bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fabrication of a fast‐swelling superabsorbent resin by inverse suspension polymerization
Authors: Li Jinxia , Zhang Kuihua , Zhang Mengyi , Fang Yu , Chu Xiaofeng , Xu Lu 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTA novel, fast‐swelling superabsorbent polymer (SAP2) was fabricated with an anionic–nonionic surfactant [poly(oxy‐1,2‐ethanediyl)–(3‐carboxy‐1‐oxo‐3‐sulfopropyl)–(nonylphenoxy) sodium salt] as the stabilizer by inverse suspension polymerization. The microstructure, chemical structure, and gel strength of the superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, porosity, and specific surface area analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and rheometry. The results show that SAP2 had irregularly shaped particles with a large number of pores and presented a greater specific surface area, pore volume, and gel strength than the prepared SAP1 with a nonionic surfactant (Span 60) as the stabilizer. The amount of residual monomer and the gel fraction of SAP2 were 202 mg/kg and 80.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, SAP2 demonstrated a faster swelling and deswelling rate as well as greater water absorbency than SAP1. The fast swelling rate mainly resulted from the capillary effect of the pores in the irregularly shaped particles. Superfast swelling SAPs should possess outstanding potential for healthcare products, communication cables, and the biomedical field. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci.2018,135, 46142.
Highly permeable biomimetic reverse osmosis membrane with amphiphilic peptide stabilized aquaporin as water filtering agent
Authors: He Yuan , Hoi Hiofan , Abraham Sinoj , Montemagno Carlo D. 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTThe shortage of fresh water is one of the most critical problems our society must address. The most commonly accepted method to produce fresh water is by membrane systems. Since the discovery of aquaporins (AQPs) (water channel proteins), researchers have been trying to incorporate them as functional units in biomimetic membranes to achieve superior water permeability and solute rejection. However, it still remains challenging due to the lack of an effective strategy to stabilize AQPs and fabricate robust membranes. Here, we report the utilization of an amphiphilic peptide (BP1) to stabilize AQPs and use the resulting protein–BP1 complex for desalination purposes. We demonstrated the secondary structure and stability of protein–BP1 complex in aqueous solution using circular dichroism and transmission electron microscopy. The resulting membrane with aquaporin incorporation showed water permeability of 12.33 LMH, improved 28% compared to mutant control membrane, and 83.6% compared to traditional polyamide membrane, while maintaining the high sale rejection (96%). These results demonstrate a great potential of this new incorporating technique for desalination applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46169.
Impact of compression molding conditions on the thermal and mechanical properties of polyethylene
Authors: Shamloo Azar , Fathi Babak , Elkoun Saïd , Rodrigue Denis , Soldera Armand 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTCompression molding is a current technique in polymer processing. Despite numerous studies, effect of molding pressure on physical properties has surprisingly not been fully investigated. In this study, the thermal and mechanical behavior of the compression‐molded polyethylene were thus explored to better grasp the relationship between processing parameters and ensuing properties. The effect of the molding temperature, pressure, cooling rate, and temperature profile on the tensile and flexural moduli as well as melting point of polyethylene was studied. We conclude that higher tensile and flexural moduli are obtained by increasing pressure and molding temperature, as well as decreasing the cooling rate. Our results were corroborated by X‐ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Moreover, the use of a temperature gradient with different temperatures for the upper and bottom plates of the mold leads to asymmetric samples whose tensile and flexural moduli are improved. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46176.
Rethinking time: Implications for well‐being
Authors: Mogilner Cassie , Hershfield Hal E. , Aaker Jennifer 
Published: December 2017

AbstractHow people think about and use their time has critical implications for happiness and well‐being. Extant research on time in the consumer behavior literature reveals a predominantly dichotomized perspective of time between the present and future. Drawing on research on emotions, social relationships, and financial decision‐making, we discuss how removing categorical dichotomies might lead to beneficial outcomes. From this, we propose a conceptualization of time that assumes a less stark contrast between the present and the future, allowing these two time frames to more flexibly coexist in people's minds and experiences. Finally, we discuss one way people might adopt this perspective to increase happiness—by taking an elevated or “bird's‐eye” perspective of time where the future and present, as well as the past, become equally visible, and where events from different time points are treated and experienced as part of one's life and being overall.
Human neonatal Fc receptor as a new potential antibody binding protein for antibody immobilization
Authors: Ng Woei Kean , Lim Theam Soon , Lai Ngit Shin 
Published: December 2017

