bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimization of an in vitro bioassay to monitor growth and formation of myotubes in real time
Authors: Murphy Sylvia M. , Kiely Maeve , Jakeman Philip M. , Kiely Patrick A. , Carson Brian P. 
Published: March 2016

The importance of growth and maintenance of skeletal muscle is vital for long term health and quality of life. Appropriate nutrition with specific bioactivities relevant to the functionalities of tissues such as skeletal muscle, can assist in maintaining and promoting adaptive responses to biological and environmental stresses which prevent muscle atrophy and promote hypertrophy. The aim of this investigation was to develop a novel in vitro cell-based electric impedance assay to study myoblast to myotube formation on the real time cell analysis (RTCA) platform (xCELLigence™, ACEA) and to validate the system by testing myotube responses to hypertrophic stimuli. C2C12 myoblasts were proliferated until 70% confluent in Dulbecco's Modified Eagles Medium (DMEM) (10% FBS) and subsequently differentiated to myotubes over 8 days in DMEM [2% horse serum (HS)]. Changes in cell behaviour and adhesion properties were monitored by measuring impedance via interdigitated microelectrodes in the base of E-16 cell culture dishes. To establish the suitability of this assay to monitor nutrient regulation of muscle hypertrophy, leucine, a known potent regulator of MPS was then supplemented to the fully formed myotubes in physiologically relevant conditions–0.20 mM, 0.40 mM, 0.6 mM, 0.8 mM and above 1.0 mM, 1.5 mM, 2.0 mM and impedance subsequently monitored. Parallel experiments highlighting alterations in myotube thickness, muscle protein synthesis (MPS) (mammalian target of rapamycin; mTOR) and differentiation (myogenin) were conducted to support RTCA bioassay findings. This in vitro bioassay can be used to monitor skeletal muscle behaviour and identify nutrient compounds with bioactivities promoting skeletal muscle hypertrophy, reducing muscle atrophy and thus inform the development of novel nutrient formulations for the maintenance of skeletal muscle.
Multi‐attribute node importance evaluation method based on Gini‐coefficient in complex power grids
Authors: Wenli Fan , Ping Hu , Zhigang Liu 
Published: March 2016

Node importance evaluation contributes to the targeted protection of important nodes, which can enhance the invulnerability of complex power grids against cascading failures. Since the evaluation simply from the perspective of pure topology statistics fails to capture the electrical characteristics of power systems, the authors propose a multi‐attribute node importance evaluation method based on Gini‐coefficient in this study. This method considers not only the electrical characteristics of power grids when evaluation indices are built, but also the impact of the index weight method on the evaluation results. The simulations on the IEEE‐39 system and the 500 kV Center China power system show that the proposed method is suitable to evaluate the node importance in power transmission grids, and can also improve the accuracy of the node importance evaluation.
Duty‐cycle‐controlled resonant dual‐half‐bridge converter with multifunctional capacitors for distributed generation applications
Authors: Moradisizkoohi Hadi , Milimonfared Jafar , Taheri Meghdad , Salehi Sina 
Published: March 2016

This study describes a duty‐cycle‐controlled resonant dual‐half‐bridge converter with multifunctional capacitors for enhancing the voltage level of fuel cell and photovoltaic sources to 380 V. Owing to the incorporation of dc‐link capacitors and leakage inductance into two various resonant circuits, both switches turn‐on under the zero‐voltage‐switching circumstance and turn‐off with low current because of quasi‐resonant operation. Since the currents of diodes are controlled by the leakage inductances of transformers, it is not obligatory for a designer to employ the diodes with reverse‐recovery current specification; consequently, less expensive diodes can be adopted. The complementary effects of series‐connected secondary windings of transformers and switched‐capacitor circuits result in forming the balanced voltage multiplier stage, augmenting the voltage conversion ratio substantially without the need for utilising a transformer having higher turns ratio; so, one of the magnificent factors of growth of the conduction losses has been avoided. Ultimately, the results of the laboratory prototype operating with 58 kHz switching frequency, 18 V input voltage, 380 V output voltage, and 500 W output power prove that the proposed topology would be proficient to fulfil its function in systems using distributed generation resources.
Biomimetics studies of Salvinia molesta for fabrication
Authors: Tengfei Zheng , Chaohui Wang , Baogang Miao , Zhuangde Jiang 
Published: March 2016

