bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tau Protein Associated Inhibitors in Alzheimer Disease
Authors: Li Qian‐Qian , Chu Ting‐Ting , Chen Yong‐Xiang , Li Yan‐Mei 
Published: October 2014

AbstractNeurofibrillary tangles composed of tau protein and senile plaque accumulated by amyloid‐β (Aβ) are two hallmarks in Alzheimer disease (AD). In the patients with AD, tau is abnormally hyperphosphorylated, mutated or misfolding, which endows tau with stronger tendency to aggregate. Tau protein has the potency to mediate neuron toxicity of Aβ. The reduction of tau level ameliorates degeneration of neuron axon. Therefore, many researches are exploring new methods to regulate tau level. This review will mainly focus on small molecules that can directly inhibit tau fibrillation or control tau accumulation by regulating tau phosphorylation process.
Controllable Fabrication of Various Supramolecular Nanostructures Based on Nonamphiphilic Azobenzene Derivatives and Pillar[6]arene
Authors: Qin Shan , Xiong Shuhan , Han Yang , Hu Xiao‐Yu , Wang Leyong 
Published: October 2014

AbstractVarious novel types of supramolecular nanostructures formed by nonamphiphilic azobenzene derivatives, G1 or G2 have been successfully fabricated, where G2 is structurally similar with G1 but an extra phenoxy group is connected with the azobenzene motif . Micellar structures can be obtained from the self‐assembly of G1, which further transform to large‐sized spindle structures; while nanorods can be initially formed by G2, which will gradually aggregate to form layered structures with much larger size. Moreover, it is found that upon addition of WP6, which can form inclusion‐complex with G1 or G2, separately, the nonamphiphilic G1 and G2 thus converse to supramolecular amphiphiles WP6⊃G1 and WP6⊃G2, respectively. Consequently, both of the above WP6⊃G1 and WP6⊃G2 complexes can further assemble to form supramolecular binary vesicles, which will gradually transform to nanotubes (WP6⊃G1) or well‐ordered nanosheets (WP6⊃G2).
A compact, low‐frequency, memristor‐based oscillator
Authors: Kyriakides Evripides , Georgiou Julius 
Published: October 2014

SummaryA relaxation oscillator using a memristor is hereby presented. The memristor is used to substitute the function of a capacitor in an equivalent RC oscillator. The voltage across the memristor changes according to the quantity and polarity of the current passing through, thus substituting the changing voltage across a capacitor in the equivalent RC oscillator. The memristor has the advantage of occupying much less area than the equivalent capacitor, which may be important when trying to build on‐chip oscillators for portable or medical applications. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CVD on Optical Fibers: Tilted Fiber Bragg Gratings as Real‐time Sensing Platforms
Authors: Mandia David J. , Zhou Wenjun , Albert Jacques , Barry Seán T. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG), as a versatile and robust tool for many sensing applications with a particular focus on vapor deposition processes, is reviewed. Recent work employing the TFBG as an optical probe for monitoring the metal‐organic (MO)CVD of noble‐metal, single‐source precursors is discussed extensively. This work also establishes the broad scope that utilizes TFBGs and other optical fiber configurations to interrogate thin film growth and the associated optical properties. While it cannot possibly cover the full scope of applications with respect to the TFBG device, this review highlights the recent advances of TFBG‐based sensing for CVD, and progress towards the applicability of TFBGs as evanescent field‐based sensors.
Cryopreservation of MHC multimers: Recommendations for quality assurance in detection of antigen specific T cells
Authors: Hadrup Sine Reker , Maurer Dominik , Laske Karoline , Frøsig Thomas Mørch , Andersen Sofie Ramskov , Britten Cedrik M. , van der Burg Sjoerd H. , Walter Steffen , Gouttefangeas Cécile 
Published: October 2014

