bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biomimetic design of amphiphilic polycations and surface grafting onto polycarbonate urethane film as effective antibacterial agents with controlled hemocompatibility
Authors: Khan Musammir , Feng Yakai , Yang Dazhi , Zhou Wei , Tian Hong , Han Ying , Zhang Li , Yuan Wenjie , Zhang Jin , Guo Jintang , Zhang Wencheng 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTThe synthetic polycations are ideal candidates as antimicrobial agents, because they resemble natural antimicrobial peptides, but to render hemocompatibility to these materials is a great challenge. Herein, we used 2‐(tert‐butyl‐aminoethyl) methacrylate (TBAEMA), to synthesize its homopolymer and pegylated random and diblock copolymers with polyethyleneglycol methacrylate (PEGMA, Mn = 360 Da) by single‐electron transfer–living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP). In the second step, the secondary amino groups in the precursor polymers were quaternized with iodomethane and bromohexane, to obtain three series of quaternized polymers. The antimicrobial properties of these quaternized polymers were evaluated against Escherichia coli (E. coli), by studying the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) which ranged between 32 and 200 mg L−1 and showed higher values for the quaternized random than the diblock copolymers. In addition to, we have also demonstrated the grafting of these polycations onto polycarbonate urethane film surfaces, which showed good killing efficacy against E. coli. Furthermore, the hemolysis of these materials was investigated against human red blood cells, which indicated that except the quaternized homopolymers that showed highest hemolysis, all other amphiphilic polycations exhibited very low hemolytic activity. Therefore, our designed materials with controlled structures and functionality, synthesized from cheaply available resources could serve as useful agents in the field of biomedicines and implantable materials. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3166–3176
Brush macro‐RAFT agent mediated dispersion polymerization of styrene in the alcohol/water mixture
Authors: Xiao Xin , He Shangjin , Dan Meihan , Su Yang , Huo Fei , Zhang Wangqing 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTDispersion RAFT polymerization of styrene in the alcohol/water mixture mediated with the brush macro‐RAFT agent of poly[poly(ethylene oxide) methyl ether vinylphenyl‐co‐styrene] trithiocarbonate [P(mPEGV‐co‐St)‐TTC] with similar molecular weight but different chemical composition is investigated. Well‐controlled RAFT polymerization including an initial slow homogeneous polymerization and a subsequent fast heterogeneous polymerization at almost complete monomer conversion is achieved. The molecular weight of the synthesized block copolymer increases linearly with the monomer conversion, and the polydispersity is relatively narrow (PDI < 1.3). The RAFT polymerization kinetics is dependent on the chemical composition in the brush macro‐RAFT agents, and those with high content of hydrophobic segment lead to fast RAFT polymerization. The growth of the block copolymer nano‐objects during the RAFT polymerization is explored, and various block copolymer nano‐objects such as nanospheres, worms, vesicles and large‐compound‐micelle‐like particles are prepared. The parameters such as the chemical composition in the brush macro‐RAFT agent, the chain length of the solvatophobic block, the concentration of the feeding monomer and the solvent character affecting the size and morphology of the block copolymer nano‐objects are investigated. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3177–3190
Flutiform, a new steroid/long‐acting beta‐agonist inhaler
Authors: Chaplin Steve , Thomson Neil 
Published: April 2013

AbstractFlutiform is a new inhaled steroid/long‐acting beta‐agonist combination containing fluticasone and formoterol. Here, the authors give details of the clinical trial results regarding its efficacy and safety and discuss its place in the treatment of asthma.
Optical magnetic metamaterials based on thick metal film perforated with rectangular nanohole arrays
Authors: Yuan Li , Chen Fuyi 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe dependence of the optical magnetic property on metal film thickness and the origin of the magnetic property in thick metal (silver) film perforated with rectangular nanohole arrays were investigated using the finite‐difference time‐domain technique. A negative permeability was observed in the thickness range where two hybridized magnetic plasmon polariton resonances are present, and a big negative permeability was observed at certain thickness when the antisymmetric coupling between the electrical current density near the top and bottom film plane with the directions of electrical current density in the plane are present. Two types of antisymmetric coupling of electrical current density in the metal film were found to probably contribute to the permeability.
Spatial variability of liquid cloud and rain: observations and microphysical effects
Authors: Boutle I. A. , Abel S. J. , Hill P. G. , Morcrette C. J. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractSpatial variability of liquid cloud water content and rainwater content is analysed from three different observational platforms: in situ measurements from research aircraft, land‐based remote sensing techniques using radar and lidar, and spaceborne remote sensing from CloudSat. The variance is found to increase with spatial scale, but also depends strongly on the cloud or rain fraction regime, with overcast regions containing less variability than broken cloud fields. This variability is shown to lead to large biases, up to a factor of 4, in both the autoconversion and accretion rates estimated at a model grid scale of ≈︁40 km by a typical microphysical parametrization using in‐cloud mean values. A parametrization for the subgrid variability of liquid cloud and rainwater content is developed, based on the observations, which varies with both the grid scale and cloud or rain fraction, and is applicable for all model grid scales. It is then shown that if this parametrization of the variability is analytically incorporated into the autoconversion and accretion rate calculations, the bias is significantly reduced.
