bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Crystal structures of the archaeal UDP‐GlcNAc 2‐epimerase from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii reveal a conformational change induced by UDP‐GlcNAc
Authors: Chen Sheng‐Chia , Huang Chi‐Hung , Shin Yang Chia , Liu Jai‐Shin , Kuan Shu‐Min , Chen Yeh 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTUridine diphosphate N‐acetylglucosamine (UDP‐GlcNAc) 2‐epimerase catalyzes the interconversion of UDP‐GlcNAc to UDP‐N‐acetylmannosamine (UDP‐ManNAc), which is used in the biosynthesis of cell surface polysaccharides in bacteria. Biochemical experiments have demonstrated that mutation of this enzyme causes changes in cell morphology and the thermoresistance of the cell wall. Here, we present the crystal structures of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii UDP‐GlcNAc 2‐epimerase in open and closed conformations. A comparison of these crystal structures shows that upon UDP and UDP‐GlcNAc binding, the enzyme undergoes conformational changes involving a rigid‐body movement of the C‐terminal domain. We also present the crystal structure of Bacillus subtilis UDP‐GlcNAc 2‐epimerase in the closed conformation in the presence of UDP and UDP‐GlcNAc. Although a structural overlay of these two closed‐form structures reveals that the substrate‐binding site is evolutionarily conserved, some areas of the allosteric site are distinct between the archaeal and bacterial UDP‐GlcNAc 2‐epimerases. This is the first report on the crystal structure of archaeal UDP‐GlcNAc 2‐epimerase, and our results clearly demonstrate the changes between the open and closed conformations of this enzyme. Proteins 2014; 82:1519–1526. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adaptive output feedback tracking control of stochastic nonlinear systems with dynamic uncertainties
Authors: Zhang Tianping , Xia Xiaonan 
Published: January 2014

SummaryIn this paper, adaptive output feedback tracking control is developed for a class of stochastic nonlinear systems with dynamic uncertainties and unmeasured states. Neural networks are used to approximate the unknown nonlinear functions. K‐filters are designed to estimate the unmeasured states. An available dynamic signal is introduced to dominate the unmodeled dynamics. By combining dynamic surface control technique with backstepping, the condition in which the approximation error is assumed to be bounded is avoided. Using It ô formula and Chebyshev's inequality, it is shown that all signals in the closed‐loop system are bounded in probability, and the error signals are semi‐globally uniformly ultimately bounded in mean square or the sense of four‐moment. Simulation results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Competing designs for drug combination in phase I dose‐finding clinical trials
Authors: Riviere M.‐K. , Dubois F. , Zohar S. 
Published: January 2014

The aim of phase I combination dose‐finding studies in oncology is to estimate one or several maximum tolerated doses (MTDs) from a set of available dose levels of two or more agents. Combining several agents can indeed increase the overall anti‐tumor action but at the same time also increase the toxicity. It is, however, unreasonable to assume the same dose–toxicity relationship for the combination as for the simple addition of each single agent because of a potential antagonist or synergistic effect. Therefore, using single‐agent dose‐finding methods for combination therapies is not appropriate.In recent years, several authors have proposed novel dose‐finding designs for combination studies, which use either algorithm‐based or model‐based methods. The aim of our work was to compare, via a simulation study, six dose‐finding methods for combinations proposed in recent years. We chose eight scenarios that differ in terms of the number and location of the true MTD(s) in the combination space. We then compared the performance of each design in terms of correct combination selection, patient allocation, and mean number of observed toxicities during the trials. Our results showed that the model‐based methods performed better than the algorithm‐based ones. However, none of the compared model‐based designs gave consistently better results than the others. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimal planning of soft starter for large drain motor based on simulated annealing method
Authors: Chou Chih‐Ju , Lee Chun‐Yao , Chen Chun‐Chi , Chen Chao‐Rong , Chen Mu‐Cheng 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThis paper proposes the optimal planning of soft starter characteristics for a large drain motor based on simulated annealing (SA). First, the planning of the soft starter characteristics is formulated as an optimization problem with minimal motor starting time; then, the constraints of the motor starting energy, power quality requirements, and minimal cost of transmission line are constructed. The system framework of an actual case in Taiwan is used as the basis of this study with simulation. Before and after the installation of three sets of soft starters, measuring instruments are used in the ﬁeld to investigate the changes of current and voltage during the motor starting, thus establishing the database of current swell and voltage sag. The searching algorithm based on the SA method is developed by the program MATLAB, such that the soft starter can regulate the minimal motor starting time and meet the above‐mentioned constraints. According to the model of the system circuit and the characteristic parameters constructed by an actual case, the simulation results verify the superiority of the proposed SA method. © 2014 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wind turbine rotor imbalance detection using nacelle and blade measurements
Authors: Kusnick Josh , Adams Douglas E. , Griffith D. Todd 
Published: January 2014

