bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
wPMLG‐5 Spectroscopy of Self‐Aggregated BChl e in Natural Chlorosomes of Chlorobaculum Limnaeum
Authors: Miloslavina Yuliya , Gupta Karthick Babu Sai Sankar , Tank Marcus , Bryant Donald A. , de Groot Huub J. M. 
Published: January 2014

Abstract1H magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), employing rapid spinning and the wPMLG‐5 pulse sequence, was used to explore the possibility for performing 1H solid state NMR of a light‐harvesting organelle, the chlorosome antenna of Chlorobaculum limnaeum. This natural antenna system is built from bacteriochlorophyll e (BChl e) molecules that are self‐assembled to form a supramolecular scaffold for in vivo harvesting of light. We present preliminary data on this chlorosome species and address the feasibility of performing wPMLG spectroscopy, in terms of high power irradiation on a fragile biological sample. In parallel, enhancing the 1H shift dispersion from the magnetic field can help to resolve signals from protons that resonate downfield. Different line narrowing mechanisms operating in parallel provide access to resolving selected 1H signals collected from the moderately sized and chemically diverse BChl e molecular motif in the chlorosome scaffold. These discoveries will be helpful for future studies of structural and functional characteristics of self‐assembled natural and artificial light‐harvesting molecules.
Ascorbic Acid Synergistically Potentiates Phloxine B‐induced Photocytotoxicity in Human Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Cells
Authors: Qi Hang , Wu Qian , Abe Naomi , Saiki Shunya , Zhu Beiwei , Murata Yoshiyuki , Nakamura Yoshimasa 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACTAscorbic acid (AsA) is known as an antioxidant but concomitantly possesses a pro‐oxidant property. Because the impact of AsA on photodynamic therapy response is unclear, we investigated the effect of AsA on photocytotoxicity induced by phloxine B in human acute promyelocytic leukemia HL‐60 cells. AsA synergistically enhanced phloxine B‐induced photocytotoxic effects, including inhibition of cell proliferation, DNA ladder formation, and caspase‐3 activation, whereas AsA itself showed no photocytotoxicity. AsA also enhanced the consumption of the reduced glutathione level compared with the cells treated with phloxine B alone under the light condition. Combination of AsA with phloxine B under the light condition enhanced the phosphorylation of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK). These effects were completely cancelled by catalase. These results suggest that AsA synergistically enhances phloxine B‐induced photocytotoxicity, possibly through the extracellular oxidative stress‐dependent MAPK pathway activation.
Breast milk concentrations of amiodarone, desethylamiodarone, and bisoprolol following short‐term drug exposure: Two case reports
Authors: Khurana Rshmi , Bin Jardan Yousef A. , Wilkie Jodi , Brocks Dion R. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractTwo cases of mothers given postpartum short‐term administration of amiodarone, with and without bisoprolol, are described along with determinations of amiodarone and (±)‐bisoprolol in the breast milk. In one mother given a cumulative total of amiodarone of 8 g over 1 week, concentrations 11 days after the drug had been stopped were initially deemed sufficient to pose a risk to an infant. Over the next 5 days the concentrations steadily dropped with amiodarone and desethylamiodarone concentrations being found to be at a level comprising minimal risk to the infant. Bisoprolol was not found in the expressed breast milk. In the second case the mother was given a single 150 mg dose of amiodarone and breast milk concentrations were measured on postpartum days 4 and 5. Breast milk amiodarone concentrations were very low and of little concern clinically had the mother breast fed her baby. The risk to the baby of ingesting breast milk after amiodarone administration postpartum depends on the duration of amiodarone exposure, with a single dose posing minimal risk. Bisoprolol does not appear to accumulate to any great extent in breast milk.
Resolving overlapping GC–MS signals with a multistep screening chemometric approach for the fast determination of pesticides
Authors: Wu Xi , Cai Wensheng , Shao Xueguang 
Published: January 2014

