bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biodegradation of cyanide by a new isolated strain under alkaline conditions and optimization by response surface methodology (RSM)
Authors: Mirizadeh Shabnam , Yaghmaei Soheila , Ghobadi Nejad Zahra 
Published: May 2014

Abstract

Background
Biodegradation of free cyanide from industrial wastewaters has been proven as a viable and robust method for treatment of wastewaters containing cyanide.

Results
Cyanide degrading bacteria were isolated from a wastewater treatment plant for coke-oven-gas condensate by enrichment culture technique. Five strains were able to use cyanide as the sole nitrogen source under alkaline conditions and among them; one strain (C2) was selected for further studies on the basis of the higher efficiency of cyanide degradation. The bacterium was able to tolerate free cyanide at concentrations of up to 500 ppm which makes it a good potentially candidate for the biological treatment of cyanide contaminated residues. Cyanide degradation corresponded with growth and reached a maximum level 96% during the exponential phase. The highest growth rate (1.23 × 108) was obtained on day 4 of the incubation time. Both glucose and fructose were suitable carbon sources for cyanotrophic growth. No growth was detected in media with cyanide as the sole carbon source. Four control factors including, pH, temperature, agitation speed and glucose concentration were optimized according to central composite design in response surface method. Cyanide degradation was optimum at 34.2°C, pH 10.3 and glucose concentration 0.44 (g/l).

Conclusions
Bacterial species degrade cyanide into less toxic products as they are able to use the cyanide as a nitrogen source, forming ammonia and carbon dioxide as end products. Alkaliphilic bacterial strains screened in this study evidentially showed the potential to possess degradative activities that can be harnessed to remediate cyanide wastes.
A coimmunization vaccine of Aβ42 ameliorates cognitive deficits without brain inflammation in an Alzheimer’s disease model
Authors: Wang Shuang , Yu Yang , Geng Shuang , Wang Dongmei , Zhang Li , Xie Xiaoping , Wu Bing , Li Chaofan , Xu Hanqian , Li Xiaolin , Hu Yanxin , Zhang Lianfeng , Kaether Christoph , Wang Bin 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
Introduction
Vaccination against amyloid-β protein (Aβ42) induces high levels of antibody, making it a promising strategy for treating Alzheimer’s disease (AD). One drawback in the past was that clinical trial approval was withheld because of speculation that the Aβ42 vaccine induces CD4+ T cell infiltrations into the central nervous system. To reduce T-cell activation while concomitantly maintaining high anti-Aβ42 titers is a great challenge in immunology.

Methods
We aimed to demonstrate that coimmunization with Aβ42 protein and expression plasmid can be beneficial in a mouse AD model and can prevent inflammation. We immunized the AD mice with the coimmunization vaccine and assessed behavior change and Aβ42 deposition. Furthermore, to determine the safety of the coimmunization vaccine, we used an induced Aβ42-EAE model to mimic the meningoencephalitis that happened in the AN-1792 vaccine clinical phase II trial and tested whether the coimmunization vaccine could ameliorate T-cell-mediated brain inflammation.

Results
The coimmunization vaccination reduced Aβ plaques and significantly ameliorated cognitive deficit while inhibiting T-cell-mediated brain inflammation and infiltration. These studies demonstrate that the coimmunization strategy that we describe in this article can ameliorate AD pathology without notable adverse effects in mice.

Conclusions
A coimmunization strategy leading to the development of a safe immunotherapeutic/preventive protocol against AD in humans is warranted.
Timing of vasopressor initiation and mortality in septic shock: a cohort study
Authors: Beck Vance , Chateau Dan , Bryson Gregory L , Pisipati Amarnath , Zanotti Sergio , Parrillo Joseph E , Kumar Anand ,   The Cooperative Antimicrobial Therapy of Septic Shock (CATSS) Database Research Group
Published: May 2014

Abstract
Introduction
Despite recent advances in the management of septic shock, mortality remains unacceptably high. Earlier initiation of key therapies including appropriate antimicrobials and fluid resuscitation appears to reduce the mortality in this condition. This study examined whether early initiation of vasopressor therapy is associated with improved survival in fluid therapy-refractory septic shock.

