bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of an Organic‐inorganic Nanocomposite Additive on the Combustion and Erosion Performance of High Energy Propellants Containing RDX
Authors: Sun Na , Xiao Zhenggang 
Published: August 2017

AbstractA nanocomposite microsphere consisting of solid paraffin, nano‐TiO2, nano‐BN, zeolitic imidazolate framework‐67 particles and polymethyl methacrylate was prepared and applied as a functional additive for high energy propellants (with about 23 wt % RDX) to reduce the barrel erosion and improve its combustion performance as well. High energy propellants modified with the nanocomposite were manufactured by a solvent extrusion technique. According to the scanning electron microscope and differential scanning calorimetry results, there exists a good compatibility between the nanocomposite and propellant matrix. The energy and combustion performance as well as erosion of the modified propellants were studied by a closed bomb test and an erosion tube device, respectively. Results showed that compared with the unmodified propellant, both the erosion and energy performance of modified high energy propellant gradually decreased with the increase of nanocomposites contents. When the content of nanocomposites was 5.1 %, the erosion mass of the modified propellant reduced to 37.0 % while the propellant force only decreased 5.7 %, indicating that the nanocomposite has enormous ability to improve gun erosion resistance while barely affect energy performance of propellant. Furthermore, the closed bomb burning curves of the samples showed that addition of nanocomposites to propellant matrix could prolong the combustion time, efficiently inhibit the initial generation rate of combustion gas, and further achieve the progressive burning of the propellants.
About disconnected topologies and synchronization of homogeneous nonlinear agents over switching networks
Authors: Casadei G. , Isidori A. , Marconi L. 
Published: August 2017

SummaryIn this paper, we study the problem of networks on nonlinear oscillators when communication topologies are disconnected. In the first part of this paper, we show that the high‐gain design procedure succeeds in achieving clustered consensus when disconnected topologies occur. In the second part, we study a network of nonlinear oscillators when the topology is switching between sets of disconnected and connected topologies. By a Lyapunov analysis, we prove that if disconnected topologies last for a limited amount of time and the switching law for connected topologies fulfills an average dwell‐time condition, synchronization is achieved.
Liver Function, Quantified by LiMAx Test, After Major Abdominal Surgery. Comparison Between Open and Laparoscopic Approach
Authors: Kaffarnik Magnus , Stoeger Gabriel , Liebich Julia , Grieser Christian , Pratschke Johann , Stockmann Martin 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIntroductionMajor abdominal surgery may lead to a systemic inflammatory response (SIRS) with a risk of organ failure. One possible trigger for a postoperative hepatic dysfunction is an altered hepatic blood flow during SIRS, resulting in a decreased oxygen delivery. This pilot study investigated the role of liver dysfunction measured by the LiMAx test after major abdominal surgery, focussing on open and laparoscopic surgical approaches.MethodsWe prospectively investigated 25 patients (7 females and 18 males, age range 55–72 years) scheduled for upper abdominal surgery. The LiMAx test, ICG‐PDR and duplex sonography were carried out preoperatively, followed by postoperative days (PODs) 1, 3, 5 and 10. Laboratory parameters and clinical parameters were measured daily. Clinical outcome parameters were examined at the end of treatment. The population was divided into group A (laparotomy) versus group B (laparoscopy).ResultsLiMAx values decreased significantly on POD 1 (290 µg/kg/h, P < 0.001), followed by a significant increase at POD 3 (348 µg/kg/h, P = 0.013). Only INR showed a significant increase on POD 1 (1.26, P < 0.001). Duplex sonography and ICG‐PDR revealed a hyper‐dynamic liver blood flow. No differences between group A and B were found.ConclusionsHepatic dysfunction after major abdominal surgery is evident and underestimated. The LiMAx test provides an adequate tool to determine liver dysfunction. Open and laparoscopic approaches appeared similar in terms of liver dysfunction and postoperative SIRS.
Weibull Modulus Estimated by the Non-linear Least Squares Method: A Solution to Deviation Occurring in Traditional Weibull Estimation
Authors: Li T. , Griffiths W. D. , Chen J. 
