bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Intracellular Delivery of siRNA by Controlling ATP‐Responsivity of Phenylboronic Acid‐Functionalized Polyion Complex Micelles
Authors: Naito Mitsuru , Yoshinaga Naoto , Ishii Takehiko , Matsumoto Akira , Miyahara Yuji , Miyata Kanjiro , Kataoka Kazunori 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntracellular delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a long‐standing challenge in oligonucleotide therapeutics. Herein, adenosine triphosphate (ATP)‐responsive polyion complex micelles assembled from poly(ethylene glycol)‐block‐poly(l‐lysine) (PEG–PLys) bearing 4‐carboxy‐3‐fluorophenylboronic acid (FPBA) moiety in the PLys side chains (FPBA micelle) for the delivery of cholesterol‐modified siRNA (Chol‐siRNA) are described. The pKa of FPBA moiety is 7.2 and, therefore, it exists in equilibrium between negatively charged tetravalent and noncharged hydrophobic trivalent forms in physiological pH conditions. Each form cooperatively stabilizes the micelle in distinct modes, that is, a covalent ester‐linkage between charged boronate and ribose functionality at 3′ ends of Chol‐siRNA and a hydrophobic interaction between noncharged boronic acid and Chol‐siRNA. When exposed to ATP at a concentration associated with the intracellular environment, the Chol‐siRNA/boronate linkage is readily cleaved to facilitate the release of Chol‐siRNA into cytoplasm. In order to further optimize this switching capability, the effect of FPBA modification rate is studied for the resulting ATP‐responsive behavior of the micelles. As a result, the range of 23–35% in the modification rate is found suitable to maximize the gene silencing efficiency, demonstrating the potential of the FPBA‐modified micelles as ATP‐responsive smart siRNA carrier systems.
Therapeutic Considerations and Conjugated Polymer‐Based Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Meng Zihui , Hou Weiying , Zhou Hua , Zhou Libo , Chen Haobin , Wu Changfeng 
Published: December 2017

AbstractConjugated polymers have recently attracted a great deal of attention for applications in photodynamic therapy (PDT) because of their light‐harvesting capability, efficient energy transfer, and singlet oxygen generation properties. This review describes recent advances in PDT development, including therapeutic mechanisms of PDT in cancer treatments, light excitation methods, and especially recent advances of conjugated polyelectrolytes and conjugated polymer nanoparticles as photosensitizers. The future direction on PDT and further development of conjugated polymer photosensitizers are discussed. The aim of this review is to stimulate innovative ideas to synthesize a new generation of conjugated polymer photosensitizers and promote their translation to clinical applications of PDT.
Water‐Stable Nanoporous Polymer Films with Excellent Proton Conductivity
Authors: Wang Zhengbang , Liang Cong , Tang Haolin , Grosjean Sylvain , Shahnas Artak , Lahann Joerg , Bräse Stefan , Wöll Christof 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAchieving high values for proton conductivity in a material critically depends on providing hopping sites arranged in a regular fashion. Record values reported for regular, molecular crystals cannot yet be reached by technologically relevant systems, and the best values measured for polymer membranes suited for integration into devices are almost two orders of magnitude lower. Here, an alternative polymer membrane synthesis strategy based on the chemical modification of surface‐mounted, monolithic, crystalline metal–organic framework thin films is demonstrated. Due to chemical crosslinking and subsequent removal of metal ions, these surface‐mounted gels (SURGELs) are found to exhibit high proton conductivity (0.1 S cm−1 at 30 °C and 100% RH (relative humidity). These record values are attributed to the highly ordered polymer network structure containing regularly spaced carboxylic acid side groups. These covalently bound organic frameworks outperform conventional, ion‐conductive polymers with regard to ion conductivity and water stability. Pronounced water‐induced swelling, which causes severe mechanical instabilities in commercial membranes, is not observed.
A Mesoscopic Model with Vectorial Structure Parameter for Interacting Star Polymers
Authors: Fitzgerald Barry W. , Briels Wim J. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAn updated mesoscopic model for transient forces between two star polymers is presented. Calculation of the transient forces is based on the response of a vectorial structure parameter between two star polymers and differs from previous models that used a scalar structure parameter. The update of the model is motivated by the occurrence of two distinct processes in previous small‐scale simulations of two star polymers moving past each other. A simple model that takes these processes into account turns out to fit into an obvious generalization of the RaPiD model introduced by us some time ago. The model reproduces forces from the simulation quite well, and at the same time removes an unphysical feature of the RaPiD model used so far.
