bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structural Hierarchy and Polymorphic Transformation in Shear‐Induced Shish‐Kebab of Stereocomplex Poly(Lactic Acid)
Authors: Xie Lan , Xu Huan , Li Zhong‐Ming , Hakkarainen Minna 
Published: March 2016

The realization of hierarchical shish‐kebab structures for stereocomplex poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is achieved by the application of a shear flow (100 s–1 for 1 s) mimicking what can be expected during polymer processing. Compared to the normal shearing scenarios, this transient and strong shear flow enables the creation of dense shish precursors in time‐ and energy‐saving manner. The distribution of crystal form associated with the hierarchical structure is revealed by 2D Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy imaging, creating a unique visualization for both spatial resolution and polymorphism identification. Interestingly, in the shear stereocomplex chains are preferentially extended and crystallized as stable central cores with weak temperature dependence, whereas the development of lateral kebabs is defined by the distinct relation to the crystallization temperature. Below the melting point of homocrystals, both homo and stereocomplex crystallization are engaged in lamellar packing. Above that, exclusive stereocomplex crystals are organized into ordered lamellae. Combining the direct observations at multiscale, the ordered alignment of stereocomplex chains is recognized as the molecular origin of fibrillar extended chain bundles that constitute the central row‐nuclei. The proposed hypothesis affords elucidation of shish‐kebab formation and unique polymorphism in sheared stereocomplex PLA, which generates opportunities for engendering hierarchically structured PLA with improved performance.
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Multifunctional Hydrogels with Temperature, Ion, and Magnetocaloric Stimuli‐Responsive Performances
Authors: Wang Xiao‐Qiao , Yang Shengyang , Wang Cai‐Feng , Chen Li , Chen Su 
Published: March 2016

In this work, multifunctional hydrogels with vivid color change and shrinking–swelling response to temperature, ion strength, and alternating magnetic field are fabricated via magnetic assembly. The hydrogels show gradual shift colors from yellowish green to green, cyan, blue, purple, and even reddish violet in response to temperature or ion strength. In the response process, the whole color modulation process is fully reversible and transferable along with a relative short response time. Especially, the magnetism and porous structure of the hybrid hydrogel enable it to be a potential carrier for hydrophobic molecules. Taking advantage of the magnetocaloric responsiveness, the dyed oil loaded hydrogel exhibits a controllable release behavior in each reversible shrinking–swelling cycle under an alternating magnetic field. This multi‐responsive hydrogel can hold promise for practical engineering applications, including sensors, displays, and controlled release.
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Synthesis of Copolymers by Living Carbanionic Alternating Copolymerization
Authors: Liu Kun , Ren Lei , He Qing , Xu Wei Jian 
Published: March 2016

The synthesis and characterization of copolymers from styrene and 1,3‐pentadiene (two isomers) are reported. Styrene/1,3‐pentadiene (1:1) copolymerization with carbanion initiator yield living, well‐defined, alternating (r1 = 0.037, r2 = 0.056), and highly stereoregular copolymers with 90%–100% trans‐1,4 units, designed Mns and low ÐMs (1.07–1.17). The first‐order kinetic resolution and NMR spectra demonstrate that the copolymers obtained possess strictly alternating structure containing both 1,4‐ and 4,1‐enchaiments. Also a series of copolymers with varying degrees of alternation are synthesized from para‐alkyl substituted styrene derivatives and 1,3‐pentadiene. The degree of alternation is strongly dependent on the polarity of solvent, reaction temperature, type of trans‐cis isomer of 1,3‐pentadiene and para‐substituted group in styrene. The macro zwitterion forms (SPC) through the distribution of electronic charges from the donor (1,3‐pentadiene) to the acceptor (styrenes) are proposed to interpret the carbanion alternating copolymerization mechanism. Owing to the versatility of the carbanion‐initiating reaction, the present alternating strategy based on 1,3‐pentadiene (especially cis isomer) can serve as a powerful tool for precise control of polymer chain microstructure, architecture, and functionalities in one‐pot polymerization.
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The HigB/HigA toxin/antitoxin system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa influences the virulence factors pyochelin, pyocyanin, and biofilm formation
Authors: Wood Thammajun L. , Wood Thomas K. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractToxin/antitoxin (TA) systems are prevalent in most bacterial and archaeal genomes, and one of the emerging physiological roles of TA systems is to help regulate pathogenicity. Although TA systems have been studied in several model organisms, few studies have investigated the role of TA systems in pseudomonads. Here, we demonstrate that the previously uncharacterized proteins HigB (unannotated) and HigA (PA4674) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 form a type II TA system in which antitoxin HigA masks the RNase activity of toxin HigB through direct binding. Furthermore, toxin HigB reduces production of the virulence factors pyochelin, pyocyanin, swarming, and biofilm formation; hence, this system affects the pathogencity of this strain in a manner that has not been demonstrated previously for TA systems.
Design concepts for diffusive holographic photopolymers
Authors: Kowalski Benjamin A. , McLeod Robert R. 
Published: March 2016

