and female genders at birth has resulted in intersex children being subjected to invasive surgery and related, sometimes lifelong, medication to confirm them as male or female. On gaining maturity, some are severely distressed and resentful that early gender assignment was mistaken, particularly when excision of testes to enforce femininity or of ovaries to enforce masculinity has denied them procreative capacity. Emerging principles support postponement of such interventions until intersex individuals can make a gender choice for themselves.
Systematic review and meta‐analysis of complementary treatments for women with symptomatic endometriosis
Authors: Mira Ticiana A.A. , Buen Mariana M. , Borges Murilo G. , Yela Daniela A. , Benetti‐Pinto Cristina L. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundDespite advances in treatments for endometriosis, some symptoms persist owing to the chronic inflammation observed in this disease.ObjectiveTo identify resources, methods, and/or complementary treatments to alleviate the pain symptoms of endometriosis, and to identify adverse effects of treatments.Search strategyLilacs, Scielo, PEDro, Scopus, Pubmed, CENTRAL Cochrane, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were searched for studies published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish to July 31, 2017, using the terms “physical therapy” OR “complementary treatment” AND “endometriosis”.Selection criteriaRandomized controlled trials relating to complementary pelvic pain treatment and adverse effects.Data collection and analysisEight studies were identified; two studies were included in the meta‐analysis.Main resultsThe complementary interventions studied were acupuncture, exercise, electrotherapy, and yoga. All were inconclusive in affirming benefit, but demonstrated a positive trend in the treatment of symptoms of endometriosis. Meta‐analysis of acupuncture showed a significant benefit in pain reduction as compared with placebo (P=0.007).ConclusionsNumerous complementary treatments have been used to alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis, but only acupuncture has demonstrated a significant improvement in outcomes. Nevertheless, other approaches demonstrated positive trends toward improving symptoms; this should encourage investigators to design controlled studies to support their applicability.
How information and communication technology affects decision‐making on innovation diffusion: An agent‐based modelling approach
Authors: Fernández‐Márquez Carlos M. , Vázquez Francisco J. 
Published: June 2018

SummaryWe introduce a computational agent‐based model of innovation diffusion that allows us to analyse the influence of information and communication technology (ICT) development on decision‐making. Model dynamics are based on local emulation between pairs of individuals that generate an evolving social network on which an innovation is virally spread (by word of mouth). Results suggest that ICT development affects the data usefulness for decision‐making by changing the topology of the social network (the means whereby the innovation is propagated). Paradoxically, a higher level of ICT development (providing a larger volume of data) narrows the differences between better and worse launch strategies, thus reducing data‐driven decision‐making usefulness, which then shows diminishing returns on the ICT level.
The Need for Cosmopolitan Literacy in a Global Age: Implications for Teaching Literature
Authors: Choo Suzanne S. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractGiven the realities of this increasingly connected, complex, and conflicting age, governments and policymakers around the world are recognizing the importance of global education. The field of literacy has not been immune to the pressure to globalize. Today, the notion of literacy must account not merely for social processes but also for global processes. The global turn in literacy studies affirms the cultural and linguistic diversity of students and acknowledges the need to empower them with a plurality of literacies—critical, digital, information, and multilingual literacies, among others—to prepare them for future workplaces. Among the range of new literacies, the most fundamental is cosmopolitan literacy because it entails critical, aesthetic, and empathetic skills and dispositions needed to engage with diverse values in our globalized world. In this commentary, the author discusses the principles informing cosmopolitan literacy and how it can be developed through literature.
The relationship between serum rheumatoid factor level and no‐reflow phenomenon in patients with acute ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention
Authors: Quisi Alaa , Alıcı Gökhan 
Published: June 2018

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum rheumatoid factor (RF) levels and no‐reflow phenomenon in patients with acute ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).MethodsThis single‐center, cross‐sectional study included a total of 318 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with STEMI and underwent primary PCI within 12 hours of the onset of symptoms. Baseline serum RF levels of all patients were measured. The diagnosis of no‐reflow phenomenon was defined as a flow of TIMI II or less without the presence of dissection, mechanical obstruction, significant residual stenosis, or other plausible causes. The patients were divided into reflow group (n = 283) and no‐reflow group (n = 46) regarding the angiographic features of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow of the infarct‐related artery.ResultsNo‐reflow phenomenon was observed in 13.8% of the patients. Median RF level was significantly higher in no‐reflow group than in reflow group (18.5 (7.0‐27.6) vs 8.0 (4.6‐50.8), P < .001). Forward conditional logistic regression analysis demonstrated that body mass index (OR = 0.845, 95% CI: 0.765 to 0.933, P = .001), diabetes mellitus (OR = 5.257, 95% CI: 1.124 to 24.587, P = .035), baseline RF level (OR = 1.198, 95% CI: 1.108 to 1.295, P < .001), and SYNTAX score I (OR = 1.065, 95% CI: 1.025 to 1.107, P = .001) were the independent predictors of no‐reflow phenomenon.ConclusionBaseline serum RF concentrations are independently associated with the no‐reflow phenomenon in patients undergoing primary PCI for acute STEMI.
Leucocyte telomere length and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: A prospective cohort study and systematic review with meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang Nixiao , Fan Chong , Gong Mengqi , Liang Xue , Zhang Weili , Li Guangping , Tse Gary , Liu Tong 
Published: June 2018