Handling test length bloat
Authors: Fraser Gordon , Arcuri Andrea 
Published: April 2013

SUMMARYThe length of test cases is a little investigated topic in search‐based test generation for object‐oriented software, where test cases are sequences of method calls. Although intuitively longer tests can achieve higher overall code coverage, there is always the threat of bloat – a complex phenomenon in evolutionary computation, where the length abnormally grows over time. In this paper, we show that bloat indeed also occurs in the context of test generation for object‐oriented software. We present different techniques to overcome the problem of length bloat, and evaluate all possible combinations of these techniques using different starting lengths for the search. Experiments on a set of difficult search targets, selected from several open source and industrial projects, show that controlling bloat with the appropriate techniques can significantly improve the search performance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human resource utilization: A model based on east—west research
Authors: Heller Frank 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe transition from centralized command economies to market orientation requires many adaptations of thinking and practice. The question raised by this article is whether social science can make a useful contribution to the adjustment between two incompatible systems of organizing economic life. The first issue is how to handle the propensity to resist change which is based on a natural system preference for predictability and equilibrium. Second, if resistance can be overcome, can social science contribute to the establishment of a new and superior equilibrium? The Motivated Competence Model is outlined as a contribution toward a better utilization of competence. The model is supported by evidence from research on sociotechnical issues and democratic decision‐making procedures. It is argued that while the evidence in support of these practices comes mainly from Western organizations, it includes research in Yugoslavia, and may be especially relevant to the rehabilitation of countries having to make radical changes.
The internationalization of Japanese business: Different approaches, similar problems
Authors: Fukuda K. John 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn staffing their overseas operations, Japanese firms generally maintain a view that prime positions should be held by the home‐country personnel. Having thus decided not to follow the European or American pattern of overseas operations, Japanese firms continue to rely very heavily on their own managerial resources to run fast‐expanding operations abroad. However, contrary to a general impression that Japanese managers are adept at working in foreign environments, our study of Japanese subsidiaries in Hong Kong points out that the success rate of their expatriate assignments is not necessarily as high as the figures widely reported by studies conducted elsewhere. This article will attempt to determine the causes of problems related to managerial assignments abroad by examining the practices employed by Japanese firms in the selection and training of managers for overseas assignments.
MNE—Government relations: Strategic networks and foreign direct investment in the United States in the automotive industry
Authors: Brewer Thomas L. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to present the outlines of a new theoretical perspective on MNE—government relations within the context of foreign direct investment in the United States. The theoretical perspective is based on the concept of transorganizational strategic networks. The perspective is a microlevel perspective that treats business and government organizations in a disaggregated manner; it further treats those organizations as being involved in complex relationships that include both conflicting and convergent interests. The organizations and the subunits within them are thus assumed to be both adversaries and partners in strategic networks that constantly change and that cut across conventionally conceived organizational boundaries.
China's managers
Authors: Stewart Sally 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThis is a preliminary attempt to look at the environment within which senior executives in the People's Republic of China (PRC) operate and to throw some light on their managerial behavior. It tries to compare the way in which they allocate their time between various activities with Mintzberg's findings on the behavior of Western managers. The spread of Western‐style management training in China during the last decade is discussed, and the fact that the managers studied made the effort to set aside significant amounts of uninterrupted time for their own personal education is pointed out.
What are international business centers?
Authors: Kwok Chuck C.Y. , Folks William R. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractTo improve the international competitiveness of U.S. firms, the 1988 Trade Act (PL 100–418) authorized the Department of Education to create Centers for International Business Education. This article provides an overview of the background and the program activities of these International Business Centers. Several issues (such as the appropriate model for the Center, Center administrative structure, funding level, and external accountability) are also raised for discussion to further enhance the effectiveness of this program.
The catholic work ethic
Authors: Tropman John E. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn a recent Commentary in The International Executive (1992), Rüdiger Pieper complained that some, if not many of the (American) teachers in the new European business training institutes and schools knew relatively little about the cultures for which they were making management proposals. Further, the proposals themselves, based as they often were on American research, could not, he rightly felt, be directly applied to a business problem regardless of context. One could extend that observation to other business activities, including attitudes toward work. In particular, it would be useful to consider the “work ethic,” as it applies to Americans working abroad, and inquire about how it might affect international executives when they come to America.
