bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Polyelectrolyte micelles in salt‐free solutions: Micelle size and electrostatic potential
Authors: Miliou Kalliopi , Gergidis Leonidas N. , Vlahos Costas 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTThe structural and electrical characteristics of polyelectrolyte micelles formed by diblock copolymers with one charged block and one solvophobic block are studied by the means of molecular dynamics simulations using the Primitive model at different Bjerrum lengths. The properties of interest are the mean aggregation number, the shape, the electrical potential as a function of the distance of the micelle's center of mass and the zeta potential. We found that for partially charged short A blocks the micelles’ mass distribution function is at least bimodal, indicating the coexistence of small and large micelles in agreement with theoretical and experimental findings. The zeta potential is not a monotonic function of the length of the charged block. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018, 56, 924–934
Pharmacological upregulation of prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expression in prostate cancer cells
Authors: Kranzbühler Benedikt , Salemi Souzan , Umbricht Christoph A. , Müller Cristina , Burger Irene A. , Sulser Tullio , Eberli Daniel 
Published: April 2018

BackgroundProstate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA)‐based imaging and therapy are increasingly used for prostate cancer management. However, limitations are a low PSMA expression in certain patients. Androgen receptor axis inhibition can induce PSMA expression in vitro. We hypothesized that different approved compounds upregulate PSMA expression and tested their effect in vitro.MethodsAndrogen receptor (AR) expressing prostate cancer (LNCaP) and epithelial prostate cells (PNT1A) were treated for 7 days with enzalutamide, dutasteride, rapamycin, metformin, lovastatin, and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). PSMA and AR protein expression was assessed using flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting. Furthermore, uptake and internalization of 177Lu‐PSMA‐617 was performed.ResultsEnzalutamide and dutasteride led to a significant (both P < 0.05) upregulation of PSMA surface levels in LNCaP cells. In addition, treatment with rapamycin showed a non‐significant trend toward PSMA upregulation. No changes were detected after treatment with vehicle, metformin, lovastatin, and ASA. Total PSMA protein expression was significantly enhanced after treatment with enzalutamide and rapamycin (both P < 0.05), whereas dutasteride led to a non‐significant upregulation. Uptake of 177Lu‐PSMA‐617 was significantly increased after treatment of LNCaP with enzalutamide, dutasteride, and rapamycin (P < 0.05). In addition, internalization was significantly increased by enzalutamide and rapamycin (P < 0.05), and non‐significantly increased by dutasteride.ConclusionIn conclusion, our data provide new insights into the effect of different approved pharmacological compounds that can markedly upregulate PSMA expression and radioligand uptake in vitro. Pharmacologically induced PSMA expression may prove useful to improve prostate cancer detection and to enhance anticancer effects in PSMA‐based therapy.
Comparative proteome analysis reveals pathogen specific outer membrane proteins of Leptospira
Authors: Dhandapani Gunasekaran , Sikha Thoduvayil , Rana Aarti , Brahma Rahul , Akhter Yusuf , Gopalakrishnan Madanan Madathiparambil 
Published: April 2018

AbstractProteomes of pathogenic Leptospira interrogans and L. borgpetersenii and the saprophytic L. biflexa were filtered through computational tools to identify Outer Membrane Proteins (OMPs) that satisfy the required biophysical parameters for their presence on the outer membrane. A total of 133, 130, and 144 OMPs were identified in L. interrogans, L. borgpetersenii, and L. biflexa, respectively, which forms approximately 4% of proteomes. A holistic analysis of transporting and pathogenic characteristics of OMPs together with Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs) among the OMPs and their distribution across 3 species was made and put forward a set of 21 candidate OMPs specific to pathogenic leptospires. It is also found that proteins homologous to the candidate OMPs were also present in other pathogenic species of leptospires. Six OMPs from L. interrogans and 2 from L. borgpetersenii observed to have similar COGs while those were not found in any intermediate or saprophytic forms. These OMPs appears to have role in infection and pathogenesis and useful for anti‐leptospiral strategies.
δ13C values in archaeological 14C‐AMS dated charcoals: Assessing mid‐Holocene climate fluctuations and human response from a high‐resolution isotope record (Arslantepe, Turkey)
Authors: Vignola C. , Masi A. , Balossi Restelli F. , Frangipane M. , Marzaioli F. , Passariello I. , Rubino M. , Terrasi F. , Sadori L. 
Published: April 2018