BackgroundTelomere length is a surrogate marker of biological aging. Whether telomere length predicts the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) independently of biological aging is controversial. We conducted a cohort study to examine the relationship between telomere length and paroxysmal AF (PAF), followed by a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the published literature, incorporating our own data.MethodsDNA was extracted from peripheral blood. Leucocyte telomere length was measured by a real‐time polymerase chain reaction‐based method, normalized to a single copy gene, and presented as telomere/single gene ratio (t/s).ResultsA total of 100 non‐AF patients and 50 PAF patients (mean age: 61.0 ± 9.4 and 64.0 ± 10.7 years, respectively) were included. T/s for subjects without AF tended to be shorter than for those with AF (0.21 [0.06‐0.36] vs 0.28 [0.11‐0.71], P = .077). T/s was associated with a 1.60‐fold increase in the risk of AF but this was not significant (95% CI: 0.988‐2.597, P = .056). Our meta‐analysis confirms no difference in telomere length between AF and non‐AF patients and t/s was not associated with higher risk of AF in multivariate analysis.ConclusionsOur prospective data showed that leucocyte telomere length was similar between AF and non‐AF patients but was significantly longer in male patients with PAF than those without AF in our subgroup analysis. Our meta‐analysis found that t/s did not predict AF. These findings support the notion that chronological aging, but not markers of biological aging, predicts the risk of AF.
Retracted: Zerumbone inhibits epithelial‐mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cells properties by inhibiting the β‐catenin pathway through miR‐200c
Authors: Dermani Fatemeh Karimi , Amini Razieh , Saidijam Massoud , Pourjafar Mona , Saki Sahar , Najafi Rezvan 
Published: June 2018

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most lethal and rampant human malignancies in the world. Zerumbone, a sesquiterpene isolated from subtropical ginger, has been found to exhibit an antitumor effect in various cancer types. However, the effect of Zerumbone on the biological properties of CRC, including epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cells (CSCs) has not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the inhibitory action of Zerumbone on the EMT process, CSC markers, and the β‐catenin signaling pathway in the presence or absence of miR‐200c. The effect of Zerumbone on HCT‐116 and SW‐48 cells viability was examined by 3‐(4, 5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2, 5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The effects of Zerumbone on EMT‐related genes, CSCs markers, cell migration, invasion, sphere‐forming, and β‐catenin signaling pathway were explored. To evaluate the role of miR‐200c in anticancer effects by Zerumbone, miR‐200c was downregulated by LNA‐anti‐miR‐200c. Zerumbone significantly inhibited cell viability, migration, invasion, and sphere‐forming potential in HCT‐116 and SW‐48 cell lines. Zerumbone significantly suppressed the EMT and CSC properties as well as downregulated the β‐catenin. Silencing of miR200c reduced the inhibitory effects of Zerumbone on EMT and CSCs in CRC cells. These data indicated that Zerumbone may be a promising candidate for reducing the risk of CRC progression by suppressing the β‐catenin pathway via miR‐200c.
Biomarker hydrogen isotope composition (δD) as proxy for Holocene hydroclimatic change and seismic activity in SW Peloponnese, Greece
Authors: Norström Elin , Katrantsiotis Christos , Finné Martin , Risberg Jan , Smittenberg Rienk H. , Bjursäter Stefan 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTWe present a 6000‐year‐long record tracing hydroclimate changes in SW Greece, based on hydrogen isotope composition of aquatic plant‐derived n‐C23 alkanes (δDC23) in a sediment core from the Messenian plain, Peloponnese. The δDC23 record co‐varies with other eastern Mediterranean records, suggesting relatively wetter conditions c. 6–4.5 ka, followed by progressively drier conditions leading up to maximum aridity c. 2.8 ka. This arid phase was interrupted by a shift in δDC23 between 3.3 and 3.1 ka inferring wetter conditions and/or tentative responses to anthropogenic water regulating activities during the Late Bronze Age. After 2.7 ka, a return to more humid conditions was followed by increased dryness and stronger seasonality contrasts from c. 2.0 ka. The δDC23 record shows three short‐lived excursions (5.7, 5.3, 2.8 ka), where isotope values dropped by >20‰ and immediately stabilized again. The events were paralleled by abrupt increases in sedimentation rates. We hypothesize that the isotopic shifts represent a response to mixing of ground water systems during tectonic events, followed by sealing of seismically derived cracks in the active fault. The outcome of the study is promising for future expansion of isotope‐based proxies on sediments in the region, to reconstruct both hydroclimate and past seismic activity.
Basalt fibers grafted with a poly(ionic liquids) coating for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction
Authors: Feng Juanjuan , Wang Xiuqin , Tian Yu , Luo Chuannan , Sun Min 
Published: June 2018

AbstractTo improve the durability and extraction efficiency of an ionic liquid coating, 1‐dodecyl‐3‐vinylimidazolium bromide was polymerized and grafted onto basalt fibers for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. To develop an extraction tube, basalt fibers grafted with the poly(ionic liquids) coating were filled into a polyether ether ketone tube with a 0.75 mm inner diameter. The extraction tube was connected to high‐performance liquid chromatography system equipped with a sampling pump to build an online enrichment and analysis system. Using four common phthalates as model analytes, the extraction tube was investigated by the online analysis system. Good enrichment performance was exhibited by high enrichment factors ranging from 851 to 1858. Under the optimum conditions, an online analysis method was established, and good linearity (0.03–12 and 0.15–12 μg/L) and low limits of detection (0.01–0.05 μg/L) were achieved. This analysis method was applied to real samples including water in a disposable plastic box and the bottled water, some targets were detected but not quantified, and the relative recoveries spiked at 2, 5 and 10 μg/L were in the range of 86.4–119.5%.