Foreign assignment for female German managers
Authors: Domsch Michel , Lichtenberger Bianka 
Published: April 2013

AbstractForeign assignments are considered as an important instrument of management development from German companies. Professional expertise in foreign markets and cultures is becoming an increasingly important factor in advancement. It is significant that in the past only male managers have been given the chance for a foreign assignment. Consequently female German managers very seldomly have international working experience. An empirical research study in 13 German multinational companies investigated the role of German women as expatriate managers from the perspectives of personnel managers. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Changes in the EC licensing environment and their effect on licensing as a strategy for Europe 1992
Authors: Pfaff John F. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe further integration of the European Community (EC) is intended to create one large, integrated market and a semistandardized business environment throughout the member countries. This study investigates the current status of the technology licensing environment in the EC and analyzes the returns that a licensor can achieve by locating a licensee in each of the EC countries. This analysis may be important to any firm which has chosen a licensing strategy as its approach to operating in the EC, because locational choice of licensee can affect a licensor's financial returns.
Cyclic nucleotide signaling in intestinal epithelia: getting to the gut of the matter
Authors: Arshad Najla , Visweswariah Sandhya S. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThe intestine is the primary site of nutrient absorption, fluid‐ion secretion, and home to trillions of symbiotic microbiota. The high turnover of the intestinal epithelia also renders it susceptible to neoplastic growth. These diverse processes are carefully regulated by an intricate signaling network. Among the myriad molecules involved in intestinal epithelial cell homeostasis are the second messengers, cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cyclic GMP (cGMP). These cyclic nucleotides are synthesized by nucleotidyl cyclases whose activities are regulated by extrinsic and intrinsic cues. Downstream effectors of cAMP and cGMP include protein kinases, cyclic nucleotide gated ion channels, and transcription factors, which modulate key processes such as ion‐balance, immune response, and cell proliferation. The web of interaction involving the major signaling pathways of cAMP and cGMP in the intestinal epithelial cell, and possible cross‐talk among the pathways, are highlighted in this review. Deregulation of these pathways occurs during infection by pathogens, intestinal inflammation, and cancer. Thus, an appreciation of the importance of cyclic nucleotide signaling in the intestine furthers our understanding of bowel disease, thereby aiding in the development of therapeutic approaches. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2013, 5:409–424. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1223This article is categorized under:

Biological Mechanisms > Cell Signaling
Physiology > Mammalian Physiology in Health and Disease
Chiral symmetry and the Yang-Mills gradient flow
Authors: Lüscher Martin 
Published: April 2013

AbstractIn the last few years, the Yang-Mills gradient flow was shown to be an attractive tool for non-perturbative studies of non-Abelian gauge theories. Here a simple extension of the flow to the quark fields in QCD is considered. As in the case of the puregauge gradient flow, the renormalizability of correlation functions involving local fields at positive flow times can be established using a representation through a local field theory in 4+1 dimensions. Applications of the extended flow in lattice QCD include non-perturbative renormalization and O(a) improvement as well as accurate calculations of the chiral condensate and of the pseudo-scalar decay constant in the chiral limit.
The brain in late‐onset glycogenosis II: a structural and functional MRI study
Authors: Borroni Barbara , Cotelli M. S. , Premi E. , Gazzina S. , Cosseddu M. , Formenti A. , Gasparotti R. , Filosto M. , Padovani A. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBackgroundLate‐onset glycogenosis type II (GSD II) is a rare, multisystem disorder mainly affecting limb and respiratory muscles due to acid alpha glucosidase deficiency. Despite evidence at autopsy of glycogen accumulation in the brain, no study exploring brain functions is yet available.ObjectiveOur objective in this study was to assess brain changes in late‐onset GSD II.MethodsEach patient underwent a standardized neuropsychological assessment, regional grey‐matter (GM) atrophy, and resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS‐fMRI). Functional connectivity maps of the salience (SN) and default‐mode (DMN) networks were considered. A group of age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls was enrolled for MRI comparisons. P values family‐wise error (FWE) cluster level corrected inferior to 0.05 were considered.ResultsNine GSD II patients (age 46.6 ± 8.0; 55 % male) were recruited. No significant GM atrophy was found in patients compared with controls (n = 18; age 48.0 ± 9.8,;40 % male). Functional connectivity within the SN was selectively reduced in patients, and cingulate gyrus and medial frontal cortex were mainly involved. Accordingly, patients had significant impairment of executive functions (as measured by Wisconsin Card Sorting test), whereas other cognitive domains were within mean normal ranges.ConclusionsOur findings extend the clinical spectrum of GSD II by indicating that brain changes occur in this muscular disorder. Above all, these results should lead to better examinations of therapeutic approaches and perspectives for the affected patients. Further studies evaluating in depth these issues are warranted.