AbstractFluorescence‐labeled peptide‐MHC class I multimers serve as ideal tools for the detection of antigen‐specific T cells by flow cytometry, enabling functional and phenotypical characterization of specific T cells at the single cell level. While this technique offers a number of unique advantages, MHC multimer reagents can be difficult to handle in terms of stability and quality assurance. The stability of a given fluorescence‐labeled MHC multimer complex depends on both the stability of the peptide‐MHC complex itself and the stability of the fluorochrome. Consequently, stability is difficult to predict and long‐term storage is generally not recommended. We investigated here the possibility of cryopreserving MHC multimers, both in‐house produced and commercially available, using a wide range of peptide‐MHC class I multimers comprising virus and cancer‐associated epitopes of different affinities presented by various HLA‐class I molecules. Cryopreservation of MHC multimers was feasible for at least 6 months, when they were dissolved in buffer containing 5–16% glycerol (v/v) and 0.5% serum albumin (w/v). The addition of cryoprotectants was tolerated across three different T‐cell staining protocols for all fluorescence labels tested (PE, APC, PE‐Cy7 and Quantum dots). We propose cryopreservation as an easily implementable method for stable storage of MHC multimers and recommend the use of cryopreservation in long‐term immunomonitoring projects, thereby eliminating the variability introduced by different batches and inconsistent stability. © 2014 2014 The Authors. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On prioritised opportunistic spectrum access in cognitive radio cellular networks
Authors: Yao Yong , Popescu Alexandru , Popescu Adrian 
Published: October 2014

AbstractCognitive radio (CR) networks allow secondary users (SUs) to opportunistically access licensed spectrum, thus providing efficient use of radio resources. Different studies carried out on CR networks have focused on the procedure of spectrum handoff of SUs such as the data transmission in a communication that can be carried out in different channels. In this paper, we consider cellular networks enhanced with facilities for CR communication where a user with a call in progress moves across neighbouring cells, that is, the so‐called inter‐cell handoff. Our model assumes that the cell gives priority to inter‐cell handoff calls over the calls originating within it. A finite queue is used in every cell for SUs, and a fixed number of buffer slots are reserved for the inter‐handoff SU calls. With these considerations, we study the transmission performance of SUs by using Markov chains‐based modelling approach. The numerical analysis is validated by simulation experiments. We also suggest a fuzzy logic‐based hybrid decision‐making algorithm to select the best solution for inter‐handoff prioritisation. The goal is to optimise the transmission performance of SUs by leveraging their requirements on service completion throughput and waiting time in each cell. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Traffic‐aware two‐dimensional dynamic network provisioning for energy‐efficient cellular systems
Authors: Hossain Md. Farhad , Munasinghe Kumudu S. , Jamalipour Abbas 
Published: October 2014