AbstractA critical challenge in producing an antibody‐based assay with the highest reproducibility and sensitivity is the strategy to immobilize antibodies to solid phase. To date, numerous methods of antibody immobilization were reported but each was subjected to its advantages and limitations. The current study proposes a new potential antibody binding protein, the human neonatal fragment crystallizable (Fc) receptor. This protein has shown its high affinity to the Fc of antibody either in vivo or in vitro. Human neonatal Fc receptor is a heterodimer constructed by p51 α‐heavy chain and β2‐microglobulin light chain; however, the binding sites toward the antibody are located in the p51 α‐heavy chain. Hence, vector cloning and recombinant protein expression were carried out to express the p51 α‐heavy chain of the human neonatal Fc receptor (hFcRn‐α). The recombinant protein expressed, hFcRn‐α, was adopted to pin rabbit IgG against hepatitis B virus surface antigen to a solid phase. A sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was further developed to evaluate the efficiency of hFcRn‐α‐directed immobilization in antigen detection. The result was compared with the conventional physical adsorption method. The findings demonstrated that human neonatal Fc receptor was efficient in pinning antibodies and generating higher signals compared with the physical adsorption of antibody.
Modeling time‐varying exposure using inverse probability of treatment weights
Authors: Grafféo Nathalie , Latouche Aurélien , Geskus Ronald B. , Chevret Sylvie 
Published: December 2017

AbstractFor estimating the causal effect of treatment exposure on the occurrence of adverse events, inverse probability weights (IPW) can be used in marginal structural models to correct for time‐dependent confounding. The R package ipw allows IPW estimation by modeling the relationship between the exposure and confounders via several regression models, among which is the Cox model. For right‐censored data and time‐dependent exposures such as treatment switches, the ipw package allows a single switch, assuming that patients are treated once and for all. However, to accommodate multiple switches, we extend this package by implementing a function that allows for multiple and intermittent exposure status in the estimation of IPW using a survival model. This extension allows for the whole exposure treatment trajectory in the estimation of IPW. The impact of the estimated weights on the estimated causal effect, with both methods, is assessed in a simulation study. Then, the function is illustrated on a real dataset from a nationwide prospective observational cohort including patients with inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, patients received one or multiple medications (thiopurines, methotrexate, and anti‐TNF) over time. We used a Cox marginal structural model to assess the effect of thiopurines exposure on the cause‐specific hazard for cancer incidence considering other treatments as confounding factors. To this end, we used our extended function which is available online in the Supporting Information.
Multiple‐rater kappas for binary data: Models and interpretation
Authors: Stoyan Dietrich , Pommerening Arne , Hummel Manuela , Kopp‐Schneider Annette 
Published: December 2017

AbstractInterrater agreement on binary measurements with more than two raters is often assessed using Fleiss' κ, which is known to be difficult to interpret. In situations where the same raters rate all items, however, the far less known κ suggested by Conger, Hubert, and Schouten is more appropriate. We try to support the interpretation of these characteristics by investigating various models or scenarios of rating. Our analysis, which is restricted to binary data, shows that conclusions concerning interrater agreement by κ heavily depend on the population of items or subjects considered, even if the raters have identical behavior. The standard scale proposed by Landis and Koch, which verbally interprets numerical values of κ, appears to be rather subjective. On the basis of one of the models for rater behavior, we suggest an alternative verbal interpretation for kappa. Finally, we reconsider a classical example from pathology to illustrate the application of our methods and models. We also look for subgroups of raters with similar rating behavior using hierarchical clustering.
Botulinum hemagglutinin‐mediated in situ break‐up of human induced pluripotent stem cell aggregates for high‐density suspension culture
Authors: Nath Suman C. , Tokura Tomohiro , Kim Mee‐Hae , Kino‐oka Masahiro 
Published: December 2017