It has been reported that the sophisticated structure of the Salvinia molesta surface offered a novel mechanism for long‐term air‐retention. It was difficult to mimic the structure, for it was composed of complex elastic eggbeater‐shaped hairs with a coating of nanoscopic hydrophobic wax crystals, except for the top of the hairs. In this work, a structure of fibres cross on a patterned paper to mimic the ability of S. Molesta is manufactured. The complex elastic eggbeater‐shaped hairs with a coating of SU‐8 photoresist can support a droplet water of 1 ml. This work offered a new simple method to mimic the properties of S. molesta surface.
Hollow Co3O4 microspheres assembled with nanocrystals for non‐enzymatic glucose sensor
Authors: Yin Haoyong , He Xiaolong , Cui Zhenzhen , Nie Qiulin 
Published: March 2016

A non‐enzymatic glucose sensor was developed by using the hollow Co3O4 microspheres assembled with nanocrystals as the sensing materials. The hierarchical structured materials were prepared using carbon spheres as sacrificial templates. X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy were employed to characterise the crystal structure and morphology of the hollow microspheres. The results showed that the as‐prepared cubic crystalline Co3O4 products have a hollow nature, with the shell thicknesses of about 150 nm. The walls of the hollow microspheres were composed of lots of nanocrystals with diameters about 50 nm. The Co3O4 hollow microspheres displayed superior electrochemical activity used as non‐enzymatic glucose sensors. The high linearity between catalytic current density and glucose concentration was obtained in the range of 2 μM–1.48 mM with a sensitivity of 68.77 μA mM−1 cm−2. More importantly, the interference from the commonly interfering species such as L‐valine, urea, L‐proline, NaCl and L‐lysine can be effectively avoided. The high sensitivity, low detection limit and good selectivity indicated that the hollow Co3O4 microsphere is a promising no‐enzymatic glucose sensor material for practical application.
Preparation of yolk–shell microspheres as temperature switch on/off catalysts
Authors: Yang Kun , Dai Zhao , Chu Yuanyuan , Chen Guangping 
Published: March 2016

A novel kind of yolk–shell microspheres was presented in this Letter. First, 250 nm of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles was prepared by solvothermal reaction. Then, the Fe3O4 particles were coated with Au nanoparticles (AuNPs), SiO2, and poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). After the removal of the SiO2 layer by etching with HF solution, the yolk–shell microspheres were prepared. Each yolk–shell microsphere had a movable core (Fe3O4 self‐assembled AuNPs) and temperature‐responsive shell (PNIPAM). The yolk–shell structure of these microspheres was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. The catalytic performances of these yolk–shell microspheres were investigated under different environmental temperatures. The results indicated that the reduction from 4‐nitrophenol to 4‐aminophenol by NaBH4 was slowed when the temperature was increased because of the hydrophobic and the shrinking sate of PNIPAM shell and the yolk–shell microspheres had a characteristic of temperature switch on/off when the cross‐linking degree was about 20%.
Morphological and optical properties of ultra‐thin nanostructured Cu films deposited by RF sputtering on nanoporous anodic alumina substrate
Authors: Shaban Mohamed , Ahmed Ashour M. , Abdel‐ Rahman Ehab , Hamdy Hany 
Published: March 2016

