bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis with downregulation of Hsp90 client proteins and histone modification by 4β‐hydroxywithanolide E isolated fromPhysalis peruviana
Authors: Park Eun‐Jung , Sang‐Ngern Mayuramas , Chang Leng Chee , Pezzuto John M. 
Published: March 2016

ScopePhysalis peruviana(Solanaceae) is used for culinary and medicinal purposes. We currently report withanolides, isolated fromP. peruviana, inhibit the growth of colon cancer monolayer and spheroid cultures. A detailed mechanistic evaluation was performed with 4β‐hydroxywithanolide E (4HWE).Methods and resultsTreatment of HT‐29 cells with low concentrations of 4HWE inhibited growth while enhancing levels of p21Waf1/Cip1and reducing levels of several cell cycle‐related proteins. Apoptosis was induced at higher concentrations. In addition, 4HWE treatment downregulated the levels of Hsp90 client proteins. Nuclear sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) was increased and histone H3 acetylated at lysine 9 was decreased. An additional consequence of SIRT1 elevation in the nucleus may be inhibition of c‐Jun activity. The expression of 21 genes was altered, including downregulation ofPTGS2, and this correlated with reduced protein levels of cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2). Overall, efficacious induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest at low concentrations, and induction of apoptosis at higher concentrations are interesting 4HWE‐mediated phenomena that are accompanied by a complex array of molecular events.ConclusionConsidering the worldwide prevalence of colon cancer, and the unique mode of action mediated by 4HWE, it is reasonable to investigate additional mechanistic details and the potential utility of this compound.
Soy isoflavones and glucose metabolism in menopausal women: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Fang Ke , Dong Hui , Wang Dingkun , Gong Jing , Huang Wenya , Lu Fuer 
Published: March 2016

ScopeThe aim of this meta‐analysis was to investigate whether soy isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen, would affect glucose homeostasis in menopausal women.Methods and resultsStudies concerning about the relationship between soy isoflavone treatment and glucose metabolism were searched on MEDLINE and WEB OF SCIENCE (updated through April 2015) and EMBASE (1990–April 2015). Seventeen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total number of 1529 menopausal women were identified for meta‐analysis. Soy isoflavones were found to show great significance for the improvement of glucose metabolism, though marked heterogeneity was found between studies. The overall results showed that the average difference in fasting blood glucose values between women assigned to soy isoflavones and women in placebo groups was −0.22 mmol/L (95% CI: −0.38 to −0.07 mmol/L) under a random‐effects model. In addition, the effect of soy isoflavones on insulin was also significant: −0.43 μIU/mL (95% CI: −0.71 to −0.14 μIU/mL), as was the effect on homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR): −0.52 (95% CI: −0.76 to −0.28).ConclusionAlthough the results displayed a significant tendency in favor of soy isoflavones, it appears that genistein alone played an important role in improving glucose metabolism due to its low heterogeneity.
Glutamine promotes intestinal SIgA secretion through intestinal microbiota and IL‐13
Authors: Wu Miaomiao , Xiao Hao , Liu Gang , Chen Shuai , Tan Bie , Ren Wenkai , Bazer Fuller W. , Wu Guoyao , Yin Yulong 
Published: March 2016