For the rapid analysis of multicomponent mixtures using GC–MS, a chemometric multistep screening approach was proposed to extract the signals of the components from the overlapping signals measured with a very fast temperature program. At first, independent component analysis was used to find all the possible mass spectra from the overlapping signal in the moving windows along the retention time, and iterative target transformation factor analysis was employed to validate the existence of the extracted spectra from each window. Then, identical signals in the validated spectra were excluded using match ratio as a criterion. Finally, the chromatographic profiles for each spectrum were calculated using non‐negative immune algorithm, and the spectra with a reasonable profile were taken as the identified components. A mixture of 53 pesticides was analyzed with a very fast temperature program of 7 min. A total of 48 pesticides and 16 interferences were identified from the overlapping GC–MS signal.
Highly Specific Probe for Ferric Ions in Aqueous Solution Based on 5, 6‐Dicarboxy‐3H‐benzoimidazol‐1‐ium Nitrate
Authors: Zhou Zhengyuan , Shih Kaimin , Cai Yue‐Peng , Szeto Lap , Wong Wing‐Tak 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe organic compound, 5, 6‐dicarboxy‐3H‐benzoimidazol‐1‐ium nitrate (Hdcbii·NO3) (1), was synthesized by the reaction of 1H‐benzoimidazole‐5, 6‐dicarboxylate (Hbidc) with nitric acid under hydrothermal conditions. The crystal structure of the compound shows abundant hydrogen bonds and π···π stacking interactions revealed by X‐ray single crystal diffraction and FT‐IR spectroscopy. This compound has high selectivity for ferric (Fe3+) ions in aqueous solution and shows strong potential for application as a fluorescent probe for ferric ions.
Hierarchically Structured MCM‐41 Silica Beads via Nanocasting in Combination with “Pore‐protected” Pseudomorphic Transformation
Authors: Küster Christian , Reinhardt Björn , Fröba Michael , Enke Dirk 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe following study discusses the synthesis of macroporous glass beads, featuring variable pore sizes, and their application as starting material for a double templating route according to the nanocasting principle. In the first step, the initial porous glass was filled with the carbon precursor, a mesophase pitch, which after the subsequent carbonization and dissolution of the glass matrix results in an inverse macroporous carbon replica. Afterwards, the carbon beads were filled with amorphous silica by a typical sol‐gel‐process. The next step can be divided into two phases. The silica gel phase was first “structured” inside the macropores of the inverse carbon replica by converting it into an ordered mesoporous phase via pseudomorphic transformation. This process demanded alkaline conditions and a surfactant, that finally converts the silica into hierarchically structured beads with the dimension and the pores of the initial glass and MCM‐41 pores inside the walls. The final step comprised the template removal via calcination. The obtained materials were characterized by mercury intrusion, nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, x‐ray powder diffraction and particle size analysis. In comparison to the previously reported approaches, the new method allows a higher flexibility in the texture properties of the resulting hierarchically structured materials including a variable ratio between ordered mesopores and additional macropores by parallel control of the total porosity and wall thickness in the starting porous glass.
Periodic Mesoporous Organosilicas as Adsorbents of Toxic Trace Gases out of the Ambient Air
Authors: Martens Sven , Ortmann Roman , Brieler Felix J. , Pasel Christoph , Joo Lee Young , Bathen Dieter , Fröba Michael 
Published: January 2014

