bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Calcium Sulfate as a Possible Oxidant in “Green” Silicon‐based Pyrotechnic Time Delay Compositions
Authors: Tichapondwa Shepherd M. , Focke Walter W. , Del Fabbro Olinto , Kelly Cheryl 
Published: November 2014

AbstractChemical time delay detonators are used to control blasting operations in mines and quarries. Slow burning SiBaSO4 pyrotechnic delay compositions are employed for long time delays. However, soluble barium compounds may pose environmental and health risks. Hence inexpensive anhydrous calcium sulfate was investigated as an alternative “green” oxidant. EKVI simulations indicated that stoichiometry corresponds to a composition that contains less than 30 wt‐% Si. However combustion was only supported in the range of 30–70 wt‐% Si. In this range the bomb calorimeter data and burn tests indicate that the reaction rate and energy output decrease with increasing silicon content. The measured burning rates in rigid aluminum elements ranged from 6.9 to 12.5 mm s−1. The reaction product was a complex mixture that contained crystalline phases in addition to an amorphous calcium containing silicate phase. A reaction mechanism consistent with these observations is proposed.
Brief report: Danish emerging adults' conceptions of adulthood
Authors: Arnett Jeffrey Jensen , Padilla‐Walker Laura M. 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTFour hundred Danish emerging adults ages 17–29 were surveyed regarding their conceptions of adulthood and their self‐assessments of their adult status. A majority of the 17–24‐year‐olds and nearly half the 25–29‐year‐olds viewed themselves as being adults in some ways but not others. Participants reported feeling most adult when with co‐workers or romantic partners, and least adult with mothers, fathers, or friends. The most widely‐endorsed criteria for adulthood were accepting responsibility for one's self, making independent decisions, and becoming financially independent. Among the least‐endorsed criteria were the traditional transition events of entering marriage and parenthood, as well as “avoid becoming drunk.”
Effects of the July 1997 Floods in the Czech Republic on Cardiac Mortality
Authors: Obrová Jana , Sovová Eliška , Ivanová Kateřina , Táborský Miloš , Loyka Svatopluk 
Published: November 2014

AbstractObjectiveAn excess of deaths from cardiac causes are reported after many natural disasters. Despite the fact that floods are the most common and most destructive natural disaster worldwide, little is known about their effect on human health. We analyzed the influence of the greatest floods in the Czech Republic on cardiac mortality in the affected area.MethodsThis was a retrospective case-control study. We analyzed persons whose autopsies proved they had died of cardiac causes during the month of the flood, 2 months before the flood, 1 month after the flood, and during the same period in the 3 previous years.ResultsA total of 207 of 985 autopsy reports met the criteria for inclusion in the study. There were no significant differences in the proportions of men and women (P=0.819) or in age (P=0.577). During the month of the flood, an increase in cardiac mortality was observed; however, the increase was not statistically significant (P=0.088).ConclusionsAccording to our findings, the 1997 Central European flood did not significantly affect cardiac mortality. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;8:492-496)
Use of Cross-Correlation Function to Study Formation Mechanism of Massive Elliptical Galaxies
Authors: De Tuli , Chattopadhyay Tanuka , Chattopadhyay Asis Kumar 
Published: November 2014