An adaptive motion regularization technique to support sliding motion in deformable image registration
Authors: Fu Yabo , Liu Shi , Li H. Harold , Li Hua , Yang Deshan 
Published: December 2017

PurposeIsotropic smoothing has been conventionally used to regularize deformation vector fields (DVFs) in deformable image registration (DIR). However, the isotropic smoothing method enforces global smoothness and therefore cannot accurately model the complex tissue deformation, such as sliding motion at organ boundaries. To accurately model and estimate sliding tissue motion, an adaptive direction‐dependent DVF regularization technique was developed in this study.MethodsA DVF is computed and updated iteratively by minimizing the intensity differences between the images. In each iteration, the DVF was smoothed using an adaptive direction‐dependent filter which enforces different motion propagation mechanisms along the primary normal and tangential directions of soft tissue local structures. A Gaussian isotropic filter was used along the normal direction while a bilateral filter was used along the tangential direction. To support large sliding motion, an automatic method was developed to delineate sliding surfaces, such as the chest wall and abdominal wall, where large organ sliding motion occurs. Parameters of the DVF regularization were adjusted adaptively based on a distance map to the sliding surfaces. The proposed method was tested on 14 4D‐CT datasets at End‐Inhalation (EI) and End‐Exhalation (EE) phases of a respiratory cycle (10 public lung datasets, 3 upper abdomen datasets and 1 digital phantom dataset). TRE results of the 10 lung datasets were compared to results from six other existing DIR methods. For the three upper abdomen patient datasets, DIR accuracy was evaluated using manually defined landmarks across the lung and the abdomen. For the digital phantom dataset, DIR accuracy was evaluated using the ground truth displacement of a total 40,000 points that were evenly distributed across the phantom.ResultsThe results showed that the sliding motion was preserved near the surface of chest wall and abdominal wall. The average target registration error (TRE) was reduced by 35.1% using the proposed method in comparison with five other methods on the 10 lung datasets. The sum of squared difference (SSD) after registration using the proposed method was 4.4% and 11.4% smaller than the SSDs obtained using isotropic smoothing and bilateral smoothing respectively. On the digital phantom, the average TRE was reduced by 59.6% near the surface of liver and by 53.7% near the surface of spleen using the proposed method. Contour propagation and Jacobian determinant analysis of DVF suggested an overall improved accuracy using the proposed method.ConclusionAn adaptive direction‐dependent DVF regularization method has been developed to model the sliding tissue motion of the thoracic and abdominal organs. The overall motion estimation accuracy has been improved especially near the chest wall and abdominal wall where large organ sliding motion occurs.
Necessary/sufficient conditions for Pareto optimum in cooperative difference game
Authors: Lin Yaning , Zhang Weihai 
Published: December 2017

SummaryThis paper is concerned with the necessary/sufficient conditions for the Pareto optimum of the cooperative difference game in finite horizon. Utilizing the necessary and sufficient characterization of the Pareto optimum, the problem is transformed into a set of constrained optimal control problems with a special structure. Employing the discrete version of Pontryagin's maximum principle, the necessary conditions for the existence of the Pareto solutions are derived. Under certain convex assumptions, it is shown that the necessary conditions are sufficient too. Next, the obtained results are extended to the linear‐quadratic case. For a fixed initial state, the necessary conditions resulting from the maximum principle and the convexity condition on the cost functional provide the necessary and sufficient description of the well‐posedness of the weighted sum optimal control problem. For an arbitrary initial state, the solvability of the related difference Riccati equation provides a sufficient condition under which the Pareto‐efficient strategies are equivalent to the weighted sum optimal controls. In addition, all Pareto solutions are derived based on the solutions of a set of difference equations. Two examples show the effectiveness of the proposed results.
