bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interdecadal change of Eurasian snow, surface temperature, and atmospheric circulation in the late 1980s
Authors: Ye Kunhui , Wu Renguang , Liu Yong 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBoreal winter and spring snow cover extent and snow water equivalent over Eurasia experienced an obvious decrease in late 1980s. A concurrent surface warming is observed over the North Atlantic and Eurasia. The present study documents the relationship among the interdecadal changes in snow, surface air temperature, and wind and the plausible reason for this change. Analysis shows that the snow decrease contributes to the temperature increase only in some limited regions and that the surface warming is largely related to the change in atmospheric circulation. The effect of atmospheric circulation change on surface warming is manifested in wind‐induced heat advection and cloud‐radiation changes. The wind changes over the North Atlantic and Eurasia feature a wave train with an anomalous anticyclone over Europe and anomalous southerly winds over midlatitude east Europe and Asia. The anomalous southerly winds contribute to surface warming through advection of warmer air from lower latitudes. The anomalous anticyclone contributes to surface warming over Europe through anomalous warm advection by bringing warmer air from ocean and enhanced downward shortwave radiation by suppressing upward motion. The wave pattern appears to be connected to equatorial Atlantic warming. Warmer sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean enhances convection and induces a lower level anomalous cyclone to the northwest of the SST warming. The role of equatorial North Atlantic SST increase in the formation of the wave train over Eurasia is supported by numerical experiments with an atmospheric general circulation model.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Bieri Franziska 
Published: March 2015

AbstractCorporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to business activities that take into account their social and environmental impacts. Socially responsible companies adopt voluntary codes of conduct and promote business practices that are sustainable with regard to nature and the social fabric of local communities. CSR requires the corporation to consider its impact on, and responsibility toward, a more broadly defined stakeholder group, adding to owners or shareholders, workers, consumers, the concern for the larger public, and the planet.
Transcrystallinity and relevant interfacial strength induced by carbon nanotube fibers in a polypropylene matrix
Authors: Gao Yao , Wu Yi , Liang Maoqing , Fu Qiang 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTFor polymer composites, interfacial crystalline structures retain an important role in the macroscopic properties and are significantly affected by the processing conditions, such as the temperature, time, and external field. In this study, the transcrystallization behavior of the carbon nanotube fiber and isotactic polypropylene composite was investigated by polarizing light microscopy. The influence of the formation of the transcrystalline layer on the interfacial adhesion was evaluated by a single‐fiber fragmentation test. The results show that the growth rate of the transcrystalline layer was strongly influenced by the isothermal crystallization temperature, and the interfacial shear strength was markedly enhanced by the formation of the layer. The interfacial adhesion was further increased with the gradual perfection and growth of transcrystallinity. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42119.
Cooperative Adaptive Fuzzy Output Feedback Control for Synchronization of Nonlinear Multi‐Agent Systems in the Presence of Input Saturation
Authors: Wang Wei , Wang Dan , Peng Zhouhua , Wang Hao 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis paper considers the leader‐following synchronization problem of nonlinear multi‐agent systems with unmeasurable states in the presence of input saturation. Each follower is governed by a class of strict‐feedback systems with unknown nonlinearities and the information of the leader can be accessed by only a small fraction of followers. An auxiliary system is introduced and its states are used to design the cooperative controllers for counteracting the effect of input saturation. By using fuzzy logic systems to approximate the unknown nonlinearities, local adaptive fuzzy observers are designed to estimate the unmeasurable states. Dynamic surface control (DSC) is employed to design distributed adaptive fuzzy output feedback controllers. The developed controllers guarantee that the outputs of all followers synchronize to that of the leader under directed communication graphs. Based on Lyapunov stability theory, it is proved that all signals in the closed‐loop systems are semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded (SGUUB), and the tracking error converges to a small neighborhood of the origin. An example is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed control approach.