Methods
Utilizing a well-established database, relevant information including duration of time to vasopressor administration following the initial documentation of recurrent/persistent hypotension associated with septic shock was assessed in 8,670 adult patients from 28 ICUs in Canada, the United States of America, and Saudi Arabia. The primary endpoint was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary endpoints were length of ICU and hospital stay as well as duration of ventilator support and vasopressor dependence. Analysis involved multivariate linear and logistic regression analysis.

Results
In total, 8,640 patients met the definition of septic shock with time of vasopressor/inotropic initiation documented. Of these, 6,514 were suitable for analysis. The overall unadjusted hospital mortality rate was 53%. Independent mortality correlates included liver failure (odds ratio (OR) 3.46, 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.67 to 4.48), metastatic cancer (OR 1.63, CI, 1.32 to 2.01), AIDS (OR 1.91, CI, 1.29 to 2.49), hematologic malignancy (OR 1.88, CI, 1.46 to 2.41), neutropenia (OR 1.78, CI, 1.27 to 2.49) and chronic hypertension (OR 0.62 CI, 0.52 to 0.73). Delay of initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy (OR 1.07/hr, CI, 1.06 to 1.08), age (OR 1.03/yr, CI, 1.02 to 1.03), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II Score (OR 1.11/point, CI, 1.10 to 1.12) were also found to be significant independent correlates of mortality. After adjustment, only a weak correlation between vasopressor delay and hospital mortality was found (adjusted OR 1.02/hr, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.03, P <0.001). This weak effect was entirely driven by the group of patients with the longest delays (>14.1 hours). There was no significant relationship of vasopressor initiation delay to duration of vasopressor therapy (P = 0.313) and only a trend to longer duration of ventilator support (P = 0.055) among survivors.

Conclusion
Marked delays in initiation of vasopressor/inotropic therapy are associated with a small increase in mortality risk in patients with septic shock.
Alterations of gene expression and protein synthesis in co-cultured adipose tissue-derived stem cells and squamous cell-carcinoma cells: consequences for clinical applications
Authors: Koellensperger Eva , Gramley Felix , Preisner Fabian , Leimer Uwe , Germann Guenter , Dexheimer Verena 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
Introduction
This is the first study evaluating the interactions of human adipose tissue derived stem cells (ADSCs) and human squamous cell carcinoma cells (SCCs), with regard to a prospective cell-based skin regenerative therapy and a thereby unintended co-localization of ADSCs and SCCs.

Methods
ADSCs were co-cultured with A431-SCCs and primary SCCs (pSCCs) in a transwell system, and cell-cell interactions were analyzed by assessing doubling time, migration and invasion, angiogenesis, quantitative real time PCR of 229 tumor associated genes, and multiplex protein assays of 20 chemokines and growth factors and eight matrix metalloproteinases (MMPS). Results of co-culture were compared to those of the respective mono-culture.