AbstractSpatial clustering nature of galaxies has been studied previously through auto correlation function. The same type of cross-correlation function has been used in the present work to investigate parametric clustering nature of galaxies with respect to masses and sizes of galaxies. Here, formation and evolution of several components of nearby massive early type galaxies (M*≥ 1.3 × 1011M⊙have been envisaged through cross-correlations, in the mass-size parametric plane, with high redshift (0.2 ⩽z⩽ 7) ETGs. It is found that the inner most components of nearby ETGs have significant correlation (~ 0.5 ± (0.02–0.07)) with ETGs in the highest redshift range (2 ⩽z⩽ 7) called ‘red nuggets’ whereas intermediate components are highly correlated (~ 0.65 ± (0.03–0.07)) with ETGs in the redshift range 0.5 ⩽z⩽ 0.75. The outermost part has no correlation in any range, suggesting a scenario throughin situaccretion. The above formation scenario is consistent with the previous results obtained for NGC5128 and to some extent for nearby elliptical galaxies after considering a sample of ETGs at high redshift with stellar masses greater than or equal to 108.73M⊙. So the present work indicates a three phase formation instead of two as discussed in previous works.
First report of Wiwaxia from the Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte
Authors: ZHAO FANG-CHEN , SMITH MARTIN R. , YIN ZONG-JUN , ZENG HAN , HU SHI-XUE , LI GUO-XIANG , ZHU MAO-YAN 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThe robust spines and sclerites of the early to middle Cambrian ‘mollusc’ Wiwaxia are ubiquitous in suitably preserved deposits, but are strikingly absent from the Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Cambrian Stage 3, Yunnan Province, SW China). Here we provide the first record of Wiwaxia sclerites from this rich deposit, extending the record of the genus to the earliest Cambrian Series 2. This reinforces the cosmopolitan distribution of this iconic Cambrian lophotrochozoan and demonstrates the strong faunal continuity that unites distant Cambrian Lagerstätten.
A Comparative Analysis of the Nigerian Public Procurement Act Against International Best Practice
Authors: Williams-Elegbe Sope 
Published: November 2014

AbstractPrior to 2007, Nigerian public procurement was not formally regulated, in the sense that there was no law governing procurement at the federal or state level. This changed with the enactment in 2007 of the Public Procurement Act. This act was passed on the recommendation of the World Bank, which had conducted a country procurement assessment report on Nigeria in 1999. This article seeks to determine whether the Public Procurement Act meets the requirements of international best practice. The article examines what may be regarded as international best practice in the public procurement context and analyses whether the Nigerian Public Procurement Act contains provisions which accord with this practice. It also considers what factors are limiting the adoption of international best practice in the Nigerian context.
Is elective neck dissection necessary in cases of laryngeal recurrence after previous radiotherapy for early glottic cancer?
Authors: Deganello A , Meccariello G , Bini B , Paiar F , Santoro R , Mannelli G , Gallo O 
Published: November 2014

AbstractObjectives:To assess the clinical utility of elective neck dissection in node-negative recurrent laryngeal carcinoma after curative radiotherapy for initial early glottic cancer.Methods:A retrospective review was undertaken of 110 consecutive early glottic cancer patients who developed laryngeal recurrence after radiotherapy (34 recurrent T1, 36 recurrent T2, 29 recurrent T3and 11 recurrent T4a) and received salvage laryngeal surgery between 1995 and 2005.Results:Six patients presented with laryngeal and neck recurrence and underwent salvage laryngectomy with therapeutic neck dissection, 97 patients with recurrent node-negative tumours underwent salvage laryngeal surgery without neck dissection and only 7 underwent elective neck dissection. No occult positive lymph nodes were documented in neck dissection specimens. During follow up, only three patients with neck failure were recorded, all in the group without neck dissection. There was no significant association between the irradiation field (larynx plus neckvslarynx) and the development of regional failure. A higher rate of post-operative pharyngocutaneous fistula development occurred in the neck dissection group than in the group without neck dissection (57.2 per centvs13.4 per cent,p = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that early (recurrent tumour-positive, node-positive) or delayed (recurrent tumour-positive, node-negative) neck relapse was not significantly related to the stage of the initial tumour or the recurrent tumour. An age of less than 60 years was significantly associated with early neck failure (recurrent tumour-positive, node-positive).Conclusion:Owing to the low occult neck disease rate and high post-operative fistula rate, elective neck dissection is not recommended for recurrent node-negative laryngeal tumours after radiation therapy if the initial tumour was an early glottic cancer.
Biogeographic and latitudinal patterns of demersal fishes in the Mexican Pacific
Authors: Palacios-Salgado Deivis S. , Cruz-Escalona V.H. , Zetina-Rejón M.J. , Arreguín-Sánchez F. , Nieto-Navarro J.T. 
Published: November 2014