AbstractConventional peak‐traffic‐based provisioning of cellular mobile networks leads to a significant wastage of electrical energy. Therefore, we propose a novel traffic‐aware two‐dimensional dynamic network provisioning mechanism for enhancing the energy efficiency in orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)‐based cellular systems. Proposed scheme, named as joint dynamic sectorisation and switching of base station (BS), adaptively provisions cellular access networks by switching the redundant BSs as well as sectors into sleep mode. Quality of service, namely, user data rate, service continuity and network coverage, is also maintained. Because of the high complexity of the formulated generalised energy optimisation problem, the two dimensions (i.e. sector switching and BS switching) are decoupled in time‐domain into two sub‐problems, each executing its own heuristically guided algorithm. Moreover, a novel exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA)‐based load factor estimator is employed for reducing the occurrence of network provisioning. System performance is evaluated using extensive simulations demonstrating substantial energy savings. In addition, impact on the spectral efficiency and resource utilisation is presented. Effectiveness of joint dynamic sectorisation and switching of BS is further validated by comparing with the individual application of sectorisation and BS switching. Furthermore, for realistic traffic patterns, use of EWMA estimator achieves over 40% reduction in network provisioning events without compromising energy‐saving performance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Catalyst on the Performance of a Solid Oxide‐Based Carbon Fuel Cell with an Internal Reforming Process
Authors: Deng B. , Wei T. , Ye X. F. , Zhang X. P. , Shao L. , Zhou J. , Shi M. , Lv X. L. , Gao Q. Y. , Wang S. R. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractAn integrated direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell is studied with an in situ catalytic steam gasification of carbon by ceria, which can significantly improve the power density of the single cell. Using normal bubbling of the carrier nitrogen gas in temperature‐controlled water bath, the carbon gasification can be realized easily and further improved by addition of the catalyst (Ce, Ca, K). A peak power density as high as 213 mW cm–2, which is 3/4 of that in hydrogen fuel for the same cell, could be achieved via this approach. These results demonstrate this system highly promising for practical applications.
Amine‐functionalized polypyrrole: Inherently cell adhesive conducting polymer
Authors: Lee Jae Y. , Schmidt Christine E. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractElectrically conducting polymers (CPs) have been recognized as novel biomaterials that can electrically communicate with biological systems. For their tissue engineering applications, CPs have been modified to promote cell adhesion for improved interactions between biomaterials and cells/tissues. Conventional approaches to improve cell adhesion involve the surface modification of CPs with biomolecules, such as physical adsorption of cell adhesive proteins and polycationic polymers, or their chemical immobilization; however, these approaches require additional multiple modification steps with expensive biomolecules. In this study, as a simple and effective alternative to such additional biomolecule treatment, we synthesized amine‐functionalized polypyrrole (APPy) that inherently presents cell adhesion‐supporting positive charges under physiological conditions. The synthesized APPy provides electrical activity in a moderate range and a hydrophilic surface compared to regular polypyrrole (PPy) homopolymers. Under both serum and serum‐free conditions, APPy exhibited superior attachment of human dermal fibroblasts and Schwann cells compared to PPy homopolymer controls. Moreover, Schwann cell adhesion onto the APPy copolymer was at least similar to that on poly‐l‐lysine treated PPy controls. Our results indicate that amine‐functionalized CP substrates will be useful to achieve good cell adhesion and potentially electrically stimulate various cells. In addition, amine functionality present on CPs can further serve as a novel and flexible platform to chemically tether various bioactive molecules, such as growth factors, antibodies, and chemical drugs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 2126–2132, 2015.
VA‐086 methacrylate gelatine photopolymerizable hydrogels: A parametric study for highly biocompatible 3D cell embedding
Authors: Occhetta Paola , Visone Roberta , Russo Laura , Cipolla Laura , Moretti Matteo , Rasponi Marco 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe ability to replicate in vitro the native extracellular matrix (ECM) features and to control the three‐dimensional (3D) cell organization plays a fundamental role in obtaining functional engineered bioconstructs. In tissue engineering (TE) applications, hydrogels have been successfully implied as biomatrices for 3D cell embedding, exhibiting high similarities to the natural ECM and holding easily tunable mechanical properties. In the present study, we characterized a promising photocrosslinking process to generate cell‐laden methacrylate gelatin (GelMA) hydrogels in the presence of VA‐086 photoinitiator using a ultraviolet LED source. We investigated the influence of prepolymer concentration and light irradiance on mechanical and biomimetic properties of resulting hydrogels. In details, the increasing of gelatin concentration resulted in enhanced rheological properties and shorter polymerization time. We then defined and validated a reliable photopolymerization protocol for cell embedding (1.5% VA‐086, LED 2 mW/cm2) within GelMA hydrogels, which demonstrated to support bone marrow stromal cells viability when cultured up to 7 days. Moreover, we showed how different mechanical properties, derived from different crosslinking parameters, strongly influence cell behavior. In conclusion, this protocol can be considered a versatile tool to obtain biocompatible cell‐laden hydrogels with properties easily adaptable for different TE applications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 2109–2117, 2015.
Pentachlorophenol removal by Rhizopus oryzaeCDBB‐H‐1877 using sorption and degradation mechanisms
Authors: León‐Santiesteban H Hugo , Wrobel Kazmierz , Revah Sergio , Tomasini Araceli 
Published: October 2014