RationalePast climate has always influenced human adaptation to the environment. In order to reconstruct palaeoclimate fluctuations and their role in the evolution of Near Eastern societies during the mid‐Holocene, high‐resolution Δ13C records from fossil wood remains at the archaeoloical site of Arslantepe (eastern Turkey) have been developed.MethodsAfter chemical treatment, δ13C values were measured by sample combustion flow using a FLASH EA‐CHNS instrument interfaced with a Delta V isotope ratio mass spectrometer via a CONFLO III. Two replicates per sample were analysed. The measurement precision was evaluated by propagating variations of the δ13C values of samples and V‐PDB standards, whereas the accuracy was checked by a quality control sample. To account for changes in atmospheric CO2, Δ13C values were calculated. In addition, 14C/12C ratios were measured by means of an AMS system (3 MV tandem accelerator).ResultsMean Δ13C curves of deciduous Quercus and Juniperus from archaeological levels between 4700 and 2000 bc (Arslantepe periods VIII‐VI D) were produced, where the isotope values were ordered by the available Radiocarbon ages. Interspecific variations of evergreen vs deciduous plants were postulated for the juniper Δ13C values being higher than 3‰. The seasonal rainfall amount was recorded by the juniper remains, while the water table levels were obtained from the oak samples.ConclusionsThe local climate experienced times of enhanced/reduced precipitation in concert with regional trends. Anomalies in the air mass circulation from the Mediterranean basin also produced oscillations of rainfall amount. In such a frame the Rapid Climate Change dry events had a consistent signature in the Arslantepe Δ13C record, thus potentially contributing to social or organisational changes at the site.
Robust analysis of stepped wedge trials using cluster‐level summaries within periods
Authors: Thompson J.A. , Davey C. , Fielding K. , Hargreaves J.R. , Hayes R.J. 
Published: April 2018

