bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigation of High-Efficiency Vibration Energy Transducer with Dual-Modal ZnO Piezoelectric Thin Films
Authors: Chen Ying-Chung , Chang Wei-Tsai , Cheng Chien-Chuan , Mao Chun-Kai , Kao Kuo-Sheng 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTThis paper reports a novel means of integrating a high-performance dual-modal ZnO piezoelectric transducer with a flexible stainless steel substrate (SUS304) to construct dual-modal vibration-power transducers. To fabricate vibration-power transducers, the off-axis RF magnetron sputtering method for the growth of ZnO piezoelectric thin films is adopted. The stainless steel substrate has a higher Young’s modulus than those of the other substrates, and behaves the long-term stability under vibration. The transducer includes a ZnO piezoelectric thin film deposited on the stainless steel substrate combined with Pt/Ti layers at room temperature, which is fabricated by an RF magnetron two-step sputtering system. In this report, the ZnO piezoelectric thin films deposited with the tilting angle of 34° are set by controlling the deposition parameters. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction of ZnO piezoelectric thin films reveal a rigid surface structure and a high dual-modal orientation. To investigate the generating characteristics of the dual-modal transducer, two basic experiments of longitudinal and shear modes are carried out. Based on cantilever vibration theory, the cantilever length of 1 cm and a vibration area of 1 cm2 are used to fabricate a transducer with a low resonant-frequency of 65 Hz for the natural vibration. A mass loading at the front-end of the cantilever is critical to increase the amplitude of vibration and the power generated by the piezoelectric transducer. The maximum open circuit voltage of the power transducer is 19.4 V.
Synovial Chondromatosis of the Cervical Spine: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Shaw Andrew , Zibly Zion , Prasad Vinay , Ikeda Daniel , Boue Daniel , Governale Lance S. 
Published: March 2014

Synovial chondromatosis is a benign condition characterized by metaplastic changes of the synovial membrane typically affecting large joints. Cervical spine involvement is rare and has not been reported in a teenager. The authors report a case of cervical synovial chondromatosis in a 19-year-old male presenting with left-sided weakness and numbness from spinal cord compression. After gross total resection was accomplished via laminoplasty, the patient's presenting symptoms improved and continued to do so over the follow-up period. The likely cause of the synovial chondromatosis in this patient was repetitive neck trauma as a child from a motor vehicle accident and football. This case demonstrates that the pathophysiology of this rare entity can initiate in the pediatric population. Although rare, synovial chondromatosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of calcified extradural masses in the teenage population.
Growth, yield and nutrient content of blackgram (Vigna mungo) as influenced by levels of phosphorus, sulphur and Phosphorus Solubilizing Bacteria
Authors: Mir AH , Lal SB , Salmani M , Abid M , Khan I 
Published: March 2014

A field experiment was conducted at Allahabad Agricultural Institute- Deemed University, Allahabad to study the effect of levels of phosphorus, sulphur and Phosphorus Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) on growth, yield and nutrient content of blackgram for consecutive two years 2004 and 2005. The crop growth parameters viz., plant height, number of nodules and number of leaves per plant, yield and nutrient content increased significantly with the application of high levels of phosphorus, sulphur with or without bio-fertilizer inoculation. Application of 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 recorded maximum plant height (49.9 cm), number of leaves plant-1 (50.8), number of nodules plant-1 (27.8), haulm yield (28.9 q ha-1), grain yield (8 q ha-1) and phosphorus, sulphur and protein content of grain (0.356 %, 0.253% and 22.64%, respectively) as compared to lower levels. Application of Sulphur @ 40 kg ha-1 recorded maximum plant height (47.31 cm), number of leaves plant-1 (49.80), number of nodules plant-1 (25.58), haulm yield (28.80 q ha-1), grain yield (7.92 q ha-1) and phosphorus, sulphur and protein content (0.295 , 0.281 and 21.79%, respectively). Inoculation of blackgram seeds with phosphorus solubilizing bacteria recorded slightly higher grain yield (7.49 q ha-1) as compared to no inoculation (7.39 q ha-1). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/sja.v11i1.18370 SAARC J. Agri., 11(1): 1-6 (2013)
Understanding population structure and historical demography in a conservation context: Population genetics of the endangeredKirengeshoma palmata(Hydrangeaceae)
Authors: Yuan Na , Sun Yi , Comes Hans‐Peter , Fu Cheng‐Xin , Qiu Ying‐Xiong 
Published: March 2014

