bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Osseointegration of Ti–6Al–4V Alloy Implants with a Titanium Nitride Coating Produced by a PIRAC Nitriding Technique: A Long-Term Time Course Study in the Rat
Authors: Sovak Guy , Gotman Irena , Weiss Anna 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThis study examined bone tissue responses to Ti–6Al–4V alloy implants with a hard TiN coating applied by an original powder immersion reaction-assisted coating (PIRAC) nitriding method. Progression of implant fixation in the distal epiphysis and within the medullary cavity of the rat femur was evaluated between 3 days and 6 months postimplantation by scanning electron microscopy, oxytetracycline incorporation, and histochemistry. After 6 months, successful osseointegration was achieved in both epiphyseal and diaphyseal sites. Throughout, implant portions located within the epiphysis remained in close contact with bone trabeculae that gradually engulfed the implant forming a bone collar continuous with the trabecular network of the epiphysis. In the diaphysis, woven bone was first formed within the marrow cavity around the implant and later was replaced by a shell of compact bone around the implant. In general, higher osseointegration rates were measured for TiN-coated versus the uncoated implants, both in the epiphysis and in the diaphysis. In conclusion, our findings indicate an excellent long-term biocompatibility of TiN coatings applied by the PIRAC nitriding technique and superior osteoinductive ability in comparison with uncoated Ti–6Al–4V alloy. Such coatings can, therefore, be considered for improving the corrosion and wear resistance of titanium-based orthopedic implants.
Genetic diversity and establishment of a core collection of oil palm (Elaeis guineensisJacq.) based on molecular data
Authors: Arias Diana , González Maria , Romero Hernán 
Published: December 2014

Understanding of genetic diversity and its distribution is essential for promoting the use of genetic resources. The development of core collections using molecular tools has been proposed as a strategy for increasing the economical use and conservation of genetic resources. In this study, we investigated the genetic variation among different geographical origins and potential entries that constituted a core collection of oil palm, using 29 microsatellite markers and by evaluating 788 oil palm accessions. Our results revealed important genetic diversity (HT= 0.759) between oil palm accessions from Angola and Cameroon, which exhibited a low coefficient of genetic differentiation between populations (GST= 0.022). However, the inclusion of oil palm accessions from Indonesia in the analysis resulted in a high coefficient of genetic differentiation between populations (GST= 0.251). We found that the combination of stratified sampling based on a sorting method and a heuristic algorithm was the most effective method for the development of an oil palm core collection set. Using this method, two core collections were identified. The first core collection, comprising 289 entries, contained 271 retained alleles in a sample representing 37% of the entire collection. The second one is a mini core collection, comprising 91 entries, that contained 271 retained alleles with a totalHevalue of 0.72 in a sample representing 11% of the entire collection. The information reported in this study will be of great interest to oil palm researchers because new strategies for breeding programmes can be developed based on these advances.
Cantor fractal-based printed slot antenna for dual-band wireless applications
Authors: Ali Jawad , Abdulkareem Seevan , Hammoodi Ali , Salim Ali , Yassen Mahmood , Hussan Mohammed , Al-Rizzo Hussain 
Published: December 2014

Fractal geometries are attractive for antenna designers seeking antennas with compact size and multiband resonant behavior. This paper presents the design of a new microstrip-fed printed slot antenna for use in dual-band wireless applications. The slot structure of the proposed antenna is in the form of Cantor square fractal geometry of the second iteration. The slot structure has been etched on the ground plane of a substrate with relative permittivity of 4.4 and 1.6 mm in thickness. A parametric study is conducted to explore the effects of some geometrical parameters on the antenna performance. Results show that the antenna possesses a dual-band behavior with a wide range of resonant frequency ratio. In addition to the ease of fabrication and simple design procedure, the antenna offers desirable radiation characteristics. A prototype of the proposed antenna has been simulated, fabricated, and measured. The measured 10 dB return loss bandwidths for the lower and the upper resonant bands are 42% (2.35–3.61 GHz) and 20% (5.15–6.25 GHz), respectively. This makes the proposed antenna suitable to cover a number of operating bands of wireless systems (2.4 GHz-Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz ISM, 2.4/5.8 GHz-WLAN, 3.5 GHz-WiMAX, and 5.8 GHz-ITS).
Synthetic fossilization of soft biological tissues and their shape-preserving transformation into silica or electron-conductive replicas
Authors: Townson Jason L. , Lin Yu-Shen , Chou Stanley S. , Awad Yasmine H. , Coker Eric N. , Brinker C. Jeffrey , Kaehr Bryan 
Published: December 2014

