bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Thin‐Layered Cobalt‐Based Catalysts on Stainless‐Steel Microfibers for the Efficient Electrolysis of Water
Authors: Gu Yujin , Kim Insu , Nam Yoon Sung 
Published: May 2017

AbstractHerein, we introduce a highly catalytic core–shell microfiber electrode based on a cobalt oxygen‐evolving catalyst (Co‐OEC) electrodeposited on a three‐dimensional (3 D) mat of stainless‐steel (SS) microfibers. The resulting core–shell microfibers (Co‐MF) with a catalytic shell exhibit a turnover frequency and a current density that are much higher than those of a conventional Co‐OEC on a flat SS foil (Co‐F) at neutral pH. The onset potential of the catalytic wave of Co‐MF is also appreciably lower than that of Co‐F owing to a combination of the higher surface activity of the Co‐OEC and the enhanced local electric field in the 3 D network of the metal microfibers. This study suggests that cost‐effective, stable, and earth‐abundant SS microfibers can be a promising substrate to enhance the surface activity of water‐oxidation electrocatalysts.
Biosynthesis of Oligopeptides Using ATP‐Grasp Enzymes
Authors: Ogasawara Yasushi , Dairi Tohru 
Published: May 2017

AbstractPeptides are biologically occurring oligomers of amino acids linked by amide bonds and are indispensable for all living organisms. Many bioactive peptides are used as antibiotics, antivirus agents, insecticides, pheromones, and food preservatives. Nature employs several different strategies to form amide bonds. ATP‐grasp enzymes that catalyze amide bond formation (ATP‐dependent carboxylate‐amine ligases) utilize a strategy of activating carboxylic acid as an acylphosphate intermediate to form amide bonds and are involved in many different biological processes in both primary and secondary metabolisms. The recent discovery of several new ATP‐dependent carboxylate‐amine ligases has expanded the diversity of this group of enzymes and showed their usefulness for generating oligopeptides. In this review, an overview of findings on amide bond formation catalyzed by ATP‐grasp enzymes in the past decade is presented.
Dual Stimuli‐Responsive Nanoparticles for Controlled Release of Anticancer and Anti‐inflammatory Drugs Combination
Authors: Feng Liandong , Wang Yuqi , Luo Zhiliang , Huang Zheng , Zhang Yan , Guo Kai , Ye Deju 
Published: May 2017

AbstractDual stimuli‐responsive nanoparticles capable of fine‐tuning drug release to augment therapeutic efficacy have become a promising tool for anticancer drug delivery. However, the rational design of these “smart” nanoparticles for a selective delivery and controlled release of multidrug combinations in cancer cells to achieve synergistic effects remain challenging. Here we report the pH/redox dual responsive nanoparticle FA‐DOX‐Ind‐NP (FA=folic acid, DOX=doxorubicin, Ind=indomethacin, NP=nanoparticle) based on the novel tumor targeting and biodegradable poly(β‐amino ester) polymer, and demonstrate its high ability to enter into cancer cells and release a combination of the anticancer drug doxorubicin and the non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug indomethacin to achieve synergistic chemo‐anti‐inflammatory effects and overcome multidrug resistance. This study highlights the great potential of tumor targeting and dual stimuli‐responsive nanoparticles for an efficient delivery of multidrug combination to improve the cancer therapeutic efficacy.
Ultrafast Charge‐Separation in Triphenylamine‐BODIPY‐Derived Triads Carrying Centrally Positioned, Highly Electron‐Deficient, Dicyanoquinodimethane or Tetracyanobutadiene Electron‐Acceptors
Authors: Gautam Prabhat , Misra Rajneesh , Thomas Michael B. , D'Souza Francis 
Published: May 2017

