bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Polymer‐spray mass spectrometric detection and quantitation of hydrophilic compounds and some narcotics
Authors: Dulay Maria T. , Zare Richard N. 
Published: August 2017

RationaleHigh‐throughput screening of biofluids is essential in monitoring concentration of a variety of drugs to determine their efficacy and toxicity. Organosiloxane polymers prepared by sol‐gel chemistry as sample supports, and electrospray ionization emitters in a single material and as an alternative to paper substrates, is described in this study.MethodsHydrophobic drugs and hydrophilic streptomycin were analyzed by polymer‐spray mass spectrometry with an LTQ‐Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Drug samples in urine (1–2 μL) were deposited on an OSX polymer, allowed to dry, then electrosprayed from the polymer tip into the mass spectrometer without sample pretreatment. The OSX polymers, whose polarity and porosity can be controlled, were prepared by sol‐gel chemistry where methyl‐substituted alkoxysilanes were hydrolyzed in the presence of a pore template and an acid catalyst.ResultsFive nanograms each of seven narcotic drugs were detected in <1 min (relative standard deviation (RSD) of response <1% for each drug). Calibration curves of cocaine and streptomycin in urine were used to establish the performance of the polymer. For sample 1 (n = 2), the mean recovery for cocaine was 81% with paper and 90% with polymer. Streptomycin is detected with polymer, not with paper; for samples 1 and 2 (n = 3), mean recovery was 97% and 95%, respectively.ConclusionsOrganosiloxane polymers achieve more sensitive analysis than paper, allowing for more accurate quantitation of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drug compounds. The ability to tailor the polymer polarity and porosity allows for the synthesis of a wide range of polymers, and thus opens many possibilities for further development and applications.
The Synthetic and Biological Aspects of Prenylation as the Versatile Tool for Estrogenic Activity Modulation
Authors: Lozinski Oleg , Bennetau‐Pelissero Catherine , Shinkaruk Svitlana 
Published: August 2017

AbstractPrenyl group is a ubiquitous structural moiety in natural compounds showing a wide spectrum of different biological activities with potential benefits for human health. This review presents the current knowledge on the prenylation of aromatic compounds such as flavonoids and coumarins. The references to the ‘classical’ methods that encompass Friedel‐Crafts reaction using prenyl alcohol and boron trifluoride, and alkylation with prenyl bromide in the presence of strong bases are given in comparison with the most state‐of‐the‐art prenylation methods. This review highlights the marked advance that has been achieved so far and makes prenyl group installment a versatile tool in the synthesis of drug candidates, natural compounds, and building blocks. Different aspects of prenyl group assembling methods are reported in more than 30 syntheses of natural substances and their analogues. The last part highlights a role of prenylation in flavonoid bioavailability and bioactivity modulation especially regarding their estrogenicity.
Hierarchical Porous Carbons Derived from Rice Husk for Supercapacitors with High Activity and High Capacitance Retention Capability
Authors: Xiao Yong , Zheng Mingtao , Chen Xun , Feng Haobin , Dong Hanwu , Hu Hang , Liang Yeru , Jiang San Ping , Liu Yingliang 
Published: August 2017

AbstractHierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) were derived from rice husk biomass wastes via an effective HF treatment. HF treatment removes ash content and enhances the hierarchical porous structure of rice husk derived carbon with high electrochemical activity and high rate capacity for supercapacitors. The rice husk‐derived and HF treated HPCs exhibit a maximum capacitance of ca. 429 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and excellent rate capability, reaching 240 F g−1 at an ultrahigh current density of 50 A g−1. This is significantly better than 155 F g−1 at 50 A g−1 obtained on rice husk derived HPC but with no HF treatment. Moreover, the HF treated HPCs electrodes also exhibit good cycle stability over 95% capacitance retention after 20 000 cycles at a high charge current of 10 A g−1. The increased rate of capacitance and rate capability of the HF treated HPCs based supercapacitors demonstrate that HF treatment is a simple and facile way to produce effective hierarchical structured carbons from natural biomass wastes with enhanced electrochemical performances for energy storage and conversion applications.
Development and Biological Evaluation of Imidazothiazole propenones as Tubulin Inhibitors that Effectively Triggered Apoptotic Cell Death in Alveolar Lung Cancer Cell Line
Authors: Bin Sayeed Ibrahim , Garikapati Koteswara Rao , Makani Venkata Krishna Kanth , Nagarajan Apoorva , Shareef Mohd Adil , Alarifi Abdullah , Pal‐Bhadra Manika , Kamal Ahmed 
Published: August 2017