AbstractStructural preservation of complex biological systems from the subcellular to whole organism level in robust forms, enabling dissection and imaging while preserving 3D context, represents an enduring grand challenge in biology. Here we report a simple immersion method for structurally preserving intact organisms via conformal stabilization within silica. This self-limiting process, which we refer to as silica bioreplication, occurs by condensation of water-soluble silicic acid proximally to biomolecular interfaces throughout the organism. Conformal nanoscopic silicification of all biomolecular features imparts structural rigidity enabling the preservation of shape and nano-to-macroscale dimensional features upon drying to form a biocomposite and further high temperature oxidative calcination to form silica replicas or reductive pyrolysis to form electrically conductive carbon replicas of complete organisms. The simplicity and generalizability of this approach should facilitate efforts in biological preservation and analysis and could enable the development of new classes of biomimetic composite materials.
Mitotic catenation is monitored and resolved by a PKCε-regulated pathway
Authors: Brownlow Nicola , Pike Tanya , Zicha Daniel , Collinson Lucy , Parker Peter J. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractExit from mitosis is controlled by silencing of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). It is important that preceding exit, all sister chromatid pairs are correctly bioriented, and that residual catenation is resolved, permitting complete sister chromatid separation in the ensuing anaphase. Here we determine that the metaphase response to catenation in mammalian cells operates through PKCε. The PKCε-controlled pathway regulates exit from the SAC only when mitotic cells are challenged by retained catenation and this delayed exit is characterized by BubR1-high and Mad2-low kinetochores. In addition, we show that this pathway is necessary to facilitate resolution of retained catenanes in mitosis. When delayed by catenation in mitosis, inhibition of PKCε results in premature entry into anaphase with PICH-positive strands and chromosome bridging. These findings demonstrate the importance of PKCε-mediated regulation in protection from loss of chromosome integrity in cells failing to resolve catenation in G2.
Long-range ordered vorticity patterns in living tissue induced by cell division
Authors: Rossen Ninna S. , Tarp Jens M. , Mathiesen Joachim , Jensen Mogens H. , Oddershede Lene B. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractIn healthy blood vessels with a laminar blood flow, the endothelial cell division rate is low, only sufficient to replace apoptotic cells. The division rate significantly increases during embryonic development and under halted or turbulent flow. Cells in barrier tissue are connected and their motility is highly correlated. Here we investigate the long-range dynamics induced by cell division in an endothelial monolayer under non-flow conditions, mimicking the conditions during vessel formation or around blood clots. Cell divisions induce long-range, well-ordered vortex patterns extending several cell diameters away from the division site, in spite of the system’s low Reynolds number. Our experimental results are reproduced by a hydrodynamic continuum model simulating division as a local pressure increase corresponding to a local tension decrease. Such long-range physical communication may be crucial for embryonic development and for healing tissue, for instance around blood clots.
The Wyckoff positional order and polyhedral intergrowth in the M3B2- and M5B3-type boride precipitated in the Ni-based superalloys
Authors: Hu X. B. , Zhu Y. L. , Sheng N. C. , Ma X. L. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractNi-based single superalloys play a crucial role in the hottest parts of jet engines. However, due to the complex geometry and macro-segregation during the solidification process, the cast defect such as stray grains is inevitable. Therefore, the transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding which can join several small single crystalline castings together is gradually believed to be an effective method for improving the yields of production of the complex components. The melting point depressant element B is always added into the interlayer filler material. Consequently, borides including the M3B2 and M5B3 phase usually precipitate during the TLP bonding process. So a comprehensive knowledge of the fine structural characteristics of the borides is very critical for an accurate evaluation of the TLP bonding process. In this work, by means of the aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, we show, at an atomic scale, the Wyckoff positional order phenomenon of the metal atoms in the unit cell of M3B2- and M5B3-type boride. Meanwhile, the defect along the (001) plane of the above two types of boride are determined to be the polyhedral intergrowth with complex configurations.
Age-Related Surgical Outcomes of Laminoplasty for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy
Authors: Maeno Takafumi , Okuda Shinya , Yamashita Tomoya , Matsumoto Tomiya , Yamasaki Ryoji , Oda Takenori , Iwasaki Motoki 
Published: December 2014