•Premise of the study:Both historical and contemporary microevolutionary processes greatly influence the genetic patterns of East Asian plant endemics, but the spatial and temporal contexts of these processes remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the relative influences of historical and contemporary gene flow and drift on the population genetic structure ofKirengeshoma palmata, a perennial herb from East China and South Japan.•Methods:We used data from nine polymorphic microsatellite loci to assess the levels of genetic diversity, effective population size, and contemporary and historical gene flow for six of the seven known populations.•Key results:We found high levels of inbreeding and allelic diversity within populations. Both contemporary and historical migration rates among populations were low, and a test of alternate models of population history strongly favored a model of long‐term drift–migration equilibrium. We inferred declines in population size ca. 10 000–100 000 yr ago, but failed to detect recent declines. Bayesian clustering dividedK. palmatapopulations into three genetic clusters, two of which were consistent with a glacial refugium hypothesis for two mountain ranges in East China.•Conclusions:These results suggest that anthropogenic fragmentation has had little effect on the genetic characteristics of ChineseK. palmata. Rather, past decline in population size due to Late Pleistocene climate change as well as restricted pollen and seed dispersal may have contributed to low levels of both historical and contemporary gene flow, resulting in high genetic differentiation between adjacent mountain ranges due to genetic drift and inbreeding.
Dendritic Cell Motility and T Cell Activation Requires Regulation of Rho-Cofilin Signaling by the Rho-GTPase Activating Protein Myosin IXb
Authors: Xu Yan , Pektor Stefanie , Balkow Sandra , Hemkemeyer Sandra A. , Liu Zhijun , Grobe Kay , Hanley Peter J. , Shen Limei , Bros Matthias , Schmidt Talkea , Bähler Martin , Grabbe Stephan 
Published: March 2014

Abstract
Directed migration of stimulated dendritic cells (DCs) to secondary lymphoid organs and their interaction with Ag-specific T cells is a prerequisite for the induction of primary immune responses. In this article, we show that murine DCs that lack myosin IXB (Myo9b), a motorized negative regulator of RhoA signaling, exhibit increased Rho signaling activity and downstream acto-myosin contractility, and inactivation of the Rho target protein cofilin, an actin-depolymerizing factor. On a functional level, Myo9b−/− DCs showed impaired directed migratory activity both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, despite unaltered Ag presentation and costimulatory capabilities, Myo9b−/− DCs were poor T cell stimulators in vitro in a three-dimensional collagen matrix and in vivo, associated with altered DC–T cell contact dynamics and T cell polarization. Accordingly, Myo9b−/− mice showed an attenuated ear-swelling response in a model of contact hypersensitivity. The impaired migratory and T cell stimulatory capacity of Myo9b−/− DCs was restored in large part by pharmacological activation of cofilin. Taken together, these results identify Myo9b as a negative key regulator of the Rho/RhoA effector Rho-kinase [Rho-associated coiled-coil–forming kinase (ROCK)]/LIM domain kinase signaling pathway in DCs, which controls cofilin inactivation and myosin II activation and, therefore may control, in part, the induction of adaptive immune responses.
Resolvin D1 Stimulates Alveolar Fluid Clearance through Alveolar Epithelial Sodium Channel, Na,K-ATPase via ALX/cAMP/PI3K Pathway in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury
Authors: Wang Qian , Zheng Xia , Cheng Yang , Zhang Yi-Lan , Wen Hai-Xu , Tao Zhen , Li Hui , Hao Yu , Gao Ye , Yang Liang-Min , Smith Fang Gao , Huang Chang-Jiang , Jin Sheng-Wei 
Published: March 2014