AbstractA series of new triphenylamine (TPA)‐substituted BODIPYs 1–3 have been designed and synthesized through the Pd‐catalysed Sonogashira cross‐coupling and [2+2] cycloaddition‐retroelectrocyclization reactions in good yields. This procedure yielded highly electron‐deficient tetracyanobutadiene (TCBD) or dicyanoquinodimethane (DCNQ) electron‐acceptor units centrally located at the TPA‐BODIPY system. As a consequence, significant perturbation of the photonic and electronic properties was observed. The triads 2 and 3 showed red‐shifted absorption, in addition to a strong charge‐transfer‐type absorption in the case of 3. The electrochemical studies revealed multi‐redox processes involving the TPA, TCBD or DCNQ and BODIPY entities. The computational studies were performed at the B3LYP/6‐31G** level to elucidate the geometry and electronic structures. An energy level diagram established for triads 2 and 3 revealed that the photoinduced charge‐separation from the 1BODIPY* is thermodynamically possible. In addition, charge transfer from TPA to TCBD in 2 and DCNQ in 3 was also possible. These charge transfer mechanisms were confirmed by photochemical studies performed using time‐resolved emission and femtosecond‐transient‐absorption studies in solvents of varying polarity. Ultrafast charge‐separation has been witnessed in these closely spaced, strongly interacting triads. The charge‐separated state returned to the ground state without populating the 3BODIPY*.
North Central Cancer Treatment Group N0543 (Alliance): A phase 2 trial of pharmacogenetic‐based dosing of irinotecan, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine as first‐line therapy for patients with advanced small bowel adenocarcinoma
Authors: McWilliams Robert R. , Foster Nathan R. , Mahoney Michelle R. , Smyrk Thomas C. , Murray Joseph A. , Ames Matthew M. , Horvath L. Elise , Schneider Daniel J. , Hobday Timothy J. , Jatoi Aminah , Meyers Jeffrey P. , Goetz Matthew P. 
Published: May 2017

BACKGROUNDOxaliplatin in combination with either 5‐fluorouracil or capecitabine is commonly used as first‐line therapy for patients with small bowel adenocarcinoma. The addition of irinotecan improves survival in other gastrointestinal tumors but at the cost of hematologic toxicity. The authors performed a phase 2 cooperative group study (North Central Cancer Treatment Group N0543, Alliance) using genotype‐dosed capecitabine, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (gCAPIRINOX), with dosing assigned based on UDP glucuronosyltransferase family 1 member A1 (UGT1A1) genotype to test: 1) whether the addition of irinotecan would improve outcomes; and 2) whether UGT1A1 genotype‐based dosing could optimize tolerability.METHODSPreviously untreated patients with advanced small bowel adenocarcinoma received irinotecan (day 1), oxaliplatin (day 1), and capecitabine (days 2‐15) in a 21‐day cycle and were dosed with gCAPIRINOX according to UGT1A1*28 genotypes (6/6, 6/7, and 7/7).RESULTSA total of 33 patients (17 with the 6/6 genotype, 10 with the 6/7 genotype, and 6 with the 7/7 genotype) were enrolled from October 2007 to November 2013; 73% were male, with a mean age of 64 years (range, 41‐77 years). Location of the primary tumor included the duodenum (58%), jejunum (30%), and ileum (9%). The regimen yielded a confirmed response rate of 37.5% (95% confidence interval, 21%‐56%), with a median progression‐free survival of 8.9 months and a median overall survival of 13.4 months. Neither hematologic toxicity (grade ≥3 in 52.9%, 30.0%, and 33.3%, respectively, of the 6/6, 6/7, and 7/7 genotype groups) nor tumor response rate (41.2%, 33%, and 33%, respectively) were found to differ significantly by UGT1A1 genotype.CONCLUSIONSUGT1A1 genotype‐directed dosing (gCAPIRINOX) appears to be feasible with favorable rates of hematologic toxicity compared with prior 3‐drug studies in unselected patients. Larger studies would be needed to determine the regimen's comparability to oxaliplatin and capecitabine (CapeOx) alone or if response/toxicity differs among patients with different UGT1A1 genotypes. Cancer 2017;123:3494‐501. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Better performance of OFDM using three special triangular constellations over AWGN and fading channels
Authors: Ghazi‐Maghrebi Saeed 
Published: May 2017

SummaryOrthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been adopted as a major data transmission technique by many wireless communication standards. In this research, 3 new triangular constellations schemes, which are named as TRI1, TRI2, and TRI3, are introduced to replace for the well‐known rectangular quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellation in OFDM modulation. In this study, it has been shown that these new schemes have 3 major advantages with respect to the QAM. The first advantage is their lower bit error rate, which results from the better usage of the constellation space with longer minimum distances. The 2 other advantages are a lower peak to average ratio and higher noise immunity. Both mathematical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that by applying high fading channels with additive white Gaussian noise and intersymbol interference impairment simultaneously, the proposed constellations exhibit a superior performance in criteria compared to the commonly used rectangular 16QAM and 64QAM constellations. As a result, they are good choice for high speed and real‐time multicarrier applications such as digital video broadcasting terrestrial at no extra cost.
Antifungal properties and biocompatibility of silver nanoparticle coatings on silicone maxillofacial prostheses in vitro
Authors: Meran Zhala , Besinis Alexandros , De Peralta Tracy , Handy Richard D. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractPatients with facial prostheses suffer from yeast, Candida albicans, infections. This study aimed to determine the biocompatibility and antifungal properties of silicone facial prostheses coated with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in vitro. Medical grade silicone discs were coated with 5 and 50 mg L−1 dispersions of either Ag NPs or AgNO3. Coatings were fully characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. The biocompatibility was examined using human dermal fibroblasts (Hs68), whereas antifungal efficacy was tested against C. albicans (NCPF‐3179). The fibroblast viability was assessed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, protein content and tissue electrolytes. There were no effects on the LDH activity of fibroblast cell homogenates, and leak of LDH activity into external media remained low (0.1–0.2 IU mL−1). Sublethal effects of Ag NP coatings on membrane permeability/ion balance was not observed, as measured by stable homogenate Na+ and K+ concentrations. Some Ag (13 mg L−1) was detected from the AgNO3 coatings in the media, but total Ag remained below detection limit (<1.2 µg L−1) for the Ag NP coatings; indicating the latter were stable. When fibroblasts grown on silver coatings were challenged with C. albicans, the Ag NP coating was effective at preventing fungal growth as measured by ethanol production by the yeast, and without damaging the fibroblasts. Ethanol production decreased from 43.2 ± 25.02 in controls to 3.6 µmol mL−1 in all the silver treatments. Data shows that silicone prosthetic materials coated with Ag NPs are biocompatible with fibroblast cells in vitro and show antifungal properties. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1038–1051, 2018.
Pulmonary artery stiffness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema: The Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) COPD Study
Authors: Liu Chia‐Ying , Parikh Megha , Bluemke David A , Balte Pallavi , Carr James , Dashnaw Stephen , Poor Hooman D. , Gomes Antoinette S , Hoffman Eric A , Kawut Steven M. , Lima Joao A.C. , McAllister David A. , Prince Martin A. , Vogel‐Claussen Jens , Barr R. Graham 
Published: May 2017

PurposeChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and particularly emphysema are characterized by stiffness of the aorta, due in part to accelerated elastin degradation in the lungs and aorta. Stiffness of the pulmonary arteries (PAs) may also be increased in COPD and emphysema, but data are lacking. We assessed PA stiffness using MRI in patients with COPD and related these measurements to COPD severity and percent emphysema.Materials and MethodsThe Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) COPD Study recruited 290 participants, age 50–79 years with 10 or more packyears and free of clinical cardiovascular disease. COPD severity were defined on postbronchodilator spirometry by ATS/ERS criteria. Percent emphysema was defined as the percentage of regions of the lung < ‐950 Hounsfield units on full‐lung computed tomography (CT). PA stain was defined by the percent change in cross‐sectional PA area between systole and diastole on MRI. Blood flow across the tricuspid and mitral valves was assessed by phase‐contrast MRI for determination of the ventricular diastolic dysfunction (E/A ratio).ResultsPA strain was reduced in COPD compared with controls (P = 0.002) and was inversely correlated with COPD severity (P = 0.004). PA strain was inversely associated to percent emphysema (P = 0.01). PA strain was also markedly correlated with right ventricular diastolic dysfunction measured by E/A ratios in the fully adjusted mix models (P = 0.02).ConclusionPA strain is reduced in COPD, related in part to percent emphysema on CT scan, which may have implications for pulmonary small vessel flow and right ventricular function.Level of Evidence: 2Technical Efficacy: Stage 1J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:262–271.
The role of regulatory T cells in nervous system pathologies
Authors: Duffy Samuel S. , Keating Brooke A. , Perera Chamini J. , Moalem‐Taylor Gila 
Published: May 2017

