bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Outcomes and effectiveness of posterior occipitocervical fusion for suboccipital spinal metastases
Authors: Luksanapruksa Panya , Buchowski Jacob M. , Wright Neill M. , Valone Frank H. , Peters Colleen , Bumpass David B. 
Published: February 2017

OBJECTIVEThe incidence of suboccipital spinal metastases is rare but has increased given cancer patients' longer life expectancies. Operative treatment in this region is often challenging because of limited fixation points due to tumor lysis, as well as adjacent neural and vascular anatomy. Few studies have reported on this population of cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes and complications of patients with suboccipital spinal metastases who had undergone posterior occipitocervical fixation.METHODSA single-institution database was reviewed to identify patients with suboccipital metastases who had undergone posterior-only instrumented fusion between 1999 and 2014. Clinical presentation, perioperative complications, and postoperative results were analyzed. Pain was assessed using the visual analog scale. Survival analysis was performed using a Kaplan-Meier curve. The revised Tokuhashi and the Tomita scoring systems were used for prognosis prediction.RESULTSFifteen patients were identified, 10 men and 5 women with mean age of 64.8 ± 11.8 years (range 48–80 years). Severe neck pain without neurological deficit was the most common presentation. Primary tumors included lung, breast, bladder, myeloma, melanoma, and renal cell cancers. All tumors occurred in the axis vertebra. Preoperative Tokuhashi and Tomita scores ranged from 5 to 13 and 3 to 7, respectively. All patients had undergone occipitocervical fusion of a mean of 4.6 levels (range 2–7 levels). Median survival was 10.3 months. In all cases, neck pain markedly improved and patients were able to resume activities of daily living. The average postoperative pain score was significantly improved as compared with the average preoperative score (1.90 ± 2.56 and 5.50 ± 2.99, respectively, p = 0.01). Three patients experienced postoperative medical complications including urinary tract infection, deep vein thrombosis, myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrhythmia. In the follow-up period, no wound infections or reoperations occurred and no patients experienced spinal cord deficits from tumor recurrence.CONCLUSIONSPosterior-only occipitocervical stabilization was highly effective at relieving patients' neck pain. No instrumentation failures were noted, and no neurological complications or tumor progression causing spinal cord deficits was noted in the follow-up period.
Suspended Morphology in Serbian: Clitics vs. Affixes
Authors: Despić Miloje 
Published: February 2017

This article offers a case study of what appears to be an instance of “suspended affixation” in Serbian. The phenomenon in question is particularly interesting and potentially theoretically significant since it occurs in a language in which suspended affixation is generally impossible. The account I am led to suggests, however, that what is being “suspended” is not an affix but a second position clitic disguised as an affix. This is not a surprising outcome, since Serbian second position clitics, unlike ordinary affixes, can be elided quite easily. The phenomena examined in this paper provide further support to certain aspects of the theoretical model developed in Embick (2007; 2010) and offer new insights into the interaction between linearization, ellipsis and Local Dislocation. In particular, I show that the forms which allow ‘suspended affixation’ are formed in a special way, namely, via Local Dislocation, which affixes a second position enclitic to its host at PF under linear adjacency. Forms which are created by regular head movement, on the other hand disallow suspended affixation, on the assumption that elements that form complex heads (i.e., Subwords) cannot be elided.This article is part of Special Collection: Suspended Affixation
Calming the Monkey Mind
Authors: Eliuk Kendra , Chorney David 
Published: February 2017

Many of today’s students are experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety in school. The need for competitive grades, the desire to be seen as perfect in a digital society, and parental pressures are only some of the reasons that students are experiencing more stress. This increased stress has lead to an overworked mind for many youth, dubbed a ‘monkey mind’ in which they cannot calm or control their thoughts. This article examines possible causes of a ‘monkey mind’ and explores the beginning of how students may learn to calm and control their ‘monkey mind’ through mindfulness training. Several examples of mindfulness training in different classroom scenarios are introduced, and the relationships between our connections to everything around us are explored. The article serves to provide a starting point for educators who may feel at a loss for how to help their students manage their stress and anxiety levels.