Mexican American adolescents' profiles of risk and mental health: A person‐centered longitudinal approach
Authors: Zeiders Katharine H. , Roosa Mark W. , Knight George P. , Gonzales Nancy A. 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTAlthough Mexican American adolescents experience multiple risk factors in their daily lives, most research examines the influences of risk factors on adjustment independently, ignoring the additive and interactive effects of multiple risk factors. Guided by a person‐centered perspective and utilizing latent profile analysis, this study identified Mexican American fifth graders' (N = 749) risk profiles based on family, peer, and socio‐cultural risk factors and examined the relations of these risk profiles to mental health symptomatology in seventh grade. Results revealed three distinct profiles that differed quantitatively and qualitatively. Profiles were then linked to levels of mental health symptomatology, with youth in the highest risk profile displaying the most symptoms. Youth in two other risk profiles displayed lower levels. The findings suggest that Mexican American youth develop within distinct risk contexts that differ in their relations to adjustment. Such findings inform prevention/intervention efforts aimed at reducing mental health problems in adolescence.
Influence of natural fulvic acids on the solubility of sulfide ores (experimental study)
Authors: Novikova S.P. , Gas’kova O.L. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Model experiments were performed on the solubility of sulfide ores from the Kyzyl-Tashtyg deposit in distilled water and fulvic-acid (FA) solutions of different concentrations. It has been established that the oxidation of sulfide minerals in ores under atmospheric conditions might produce acid drainage waters with toxic heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd). The influence of natural organic acids depends on the capability of ore and host rock to neutralize the acidity of solutions. If carbonate content is enough at the first stage, a considerable increase in the pH value of FA-free solutions ensures Fe and Cu removal into the solid phase, whereas the formation of metal fulvate complexes hinders this process. However, when the rocks exhaust their neutralizing potential, all the solutions remain acidic for &gt;100 days of leaching. In this case, FAs, on the contrary, inhibit the oxidation of the surface of sulfide minerals and reduce the removal of heavy metals into the solution.
Interaction of a thermochemical plume with free convection mantle flows and its influence on mantle melting and recrystallization
Authors: Kirdyashkin A.A. , Kirdyashkin A.G. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
We present a thermophysical model for interaction between the conduit of a thermochemical plume and horizontal free convection flows in the mantle: The mantle flow incident on the plume conduit melts at the conduit boundary (front part) and crystallizes at its back. Geological data on the intensity of plume magmatism over the last 150 Myr are used to estimate the total thermal power of mantle plumes. A possible scenario for plume-related mantle recrystallization is proposed. Over the lifespan of a thermochemical plume, mantle melts and recrystallizes owing to the motion of the plume source and interaction between the plume conduit and horizontal free convection flows. The plume conduits can melt and recrystallize the entire mantle over a certain period of time. The model for the interaction of drifting plume conduits with mantle flows and the estimated total thermal power of mantle plumes are used to estimate the duration of plume-related melting and recrystallization of the entire mantle. The influence of mantle plumes on the convective structure of the mantle through melting is judged from the model for plume interaction with horizontal mantle flows.
Permafrost and groundwater settings at the site of “Kraton-3” peaceful underground nuclear explosion (Yakutia), from TEM data
Authors: Artamonova S.Yu. , Kozhevnikov N.O. , Antonov E.Yu. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Geological and geophysical interpretation of TEM data has revealed changes to the subsurface from the “Kraton-3” peaceful underground nuclear explosion (PUNE). The explosion was conducted on 24 August 1978 at a depth of 577 m in Middle Cambrian limestone on the eastern periphery of the Tunguska basin (Western Yakutia). The site is located in an area of 100 to 300 m thick permafrost and pressurized aquifers with Na-Ca-Cl brines (up to 400 g/l TDS) and cryopegs. The “Kraton-3” epicenter is only 160 m away from a fault emerging along the Markha River.
TEM responses collected at 22 stations along three profiles image a layered-earth background resistivity pattern. The highly resistive uppermost layer, ~150–200 m thick, consists of perennially frozen ice-rich rocks. Dry permafrost on watersheds of the Markha right side reaches 1200 ohm⋅m, while the hypsometrically lower frozen ground along the fault is 10 to 40 times less resistive. That is exactly the place of the PUNE epicenter, and the resistivity lows may record permafrost degradation and taliks (unfrozen layers).
The layers below are conductive and correspond to Upper Cambrian and Middle Cambrian (I) aquifers with brines. The top of the Upper Cambrian aquifer along the central profile is highly variable in depth, especially along the fault on the river left bank. The data indicate a local groundwater anomaly above the explosion: the Middle Cambrian I brines, which show up as a conductor in the resistivity pattern, become ~300 m shallower, most likely rising along the rubble chimney above the UNE containment cavity; the lateral extent of the anomaly reaches 400 m. There may exist paths for mass and heat transport maintained by pressurized brines in the system “containment cavity–rubble chimney–fault zone–ground surface”.