Identification and characterization of a novel citrate synthase from Streptomyces diastaticus No. 7 strain M1033
Authors: Ge Yadong , Cao Zhengyu , Song Ping , Zhu Guoping 
Published: March 2015

AbstractCitrate synthase (CS) is a key enzyme of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and is widely distributed among prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Here, we report for the first time, the cloning, expression, and characterization of a novel CS from Streptomyces diastaticus No. 7 strain M1033 (SdCS). Gel filtration chromatography and matrix‐assisted laser‐desorption ionization–time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS) analyses indicate that SdCS forms homodimers with a molecular mass of approximately 100.0 kDa. The predicted amino acid sequence of SdCS is highly similar to those of bacterial homodimeric type I CSs. The pH and temperature optima for SdCS activity were 8.0 and 35 °C, respectively. The half‐life (t1/2) of SdCS was 10 Min at 50 °C and was increased to 210 Min in the presence of oxaloacetate. The kinetic parameters of SdCS (kcat = 262.8 and 230.7 s−1; Km = 58.4 and 11.2 µM for acetyl‐CoA and oxaloacetate, respectively) were comparable to those of dimeric CSs isolated from Gram‐positive bacteria and eukaryotes. Moreover, SdCS activity was inhibited by ATP and ADP and stimulated by AMP. These findings provide a foundation for further investigations on the three‐dimensional structure and mechanism of catalysis of SdCS.
Temporal Discounting Mechanisms of Future‐oriented Coping: Evidence from Delay Discounting and Task Prioritization Paradigms
Authors: Gan Yiqun , Wang Yu , Meng Ran , Wen Min , Zhou Guangyu , Lu Yingyue , Miao Miao 
Published: March 2015

AbstractFour studies were conducted to examine the relationship between future‐oriented coping and temporal discounting under different situational conditions. In Study 1, 138 participants were primed with either stressful or neutral stimuli, followed by a delay‐discounting task. In Study 2, 118 participants were primed with either stressful or neutral stimuli, followed by a task‐prioritization activity. The results of both studies indicated that future‐oriented coping had a significant negative association with temporal discounting or the number of rational choices in the neutral‐priming condition, but the relationship was not significant in the stress‐priming condition. In Study 3, qualitative data revealed that the major reason for shifting choices from larger but later payoffs to smaller but sooner rewards in a stressful condition was to reduce the stressful mood, create a positive mood, and promote a sense of accomplishment. This explanation was corroborated by Study 4, in which one group was allowed to choose an immediate payoff and the other group was blocked from choosing that immediate payoff. We confirmed that post‐test anxiety was significantly lower in the immediate payoff group compared with the delayed‐payoff group in proactive and preventive coping, using pre‐test anxiety as a covariate. Preventive coping helped to reduce anxiety levels in a stressful condition only when there was a choice to obtain an immediate payoff. These findings underscore the relationship between future‐oriented coping and temporal discounting, as well as the flexibility of discounting in the face of stress. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multi‐spectroscopic methods investigation on the interaction of tenoxicam with DNA
Authors: Liu Bing‐Mi , Zhang Jun , Liu Yang , Zhang Li‐Ping , Ma Ping , Wang Xin , Liu Bin 
Published: March 2015

AbstractNon‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) show chemopreventive and chemosuppressive effects on various cancer cell lines. They exert anticancer activities by inhibiting both at the protein level and/or at the transcription level. Thus, in this paper, the interaction between tenoxicam (TXM) and calf thymus DNA (ct‐DNA) was investigated by UV–visible light, fluorescence, viscosity experiments and DNA melting studies. The results showed that TXM could bind to ct‐DNA in the groove binding mode. The binding constants were 7.67 × 103 and 5.48 × 103 M−1 at 293 and 300 K, respectively. Furthermore, the calculated thermodynamic parameters suggested that hydrogen bonds or van der Waals force might play an important role in the binding of TXM to ct‐DNA. The obtained results should give new insight into the pharmacological activity of TXM. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analyzing the hydrodynamic and crowding evolution of aqueous hydroxyapatite‐gelatin networks: Digging deeper into bone scaffold design variables
Authors: Sartuqui Javier , D’ Elía Noelia , Gravina A. Noel , Messina Paula V. 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTThe hydration of the polypeptide network is a determinant factor to be controlled on behalf of the design of precise functional tissue scaffolding. Here we present an exhaustive study of the hydrodynamic and crowding evolution of aqueous gelatin‐hydroxyapatite systems with the aim of increasing the knowledge about the biomimesis of collagen mineralization; and how it can be manipulated for the preparation of collagenous derived frameworks with specific morphological characteristics. The solution's density and viscosity evaluation measurements in combination with spectroscopic techniques revealed that there is a progressive association of protein chain that can be influenced by the amount of hydroxyapatite nanorods. Gelatin and additives’ concentration effect on the morphology of the gelatin scaffolds was investigated. Transverse and longitudinal sections of the obtained scaffolds were taken and analyzed using optical microscopy. It can be seen that the porous size and shape of gelatin assemblies can be easily adjusted by controlling the gelatin/HAp ratio in the solution used as template in agreement with our statement. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 103: 393–405, 2015.