Results
ADSCs’ proliferation on the plate was significantly increased when co-cultured with A431-SCCs (P = 0.038). PSCCs and ADSCs significantly decreased their proliferation in co-culture if cultured on the plate (P <0.001 and P = 0.03). The migration of pSCC was significantly increased in co-culture (P = 0.009), as well as that of ADSCs in A431-SCC-co-culture (P = 0.012). The invasive behavior of pSCCs and A431-SCCs was significantly increased in co-culture by a mean of 33% and 35%, respectively (P = 0.038 and P <0.001). Furthermore, conditioned media from co-cultured ADSC-A431-SCCs and co-cultured ADSCs-pSCCs induced tube formation in an angiogenesis assay in vitro.
In A431-SCC-co-culture 36 genes were up- and 6 were down-regulated in ADSCs, in A431-SCCs 14 genes were up- and 8 genes were down-regulated. In pSCCs-co-culture 36 genes were up-regulated in ADSCs, two were down-regulated, one gene was up-regulated in pSCC, and three genes were down-regulated. Protein expression analysis revealed that three proteins were exclusively produced in co-culture (CXCL9, IL-1b, and MMP-7). In A431-SCC-co-culture the concentration of 17 proteins was significantly increased compared to the ADSCs mono-culture (2.8- to 357-fold), and 15 proteins were expressed more highly (2.8- to 1,527-fold) compared to the A431-SCCs mono-culture. In pSCC-co-culture the concentration of 10 proteins was increased compared to ADSCs-mono-culture (2.5- to 77-fold) and that of 15 proteins was increased compared to pSCC mono-culture (2.6- to 480-fold).

Conclusions
This is the first study evaluating the possible interactions of primary human ADSCs with human SCCs, pointing towards a doubtlessly increased oncological risk, which should not be neglected when considering a clinical use of isolated human ADSCs in skin regenerative therapies.
Making Eye Contact: The performance art of Mary Beth Edelson as public pedagogy
Authors: Bickel Barbara , Sims Megan 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
In the context of a university community, this article presents a visual and textual first-hand reflection by the co-authors (participating faculty and student) on public performance as an art intervention challenging alienation. Making Eye Contact, led by internationally known feminist artist Mary Beth Edelson, offered students and community members a way to connect with unknown ‘others’, and cross barriers of race, gender, class and the busyness of life in a digital age. The authors will situate the performance art of Making Eye Contact as a significant art event that became a form of public pedagogy. This article offers a generic template for others to create a Making Eye Contact performance. It also attempts to articulate the learning rendered possible through public performances, offering a case for introducing arts-based interventions into classroom and campus environments as learning opportunities.
Grassroots empowerment with design in a community of practice in Turkey
Authors: Kaya Cigdem , Gelmez Koray 
Published: May 2014

Abstract
This study is about developing novel ideas for packaging and branding of locally bottled tomatoes, which is a traditional food preparation craft of women in western Turkey. In this region preparing fresh tomato preserve for private consumption is an annual and seasonal practice made in summer as a preparation for winter. One of the towns famous for this craft is Salihli where approximately 155,000 people live. Located in the western Aegean region of Turkey, Mediterranean climate prevails in Salihli making it an agriculture town. A group of women in Salihli requested our assistance as product designers to prepare their products for selling in contemporary markets. The participants of our research had entrepreneurial motivation. Adopting a bottom-up approach, we explored how new design ideas emerged in a group when working with professional designers in two workshops. The research emphasizes co-creation and learning self-innovation as a sociocultural practice defined as situated learning.
Structure and magnetic properties of hydrides based on Uranium bcc alloys
Authors: Havela Ladislav , Paukov Mykhaylo , Tkach Ilya , Matej Zdenek , Kim-Ngan N.-T.H. , Andreev Alexander V. 
Published: May 2014

ABSTRACTγ-U alloys with Mo or Zr are more resistant to hydrogen than U metal. High pressures of H are needed to produce hydrides. Amorphous structure of UH3Mox can be represented as the cubic structure of β-UH3 type with grain size around 1 nm. UH3Zrx are formed in the cubic α-UH3 type of structure. All the hydrides are ferromagnets, with magnetic parameters (magnetic moments, Curie temperature) exceeding those of β-UH3 (0.9 μB/U, 165-170 K). It is deduced that α-UH3 has magnetic properties very similar to β-UH3, despite rather different U-U spacing.
Market Readiness of Organic Photovoltaics for Building Integration
Authors: der Wiel Bas van , Egelhaaf Hans-Joachim , Issa Hermann , Roos Maria , Henze Norbert 
Published: May 2014

