bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ethanol Electro‐oxidation in Aqueous and Poly(acrylic acid)‐Based Gel Alkaline Electrolytes, Varying the PdxAgy Composition by using Differential Pulse Amperometry
Authors: Martínez Ciro M. , Ambriz‐Peláez Oscar , Álvarez‐Contreras Lorena , Ledesma‐García Janet , Guerra‐Balcázar Minerva , Arjona Noé 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIn this work, we prepared a polymer gel based on poly (acrylic acid) partial potassium salt (PAA‐K) for its use as an electrolyte in the ethanol electro‐oxidation. In addition, we synthesized PdxAgy materials by varying the metallic ratio through differential pulse amperometry (DPA). These materials showed particle sizes ranging from 40 to 60 nm, and their compositions were Pd75Ag25, Pd60Ag40, and Pd50Ag50, as determined by X‐ray fluorescence. Electrocatalytic evaluation of ethanol oxidation in aqueous electrolyte at 1.0 M ethanol resulted in the following activity trend: Pd60Ag40>Pd50Ag50>Pd75Ag25≥Pd, where Pd60Ag40 showed the highest current density with 102.6 mA mg−1 Pd. In the PAA‐K gel electrolyte, Pd60Ag40 also achieved the highest peak current density (7.5 mA mg−1 Pd). Additionally, Pd60Ag40 maintained almost the same oxidation potential (−0.41 V vs. NHE) in aqueous and gel electrolytes, but the current density decreased 13.7‐fold owing to the high viscosity of PAA‐K electrolyte (∼400 cP).
Evidence of Nitrogen Contribution to the Electronic Structure of the CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite
Authors: Kot Małgorzata , Wojciechowski Konrad , Snaith Henry , Schmeißer Dieter 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDespite fast development of hybrid perovskite solar cells, there are many fundamental questions related to the perovskite film which remain open. For example, there are contradicting theoretical reports on the role of the organic methylammonium cation (CH3NH3+) in the methylammonium lead triiodide (CH3NH3PbI3) perovskite film. From one side it is reported that the organic cation does not contribute to electronic structure of the CH3NH3PbI3 film. From the other side, valence band maximum fluctuations, dependent on the CH3NH3+ rotation, have been theoretically predicted. The resonant X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results reported here show experimental evidence of nitrogen contribution to the CH3NH3PbI3 electronic structure. Moreover, the observed strong resonances of nitrogen with the I 5s and the Pb 5d‐6s levels indicate that the CH3NH3PbI3 valence band is extended up to ≈18 eV below the Fermi energy, and therefore one should also consider these shallow core levels while modeling its electronic structure.
Low‐Energy Electron‐Induced Strand Breaks in Telomere‐Derived DNA Sequences—Influence of DNA Sequence and Topology
Authors: Rackwitz Jenny , Bald Ilko 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDuring cancer radiation therapy high‐energy radiation is used to reduce tumour tissue. The irradiation produces a shower of secondary low‐energy (<20 eV) electrons, which are able to damage DNA very efficiently by dissociative electron attachment. Recently, it was suggested that low‐energy electron‐induced DNA strand breaks strongly depend on the specific DNA sequence with a high sensitivity of G‐rich sequences. Here, we use DNA origami platforms to expose G‐rich telomere sequences to low‐energy (8.8 eV) electrons to determine absolute cross sections for strand breakage and to study the influence of sequence modifications and topology of telomeric DNA on the strand breakage. We find that the telomeric DNA 5′‐(TTA GGG)2 is more sensitive to low‐energy electrons than an intermixed sequence 5′‐(TGT GTG A)2 confirming the unique electronic properties resulting from G‐stacking. With increasing length of the oligonucleotide (i.e., going from 5′‐(GGG ATT)2 to 5′‐(GGG ATT)4), both the variety of topology and the electron‐induced strand break cross sections increase. Addition of K+ ions decreases the strand break cross section for all sequences that are able to fold G‐quadruplexes or G‐intermediates, whereas the strand break cross section for the intermixed sequence remains unchanged. These results indicate that telomeric DNA is rather sensitive towards low‐energy electron‐induced strand breakage suggesting significant telomere shortening that can also occur during cancer radiation therapy.