ABSTRACTDiffusive photopolymers are an area of intense recent materials development, spurred by interest in holographic data storage, display holography, and custom diffractive optical elements, among other applications. This review examines a range of photopolymer formulations of academic and commercial interest, and places their design strategies in context via quantitative analysis of the recording fidelity, maximum refractive index change and the degree to which they achieve this limit. Finally, this analysis is extended to estimate the scope of achievable future performance improvements. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 1021–1035.
A systematic review of inequalities in psychosocial outcomes for women with breast cancer according to residential location and Indigenous status in Australia
Authors: Youl PH , Dasgupta P , Youlden D , Aitken JF , Garvey G , Zorbas H , Chynoweth J , Wallington I , Baade PD 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this systematic review was to examine variations in psychosocial outcomes by residential location and Indigenous status in women diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) in Australia.MethodsSystematic searches were undertaken using multiple databases covering articles between 1 January 1990 and 1 March 2015 focusing on adult women with BC in an Australian setting and measuring quality of life (QOL), psychological distress or psychosocial support.ResultsThirteen quantitative and three qualitative articles were included. Two quantitative and one qualitative article were rated high quality, seven moderate and the remaining were low quality. No studies examining inequalities by Indigenous status were identified. Non‐metropolitan women were more likely to record lower QOL relating to breast cancer‐specific concerns and reported a lack of information and resources specific to their needs. Continuity of support, ongoing care and access to specialist and allied health professionals were major concerns for non‐metropolitan women. Non‐metropolitan women identified unmet needs in relation to travel, fear of cancer recurrence and lack of psychosocial support.ConclusionsOverall, there was a lack of evidence relating to variations in psychosocial outcomes for women with BC according to residential status or Indigenous status. While the review identified some specific concerns for non‐metropolitan women with BC, it was limited by the lack of good quality studies using standardised measures.Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamic role authorization in multiparty conversations
Authors: Ghilezan Silvia , Jakšić Svetlana , Pantović Jovanka , Pérez Jorge A. , Vieira Hugo Torres 
Published: March 2016

Abstract

Protocols in distributed settings usually rely on the interaction of several parties and often identify the
roles
involved in communications. Roles may have a behavioral interpretation, as they do not necessarily correspond to sites or physical devices. Notions of
role authorization
thus become necessary to consider settings in which, e.g., different sites may be authorized to act on behalf of a single role, or in which one site may be authorized to act on behalf of different roles. This flexibility must be equipped with ways of controlling the roles that the different parties are authorized to represent, including the challenging case in which role authorizations are determined only at runtime. We present a typed framework for the analysis of multiparty interaction with dynamic role authorization and delegation. Building on previous work on conversation types with role assignment, our formal model is based on an extension of the