Published: August 2017

Abstract
The Maximum Likelihood method and the Linear Least Squares (LLS) method have been widely used to estimate Weibull parameters for reliability of brittle and metal materials. In the last 30 years, many researchers focused on the bias of Weibull modulus estimation, and some improvements have been achieved, especially in the case of the LLS method. However, there is a shortcoming in these methods for a specific type of data, where the lower tail deviates dramatically from the well-known linear fit in a classic LLS Weibull analysis. This deviation can be commonly found from the measured properties of materials, and previous applications of the LLS method on this kind of dataset present an unreliable linear regression. This deviation was previously thought to be due to physical flaws (i.e., defects) contained in materials. However, this paper demonstrates that this deviation can also be caused by the linear transformation of the Weibull function, occurring in the traditional LLS method. Accordingly, it may not be appropriate to carry out a Weibull analysis according to the linearized Weibull function, and the Non-linear Least Squares method (Non-LS) is instead recommended for the Weibull modulus estimation of casting properties.
Excretory/secretory proteases and mechanical movement of Anisakis pegreffii infective larvae in the penetration of BALB/c mice gastrointestine
Authors: Lee June‐Der , Chung Li‐Yu , Lin Rong‐Jyh , Wang Jiun‐Jye , Tu Hong‐Pin , Yen Chuan‐Min 
Published: August 2017

AbstractAnisakiasis is a human parasitic disease caused by infection with the infective larvae of Anisakis. Accidental infection in humans causes the gastrointestinal pathophysiological effects of mechanical tissue damage by migrating larvae. The mechanism of the infective larval invasion and migration is suspected to involve larval excretory/secretory proteases and motility. This study demonstrates the penetration rate of the infective larvae of Anisakis pegreffii in mouse gastrointestine depends on the time after infection, and that only 15% of larvae remain in the gastrointestinal tract 3 h after infection. Strong activities of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and serine proteases, especially plasmin, were found in the excretory/secretory products of A. pegreffii; these can be inhibited by ONO‐4817 and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, respectively. The protease activity was also significantly decreased in another 1 h of cultivation of larvae in fresh 0.9% normal saline (NS) after previous cultivation for 48 h in NS. The motility scores of larvae were significantly lower after 48 h of cultivation in NS. The penetration rate of A. pegreffii larvae in the gastrointestine of infected mice sequentially were 90% in the freshly prepared, 68% in serine protease inhibited, 55% in MMPs inhibited larvae, and 16% in larvae cultivated in NS for 48 h. Therefore, this study demonstrates that MMPs and serine proteases excreted and secreted by A. pegreffii and the mechanical movement of infective larvae participate in the penetration of the gastrointestine of mice after infection.
AGAINST THE ITERATED KNOWLEDGE ACCOUNT OF HIGH-STAKES CASES
Authors: Gao Jie 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACTOne challenge for moderate invariantists is to explain why we tend to deny knowledge to subjects in high stakes when the target propositions seem to be inappropriate premises for practical reasoning. According to an account suggested by Williamson, our intuitive judgments are erroneous due to an alleged failure to acknowledge the distinction between first-order and higher-order knowledge: the high-stakes subject lacks the latter but possesses the former. In this paper, I provide three objections to Williamson's account: (i) his account delivers counterintuitive verdicts about what it is appropriate for a high-stakes subject to do; (ii) the high-stakes subject doesn't need iterated knowledge in order to be regarded as appropriately relying on the relevant proposition in practical reasoning; (iii) Williamson's account doesn't provide a good explanation of why the high-stakes subject would be blameworthy if she were relying on the relevant proposition in her practical reasoning.
Introduction: meat and the nineteenth-century city
Authors: BAICS GERGELY , THELLE MIKKEL 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT:The articles gathered in this special section explore the complex and layered relationship between meat and the nineteenth-century city. For urban historians interested in food provisioning, meat represents a critical juncture because no other food item was so deeply and, in so many ways, tied to urban modernity. This introduction outlines five central themes of the urban meat nexus: city and country relations, geography and urban space, technology and infrastructure, government and regulation, and changing nutritional standards. The four articles speak to these larger issues in specific and novel ways. They advance the existing scholarship by opening up new questions and approaches, focusing on hitherto understudied locations, while also collectively covering the entire spectrum of meat provisioning from supply hinterlands to urban consumption.