Enhanced production of branched‐chain fatty acids by replacing β‐ketoacyl‐(acyl‐carrier‐protein) synthase III (FabH)
Authors: Jiang Wen , Jiang Yanfang , Bentley Gayle J. , Liu Di , Xiao Yi , Zhang Fuzhong 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTBranched‐chain fatty acids (BCFAs) are important precursors for the production of advanced biofuels with improved cold‐flow properties. Previous efforts in engineering type II fatty acid synthase (FAS) for BCFA production suffered from low titers and/or the co‐production of a large amount of straight‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs), making it nearly impossible for further conversion of BCFAs to branched biofuels. Synthesis of both SCFAs and BCFAs requires FabH, the only β‐ketoacyl‐(acyl‐carrier‐protein) synthase in Escherichia coli that catalyzes the initial condensation reaction between malonyl‐ACP and a short‐chain acyl‐CoA. In this study, we demonstrated that replacement of the acetyl‐CoA‐specific E. coli FabH with a branched‐chain‐acyl‐CoA‐specific FabH directed the flux to the synthesis of BCFAs, resulting in a significant enhancement in BCFA titer compared to a strain containing both acetyl‐CoA‐ and branched‐chain‐acyl‐CoA‐specific FabHs. We further demonstrated that the composition of BCFAs can be tuned by engineering the upstream pathway to control the supply of different branched‐chain acyl‐CoAs, leading to the production either even‐chain‐iso‐, odd‐chain‐iso‐, or odd‐chain‐anteiso‐BCFAs separately. Overall, the top‐performing strain from this study produced BCFAs at 126 mg/L, comprising 52% of the total free fatty acids. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 1613–1622. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Metabolic control of respiratory levels in coenzyme Q biosynthesis‐deficient Escherichia coli strains leading to fine‐tune aerobic lactate fermentation
Authors: Wu Hui , Bennett George N. , San Ka‐Yiu 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTA novel strategy to finely control the electron transfer chain (ETC) activity of Escherichia coli was established. In this study, the fine‐tuning of the ubiquinone biosynthesis pathway was applied to further controlling ETC function in coenzyme Q8 biosynthesis‐deficient E. coli strains, HW108 and HW109, which contain mutations in ubiE and ubiG, respectively. A competing pathway on the intermediate substrates of the Q8 synthesis pathway, catalyzed by diphosphate:4‐hydroxybenzoate geranyltransferase (PGT‐1) of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, was introduced into these mutant strains. A nearly theoretical yield of lactate production can be achieved under fully aerobic conditions via an in vivo, genetically fine‐tunable means to further control the activity of the ETC of the Q8 biosynthesis‐deficient E. coli strains. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 1720–1726. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Building terpene production platforms in yeast
Authors: Zhuang Xun , Chappell Joe 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTPlants and microbes commonly make terpenes and terpenoids in small amounts and as complex mixtures, and their chemical synthesis is often costly and inefficient. Hence, there are many efforts to create robust and efficient biological production platforms for this interesting class of molecules. In this study, our effort was directed towards building a yeast production platform using an unbiased genetic selection approach. Yeast strain BY4741 was subjected to EMS mutagenesis, followed by selection for growth in the presence of nystatin, squalestatin, and exogenous cholesterol. This unbiased screen selected for mutant yeast lines having a dispensable mevalonate pathway and containing uncharacterized SUE (sterol uptake enhancement) mutations supporting aerobic uptake of exogenous sterol. These mutants were next screened for high level accumulation of farnesol (FOH), an indicator for high level accumulation of the key intermediate FPP, farnesyl diphosphate. To further improve the FPP pool in these mutants, insertional mutations into the ERG9 gene (coding for squalene synthase) were introduced into those lines capable of accumulating ≥50 mg farnesol/L. This generated another series of lines that accumulated farnesol levels over 70 mg/L in small‐scale shake cultures. To evaluate the utility of these lines as a general production platform for specific terpenes, select