bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Energy Transfer in Dye‐Coupled Lanthanide‐Doped Nanoparticles: From Design to Application
Authors: Wang Juan , Deng Renren 
Published: January 2018

AbstractSurface modification with organic dye molecules is a useful strategy to manipulate the optical properties of lanthanide‐doped nanoparticles (LnNPs). It enables energy transfer between dyes and LnNPs, which provides unprecedented possibilities to gain new optical phenomena from the dye–LnNPs composite systems. This has led to a wide range of emerging applications, such as biosensing, drug delivery, gene targeting, information storage, and photon energy conversion. Herein, the mechanism of energy transfer and the structural‐dependent energy‐transfer properties in dye‐coupled LnNPs are reviewed. The design strategies for achieving effective dye–LnNP functionalization are presented. Recent advances in these composite nanomaterials in biomedicine and energy conversion applications are highlighted.
Identification of a small‐molecule ligand of β‐arrestin1 as an inhibitor of stromal fibroblast cell migration accelerated by cancer cells
Authors: Suvarna Kruthi , Honda Kaori , Kondoh Yasumitsu , Osada Hiroyuki , Watanabe Nobumoto 
Published: January 2018

AbstractStromal fibroblasts, which occupy a major portion of the tumor microenvironment, play an important role in cancer metastasis. Thus, targeting of these fibroblasts activated by cancer cells (carcinoma‐associated fibroblasts; CAFs) might aid in the improved treatment of cancer metastasis. NIH3T3 fibroblasts cocultured with MCF7 cells displayed enhanced migration compared to NIH3T3 fibroblasts cultured alone. We used this system to identify the small‐molecule inhibitors responsible for their enhanced migration, a characteristic of CAFs. We selected β‐arrestin1, which showed high expression in cocultured cells, as a molecular target for such inhibitors. Cofilin, a protein downstream of β‐arrestin1, is activated/dephosphorylated in this condition. The small‐molecule ligands of β‐arrestin1 obtained by chemical array were then examined using a wound healing coculture assay. RKN5755 was identified as a selective inhibitor of activated fibroblasts. RKN5755 inhibited the enhanced migration of fibroblasts cocultured with cancer cells by binding to β‐arrestin1 and interfering with β‐arrestin1‐mediated cofilin signaling pathways. Therefore, these results demonstrate the role of β‐arrestin1 in the activation of fibroblasts and inhibiting this protein by small molecule inhibitor might be a potential therapeutic target for the stromal fibroblast activation (cancer–stroma interaction).
Recent Progress of Carbon‐Based Materials in Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalysis
Authors: Wang Yao , Li Jing , Wei Zidong 
Published: January 2018

AbstractCarbon‐based materials have been regarded as the most promising alternatives to high‐cost and scarce Pt‐based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Thus, developing highly efficient carbon‐based catalysts becomes the key to realize the commercialization of fuel cells. In this Minireview, the recent advances in the carbon‐based ORR catalysts have been reviewed carefully, with particular attention paid to understanding of the types and structures of active sites, and the strategies used in manipulating the electron and geometry structures for better performances. Besides, we also discuss the challenges and directions for future research of carbon‐based catalysts.
On the minimum coverage probability of model averaged tail area confidence intervals
Authors: Kabaila Paul 
Published: January 2018

AbstractFrequentist model averaging has been proposed as a method for incorporating “model uncertainty” into confidence interval construction. Such proposals have been of particular interest in the environmental and ecological statistics communities. A promising method of this type is the model averaged tail area (MATA) confidence interval put forward by Turek & Fletcher (2012). The performance of this interval depends greatly on the data‐based model weights. A computationally convenient formula for the coverage probability of this interval was provided by Kabaila, Welsh, & Abeysekera (2016), in the simple scenario of two nested linear regression models. We consider more complicated scenarios with a large number of linear regression models. For each of a given set of components of the regression parameter vector, we either set the component to zero or let it vary freely. We provide an easily computed upper bound on the minimum coverage probability of the MATA confidence interval. This upper bound provides evidence against the use of a model weight based on the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). The Canadian Journal of Statistics 46: 279–297; 2018 © 2018 Statistical Society of Canada
Mechanical Characteristics of Sapphire Ribbons Grown Simultaneously by EFG Method
Authors: Dolzhenkova Elena F. , Voloshin Alexander V. , Lytvynov Leonid A. , Safronov Roman I. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractMechanical properties of ten sapphire ribbons are studied. These ribbons are grown simultaneously with prismatic orientation ( plane and direction) with the dimensions 2 × 85 × 400 mm. Strength and plastic characteristics of the crystals are determined on the as‐grown and mechanically treated surfaces. Peculiarities of the morphology and distribution of pores in thin subsurface layer are considered.
