bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preparation and characterization of transparent and foldable polysiloxane‐poly(methyl methacrylate) membrane with a high refractive index
Authors: Xu Jinku , Zhu Weiyue , Zhang Leilei , Zhang Yongchun 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTIn this article, carbazole‐grafted methacrylic polysiloxane (MA‐CZ‐PDMS) macromonomer was synthesized and its structure was confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). The polysiloxane macromonomer can homogeneously copolymerize with methyl methacrylate (MMA) to prepare transparent and foldable carbazole‐grafted polysiloxane‐poly(methyl methacrylate) (PDMS‐PMMA) membranes with a high refractive index (RI). The membranes were characterized by light transmittance, RI value, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The results indicated that the carbazole‐grafted PDMS‐PMMA membranes had excellent light transmittance that decreased slightly with increasing carbazole‐grafted polysiloxane content. Incorporation of carbazole‐grafted polysiloxane in the materials improved its RI value; however decreased the glass transmission temperature (Tg) that can be adjusted to less than 30°C, enable the membrane foldable at room temperature. The data demonstrate that the carbazole‐grafted PDMS‐PMMA membranes have a potential application as high RI intraocular lens (IOL) suitable for implantation by minimally invasive surgery. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42491.
Lignin–phenol–formaldehyde resin adhesives prepared with biorefinery technical lignins
Authors: Yang Sheng , Zhang Yue , Yuan Tong‐Qi , Sun Run‐Cang 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTIn this study, four biorefinery technical lignins were used to synthesize lignin–phenol–formaldehyde (LPF) resin adhesives with a proposed formulation that was designed based on accurate analysis of the active sites in lignin with 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The properties of the LPF resin adhesives and the plywoods prepared with them were tested. The structural features and curing behavior of the LPF resin adhesives were thoroughly investigated by solution‐ and solid‐state 13C NMR. Results indicated that the proposed formulation exhibited favorable adaptability for all four of these technical lignins for synthesis of LPF resin adhesives. High‐performance plywood with low emissions of formaldehyde could be successfully prepared with the synthesized LPF resin adhesives. All the LPF resin adhesives exhibited similar structure and curing behavior with the commercial phenol–formaldehyde (CPF) resin adhesive. However, the LPF resin adhesives showed relatively higher curing temperatures as compared with the CPF resin adhesive. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42493.
Synthesis, conductivity, and electromagnetic wave absorption properties of chiral poly Schiff bases and their silver complexes
Authors: Li Hengnong , Liu Chongbo , Dai Bing , Tang Xinghua , Zhang Z. John , Xiong Zhiqiang , Liu Xiaoming 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTFour chiral poly Schiff bases were synthesized via polycondensation between l‐lysine and p‐benzoquinone, 1,4‐naphthoquinone, dibenzoyl, and 2,3‐butanedione, respectively. Subsequently, the silver coordination polymers of the chiral poly Schiff base were prepared upon silver ions coordinating with the chiral poly Schiff bases. The structures of the polymers were characterized with IR, UV‐vis, GPC, elemental analysis, and optical activity analysis. The properties of polymers were studied through conductivity testing and electromagnetic parameter testing. The results show that they own good electrical conductvities, and the electrical conductivity of chiral poly‐(l‐lysine(2,3‐butanedione)) Schiff base silver complex can reach 3.7 × 102 S/cm. The electromagnetic wave absorption properties of four silver complexes were calculated using transmission line theory, the maximum reflection loss of chiral poly‐(l‐lysine(p‐benzoquinone)) Schiff base silver complex can reach −45.9 dB at a thickness of 5 mm, while that of achiral poly‐(dl‐lysine(p‐benzoquinone)) Schiff base silver complex is −20.1 dB at a thickness of 5 mm. The enhanced microwave absorbing properties were attributed to the chiral feature. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42498.