ABSTRACTIf a photovoltaic (PV) technology is assessed today in a technical framework, then efficiency is the most commonly addressed parameter, followed by service lifetime. Cost, as the third parameter of the "magic triangle", is even less often reported. However, if a new technology is prepared to enter a market, other important parameters have to be considered, especially if non-standard PV applications are targeted.Organic photovoltaic (OPV) is a well known but young PV technology of the so called third generation, which offers unique advantages for integrated products such as building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). In this contribution we would like to highlight some of the advantages and challenges which are specific to the application of OPV in the field of building integration. Architectural design features of OPV include the ability to adapt semi-transparency, color and shape of the module. Moreover, glass-laminated OPV modules are deemed suitable for BIPV because of their ease of integration, good fire resistance, high energy harvest per nominal watt-peak and long lifetimes.
Unlubricated Sliding Behavior of Metals
Authors: Rigney D.A. , Hammerberg J.E. 
Published: May 2014

Scientists and engineers still debate the relative contributions of roughness and interlocking of asperities, adhesion and interatomic forces, and elastic and plastic deformation in friction phenomena. However a central point of agreement does exist: Friction involves energy dissipation, or the conversion of mechanical work into heat. Therefore any mechanism that allows for this energy dissipation during sliding interactions of materials deserves consideration, whether it occurs strictly at the nominal sliding interface or within material at some distance from that interface.If the interactions are limited to atomic distances, it is entirely appropriate to focus attention on atoms at the two surfaces (see the articles by M.O. Robbins and J. Krim and J.A. Harrison and S.S. Perry in this issue). Friction is then a surface phenomenon. However if the sliding conditions lead to extensive plastic deformation of either material—over distances readily detectable by eye or by optical microscopy—then the associated energy dissipation is likely to account for most of the frictional losses. In such cases, friction involves more than processes occurring at the surface.
Z-Contrast Imaging of Grain-Boundary Core Structures in Semiconductors
Authors: Chisholm M.F. , Pennycook S.J. 
Published: May 2014

Interest in semiconductor grain boundaries relates to the development of polycrystalline materials for photovoltaics and integrated-circuit interconnects. Although these structures are responsible for deleterious electrical effects, there are few experimental techniques available to study them at the required atomic scale. Therefore models of the physical processes occurring at grain boundaries have necessarily taken a macroscopic approach. Fortunately recent developments have resulted in tools that provide unprecedented glimpses into these interfaces and that will allow us to address anew the connection between grain-boundary structure and properties.Z-Contrast ImagingWhen exploring the unknown, we rely heavily on our eyes (incoherent imaging) to provide a direct image of a new object. In order to explore the unforeseen atomic configurations present at extended defects in materials, it again would be desirable if one could obtain a directly interpretable image of the unfamiliar structures present in the defect cores. Z-contrast electron microscopy provides such a view with both atomic resolution and compositional sensitivity.This high-resolution imaging technique differs from conventional high-resolution phase-contrast imaging. The phase-contrast technique produces a coherent image, an interference pattern formed by recombining the waves diffracted by the specimen. In the Z-contrast technique, the image is incoherent; it is essentially a map of the scattering power of the specimen. Additionally as was first determined by Lord Rayleigh, the incoherent mode of image formation has double the resolving power of the coherent mode.
Stress Determination in Textured Thin Films Using X-Ray Diffraction
Authors: Clemens B.M. , Bain J.A. 
Published: May 2014