AbstractRegulatory T (Treg) cells are a special subpopulation of immunosuppressive T cells that are essential for sustaining immune homeostasis. They maintain self‐tolerance, inhibit autoimmunity, and act as critical negative regulators of inflammation in various pathological states including autoimmunity, injury, and degeneration of the nervous system. Treg cells are known to convey both beneficial and detrimental influences in certain disease contexts, and accumulating research suggests that their action may be altered in a range of peripheral and central nervous system pathologies. In this review, we discuss emerging evidence for the dichotomous role of Treg cells in various neurological pathologies including multiple sclerosis, Guillain‐Barré syndrome, neuropathic pain, traumatic central nervous system injury, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. We are in the early stages of uncovering the role of Treg cells in these conditions, and a better understanding of the ways in which these cells operate in the nervous system will enable us to develop novel therapeutic interventions.
Histologic changes associated with talaporfin sodium‐mediated photodynamic therapy in rat skin
Authors: Moy Wesley J. , Yao Jonathan , de Feraudy Sébastien M. , White Sean M. , Salvador Jocelynda , Kelly Kristen M. , Choi Bernard 
Published: May 2017

Background and ObjectiveAlternative treatments are needed to achieve consistent and more complete port wine stain (PWS) removal, especially in darker skin types; photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising alternative treatment. To this end, we previously reported on Talaporfin Sodium (TS)‐mediated PDT. It is essential to understand treatment tissue effects to design a protocol that will achieve selective vascular injury without ulceration and scarring. The objective of this work is to assess skin changes associated with TS‐mediated PDT with clinically relevant treatment parameters.Study Design/Materials and MethodsWe performed TS (0.75 mg/kg)‐mediated PDT (664 nm) on Sprague Dawley rats. Radiant exposures were varied between 15 and 100 J/cm2. We took skin biopsies from subjects at 9 hours following PDT. We assessed the degree and depth of vascular and surrounding tissue injury using histology and immunohistochemical staining.ResultsTS‐mediated PDT at 0.75 mg/kg combined with 15 and 25 J/cm2 light doses resulted in vascular injury with minimal epidermal damage. At light dose of 50 J/cm2, epidermal damage was noted with vascular injury. At light doses >50 J/cm2, both vascular and surrounding tissue injury were observed in the forms of vasculitis, extravasated red blood cells, and coagulative necrosis. Extensive coagulative necrosis involving deeper adnexal structures was observed for 75 and 100 J/cm2 light doses. Observed depth of injury increased with increasing radiant exposure, although this relationship was not linear.ConclusionTS‐mediated PDT can cause selective vascular injury; however, at higher light doses, significant extra‐vascular injury was observed. This information can be used to contribute to design of safe protocols to be used for treatment of cutaneous vascular lesions. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:767–772, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Tunable AICPL of (S)‐Binaphthyl‐Based Three‐Component Polymers via FRET Mechanism
Authors: Wang Ziyu , Liu Shuai , Wang Yuxiang , Quan Yiwu , Cheng Yixiang 
Published: May 2017

Five three‐component chiral polymers incorporating (S)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl, tetraphenylethene (TPE) and fluorene moieties are designed and synthesized by Pd‐catalyzed Sonogashira reaction. All these polymers show obvious aggregation induced emission enhancement response behavior in the fluorescence emission region of 460–480 nm. Interestingly, three of them show aggregation‐induced circularly polarized luminescence (AICPL) signals in tetrahydrofuran–H2O mixtures. Most importantly, these AICPL signals can be tuned by changing the molar ratios of TPE and fluorene components through fluorescence resonance energy transfer and give the highest glum = ±4.0 × 10−3. This work provides a novel strategy for developing AICPL‐enhanced materials.
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Comparative simulation study of chemical synthesis of energetic (R)‐1,2,4‐butanetriol trinitrate plasticizer
Authors: Liu Min‐Hsien , Liu Chuan‐Wen 
Published: May 2017