Abstract
Resolvin D1 (7S,8R,17S-trihydroxy-4Z,9E,11E,13Z,15E,19Z-docosahexaenoic acid) (RvD1), generated from ω-3 fatty docosahexaenoic acids, is believed to exert anti-inflammatory properties including inhibition of neutrophil activation and regulating inflammatory cytokines. In this study, we sought to investigate the effect of RvD1 in modulating alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) on LPS-induced acute lung injury. In vivo, RvD1 was injected i.v. (5 μg/kg) 8 h after LPS (20 mg/kg) administration, which markedly stimulated AFC in LPS-induced lung injury, with the outcome of decreased pulmonary edema. In addition, rat lung tissue protein was isolated after intervention and we found RvD1 improved epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) α, γ, Na,K-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) α1, β1 subunit protein expression and Na,K-ATPase activity. In primary rat alveolar type II epithelial cells stimulated with LPS, RvD1 not only upregulated ENaC α, γ and Na,K-ATPase α1 subunits protein expression, but also increased Na+ currents and Na,K-ATPase activity. Finally, protein kinase A and cGMP were not responsible for RvD1’s function because a protein kinase A inhibitor (H89) and cGMP inhibitor (Rp-cGMP) did not reduce RvD1’s effects. However, the RvD1 receptor (formyl-peptide receptor type 2 [FPR2], also called ALX [the lipoxin A4 receptor]) inhibitor (BOC-2), cAMP inhibitor (Rp-cAMP), and PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) not only blocked RvD1’s effects on the expression of ENaC α in vitro, but also inhibited the AFC in vivo. In summary, RvD1 stimulates AFC through a mechanism partly dependent on alveolar epithelial ENaC and Na,K-ATPase activation via the ALX/cAMP/PI3K signaling pathway.
Education in Quality Improvement for Practice in Primary Care During Residency Training and Subsequent Activities in Practice
Authors: Carek Peter J. , Dickerson Lori M. , Stanek Michele , Carter Charles , Godenick Mark T. , Jebaily Gerard C. , Sprague Stuart , Baxley Elizabeth 
Published: March 2014

Abstract

Background
Quality improvement (QI) is an integral aspect of graduate medical education and an important competence for physicians.

Objective
We examined the QI activities of recent family medicine residency graduates and whether a standardized curriculum in QI during residency resulted in greater self-reported participation in QI activities in practice after graduation.

Methods
The family medicine residency programs affiliated with the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (N  =  7) were invited to participate in this study. Following completion of introductory educational activities, each site implemented regularly occurring (at least monthly) educational and patient care activities using QI principles and tools. Semiannually, representatives from each participating site met to review project aims and to provide updates regarding the QI activities in their program. To examine the impact of this project on QI activities, we surveyed graduates from participating programs from the year prior to and 2 years after the implementation of the curriculum.

Results
Graduates in the preimplementation and postimplementation cohorts reported participating in periodic patient care data review, patient care registries, QI projects, and disease-specific activities (57%–71% and 54%–63%, respectively). There were no significant differences in QI activities between the 2 groups except in activities associated with status of their practice as a patient-centered medical home.

Conclusions
Most but not all family medicine graduates reported they were actively involved in QI activities within their practices, independent of their exposure to a QI curriculum during training.
Cholesterol and Hematopoietic Stem Cells: Inflammatory Mediators of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Lang Jennifer K. , Cimato Thomas R. 
Published: March 2014

Summary
Atherosclerosis causing heart attack and stroke is the leading cause of death in the modern world. Therapy for end-stage atherosclerotic disease using CD34+ hematopoietic cells has shown promise in human clinical trials, and the in vivo function of hematopoietic and progenitor cells in atherogenesis is becoming apparent. Inflammation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Cholesterol is a modifiable risk factor in atherosclerosis, but in many patients cholesterol levels are only mildly elevated. Those with high cholesterol levels often have elevated circulating monocyte and neutrophil counts. How cholesterol affects inflammatory cell levels was not well understood. Recent findings have provided new insight into the interaction among hematopoietic stem cells, cholesterol, and atherosclerosis. In mice, high cholesterol levels or inactivation of cholesterol efflux transporters have multiple effects on hematopoietic stem cells (HSPCs), including promoting their mobilization into the bloodstream, increasing proliferation, and differentiating HSPCs to the inflammatory monocytes and neutrophils that participate in atherosclerosis. Increased levels of interleukin-23 (IL-23) stimulate IL-17 production, resulting in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) secretion, which subsequently leads to HSPC release into the bloodstream. Collectively, these findings clearly link elevated cholesterol levels to increased circulating HSPC levels and differentiation to inflammatory cells that participate in atherosclerosis. Seminal questions remain to be answered to understand how cholesterol affects HSPC-mobilizing cytokines and the role they play in atherosclerosis. Translation of findings in animal models to human subjects may include HSPCs as new targets for therapy to prevent or regress atherosclerosis in patients
Analyse conceptuelle de la compréhension inférentielle en petite enfance à partir d’une recension des modèles théoriques
Authors: Lefebvre Pascal , Bruneau Justine , Desmarais Chantal 
Published: March 2014