ScopeGlutamine supplementation enhances secretory IgA (SIgA) production in the intestine, but the mechanism is largely unknown. We examined this issue using a mouse model.Methods and ResultsIn mouse model, glutamine supplementation increased both SIgA abundance in intestinal luminal contents and IgA+ plasma cell numbers in the mouse ileum, and decreased bacterial loads in mouse mesenteric lymph nodes. Glutamine supplementation increased mouse ileal expression of cytokines associated with T cell‐dependent and T cell‐independent pathways of SIgA induction, including IL‐5, IL‐6, IL‐13, transforming growth factor (TGF‐β), a proliferation‐inducing ligand (APRIL), B cell‐activating factor (BAFF), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptor, and retinal dehydrogenases. Injecting an IL‐13 antibody during glutamine supplementation reduced J‐chain expression in the mouse ileum. Glutamine supplementation increased bacterial invasion into the mouse ileal wall, while disrupting the mouse intestinal microbiota abrogated the influence of glutamine supplementation on SIgA secretion.ConclusionGlutamine supplementation appears to enhance SIgA secretion in the mouse intestine through the intestinal microbiota and subsequently through T cell‐dependent and T cell‐independent pathways.
Performance Standards and Employee Effort: Evidence From Teacher Absences
Authors: Gershenson Seth 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) increased accountability pressure in U.S. public schools by threatening to impose sanctions on Title‐1 schools that failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) in consecutive years. Difference‐in‐difference estimates of the effect of failing AYP in the first year of NCLB on teacher effort in the subsequent year suggest that on average, teacher absences in North Carolina fell by about 10 percent. The probability of being frequently absent similarly decreased. These reductions in teacher absences were driven by within‐teacher increases in effort and by teachers in the bottom half of the effectiveness distribution. On average, only a modest amount of the achievement gains attributable to the increased accountability pressure are explained by the corresponding decline in teacher absences.
The nocebo effect of drugs
Authors: Planès Sara , Villier Céline , Mallaret Michel 
Published: March 2016

AbstractWhile the placebo effect has been studied for a long time, much less is known about its negative counterpart, named the nocebo effect. However, it may be of particular importance because of its impact on the treatment outcomes and public health. We conducted a review on the nocebo effect using PubMed and other databases up to July 2014. The nocebo effect refers by definition to the induction or the worsening of symptoms induced by sham or active therapies. Examples are numerous and concerns both clinical trials and daily practice. The underlying mechanisms are, on one hand, psychological (conditioning and negative expectations) and, on the other hand, neurobiological (role of cholecystokinin, endogenous opioids and dopamine). Nocebo effects can modulate the outcome of a given therapy in a negative way, as do placebo effects in a positive way. The verbal and nonverbal communications of physicians contain numerous unintentional negative suggestions that may trigger a nocebo response. This raises the important issue of how physicians can at the same time obtain informed consent and minimize nocebo‐related risks. Every physician has to deal with this apparent contradiction between primum non nocere and to deliver truthful information about risks. Meticulous identification of patients at risk, information techniques such as positive framing, contextualized informed consent, and even noninformation, is valuable.
Low leakage stoichiometric SrTiO3 dielectric for advanced metal–insulator–metal capacitors
Authors: Popovici Mihaela , Kaczer Ben , Afanas'ev Valeri V. , Sereni Gabriele , Larcher Luca , Redolfi Augusto , Elshocht Sven Van , Jurczak Malgorzata 
Published: March 2016

Metal–insulator–metal capacitors (MIMCAP) with stoichiometric SrTiO3 dielectric were deposited stacking two strontium titanate (STO) layers, followed by intermixing the grain determining Sr‐rich STO seed layer, with the Ti‐rich STO top layer. The resulted stoichiometric SrTiO3 would have a structure with less defects as demonstrated by internal photoemission experiments. Consequently, the leakage current density is lower compared to Sr‐rich STO which allow further equivalent oxide thickness downscaling.
Schematic of MIMCAP with stoichiometric STO dielectric formed from bottom Sr‐rich STO and top Ti‐rich STO after intermixing during crystallization anneal.magnified imageSchematic of MIMCAP with stoichiometric STO dielectric formed from bottom Sr‐rich STO and top Ti‐rich STO after intermixing during crystallization anneal.(© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Firm‐specific human capital investments as a signal of general value: Revisiting assumptions about human capital and how it is managed
Authors: Morris Shad S. , Alvarez Sharon A. , Barney Jay B. , Molloy Janice C. 
Published: March 2016