AbstractNew periodic mesoporous organosilicas were synthesized using [bis(triethoxysilyl)vinyl]aniline (BTEVA) and [bis(triethoxysilyl)vinyl]benzene (BTEVB) as precursors and by functionalizing the BTEVA PMO with aminopropyl groups. All PMO materials showed a high degree of hexagonal order in the respective P‐XRDs as well as high surface areas with narrow pore size distributions. The PMOs together with activated carbon were investigated with regards to their hexanal adsorption capacity in a gravimetric apparatus with an attached GC‐MS. For the amine PMOs two different regions during adsorption were found. In the first region loadings in the range of 30 wt% were reached by a fast adsorption process. In the second region the loading reached 50 wt% but with slower kinetics. In desorption experiments up to 150 °C the loading decreased from 50 wt% to 30 wt%, where an equilibrium state was observed. With GC‐MS and NMR the first region could be assigned to a chemisorption process, where the hexanal forms an imine group with the amine function in a Schiff base reaction. The subsequent second region can be assigned to weaker and thus reversible physisorption. The total capacity (first and second region) is substantially higher for the amine PMOs than for the activated carbon. Due to the chemical bonding in the chemisorption process, the desorption behavior is completely different: compared to the activated carbon the bonding of hexanal is much stronger for the amine PMOs.
Metal Coordination Polymers of 2,3‐Bisimidazol‐1‐ylquin­oxaline: Syntheses, Crystal Structures, and Luminescent Properties
Authors: Zhu Wen , Xia Chang‐Kun , Wu Yun‐Long , Xie Ji‐Min 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThree new metal‐organic coordination polymers, namely, [Zn(μ2‐BiImQuin)(OAc)2]·H2O (1), [Zn(μ2‐BiImQuin)2(H2O)2]2·4Cl·H2O (2), and [Mn(μ2‐BiImQuin)2(N3)2]·4H2O (3) were prepared by reaction of the corresponding transition metal salt with new rigid ligand 2,3‐bisimidazol‐1‐ylquinoxaline (L) with diffusion or solution methods (BiImQuin = 2,3‐bisimidazol‐1‐ylquinoxaline). All the complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, TGA, PXRD, and single crystal X‐ray diffraction determination. A one‐dimensional single chain was observed in complex 1, however one‐dimensional bead‐like double chains were observed in complexes 2 and 3. In the three complexes, the rigid didentate ligands bridged the metal ions into similar “zigzag” chain, and two “zigzag” chains are arranged into bead‐like double chain in complexes 2 and 3, where each metal ion is coordinated with four different didentate BiImQuin rather than two. On the other hand, the anions do great influence on the final supramolecular structure through coordination behavior and hydrogen‐bonding interactions. The complexes 1 and 2 display strong room temperature photoluminescence in visible region, which may be assigned to ligand‐to‐metal charge‐transfer.
More of the “Fullercages”
Authors: Dshemuchadse Julia , Steurer Walter 
Published: January 2014

AbstractAll complex intermetallic phases have been searched for their structural building principles, in particular for the occurrence of fullercages, i.e., fullerene‐like cluster shells. The diversity of inter‐metallics featuring compounds of this kind is discussed as well as the geometrical building principles characteristic for their endohedral constituting clusters. Typically, the core cluster corresponds to a polyhedron of the Frank‐Kasper (FK) type, which is surrounded by a fullerene‐like shell dual to it. The next cluster shell is again a FK polyhedron followed by a fullerene‐like shell, and this can be repeated. The chemical composition of these complex intermetallics (CIMs) is quite diverse, mostly combining electropositive elements from groups 1–4 with electronegative elements of groups 7–14, for instance Li‐Ga or RE‐Cd (RE = rare earth element). However, also less‐common combinations from elements of groups 1 and 2, such as Li‐Ba, or from groups 11 and 12, such as Cu‐Cd, are known.
Survival of motor neuron protein downregulates miR‐9 expression in patients with spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Wang Li‐Ting , Chiou Shyh‐Shin , Liao Yu‐Mei , Jong Yuh‐Jyh , Hsu Shih‐Hsien 
Published: January 2014

AbstractSpinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a lethal hereditary disease caused by homozygous absence of the survival of the motor neuron (SMN) 1 gene (SMN1), and it is the leading genetic cause of infant mortality. The severity of SMA is directly correlated with SMN protein levels in affected patients; however, the cellular regulatory mechanisms for SMN protein expression are not completely understood. In this study, we investigated the regulatory effects between SMN expression and miR‐9a, a downstream noncoding small RNA. Using an inducible SMN short hairpin RNA interference (shRNAi) system in NSC 34 and human skin fibroblast cells, cellular miR‐9 levels and SMN protein repression were time‐dependently upregulated. Conversely, cellular miR‐9 levels decreased when HeLa cells were transfected with SMN protein fused with green fluorescent protein. In SMA‐like mice spinal cords and human primary skin fibroblasts isolated from patients with different degrees of SMA, human SMN exhibited a disease severity‐dependent decrease, whereas cellular miR‐9 levels increased. These results clearly suggested that cellular SMN proteins regulated miR‐9 expression and that miR‐9 expression was related to SMA severity. Thus, miR‐9 may be a marker for SMA prognosis.
Creating Value by Changing the Old Guard: The Impact of Controlling Shareholder Heterogeneity on Firm Performance and Corporate Policies
Authors: Deng Hua , Moshirian Fariborz , Pham Peter Kien , Zein Jason 
Published: January 2014