Nanoporous materials have attracted considerable technological interest due to their wide range of applications. In this study, highly ordered nanoporous anodic alumina substrates (NAAS) were fabricated by two‐steps anodisation. Radio‐frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering was used to deposit ultrathin Cu layers of different morphologies on the top surface of NAAS. From the field emission‐scanning electron microscope images, the Cu/NAAS morphologies were tuned from nanoporous ultra‐thin Cu layer, to nanoporous‐grains of Cu aggregates, then to a continues layer of Cu nanostones as the deposition time increased from 1 to 4 min. The reflection spectra of the Cu/NAAS samples were dominated with localised surface plasmon modes; longitudinal, transverse and higher‐order modes. The surface plasmon resonances of the fundamental and higher‐order longitudinal modes were shifted to longer wavelengths as the deposition time increased. In addition, the transverse surface plasmon resonances were shifted to longer wavelengths for deposition time ≤3 min (nanoporous Cu film) and suddenly shifted to shorter wavelengths for deposition time ≥4 min (continuous film). The correlations between the structural parameters and the shift of surface plasmon resonance modes were discussed. The strong red‐shifted of the surface plasmon modes to the NIR region suggests a unique opportunity for the design of biomedical sensor based on the proposed structures.
Fibroblast growth factor 21 induction by activating transcription factor 4 is regulated through three amino acid response elements in its promoter region
Authors: Maruyama Ryuto , Shimizu Makoto , Li Juan , Inoue Jun , Sato Ryuichiro 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an endocrine growth factor, a regulator of fatty acids and glucose metabolism. Recently, it has been reported that FGF21 expression is regulated by activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), a transcription factor activated by various stimuli such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. ATF4 binds to the amino acid response element (AARE), a binding site for ATF4, in the promoter region of the target genes. The two response elements for ATF4 (AARE1 and AARE2) have been reported in the promoter region of FGF21 gene. In this study, we found a novel response element, located upstream of AARE1 and AARE2, essential for a promoter activation of FGF21. When this DNA sequence, named AARE3, was mutated, the promoter activation by ATF4 or ER stress was strongly decreased. Our results showed that the FGF21 promoter contains three response elements for ATF4, suggesting that FGF21 is a sensitive target of ATF4.
Hydrophobicity of stored (15, 35 °C), or dry-heated (120 °C) rice flour and deteriorated breadmaking properties baked with these treated rice flour/fresh gluten flour
Authors: Nakagawa Mariko , Tabara Aya , Ushijima Yuki , Matsunaga Kotaro , Seguchi Masaharu 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Rice flour was stored at 15 °C/9 months, at 35 °C/14 days, or dry-heated at 120 °C/20 min. The breadmaking properties baked with this rice flour/fresh gluten flour deteriorated. In addition, the rice flour was mixed with oil in water vigorously, and oil-binding ability was measured. Every rice flour subjected to storage or dry-heated at 120 °C showed higher hydrophobicity, owing to changes in proteins. Then, proteins in the stored rice flour were excluded with NaOH solution, and bread baked with the deproteinized rice flour showed the same breadmaking properties as unstored rice flour/fresh gluten flour. The viscoelasticity of wheat glutenin fraction decreased after the addition of dry-heated rice flour in a mixograph profile. DDD staining increased Lab in color meter, which suggested an increase in SH groups in rice protein. The increase in SH groups caused a reduction in wheat gluten protein resulting in a deterioration of rice bread quality.
Establishment of cell surface engineering and its development
Authors: Ueda Mitsuyoshi 
Published: March 2016