π

-calculus in which the basic resources are pairs channel-role, which denote the access right of interacting along a given channel representing the given role. To specify dynamic authorization control, our process model includes (1) a novel scoping construct for authorization domains, and (2) communication primitives for authorizations, which allow to pass around authorizations to act on a given channel. An authorization error then corresponds to an action involving a channel and a role not enclosed by an appropriate authorization scope. We introduce a typing discipline that ensures that processes never reduce to authorization errors, including when parties dynamically acquire authorizations.
On the formal analysis of Gaussian optical systems in HOL
Authors: Siddique Umair , Tahar Sofiène 
Published: March 2016

AbstractOptics technology is being increasingly used in mainstream industrial and research domains such as terrestrial telescopes, biomedical imaging and optical communication. One of the most widely used modeling approaches for such systems is Gaussian optics, which describes light as a beam. In this paper, we propose to use higher-order-logic theorem proving for the analysis of Gaussian optical systems. In particular, we present the formalization of Gaussian beams and verify the corresponding properties such as beam transformation, beam waist radius and location. Consequently, we build formal reasoning support for the analysis of quasi-optical systems. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, we present a case study about the receiver module of a real-world Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope.
Measuring Implicit Sexual Response Biases to Nude Male and Female Pictures in Androphilic and Gynephilic Men
Authors: Timmins Liadh , Barnes-Holmes Dermot , Cullen Claire 
Published: March 2016

AbstractSnowden, Wichter, and Gray (2008) demonstrated that an Implicit Association Test and a Priming Task both predicted the sexual orientation of gynephilic and androphilic men in terms of their attraction biases towards pictures of nude males and females. For both measures, relative bias scores were obtained, with no information on the separate response biases to each target gender. The present study sought to extend this research by assessing both relative and individual implicit biases using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). An explicit measure screened for men with androphilic (n = 16) or gynephilic (n = 16) orientations on the dimensions of “sexual attraction,” “sexual behavior,” “sexual fantasies,” “hetero/gay lifestyle,” and “self identification.” The IRAP involved responding “True” or “False” to pictures of nude males and females as either attractive or unattractive. Participants were required to respond in a manner consistent with their reported sexual orientation for half of the IRAP’s test blocks and inconsistent for the other half. Response latencies were recorded and analyzed. The IRAP revealed a non-orthogonal pattern of biases across the two groups and had an excellent ability to predict sexual orientation with areas under the curves of 1.0 for the relative bias score and .94 and .95 for the bias scores for the male and female pictures, respectively. Correlations between the IRAP and explicit measures of sexual orientation were consistently high. The findings support the IRAP as a potentially valuable tool in the study of sexual preferences.
Should I Perform Genetic Testing? A Qualitative Look into the Decision Making Considerations of Religious Israeli Undergraduate Students
Authors: Siani Merav , Assaraf Orit Ben‐Zvi 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe aim of this study is to draw a picture of the concerns that guide the decision making of Israeli religious undergraduate students and the complex considerations they take into account while facing the need to have genetic testing or to attend a genetic counseling session. We examined how the religious affiliation of the students influences their perceptions toward genetics and how these are expressed. Qualitative data were collected from 51 semi‐structured interviews with students, in which recurring themes were identified using ‘thematic analysis.’ The codes from the thematic analysis were obtained according to ‘grounded theory’. Our results show that religious undergraduate students’ decision making in these issues is influenced by factors that fall under three main categories: knowledge and perceptions, values, and norms. In order to include all the components of influence, we created the Triple C model: “Culture influences Choices towards genetic Counseling” which aims to generalize the complex decision making considerations that we detected. Our model places religion, as part of culture, as its central point of influence that impacts all three of the main categories we detected. It also traces the bidirectional influences that each of these main categories have on one another. Using this model may help identify the sociocultural differences between different types of patients, helping genetic counselors to better assist them in addressing their genetic status by tailoring the counseling more specifically to the patient's cultural uniqueness.
Evaluation of metabolomics profiles of grain from maize hybrids derived from near-isogenic GM positive and negative segregant inbreds demonstrates that observed differences cannot be attributed unequivocally to the GM trait
Authors: Harrigan George G. , Venkatesh Tyamagondlu V. , Leibman Mark , Blankenship Jonathan , Perez Timothy , Halls Steven , Chassy Alexander W. , Fiehn Oliver , Xu Yun , Goodacre Royston 
Published: March 2016

Abstract

Introduction
Past studies on plant metabolomes have highlighted the influence of growing environments and varietal differences in variation of levels of metabolites yet there remains continued interest in evaluating the effect of genetic modification (GM).