X‐Shaped α‐FeOOH with Enhanced Charge Separation for Visible‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting
Authors: Wang Tianqi , Jiang Zhifeng , Chu Ka Him , Wu Dan , Wang Bo , Sun Hongli , Yip Ho Yin , An Taicheng , Zhao Huijun , Wong Po Keung 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPhotocatalytic overall water splitting (POWS) is a promising route for converting solar energy into green and sustainable energy. Herein, we report a facile hydrothermal approach for the fabrication of x‐shaped α‐FeOOH photocatalysts containing high‐index facets for POWS. The x‐shaped α‐FeOOH photocatalysts exhibited enhanced visible‐light‐driven POWS activities in comparison with that of FeOOH without x‐structures, with a maximum H2 and O2 evolution rate of 9.2 and 4.7 μmol h−1 g−1, respectively. The morphology and particle size of the α‐FeOOH could be controlled by adjusting the NH4F concentration in the precursors. The photodeposition of Pt and RuO2 on the x‐shaped α‐FeOOH revealed the specially separated reduction and oxidation centers on the surface of α‐FeOOH, with the oxidation‐active sites selectively located on the edges of the α‐FeOOH x‐structures. Electrochemical experiments further affirmed the enhanced charge separation in the x‐shaped α‐FeOOH. The smaller particle size and unique x‐shape of the α‐FeOOH photocatalyst were shown to enhance the POWS performance owing to the large specific surface area, high proportion of exposed high‐index facets, high electron‐transfer efficiency and effective separation of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The current study revealed that the x‐shaped α‐FeOOH products could serve as cost‐effective and stable photocatalysts for POWS.
Targeted deletion of RIC8A in mouse neural precursor cells interferes with the development of the brain, eyes, and muscles
Authors: Kask Keiu , Tikker Laura , Ruisu Katrin , Lulla Sirje , Oja Eva‐Maria , Meier Riho , Raid Raivo , Velling Teet , Tõnissoo Tambet , Pooga Margus 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACTAutosomal recessive disorders such as Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy, Walker–Warburg syndrome, and the muscle–eye–brain disease are characterized by defects in the development of patient's brain, eyes, and skeletal muscles. These syndromes are accompanied by brain malformations like type II lissencephaly in the cerebral cortex with characteristic overmigrations of neurons through the breaches of the pial basement membrane. The signaling pathways activated by laminin receptors, dystroglycan and integrins, control the integrity of the basement membrane, and their malfunctioning may underlie the pathologies found in the rise of defects reminiscent of these syndromes. Similar defects in corticogenesis and neuromuscular disorders were found in mice when RIC8A was specifically removed from neural precursor cells. RIC8A regulates a subset of G‐protein α subunits and in several model organisms, it has been reported to participate in the control of cell division, signaling, and migration.Here, we studied the role of RIC8A in the development of the brain, muscles, and eyes of the neural precursor‐specific conditional Ric8a knockout mice. The absence of RIC8A severely affected the attachment and positioning of radial glial processes, Cajal‐Retzius’ cells, and the arachnoid trabeculae, and these mice displayed additional defects in the lens, skeletal muscles, and heart development. All the discovered defects might be linked to aberrancies in cell adhesion and migration, suggesting that RIC8A has a crucial role in the regulation of cell–extracellular matrix interactions and that its removal leads to the phenotype characteristic to type II lissencephaly‐associated diseases. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 78: 374–390, 2018
Folate action in nervous system development and disease
Authors: Balashova Olga A. , Visina Olesya , Borodinsky Laura N. 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACTThe vitamin folic acid has been recognized as a crucial environmental factor for nervous system development. From the early fetal stages of the formation of the presumptive spinal cord and brain to the maturation and maintenance of the nervous system during infancy and childhood, folate levels and its supplementation have been considered influential in the clinical outcome of infants and children affected by neurological diseases. Despite the vast epidemiological information recorded on folate function and neural tube defects, neural development and neurodegenerative diseases, the mechanisms of folate action in the developing neural tissue have remained elusive. Here we compiled studies that argue for a unique role for folate in nervous system development and function and its consequences to neural disease and repair. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 78: 391–402, 2018