Latitudinal patterns of composition, biogeographic affinity and indicators of taxonomic diversity are described for the by-catch fish community in five typical shrimping areas in the Mexican Pacific (Upper Gulf of California, Sinaloa-Nayarit, Jalisco-Colima, Michoacán-Guerrero and Gulf of Tehuantepec). The taxonomic composition included two classes, 20 orders, 65 families, 147 genera and 292 species. The family Sciaenidae was the best represented with 33 species, whereas at the genus level, Anchoa was represented with eight species. A high percentage of the species showed wide distribution ranges (30.2% for Cortez Province ~ Panamic Province; 21.3% for San Diego Province ~ Panamic Province); nevertheless, each ecosystem included a characteristic combination of species, apparently related to the physiographic conditions of the ecosystems. Species richness showed a pronounced decrease from the Upper Gulf of California, which has warm-temperate features, to the Gulf of Tehuantepec, which has tropical conditions; this is an opposite trend to that observed in the taxonomic diversity indicators, suggesting that a taxonomic redundancy was present in tropical areas and higher taxonomic diversity was present in the Upper Gulf of California, despite the lower species richness. This is explained by the prevailing environmental conditions and isolation processes generated during the formation of the Gulf of California.
The European sea bassDicentrarchus labraxin the Dutch Wadden Sea: from visitor to resident species
Authors: Cardoso J.F.M.F. , Freitas V. , Quilez I. , Jouta J. , Witte J.IJ. , Van Der Veer H.W. 
Published: November 2014

This paper analyses the population dynamics, growth and feeding ecology ofDicentrarchus labraxin order to gain a better understanding of its present role in the western Dutch Wadden Sea ecosystem. Otolith analysis showed that the population is mostly comprised of individuals aged 3–5 years old and between 20 and 45 cm in length. In autumn, 0-group juveniles are also an important part of the population. Both juveniles and adults use the area as a feeding ground exhibiting an opportunistic feeding strategy that relies on available prey, especially the brown shrimpCrangon crangon. Stomach content analysis and nitrogen stable isotope analysis showed an ontogenetic shift towards piscivory and a general decrease in the dominance of invertebrates with increasing size. Over the last 50 years, large between-year fluctuations inD. labraxabundance have been observed with an underlying increasing trend from about 1990 until 2007 followed by a subsequent decline. Spring abundance showed significant relationships with temperature and salinity while autumn abundance was only related to temperature. Spring and autumnD. labraxabundance were also strongly related to abundance of brown shrimpC. crangonprey. Long-term trends in temperature and salinity in the area suggest that environmental conditions for juvenile growth have become optimal, resulting in increased abundance since the mid-1980s. Continued monitoring of the dynamics of this species in the Dutch Wadden Sea is important to understand and anticipate the effects of climate change on theD. labraxpopulation and its role in the local food web.
Life history parameters of blue jack mackerel Trachurus picturatus (Teleostei: Carangidae) from north-east Atlantic
Authors: Garcia Alexandra , Pereira João g. , Canha Ângela , Reis Dália , Diogo Hugo 
Published: November 2014