Iridium‐Catalyzed Reductive Strecker Reaction for Late‐Stage Amide and Lactam Cyanation
Authors: Fuentes de Arriba Ángel L. , Lenci Elena , Sonawane Mahendra , Formery Odilon , Dixon Darren J. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractA new iridium‐catalyzed reductive Strecker reaction for the direct and efficient formation of α‐amino nitrile products from a broad range of (hetero)aromatic and aliphatic tertiary amides, and N‐alkyl lactams is reported. The protocol exploits the mild and highly chemoselective reduction of the amide and lactam functionalities using IrCl(CO)[P(C6H5)3]2 (Vaska's complex) in the presence of tetramethyldisiloxane, as a reductant, to directly generate hemiaminal species able to undergo substitution by cyanide upon treatment with TMSCN (TMS=trimethylsilyl). The protocol is simple to perform, broad in scope, efficient (up to 99 % yield), and has been successfully applied to the late‐stage functionalization of amide‐ and lactam‐containing drugs, and naturally occurring alkaloids, as well as for the selective cyanation of the carbonyl carbon atom linked to the N atom of proline residues within di‐ and tripeptides.
Selective and sensitive determination of silver ions at trace levels based on ultrasonic‐assisted dispersive solid‐phase extraction using ion‐imprinted polymer nanoparticles
Authors: Behbahani Mohammad , Omidi Fariborz , Kakavandi Masoud Ghanbari , Hesam Ghasem 
Published: February 2017

We describe ultrasonic‐assisted dispersive solid‐phase extraction based on ion‐imprinted polymer (UA‐DSPE‐IIP) nanoparticles for the selective extraction of silver ions. Ultrasound is a good and robust method to facilitate the extraction of target ions in the sorption step and elution of the target ions in the desorption step. The IIP nanoparticles used in the UA‐DSPE‐IIP were prepared by precipitation polymerization. To prepare the IIP nanoparticles, 2‐vinylpyridine, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile, 2‐picolinic acid, silver and chloroform–methanol (50:50) solution were used as functional monomer, cross‐linker, initiator, silver‐binding ligand, template ion and porogen, respectively. The IIP nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. A Box–Behnken design was used for optimization of sorption and desorption steps in UA‐DSPE‐IIP. In the sorption step: pH of solution, IIP amount (mg), sonication time for sorption (min); in the desorption step: concentration of eluent (mol l−1), volume of eluent (ml), sonication time (min) for desorption were investigated and optimized by Box–Behnken design. The optimum conditions for the method were: pH of solution, 7; sonication time for sorption, 7 min; IIP amount, 17 mg; type and concentration of eluent, HCl 1.5 mol l−1; volume of eluent, 2 ml; sonication time for desorption, 140 s. Under the optimized conditions the limit of detection and relative standard deviation for the detection of silver ions using UA‐DSPE‐IIP were found to be 0.09 μg l−1 and <3%, respectively.
Efficient Blue Electroluminescence from a Single‐layer Organic Device Composed Solely of Hydrocarbons
Authors: Izumi Tomoo , Tian Yi , Ikemoto Koki , Yoshii Asami , Koretsune Takashi , Arita Ryotaro , Kita Hiroshi , Taka Hideo , Sato Sota , Isobe Hiroyuki 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAn interesting physical phenomenon, electroluminescence, that was originally observed with a hydrocarbon molecule has recently been developed into highly efficient organic light‐emitting devices. These modern devices have evolved through the development of multi‐element molecular materials for specific roles, and hydrocarbon devices have been left unexplored. In this study, we report an efficient organic light‐emitting device composed solely of hydrocarbon materials. The electroluminescence was achieved in the blue region by efficient fluorescence and charge recombination within a simple single‐layer architecture of macrocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This study may stimulate further studies on hydrocarbons to uncover their full potential as electronic materials.