Microfiltration membranes functionalized with multiple styrenic homopolymer and block copolymer grafts
Authors: Shethji Jayraj K. , Ritchie Stephen M. C. 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTThe pores of microfiltration polyethersulfone membranes have been functionalized with homopolymer and block copolymer grafts through sequential cationic polymerization of styrene and substituted styrene monomers, namely 4‐chloromethylstyrene and 4‐ethoxystyrene. 1H NMR characterization confirmed successful incorporation of polymeric grafts at different stages of functionalization. The functionalized membrane showed a 90% decrease in membrane permeability compared to the raw membrane indicating the presence of polymeric chains in the membrane flow path. Functionalized membranes have as many as 125 repeat units per chain equating to an ion‐exchange capacity (IEC) of 4.9 meq/g, representing 92% of the theoretical IEC of an ion‐exchange resin. A pseudo‐first‐order kinetic equation correlated well (R2 ∼ 0.99) with the experimental kinetic data of formation of polymeric grafts. Polymer growth studies showed that at lower initiator surface density (initiator contact time <135 min), graft length and IEC were impacted by monomer feed concentration and initiator contact time. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42501.
Effect of the compatibility on dielectric performance and breakdown strength of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/low‐density polyethylene blends
Authors: Lin Xiang , Fan Li‐Li , Zhao Jun , Dang Zhi‐Min , Ren Dong‐Yun 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTImmiscible polymer blends with high dielectric constant (ε) and improved breakdown strength (Eb) performance were obtained by composing poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) or the LDPE grafted with maleic anhydride (LDPE‐g‐MAH) through melt‐blending way. The dielectric properties of these blends were emphasized for considering the compatibility effect on the energy storage application. Interface morphology, co‐continuity behavior, and grafted ratio were simultaneously investigated to detect the compatibility enhancement after introducing MAH. Results showed that the MAH positively improved the dielectric properties. Both the measured Eb of PVDF/LDPE and PVDF/LDPE‐g‐MAH blends showed a minimum value at vPVDF = 50 vol % because of the worst compatibility; meanwhile, higher Eb of PVDF/LDPE‐g‐MAH than that of PVDF/LDPE blend was observed owing to the better compatibility. For considering the effect interface morphology on the dielectric performance, layer‐structure films composing with pure PVDF and LDPE layers were further constructed and studied. It was revealed that the layered structure could be treated as a helpful way to improve ε and Eb for immiscible polymer blends. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42507.
Environmental effects on the adhesion properties of nanostructured epoxy‐silica hybrids
Authors: Lionetto Francesca , Frigione Mariaenrica 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTA nanostructured epoxy‐silica hybrid based on epoxy systems with interpenetrating silica domains was designed for a possible use as a structural adhesive for civil engineering applications. Silica domains were obtained in situ during the curing of the thermosetting matrix by means of the sol‐gel process, which was able to chemically bind the organic phase with the inorganic one. To assess the ability of the developed epoxy‐silica hybrid system of overcoming some of the well known deficiencies of conventional epoxy adhesives used in civil engineering field, the environmental effects on the adhesion properties of these novel systems were investigated. First, flexural tests were undertaken on cast epoxy‐silica specimens to determine the mechanical properties of the nanostructured adhesive when exposed to different environmental conditions, that is, moderate temperature or immersion in water. For comparison purposes, a control sample of epoxy resin, representative of a commercially available adhesive, was tested after the same exposure regimes. In order to assess their durability in service, concrete/concrete joints, bonded or with the hybrid epoxy‐silica or with the control epoxy adhesive, were exposed to the same environmental conditions and subjected to adhesion tests according to the “slant shear test.” The results obtained on both cast specimens and concrete/concrete adhesive joints proved the significantly better retention of properties of the nanostructured organic–inorganic adhesive compared to the control resin after exposure to moderate temperature or immersion in water. This constitutes a distinct advantage of the hybrid system over the corresponding conventional epoxy resins cured at ambient temperature for civil engineering applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42514.