Blue jack mackerel Trachurus picturatus monthly samples were collected between 1998 and 2011 to determine morphometric relationships, maturity, growth rates, reproduction and spawning seasonality in north-east Atlantic waters (ICES area Xa2). A total of 2895 specimens were sampled, ranging from 98 to 542 mm in fork-length (LF). The morphometric relationships (length-length and length-weight) showed statistically significant differences between sexes. Ages were estimated by counting growth bands on otoliths and verified by marginal increment analysis, with specimens ranging from 0 to 18 years. The von Bertalanffy models used to estimate growth parameters for both observed and back-calculated length-at-age data gave good fits. The gonads were analysed macroscopically and the spawning season found to occur from December to May. The length at 50% maturity for females and males occurred at 277 mm LF (4.3 years) and 288 mm LF (5.1 years), respectively. The results provide important biological information for fisheries assessment of a species that plays an important key role in the surrounding ecosystem.
Tumor hypoxia induces nuclear paraspeckle formation through HIF-2α dependent transcriptional activation of NEAT1 leading to cancer cell survival
Authors: Choudhry H , Albukhari A , Morotti M , Haider S , Moralli D , Smythies J , Schödel J , Green C M , Camps C , Buffa F , Ratcliffe P , Ragoussis J , Harris A L , Mole D R 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
Activation of cellular transcriptional responses, mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), is common in many types of cancer, and generally confers a poor prognosis. Known to induce many hundreds of protein-coding genes, HIF has also recently been shown to be a key regulator of the non-coding transcriptional response. Here, we show that NEAT1 long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a direct transcriptional target of HIF in many breast cancer cell lines and in solid tumors. Unlike previously described lncRNAs, NEAT1 is regulated principally by HIF-2 rather than by HIF-1. NEAT1 is a nuclear lncRNA that is an essential structural component of paraspeckles and the hypoxic induction of NEAT1 induces paraspeckle formation in a manner that is dependent upon both NEAT1 and on HIF-2. Paraspeckles are multifunction nuclear structures that sequester transcriptionally active proteins as well as RNA transcripts that have been subjected to adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing. We show that the nuclear retention of one such transcript, F11R (also known as junctional adhesion molecule 1, JAM1), in hypoxia is dependent upon the hypoxic increase in NEAT1, thereby conferring a novel mechanism of HIF-dependent gene regulation. Induction of NEAT1 in hypoxia also leads to accelerated cellular proliferation, improved clonogenic survival and reduced apoptosis, all of which are hallmarks of increased tumorigenesis. Furthermore, in patients with breast cancer, high tumor NEAT1 expression correlates with poor survival. Taken together, these results indicate a new role for HIF transcriptional pathways in the regulation of nuclear structure and that this contributes to the pro-tumorigenic hypoxia-phenotype in breast cancer.
Comparative genomic analysis of Mycobacterium iranicum UM_TJL against representative mycobacterial species suggests its environmental origin
Authors: Tan Joon Liang , Ngeow Yun Fong , Wee Wei Yee , Wong Guat Jah , Ng Hien Fuh , Choo Siew Woh 
Published: November 2014

AbstractMycobacterium iranicum is a newly reported mycobacterial species. We present the first comparative study of M. iranicum UM_TJL and other mycobacteria. We found M. iranicum to have a close genetic association with environmental mycobacteria infrequently associated with human infections. Nonetheless, UM_TJL is also equipped with many virulence genes (some of which appear to be the consequence of transduction-related gene transfer) that have been identified in established human pathogens. Taken all together, our data suggest that M. iranicum is an environmental bacterium adapted for pathogenicity in the human host. This comparative study provides important clues and forms the basis for future functional studies on this mycobacterium.
Experimental linear-optics simulation of multipartite non-locality in the ground state of a quantum Ising ring
Authors: Orieux Adeline , Boutari Joelle , Barbieri Marco , Paternostro Mauro , Mataloni Paolo 
Published: November 2014

AbstractCritical phenomena involve structural changes in the correlations of its constituents. Such changes can be reproduced and characterized in quantum simulators able to tackle medium-to-large-size systems. We demonstrate these concepts by engineering the ground state of a three-spin Ising ring by using a pair of entangled photons. The effect of a simulated magnetic field, leading to a critical modification of the correlations within the ring, is analysed by studying two- and three-spin entanglement. In particular, we connect the violation of a multipartite Bell inequality with the amount of tripartite entanglement in our ring.
Moonlighting proteins in sperm–egg interactions
Authors: Petit François M. , Serres Catherine , Auer Jana 
Published: November 2014