Research summary: Prior scholarship has assumed that firm‐specific and general human capital can be analyzed separately. This article argues that, in some settings, this is not the case because prior firm‐specific human capital investments can be a market signal of an individual's willingness and ability to make such investments in the future. As such, the willingness and ability to make firm‐specific investments is a type of general human capital that links firm‐specific and general human capital in important ways. The article develops theory about these investments, market signals, and value appropriation. Then, the article examines implications for human resource management and several important questions in the field of strategic management, including theories of the firm and microfoundations of competitive advantage.Managerial summary: While managers don't often use the terms firm‐specific and general skills, they certainly recognize that investments employees make in their skill sets are more or less relevant to a specific firm. For instance, investing in specific relationships within a firm or learning a firm's proprietary software would be considered firm‐specific investments. While such skills may seem relevant only to the particular firm in which they were invested, these investments may also send valuable signals to competing firms that such employees are willing and able to make similar investments elsewhere. Hence, managers should be interested in determining if a potential hire has made prior firm‐specific investments to help them know whether that person might be likely to make such investments in his or her future place of employment. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rent appropriation of knowledge‐based assets and firm performance when institutions are weak: A study of Chinese publicly listed firms
Authors: Qian Cuili , Wang Heli , Geng Xuesong , Yu Yangxin 
Published: March 2016

Research summary: A firm's strategic investments in knowledge‐based assets through research and development (R&D) can generate economic rents for the firm, and thus are expected to affect positively a firm's financial performance. However, weak protection of minority shareholders, weak property rights, and ineffective law enforcement can allow those rents to be appropriated disproportionately by a firm's powerful insiders such as large owners and top managers. Recent data on Chinese publicly listed firms during 2007–2012 were used to demonstrate that the expected positive relationship between knowledge assets and performance is weaker in transition economies when a firm's ownership is highly concentrated and its managers have wide discretion. Moreover, rent appropriation by insiders was shown to vary with the levels of institutional development in which a firm operates.Managerial summary: Investing in knowledge‐based intangible assets (e.g.,R&D) is an important value‐creation activity for the firm. Such value creation process can be facilitated by large shareholders and powerful managers, who can then take an advantageous position with critical insider information on these valuable intangible assets and therefore enjoy more opportunities to appropriate more value from them, leaving less value for other minority shareholders. The value distribution becomes increasingly skewed against minority shareholders when the institutional protection for them is weak. Indeed, in a large sample of Chinese publicly listed firms, we found thatR&Dinvestment becomes less positively associated with firm financial performance with the presence of large shareholders, high managerial equity, orCEO/Chairman duality, especially in Chinese provinces with weak institutional development. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Taking a wider view on climate governance: moving beyond the ‘iceberg,’ the ‘elephant,’ and the ‘forest’
Authors: Aykut Stefan C. 
Published: March 2016

Attention in the literature on global climate politics has recently turned from a focus on intergovernmental negotiations to conceptualizing climate governance ‘beyond’ or ‘outside’ the UN regime. However, this literature differs on three key aspects: the underlying research paradigms, what is identified as the heart of the problem, and proposed solutions. One group of scholars calls for an attention shift from the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of climate governance to its much larger ‘hidden parts,’ conceptualized through notions such as the ‘climate change regime complex,’ a ‘fragmented climate governance architecture,’ and ‘transnational climate governance.’ A second set of authors points to the ‘elephant in the room,’ namely underlying power structures and material configurations in the international system that block effective responses to the climate crisis. A third group has argued that instead of looking at the individual ‘trees’ of climate negotiations, research should focus on the ‘forest’ of climate governance, made up of framings, norms, and emerging ‘climate governmentalities.’ The article proposes the concept of a ‘schism of reality’ as a means to overcome this fragmentation of the literature. This notion offers a new way of understanding interactions between the climate regime and its wider environment by focusing on discrepancies and contradictions. It accommodates different theoretical perspectives and provides common ground for future research: on how paradoxes and contradictions are dealt with in climate governance; how they can be overcome; how current developments in climate governance reduce the schism; and where and why aspects of the schism persist. WIREs Clim Change 2016, 7:318–328. doi: 10.1002/wcc.391This article is categorized under:

Policy and Governance > International Policy Framework
Industrial energy use and carbon emissions reduction: a UK perspective
Authors: Griffin Paul W. , Hammond Geoffrey P. , Norman Jonathan B. 
Published: March 2016

Progress in reducing industrial energy demand and carbon dioxide (CO2
) emissions is evaluated with a focus is on the situation in the United Kingdom (UK), although the lessons learned are applicable across much of the industrialized world. The UK industrial sector is complex, because it may be viewed as consisting of some 350 separate combinations of subsectors, devices and technologies. Various energy analysis and carbon accounting techniques applicable to industry are described and assessed. The contributions of the energy‐intensive (EI) and nonenergy‐intensive (NEI) industrial subsectors over recent decades are evaluated with the aid of decomposition analysis. An observed drop in aggregate energy intensity over this timescale was driven by different effects: energy efficiency improvements; structural change; and fuel switching. Finally, detailed case studies drawn from the Cement subsector and that associated with Food and Drink are examined; representing the EI and NEI subsectors, respectively. Currently available technologies will lead to further, short‐term energy and CO2 emissions savings in manufacturing, but the prospects for the commercial exploitation of innovative technologies by mid‐21st century are far more speculative. There are a number of nontechnological barriers to the take‐up of such technologies going forward. Consequently, the transition pathways to a low carbon future in UK industry by 2050 will exhibit large uncertainties. The attainment of significant falls in carbon emissions over this period depends critically on the adoption of a limited number of key technologies [e.g., carbon capture and storage (CCS), energy efficiency techniques, and bioenergy], alongside a decarbonization of the electricity supply. WIREs Energy Environ 2016, 5:684–714. doi: 10.1002/wene.212This article is categorized under:

Energy Efficiency > Science and Materials
Energy Efficiency > Economics and Policy
Energy Efficiency > Climate and Environment
Analysis of saliva and gingival crevice fluid by total reflection X‐ray fluorescence (TXRF)
Authors: Cleto Daniele Aparecida Maia , Andrello Avacir Casanova , Netto Ítalo José Vitorino , Appoloni Carlos Roberto 
Published: March 2016

The study of liquid biological samples with the use of various techniques has become a routine task nowadays. Saliva has been a study object for the correlation of chemical elements with a disorder in human body. Saliva is an aqueous hypotonic fluid and transparent and produced by various secretory glands (parotid, submandibular, sublingual, and smaller glands).This paper uses the technique of total reflection X‐ray fluorescence (TXRF) to analyze saliva samples collected in duct of the parotid gland and the gingival crevice between first (tooth 46) and second (tooth 47) grinding teeth of seven individuals. Using the TXRF technique, the main objective of this work was to assess the results obtained quali‐quantitatively.The chemical elements identified in saliva samples of the parotid gland and the gingival crevice were P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Rb, and Pb. Although different elements have been identified in the analyzed samples, the identified chemical elements have varied from one individual to another. Comparing the results obtained from the saliva samples of parotid gland and the gingival crevice, it could be observed in the gingival crevice other elements not found in the parotid gland. Therefore, the sampling strategy and the TXRF technique was able to differentiate chemical elements in the samples of the parotid gland and the gingival crevice. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stimuli Responsive Self‐Assembly of 3‐(Octyloxy)‐3‐Oxopropyl Acrylate‐Co‐Acrylic Acid Polymer in Aqueous Media
Authors: Kumar Pandari Phani , Nayak Rati Ranjan , Shivaraju Akula , Amarnath Narayana , Sreedhar Bojja , Chakrabarti Pradosh Prasad , Kanjilal Sanjit 
Published: March 2016