Study Design Retrospective clinical study. Objective To investigate the age-related surgical outcomes of laminoplasty. Methods One hundred patients who underwent an en bloc laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy from 2004 to 2008 and were followed for at least 1 year were included in this study. The clinical outcomes were assessed with the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Acquired points (postoperative JOA score minus preoperative JOA score) were also calculated. To investigate the age-related effect for laminoplasty, two analyses were conducted: (1) the correlation between age and clinical outcome; and (2) the clinical outcomes by decade. Patients were divided into four groups according to their age at the time of operation as follows: group 50s, 50 to 59 years old; group 60s, 60 to 69 years; group 70s, 70 to 79 years; and group 80s, 80 to 89 years. The pre- and postoperative JOA scores, acquired points, preoperative comorbidities, and postoperative complications were then compared among the groups. Results Significant correlations were detected between age and JOA scores at the preoperative ( p = 0.03), postoperative maximum ( p < 0.0001), and final assessments ( p < 0.0001). An age-related decline of JOA scores was observed over all periods. The analysis by decades showed the same results. On the other hand, the significant differences were not found for acquired points over all periods by either method. The preoperative comorbidities of hypertension and diabetes mellitus increased with age. Delirium was more common postoperatively in elderly patients. Conclusions Although an age-related decline of JOA scores was found over all periods, there were no severe sequelae and no differences in the acquired points that were age-related.
Pinctada fucata mantle gene 4 (PFMG4) from pearl oyster mantle enhances osteoblast differentiation
Authors: Wang Xiaoyan , Harimoto Kenichi , Fuji Ryosuke , Liu Jing , Li Liyuan , Wang Pan , Akaike Toshihiro , Wang Zhao 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
The organic matrix of nacre has been reported for its effect on osteogenesis. It was found that PFMG4 (Pinctada fucata mantle gene 4) with an N-terminal signal peptide could be secreted into nacre of Pinctada fucata (P. fucata). Here, we report that PFMG4 is highly expressed in mantle tissue and has high homology with C1q protein in different species. In MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells, we found that highly expressed PFMG4 could suppress cell proliferation and type I collagen expression, but it could increase alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralized deposition. These results show that PFMG4 has potential ability in enhancing osteoblast differentiation, suggesting a new idea in developing medicine for the therapy of osteoporosis.
The Archaeology of Early Modern South East Asia
Authors: Stark Miriam T. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractSouth East Asians in the early modern period (c.1450–1800) embraced technological innovations and novel ideas that crossed their paths. The fifteenth century ushered in the collapse of large empires and the rise of local craft industries; multi-ethnic diasporic communities developed in port cities; and standardized currencies structured local economies. Europeans entered this world in search of luxury goods and precious metals—in two centuries they would colonize most of the region. Although most historians explain the emergence of South East Asia’s ‘Age of Commerce’ through external factors, indigenous documents and archaeological information from this period offer insights on internal dynamics that contributed to region-wide transformations. Two objectives structure this chapter: to assess the range of issues that archaeological research has raised, challenged, or refuted, and to weave historical and archaeological threads into a series of themes that might guide future archaeological research on the period 1450–1850.