SUE/erg9 lines were transformed with a vector harboring the Hyoscyamus muticus premnaspirodiene synthase (HPS) gene encoding for a sesquiterpene synthase. The new yeast line ZX178‐08 accumulated the highest level of premnaspirodiene, up to 116 mg/L, with FOH levels of 23.6 mg/L. In comparison, the parental line BY4741 accumulated 10 times less premnaspirodiene, 10.94 mg/L, with no farnesol detectable. Co‐expression of the HPS gene with an amino‐terminal truncated, catalytic form of the hamster HMGR gene, tHMGR, increased premnaspirodiene accumulation to 170.23 ± 30.44 mg/L, almost a 50% increase. Further utility of this yeast line was demonstrated for triterpene production. When engineered for the production of a non‐native triterpene, Zx178‐08 accumulated upwards of 60 mg/L of botryococcene. To engineer more native triterpene accumulation, additional insertion mutants into the ERG1 gene (coding for squalene epoxidase) were evaluated. Insertion of a simple selection marker followed by over‐expression of a heterologous squalene synthase gene resulted in greater than 85 mg/L of squalene. However, when the ERG1 insertional mutant included chromosomal insertion of a truncated, heterologous HMGR gene, squalene production was more than tripled to 270 mg/L. These results are discussed in comparison to other recently developed terpene production platforms. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 1854–1864. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fibrin gels engineered with pro‐angiogenic growth factors promote engraftment of pancreatic islets in extrahepatic sites in mice
Authors: Najjar Mejdi , Manzoli Vita , Abreu Maria , Villa Chiara , Martino Mikaël M. , Molano R. Damaris , Torrente Yvan , Pileggi Antonello , Inverardi Luca , Ricordi Camillo , Hubbell Jeffrey A. , Tomei Alice A. 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTWith a view toward reduction of graft loss, we explored pancreatic islet transplantation within fibrin matrices rendered pro‐angiogenic by incorporation of minimal doses of vascular endothelial growth factor‐A165 and platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB presented complexed to a fibrin‐bound integrin‐binding fibronectin domain. Engineered matrices allowed for extended release of pro‐angiogenic factors and for their synergistic signaling with extracellular matrix‐binding domains in the post‐transplant period. Aprotinin addition delayed matrix degradation and prolonged pro‐angiogenic factor availability within the graft. Both subcutaneous (SC) and epididymal fat pad (EFP) sites were evaluated. We show that in the SC site, diabetes reversal in mice transplanted with 1,000 IEQ of syngeneic islets was not observed for islets transplanted alone, while engineered matrices resulted in a diabetes median reversal time (MDRT) of 38 days. In the EFP site, the MDRT with 250 IEQ of syngeneic islets within the engineered matrices was 24 days versus 86 days for islets transplanted alone. Improved function of engineered grafts was associated with enhanced and earlier (by day 7) angiogenesis. Our findings show that by engineering the transplant site to promote prompt re‐vascularization, engraftment and long‐term function of islet grafts can be improved in relevant extrahepatic sites. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 1916–1926. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Consolidated bioprocessing of starchy substrates into ethanol by industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains secreting fungal amylases
Authors: Favaro Lorenzo , Viktor Marko J. , Rose Shaunita H. , Viljoen‐Bloom Marinda , van Zyl Willem H. , Basaglia Marina , Cagnin Lorenzo , Casella Sergio 
Published: March 2015

AbstractThe development of a yeast strain that converts raw starch to ethanol in one step (called Consolidated Bioprocessing, CBP) could significantly reduce the commercial costs of starch‐based bioethanol. An efficient amylolytic Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain suitable for industrial bioethanol production was developed in this study. Codon‐optimized variants of the Thermomyces lanuginosus glucoamylase (TLG1) and Saccharomycopsis fibuligera α‐amylase (SFA1) genes were δ‐integrated into two S. cerevisiae yeast with promising industrial traits, i.e., strains M2n and MEL2. The recombinant M2n[TLG1‐SFA1] and MEL2[TLG1‐SFA1] yeast displayed high enzyme activities on soluble and raw starch (up to 8118 and 4461 nkat/g dry cell weight, respectively) and produced about 64 g/L ethanol from 200 g/L raw corn starch in a bioreactor, corresponding to 55% of the theoretical maximum ethanol yield (g of ethanol/g of available glucose equivalent). Their starch‐to‐ethanol conversion efficiencies were even higher on natural sorghum and triticale substrates (62 and 73% of the theoretical yield, respectively). This is the first report of direct ethanol production from natural starchy substrates (without any pre‐treatment or commercial enzyme addition) using industrial yeast strains co‐secreting both a glucoamylase and α‐amylase. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 1751–1760. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hepatocyte‐Specific Delivery of siRNAs Conjugated to Novel Non‐nucleosidic Trivalent N‐Acetylgalactosamine Elicits Robust Gene Silencing in Vivo
Authors: Rajeev Kallanthottathil G. , Nair Jayaprakash K. , Jayaraman Muthusamy , Charisse Klaus , Taneja Nate , O'Shea Jonathan , Willoughby Jennifer L. S. , Yucius Kristina , Nguyen Tuyen , Shulga‐Morskaya Svetlana , Milstein Stuart , Liebow Abigail , Querbes William , Borodovsky Anna , Fitzgerald Kevin , Maier Martin A. , Manoharan Muthiah 
Published: March 2015

AbstractWe recently demonstrated that siRNAs conjugated to triantennary N‐acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) induce robust RNAi‐mediated gene silencing in the liver, owing to uptake mediated by the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR). Novel monovalent GalNAc units, based on a non‐nucleosidic linker, were developed to yield simplified trivalent GalNAc‐conjugated oligonucleotides under solid‐phase synthesis conditions. Synthesis of oligonucleotide conjugates using monovalent GalNAc building blocks required fewer synthetic steps compared to the previously optimized triantennary GalNAc construct. The redesigned trivalent GalNAc ligand maintained optimal valency, spatial orientation, and distance between the sugar moieties for proper recognition by ASGPR. siRNA conjugates were synthesized by sequential covalent attachment of the trivalent GalNAc to the 3′‐end of the sense strand and resulted in a conjugate with in vitro and in vivo potency similar to that of the parent trivalent GalNAc conjugate design.
A Facile Approach to Fabricate an N‐Doped Mesoporous Graphene/Nanodiamond Hybrid Nanocomposite with Synergistically Enhanced Catalysis
Authors: Zhao Zhongkui , Dai Yitao , Ge Guifang , Mao Qing , Rong Zeming , Wang Guiru 
Published: March 2015

AbstractOwing to their unique structural features and surface properties, graphene and nanodiamond have attracted tremendous attention in diverse fields. However, restacking of graphene and reagglomeration of dispersed nanodiamond inevitably depress their catalytic properties. Herein, inspired by the historic discovery of “pillared clay”, we successfully realized the simultaneous inhibition of their restacking by fabricating a N‐doped mesoporous graphene/nanodiamond (N‐RGO/ND) nanocomposite by a facile wet‐chemical approach. The electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the thermocatalytic oxidant‐free and steam‐free direct dehydrogenation (DDH) of ethylbenzene were used to examine its catalytic properties. The nanocomposite showed synergistically improved catalytic DDH and electrocatalytic ORR activity relative to that of the individual components, which can be ascribed to synergy between graphene and nanodiamond and to the large surface area, well‐ordered mesoporous structure, small crystalline size, and rich defect and CO surface features. Moreover, the developed synthetic strategy in this work can be extended to diverse N‐doped nanocomposites from dispersion‐required carbon precursors.
Gold Carbene or Carbenoid: Is There a Difference?
Authors: Wang Yahui , Muratore Michael E. , Echavarren Antonio M. 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBy reviewing the recent progress on the elucidation of the structure of gold carbenes and the definitions of metal carbenes and carbenoids, we recommend to use the term gold carbene to describe gold carbene‐like intermediates, regardless of whether the carbene or carbocation extreme resonance dominates. Gold carbenes, because of the weak metal‐to‐carbene π‐back‐donation and their strongly electrophilic reactivity, could be classified into the broader family of Fischer carbenes, although their behavior and properties are very specific.