Effects of field experimental warming on wheat root distribution under conventional tillage and no‐tillage systems
Authors: Hou Ruixing , Ouyang Zhu , Han Daorui , Wilson Glenn V. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDespite the obvious importance of roots to agro‐ecosystem functioning, few studies have attempted to examine the effects of warming on root biomass and distribution, especially under different tillage systems. In this study, we performed a field warming experiment using infrared heaters on winter wheat, in long‐term conventional tillage and no‐tillage plots, to determine the responses of root biomass and distribution to warming. Soil monoliths were collected from three soil depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm). Results showed that root biomass was noticeably increased under both till and no‐till tillage systems (12.1% and 12.9% in 2011, and 9.9% and 14.5% in 2013, in the two tillage systems, respectively) in the 0–30 cm depth, associated with a similar increase in shoot biomass. However, warming‐induced root biomass increases occurred in the deeper soil layers (i.e., 10–20 and 20–30 cm) in till, while the increase in no‐till was focused in the surface layer (0–10 cm). Differences in the warming‐induced increases in root biomass between till and no‐till were positively correlated with the differences in soil total nitrogen (R2 = .863, p < .001) and soil bulk density (R2 = .853, p < .001). Knowledge of the distribution of wheat root in response to warming should help manage nutrient application and cycling of soil C‐N pools under anticipated climate change conditions.
Impact of an invasive alien plant on litter decomposition along a latitudinal gradient
Authors: Helsen Kenny , Smith Stuart W. , Brunet Jörg , Cousins Sara A. O. , De Frenne Pieter , Kimberley Adam , Kolb Annette , Lenoir Jonathan , Ma Shiyu , Michaelis Jana , Plue Jan , Verheyen Kris , Speed James D. M. , Graae Bente J. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractInvasive alien plant effects on ecosystem functions are often difficult to predict across environmental gradients due to the context‐dependent interactions between the invader and the recipient communities. Adopting a functional trait‐based framework could provide more mechanistic predictions for invasive species' impacts. In this study, we contrast litter decomposition rates among communities with and without the invasive plant Impatiens glandulifera in five regions along a 1600 km long latitudinal gradient in Europe. Across this gradient, four functional traits, namely leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf area (SLA), stem‐specific density (SSD), and plant height, are correlated to rates of litter decomposition of standardized rooibos (labile), green tea (recalcitrant), and I. glandulifera litter. Our results show that both invaded and non‐invaded plant communities had a higher expression of acquisitive traits (low LDMC and SSD, high SLA) with increasing temperature along the latitudinal gradient, partly explaining the variation in decomposition rates along the gradient. At the same time, invasion shifted community trait composition toward more acquisitive traits across the latitudinal gradient. These trait changes partly explained the increased litter decomposition rates of the labile litter fraction of rooibos and I. glandulifera litter in invaded communities, a shift that was most evident in the warmer study regions. Plant available nitrogen was lower in invaded communities, likely due to high nutrient uptake by I. glandulifera. Meanwhile, the coldest study region was characterized by a reversed effect of invasion on decomposition rates. Here, community traits related to low litter quality and potential allelopathic effects of the invader resulted in reduced litter decomposition rates, suggesting a threshold temperature at which invader effects on litter decomposition turn positive. This study therefore illustrates how functional trait changes toward acquisitive traits can help explain invader‐induced changes in ecosystem functions such as increased litter decomposition.