AbstractBACKGROUNDPentachlorophenol (PCP) is a pollutant of soil and water and it is very toxic to humans and aquatic life. The use of PCP is now restricted or prohibited in development countries, but many areas of the world remain contaminated. Fungi, mainly basidiomycetes, have been studied as a means to remove PCP. However, little is known of the mechanisms used by zygomycetes to remove PCP.RESULTSThe effect of two initial amounts of PCP and of two carbon and nitrogen sources on the metabolic response was assayed by determining kinetic and stoichiometric parameters of fungal growth, intermediates, sorption capacity, and abiotic losses of PCP. Independently from carbon sources, sorption was observed. Cultures with glucose–ammonium sulfate and 2 mg PCP yielded 0.116 µg of pentachloroanisole and 10.46 µg of chlorinated compounds. Cultures with glutamic acid–sodium nitrate and 2 mg PCP yielded 6.81 µg of pentachloroanisole and 2.89 µg of chlorinated compounds. Other unidentified metabolites were produced, some of them probably at high concentration.CONCLUSIONSorption is the principal mechanism used by Rhizopus oryzae CDBB‐H‐1877 to remove PCP from culture broth. However, a small fraction of sorbed PCP is degraded by means of methylation and dechlorination reactions. This biodegradation is mainly intracellular and depends on the carbon source. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Metabolic imaging of hyperpolarized [1‐13C]acetate and [1‐13C]acetylcarnitine ‐ investigation of the influence of dobutamine induced stress
Authors: Koellisch Ulrich , Gringeri Concetta V. , Rancan Giaime , Farell Eliane V. , Menzel Marion I. , Haase Axel , Schwaiger Markus , Schulte Rolf F. 
Published: October 2014

PurposeThe metabolism of acetate in the heart resembles fatty acid metabolism, which is altered in several diseases like ischemia, diabetes mellitus, and heart failure. A signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) optimized imaging framework for in vivo measurements of hyperpolarized [1‐13C]acetate and its metabolic product [1‐13C]acetylcarnitine (ALCAR) in rats at 3 Tesla (T) is presented in this work.MethodsA spectrospatial pulse was combined with IDEAL encoding to acquire well separated metabolic maps. The influence of dobutamine induced stress onto this metabolic system was investigated in spectra and in an imaging study.ResultsAn increase of the ALCAR to acetate ratio with dobutamine induced stress was shown in slice selective spectra containing the rat hearts and skeletal muscles. Metabolic maps of acetate and ALCAR were acquired with an acceptable SNR. Quantification of the apparent conversion rate showed stable results in the heart in a time‐window of 30 s. The effect of dobutamine on the signal intensities was shown to originate mainly from skeletal than cardiac muscles.ConclusionThe acetate activation was mapped with hyperpolarized [1‐13C]acetate in a clinical 3T system. Quantitative measurement of the activity was possible in the heart, indicating that dobutamine induced stress does not improve the ALCAR SNR in the heart. Magn Reson Med 74:1011–1018, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Characterization of air–sea exchanges over the Western Mediterranean Sea during HyMeX SOP1 using the AROME–WMED model
Authors: Rainaud R. , Lebeaupin Brossier C. , Ducrocq V. , Giordani H. , Nuret M. , Fourrié N. , Bouin M.‐N. , Taupier‐Letage I. , Legain D. 
Published: October 2014