AbstractWind power is the world's fastest growing renewable energy source, but operations and maintenance costs are still a major obstacle toward reliability and widescale adoption of wind power, accounting for a large part of the cost of energy for offshore installations. Structural health monitoring systems have been proposed for implementing condition‐based maintenance. The wind energy industry currently uses condition monitoring systems that are mostly adapted from roating machinery in other power generation industries. However, these systems have had limited effectiveness on wind turbines because of their atypical operating conditions, which are characterized by low and variable rotational speed, rapidly varying torque, extremely large rotors and stochastic loading from the wind. Although existing systems primarily take measurements from the nacelle, valuable information can be extracted from the structural dynamic response of the rotor blades to mitigate potentially damaging loading conditions.One such condition is rotor imbalance, which not only reduces the aerodynamic efficiency of the turbine and therefore its power output but can also lead to very large increases in loading on the drivetrain, blades and tower. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's fast software was used to model both mass and aerodynamic imbalance in a 5 MW offshore wind turbine. It is shown that a combination of blade and nacelle measurements, most of which can be obtained from standard instrumentation already found on utility‐scale wind turbines, can be formulated into an algorithm used to detect and locate imbalance. The method described herein allows for imbalance detection that is potentially more sensitive than existing on‐line systems, while taking advantage of sensors that are already in place on many utility‐scale wind turbines. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Serine and proline-rich ligands enriched via phage-display technology show preferential binding to BCR/ABL expressing cells
Authors: Shires Karen , Shankland Iva , Mowla Shaheen , Njikan Samuel , Jaymacker Jai 
Published: January 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Despite the use of targeted therapy, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) currently remains incurable with drug therapy, with patients requiring life-long treatment. Developing either a vaccine to prevent the disease or another novel drug to specifically target and eradicate the CML cell will require the identification of CML-associated cell-surface markers and molecules that can bind specifically to the cell surface. In an attempt to discover peptides that bind specifically to cells in the early chronic phase of the disease, we used phage-display technology to identify heptapeptides that bind specifically to the surface of BCR/ABL-expressing fibroblasts.

METHODS:
An in vitro system using NIH3T3 stably transfected with pGD210 (BCR/ABL) was used as a model for the chronic phase of the disease. The cells were panned using a linear heptapeptide phage library (Ph.D 7.0) in a negative/positive panning strategy with NIH3T3 containing only the plasmid vector as the wild type control.

RESULTS:
We identified four novel peptides that were enriched through this technique. These peptides contained either multiple proline residues or serine/threonine-proline pairs and showed a confirmed binding preference for BCR/ABL+ fibroblasts. The peptide Y-R-A-P-W-P-P also showed a binding affinity for granulocytes from untreated CML patients.