Ferrocene Tethered Polyvinyl Alcohol/Silica Film Electrode for Electrocatalytic Sulfite Sensing
Authors: Jirimali Harishchandra Digambar , Nagarale Rajaram Krishna , Saravanakumar Durai , Shin Woonsup 
Published: January 2018

AbstractFerrocene was linked to polyvinyl alcohol polymer via ethylene dioxi‐bis‐ethylamine (PV‐Fc) spacer and the synthesized redox polymer was characterised by FT‐IR and H1NMR spectroscopy. Aqueous solution of PVA‐Fc was used to prepare its silica composite with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). The immobilized PVA‐Fc/silica film showed E0 about 0.245 V and apparent diffusion coefficient was measured to be 2.76×10−8 cm2 s−1. The ferrocene with flexible spacer in PVA‐Fc/silica film showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the sulfite oxidation at 0.35 V, that was minimum 0.3 V negative shift of the overpotential than the bare electrode. The effect of the interfearing species like acetate, ammonium, carbonate, phosphate and sulfate has been checked for the sulfite detection. Under the optimized conditions the prepared composite showed sulfite oxidation in the linear range of 5×10−7 M to 1×10−4 M and lower detection limits of 1.5×10−7 M.
Early EEG predicts poststroke epilepsy
Authors: Bentes Carla , Martins Hugo , Peralta Ana Rita , Morgado Carlos , Casimiro Carlos , Franco Ana Catarina , Fonseca Ana Catarina , Geraldes Ruth , Canhão Patrícia , Pinho e Melo Teresa , Paiva Teresa , Ferro José M. 
Published: January 2018

SummaryObjectiveElectroencephalography (EEG) can identify biomarkers of epileptogenesis and ictogenesis. However, few studies have used EEG in the prediction of poststroke seizures. Our primary aim was to evaluate whether early EEG abnormalities can predict poststroke epilepsy.MethodsA prospective study of consecutive acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke patients, without previous epileptic seizures, who were admitted to a stroke unit over 24 months and followed for 1 year. All patients underwent standardized clinical and diagnostic assessment during the hospital stay and after discharge. Video‐EEG was performed in the first 72 h (first EEG), daily for the first 7 days, in case of neurological deterioration, at discharge, and at 12 months after stroke. The occurrence of epileptic seizures in the first year after stroke (primary outcome) was evaluated clinically and neurophysiologically during the hospital stay and at 12 months. A telephone interview was also performed at 6 months. The primary outcome was the occurrence of at least one unprovoked seizure (poststroke epilepsy). Secondary outcomes were the occurrence of at least one acute symptomatic seizure and (interictal and/or ictal) epileptiform activity on at least one EEG during the hospital stay for acute stroke. The first EEG variables were defined using international criteria/terminology. Bivariate and multivariate analyses with adjustment for age, admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, and Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) were performed.ResultsA total of 151 patients were included; 38 patients (25.2%) had an acute symptomatic seizure and 23 (16%) had an unprovoked seizure.The first EEG background activity asymmetry and first EEG with interictal epileptiform activity were independent predictors of poststroke epilepsy during the first year after stroke (P = 0.043 and P = 0.043, respectively). No EEG abnormality independently predicted acute symptomatic seizures. However, the presence of periodic discharges on the first EEG was an independent predictor of epileptiform activity (p = 0.009) during the hospital stay.SignificanceAn early poststroke EEG can predict epilepsy in the first year after stroke, independently from clinical and imaging‐based infarct severity.