Probing the mechanism of interaction of metoprolol succinate with human serum albumin by spectroscopic and molecular docking analysis
Authors: Pawar Suma K. , Jaldappagari Seetharamappa 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn the present work, the mechanism of the interaction between a β1 receptor blocker, metoprolol succinate (MS) and human serum albumin (HSA) under physiological conditions was investigated by spectroscopic techniques, namely fluorescence, Fourier transform infra‐red spectroscopy (FT‐IR), fluorescence lifetime decay and circular dichroism (CD) as well as molecular docking and cyclic voltammetric methods. The fluorescence and lifetime decay results indicated that MS quenched the intrinsic intensity of HSA through a static quenching mechanism. The Stern–Volmer quenching constants and binding constants for the MS–HSA system at 293, 298 and 303 K were obtained from the Stern–Volmer plot. Thermodynamic parameters for the interaction of MS with HSA were evaluated; negative values of entropy change (ΔG°) indicated the spontaneity of the MS and HSA interaction. Thermodynamic parameters such as negative ΔH° and positive ΔS° values revealed that hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces played a major role in MS–HSA interaction and stabilized the complex. The binding site for MS in HSA was identified by competitive site probe experiments and molecular docking studies. These results indicated that MS was bound to HSA at Sudlow's site I. The efficiency of energy transfer and the distance between the donor (HSA) and acceptor (MS) was calculated based on the theory of Fosters' resonance energy transfer (FRET). Three‐dimensional fluorescence spectra and CD results revealed that the binding of MS to HSA resulted in an obvious change in the conformation of HSA. Cyclic voltammograms of the MS–HSA system also confirmed the interaction between MS and HSA. Furthermore, the effects of metal ions on the binding of MS to HSA were also studied.
Screening alpha‐glucosidase and alpha‐amylase inhibitors from natural compounds by molecular docking in silico
Authors: Jhong Chien‐Hung , Riyaphan Jirawat , Lin Shih‐Hung , Chia Yi‐Chen , Weng Ching‐Feng 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe alpha‐glucosidase inhibitor is a common oral anti‐diabetic drug used for controlling carbohydrates normally converted into simple sugars and absorbed by the intestines. However, some adverse clinical effects have been observed. The present study seeks an alternative drug that can regulate the hyperglycemia by down‐regulating alpha‐glucosidase and alpha‐amylase activity by molecular docking approach to screen the hyperglycemia antagonist against alpha‐glucosidase and alpha‐amylase activities from the 47 natural compounds. The docking data showed that Curcumin, 16‐hydroxy‐cleroda‐3,13‐dine‐16,15‐olide (16‐H), Docosanol, Tetracosanol, Antroquinonol, Berberine, Catechin, Quercetin, Actinodaphnine, and Rutin from 47 natural compounds had binding ability towards alpha‐amylase and alpha‐glucosidase as well. Curcumin had a better biding ability of alpha‐amylase than the other natural compounds. Analyzed alpha‐glucosidase activity reveals natural compound inhibitors (below 0.5 mM) are Curcumin, Actinodaphnine, 16‐H, Quercetin, Berberine, and Catechin when compared to the commercial drug Acarbose (3 mM). A natural compound with alpha‐amylase inhibitors (below 0.5 mM) includes Curcumin, Berberine, Docosanol, 16‐H, Actinodaphnine/Tetracosanol, Catechin, and Quercetin when compared to Acarbose (1 mM). When taken together, the implication is that molecular docking is a fast and effective way to screen alpha‐glucosidase and alpha‐amylase inhibitors as lead compounds of natural sources isolated from medicinal plants. © 2015 BioFactors, 41(4):242–251, 2015
Beneficial effects of omega‐3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 supplementation on brain docosahexaenoic acid, brain derived neurotrophic factor, and cognitive performance in the second‐generation Wistar rats
Authors: Rathod Richa S. , Khaire Amrita A. , Kale Anvita A. , Joshi Sadhana R. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn vegetarian population, vitamin B12 deficiency coexists with suboptimal levels of omega‐3 fatty acids. Studies indicate a need for supplementation/fortification of vitamin B12 and omega‐3 fatty acids to reduce the risk of brain disorders. We have described the effects of vitamin B12 and omega‐3 fatty acid supplementation on brain development in F1 generation animals. The current study investigates the effects of vitamin B12 and omega‐3 fatty acids supplementation on brain function and cognition. Pregnant Wistar rats were assigned the following groups: control, vitamin B12 deficient (BD), vitamin B12 deficient + omega‐3 fatty acid (BDO), vitamin B12 supplemented (BS), vitamin B12 supplemented + omega‐3 fatty acid (BSO). The same diets were continued for two generations. BDO group showed higher (P < 0.05) levels of BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in the cortex and hippocampus as compared with the BD group. The cognitive performance was also normalized in this group. BS showed comparable levels of DHA, BDNF (protein and mRNA), and CREB mRNA (cAMP response element‐binding protein) to that of control group while Tropomyosin receptor kinase mRNA levels were higher. The combined vitamin B12 and omega‐3 fatty acid supplementation further enhanced the levels of DHA (P < 0.05) and BDNF (P < 0.05) in the hippocampus and CREB mRNA (P < 0.01) in the cortex as compared with BS group. The cognitive performance of these animals was higher (P < 0.05) as compared with BS group. Our data indicates the beneficial effects of vitamin B12 and omega‐3 fatty acid supplementation across two generations on brain development and function. © 2015 BioFactors, 41(4):261–272, 2015.