Validity of diagnostic codes to identify hospitalizations for infections among patients treated with oral anti‐diabetic drugs
Authors: Saine M. Elle , Gizaw Mona , Carbonari Dean M. , Newcomb Craig W. , Roy Jason A. , Cardillo Serena , Esposito Daina B. , Bhullar Harshvinder , Gallagher Arlene M. , Strom Brian L. , Lo Re Vincent 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPurposeIdentification of hospitalizations for infection is important for post‐marketing surveillance of drugs, but the validity of using diagnosis codes to identify these events is unknown. Differentiating between hospitalization for and with infection is important, as the latter is common and less likely to arise from pre‐admission exposure to drugs. We determined positive predictive values (PPVs) of diagnostic coding‐based algorithms to identify hospitalization for infection among patients prescribed oral anti‐diabetic drugs (OADs).MethodsWe identified patients initiating OADs within 2 United States claims databases (Medicare, HealthCore Integrated Research DatabaseSM [HIRDSM]) and 2 United Kingdom electronic medical record databases (Clinical Practice Research Datalink [CPRD], The Health Improvement Network [THIN]) from 2009 to 2014. To identify potential hospitalizations for infection, we selected patients with a hospital diagnosis of infection and, within 7 days prior to hospitalization, either an outpatient/emergency department visit with an infection diagnosis or outpatient antimicrobial treatment. Hospital records were reviewed by infectious disease specialists to adjudicate hospital admissions for infection. PPVs for confirmed outcomes were determined for each database.ResultsCode‐based algorithms to identify hospitalization for infection had PPVs exceeding 80% within Medicare (PPV, 83% [90/109]; 95% CI, 74–89%), HIRDSM (PPV, 89% [73/82]; 95% CI, 80–95%), and THIN (PPV, 86% [12/14]; 95% CI, 57–98%) but not within CPRD (PPV, 67% [14/21]; 95% CI, 43–85%).ConclusionsAlgorithms identifying hospitalization for infection utilizing hospital diagnoses along with antecedent outpatient/emergency infection diagnoses or antimicrobial therapy had sufficiently high PPVs for confirmed events within Medicare, HIRDSM, and THIN to enable their use for pharmacoepidemiologic research.
Compressive and cyclic loading of silicone breast implants and their effect on shape resilience and reliability of the shell material
Authors: Schubert Dirk W , von Hanstein Harald , Daenicke Jonas , Werner Siegfried , Horch Raymund E 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe mechanical behavior of gel‐filled silicone breast implants has been examined as well as the mechanical properties of the implant shell itself. For the first time the implants were tested under compression in two different ways. Subsequently the implant shell material was analyzed by tensile test on dumbbell‐shaped specimens. The results are presented in contour plots which provide a detailed view of the measured values of the samples. Finally a statistical failure analysis was carried out by means of a Weibull fit to provide further data on the mechanical behavior. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Prostate tumors downregulate microseminoprotein‐beta (MSMB) in the surrounding benign prostate epithelium and this response is associated with tumor aggressiveness
Authors: Bergström Sofia Halin , Järemo Helena , Nilsson Maria , Adamo Hanibal Hani , Bergh Anders 
Published: December 2017

BackgroundMicroseminoprotein‐beta (MSMB) is a major secretory product from prostate epithelial cells. MSMB synthesis is decreased in prostate tumors in relation to tumor grade. MSMB levels are also reduced in the circulation and MSMB is therefore used as a serum biomarker for prostate cancer. We hypothesized that cancers induce a reduction in MSMB synthesis also in the benign parts of the prostate, and that the magnitude of this response is related to tumor aggressiveness. Reduced levels of MSMB in the circulation could therefore be a consequence of reduced MSMB expression not only in tumor tissue but also in the benign prostate tissue.MethodsMSMB expression was analyzed in prostatectomy specimens from 36 patients using immunohistochemistry and qRT‐PCR. MSMB expression in the benign prostate tissue was analyzed in relation to Gleason score, tumor stage, and distance to the tumor. Furthermore, Dunning rat prostate tumors with different aggressiveness were implanted into the prostate of Copenhagen rats to study if this affected the MSMB expression in the tumor‐adjacent benign rat prostate tissue.ResultsIn prostatectomy specimens, MSMB expression was reduced in prostate tumors but also in the tumor‐adjacent benign parts of the prostate. The reduction in tumor MSMB was related to tumor grade and stage, and the reduction in the benign parts of the prostate to tumor grade, stage, and distance to the tumor. Implantation of Dunning cancer cells into the rat prostate resulted in reduced MSMB protein levels in the tumor‐adjacent benign prostate tissue. Rapidly growing and metastatic MatLyLu tumors had a more pronounced effect than slow‐growing non‐metastatic G tumors.ConclusionOur data suggest that aggressive prostate tumors suppress MSMB synthesis in the benign prostate and that this could explain why serum levels of MSMB are decreased in prostate cancer patients. This study suggests that markers for aggressive cancer can be found among factors altered in parallel in prostate tumors and in the adjacent benign tissue.