AbstractA novel copolymer based on 3‐(alkyloxy)‐3‐oxopropyl acrylate and acrylic acid was synthesized and characterized. Surface tension and fluorescence probe techniques (using N‐phenyl‐1‐naphthylamine as a probe) were employed to evaluate the surface properties of the amphiphilic copolymer. The copolymer was found to reduce the surface tension of water to 40–46 mN/m depending on the pH of the medium. The critical aggregation concentration of the copolymer determined by surface tension measurements was found to be 0.28 mg/ml at pH 4, 1.13 mg/ml at pH 8, and 1.44 mg/ml at pH 10, very close to those obtained by steady state fluorescence probe techniques (0.21, 1.13 and 1.48 mg/ml, respectively, at pH 4, 8, and 10). The pH‐induced structural transitions of the copolymer were also studied using steady state fluorescence with pyrene and 1,6‐diphenyl‐1,3,5‐hexatriene as probes, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The protonation of pendant carboxylate groups at acidic pH makes the aggregate compact and rigid. Conversely, ionization of the carboxylate groups under alkaline conditions resulted in larger aggregates.
Evidence vs. efficacy in allergen-specific immunotherapy: Considerations using the example of tradable products in Germany
Authors: Brehler Randolf , Klimek Ludger , Vogelberg Christian , Werfel Thomas , Pfaar Oliver , Hamelmann Eckard 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
The recently published S2k-guideline on (allergen-) specific immunotherapy (AIT) provides an excellent overview of the evidence on allergen preparations available for AIT in Germany based on the published efficacy studies. Publications based on the guideline are currently being used by the German associations of statutory health insurance physicians and German health insurance funds to open a discussion on the reimbursement status of allergen preparations. In our view, calling the reimbursement status of perscribable and tradable AIT preparations into question on the basis of an assessment of the current body of evidence in the guideline is to be rigidly opposed. In Germany the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) is the only authority empowered to decide on the marketability of AIT preparations, and decisions on the reimbursement status of AIT products need to be based on cost-benefit analyses and not solely on an evaluation of the evidence. The present article aims to examine the relationship between the evidence, efficacy, tradability, and reimbursability of AIT preparations.
Clinical spectrum of α-Gal syndrome: from immediate-type to delayed immediate-type reactions to mammalian innards and meat
Authors: Fischer Jörg , Yazdi Amir S. , Biedermann Tilo 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
The term α-Gal syndrome describes a novel IgE-mediated immediate-type allergy to the disaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal). Its classification as a syndrome is proposed on the basis of its clinical relevance in three different fields of allergy: food, drugs, and tick bites. The main focus of the present article is on α-Gal as an eliciting allergen in food allergy. It was recently shown that immediate-type allergies to pork kidney and other mammalian innards belong to the spectrum of α-Gal syndrome. These allergic reactions manifest as classic immediate-type allergies with a typical latency of under 1 h. The phenomenon of a delayed-onset immediate-type allergy with a latency of 3–6 h following ingestion of mammalian meat is considered pathognomonic for α-Gal syndrome. This clinically distinct type of presentation can be explained using the concept of food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA). However, clinical observations and challenge testing in this constellation reveal that individual sensitivity in α-Gal patients is highly variable and which broadens our basic understanding of α-Gal syndrome.
Dispersion reduction of artillery rockets guided by flight path steering method
Authors: Mandić S. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTArtillery rockets are sensitive to disturbances (total impulse variation, wind, thrust misalignment, etc.). As the range of ground-to-ground rockets increases, the accuracy of free flight rockets decreases. Requirements for the increase of the range and minimisation of the impact point dispersions can be solved by adding guidance and control systems to rockets. Based on the differences between the measured flight parameters and the calculated parameters for the nominal trajectory, the flight path angle correction algorithm is obtained by adding the correction to the nominal value. The flight path steering guidance system with lateral acceleration autopilot in the inner loop, is used for the guidance of hypothetical artillery rockets. The guidance algorithm given in this paper eliminates the time correction due to rocket velocity variations. Efficiency of the proposed algorithm is illustrated by numerical simulation. There is no practical influence of the external disturbances on impact point dispersion. It is also shown that the measurement errors of the inertial measurement unit are the dominant factor affecting impact point dispersion of artillery rockets modified by adding a guidance system based on the flight path steering method.