Ascorbic acid efflux from human brain microvascular pericytes: Role of re‐uptake
Authors: May James M. , Qu Zhi‐Chao 
Published: February 2017

AbstractMicrovascular pericytes take up ascorbic acid on the ascorbate transporter SVCT2. Intracellular ascorbate then protects the cells against apoptosis induced by culture at diabetic glucose concentrations. To investigate whether pericytes might also provide ascorbate to the underlying endothelial cells, we studied ascorbate efflux from human pericytes. When loaded with ascorbate to intracellular concentrations of 0.8–1.0 mM, almost two‐thirds of intracellular ascorbate effluxed from the cells over 2 H. This efflux was opposed by ascorbate re‐uptake from the medium, since preventing re‐uptake by destroying extracellular ascorbate with ascorbate oxidase increased ascorbate loss even further. Ascorbate re‐uptake occurred on the SVCT2, since its blockade by replacing medium sodium with choline, by the SVCT2 inhibitor sulfinpyrazone, or by extracellular ascorbate accelerated ascorbate loss from the cells. This was supported by finding that net efflux of radiolabeled ascorbate was increased by unlabeled extracellular ascorbate with a half‐maximal effect in the range of the high affinity Km of the SVCT2. Intracellular ascorbate did not inhibit its efflux. To assess the mechanism of ascorbate efflux, known inhibitors of volume‐regulated anion channels (VRACs) were tested. These potently inhibited ascorbate transport into cells on the SVCT2, but not its efflux. An exception was the anion transport inhibitor DIDS, which, despite inhibition of ascorbate uptake, also inhibited net efflux at 25–50 µM. These results suggest that ascorbate efflux from vascular pericytes occurs on a DIDS‐inhibitable transporter or channel different from VRACs. Further, ascorbate efflux is opposed by re‐uptake of ascorbate on the SVCT2, providing a potential regulatory mechanism. © 2015 BioFactors, 41(5):330–338, 2015
Endogenously elevated n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids alleviate acute ethanol‐induced liver steatosis
Authors: Huang Wei , Wang Bin , Li Xiangyong , Kang Jing X. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractEffective means for the prevention of alcohol‐induced liver disease, a global health problem, have yet to be developed. We evaluated whether the high endogenous levels of omega‐3 polyunsaturated acids (n‐3 PUFA) in fat‐1 transgenic mice could protect them against acute ethanol‐induced liver steatosis. We induced alcoholic liver steatosis in 9‐week‐old male heterozygous fat‐1 mice and their wild‐type (WT) male littermates through three oral gavages of 60% ethanol at 4.7 g/kg body weight. Hepatic lipid accumulation was significantly increased in both alcohol treatment groups, but by much less in the fat‐1 group compared with the WT group. Fat‐1 mice exhibited significantly lower levels of total hepatic/plasma TG and plasma alanine aminotransferase activity. Accordingly, hepatic expression of lipogenesis‐related genes (e.g., SREBP‐1c, FAS, and SCD‐1) and plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL‐6, TNF‐α, and MCP‐1) were reduced in the fat‐1 mice. Furthermore, decreased hepatic expression of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) and increased hepatic levels of PPAR‐α and HO‐1 were observed in the fat‐1 mice, compared to the WT mice. These findings show that elevated tissue n‐3 PUFA protect against acute ethanol‐induced liver steatosis in fat‐1 mice, possibly through the down‐regulation of hepatic lipogenesis, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress. © 2015 BioFactors, 41(6):453–462, 2015
The evolving (re)categorisations of refugees throughout the “refugee/migrant crisis”
Authors: Goodman Simon , Sirriyeh Ala , McMahon Simon 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe UK media's reporting of events in 2015 contained constantly evolving categorisations of people attempting to reach Europe and the UK, each with different implications for their treatment. A discourse analysis of UK media outputs charts the development of the terminology used to present the crisis and those people involved. First, “Mediterranean migrant crisis” was used to present those involved as “migrants” to be prevented from reaching Europe. Next, it became a “Calais migrant crisis” in which migrants were constructed as a threat to UK security and then the “European migrant crisis” an ongoing threat to Europe. Photographs of a drowned child led to a shift to a “refugee crisis” in which refugees were presented in a humane and sympathetic way. When terrorist attacks were linked with the crisis, refugees reverted to migrants. Findings are discussed regarding the impact of categorisation on debates about the inclusion and exclusion of refugees.