Protein identification before and after glyphosate exposure in Lolium multiflorum genotypes
Authors: Barroso Arthur AM , de S Costa Marilia G , Neto Nelson J , dos Santos Juciléia I , Balbuena Tiago S , Carbonari Caio A , Alves Pedro LCA 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDWeeds reduce crop yields, and among the methods used to control these plants, the use of chemicals is preferred. However, the repeated application of herbicides with the same mechanism of action selects for resistant populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate glyphosate resistance in Lolium multiflorum (Lam.) and relate the resistance to protein expression in the absence and presence of the herbicide using a metabolic‐proteomic approach.RESULTSGlyphosate resistance was confirmed, with a sevenfold difference in resistance between susceptible and resistant genotypes. Among the possible mechanisms affecting resistance, mutations in the enzyme 5‐enolpyruvylshikimate‐3‐phosphate synthase (EPSPS), herbicide differential translocation and overexpression of EPSPS are suggested. Susceptible plants had higher growth than did resistant plants in the absence of the herbicide, in addition to greater expression of protein groups related to photosynthesis and to tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. With application of glyphosate, resistant plants maintained their metabolism and began to express EPSPS and other candidate proteins related to herbicide resistance.CONCLUSIONSIn the absence of glyphosate, the susceptible plants would replace the resistant plants over time, and abiotic or biotic stresses would accelerate this process. Resistance in plants resulted from a combination of target‐site and non‐target‐site resistance mechanisms. We identified several candidate proteins that could be investigated in future studies on glyphosate resistance. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Soybean seed coat chitinase as a defense protein against the stored product pest Callosobruchus maculatus
Authors: Silva Nadia CM , Conceição Jamile G , Ventury Kayan Eudorico , De Sá Leonardo FR , Oliveira Eduardo AG , Santos Izabela S , Gomes Valdirene M , Costa Monique N , Ferreira Andre TS , Perales Jonas , Xavier‐Filho Jose , Fernandes Kátia VS , Oliveira Antonia EA 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDChitinases (EC 3.2.1.14) are enzymes involved in the breaking of the β‐1,4‐glycosidic linkages of chitin. In insects, chitin is present mainly in the cuticle and in peritrophic membranes and peritrophic gel. Enzymes with the potential to damage peritrophic membranes and gel, such as chitinase, have been associated with plant defense systems. Identification and characterization of seed coat chitinase as a plant defense molecule may indicate a more effective target for manipulation strategies, which may lead to the prevention of consumption of embryonic tissues by larvae and consequently minimization of seed damage.RESULTSWe studied the efficiency of soybean seed coat chitinase as a defense molecule against the insect Callosobruchus maculatus. The seed coat chitinase was isolated and identified by mass spectrometry, immunoreacted with an anti‐chitinase antibody and shown to have activity against chitin azure and 4‐methylumbelliferyl β‐D‐N,N′,N′′‐triacetylchitotrioside. A chitinase fraction incorporated in artificial cotyledons at 0.1% reduced larval survival by approximately 77%, and at 0.5%, the reduction in larval mass was 60%. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)‐labeled chitinase was detected in the guts and feces of larvae. At 25% in thick artificial seed coats, chitinase showed a high toxicity to larvae, with mortality of 90% and a reduction of larval mass of 87%.CONCLUSIONSeed coat chitinase is an important seed defense molecule not only in the cotyledons but also in seed coats, acting as part of the array of defense mechanisms against Callosobruchus maculatus. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Phytotherapeutic effects of the fruits of Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. on cancer, inflammation, and digestive dysfunction
Authors: Jang Yongwoo , Kim Eun‐Kyung , Shim Won‐Sik 
Published: December 2017

Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. belongs to the family Rutaceae in the genus Poncirus. Its fruits are widely used to alleviate symptoms of various disorders. The mature fruit (MF) possesses anticancer and antiinflammatory activities. Extracts of the dried, immature fruit, Poncirus fructus (PF) are widely used as a traditional medicine for ameliorating symptoms of digestive dysfunction in East Asia. Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the effects of MF and PF extracts on cancer, inflammation, and gastrointestinal disorders have been extensively studied in the past decade. This review summarizes recent findings on the anticancer and antiinflammatory effects of MF and the prokinetic effects of PF. Although the therapeutic effects of MF and PF have been clearly elucidated, in‐depth further clinical studies are still required to completely verify the clinical efficacy and safety of the fruits of P. trifoliata (L.) Raf.