AbstractA new class of imidazothiazole‐propenones was synthesized and investigated for their anti‐proliferative activity against various human cancer cell lines. Promising activities were observed in five congeners 8 k, 8 l, 8 n, 8 o and 8 v with interesting cytotoxicity profiles. The detailed biological aspects of these congeners towards human lung cancer cell line (A549) were studied. Cell cycle assay revealed that these molecules arrested cell growth in G2/M phase of the cell cycle in a concentration‐dependent manner and lead to apoptotic cell death, confirmed by caspase‐3 activation assay. Further, the tubulin polymerization inhibition analysis results suggested that these congeners exhibited significant inhibitory effect on the tubulin assembly. Western blotting displayed that pro‐apoptotic proteins were markedly up regulated resulting in apoptosis. The investigations displayed that such congeners containing imidazothiazole‐propenone have the potential in the development of newer chemotherapeutic agents.
What do we really know about corporate hedging? A meta-analytical study
Authors: Geyer-Klingeberg Jerome , Hang Markus , Rathgeber Andreas W. , Stöckl Stefan , Walter Matthias 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThis paper employs meta-analysis to aggregate and systematically analyze the mixed empirical evidence on the determinants of corporate hedging reported in 132 previously published studies covering data from more than 73,000 firms. Among the fourteen proxy variables analyzed by multivariate meta-analysis, three variables emerge as reliable explanatory factors for corporate hedging decisions supporting the bankruptcy and financial distress hypothesis: dividend yield (positive sign), liquidity (negative sign), and firm size (positive sign). Moreover, for tax-loss carry forwards (positive sign) and research and development (positive sign), our findings indicate a weak impact on corporate hedging behavior reflecting tax reasons, the coordination between financing and investment, and agency conflicts between shareholders and debtholders. Regarding the asymmetric information and agency conflicts of equity hypothesis, we find no explanatory power. The further analysis of heterogeneity via meta-regression reveals several factors that determine the mixed empirical evidence reported in previous studies. First, the results indicate that studies analyzing firms from North America report, on average, a lower impact of leverage on the corporate hedging decision. Moreover, studies examining more recent data samples tend to find a weaker relation between tangible assets and hedging, R&D and hedging, respectively. Overall, our results encourage scientific research to put more emphasis on finer-grained examinations of hedging variations and to discover rationales of corporate hedging extending classical financial theories.
Constructing an International Community
Authors: Hakimi Monica 
Published: August 2017