Cover Picture: Structure Engineered g‐C3N4 Nano‐Sheets by Switching the Pyrolysis Gas Atmosphere for Enhanced Photo‐Catalytic Degradation (Chin. J. Chem. 2/2017)
Authors: Chai Yuanyuan , Liu Qianqian , Zhang Lu , Ren Jia , Dai Wei‐Lin 
Published: February 2017

The cover picture shows a new one step approach to synthesize g‐C3N4 nano‐sheets by direct thermal pyrolysis process of urea in NH3 atmosphere. For the first time, the influence of the preparation gas atmosphere on the composition, crystalline and polymerization degree, and the photocatalytic activity of the g‐C3N4 synthesized from thermal condensation of urea was investigated. Furthermore, we studied in depth the structure‐performance relationship in the system, and it was found that the synergistic effect of the larger surface area, the adjusted band energy structure and the well crystallization may be conductive to the higher separation of the electron‐ hole pair, thus leading to the wonderful performance for the g‐C3N4‐NH3. Notably, the method has the merits of low cost, scalable production and environmental friendliness. More details are discussed in the article by Dai et al. on page 173–182.
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A Binary Mixture of Ionic Liquids as a New Approach for an Experimental Diffusion Correction in the Study of Activated Processes
Authors: Berghold Martin , Bächle Josua , Landgraf Stephan , Grampp Günter 
Published: February 2017

AbstractA binary system of two ionic liquids, 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium and trioctylmethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][NTf2] and [OMA][NTf2], respectively), with varying molar fractions, is introduced. It allows the dynamic viscosity to remain constant over a range of almost 60 K; this means that any activated process can be studied independent of the temperature dependence of viscosity itself. This principle is proven upon reinvestigation of electron self‐exchange kinetics of tetrathiafulvalene by continuous‐wave ESR line‐broadening experiments. From these results, it is also confirmed that this process is totally diffusion controlled.
Influence of Catalyst Acid/Base Properties in Acrolein Production by Oxidative Coupling of Ethanol and Methanol
Authors: Lilić Aleksandra , Bennici Simona , Devaux Jean‐François , Dubois Jean‐Luc , Auroux Aline 
Published: February 2017

AbstractOxidative coupling of methanol and ethanol represents a new route to produce acrolein. In this work, the overall reaction was decoupled in two steps, the oxidation and the aldolization, by using two consecutive reactors to investigate the role of the acid/base properties of silica‐supported oxide catalysts. The oxidation of a mixture of methanol and ethanol to formaldehyde and acetaldehyde was performed over a FeMoOx catalyst, and then the product mixture was transferred without intermediate separation to a second reactor, in which the aldol condensation and dehydration to acrolein were performed over the supported oxides. The impact of the acid/base properties on the selectivity towards acrolein was investigated under oxidizing conditions for the first time. The acid/base properties of the catalysts were investigated by NH3‐, SO2‐, and methanol‐adsorption microcalorimetry. A MgO/SiO2 catalyst was the most active in acrolein production owing to an appropriate ratio of basic to acidic sites.