Mechanical, rheological, and electrical properties of multiwalled carbon nanotube reinforced ASA/Na‐ionomer blend
Authors: Datta Pulak , Guha Chandan , Sarkhel Gautam 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTVarying amounts of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was melt‐extruded with the acrylonitrile‐styrene‐acrylate (ASA)/Na‐ionomer blend, and mechanical, rheological, and electrical properties were studied Optical micrographs show good dispersion level at low MWCNT content and network formation at higher nanotubes percentage. DC conductivity model data shows percolation threshold reached at 1% MWCNT content and after percolation, two‐dimensional network structure was formed. The “peak and valley” type surface topology of matrix may be responsible for low percolation threshold limit. The polymer/nanotubes interactions at low MWCNT content increased the mechanical strengths, which were reduced by the network structure and agglomerates of nanotubes at higher nanotubes content. The MWCNTs interacted differently with the architecturally complex polymer chains and controlled chain dynamics accordingly. The Carreau‐Yasuda model was found fit to viscosity data and the model parameters data suggest the zero shear viscosity is function of MWCNTs content but the infinite shear viscosity is independent of nanoparticles content. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42516.
LC/MS/MS determination and pharmacokinetic study of iridoid glycosides monotropein and deacetylasperulosidic acid isomers in rat plasma after oral administration of Morinda officinalis extract
Authors: Li Chunmin , Dong Jian , Tian Jingchang , Deng Zhipeng , Song Xiujing 
Published: June 2015

AbstractMorinda officinalis is a famous traditional Chinese medicine containing iridoid glycoside compounds, such as monotropein and deacetylasperulosidic acid. The aim of the study was to develop a novel and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of the two isomeric iridoid glycosides and then evaluate their pharmacokinetic properties in rats. Selected‐reaction monitoring mode was employed for quantification of two analytes in rat plasma. The calibration curves were linear over their respective concentration range with correlation coefficient >0.995 for both analytes. Precision for monotropein and deacetylasperulosidic acid ranged from 2.5 to 11.9% relative standard deviation, and the accuracy of two analytes was −2.0–3.7 and −6.4–10.7% relative error, respectively. This method was successfully applied in pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of M. officinalis extract in rats. The results provided a basis for further research on the bioactivity of M. officinalis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Critical Intermediates Reveal New Biosynthetic Events in the Enigmatic Colibactin Pathway
Authors: Li Zhong‐Rui , Li Yongxin , Lai Jennifer Y. H. , Tang Jianqiang , Wang Bin , Lu Liang , Zhu Guoqiang , Wu Xiyang , Xu Ying , Qian Pei‐Yuan 
Published: June 2015

AbstractColibactin is a potent genotoxin that induces DNA double‐strand breaks; it is produced by Escherichia coli strains harboring a pks+ island. However, the structure of this compound remains elusive. Here, using transformation‐associated recombination (TAR) cloning to perform heterologous expression, we took advantage of the significantly increased yield of colibactin pathway‐related compounds to determine and isolate a series of vital (pre)colibactin intermediates. The chemical structures of compounds 8, 10 and 11 were identified by NMR and MSn analyses. The new 1H‐pyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyridine‐3,6(2H,5H)‐dione‐ and thiazole‐containing compound 10 provides new insights regarding the biosynthetic pathway to (pre)colibactin and establishes foundations for future investigation of the intriguing (pre)colibactin structures and its modes of action.
Fabrication of TiO2/MoS2 Composite Photocatalyst and Its Photocatalytic Mechanism for Degradation of Methyl Orange under Visible Light
Authors: Zhang Weiping , Xiao Xinyan , Zheng Lili , Wan Caixia 
Published: June 2015

AbstractA novel TiO2/MoS2 composite photocatalyst with high visible‐light activity was prepared via a one‐step hydrothermal process using titaniumtetrachloride (TiCl4) as a titanium resource and bulk MoS2 as a direct photosensitizer. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous suspension was employed to evaluate the visible light activity of the as‐prepared composite photocatalyst with a xenon lamp as simulated solar irradiation. The chemical composition, optical properties, morphology, structure, and thermal stability of the composite photocatalysts were characterized using XPS, UV‐vis, FS, SEM, XRD, and TGA. The as‐prepared photocatalysts exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity from the experiment on the degradation of methyl orange, compared to the performance of commercial titania (Degussa P25). The degradation rate of MO can reach over 90 % in 10 min when the molar ratio of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) to titanium dioxide (TiO2) is 0.8:50 and the mass concentration of the TiO2/MoS2 composite photocatalyst is 400 mg/L. In this research, a new fabrication mode of TiO2/MoS2/TiO2 was applied for fabricating new hybridized structures of nano‐TiO2/MoS2 by using bulk MoS2 as a direct photosensitizer, which changed the energy levels of the conduction band of MoS2 and strongly promoted interparticle electron transfer. In addition, this hybridization structure was believed to have a synergistic effect in the process of photocatalytic oxidation owing to increasing the degree of charge carrier separation, which effectively reduced recombination and improved the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/MoS2 composite photocatalyst.