Unawareness for Motor Impairment and Distorted Perception of Task Difficulty
Authors: Cocchini Gianna , Beschin Nicoletta , Della Sala Sergio 
Published: August 2017

AbstractObjectives: Anosognosia for motor impairment is a complex syndrome that can manifest itself under different forms, guiding patients’ behavior and task decisions. However, current diagnostic tools tend to evaluate only more explicit aspects of anosognosia (asking the patients about their motor abilities) and fail to address more subtle features of awareness. We have developed a new assessment measure, the ECT (Errand Choice Test), where patients are asked to judge task difficulty rather than estimate their own impairment. Methods: We assessed awareness in a group of 73 unilateral left- and right-brain damaged (30 LBD and 43 RBD, respectively) patients by means of the VATAm, which explicitly requires them to evaluate their own motor abilities, and the ECT. A control group of 65 healthy volunteers was asked to perform the ECT under two conditions: Current condition (i.e., using both hands) and Simulated conditions (i.e., simulating hemiplegia). Results: A total of 27% of the patients showed different performance on the VATAm and ECT, 21% of the patients showing lack of awareness only on VATAm and 6% only on ECT. Moreover, despite the ECT identified a higher frequency of anosognosia after RBD (33.3%) than LBD (27.6%), this hemispheric asymmetry was not significant. Remarkably, anosognosic patients performed very similarly to controls in the “current condition”, suggesting that anosognosic patients’ ability to perceive the complexity of each task per se is not altered. Conclusion: Different methods may be able to tackle different aspects of awareness and the ECT proved to be able to detect less evident forms of awareness. (JINS, 2018, 24, 45–56)
Kant on Perception, Experience and Judgements Thereof
Authors: Beizaei Banafsheh 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIt is commonly thought that the distinction between subjectively valid judgements of perception and objectively valid judgements of experience in theProlegomenais not consistent with the account of judgement Kant offers in the B Deduction, according to which a judgement is ‘nothing other than the way to bring given cognitions to the objective unity of apperception’. Contrary to this view, I argue that theProlegomenadistinction maps closely onto that drawn between the mathematical and dynamical principles in the System of Principles: Kant’s account of theProlegomenadistinction strongly suggests that it is the Analogies of Experience that make it possible for judgements of perception to give rise to judgements of experience. This means that judgements of perception are objectively valid with regard to the quantity and quality of objects, and subjectively valid with regard to the relation they posit between objects. If that is the case, then the notion of a judgement of perception is consistent with the B Deduction account of judgement.
Dutifully Wishing: Kant’s Re-evaluation of a Strange Species of Desire
Authors: Englert Alexander T. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractFor Kant, ‘wish’ is a technical term denoting a strange species of desire. It is an instance in which someone wills something that she simultaneously knows she cannot bring about. As a result, it is, in one sense, antithetical to morality, which deals with ‘ought impliescan’. I will argue that Kant re-evaluated wishing as (to some extent) causally efficacious and, further, of moral relevance. This re-evaluation has not been discussed in the literature, yet has been lurking in plain sight in a subtle shift in two versions of a footnote from theCritique of the Power of Judgement.
Can Kant’s Theory of Radical Evil Be Saved?
Authors: Goldberg Zachary J. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIn this article, I assess three contemporary criticisms levelled at Kant’s theory of evil in order to evaluate whether his theory can be saved. Critics argue that Kant does not adequately distinguish between evil and mundane wrongdoing, making his use of the term ‘evil’ emotional hyperbole; by defining evil as the subordination of the moral law to self-love his analysis is seemingly overly simplistic and empirically false; and by focusing solely on the moral character of the perpetrator of evil, Kant’s theory apparently ignores the most salient aspect of evil – the suffering of victims. While I will not claim that Kant provides us with a fully adequate theory of evil, I respond to each of these criticisms and conclude that Kant’s theory can still provide significant insight into both the nature of evil and the moral psychology of perpetrators of evil.