CONCLUSION:
We have identified several novel peptides that can be used in future studies to identify specific CML cell-surface antigens or provide a novel drug-delivery mechanism.
Prejudice Unveiled: The Niqab in Court–
Authors: Chambers Lori , Roth Jen 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
The public use of the niqab and other religious face coverings is a source of considerable debate in Western nations. The veiled Muslim woman is often constructed as “other,” reviled as backward, represented as in need of rescue, or associated with Islamic extremism. Despite widespread racist attitudes, officially, Canadians purport to support multiculturalism and the equality of all people under the law as guaranteed under section 15 of the Charter. In a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision, R v NS, the Court had to consider the right of a Muslim woman to wear her niqab while testifying in a sexual assault trial. In “balancing” the conflict between the religious rights of NS and the section 7 rights of the accused to a full and fair defense, the Court ignored the security of the person and equality rights of NS. The Court instead legitimated anti-Muslim stereotypes and reiterated rape myths that had ostensibly been overturned.
The Non-Profit Sector in the Context of Law in Development in Africa
Authors: Ordor Ada Okoye 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe non-profit agency typifies the organizational form for civil society activity and this very fact recommends it as a medium for development processes. This article applies the non-profit organization model to the study of law in development, by identifying ways in which non-profit associations of civil society serve as useful channels for development and describing how the law can enhance their contribution. By combining multidisciplinary perspectives on the role of the non-profit sector with selected law in development approaches, the article also constructs an analytical framework for the study of the legal environment of the non-profit sector in Africa. Furthermore, using illustrations from Africa, it draws out nuanced aspects of non-profit sector activity in the developing world, an exercise which is critical to any effort to redefine law in development scholarship in Africa to include its non-profit sector ally.
Molecular subtyping of Blastocystis spp. using a new rDNA marker from the mitochondria-like organelle genome
Authors: POIRIER P. , MELONI D. , NOURRISSON C. , WAWRZYNIAK I. , VISCOGLIOSI E. , LIVRELLI V. , DELBAC F. 
Published: January 2014

SUMMARYBlastocystis spp. are common anaerobic intestinal protozoa found in both human and animals. They are characterized by a high genetic diversity with at least 17 subtypes (STs) that have been described on the basis of a 600 bp ‘barcoding region’ from the 18S rDNA gene. However, analysis of the recently sequenced genome of a Blastocystis ST7 isolate (strain B) revealed the presence of multiple variable copies of the 18S rDNA gene, with 17 completely assembled copies. Comparison of the barcoding region from these 17 copies allowed us to classify the 18S rDNA sequences into 6 clusters, each cluster containing identical sequences. Surprisingly, 4 of these clusters had the highest homology with 18S rDNA sequences from 2 other Blastocystis ST7 isolates referred as QQ98-4 and H. These results suggest that the 18S rDNA gene is not the marker of choice to discriminate between strains within STs. In the present study, we identified a single-copy subtyping rDNA marker in the genome of the mitochondria-like organelles (MLOs). Using a partial sequence of the MLO rDNA, we successfully subtyped 66 isolates from both human and animals belonging to Blastocystis ST1 to ST10. Our results also indicate that this mitochondrial marker could be useful to detect co-infections by different isolates of a same ST.
Subject and object omission in children's early transitive constructions: A discourse-pragmatic approach
Authors: GRAF EILEEN , THEAKSTON ANNA , LIEVEN ELENA , TOMASELLO MICHAEL 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates discourse effects on the provision of both subjects and objects and investigates whether pragmatic discourse features govern the realization/omission of both constituents alike. In an elicitation study, we examined how the discourse-pragmatic feature contrast, as applied to the subject, verb, or object of a transitive utterance affected the provision of elements in the remainder of the sentence when all elements were previously introduced. The results showed that 3.5-year-old children were more likely to realize a contrasted argument with a lexical noun but more likely to omit the argument when it was not part of a contrast, regardless of its subject or object status. This suggests that contrast presents a unifying discourse feature for argument omission in language development.
Word recognition in deaf readers: Cross-language activation of German Sign Language and German
Authors: KUBUS OKAN , VILLWOCK AGNES , MORFORD JILL P. , RATHMANN CHRISTIAN 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTThis study addressed visual word recognition in deaf bilinguals who are proficient in German Sign Language (DGS) and German. The study specifically investigated whether DGS signs are activated during a monolingual German word recognition task despite the lack of similarity in German orthographic representations and DGS phonological representations. Deaf DGS–German bilinguals saw pairs of German words and decided whether the words were semantically related. Half of the experimental items had phonologically related translation equivalents in DGS. Participants were slower to reject semantically unrelated word pairs when the translation equivalents were phonologically related in DGS than when the DGS translations were phonologically unrelated. However, this was not the case in Turkish–German hearing bilinguals who do not have sign language knowledge. The results indicate that lexical representations are associated cross-linguistically in the bilingual lexicon irrespective of their orthographic or phonological form. Implications of these results for reading development in deaf German bilinguals are discussed.
ATTITUDES ON WARFARIN PHARMACOGENETIC TESTING IN CHINESE PATIENTS AND PUBLIC
Authors: Chan Sze Ling , Low Joshua Jun Wen , Chia Kee Seng , Wee Hwee-Lin 
Published: January 2014