AbstractCell surface display of proteins/peptides has been established based on mechanisms of localizing proteins to the cell surface. In contrast to conventional intracellular and extracellular (secretion) expression systems, this method, generally called an arming technology, is particularly effective when using yeasts as a host, because the control of protein folding that is often required for the preparation of proteins can be natural. This technology can be employed for basic and applied research purposes. In this review, I describe various strategies for the construction of engineered yeasts and provide an outline of the diverse applications of this technology to industrial processes such as the production of biofuels and chemicals, as well as bioremediation and health-related processes. Furthermore, this technology is suitable for novel protein engineering and directed evolution through high-throughput screening, because proteins/peptides displayed on the cell surface can be directly analyzed using intact cells without concentration and purification. Functional proteins/peptides with improved or novel functions can be created using this beneficial, powerful, and promising technique.
Catalytic improvement and structural analysis of atrazine chlorohydrolase by site-saturation mutagenesis
Authors: Guo Yuan , Zhao Panjie , Zhang Wenhao , Li Xiaolong , Chen Xiwen , Chen Defu 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
To improve the catalytic activity of atrazine chlorohydrolase (AtzA), amino acid residues involved in substrate binding (Gln71) and catalytic efficiency (Val12, Ile393, and Leu395) were targeted to generate site-saturation mutagenesis libraries. Seventeen variants were obtained through Haematococcus pluvialis-based screening, and their specific activities were 1.2–5.2-fold higher than that of the wild type. For these variants, Gln71 tended to be substituted by hydrophobic amino acids, Ile393 and Leu395 by polar ones, especially arginine, and Val12 by alanine, respectively. Q71R and Q71M significantly decreased the Km by enlarging the substrate-entry channel and affecting N-ethyl binding. Mutations at sites 393 and 395 significantly increased the kcat/Km, probably by improving the stability of the dual β-sheet domain and the whole enzyme, owing to hydrogen bond formation. In addition, the contradictory relationship between the substrate affinity improvement by Gln71 mutation and the catalytic efficiency improvement by the dual β-sheet domain modification was discussed.
Human Nature and Social Transformation
Authors: Graham Gordon 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
This chapter investigates the question of how a “philosophy” of emerging technologies should be conceived. Part 1 distinguishes between prediction and explanation as the end goal of such a philosophy, and explores empirical social science and idealist philosophy as alternative approaches to explanation. It uses the basic ideas of actor network theory to uncover weaknesses in both. Part 2 sets out a third possibility, namely the empirical-cum-normative philosophical method that underlies the writings of two foundational figures in the history of the social sciences—the Scottish Enlightenment philosophers Adam Smith and Adam Ferguson. Part 3 applies this method to the philosophy of technology, and introduces the concept of “transformative technologies.” Part 4 considers briefly the extent to which the “emergent media” of the present time could be regarded as transformative.
Media, Emergence, and the Analogy of Art
Authors: Haldane John 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
A philosophical inquiry into the nature of information and communication media raises conceptual and ontological questions. This analysis provides conceptual mappings and also raises the question of what is involved in the emergence of media out of some prior state from which they were absent, and again in subsequent phases of higher-level emergent phenomena. “Emergence” can be understood in a number of ways: epistemically, causally, or metaphysically, and there is a danger of equivocating between these different senses in general or in considering particular levels of media emergence alone, and drawing the wrong conclusions. In describing and attempting to understand recent developments in “emerging media” it may be useful to consider an analogy with developments in the visual arts involving the transition from figurative naturalism to abstractionism, then to minimalism, and from these to performance art and conceptualism.
Agential Properties in Computer Games
Authors: Sageng John R. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Computer games are artifacts designed to exhibit forms of meaning to their players in response to their actions during play. The aim of this paper is to outline and examine main theoretical conceptions for how they perform this function. This chapter identifies three major conceptions of computer games that are implicit in much thinking about them: a nominalist, a representationalist and a ludic. It argues that the representationalist conception gives the wrong account of in-game player action and that the ludic conception is unable to explain the manner in which a game system guides actions. As an alternative to all three conceptions the chapter proposes a motivational conception, according to which computer games are systems designed to support a special kind of autonomous in-game agential properties. It argues that the artistic potential of computer games is found in how they implement action types and goal attainment structures to be performed for their own sake.
Rethinking parameter theory diachronically
Authors: Reintges Chris H. , Cyrino Sonia 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
This chapter explores the possibility that large-scale changes in grammar may be the result of the diachronic resetting of a macroparameter. It examines the synthetic-to-analytic drift in the temporal system of two genetically unrelated languages, Brazilian Portuguese and Coptic Egyptian. The analyticization process is in an already quite advanced state in spoken Brazilian Portuguese (Ibero-Romance [Indo-Germanic]), while analytic drift has almost gone to completion in Coptic Egyptian (Ancient Egyptian [Afro-Asiatic], around 3rd to 14th c. CE). Yet, both languages have retained inflectional morphology in one corner of the grammar. The morphological and syntactic properties of synthetically inflected verb forms must be learnt on a class-based and/or item-based basis and belong to the domain of microparametric variation. Ongoing or incomplete syntax changes permit a systematic distinction between parameters of varying magnitude and lead to a better understanding of the parametric system both at the macro and the micro level.
Aristotelian Virtue Ethics and Economic Rationality
Authors: Becker Christian U. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
This chapter discusses the relation between virtues and economic contexts and explores potential approaches to this subject matter by virtue ethics and economics. Referring to Aristotle’s philosophy, the crucial role of rationality for linking virtue ethics and economic theory is demonstrated. Against this backdrop, the chapter critically discusses conceptions of economic rationality in modern economics and argues that bounded rationality concepts are a more suitable methodological basis for analyzing the interrelation of virtues and economic actions than standard economic rationality. From a virtue ethics perspective, the chapter explores the meaning of multiple modern economic spheres for the development of personal virtues and explores the ethically relevant societal contexts of today’s economic spheres. Finally, the chapter discusses potential new normative frameworks of excellence relevant to the modern economy with the example of sustainability.
Can Trust, Reciprocity, and Friendships Survive Contact with the Market?
Authors: Choi Seung (Ginny) , Storr Virgil Henry 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Critics of markets have often asserted that markets undermine morality and that market dealings are unfair and corrupting. In their perspective, the expansion of the market and market values taint the nature of the goods being exchanged and the relationships between the parties to the deal. This chapter gives reasons to suspect this critique of markets and attempts to push back against these complaints. It argues that the market is a social arena where individuals not only pursue their material goals but also exercise their moral selves; after all, meaningful social bonds characterized by trust and trustworthiness can and do develop in market settings. The market depends on and promotes trust and trustworthiness as well as fairness and reciprocity and these values, as suggested by experimental economic evidence, play important roles in successful market exchanges.
Introduction
Authors: Holmberg Anders 
Published: March 2016