Objectives
Here we test the hypothesis that metabolomics differences in grain from maize hybrids derived from a series of GM (NK603, herbicide tolerance) inbreds and corresponding negative segregants can arise from residual genetic variation associated with backcrossing and that the effect of insertion of the GM trait is negligible.

Methods
Four NK603-positive and negative segregant inbred males were crossed with two different females (testers). The resultant hybrids, as well as conventional comparator hybrids, were then grown at three replicated field sites in Illinois, Minnesota, and Nebraska during the 2013 season. Metabolomics data acquisition using gas chromatography–time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC–TOF-MS) allowed the measurement of 367 unique metabolite features in harvested grain, of which 153 were identified with small molecule standards. Multivariate analyses of these data included multi-block principal component analysis and ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis. Univariate analyses of all 153 identified metabolites was conducted based on significance testing (α = 0.05), effect size evaluation (assessing magnitudes of differences), and variance component analysis.

Results
Results demonstrated that the largest effects on metabolomic variation were associated with different growing locations and the female tester. They further demonstrated that differences observed between GM and non-GM comparators, even in stringent tests utilizing near-isogenic positive and negative segregants, can simply reflect minor genomic differences associated with conventional back-crossing practices.

Conclusion
The effect of GM on metabolomics variation was determined to be negligible and supports that there is no scientific rationale for prioritizing GM as a source of variation.
Treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in congenital heart disease in Singapore versus the Netherlands: age exceeds ethnicity in influencing clinical outcome
Authors: van Riel A. C. M. J. , Schuuring M. J. , van Hessen I. D. , van Dijk A. P. J. , Hoendermis E. S. , Yip J. W. , Mulder B. J. M. , Bouma B. J. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract

Background
Advanced treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in congenital heart disease (CHD) is increasingly applied worldwide following the—mainly Western world based—international PAH-CHD guidelines. However, studies comparing clinical presentation and outcome after the initiation of PAH-specific treatment are lacking. We aimed to analyse this in a Singaporean and Dutch cohort of PAH-CHD patients.

Methods
Adult CHD patients starting PAH-specific therapy, enrolled in two nationwide registries, were analysed. Patients received phosphodiesterase-type-5 inhibitors, endothelin receptor antagonists, or a combination. Change in six-minute walk test (6MWT) during follow-up was analysed using linear mixed model analysis. Determinants for mortality were assessed using Cox proportional hazard analyses.

Results
A total of 74 patients, 45 Dutch (mean age 47 ± 14 years) and 29 Singaporean (mean age 41 ± 14 years) were analysed. Despite a lower 6MWT (312 versus 395 metres, p = 0.01) and peak VO2 (35 versus 49 % of predicted, p = 0.01) at baseline in Singaporean patients, the treatment effect was similar in the two populations. Age at initiation of therapy (per 5 year lower age, β = + 4.5, p = 0.017) was the strongest predictor of improvement in exercise capacity, corrected for ethnicity, baseline 6MWT, sex and CHD defect.