Cet article théorique propose une conceptualisation des inférences appliquée aux enfants d’âge préscolaire afin d’offrir une compréhension plus claire des différentes dimensions à prendre en compte lors des activités éducatives en petite enfance. À partir d’une recension des modèles des inférences dans les écrits scientifiques, une analyse conceptuelle a été effectuée. Selon cette analyse, les activités éducatives devraient viser les dimensions suivantes : la source d’information des inférences, leur contribution à la compréhension et leur direction. Des exemples concrets des implications de cette analyse pour les activités éducatives sont présentés.
Du lien entre l’analyse sociologique de l’innovation et la sociologie : une lecture simmelienne
Authors: Gaglio Gérald 
Published: March 2014

Cet article interroge la contribution de la sociologie de l’innovation à la sociologie. Cette relation ne saurait s’appréhender de manière univoque, en soulignant seulement des apports. C’est pourquoi la méthodologie sociologique de Simmel est mobilisée car elle insiste sur la dualité des phénomènes sociaux et la nécessité de les aborder selon des prismes différents. Aussi, à partir de variations autour de quatre thèmes, nous sommes amenés à défendre les idées suivantes : la sociologie de l’innovation, au sens large, gagnerait à revendiquer un regard porté sur le réel, soucieux du mouvement mais également attentif aux moments de stabilisation. Une vision diachronique et séquencée, commune à de nombreuses recherches, pourrait également être un aiguilleur pour d’autres champs de la sociologie. Une sociologie de l’innovation fondée en valeurs est ensuite prônée. Elle irait de ce fait au-delà d’une sociologie d’objet(s), notamment en poursuivant des débats autour de la théorie de l’action.
Quatre propositions pour une analyse sociologique de l’innovation sociale
Authors: Harrisson Denis 
Published: March 2014