AbstractTheory suggests that controlling shareholders can influence firm value through both shared benefits creation and private benefits consumption. Using negotiated control-block transfers from 31 countries, we look beyond ownership concentration and investigate how controlling shareholder heterogeneity influences the relative importance of these two effects. We document that a control transfer precipitates positive firm outcomes particularly when the vendor has maintained control over an extended period and the acquirer displays a strong incentive to engage in restructuring. In such cases, we observe a sustained positive price reaction, more focused corporate investments, lower leverage, higher operating efficiency, and superior long-term performance.
Less specific recovery strategy targets for threatened and non-charismatic species at risk in Canada
Authors: Théberge Elysabeth , Nocera Joseph J. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractRecovery strategies for species at risk have been criticized for a lack of specificity (i.e. measurable and quantifiable criteria) as well as for taxonomic biases, both of which may ultimately affect species’ recovery. However, it is unknown whether the clarity and specificity of written statements within recovery strategies can also influence recovery efforts for certain species at risk. To assess this we examined the variation in semantic uncertainty in the target statements of recovery strategies for Canadian species at risk at the federal and provincial levels. We quantified the lexical density and readability of recovery target statements and examined them for differences according to taxonomic grouping, jurisdiction and degree of endangerment. Recovery statements for the category threatened species had greater semantic uncertainty than those for higher (endangered) and lower (special concern) categories, which is likely to be a function of the fact that threatened species are less abundant than special concern species but are subject to greater errors in population estimates than endangered species. We also found that recovery statements for non-charismatic species (e.g. plants and invertebrates) had greater semantic uncertainty than those for other taxa, which may be related to the resources available for studying and conserving them. Our results suggest a need for greater specificity in recovery targets for threatened and non-charismatic species, and that more focused data collection on these species’ populations is warranted.
Kant and the ‘Monstrous’ Ground of Possibility: A Reply to Abaci and Yong
Authors: Chignell Andrew 
Published: January 2014

AbstractI reply to recent criticisms by Uygar Abaci and Peter Yong, among others, of my reading of Kant's pre-Critical ‘possibility proof’ of God's existence, and of its fate in the Critical period. Along the way I discuss some implications of this debate for our understanding of Kant's modal metaphysics and modal epistemology generally.
Transcendental Apperception: Consciousness or Self-Consciousness? Comments on Chapter 9 of Patricia Kitcher'sKant's Thinker
Authors: Busse Ralf 
Published: January 2014

AbstractA core thesis of Kitcher's is that thinking about objects requires awareness of necessary connections between one's object-directed representations ‘as such’ and that this is what Kant means by the transcendental unity of apperception. I argue that Kant's main point is the spontaneity or ‘self-made-ness’ of combination rather than the requirement of reflexive awareness of combination, that Kitcher provides no plausible account of how recognition of representations ‘as such’ should be constituted and that in fact Kant himself appears to lack the theoretical resources to clearly distinguish between (first-level) consciousness and self-consciousness or apperception properly so-called.
Must equal mean identical? Same-sex couples and marriage
Authors: Leckey Robert 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThis paper pushes against the successful rhetoric of formal equality by which same-sex couples are the same as different-sex couples and opening existing regimes of marriage to them best recognises their equal moral worth. Drawing on social science research that indicates differences in the economic organisation of same-sex couples, the paper explores the possibility that a different marriage regime for the spouses' reciprocal duties might combine recognition of their equal moral worth with sensitivity to their needs. The study sharpens the understanding of contemporary investments in marriage law for everyone and offers a better justification for formal equality: same-sex couples may be treated identically to different-sex couples not because they are the same, but despite their differences.
Respect for human dignity as ‘substantive basic norm’
Authors: Neal Mary 
Published: January 2014