Conclusions
Patients from Singapore had a worse clinical performance at baseline compared with the PAH-CHD patients from the Netherlands. No relation between ethnicity and improvement in 6MWT after PAH-specific therapy was found. Age at initiation of PAH-specific therapy was the strongest predictor of treatment efficacy and mortality, emphasising the need for early initiation of treatment in these patients.
Biodegradation and Water Washing Effect on Gasoline Range Hydrocarbons and Quality of Crude Oils from HJN and MKM Fields of Upper Assam Basin, India
Authors: Sarmah Manoj Kumar , Raju Srinivasan V. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract:
The crude oils from Oligocene and Miocene formation of upper Assam basin have moderate API gravity and significant wax content. Crude oils from HJN and MKM fields of upper Assam basin are being produced from Oligocene and Miocene sands. These oils are somewhat biodegraded in nature as evidenced from their API gravity, density, bulk composition, GC fingerprints and relative concentrations of compounds in the gasoline range. It is observed from whole oil gas chromatographic data that the lighter hydrocarbons are more effected as a result of biodegradation and water washing than the heavier components. In the gasoline range compounds highest degradation of n-alkanes are observed followed by iso- and cyclo-alkanes. The extent of the effect of biodegradation of the gasoline range compounds in crude oil samples cannot be illustrated by the concentrations of the compounds. The concentrations only describe qualitative differences in molecular composition. This difficulty can be overcome by using parameters called degradative loss (%). This parameter shows exactly how much loss or gain has taken place in the gasoline range compounds. Within the gasoline range compounds, n-alkanes, Benzene baring HJN 15 and MKM 14 and Toluene experienced degradative loss indicating effects of both biodegradation and water washing in these oils. Cyclo-alkanes are least effected by biodegradation followed by iso-alkanes in all the oils. The extent of biodegradation and water washing is different for each oils from HJN and MKM fields as indicated by the degradative loss (%) of the compounds in the gasoline range.
Vegetarian dietary patterns and the risk of breast cancer in a low-risk population
Authors: Penniecook-Sawyers Jason A. , Jaceldo-Siegl Karen , Fan Jing , Beeson Larry , Knutsen Synnove , Herring Patti , Fraser Gary E. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAmong cancers in American women, breast cancer (BC) has the second highest incidence and mortality. The association of BC with diet has been inconsistent. Studies that evaluate associations with dietary patterns are less common and reflect an individual’s whole diet. We associated dietary patterns with the risk of BC in American women of the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2), a prospective cohort of 96 001 subjects recruited between 2002 and 2007. Answers to a previously validated FFQ were used to classify subjects to vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian and non-vegetarian dietary patterns. Incident BC were identified by matching AHS-2 subjects to data from forty-eight state cancer registries. Statistical analyses used proportional hazard regression analyses with covariates that were chosena priori. From 50 404 female participants (26 193 vegetarians), we identified 892 incident BC cases, with 478 cases among vegetarians. As compared with non-vegetarians, all vegetarians combined did not have a significantly lower risk (hazard ratio (HR) 0·97; CI 0·84, 1·11;P=0·64). However, vegans showed consistently lower (but non-significant) point estimates when compared with non-vegetarians (all cases: HR 0·78; CI 0·58, 1·05;P=0·09). In summary, participants in this cohort who follow a vegetarian dietary pattern did not experience a lower risk of BC as compared with non-vegetarians, although lower risk in vegans is possible. These findings add to the very limited literature associating vegetarian diets with BC risk and can assist nutritionists when evaluating the impact of these diets. The findings will also motivate further evaluation of vegan diets and their special characteristics.
Phase-selective entrainment of nonlinear oscillator ensembles
Authors: Zlotnik Anatoly , Nagao Raphael , Kiss István Z. , Li Jr-Shin 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe ability to organize and finely manipulate the hierarchy and timing of dynamic processes is important for understanding and influencing brain functions, sleep and metabolic cycles, and many other natural phenomena. However, establishing spatiotemporal structures in biological oscillator ensembles is a challenging task that requires controlling large collections of complex nonlinear dynamical units. In this report, we present a method to design entrainment signals that create stable phase patterns in ensembles of heterogeneous nonlinear oscillators without using state feedback information. We demonstrate the approach using experiments with electrochemical reactions on multielectrode arrays, in which we selectively assign ensemble subgroups into spatiotemporal patterns with multiple phase clusters. The experimentally confirmed mechanism elucidates the connection between the phases and natural frequencies of a collection of dynamical elements, the spatial and temporal information that is encoded within this ensemble, and how external signals can be used to retrieve this information.