IDH3 mediates apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells type 2 due to mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake during hypocapnia
Authors: Kiefmann Martina , Tank Sascha , Keller Paula , Börnchen Christian , Rinnenthal Jan L , Tritt Marc-Oliver , Schulte-Uentrop Leonie , Olotu Cynthia , Goetz Alwin E , Kiefmann Rainer 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIn adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) pulmonary perfusion failure increases physiologic dead-space (VD/VT) correlating with mortality. High VD/VT results in alveolar hypocapnia, which has been demonstrated to cause edema formation, atelectasis, and surfactant depletion, evoked, at least in part, by apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells (AEC). However, the mechanism underlying the hypocapnia-induced AEC apoptosis is unknown. Here, using fluorescent live-cell imaging of cultured AEC type 2 we could show that in terms of CO2 sensing the tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 3 seems to be an important player because hypocapnia resulted independently from pH in an elevation of IDH3 activity and subsequently in an increase of NADH, the substrate of the respiratory chain. As a consequence, the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨ) rose causing a Ca2+ shift from cytosol into mitochondria, whereas the IDH3 knockdown inhibited these responses. Furthermore, the hypocapnia-induced mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake resulted in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and both the mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and ROS production induced apoptosis. Accordingly, we provide evidence that in AEC type 2 hypocapnia induces elevation of IDH3 activity leading to apoptosis. This finding might give new insight into the pathogenesis of ARDS and may help to develop novel strategies to reduce tissue injury in ARDS.
Metformin reverses prostate cancer resistance to enzalutamide by targeting TGF-β1/STAT3 axis-regulated EMT
Authors: Liu Qiuli , Tong Dali , Liu Gaolei , Xu Jing , Do Khang , Geary Kyla , Zhang Dianzheng , Zhang Jun , Zhang Yao , Li Yaoming , Bi Gang , Lan Weihua , Jiang Jun 
Published: August 2017

AbstractAlthough the newly developed second-generation anti-androgen drug enzalutamide can repress prostate cancer progression significantly, it only extends the survival of prostate cancer patients by 4–6 months mainly due to the occurrence of enzalutamide resistance. Most of the previous studies on AR antagonist resistance have been focused on AR signaling. Therefore, the non-AR pathways on enzalutamide resistance remain largely unknown. By using C4-2, CWR22Rv1 and LNCaP cell lines, as well as mice bearing CWR22Rv1 xenografts treated with either enzalutamide or metformin alone or in combination, we demonstrated that metformin is capable of reversing enzalutamide resistance and restores sensitivity of CWR22Rv1 xenografts to enzalutamide. We showed that metformin alleviated resistance to enzalutamide by inhibiting EMT. Furthermore, based on the effect of metformin on the activation of STAT3 and expression of TGF-β1, we propose that metformin exerts its effects by targeting the TGF-β1/STAT3 axis. These findings suggest that combination of metformin with enzalutamide could be a more efficacious therapeutic strategy for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Hit-and-run programming of therapeutic cytoreagents using mRNA nanocarriers
Authors: Moffett H. F. , Coon M. E. , Radtke S. , Stephan S. B. , McKnight L. , Lambert A. , Stoddard B. L. , Kiem H. P. , Stephan M. T. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractTherapies based on immune cells have been applied for diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes. However, the viral and electroporation methods used to create cytoreagents are complex and expensive. Consequently, we develop targeted mRNA nanocarriers that are simply mixed with cells to reprogram them via transient expression. Here, we describe three examples to establish that the approach is simple and generalizable. First, we demonstrate that nanocarriers delivering mRNA encoding a genome-editing agent can efficiently knock-out selected genes in anti-cancer T-cells. Second, we imprint a long-lived phenotype exhibiting improved antitumor activities into T-cells by transfecting them with mRNAs that encode a key transcription factor of memory formation. Third, we show how mRNA nanocarriers can program hematopoietic stem cells with improved self-renewal properties. The simplicity of the approach contrasts with the complex protocols currently used to program therapeutic cells, so our methods will likely facilitate manufacturing of cytoreagents.