Empire, Place, and the Victorians
Authors: Brantlinger Patrick 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
The essay surveys the different meanings of ‘place’ in relation to the local and the global. Regarding England and empire, ‘place’ often evokes nostalgia for ‘home, sweet home’, but can just as easily refer to entire continents. ‘Place’ can also be a temporal term; Darwin and other scientists introduced the concept of geological, evolutionary time, for example. And it can involve an individual’s or group’s location on a hierarchy of gender, race, and social class: the Victorian English liked to think they belonged to the ‘imperial race’, the ‘Anglo-Saxons’.
Numerical Symbols
Authors: Holloway Ian D. , Ansari Daniel 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
Human culture is founded upon an understanding of mathematics. Mathematics, in turn, is built upon a basic competency for abstracting and symbolizing numerical information. Although cognitive science has made great strides in the characterization of human knowledge, the understanding and use of numerical symbols remains largely unexplored. In this chapter we synthesize the current scientific understanding of numerical symbol processing using a synthesis of behavioral and neuroscientific findings. In particular, the chapter focuses on two interrelated topics: the processing of the semantics of numerical symbols and the processing of numerical symbols as audio-visual percepts. We conclude by proposing several avenues of inquiry about numerical symbols that can be traversed by future researchers.
Computer-assisted Interventions on Basic Number Skills
Authors: Räsänen Pekka 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
Computer-assisted interventions (CAI) on basic number skills have been studied over the last 70 years. The technical development from large, room-sized, mainframe computers to handhelds is revising the school pedagogy in a similar fashion to what school books once did. Computers provide a tool for delivering instruction, but still the contents of CAI have followed on the ruling pedagogical trends of the time. The basic models of repetitive practice to gain arithmetic fluency and problem solving–oriented discovery learning can be found from CAI on numerical skills. The increasing knowledge about educational neuroscience has not changed these models, but turned the attention to the details in the types of numerical stimuli used in training. During these 70 years, there has been a prolific increase in the amount and quality of studies on CAI, but a declining trend in the effectiveness. The charm of novelty is transforming to a daily tool for learning.
Hyperpolarization-activated Cyclic Nucleotide-gated Channels May Contribute to Regional Anesthetic Effects of Lidocaine
Authors: Zhou Cheng , Ke Bowen , Zhao Yi , Liang Peng , Liao Daqing , Li Tao , Liu Jin , Chen Xiangdong 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAbstract
The efficacy and duration of anesthesia after sciatic nerve block and intrathecal administration of lidocaine are altered in HCN1 knockout mice. Lidocaine inhibits HCN currents in dorsal root ganglion neurons in vitro. Local anesthetic blockade of HCN channels may contribute to the intensity and duration of local anesthesia.