Unsupervised lineage‐based characterization of primate precursors reveals high proliferative and morphological diversity in the OSVZ
Authors: Pfeiffer Michael , Betizeau Marion , Waltispurger Julie , Pfister Sabina Sara , Douglas Rodney J. , Kennedy Henry , Dehay Colette 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTGeneration of the primate cortex is characterized by the diversity of cortical precursors and the complexity of their lineage relationships. Recent studies have reported miscellaneous precursor types based on observer classification of cell biology features including morphology, stemness, and proliferative behavior. Here we use an unsupervised machine learning method for Hidden Markov Trees (HMTs), which can be applied to large datasets to classify precursors on the basis of morphology, cell‐cycle length, and behavior during mitosis. The unbiased lineage analysis automatically identifies cell types by applying a lineage‐based clustering and model‐learning algorithm to a macaque corticogenesis dataset. The algorithmic results validate previously reported observer classification of precursor types and show numerous advantages: It predicts a higher diversity of progenitors and numerous potential transitions between precursor types. The HMT model can be initialized to learn a user‐defined number of distinct classes of precursors. This makes it possible to 1) reveal as yet undetected precursor types in view of exploring the significant features of precursors with respect to specific cellular processes; and 2) explore specific lineage features. For example, most precursors in the experimental dataset exhibit bidirectional transitions. Constraining the directionality in the HMT model leads to a reduction in precursor diversity following multiple divisions, thereby suggesting that one impact of bidirectionality in corticogenesis is to maintain precursor diversity. In this way we show that unsupervised lineage analysis provides a valuable methodology for investigating fundamental features of corticogenesis. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:535–563, 2016. © 2015 The Authors The Journal of Comparative Neurology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bilateral lesions in a specific subregion of posterior insular cortex impair conditioned taste aversion expression in rats
Authors: Schier Lindsey A. , Blonde Ginger D. , Spector Alan C. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractThe gustatory cortex (GC) is widely regarded for its integral role in the acquisition and retention of conditioned taste aversions (CTAs) in rodents, but large lesions in this area do not always result in CTA impairment. Recently, using a new lesion mapping system, we found that severe CTA expression deficits were associated with damage to a critical zone that included the posterior half of GC in addition to the insular cortex (IC) that is just dorsal and caudal to this region (visceral cortex). Lesions in anterior GC were without effect. Here, neurotoxic bilateral lesions were placed in the anterior half of this critical damage zone, at the confluence of the posterior GC and the anterior visceral cortex (termedIC2), the posterior half of this critical damage zone that contains just VC (termedIC3), or both of these subregions (IC2+ IC3). Then, pre‐ and postsurgically acquired CTAs (to 0.1 M NaCl and 0.1 M sucrose, respectively) were assessed postsurgically in 15‐minute one‐bottle and 96‐hour two‐bottle tests. Li‐injected rats with histologically confirmed bilateral lesions in IC2exhibited the most severe CTA deficits, whereas those with bilateral lesions in IC3were relatively normal, exhibiting transient disruptions in the one‐bottle sessions. Groupwise lesion maps showed that CTA‐impaired rats had more extensive damage to IC2than did unimpaired rats. Some individual differences in CTA expression among rats with similar lesion profiles were observed, suggesting idiosyncrasies in the topographic representation of information in the IC. Nevertheless, this study implicates IC2as the critical zone of the IC for normal CTA expression. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:54–73, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparative analysis of glucagonergic cells, glia, and the circumferential marginal zone in the reptilian retina