AbstractWhat unites states and other global actors around a shared governance project? How does the group—what I will call an “international community”—coalesce and stay engaged in the enterprise? A frequent assumption is that an international community is cemented by its members’ commonalities and depleted by their intractable disagreements. This article critiques that assumption and presents, as an alternative, a theory that accounts for the combined integration and discord that actually characterize most global governance associations. I argue that conflict, especially conflict that manifests in law, is not necessarily corrosive to an international community. To the contrary, it often is a unifying force that helps constitute and fortify the community and support the governance project. As such, international legal conflict can have systemic value for the global order, even when it lacks substantive resolution. The implications for the design and practice of international law are far-reaching.
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with the gut microbiota pattern and gastrointestinal characteristics in an adult population
Authors: Mitsou Evdokia K. , Kakali Aimilia , Antonopoulou Smaragdi , Mountzouris Konstantinos C. , Yannakoulia Mary , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B. , Kyriacou Adamantini 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThis study aimed to explore the potential associations of adherence to the Mediterranean diet with gut microbiota characteristics and gastrointestinal symptomatology in an adult population. Other long-term dietary habits (e.g. consumption of snacks and junk food or stimulant intake) were also evaluated in terms of the gut microbiota profile. Participants (n 120) underwent anthropometric, dietary, physical activity and lifestyle evaluation. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed using a Mediterranean diet score, the MedDietScore, and subjects were classified into three tertiles according to individual adherence scoring. Gut microbiota composition was determined using quantitative PCR and plate-count techniques, and faecal SCFA were analysed using GC. Gastrointestinal symptoms were also evaluated. Participants with a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet had lower Escherichia coli counts (P=0·022), a higher bifidobacteria:E. coli ratio (P=0·025), increased levels and prevalence of Candida albicans (P=0·039 and P=0·050, respectively), greater molar ratio of acetate (P=0·009), higher defaecation frequency (P=0·028) and a more pronounced gastrointestinal symptomatology compared with those reporting low adherence. A lower molar ratio of valerate was also observed in the case of high adherence to the Mediterranean diet compared with the other two tertiles (Pfor trend=0·005). Positive correlations of MedDietScore with gastrointestinal symptoms, faecal moisture, total bacteria, bifidobacteria:E. coli ratio, relative share of Bacteroides, C. albicans and total SCFA, as well as negative associations with cultivable E. coli levels and valerate were indicated. Fast food consumption was characterised by suppressed representation of lactobacilli and butyrate-producing bacteria. In conclusion, our findings support a link between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and gut microbiota characteristics.
Three-dimensional imaging of vortex structure in a ferroelectric nanoparticle driven by an electric field
Authors: Karpov D. , Liu Z. , Rolo T. dos Santos , Harder R. , Balachandran P. V. , Xue D. , Lookman T. , Fohtung E. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractTopological defects of spontaneous polarization are extensively studied as templates for unique physical phenomena and in the design of reconfigurable electronic devices. Experimental investigations of the complex topologies of polarization have been limited to surface phenomena, which has restricted the probing of the dynamic volumetric domain morphology in operando. Here, we utilize Bragg coherent diffractive imaging of a single BaTiO3 nanoparticle in a composite polymer/ferroelectric capacitor to study the behavior of a three-dimensional vortex formed due to competing interactions involving ferroelectric domains. Our investigation of the structural phase transitions under the influence of an external electric field shows a mobile vortex core exhibiting a reversible hysteretic transformation path. We also study the toroidal moment of the vortex under the action of the field. Our results open avenues for the study of the structure and evolution of polar vortices and other topological structures in operando in functional materials under cross field configurations.
Controlled radical fluorination of poly(meth)acrylic acids in aqueous solution
Authors: Dong Yucheng , Wang Zhentao , Li Chaozhong 
Published: August 2017