Il est étonnant de constater que la sociologie, en tant que champ disciplinaire, s’est peu intéressée à l’innovation sociale. L’innovation sociale conduit à une transformation sociale par des actions intentionnelles. Deux grands concepts sociologiques permettent de traiter de cette question : une conception du changement social et une conception de la motivation de l’action sociale. Quatre théories sociologiques seront utilisées afin de clarifier la place qu’occupe l’innovation sociale dans leur conception respective du changement social et de l’action sociale soit la théorie du choix rationnel, le constructivisme social, l’institutionnalisme et la théorie des mouvements sociaux. L’innovation sociale ne fait pas partie du langage conceptuel d’aucune de ces théories, il faut voir comment le concept peut être intégré. Chaque théorie a ainsi une façon particulière de décrire les phénomènes en jetant un regard singulier sur le sens et les propriétés générales du phénomène et permet d’appréhender le savoir et la connaissance du phénomène par sa portée scientifique, sa signification ainsi que par le procédé de production de la connaissance.
Plasma distribution in Mercury's magnetosphere derived from MESSENGER Magnetometer and Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer observations
Authors: Korth Haje , Anderson Brian J. , Gershman Daniel J. , Raines Jim M. , Slavin James A. , Zurbuchen Thomas H. , Solomon Sean C. , McNutt Ralph L. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractWe assess the statistical spatial distribution of plasma in Mercury's magnetosphere from observations of magnetic pressure deficits and plasma characteristics by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft. The statistical distributions of proton flux and pressure were derived from 10 months of Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) observations obtained during the orbital phase of the MESSENGER mission. The Magnetometer‐derived pressure distributions compare favorably with those deduced from the FIPS observations at locations where depressions in the magnetic field associated with the presence of enhanced plasma pressures are discernible in the Magnetometer data. The magnitudes of the magnetic pressure deficit and the plasma pressure agree on average, although the two measures of plasma pressure may deviate for individual events by as much as a factor of ~3. The FIPS distributions provide better statistics in regions where the plasma is more tenuous and reveal an enhanced plasma population near the magnetopause flanks resulting from direct entry of magnetosheath plasma into the low‐latitude boundary layer of the magnetosphere. The plasma observations also exhibit a pronounced north‐south asymmetry on the nightside, with markedly lower fluxes at low altitudes in the northern hemisphere than at higher altitudes in the south on the same field line. This asymmetry is consistent with particle loss to the southern hemisphere surface during bounce motion in Mercury's offset dipole magnetic field.
Small fresh impact craters on asteroid 4 Vesta: A compositional and geological fingerprint
Authors: Stephan K. , Jaumann R. , De Sanctis M. C. , Tosi F. , Ammannito E. , Krohn K. , Zambon F. , Marchi S. , Ruesch O. , Matz K.‐D. , Preusker F. , Roatsch T. , Raymond C. A. , Russell C. T. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractSmall morphologically fresh impact craters (<10 km in diameter) on Vesta's surface with a photometrically distinct ejecta blanket are expected to represent fresh surface material and thus provide the opportunity to study the composition of the unweathered surface. Dawn‐Framing Camera and Visual and Infrared Spectrometer (VIR) data reveal impact craters with bright, dark, and mixed, i.e., partly bright and dark, ejecta existing on Vesta's surface, which not only differ in the visible albedo from their surroundings but also in their composition. Differences in the composition are related to the visible albedo and/or the geographic location of the impact craters. Bright ejecta, only seen in the southern Vestan hemisphere, are dominated by howardite/eucrite‐like material as expected for Vesta's upper crust. Dark ejecta associated with dark impact craters are dominated by a strongly absorbing, spectrally neutral compound, supporting an origin from carbon‐rich impactors. Few impact craters of intermediate albedo in Vesta's southern hemisphere contain material resembling diogenites, which are expected to exist in the deeper parts of Vesta's interior. The geological settings suggest that the diogenite‐like material represents a part of a layer of diogenitic material surrounding the Rheasilvia basin or local concentrations of diogenitic material as part of the ejecta excavated during the latter stage of the Rheasilvia impact event. The spectral differences between eucrite‐ and diogenite‐dominated materials also could be verified due to spin‐forbidden absorptions in the visible spectral range, which are known from laboratory spectra of pyroxenes, but, which have been identified in the VIR spectra of Vesta for the first time.
Root‐zone soil moisture estimation using data‐driven methods
Authors: Kornelsen Kurt C. , Coulibaly Paulin 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe soil moisture state partitions both mass and energy fluxes and is important for many hydro‐geochemical cycles, but is often only measured within the surface layer. Estimating the amount of soil moisture in the root‐zone from this information is difficult due to the nonlinear and heterogeneous nature of the various processes which alter the soil moisture state. Data‐driven methods, such as artificial neural networks (ANN), mine data for nonlinear interdependencies and have potential for estimating root‐zone soil moisture from surface soil moisture observations. To create an ANN root‐zone model that was nonsite‐specific and physically constrained, a training set was generated by forcing HYDRUS‐1D with meteorological observations for different soil profiles from the unsaturated soil hydraulic database. Ensemble ANNs were trained to provide soil moisture at depths of 10, 20, and 50 cm below the surface using surface soil moisture observations and local meteorological information. Insights into the processes represented by the ANNs were derived from a clamping sensitivity analysis and by changing the ANNs input data. Further model testing based on synthetic soil moisture profiles from three McMaster Mesonet and three USDA soil climate analysis network sites suggests that ANNs are a flexible tool capable of predicting root‐zone soil moisture with good accuracy. It was found that ANNs could well represent soil moisture as estimated by HYDRUS‐1D, but performance was reduced in comparison to in situ soil moisture observations outside the training conditions. The transferability of the model appears limited to the same geographic region.