AbstractThe idea of ‘human dignity’ is, notoriously, as ambiguous as it is compelling. Notwithstanding the absence of any clear or settled definition of human dignity, either in the abstract or in terms of what it means in practice, it is an idea which takes pride of place in international legal documents, in judicial reasoning, and in scholarship across a range of disciplines, where it seems, particularly in recent years, to have become the focus for an explosion of academic interest and an accompanying proliferation of literature. Much of the existing literature attempts to uncover the meaning, or multiple meanings, of ‘human dignity’, focusing on the uncertainty surrounding the substance or content of the idea and trying to compose a catalogue of use-types. In this paper, my primary aim will be to address another type of uncertainty, namely uncertainty about the role, function or status within legal frameworks of the ‘dignity norm’ – the norm requiring respect for human dignity. I want to explore several possibilities: first, that the dignity norm is simply a proxy for respect for autonomy; second, that it is a right in the sense that we can speak of a specific ‘right to have dignity respected’; and third, that it is a legal principle. Having problematised each of these in turn, I will contend that the function of the dignity norm is best captured by describing it as the ‘substantive basic norm’ of the legal systems wherein it appears.
Diameter-selective alignment of carbon nanotubes on Si(001) stepped surfaces
Authors: Enkhtaivan Batnyam , Yoshimura Masahide , Iwata Jun-Ichi , Oshiyama Atsushi 
Published: January 2014

We report total-energy electronic-structure calculations based on the density-functional theory that provide stable adsorption sites, structural characteristics, and energy bands of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) adsorbed on the Si(001) stepped surfaces. We choose (5,5), (9,9), and (13,13) armchair CNTs with the diameters of 6.8 Å, 12.2 Å, and 17.6 Å, respectively, as representatives of CNTs and explore all the possible adsorption sites either on the terrace or at step edges. We find that the (9,9) CNT is most favorably adsorbed at the edge of the double-layer step DB along the ⟨110⟩ direction, whereas the (5,5) and (13,13) CNTs favor the terrace site where the CNTs are perpendicular to the Si dimer rows. This finding is indicative of the diameter-selective self-organized alignment of CNTs by exploiting the Si surface steps along the particular direction. We also find that the electronic structure of each CNT is modified upon adsorption depending on the adsorption site and the diameter of the CNTs. In particular, the (9,9) CNT at the most stable step edge site becomes semiconducting and the resultant valence and conduction bands exhibit nearly linear dispersion with the effective mass of 0.085 m0 (m0: bare electron mass), preserving the characteristics of the Dirac electrons. We also find that the flat bands appear near the Fermi level (EF) when the (13,13) CNT is adsorbed at the metastable DB step edge, inferring that spin polarization is possible for the CNT on the Si(001) stepped surface.
Age-specific natural mortality rates in stock assessments: size-based vs. density-dependent
Authors: Powers Joseph E. 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Natural mortality (M) rates are difficult to measure empirically and are often specified in stock assessments based on life history characteristics. More recently, these specifications have included M as a function of the size or age of a fish. However, natural mortality is a dynamic parameter that will change with the suite of predators and, thus, indirectly with cohort size and age. As an alternative, a density-dependent M rate function is derived and compared with the commonly used Lorenzen model, where M at age forms an allometric relationship with weight-at-age. The density-dependent model expresses M as a function of two parameters: one density dependent and one density independent. Properties of the two models (size-based vs. density-dependent) were explored to indicate conditions where the results are and are not similar. Associated catch equations, equilibrium analyses, and non-linear replacement lines in stock–recruitment theory are examined. Just as with density-independent values of M, most assessment data are not sufficient to provide precise estimates of density-dependent M parameters. However, the density-dependent model provides a basis for incorporating ecological variability into single-species assessments, noting the differing dynamics between short- and long-lived species. The incorporation of dynamic natural mortality has implications when estimating abundance trends and stock status, and ultimately setting management reference points.