In stepped‐wedge trials (SWTs), the intervention is rolled out in a random order over more than 1 time‐period. SWTs are often analysed using mixed‐effects models that require strong assumptions and may be inappropriate when the number of clusters is small.We propose a non‐parametric within‐period method to analyse SWTs. This method estimates the intervention effect by comparing intervention and control conditions in a given period using cluster‐level data corresponding to exposure. The within‐period intervention effects are combined with an inverse‐variance‐weighted average, and permutation tests are used. We present an example and, using simulated data, compared the method to (1) a parametric cluster‐level within‐period method, (2) the most commonly used mixed‐effects model, and (3) a more flexible mixed‐effects model. We simulated scenarios where period effects were common to all clusters, and when they varied according to a distribution informed by routinely collected health data.The non‐parametric within‐period method provided unbiased intervention effect estimates with correct confidence‐interval coverage for all scenarios. The parametric within‐period method produced confidence intervals with low coverage for most scenarios. The mixed‐effects models' confidence intervals had low coverage when period effects varied between clusters but had greater power than the non‐parametric within‐period method when period effects were common to all clusters.The non‐parametric within‐period method is a robust method for analysing SWT. The method could be used by trial statisticians who want to emphasise that the SWT is a randomised trial, in the common position of being uncertain about whether data will meet the assumptions necessary for mixed‐effect models.
Sustainable Synthesis of Co@NC Core Shell Nanostructures from Metal Organic Frameworks via Mechanochemical Coordination Self‐Assembly: An Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Authors: Peera Shaik Gouse , Balamurugan Jayaraman , Kim Nam Hoon , Lee Joong Hee 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHerein, a new type of cobalt encapsulated nitrogen‐doped carbon (Co@NC) nanostructure employing ZnxCo1−x(C3H4N2) metal–organic framework (MOF) as precursor is developed, by a simple, ecofriendly, solvent‐free approach that utilizes a mechanochemical coordination self‐assembly strategy. Possible evolution of ZnxCo1−x(C3H4N2) MOF structures and their conversion to Co@NC nanostructures is established from an X‐ray diffraction technique and transmission electron microscopy analysis, which reveal that MOF‐derived Co@NC core–shell nanostructures are well ordered and highly crystalline in nature. Co@NC–MOF core–shell nanostructures show excellent catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), with onset potential of 0.97 V and half‐wave potential of 0.88 V versus relative hydrogen electrode in alkaline electrolyte, and excellent durability with zero degradation after 5000 potential cycles; whereas under similar experimental conditions, the commonly utilized Pt/C electrocatalyst degrades. The Co@NC–MOF electrocatalyst also shows excellent tolerance to methanol, unlike the Pt/C electrocatalyst. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis shows the presence of ORR active pyridinic‐N and graphitic‐N species, along with CoNxCy and CoNx ORR active (M–N–C) sites. Enhanced electron transfer kinetics from nitrogen‐doped carbon shell to core Co nanoparticles, the existence of M–N–C active sites, and protective NC shells are responsible for high ORR activity and durability of the Co@NC–MOF electrocatalyst.
The 2017 Shooting of Kuki Gallmann and the Politics of Conservation in Northern Kenya
Authors: Fox Graham R. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract:This article situates the shooting of white Kenyan landowner Kuki Gallmann within recent critiques of community-based conservation and the politics of whiteness in Kenya. I discuss how conservation has enabled white landowners to consolidate their influence over Laikipia County, as well as neighboring regions of Kenya via an organization called the Northern Rangelands Trust. The NRT is feared to be undermining regional livestock economies, while contributing to land shortages that have precipitated violence in Laikipia. I argue that the pastoralists implicated in these conflicts are subject to a maelstrom of livelihood stressors, some of which are aggravated by the efforts of white Kenyans to expand conservation throughout northern Kenya.
No round wandering domains for -diffeomorphisms of tori
Authors: MERENKOV SERGEI 
Published: April 2018

We prove that if
$n\geq 2$
, then there is no
$C^{1}$
-diffeomorphism
$f$
of the
$n$
-torus such that
$f$
is semi-conjugate to a minimal translation and its wandering domains are geometric balls. This improves a recent result of Navas, who proved it assuming
$C^{n+1}$
regularity of
$f$
.
Sedimentary architecture of the southern basin of Lake of the Woods, Minnesota and its relation to Lake Agassiz history and Holocene environmental change
Authors: Hougardy Devin D. , Colman Steven M. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractLake of the Woods (LOTW) is a large, complex lake basin once occupied by glacial Lake Agassiz. High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles and cores in the shallow, open southern basin of LOTW reveal a sedimentary architecture comprising four lacustrine units separated by three low-stand unconformities. These units represent several phases of Lake Agassiz and its changing configuration. One unconformity marks the Moorhead low phase and another marks the separation of LOTW from Lake Agassiz, perhaps ~10 cal ka BP, as the level of the latter fell, but before final drainage of Agassiz. Initially, the separate Holocene lake in the southern basin was broad and shallow, sometimes marshy or dry. Shortly after 8 cal ka BP, the southern basin dried up completely, despite the progressive rise of the northern outlet of the lake due to differential isostatic uplift. The resulting hiatus is related to the well-documented mid-Holocene arid interval in central North America. A return to wetter conditions in the late Holocene caused the southern basin of LOTW to refill since about 3800 cal yr BP. Late Holocene sediments have accumulated slightly asymmetrically in the basin, possible due to continued southward transgression of the lake as a result of isostatic tilting.
REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN POSITIVE SEXUAL
BEHAVIOUR AMONG YOUTH IN SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA
Authors: Odimegwu Clifford , Somefun Oluwaseyi Dolapo , Chisumpa Vesper H. 
Published: April 2018