Variable repeats in the eukaryotic polyubiquitin gene ubi4 modulate proteostasis and stress survival
Authors: Gemayel Rita , Yang Yudi , Dzialo Maria C. , Kominek Jacek , Vowinckel Jakob , Saels Veerle , Van Huffel Leen , van der Zande Elisa , Ralser Markus , Steensels Jan , Voordeckers Karin , Verstrepen Kevin J. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractUbiquitin conjugation signals for selective protein degradation by the proteasome. In eukaryotes, ubiquitin is encoded both as a monomeric ubiquitin unit fused to a ribosomal gene and as multiple ubiquitin units in tandem. The polyubiquitin gene is a unique, highly conserved open reading frame composed solely of tandem repeats, yet it is still unclear why cells utilize this unusual gene structure. Using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae UBI4 gene, we show that this multi-unit structure allows cells to rapidly produce large amounts of ubiquitin needed to respond to sudden stress. The number of ubiquitin units encoded by UBI4 influences cellular survival and the rate of ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS)-mediated proteolysis following heat stress. Interestingly, the optimal number of repeats varies under different types of stress indicating that natural variation in repeat numbers may optimize the chance for survival. Our results demonstrate how a variable polycistronic transcript provides an evolutionary alternative for gene copy number variation.
ATRX is a regulator of therapy induced senescence in human cells
Authors: Kovatcheva Marta , Liao Will , Klein Mary E. , Robine Nicolas , Geiger Heather , Crago Aimee M. , Dickson Mark A. , Tap William D. , Singer Samuel , Koff Andrew 
Published: August 2017

AbstractSenescence is a state of stable cell cycle exit with important implications for development and disease. Here, we demonstrate that the chromatin remodeling enzyme ATRX is required for therapy-induced senescence. ATRX accumulates in nuclear foci and is required for therapy-induced senescence in multiple types of transformed cells exposed to either DNA damaging agents or CDK4 inhibitors. Mobilization into foci depends on the ability of ATRX to interact with H3K9me3 histone and HP1. Foci form soon after cells exit the cell cycle, before other hallmarks of senescence appear. Eliminating ATRX in senescent cells destabilizes the senescence-associated heterochromatic foci. Additionally, ATRX binds to and suppresses expression from the HRAS locus; repression of HRAS is sufficient to promote the transition of quiescent cells into senescence and preventing repression blocks progression into senescence. Thus ATRX is a critical regulator of therapy-induced senescence and acts in multiple ways to drive cells into this state.
Noninvasive Imaging of Ras Activity by Monomolecular Biosensor Based on Split-Luciferase Complementary Assay
Authors: Chen Liang , Leng Wei Bing , Li De Zhi , Xia Hong Wei , Ren Min , Tang Qiu Lin , Gong Qi Yong , Gao Fa Bao , Bi Feng 
Published: August 2017

AbstractDeregulated activity of Ras GTPases has been observed in many types of human cancers, and contributes to the diverse aspects of carcinogenesis. Although the significance in tumorigenesis has been widely accepted and many therapeutic drugs are under development, little attention has been dedicated to the development of sensors for the Ras activity in vivo. Therefore, based on the split firefly luciferase complementation strategy, we developed a monomolecular bioluminescent biosensor to image endogenous Ras activity in living subject. In this biosensor, two inactive luciferase fragments are sandwiched by Raf-1, whose conformation changes upon GTP-Ras binding. Thus, the Ras activity can be surrogated by the intensity of the complementary luciferase. The bioluminescence analyses demonstrated that this novel biosensor behaved the robust and sensitive reporting efficiency in response to the dynamical changes of Ras activity, both in living colorectal cancer cells and in vivo. Compared to the traditional method, such as the pull-down assay, the bioluminescent sensor is simply, noninvasive, faster and more sensitive for the analysis of the endogenous Ras activity. This innovative work opens up the way for monitoring the preclinical curative effect and high-throughput screening of therapeutic drugs targeting Ras pathways.