Authors: Todd Levi , Suarez Lilianna , Squires Natalie , Zelinka Christopher Paul , Gribbins Kevin , Fischer Andy J. 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTRetinal progenitors in the circumferential marginal zone (CMZ) and Müller glia‐derived progenitors have been well described for the eyes of fish, amphibians, and birds. However, there is no information regarding a CMZ and the nature of retinal glia in species phylogenetically bridging amphibians and birds. The purpose of this study was to examine the retinal glia and investigate whether a CMZ is present in the eyes of reptilian species. We used immunohistochemical analyses to study retinal glia, neurons that could influence CMZ progenitors, the retinal margin, and the nonpigmented epithelium of ciliary body of garter snakes, queen snakes, anole lizards, snapping turtles, and painted turtles. We compare our observations on reptile eyes to the CMZ and glia of fish, amphibians, and birds. In all species, Sox9, Pax6, and the glucocorticoid receptor are expressed by Müller glia and cells at the retinal margin. However, proliferating cells were found only in the CMZ of turtles and not in the eyes of anoles and snakes. Similar to eyes of chickens, the retinal margin in turtles contains accumulations of GLP1/glucagonergic neurites. We find that filamentous proteins, vimentin and GFAP, are expressed by Müller glia, but have different patterns of subcellular localization in the different species of reptiles. We provide evidence that the reptile retina may contain nonastrocytic inner retinal glial cells, similar to those described in the avian retina. We conclude that the retinal glia, glucagonergic neurons, and CMZ of turtles appear to be most similar to those of fish, amphibians, and birds. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:74–89, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Robust wireless signal indoor localization
Authors: Kong Liang , Bauer Gavin , Hale John 
Published: June 2015

SummaryLocalization is a key enabler of context awareness in computing environments. This paper presents a technique for indoor localization using wireless signal strength from mobile devices. The method described treats locations as fuzzy sets and fuzzifies signal strength‐related features to define membership. Membership values are then fused from multiple sources using a rule engine to deduce objective location values. The principal benefits of this technique are that it requires little or no calibration and that it can be used with widely available commercial devices. Simulation shows that this technique is robust to errors and provides reasonable accuracy. Applications to collaborative workflow and human computer interaction are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Distance‐bounding trust protocol in anonymous radio‐frequency identification systems
Authors: Yang Fan , Zhang Fengli , Wang Jiahao , Qin Zhiguang , Yuan Xiaolu 
Published: June 2015

SummaryBoth distance fraud attacks and relay attacks threaten radio‐frequency identification (RFID) applications but are hard to prevent. Existing approaches can neither avoid tags to response the rouge reader's challenges nor have the simultaneous feature to defend the two kinds of attacks. In a first step, this paper presents an improved distance‐bounding protocol that a tag deduces the distance to a reader and reports if the reader is honest or malicious through the output of trust values that can defend distance fraud. When multiple readers are synchronized and scheduled, we just logically threat them as one. So our solutions fix a flaw in prior work that may be leveraged by attackers to increase the successful rate of discovering relay attack. Secondly, we deploy trusted third party architecture to provide anonymity for tags in anonymous RFID systems without requiring tag identifiers. Existing distance‐based attack detection methods are not applicable in anonymous RFID systems because of the requirement of awareness of tag identifiers. This insight inspires Distance‐Bounding Trust Protocol (DBTP), which is for both distance fraud and relay attacks detection in anonymous RFID systems. DBTP can make correct decisions through trust values in accepting or rejecting a reader's challenge by establishing collaborations and trust relationship between one reader (verifier) and active tags (provers). We evaluate the performance of DBTP through theoretical analysis and extensive simulations. The results show that DBTP can detect both distance fraud and relay attacks, and it is effective to guarantee security for anonymous RFID systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.