AbstractFluorinated alkenes exhibit very poor reactivity in copolymerization with non-fluorinated polar monomers such as acrylates. Herein we describe a convenient method for the synthesis of poly(vinyl fluoride-co-acrylic acid) and poly(2-fluoropropene-co-methacrylic acid) copolymers. Thus, the silver-catalyzed decarboxylative radical fluorination of poly(acrylic acid) with Selectfluor in water at room temperature affords poly(vinyl fluoride-co-acrylic acid) copolymers in high yields with well-defined molecular weights and polydispersities. A linear correlation is observed between the extent of fluorination and the amount of Selectfluor, indicating that the copolymer of virtually any monomer ratio can be readily accessed by controlling the amount of Selectfluor. This controlled decarboxylative fluorination is extended to poly(methacrylic acid), leading to well-defined poly(2-fluoropropene-co-methacrylic acid) copolymers.
Microsecond Pulse I–V Approach to Understanding Defects in High Mobility Bi-layer Oxide Semiconductor Transistor
Authors: Woo Hyunsuk , Jeon Sanghun 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe carrier transport and device instability of amorphous oxide semiconductor devices are influenced by defects that are exponentially distributed in energy, because of amorphous phase channels and front/back interfaces with a large number of sub-gap states. Thus, understanding defects and charge trapping in oxide semiconductor transistors is required for being core device element in reliable production lines. In this paper, we present the transient charging effect, the charge trapping mechanism, and the dynamic charge transport of high-mobility bilayer oxide semiconductor transistors. To this end, we exploited microsecond ramps, pulse ID–VG, transient current, and discharge current analysis methods. The mobility enhancement rate of single HfInZnO (HIZO) and bilayer HfInZnO-InZnO (HIZO-IZO) were 173.8 and 28.8%, respectively, in the charge-trapping-free environment. Transient charge trapping can be classified to temperature insensitive fast charging and thermally activated slow charging with two different trap energies. Insignificant fast transient charging of a bilayer-oxide high-mobility thin film transistor(TFT) can be explained by the low density of sub-gap states in the oxide semiconductor. Understanding defects and transient charging in the oxide semiconductor helps to determine the origin of device instability of oxide TFTs, and finally, to solve this problem.
Modulating Sound with Acoustic Metafiber Bundles
Authors: Xia Jian-ping , Sun Hong-xiang , Yuan Shou-qi 
Published: August 2017

AbstractAcoustic metamaterials and metasurfaces provide great flexibility for manipulating sound waves and promise unprecedented functionality, ranging from transformation acoustics, acoustic cloaking, acoustic imaging to acoustic rerouting. However, the design of artificial structures with both broad bandwidth and multifunctionality remains challenging with traditional design approaches. Here we present a design and realization of a broadband acoustic metafiber bundle. Very different from previously reported acoustic metamaterials and metasurfaces, not only the metafiber structure is simple, flexible and tunable, but also the metafiber bundle has the advantages of broad bandwidth, high transmission, no resonance-induced energy loss and unchangeable output wavefront owing to eigenmodes in the passbands of the metafiber. Besides, it could also achieve arbitrary complex modulations of cylindrical and plane acoustic wavefronts. The metafiber bundles realize the exciting multifunctionality of both acoustic metamaterials and metasurfaces in a broad frequency range, which provides diverse routes to design novel acoustic devices with versatile applications.
A Tri-part Protein Complementation System Using Antibody-Small Peptide Fusions Enables Homogeneous Immunoassays
Authors: Dixon Andrew S. , Kim Sun Jin , Baumgartner Brett K. , Krippner Sylvia , Owen Shawn C. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractProtein-fragment complementation is a valuable tool for monitoring protein interactions. In complementation assays, the reporter fragments are directly fused to the interacting proteins, eliminating the possibility of monitoring native interactions. In principle, complementation could be achieved by placing the reporter fragments on antibodies which bind to the proteins of interest, enabling the monitoring of endogenous protein interactions or detection of a single protein in a homogeneous immunoassay. Previous reports have demonstrated proof-of-concept of this approach; however, current complementation systems have not met the practical requirements as suitable fusion partners for antibodies while providing the sensitivity needed for immunoassays. To surmount these challenges, we created a first-in-class, tri-part split luciferase consisting of two 11-residue peptides that are used as the antibody appendages. As an initial proof-of-concept, we used antibody-peptide fusions and found them to be capable of quantifying pg/mL concentrations of soluble or cell-bound HER2, proving this unique complementation system overcomes previous limitations and transforms this approach from merely possible to practical and useful. As shown herein, this dual-peptide system provides a rapid, simple, and sensitive “add-and-read” homogeneous immunoassay platform that can be broadly adapted as an alternative to traditional immunoassays, and in the future should enable complementation to be expanded to monitoring endogenous protein interactions.
Neuroimaging of sport concussion: persistent alterations in brain structure and function at medical clearance
Authors: Churchill Nathan W. , Hutchison Michael G. , Richards Doug , Leung General , Graham Simon J. , Schweizer Tom A. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe medical decision of return to play (RTP) after a sport concussion is largely based on symptom status following a graded exercise protocol. However, it is currently unknown how objective markers of brain structure and function relate to clinical recovery. The goal of this study was to determine whether differences in brain structure and function at acute injury remain present at RTP. In this longitudinal study, 54 active varsity athletes were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including 27 with recent concussion, imaged at both acute injury and medical clearance, along with 27 matched controls. Diffusion tensor imaging was used to measure fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of white matter and resting-state functional MRI was used to measure global functional connectivity (Gconn). At acute injury, concussed athletes had reduced FA and increased MD, along with elevated Gconn; these effects remained present at RTP. Athletes who took longer to reach RTP also showed elevated Gconn in dorsal brain regions, but no significant white matter effects. This study presents the first evidence of altered brain structure and function at the time of medical clearance to RTP, with greater changes in brain function for athletes with a longer recovery time.
Fragile temporal prediction in patients with schizophrenia is related to minimal self disorders
Authors: Martin Brice , Franck Nicolas , Cermolacce Michel , Falco Agnès , Benair Anabel , Etienne Estelle , Weibel Sébastien , Coull Jennifer T. , Giersch Anne 
Published: August 2017