Photoluminescence of Visible and NIR‐Emitting Lanthanide‐Doped Bismuth‐Organic Materials
Authors: Batrice Rami J. , Ayscue R. Lee , Adcock Alyssa K. , Sullivan Benjamin R. , Han Sae Young , Piccoli Philip M. , Bertke Jeffery A. , Knope Karah E. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractA bismuth‐organic compound containing 2,2′:6′2“‐terpyridine (terpy) and 2‐thiophenecarboxylate (TC), of the general formula (terpy)Bi(κ2‐TC)3⋅0.47 H2O (BiOM‐1), has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. Addition of a lanthanide nitrate solution to the reaction mixture led to statistical replacement of the bismuth centers, and yielded isomorphous lanthanide containing compounds Bi1−xLnxOM‐1 (Ln=Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Er, and Yb) that showed bismuth and/or ligand sensitized lanthanide‐centered emission, and the first example of NIR emission from a lanthanide doped BiOM. The structure was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, and the level and uniformity of lanthanide ion incorporation into the bismuth host was determined by ICP‐OES and electron microprobe analysis. For the visible emitters, lifetime data and quantum yields are presented. A high efficiency of sensitization was calculated for the europium analog (50.1 %), showing significant improvement over previously reported europium thiophenecarboxylates. These novel materials may provide strategies to address concerns over the long‐term sustainability of the rare earth elements, especially relating to optical devices.
The resolution of acyclic P‐stereogenic phosphine oxides via the formation of diastereomeric complexes: A case study on ethyl‐(2‐methylphenyl)‐phenylphosphine oxide
Authors: Bagi Péter , Varga Bence , Szilágyi András , Karaghiosoff Konstantin , Czugler Mátyás , Fogassy Elemér , Keglevich György 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAs an example of acyclic P‐chiral phosphine oxides, the resolution of ethyl‐(2‐methylphenyl)‐phenylphosphine oxide was elaborated with TADDOL derivatives, or with calcium salts of the tartaric acid derivatives. Besides the study on the resolving agents, several purification methods were developed in order to prepare enantiopure ethyl‐(2‐methylphenyl)‐phenylphosphine oxide. It was found that the title phosphine oxide is a racemic crystal‐forming compound, and the recrystallization of the enantiomeric mixtures could be used for the preparation of pure enantiomers. According to our best method, the (R)‐ethyl‐(2‐methylphenyl)‐phenylphosphine oxide could be obtained with an enantiomeric excess of 99% and in a yield of 47%. Complete racemization of the enantiomerically enriched phosphine oxide could be accomplished via the formation of a chlorophosphonium salt. Characterization of the crystal structures of the enantiopure phosphine oxide was complemented with that of the diastereomeric intermediate. X‐ray analysis revealed the main nonbonding interactions responsible for enantiomeric recognition.
Long‐term prognostic value of combined free triiodothyronine and late gadolinium enhancement in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy
Authors: Zhang Kuo , Wang Wenyao , Zhao Shihua , Katz Stuart D. , Iervasi Giorgio , Gerdes A. Martin , Tang Yi‐Da 
Published: January 2018

BackgroundThyroid dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis are both associated with cardiovascular events in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).HypothesisThe combination of thyroid hormone (TH) and myocardial fibrosis (detected by late gadolinium enhancement [LGE]) is an independent and incremental predictor of adverse events in DCM.MethodsWe consecutively enrolled 220 idiopathic DCM patients with thyroid function and LGE assessment at Fuwai Hospital (China) from January 2010 to October 2011 and followed up through December 2015. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to the presence or absence of LGE and FT3 value (median level of 2.79 pg/mL): LGE‐positive + FT3 < 2.79 pg/mL, LGE‐positive + FT3 ≥ 2.79 pg/mL, LGE‐negative + FT3 < 2.79 pg/mL, and LGE‐negative + FT3 ≥ 2.79 pg/mL.ResultsDuring a median follow‐up of 61 months, 56 patients (25.5%) died, with 27/56 (48.2%), 8/45 (17.8%), 12/54 (22.2%), and 9/65 (13.8%) among 4 groups (P = 0.009), respectively. Multivariable Cox regression analysis identified LGE‐positive and FT3 < 2.79 pg/mL as a significant independent predictor of all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio: 2.893, 95% confidence interval: 1.323‐6.326,P = 0.008). Combining the predictive value of FT3 and LGE status significantly improved risk reclassification for all‐cause mortality, as indicated by the net reclassification improvement (0.28;P = 0.005) and integrated discrimination improvement (0.058;P = 0.001).ConclusionsThe findings suggest that the combination of FT3 and LGE yielded a more accurate predictive value for long‐term prognosis in patients with DCM, which may improve patient selection for intensive interventions.