Sperm–egg interaction is a highly species-specific step during the fertilization process. The first steps consist of recognition between proteins on the sperm head and zona pellucida (ZP) glycoproteins, the acellular coat that protects the oocyte. We aimed to determine which sperm head proteins interact with ZP2, ZP3 and ZP4 in humans. Two approaches were combined to identify these proteins: immunoblotting human spermatozoa targeted by antisperm antibodies (ASAs) from infertile men and far-Western blotting of human sperm proteins overlaid by each of the human recombinant ZP (hrZP) proteins. We used a proteomic approach with 2D electrophoretic separation of sperm protein revealed using either ASAs eluted from infertile patients or recombinant human ZP glycoproteins expressed in Chinese-hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Only spots highlighted by both methods were analysed by MALDI–MS/MS for identification. We identified proteins already described in human spermatozoa, but implicated in different metabolic pathways such as glycolytic enzymes [phosphokinase type 3 (PK3), enolase 1 (ENO1), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), aldolase A (ALDOA) and triose phosphate isomerase (TPI)], detoxification enzymes [GST Mu (GSTM) and phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) 4], ion channels [voltage-dependent anion channel 2 (VDAC2)] or structural proteins (outer dense fibre 2). Several proteins were localized on the sperm head by indirect immunofluorescence, and their interaction with ZP proteins was confirmed by co-precipitation experiments. These results confirm the complexity of the sperm–ZP recognition process in humans with the implication of different proteins interacting with the main three ZP glycoproteins. The multiple roles of these proteins suggest that they are multifaceted or moonlighting proteins.
Comparison of moonlighting guanylate cyclases: roles in signal direction?
Authors: Freihat Lubna , Muleya Victor , Manallack David T. , Wheeler Janet I. , Irving Helen R. 
Published: November 2014

Over 30 receptor-like kinases contain a guanylate cyclase (GC) catalytic centre embedded within the C-terminal region of their kinase domain in the model plant Arabidopsis. A number of the kinase GCs contain both functional kinase and GC activity in vitro and the natural ligands of these receptors stimulate increases in cGMP within isolated protoplasts. The GC activity could be described as a minor or moonlighting activity. We have also identified mammalian proteins that contain the novel GC centre embedded within kinase domains. One example is the interleukin 1 receptor-associated kinase 3 (IRAK3). We compare the GC functionality of the mammalian protein IRAK3 with the cytoplasmic domain of the plant prototype molecule, the phytosulfokine receptor 1 (PSKR1). We have developed homology models of these molecules and have undertaken in vitro experiments to compare their functionality and structural features. Recombinant IRAK3 produces cGMP at levels comparable to those produced by PSKR1, suggesting that IRAK3 contains GC activity. Our findings raise the possibility that kinase-GCs may switch between downstream kinase-mediated or cGMP-mediated signalling cascades to elicit desired outputs to particular stimuli. The challenge now lies in understanding the interaction between the GC and kinase domains and how these molecules utilize their dual functionality within cells.
Dual‐band dual‐mode patch antenna for on–on–off WBAN applications
Authors: Hong Youngtaek , Tak Jinpil , Choi Jaehoon 
Published: November 2014

A dual‐band dual‐mode patch antenna for on–on–off wireless body area network (WBAN) applications is proposed. The antenna consists of a half‐circular patch with two shorting posts to generate a TM41 higher‐order resonant mode and a bottom ground slot to generate additional resonance. To reduce the antenna size without seriously affecting the radiation pattern, the antenna is cut in half and operates in half‐mode. The antenna has a vertical monopole‐like radiation pattern in the 2.45 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band and a horizontal monopole‐like radiation pattern in the 5.8 GHz ISM band. To evaluate the body effect, both 2.45 and 5.8 GHz muscle‐equivalent phantoms were used. The overall dimensions of the proposed antenna is 30.5 × 62 × 3.15 mm.
Anti-obesity effects of Taif and Egyptian pomegranates: molecular study
Authors: Ahmed Mohamed M , Samir El-Shazly A , El-Shehawi Ahmed M , Alkafafy Mohamed E 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThe present study investigated the anti-obesity effects of pomegranate (Punica granatum) juices from the two Saudi Arabian, Taif red, Taif white, and Egyptian pomegranates in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. Administrating any of the used juices decreased the body weight gain, food consumption, and serum levels of lipid, leptin, and glucose, while it increased serum insulin level. Histologically, all types of juices decreased the number and size of lipid droplets in hepatocytes compared to the obese, non-treated animals. All juices types upregulated the hepatic mRNA expression of hormone-sensitive lipase, pyruvate kinase, and adiponectin in obese rats; the genes were all suppressed by HFD feeding. Additionally, the expression of fatty acid synthase, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase1 was also upregulated by all types of juices. Conversely, ghrelin mRNA expression was downregulated by all used juices’ types. These findings demonstrate that all types of tested juices protect against the HFD-induced obesity in rats.