Disturbance observer–based consensus tracking for nonlinear multiagent systems with switching topologies
Authors: Ai Xiaolin , Yu Jianqiao , Jia Zhenyue , Yang Di , Xu Xuan , Shen Yuanchuan 
Published: December 2017

SummaryThis paper considers the leader‐follower consensus tracking problem for nonlinear multiagent systems with external disturbances and switching topologies. A distributed disturbance observer is constructed to estimate the disturbances suffered by the followers. Then, a distributed consensus protocol is proposed for the consensus tracking problem with disturbance rejection under a fixed directed topology based on the disturbance observer. Next, this result is extended to the case in which the switching communication topology only frequently but not always contains a directed spanning tree. By selecting the parameters appropriately such that the communication time satisfies various preset conditions, it is theoretically proven that the consensus tracking with disturbance rejection can also be achieved by the multiagent systems. Finally, a simulation example is presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed control scheme.
Cobalt Iron Hydroxide as a Precious Metal‐Free Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Efficient Overall Water Splitting
Authors: Babar Pravin , Lokhande Abhishek , Shin Hyeong Ho , Pawar Bharati , Gang Myeng Gil , Pawar Sambhaji , Kim Jin Hyeok 
Published: December 2017

AbstractHighly efficient and stable electrocatalysts from inexpensive and earth‐abundant elements are emerging materials in the overall water splitting process. Herein, cobalt iron hydroxide nanosheets are directly deposited on nickel foam by a simple and rapid electrodeposition method. The cobalt iron hydroxide (CoFe/NF) nanosheets not only allow good exposure of the highly active surface area but also facilitate the mass and charge transport capability. As an anode, the CoFe/NF electrocatalyst displays excellent oxygen evolution reaction catalytic activity with an overpotential of 220 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. As a cathode, it exhibits good performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction with an overpotential of 110 mV, reaching a current density of 10 mA cm−2. When CoFe/NF electrodes are used as the anode and the cathode for water splitting, a low cell voltage of 1.64 V at 10 mA cm−2 and excellent stability for 50 h are observed. The present work demonstrates a possible pathway to develop a highly active and durable substitute for noble metal electrocatalysts for overall water splitting.
A Very Highly Efficient Magnetic Nanomaterial for the Removal of PAHs from Aqueous Media
Authors: Gutiérrez M. Susana , Duel Paulino , Hierro Fernando , Morey Jeroni , Piña M. Nieves 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTwo new hybrid magnetic recyclable nanomaterials are developed. These new materials are based on bisimide perylene dopamine or bisimide perylene 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane and iron oxide nanoparticles. One of them, the bisimide perylene dopamine, has proven to be very efficient in the removal, by magneto filtration, of 15 carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs), especially naphthalene, acenaphthene, anthracene, phenanthrene, and fluorene. These compounds are known to be common contaminants of drinking and underground water. This nanomaterial presents a high dispersivity and stability in an aqueous media, and it is capable of forming supramolecular fluorescent magnetic nanofibers with benzo‐alpha‐pyrene or benzo[k]fluoranthene, BKF. This strong association is due to hydrophobic forces and the π–π interaction, between the bisimide perylene motif and the polycyclic aromatic compounds. The resilience of this material is tested in different media. No good results are obtained in ethanol, acetone, or acetonitrile, but an 85% recovery is achieved using toluene or hexane. Once washed, nanoparticles are shown to retain their ability to continue capturing PAHs.