Use of two‐dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography to predict cardiac events: Comparison of patients with acute myocardial infarction and chronic coronary artery disease
Authors: Scharrenbroich Jörg , Hamada Sandra , Keszei Andras , Schröder Jörg , Napp Andreas , Almalla Mohammad , Becker Michael , Altiok Ertunc 
Published: January 2018

BackgroundTwo‐dimensional speckle strain (2D STE) echocardiography can aid in the prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and chronic coronary artery disease (CAD).HypothesisDifferences occur in the prediction of cardiac events using 2D STE in AMI vs CAD patients.MethodsIn this prospective study, 94 patients with a first AMI and successful revascularization, and 137 patients with stable CAD after complete revascularization were included. In all patients, we performed echocardiography and myocardial deformation analysis for layer‐specific global circumferential strain (GCS) and longitudinal strain. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to predict the presence of a cardiac event using strain values and baseline characteristics in different regression models.ResultsPatients were followed for 3.6 ± 0.8 years. Strain parameters in AMI and CAD patients were significantly different with respect to the occurrence of a cardiac event. Frequency of diabetes and hypertension was associated with the presence of a cardiac event in CAD patients. Furthermore, in CAD patients, ROC analysis demonstrated that the addition of endocardial GCS to baseline characteristics and ejection fraction to a regression model significantly improved the prediction of cardiac events (area under curve = 0.86, cutoff value: 20%, sensitivity: 79%, specificity: 84%). In contrast, the addition of strain parameters in AMI patients did not increase the prediction power for cardiac events.ConclusionsGlobal strain parameters by 2D STE may be useful for the prediction of cardiac events in patients with CAD but add no supplemental information to baseline characteristic and ejection fraction in patients with AMI.
Low‐temperature, Low‐Energy, and High‐Efficiency Pretreatment Technology for Large Wood Chips with a Redox Couple Catalyst
Authors: Gogoi Parikshit , Zhang Zhe , Geng Zhishuai , Liu Wei , Hu Weize , Deng Yulin 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass plays a vital role in the conversion of cellulosic biomass to bioethanol, especially for softwoods and hardwoods. Although many pretreatment technologies have been reported so far, only a few pretreatment methods can handle large woodchips directly. To improve the efficiency of pretreatment, existing technologies require the grinding of the wood into small particles, which is an energy‐consuming process. Herein, for the first time, we report a simple, effective, and low‐temperature (≈100 °C) process for the pretreatment of hardwood (HW) and softwood (SW) chips directly by using a catalytic system of FeCl3/NaNO3 (FCSNRC). The pretreatment experiments were conducted systematically, and a conversion of 71.53 and 70.66 % of cellulose to sugar could be obtained for the direct use of large HW and SW chips. The new method reported here overcomes one of the critical barriers in biomass‐to‐biofuel conversion, and both grinding and thermal energies can be reduced significantly.
Analytical models for communication links in emergency management simulation
Authors: Adams Richelle , Singh Arvind 
Published: January 2018

SummaryEmergency response involves the management of several different types of critical infrastructures and resources. Because of the interdependent nature of these systems, it is often very difficult for human decision makers to determine what the second‐ or third‐order effects of their decisions or actions might be. This has resulted in the development of several simulation tools that could be used to evaluate decisions or behaviours and better inform decision makers about the potential impacts of their decisions. One area that remains underdeveloped in this regard is the engagement of communication technologies by human agents, which has the potential to seriously affect delay times in response coordination. Given the size and complexity of simulating the interconnection of heterogeneous systems, developing reduced‐order simulation models has become important to maintain reasonable computation times. This paper describes the derivation of the distribution of the total connection time for a communication link where multiple technologies are engaged. Results show that communication link simulation times, which are among the most time‐consuming simulation routines can be significantly reduced by using the closed‐form distributions.