SummaryThe question of youth sexual behaviour has been widely
debated, with researchers such as Berhan and Berhan
(2015)
arguing that young adults aged 15–24 are more likely
to engage in risky behaviours. However, research has
not adequately addressed the issue of positive
sexual behaviours, in particular among young people
in sub-Saharan Africa. Adapting the compensatory
model of risk and resiliency theory, this study
examined the determinants of positive sexual
behaviours among youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Using
recent data from Demographic and Health Surveys of
sixteen countries representative of each African
region (East, West, Southern and Central), it was
hypothesized that positive sexual behaviours of
youth (condom use at last sex and single sexual
partnership) would be most strengthened by
protective factors at the individual and family
levels, and that these behaviours would differ by
region due to regional variation in socio-cultural
practices. Delayed age at sexual debut (first sex
after the age of 15) was found to be the strongest
protective factor for positive sexual behaviours
among males and females in sub-Saharan Africa.
Certain socioeconomic variables were found to be
positively associated with positive sexual
behaviours and the associations differed by
gender.
Paradoxes of the Museification of the Past in Nineteenth-Century Chile: The Case of the Coloniaje Exhibition of 1873
Authors: FABA PAULINA 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe Coloniaje Exhibition, held in September 1873 in Santiago, Chile, represents a milestone in the history of Chilean museums. As the first retrospective display of the history of the Chilean nation, it was an important precedent for the collections that led to the construction of the National Historical Museum in 1911. By examining the ideas associated with the history of the colonial era and the museography related to the exhibition, this article analyses the ambiguous ways in which the Coloniaje Exhibition mobilised the colonial past in the context of the ascendancy of liberalism and the transformation of Santiago's urban social life. Situated between alienation and identification – between critiquing the colonial system and celebrating its imprint on Chilean society – the Coloniaje Exhibition is important for the understanding of postcolonial societies in Latin America.
Dissociation in victims of childhood abuse or neglect: a meta-analytic review
Authors: Vonderlin Ruben , Kleindienst Nikolaus , Alpers Georg W. , Bohus Martin , Lyssenko Lisa , Schmahl Christian 
Published: April 2018

AbstractChildhood abuse and neglect are associated with dissociative symptoms in adulthood. However, empirical studies show heterogeneous results depending on the type of childhood abuse or neglect and other maltreatment characteristics. In this meta-analysis, we systematically investigated the relationship between childhood interpersonal maltreatment and dissociation in 65 studies with 7352 abused or neglected individuals using the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). We extracted DES-scores for abused and non-abused populations as well as information about type of abuse/neglect, age of onset, duration of abuse, and relationship to the perpetrator. Random-effects models were used for data synthesis, and meta-regression was used to predict DES-scores in abused populations from maltreatment characteristics. The results revealed higher dissociation in victims of childhood abuse and neglect compared with non-abused or neglected subsamples sharing relevant population features (MAbuse= 23.5,MNeglect= 18.8,MControl= 13.8) with highest scores for sexual and physical abuse. An earlier age of onset, a longer duration of abuse, and parental abuse significantly predicted higher dissociation scores. This meta-analysis underlines the importance of childhood abuse/neglect in the etiology of dissociation. The identified moderators may inform risk assessment and early intervention to prevent the development of dissociative symptoms.
Social anxiety in the eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Kerr-Gaffney Jess , Harrison Amy , Tchanturia Kate 
Published: April 2018