Quality assessment of e‐government websites in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A public values perspective
Authors: Verkijika Silas Formunyuy , De Wet Lizette 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe evaluation of e‐government websites has received considerable attention over the years; however, the public values perspective of e‐government websites have been widely overlooked, especially in developing countries. This is worrisome as one of the primary goals of e‐government websites is to deliver public values, since these sites are often the main platform for government interaction with other stakeholders. As such, this study bridged the existing knowledge gap by evaluating 279 e‐government websites from 31 countries in Sub‐Saharan Africa, based on the public values perspective. The examined public values included accessibility, citizen engagement, development of trust, responsiveness, dialogue, and quality of information and services. The results showed that the performance of Sub‐Saharan Africa e‐government websites was highly unsatisfactory when it comes to the delivery of public values. This possibly provides an explanation as to why the region has been consistently ranked the worst in terms of e‐government development, as e‐government development focuses on public values delivery. The study culminates by providing both practical, theoretical, and policy implications of the findings.
An ecological model of bridging the digital divide in education:Acase study ofOLPCdeployment inNepal
Authors: Thapa Devinder , Sein Maung K. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractTechno‐centric initiatives to bridge the digital divide, such as One Laptop per Child (OLPC), has been criticized for not taking a holistic approach that has led to limited success in providing quality education in developing countries. Particular emphasis is placed on examining the context in Information and communication technology for development (ICTD) initiatives. In this paper, we applied the theoretical lens of information ecology to conceptualize context to conduct a case study of Open Learning Exchange Nepal, which has been described as one of the few successes in implementing OLPC. Our findings show that it is not the technology per se (OLPC in this case), but its ecosystem that brought quality education in schools of remote mountain regions of Nepal.
The Creativity Paradox: An Introductory Essay
Authors: Brillenburg Wurth Kiene 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIn this introductory article to the special issue, I explore the trope of paradox to think through the idea of creativity. Traditionally, metaphor has been the favored trope to conceptualize creativity: the combination of two existing elements into something different, something new. In this special issue, we focus on the trope of paradox as a trope defined by juxtaposition and an apparently irresolvable conflict to delineate creativity. Glossing the usefulness of paradox for artistic as well as scientific creativity, I show how the idea of Janusian thinking or being in two minds holds great potential to bridge creativity research in the humanities and social sciences. This issue starts building that bridge with multidisciplinary perspectives on creativity that, first, deconstruct apparent dichotomies in creativity research and, second, approach creativity as a situated, distributed concept.
Human response to habitat suitability during the Last Glacial Maximum in Western Europe
Authors: Burke Ariane , Riel‐Salvatore Julien , Barton C. Michael 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACTThis research takes a multi‐dimensional approach to the study of the archaeological record of Western Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), combining two distinct components of the human adaptive system (technological organization and mobility) to test the impact of environmental variability on the mobility of Upper Palaeolithic groups. To this end we make use of two models. The first predicts landscape suitability as a function of a suite of environmental variables including topography, climate and inter‐annual climate variability. The second model explores the link between patterns of mobility and technological organization, using lithic retouch frequencies as a proxy for mobility strategies. Combining detailed environmental and lithic data allows us to derive a clearer picture of human adaptation to environmental conditions during a particularly rigorous climatic interval in Western Europe. Our results show that while foragers generally favoured more suitable habitats, logistical mobility strategies were deployed across a wide spectrum of habitat suitability. Residential mobility strategies, on the other hand, tend to occur in relatively less suitable and thus inherently more variable habitats. We conclude that foragers made use of a predominantly logistic strategy during the LGM while adopting more residential strategies in response to local and relatively short‐term fluctuations in the environment. The approach adopted here offers several promising avenues for future research on the ecology of human groups during the LGM.
Some useful approximations for wrought aluminum alloys based on monotonic tensile properties and hardness
Authors: Li J. , Zhang Z.P. , Li C.W. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe objective of the present paper is to derive some useful approximations for estimating the strain‐controlled fatigue properties and cyclic deformation of wrought aluminum alloys from hardness and monotonic tensile properties. A variety of relationships and correlations among monotonic tensile properties, Brinell hardness, cyclic deformation and strain‐controlled fatigue properties are developed for wrought aluminum alloys. A simple method is proposed for prediction of the strain‐life curve requiring only ultimate tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. Prediction capability of the proposed method is evaluated for 25 kinds of wrought aluminum alloys with ultimate tensile strength between 120 MPa and 650 MPa. The proposed method provides good approximations of the strain‐life curve.