Efficient mobility prediction scheme for pervasive networks
Authors: Garg Neeraj , Dhurandher Sanjay K. , Nicopolitidis Petros , Lather J. S. 
Published: January 2018

SummaryThis paper aims towards probabilistic reasoning and Bayesian‐based recommendations to predict the next movement of a person. The proposed model in this work observes the behavior and movement patterns of humans for a day both at home and at their office to predict their future activities. To achieve this, an efficient model has been designed that provides the probable context‐based location of a person and predicts his next movement based on his behavior on some particular day at a particular time. The proposed model allows ubiquitous services to adapt to uncertain situations in today's world using different mechanisms such as monitoring the human behavior patterns and evaluating the user preferences and profiles. A case study of the office activity chart has been provided, and based on the experimentation performed on the related events, the probability in evaluating some “N”chained events of a person in a consecutive order using the proposed model has been found to be 0.002, which infers that there are fewer chances that the person will perform the same particular sequence of events.
Efficient REBTA data reporting algorithm for object tracking in wireless sensor networks
Authors: El‐Fouly Fatma H. , Ramadan Rabie A. , Mahmoud Mohamed I. , Dessouky Moawad I. 
Published: January 2018

SummaryObject tracking is widely referred as one of the most interesting applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). This application is able to detect and track objects and report information about these objects to a central base station. One of the major drawbacks in the current research in WSNs is the quality of the data reporting where the major research focus is dedicated to localization of objects; however, few of these works were concentrated on the data reporting. An efficient data reporting algorithm for object tracking in WSNs is proposed in this paper. The main objective of this paper is to enhance the WSN lifetime by achieving both minimum energy and balancing such consumption in sensor nodes during reporting operation. Furthermore, in our model, the enhancement of network reliability is considered. Finally, it reduces the effects of congestion by sufficiently utilizing the under loaded nodes to improve the network throughput. This paper formulates the object tracking problem in large‐scale WSN into 0/1 integer linear programming problem, and then proposes a reliable energy balance traffic aware approach to solve the optimization problem. From the obtained simulation results, the proposed solution has proved to be able to enhance the network performance in network lifetime, throughput, end‐to‐end delay, energy balance, and complexity for both homogeneous and heterogeneous networks.
Truncating mutations of TP53AIP1 gene predispose to cutaneous melanoma
Authors: Benfodda Meriem , Gazal Steven , Descamps Vincent , Basset‐Seguin Nicole , Deschamps Lydia , Thomas Luc , Lebbe Celeste , Saiag Philippe , Zanetti Roberto , Sacchetto Lidia , Chiorino Giovanna , Scatolini Maria , Grandchamp Bernard , Bensussan Armand , Soufir Nadem 
Published: January 2018

AbstractGenetic predisposition to cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) involves highly penetrant predisposing genes and low and intermediate penetrant predisposing alleles. However, the missing heritability in (CMM) is still high. For such and in order to identify new genetic factors for CMM, we conducted an exome sequencing study in high‐risk CMM patients. Two rounds of exome sequencing were successively performed in 33 and 27 high‐risk patients. We focused on genes carrying rare nonsense, frameshift, and splice variants (allelic frequency <1%) that were present in both series of exomes. An extension study was then conducted in a large cohort (1 079 CMM patients and 1 230 Caucasian ethnically matched healthy controls), and the inactivating variants frequency was compared between groups using two‐sided Fisher exact test. Two TP53AIP1 truncating mutations were identified in four patients: a frameshift c.63_64insG, p.Q22Afs*81 in two patients from the same family and in the proband of a second family; and a nonsense mutation c.95 C > A, p.Ser32Stop in a patient with multiple CMMs. In all patients, TP53AIP1 truncating variants were strongly associated with CMM risk (two‐sided Fisher exact test = 0.004, OR = 3.3[1.3‐8.5]). Additionally, we showed that TP53AIP1 mRNA was strongly down‐regulated throughout different phases of melanoma progression. TP53AIP1 gene is a TP53 target which plays a key role by inducting apoptosis in response to UV‐induced DNA damage. Constitutional mutations of TP53AIP1 had previously been involved in susceptibility to prostate cancer. Our results show that constitutional truncating TP53AIP1 mutations predispose to CMM in the French population. Replication studies in other populations should be performed.