Air–sea exchanges play an important role during intense weather events over the Mediterranean Sea, especially in supplying heat and moisture for heavy precipitation events, which often affect the area. Observations collected during the first Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX) Special Observation Period (SOP1) over the Western Mediterranean area in autumn 2012 provide an unprecedented dataset for assessing the capabilities of numerical weather prediction systems to represent the air–sea interface and marine boundary layer during the heavy precipitation season. A HyMeX‐dedicated version of Application de la Recherche à l'Opérationnel à Méso‐Échelle, in French (AROME) covering the whole western Mediterranean basin, named AROME–WMED, was evaluated through comparisons against moored buoys, drifting buoys and ship measurements deployed during the HyMeX campaign. A general, good agreement is found for near‐surface meteorological parameters, whereas significant discrepancies are observed during strong air–sea exchange periods. The two main reasons are that (1) sea‐surface temperature (SST) is kept constant during the model runs and (2) sensible heat flux is overestimated in strong wind regimes by the AROME turbulent flux parametrization.Air–sea exchanges during SOP1 were characterized thanks to AROME–WMED short‐range (1–24 h) forecasts. This shows some areas of strong air–sea fluxes in the Gulf of Lion and the Balearic, Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas. The Gulf of Lion is the area showing the highest variability of air–sea fluxes, due to dominant strong regional winds (Mistral/Tramontane). Whereas some heavy precipitation events occur without significant air–sea fluxes, all strong air–sea exchange events include, or occur only 1 or 2 days before, heavy precipitation events. A detailed analysis of an Intense Observation Period (IOP) dedicated to a heavy precipitation event (IOP13, from 12–15 October) illustrates how both dynamic (wind) and thermodynamic (temperature and humidity gradient effect) contributions influence air–sea flux evolution.
Impacts of Projected Climate Changes on Streamflow and Sediment Transport for Three Snowmelt‐Dominated Rivers in the Interior Pacific Northwest
Authors: Praskievicz S. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractAnthropogenic climate change is likely to have significant impacts on river systems, particularly on rivers dominated by seasonal snowmelt. In addition to altering the timing and magnitude of streamflow, climate change can affect the energy available to transport sediment, as well as the availability of sediment to be transported. These hydrologic changes are sensitive to local climate, which is largely controlled by topography, but climate models cannot resolve processes at these scales. Here, I investigate impacts of climate change on streamflow and suspended‐sediment transport for three snowmelt‐dominated rivers in the interior Pacific Northwest – the Tucannon River in Washington and the South Fork Coeur d'Alene and Red rivers in Idaho – using downscaled climate simulations from regional climate models (a range of three models plus an ensemble average) to drive a basin‐scale hydrologic model. The results indicate that climate change is likely to amplify the annual cycle of river discharge, producing higher winter discharge (increases in ensemble mean January discharge ranging from 4.1% to 34.4% for the three rivers), an earlier spring snowmelt peak (by approximately one month), and lower summer discharge (decreases in ensemble mean July discharge ranging from 5.2% to 47.2%), relative to a late 20th‐century baseline. The magnitude of the largest simulated flood under the ensemble‐average climate change scenario increases by 0.6–41.6% across the three rivers. Simulated changes in suspended‐sediment transport generally follow the changes in streamflow. These changes in discharge and sediment transport will likely produce significant impacts on the study rivers, including changes in flooding, physical habitat, and river morphology. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hydromorphology Meets Mammal Ecology: River Morphological Quality, Recent Channel Adjustments and Otter Resilience
Authors: Scorpio V. , Loy A. , Di Febbraro M. , Rizzo A. , Aucelli P. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe need for a multidisciplinary approach for characterizing water bodies in terms of morphological, chemical and ecological quality has hastened the growth of hydromorphology as a cross‐disciplinary topic at the interface of hydrology, geomorphology and ecology. Many authors have analysed how hydroecology may affect freshwater biodiversity, although little is known about how this biodiversity might be affected by river morphological quality. We examined how well the presence of the semi‐aquatic Eurasian otter can be predicted by the rivers' morphological quality and its adjustments over the last decades. We tested the morphological quality index (MQI) methodology in 38 reaches of five rivers in southern Italy, 23 of which were positive to otter presence. In each reach, we examined 28 indicators contributing to the MQI and its 11 sub‐indices. The results showed a significant relationship between the probability of the presence of otters, MQI, and some sub‐indices. The best performing sub‐indices were related to channel adjustments and the continuity of river processes. A more detailed analysis of channel adjustments showed a detrimental effect of channel incision (>3 m) and a positive effect of narrowing, particularly where it occurred simultaneously with the development of forest in the new floodplain. The continuity of river processes has driven the migration of river banks and the development of ponds and secondary channels, likely increasing the availability of dens and resting sites and the hunting capabilities of otters. Our results stressed the importance of fluvial dynamics and sustainable adaptive river management for the habitat quality of semi‐aquatic species. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.