AbstractA chemical synthesis method that involved aldol condensation and betenediol epoxidation was designed with the aid of Gaussian 09 and Materials Studio 6.0 software to accomplish simulation of the corresponding preparation processes of (R)‐1,2,4‐butanetriol trinitrate (BTTN) and its crucial (R)‐1,2,4‐butanetriol (BT) precursor. The aim of this work was to construct a comparative model that closely approached the real reaction environment. By regulation of the reaction temperature and reagent concentration, and employing detailed kinetics analysis and thermodynamic equilibrium computation, we aimed to explore potential reaction routes and enhance the production yield. The simulation reaction used ethanal and glyoxal as starting materials to obtain (R)‐BTTN, and the computational results revealed that with an increase in reaction temperature, a regular trend of a decrease in the overall energy barrier was observed. For the reaction process of BT preparation via 3‐butene‐1,2‐diol epoxidation, including all exothermic elementary reaction steps, the activation energy of each stage decreased in a stepwise manner, with a simultaneous lowering of the temperature. In summary, controlling the reagent at a concentration of 0.25 M and the reaction temperature at 283 K promoted rapid reaction and a high product yield. The results of this study could be used as a reference when performing laboratory experiments.
Reducing contamination parameters for clumped isotope analysis: The effect of lowering Porapak™ Q trap temperature to below –50°C
Authors: Davies Amelia J. , John Cédric M. 
Published: May 2017

RationaleCarbonate clumped isotope thermometry examines the thermodynamic preference of 13C–18O bonds to form within the carbonate crystal lattice. The 13C18O16O isotopologue in analyte CO2 has a natural abundance of 44.4 ppm necessitating stringent purification procedures to remove contaminant molecules that may produce significant isobaric effects within range of the mass 47 isotopologue. Strict purifications of analyte CO2 are thus required as well as reliable contamination indicators.MethodsCO2 purification was carried out by vacuum cryogenic purification through a static trap packed with Porapak™ Q (PPQ). The correlation between mass excesses on m/z 47, 48 and 49 in CO2 produced by acid digestion of 12 natural samples was measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). CO2 from two contaminated carbonate samples was then purified at PPQ trap temperatures between –25 and –65°C and measured by IRMS to determine changes in mass excesses on m/z 47, 48 and 49. Finally carbonate standards, Carrara marble (CM) and ETH3, were purified at PPQ trap temperatures of –35 and –60°C to identify isotopic fractionation associated with lowering trap temperature.ResultsThe correlation between mass excesses on m/z 47, 48 and 49 is determined to be sample dependent. Lowering the PPQ trap temperature to –60°C has a 78% success rate in decreasing Δ48offset, a measure of sample contamination, to within an acceptable range (<1.5 ‰). Lowering the PPQ temperature in purification of CM and ETH3 is associated with decreases in the δ13C and δ18O values as a result of isotopic fractionation. We demonstrate that we can correct for fractionation at a trap temperature of –60°C.ConclusionsLowering the temperature of the Porapak Q trap to –60°C results in improved sample cleaning. It is possible to correct for fractionation in δ13C and δ18O values at lower PPQ trap temperatures using identically prepared standards. This result has important connotations for laboratories using similar sample preparation methods.
Patient Perspectives on Barriers to Surgical Care and the Impact of Mobile Surgery in Ecuador
Authors: Price Matthew D. , Shalabi Haadi T. , Guzhñay Blasco , Shalabi Saggah T. , Price Raymond R. , Rodas Edgar B. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractBackgroundAn estimated 5 billion people worldwide lack access to timely safe surgical care (Gawande in Lancet 386(9993):523–525, 2015). A mere 6% of all surgical procedures occur in the poorest countries where over a third of the world’s population lives (Meara et al. in Surgery 158(1):3–6, 2015). Mobile surgical units like the Cinterandes Foundation endeavor to bring surgical care directly to these communities who otherwise would lack access to safe surgery. This study examines the barriers patients encounter in seeking surgical care in rural communities of Ecuador and their impressions on how mobile surgery addresses such barriers.MethodsOpen interviews were conducted with Cinterandes’ patients who had undergone an operation in the mobile surgical unit between 06/25/2013 and 06/25/2014 (n = 101). Interviews were structured to explore two main domains: (1) examining barriers patients have in accessing surgery, (2) assessing patients’ opinion of how mobile surgery helped in overcoming such barriers.ResultsPatient inconvenience (70%), cost (21%), and lack of trust in local hospitals (24%) were the main cited barriers to surgical access. Increased patient convenience (53%), cheaper surgical care (34%), and trust in Cinterandes (47%) were the main cited benefits to mobile surgery.ConclusionMobile surgery provided by Cinterandes effectively overcomes many barriers patients encounter when seeking surgical care in rural Ecuador: decreased patient wait times, limited number of referrals to multiple locations, and decreased cost. Partnering with local clinics within the communities and bringing care much closer to patients’ homes may provide a better patient friendly health care delivery system for rural Ecuador.