Time‐dependent differences in cortical measures and their associations with behavioral measures following mild traumatic brain injury
Authors: Bajaj Sahil , Dailey Natalie S. , Rosso Isabelle M. , Rauch Scott L. , Killgore William D. S. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThere is currently a critical need to establish an improved understanding of time‐dependent differences in brain structure following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). We compared differences in brain structure, specifically cortical thickness (CT), cortical volume (CV), and cortical surface area (CSA) in 54 individuals who sustained a recent mTBI and 33 healthy controls (HCs). Individuals with mTBI were split into three groups, depending on their time since injury. By comparing structural measures between mTBI and HC groups, differences in CT reflected cortical thickening within several areas following 0–3 (time‐point, TP1) and 3–6 months (TP2) post‐mTBI. Compared with the HC group, the mTBI group at TP2 showed lower CSA within several areas. Compared with the mTBI group at TP2, the mTBI group during the most chronic stage (TP3: 6–18 months post‐mTBI) showed significantly higher CSA in several areas. All the above reported differences in CT and CSA were significant at a cluster‐forming p < .01 (corrected for multiple comparisons). We also found that in the mTBI group at TP2, CT within two clusters (i.e., the left rostral middle frontal gyrus (L. RMFG) and the right postcentral gyrus (R. PostCG)) was negatively correlated with basic attention abilities (L. RMFG: r = −.41, p = .05 and R. PostCG: r = −.44, p = .03). Our findings suggest that alterations in CT and associated neuropsychological assessments may be more prominent during the early stages of mTBI. However, alterations in CSA may reflect compensatory structural recovery during the chronic stages of mTBI.
Socioeconomic disadvantage and altered corticostriatal circuitry in urban youth
Authors: Marshall Narcis A. , Marusak Hilary A. , Sala‐Hamrick Kelsey J. , Crespo Laura M. , Rabinak Christine A. , Thomason Moriah E. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractSocioeconomic disadvantage (SED) experienced in early life is linked to a range of risk behaviors and diseases. Neuroimaging research indicates that this association is mediated by functional changes in corticostriatal reward systems that modulate goal‐directed behavior, reward evaluation, and affective processing. Existing research has focused largely on adults and within‐household measures as an index of SED, despite evidence that broader community‐level SED (e.g., neighborhood poverty levels) has significant and sometimes distinct effects on development and health outcomes. Here, we test effects of both household‐ and community‐level SED on resting‐state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the ventral striatum (VS) in 100 racially and economically diverse children and adolescents (ages 6–17). We observed unique effects of household income and community SED on VS circuitry such that higher community SED was associated with reduced rsFC between the VS and an anterior region of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), whereas lower household income was associated with increased rsFC between the VS and the cerebellum, inferior temporal lobe, and lateral prefrontal cortex. Lower VS‐mPFC rsFC was also associated with higher self‐reported anxiety symptomology, and rsFC mediated the link between community SED and anxiety. These results indicate unique effects of community‐level SED on corticostriatal reward circuitry that can be detected in early life, which carries implications for future interventions and targeted therapies. In addition, our findings raise intriguing questions about the distinct pathways through which specific sources of SED can affect brain and emotional development.
Immunocompromised patients with metastatic cutaneous nodal squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: Poor outcome unrelated to the index lesion
Authors: Lam Johnson K. S. , Sundaresan Puma , Gebski Val , Veness Michael J. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBackgroundImmunocompromised patients with metastatic cutaneous nodal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have worse outcomes compared to the immunocompetent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the primary cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), nodal pathology, and outcome between these 2 groups.MethodsAnalysis of a prospective database was performed. A 2:1 pooled analysis selected 46 immunocompetent patients matched with 23 immunocompromised patients. Overall survival (OS) and relapse‐free survival (RFS) were calculated using the Kaplan‐Meier method.ResultsNo significant difference was found in the primary tumor characteristics between the 2 groups. In the immunocompromised group, RFS (hazard ratio [HR] 2.70; P = .01) and OS (HR 2.32; P = .04) were significantly worse. Extracapsular spread was present in 100% of the immunocompromised patients.ConclusionNo significant difference was identified in the primary cutaneous SCC between the immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. Immunosuppression predicted worse outcome.