Thin film stresses are important in many areas of technology. In the semiconductor industry, metal interconnects are prone to stress voiding and hillock formation. Stresses in passivation layers can lead to excessive substrate curvature which can cause alignment difficulty in subsequent lithographic processing. In other thin film applications, stresses can cause peeling from mechanical failure at the film-substrate interface. Beyond these issues of reliability, stress and the resulting strain can be used to tune the properties of thin film materials. For instance, strain, coupled with the magnetostrictive effect, can be utilized to induce the preferred magnetization direction. Also, epitaxial strains can be used to adjust the bandgap of semiconductors. Finally, the anomalous mechanical properties of multilayered materials are thought to be partially due to the extreme strain states in the constituents of these materials. To fully optimize thin film performance, a fundamental understanding of the causes and effects of thin film stress is needed. These studies in turn rely on detailed characterization of the stress and strain state of thin films.X-ray diffraction and the elastic response of materials provide a powerful method for determining stresses. Stresses alter the spacing of crystallographic planes in crystals by amounts easily measured by x-ray diffraction. Each set of crystal planes can act as an in-situ strain gauge, which can be probed by x-ray diffraction in the appropriate geometry. Hence it is not surprising that x-ray diffraction is one of the most widely used techniques for determining stress and strain in materials. (For reviews of this topic, see References 5–7.) This article is a tutorial on the use of x-ray diffraction to extract the stress state and the unstrained lattice parameter from thin films. We present a handbook of useful results that can be widely applied and should be mastered by anyone seriously interested in stresses in crystalline thin films with a crystallographic growth texture.
Family Resiliency, Family Needs, and Community Reintegration in Persons With Brain Injury
Authors: Frain Julianne , Dillahunt-Aspillaga Tina , Frain Michael , Ehkle Sarah 
Published: May 2014

Purpose:The purpose of the study was to measure predictors of community reintegration and empirically test the resiliency model of family stress, adjustment, and adaptation in persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study also aimed to measure family needs by surveying caregiving family members through the use of the Family Needs Questionnaire (FNQ). Primary caregivers of those with TBI were surveyed using a convenience sample accessed through the Brain Injury Association of Florida.Methods:Participants were asked to complete a multiple-choice questionnaire in exchange for a gift card. The questionnaire comprises demographic questions and five standardized instruments (Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales, Family Inventory of Resources for Management, Family Coping Coherence Index, FNQ, and Community Integration Questionnaire).Results:Results of the study validate the resiliency model and place emphasis on family coherence as the strongest predictor within the model. Results similarly support the importance of all other factors of family resiliency and addressing needs of the family specific to TBI.Conclusion:In closing, the article provides recommendations for counselors working with families with members with TBI.
The use of impregnated perlite as a heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel production from marula oil
Authors: Modiba Edward , Osifo Peter , Rutto Hilary 
Published: May 2014

AbstractIn this study, biodiesel was produced from marula (Sclerocarya birrea) oil using impregnated perlite with potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a heterogeneous catalyst. The effect of experimental variables such as temperature (°C), reaction time (h), methanol to oil ratio (mass %), and catalyst to oil ratio (mass %) on the transesterification process were investigated. Using a central composite design (CCD), a mathematical model was developed to correlate the experimental variables with the percentage yield of biodiesel. The model showed that optimum conditions for biodiesel production were as follows: catalyst to oil ratio of 4.7 mass %, temperature of 70.4°C, methanol to oil ratio of 29.9 mass %, and reaction time of 3.6 h. The yield of 91.4 mass % of biodiesel was obtained. It was also possible to recycle and reuse the modified perlite up to three times without any significant change in its catalytic activity. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area showed no modifications in the perlite structure. The results show that the important fuel properties of marula biodiesel meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) biodiesel standard properties.
An estimation of critical buckling strain for pipe subjected plastic bending
Authors: Ji L. , Zheng M. , Chen H. , Zhao Y. , Yu L. , Hu J. , Teng H. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractAn approach for estimating critical buckling strain of pipe subjected plastic bending is established in the present paper. A rigid — perfectly plastic material model and cross section ovalization of pipe during bending are employed for the approach. The energy rates of the ovalised pipe bending and the cross section ovalising are proposed firstly. Furthermore, these energy rates are combined to perform the buckling analysis of pipe bending, an estimation formula of critical buckling strain for pipe subjected plastic bending is proposed. The predicting result of the new critical buckling strain formula is compared with the available experimental data, it shows that the formula is valid.