AbstractSocial anxiety disorder is one of the most common comorbid conditions in eating disorders (EDs). The aim of the current review and meta-analysis is to provide a qualitative summary of what is known about social anxiety (SA) in EDs, as well as to compare levels of SA in those with EDs and healthy controls. Electronic databases were systematically searched for studies using self-report measures of SA in ED populations. In total, 38 studies were identified, 12 of which were included in the meta-analyses. For both anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa, there were significant differences between ED groups and HCs, with medium to large effect sizes. Findings from the qualitative review indicate that levels of SA are similar across the ED diagnoses, and SA improves with treatment in AN. In addition, high levels of SA are associated with more severe ED psychopathology, but not body mass index. These findings add to the wider literature on socio-emotional functioning in EDs, and may have implications for treatment strategies.
Targeting single mothers? Dynamics of contracting Australian employment services and activation policies at the street level
Authors: BRADY MICHELLE 
Published: April 2018

AbstractActivation reforms targeted at single parents simultaneously construct them as a legitimate target for activation policy and subject them to new obligations to engage in paid work or education/training. The social policy literature has established that the work of ‘making-up’ target groups occurs at the street level as well as in government legislation. The street level has become even more significant in recent years as there has been a shift towards establishing quasi-markets for the delivery of welfare-to-work programmes and organising these around the principles of performance pay and process flexibility. However, what is largely missing from the existing literature is an analysis of how contract conditions, together with individuals' activation obligations, shape how they are targeted at the street level. Drawing on a study conducted over eight years with agencies in Australia's quasi-market for employment services, this paper argues that the changes to the contracts for governing this market changed how Australian single mothers were targeted by employment services. Over time there was a shift away from making-up single-parent clients as a distinct, vulnerable target group and a shift towards viewing them in terms of risk categories described within the agencies’ contracts.
ETHICS EVALUATION REVEALING DECISION-MAKER MOTIVES: A CASE OF NEONATAL SCREENING
Authors: Raimond Véronique , Sambuc Cléa , Pibouleau Leslie 
Published: April 2018

Objectives:This paper aims to describe the added value of combining cost-effectiveness and ethical evaluations when the preferences of the decision maker toward cost-effectiveness evaluation outcomes are not known, with the French national neonatal screening of cystic fibrosis (CF) as a case-study.Methods:A cost-effectiveness analysis comparing four CF neonatal screening strategies, with or without DNA testing, was performed. Ethical positions toward their outcomes were described. In addition, apost-hocanalysis of the ethical issues being considered relevant from the decision-makers’ perspective was conducted.Results:Two strategies were found equally cost-effective. Among them, choosing the non-DNA or a DNA-based strategy constrains the decision maker to render a judgement between different ethical issues or disagreements associated with the screening program.Conclusions:The analysis supports the relevance of combining cost-effectiveness and ethics evaluation in developing health policy, as a way to reveal or clarify the motives associated with health. The choice of the decision maker to favor the DNA-based strategy, which was not originally recommended, creates the opportunity to make explicit the role played by ethical issues in the decision.
Granulysin as a novel factor for the prognosis of the clinical course of chickenpox
Authors: Baljic R. , Gojak R. , Konjo H. , Hukic M. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractGranulysin is a recently discovered cytolytic protein of natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Studies of healthy and immunocompromised patients with primary or recurrent varicella-zoster infections demonstrate the importance of virus-specific cellular immunity in controlling viral replication, but also some studies presented granulysin as a molecule that can play a role in chickenpox immunopathogenesis. This study investigated possible correlation between serum granulysin levels and clinical course of chickenpox. A total of 69 patients with chickenpox were included in the study. We measured the levels of granulysin and percentage count for CD4+, CD8+ and NK cells in serum for all patients and healthy controls. For detection and quantification of granulysin in sera, we performed ELISA test and flow cytometry for detection, identification and percentage measurement of T and B lymphocytes. Descriptive methods, analysis of variance and multivariate logistic regression were used for statistical data analysis. We found respective correlation between serum granulysin level and severity of clinical presentation. These findings can be a good input for further studies, since there is no relevant prognostic parameter of chickenpox in everyday clinical practice. Granulysin, as a therapeutic, also deserves to be a point of interests in the future. If we prove its potential to stop dissemination of human herpes viruses, possibilities to use it in some life-threatening forms of viral disease can be very valuable.