AbstractLarge numbers of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are required for making stable cell bank. Although suspension culture yields high cell numbers, there remain unresolved challenges for obtaining high‐density of hiPSCs because large size aggregates exhibit low growth rates. Here, we established a simple method for hiPSC aggregate break‐up using botulinum hemagglutinin (HA), which specifically bound with E‐cadherin and disrupted cell–cell connections in hiPSC aggregates. HA showed temporary activity for disrupting the E‐cadherin‐mediated cell–cell connections to facilitate the break‐up of aggregates into small sizes only 9 hr after HA addition. The transportation of HA into the aggregates was mediated by transcellular and paracellular way after HA addition to the culture medium. hiPSC aggregates broken up by HA showed a higher number of live cells, higher cell density, and higher expansion fold compared to those of aggregates dissociated with enzymatic digestion. Moreover, a maximum cell density of 4.5 ± 0.2 × 106 cells ml−1 was obtained by aggregate break‐up into small ones, which was three times higher than that with the conventional culture without aggregate break‐up. Therefore, the temporary activity of HA for disrupting E‐cadherin‐mediated cell–cell connection was key to establishing a simple in situ method for hiPSC aggregate break‐up in bioreactors, leading to high cell density in suspension culture.
Central pathway engineering for enhanced succinate biosynthesis from acetate in Escherichia coli
Authors: Huang Bing , Yang Hao , Fang Guochen , Zhang Xing , Wu Hui , Li Zhimin , Ye Qin 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAcetate, a non‐food based substrate obtained from multiple biological and chemical ways, is now being paid great attention in bio‐manufacturing and have a strong potential to compete with sugar‐based carbon source. In this study, acetate can be efficiently converted to succinate by engineered Escherichia coli strains via the combination of several metabolic engineering strategies, including reducing OAA decarboxylation, engineering TCA cycle, enhancement of acetate assimilation pathway and increasing aerobic ATP supply through cofactor engineering. The engineered strain HB03(pTrc99a‐gltA, pBAD33‐Trc‐fdh) accumulated 30.9 mM of succinate in 72 hr and the yield reached the maximum theoretical yield (∼0.50 mol/mol). In the resting‐cell experiments, the yield of succinate in HB03(pTrc99a‐gltA) and HB03(pTrc99a‐gltA, pBAD33‐Trc‐fdh) dropped dramatically, although the productivity of succinate increased due to the high cell density. Further deletion of icdA, formed HB04(pTrc99a‐gltA) and HB04(pTrc99a‐gltA, pBAD33‐Trc‐fdh), increased the yield of succinate in the resting‐cell experiments. The highest concentration of succinate achieved 194 mM and the yield reached 0.44 mol/mol in 16 hr by HB04(pTrc99a‐gltA, pBAD33‐Trc‐fdh). The results showed the metabolically engineered E. coli strains have great potential to produce succinate from acetate.
Toward industrial production of isoprenoids in Escherichia coli: Lessons learned from CRISPR‐Cas9 based optimization of a chromosomally integrated mevalonate pathway
Authors: Alonso‐Gutierrez Jorge , Koma Daisuke , Hu Qijun , Yang Yuchen , Chan Leanne J. G. , Petzold Christopher J. , Adams Paul D. , Vickers Claudia E. , Nielsen Lars K. , Keasling Jay D. , Lee Taek S. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractEscherichia coli has been the organism of choice for the production of different chemicals by engineering native and heterologous pathways. In the present study, we simultaneously address some of the main issues associated with E. coli as an industrial platform for isoprenoids, including an inability to grow on sucrose, a lack of endogenous control over toxic mevalonate (MVA) pathway intermediates, and the limited pathway engineering into the chromosome. As a proof of concept, we generated an E. coli DH1 strain able to produce the isoprenoid bisabolene from sucrose by integrating the cscAKB operon into the chromosome and by expressing a heterologous MVA pathway under stress‐responsive control. Production levels dropped dramatically relative to plasmid‐mediated expression when the entire pathway was integrated into the chromosome. In order to optimize the chromosomally integrated MVA pathway, we established a CRISPR‐Cas9 system to rapidly and systematically replace promoter sequences. This strategy led to higher pathway expression and a fivefold improvement in bisabolene production. More interestingly, we analyzed proteomics data sets to understand and address some of the challenges associated with metabolic engineering of the chromosomally integrated pathway. This report shows that integrating plasmid‐optimized operons into the genome and making them work optimally is not a straightforward task and any poor engineering choices on the chromosome may lead to cell death rather than just resulting in low titers. Based on these results, we also propose directions for chromosomal metabolic engineering.
Precision‐porous templated scaffolds of varying pore size drive dendritic cell activation
Authors: Chen Ruying , Ma Hongyan , Zhang Lei , Bryers James D. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractScaffold based systems have shown significant potential in modulating immune responses in vivo. While there has been much attention on macrophage interactions with tissue engineered scaffolds for tissue regeneration, fewer studies have looked at the effects of scaffold design on the response of immune cells−that is, dendritic cells (DCs). Here, we present the effects of varying pore size of poly (2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS, silicone) scaffolds on the maturation and in vivo enrichment of DCs. We employ a precision templating method to make 3‐D porous polymer scaffolds with uniformly defined and adjustable architecture. Hydrophilic pHEMA and hydrophobic PDMS scaffolds were fabricated in three pore sizes (20, 40, 90 μm) to quantify scaffold pore size effects on DCs activation/maturation in vitro and in vivo. In vitro results showed that both pHEMA and PDMS scaffolds could promote maturation in the DC cell line, JAWSII, that resembled lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐activated/matured DCs (mDCs). Scaffolds with smaller pore sizes correlate with higher DC maturation, regardless of the polymer used. In vivo, when implanted subcutaneously in C57BL/6J mice, scaffolds with smaller pore sizes also demonstrated more DCs recruitment and more sustained activation. Without the use of DC chemo‐attractants or chemical adjuvants, our results suggested that DC maturation and scaffold infiltration profile can be modulated by simply altering the pore size of the scaffolds.
Factors that predict taking restaurant leftovers: Strategies for reducing food waste
Authors: Hamerman Eric J. , Rudell Fredrica , Martins Chrissy M. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractFood waste is an important topic of environmental and societal concern. One method of reducing food waste is for patrons to take their restaurant leftovers home for future consumption. The current research applies impression management to determine the factors behind consumers' willingness to do so. Study 1 manipulated social situation (the identity of one's dining companions) and initiating behavior (whether the server established taking leftovers as a normative behavior based on proactively offering to wrap them). When people envisioned dining with others who they wanted to impress, perceived likelihood of taking home leftovers was greater when the server proactively offered to wrap the leftovers (vs. when the customer had to initiate the request). This difference did not hold true when considering dining companions with whom they were comfortable. Greater concern for the environment also increased willingness to take home leftovers. A second study investigated the process behind this result. Participants rated the social desirability of taking restaurant leftovers in various scenarios related to social situation and initiating behavior. Among dining companions who people wanted to impress, taking home leftovers was considered more embarrassing and a greater violation of social norms when the customer (vs. the server) initiated the discussion of taking leftovers. This difference did not occur for dining companions with whom they were comfortable. Concern for the environment did not affect this perception. The server offering to wrap leftovers was perceived as a positive indicator for customer service. Implications for consumer behavior, marketing strategy, and public policy are discussed.
Perforated balloon technique: A simple and handy technique to combat no‐reflow phenomenon in coronary system
Authors: Patel Tejas , Shah Sanjay , Gulati Rajiv , Kwan Tak , Cohen Mauricio G. , Pancholy Samir 
Published: December 2017