Introduction: Genetic factors affecting warfarin maintenance dose have been well established, but patient acceptance is a necessary consideration for the successful clinical implementation of warfarin pharmacogenetic testing (WPGT). In this study, we aimed to determine the attitudes toward WPGT among Singaporean Chinese.Methods: A total of 194 warfarin patients and 187 members of the public completed a structured survey on paper and the Internet, respectively. Attitudes were expressed as willingness to undergo WPGT (single item with 5-point response) and expectations and concerns about WPGT (two multi-item scales). Relationships between attitudes and socio-demographic and clinical variables were explored using Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test, one-way analysis of variance or Pearson's correlation.Results: Majority of respondents were willing to or neutral about undergoing WPGT. Both patients and public had relatively high expectations (mean [SD]: 3.77 [0.63], and 3.97 [0.55], respectively) and moderately high concerns (mean [SD]: 3.30 [0.69] and 3.33 [0.68], respectively) about WPGT. Willingness to undergo WPGT was associated with gender, educational status, length of warfarin treatment, and number of chronic diseases among warfarin patients, and with history of adverse drug reactions and number of chronic diseases among the public. Higher expectation of WPGT was associated with higher willingness (p < .001 in both populations), while higher concern was associated with lower willingness to undergo WPGT among the public (p = .004) but not among patients (p = .072).Conclusion: Patient acceptance is not a major barrier to clinical implementation of WPGT but patient education is necessary and the ethical, social, and legal issues should be addressed.
Conservation of crop germplasm: an overview of the FAO/IBPGR regional programme for South West Asia
Authors: Ayad W. G. 
Published: January 2014

SynopsisThe International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) has paid particular emphasis to SW Asia in its endeavour to collect, conserve and promote utilisation of the world's plant germplasm. This is in view of the region's rich genetic diversity in many crop plants and their weedy/wild relatives, coupled with its alarming rate of genetic erosion. Action during the past decade has focused on collecting mainly cereal and grain legume crops and their closest wild relatives within the framework of a regional programme encompassing six countries. Gene banks were also set up in these member countries to handle a full range of operations including seed storage, characterisation/preliminary evaluation and documentation. In future, emphasis will be placed on ecogeographical surveys prior to mounting collecting missions and on more characterisation/preliminary evaluation work.
Are we modelling the correct dataset? Minimizing false predictions for dengue fever in Thailand
Authors: AGUIAR M. , PAUL R. , SAKUNTABHAI A. , STOLLENWERK N. 
Published: January 2014

SUMMARYModels describing dengue epidemics are parametrized on disease incidence data and therefore high-quality data are essential. For Thailand, two different sources of long-term dengue data are available, the hard copy data from 1980 to 2005, where hospital admission cases were notified, and the electronic files, from 2003 to the present, where clinically classified forms of disease, i.e. dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever, and dengue shock syndrome, are notified using separate files. The official dengue notification data, provided by the Bureau of Epidemiology, Ministry of Public Health in Thailand, were cross-checked with dengue data used in recent publications, where an inexact continuous time-series was observed to be consistently used since 2003, affecting considerably the model dynamics and its correct application. In this paper, numerical analysis and simulation techniques giving insights on predictability are performed to show the effects of model parametrization by using different datasets.
Comparing the impact of two concurrent infectious disease outbreaks on The Netherlands population, 2009, using disability-adjusted life years
Authors: BROOKE R. J. , VAN LIER A. , DONKER G. A. , VAN DER HOEK W. , KRETZSCHMAR M. E. E. 
Published: January 2014