Background:
Local anesthetics (e.g., lidocaine) have been found to inhibit hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels besides sodium channels. However, the exact role of HCN channels in regional anesthesia in vivo is still elusive.

Methods:
Sciatic nerve block and intrathecal anesthesia were performed using lidocaine in wild-type and HCN1 channel knockout (HCN1−/−) mice. EC50 of lidocaine and durations of 1% lidocaine were determined. In electrophysiologic recordings, effects of lidocaine on HCN channel currents, voltage-gated sodium channel currents, and neural membrane properties were recorded on dorsal root ganglia neurons.

Results:
In both sciatic nerve block and intrathecal anesthesia, EC50 of lidocaine for tactile sensory blockade (2 g von Frey fiber) was significantly increased in HCN1−/− mice, whereas EC50 of lidocaine for pinprick blockade was unaffected. Durations of 1% lidocaine were significantly shorter in HCN1−/− mice for both sciatic nerve block and intrathecal anesthesia (n = 10). ZD7288 (HCN blocker) could significantly prolong durations of 1% lidocaine including pinprick blockade in sciatic nerve block (n = 10). Forskolin (raising cyclic adenosine monophosphate to enhance HCN2) could significantly shorten duration of pinprick blockade of 1% lidocaine in sciatic nerve block (n = 10). In electrophysiologic recordings, lidocaine could nonselectively inhibit HCN channel and sodium channel currents both in large and in small dorsal root ganglia neurons (n = 5 to 6). Meanwhile, lidocaine caused neural membrane hyperpolarization and increased input resistance of dorsal root ganglia neurons but not in large dorsal root ganglia neurons from HCN1−/− mice (n = 5–7).

Conclusions:
These data indicate that HCN channels may contribute to regional anesthetic effects of lidocaine. By inhibiting HCN channels, lidocaine could alter membrane properties of neurons.
Acute and Perioperative Care of the Burn-injured Patient
Authors: Bittner Edward A. , Shank Erik , Woodson Lee , Martyn J. A. Jeevendra 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAbstract
Care of burn-injured patients requires knowledge of the pathophysiologic changes affecting virtually all organs from the onset of injury until wounds are healed. Massive airway and/or lung edema can occur rapidly and unpredictably after burn and/or inhalation injury. Hemodynamics in the early phase of severe burn injury is characterized by a reduction in cardiac output and increased systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance. Approximately 2 to 5 days after major burn injury, a hyperdynamic and hypermetabolic state develops. Electrical burns result in morbidity much higher than expected based on burn size alone. Formulae for fluid resuscitation should serve only as guideline; fluids should be titrated to physiologic endpoints. Burn injury is associated basal and procedural pain requiring higher than normal opioid and sedative doses. Operating room concerns for the burn-injured patient include airway abnormalities, impaired lung function, vascular access, deceptively large and rapid blood loss, hypothermia, and altered pharmacology.
Major burn injury affects almost every organ. Understanding the complex and often paradoxical pathophysiological responses in the early and late phases of injury is imperative to provide expert care in the acute and perioperative period.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.
Genetic variants modify the effect of age on APOE methylation in the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network study
Authors: Ma Yiyi , Smith Caren E. , Lai Chao‐Qiang , Irvin Marguerite R. , Parnell Laurence D. , Lee Yu‐Chi , Pham Lucia , Aslibekyan Stella , Claas Steven A. , Tsai Michael Y. , Borecki Ingrid B. , Kabagambe Edmond K. , Berciano Silvia , Ordovás José M. , Absher Devin M. , Arnett Donna K. 
Published: December 2014

SummaryAlthough apolipoprotein E (APOE) variants are associated with age‐related diseases, the underlying mechanism is unknown and DNA methylation may be a potential one. With methylation data, measured by the Infinium Human Methylation 450 array, from 993 participants (age ranging from 18 to 87 years) in the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) study, and from Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) consortium, combined with published methylation datasets, we described the methylation pattern of 13 CpG sites within APOE locus, their correlations with gene expression across cell types, and their relationships with age, plasma lipids, and sequence variants. Based on methylation levels and the genetic regions, we categorized the 13 APOE CpG sites into three groups: Group 1 showed hypermethylation (> 50%) and were located in the promoter region, Group 2 exhibited hypomethylation (< 50%) and were located in the first two exons and introns, and Group 3 showed hypermethylation (> 50%) and were located in the exon 4. APOE methylation was negatively correlated with gene expression (minimum r = −0.66, P = 0.004). APOE methylation was significantly associated with age (minimum P = 2.06E‐08) and plasma total cholesterol (minimum P = 3.53E‐03). Finally, APOE methylation patterns differed across APOE ε variants (minimum P = 3.51E‐05) and the promoter variant rs405509 (minimum P = 0.01), which further showed a significant interaction with age (P = 0.03). These findings suggest that methylation may be a potential mechanistic explanation for APOE functions related to aging and call for further molecular mechanistic studies.