AbstractEven very short answers to yes–no questions like ‘yes’ and ‘no’ are full sentences, derived by ellipsis. They are a species of fragment answers. There are basically two types of answers, yes–no answers and verb-echo answers. The issue of how to answer negative questions is introduced. There are two different systems found among the languages of the world, which are illustrated. Some terminological issues are discussed, including the notion of grammaticality. The sources of the data are presented and discussed. The SSWL database is introduced.
How to answer negative questions
Authors: Holmberg Anders 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe two principal systems for answering negative questions are the truth-based system and the polarity-based system. In the former, the answer is ‘yes’, in the latter ‘no’, when confirming the negative alternative of a negative question. The distribution of the two systems among the languages of the world is examined. There is a clear areal distribution of the two systems, particularly in Eurasia. Systematic variation can occur within a language. Based primarily on a detailed study of English, it is argued that the choice between the two systems depends not on social conventions but on the syntax of negation: languages/constructions with low negation in questions have truth-based answers. Another factor is the syntax of the negative question. Positive and negative bias is discussed. The syntax of different types of negative questions and typological implications are discussed.
Some further issues
Authors: Holmberg Anders 
Published: March 2016

AbstractYes and no as rejoinders expressing agreement or disagreement with statements is discussed. Differences between this use and answers to questions are explained by the fact that statements do not include a question variable needing a value. Some other theories are discussed. Answers to yes–no questions with narrow focus are discussed. Two types are distinguished. In one type, represented by Finnish, Hungarian, and, with some reservations, Turkish, the question is the result of moving the focused constituent to the focus position in the C-domain, deriving a structure with a variable [±A], where the answer can assign a value directly to this variable. The other type has to resort to a bi-clausal cleft construction with a polarity variable.