AbstractObjectiveExamining the efficacy and outcomes of intracoronary (IC) instillation of adenosine using a novel perforated balloon technique (PBT) to combat no‐reflow phenomenon during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS).BackgroundOccurrence of no‐reflow during PCI is a serious adverse prognostic event and inability to re‐establish better flow is associated with poor outcomes. Several pharmacological and non‐pharmacological interventions have been used to treat this situation. This series describes the use of PBT for IC adenosine administration and its effects on outcomes during real world interventional practice.MethodsSubjects comprised of 24 patients with ACS (out of a total of 1,634 patients undergoing PCI between January 2016 and June 2017) in whom we used PBT for IC administration of adenosine to treat coronary no‐reflow.ResultsPBT for IC adenosine instillation was used in 24 (1.5%) of 1,634 patients undergoing PCI. TIMI grade III flow was established in 21 patients (87.5%). In two patients (8.3%) TIMI grade II flow was established and in one patient (4.2%) we were unsuccessful.ConclusionWe demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a novel strategy for adenosine instillation in the distal coronary bed, the PBT. This technique enables rapid and cost‐effective treatment of no‐reflow phenomenon during PCI for ACS.
Hyperspectral image analysis. When space meets Chemistry
Authors: de Juan Anna 
Published: December 2017

AbstractHyperspectral images provide spatial and structural information on samples. This article aims at providing an overview on hyperspectral image analysis research trends, mainly focusing on specific aspects related to this kind of analytical measurement, such as the global/local and the spectral/spatial dualities, the hurdles associated with image fusion strategies, and the design of tools devoted to enhance the spatial definition provided by the instrumental measurement. The complexity of the measurement and the wealth of possibilities to use image properties and information ensure a very lively field of research for the coming years.
Brain maps 4.0—Structure of the rat brain: An open access atlas with global nervous system nomenclature ontology and flatmaps
Authors: Swanson Larry W. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe fourth edition (following editions in 1992, 1998, 2004) of Brain maps: structure of the rat brain is presented here as an open access internet resource for the neuroscience community. One new feature is a set of 10 hierarchical nomenclature tables that define and describe all parts of the rat nervous system within the framework of a strictly topographic system devised previously for the human nervous system. These tables constitute a global ontology for knowledge management systems dealing with neural circuitry. A second new feature is an aligned atlas of bilateral flatmaps illustrating rat nervous system development from the neural plate stage to the adult stage, where most gray matter regions, white matter tracts, ganglia, and nerves listed in the nomenclature tables are illustrated schematically. These flatmaps are convenient for future development of online applications analogous to “Google Maps” for systems neuroscience. The third new feature is a completely revised Atlas of the rat brain in spatially aligned transverse sections that can serve as a framework for 3‐D modeling. Atlas parcellation is little changed from the preceding edition, but the nomenclature for rat is now aligned with an emerging panmammalian neuroanatomical nomenclature. All figures are presented in Adobe Illustrator vector graphics format that can be manipulated, modified, and resized as desired, and freely used with a Creative Commons license.