SUMMARYIn 2009 two notable outbreaks, Q fever and the novel influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, occurred in The Netherlands. Using a composite health measure, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), the outbreaks were quantified and compared. DALYs were calculated using standardized methodology incorporating age- and sex-stratified data in a disease progression model; years lost due to disability and years of life lost were computed by outcome. Nationally, influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 caused more DALYs (24 484) than Q fever (5797). However, Q fever was 8·28 times more severe [497 DALYs/1000 symptomatic cases (DP1SC)] than A(H1N1)pdm09 (60 DP1SC). The A(H1N1)pdm09 burden is largely due to mortality while the Q fever burden is due primarily to long-term sequelae. Intervention prioritization for influenza should support patients in a critical condition while for Q fever it should target immediate containment and support for patients with long-term sequelae. Burden estimates provide guidance for focusing intervention options during outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Designing quantum dots for solotronics
Authors: Kobak J. , Smoleński T. , Goryca M. , Papaj M. , Gietka K. , Bogucki A. , Koperski M. , Rousset J.-G. , Suffczyński J. , Janik E. , Nawrocki M. , Golnik A. , Kossacki P. , Pacuski W. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractSolotronics, optoelectronics based on solitary dopants, is an emerging field of research and technology reaching the ultimate limit of miniaturization. It aims at exploiting quantum properties of individual ions or defects embedded in a semiconductor matrix. It has already been shown that optical control of a magnetic ion spin is feasible using the carriers confined in a quantum dot. However, a serious obstacle was the quenching of the exciton luminescence by magnetic impurities. Here we show, by photoluminescence studies on thus-far-unexplored individual CdTe dots with a single cobalt ion and CdSe dots with a single manganese ion, that even if energetically allowed, nonradiative exciton recombination through single-magnetic-ion intra-ionic transitions is negligible in such zero-dimensional structures. This opens solotronics for a wide range of as yet unconsidered systems. On the basis of results of our single-spin relaxation experiments and on the material trends, we identify optimal magnetic-ion quantum dot systems for implementation of a single-ion-based spin memory.
Clonal culturing of human embryonic stem cells on laminin-521/E-cadherin matrix in defined and xeno-free environment
Authors: Rodin Sergey , Antonsson Liselotte , Niaudet Colin , Simonson Oscar E. , Salmela Elina , Hansson Emil M. , Domogatskaya Anna , Xiao Zhijie , Damdimopoulou Pauliina , Sheikhi Mona , Inzunza José , Nilsson Ann-Sofie , Baker Duncan , Kuiper Raoul , Sun Yi , Blennow Elisabeth , Nordenskjöld Magnus , Grinnemo Karl-Henrik , Kere Juha , Betsholtz Christer , Hovatta Outi , Tryggvason Karl 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Lack of robust methods for establishment and expansion of pluripotent human embryonic stem (hES) cells still hampers development of cell therapy. Laminins (LN) are a family of highly cell-type specific basement membrane proteins important for cell adhesion, differentiation, migration and phenotype stability. Here we produce and isolate a human recombinant LN-521 isoform and develop a cell culture matrix containing LN-521 and E-cadherin, which both localize to stem cell niches in vivo. This matrix allows clonal derivation, clonal survival and long-term self-renewal of hES cells under completely chemically defined and xeno-free conditions without ROCK inhibitors. Neither LN-521 nor E-cadherin alone enable clonal survival of hES cells. The LN-521/E-cadherin matrix allows hES cell line derivation from blastocyst inner cell mass and single blastomere cells without a need to destroy the embryo. This method can facilitate the generation of hES cell lines for development of different cell types for regenerative medicine purposes.