AbstractPatients with schizophrenia have difficulty in making sensory predictions, in the time domain, which have been proposed to be related to self-disorders. However experimental evidence is lacking. We examined both voluntary and automatic forms of temporal prediction in 28 patients and 24 matched controls. A visual cue predicted (temporal cue) or not (neutral cue) the time (400 ms/1000 ms) at which a subsequent target was presented. In both patients and controls, RTs were faster for targets presented after long versus short intervals due to the temporal predictability inherent in the elapse of time (“hazard function”). This RT benefit was correlated with scores on the EASE scale, which measures disorders of the self: patients with a high ‘self-awareness and presence’ score did not show any significant benefit of the hazard function, whereas this ability was preserved in patients with a low score. Moreover, all patients were abnormally sensitive to the presence of “catch” trials (unexpected absence of a target) within a testing block, with RTs actually becoming slower at long versus short intervals. These results indicate fragility in patients’ ability to continuously extract temporally predictive information from the elapsing interval. This deficit might contribute to perturbations of the minimal self in patients.
An epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-inducing potential of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor in colon cancer
Authors: Chen Yaqiong , Zhao Zhi , Chen Yu , Lv Zhonglin , Ding Xin , Wang Renxi , Xiao He , Hou Chunmei , Shen Beifen , Feng Jiannan , Guo Renfeng , Li Yan , Peng Hui , Han Gencheng , Chen Guojiang 
Published: August 2017

AbstractGrowing evidence shows that granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has progression-promoting potentials in certain solid tumors, which is largely attributed to the immunomodulatory function of this cytokine in tumor niches. However, little is known about the effect of GM-CSF on cancer cells. Herein, we show that chronic exposure of colon cancer cells to GM-CSF, which harbor its receptor, leads to occurrence of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), in time and dose-dependent manners. These GM-CSF-educated cancer cells exhibit enhanced ability of motilityin vitroandin vivo. Furthermore, GM-CSF stimulation renders colon cancer cells more resistant to cytotoxic agents. Mechanistic investigation reveals that MAPK/ERK signaling and EMT-inducing transcription factor ZEB1 are critical to mediate these effects of GM-CSF. In specimen of CRC patients, high-level expression of GM-CSF positively correlates with local metastases in lymph nodes. Moreover, the co-expression of GM-CSF and its receptors as well as phosphorylated ERK1/2 are observed. Thus, our study for the first time identifies a progression-promoting function of GM-CSF in colon cancer by inducing EMT.