bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perspectives on the South African Responsible Lending Regime and the Duty to Conduct Pre‐agreement Assessment as a Responsible Lending Practice
Authors: Van Heerden Corlia , Renke Stéfan 
Published: April 2015

AbstractIn the 2001 INSOL International Consumer Debt Report: Report of Findings and Recommendations, the view was held that the solution to overspending and over‐indebtedness is inter alia to be found in the idea that prevention is better than cure. Ex ante responsible lending practices as preventative measures to avoid reckless credit granting and over‐indebtedness are arguably more important tools in establishing a healthy credit market than ex post measures. The focus of this contribution, is therefore, to provide a detailed overview of the South African reckless credit regime as a debt‐ prevention measure aimed at promoting responsible lending, with specific focus on the aspect of pre‐agreement assessment as a core mechanism to avoid reckless credit granting and over‐indebtedness. The main features of the reckless credit regime are highlighted, and afterwards, a detailed exposition of the evolution and extensive recent development of the pre‐agreement assessment component in South Africa is undertaken. Finally, observations are made regarding the South African reckless regime in general and with regard to affordability assessment specifically and its ability, benchmarked against the essential features of a responsible lending regime as advocated by Wilson in the book ‘International responses to issues of credit and over‐indebtedness in the wake of crisis’, to promote responsible lending. The conclusion is reached that benchmarked against the four characteristics of an effective responsible lending regime as identified by Wilson, it is apparent that the South African reckless lending regime is no ‘toothless tiger’, and that it attaches the necessary amount of significance to the credit provider's duty to take reasonable steps to do a proper pre‐agreement assessment in order to avoid reckless credit granting. Copyright © 2015 INSOL International and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Role and Regulation of Myeloid Zinc Finger Protein 1 in Cancer
Authors: Eguchi Taka , Prince Thomas , Wegiel Barbara , Calderwood Stuart K 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTMyeloid zinc finger 1 (MZF1) belongs to the SCAN‐Zinc Finger (SCAN‐ZF) transcription factor family that has recently been implicated in a number of types of cancer. Although the initial studies concentrated on the role of MZF1 in myeloid differentiation and leukemia, the factor now appears to be involved in the etiology of major solid tumors such as lung, cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer. Here we discuss the regulation of MZF1 that mediated its recruitment and activation in cancer, concentrating on posttranslational modification by phosphorylation, and sumoylation, formation of promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies and its association with co‐activators and co‐repressors. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 2146–2154, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of the orexin receptor antagonist suvorexant on respiration during sleep in healthy subjects
Authors: Uemura Naoto , McCrea Jacqueline , Sun Hong , Donikyan Mardik , Zammit Gary , Liu Rong , Louridas Bonnie , Marsilio Sabrina , Lines Christopher , Troyer Matthew D. , Wagner John 
Published: April 2015

AbstractSuvorexant is an orexin receptor antagonist for treating insomnia. The maximum approved dose in the United States and Japan is 20 mg. We evaluated suvorexant effects on respiration during sleep in a randomized, double‐blind, 3‐period crossover study of healthy adult men (n = 8) and women (n = 4) ≤ 50 years old who received single‐dose suvorexant 40 mg, 150 mg, and placebo. Respiration during sleep was measured by oxygen saturation (SpO2, primary end point) and the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI). The study was powered to detect a reduction greater than 5% in SpO2. There was no effect of suvorexant on mean SpO2 during sleep. The mean (90%CI) treatment differences versus placebo were ‐0.3 (‐1.2–0.6) for 40 mg and 0.0 (‐0.9–0.9) for 150 mg. There were no dose‐related trends in individual SpO2 values. Mean SpO2 was >96% for all treatments during total sleep time and during both non‐REM and REM sleep. There was no effect of either suvorexant dose on AHI. The mean (90%CI) treatment differences versus placebo were 0.8 (‐0.7–2.3) for 40 mg and ‐0.2 (‐1.7–1.3) for 150 mg. Suvorexant was generally well tolerated; there were no serious adverse experiences or discontinuations. These data from healthy subjects suggest that suvorexant lacks clinically important respiratory effects during sleep at doses greater than the maximum recommended dose for treating insomnia.
Millimetric LNAs for astronomy: characterization at cryogenic temperature
Authors: Zannoni M. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryRadioastronomy receivers employ several stages of amplification to reach an overall gain in the range 80–120dB. Usually, a cascade of different stand‐alone amplifiers is adopted in order to obtain a high gain and low‐noise front‐end, which is responsible for the most part of the noise figure. The assembly of the low‐noise amplifiers (LNAs) is a critical process because it can degrade the overall performance (S parameters and noise) because of non‐idealities in the connections among the various radio frequency components. In the millimeter domain, this is particularly severe because of the physical dimensions of the devices inside the LNAs and because of the cryogenic working temperature. To assemble a high‐performance receiver, an a priori characterization and selection of the best LNAs are mandatory. In this paper, with the help of some practical examples, I discuss the features of a cryogenic millimeter test set aimed at full characterization of LNAs for astronomy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prolonged dry spells in recent decades over north‐central China and their association with a northward shift in planetary waves
Authors: Zhang Jie , Li Laurent , Wu Zhiwei , Li Xingmin 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTSummer rainfall in north‐central China, accounted for 70% of the annual rainfall, is sensitive to anomalies in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and westerlies due to lying in the EASM marginal belt. Summer rainfall and the durations and frequency of dry spells were investigated using daily rainfall data from 332 weather stations, the European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) re‐analysis data and Climate Research Unit (CRU) surface temperature data. The results demonstrate that summer rainfall exhibits an ‘early wetting later drying’ pattern with a weak increasing in June and a dramatic decreasing trend in July and August (JA). Decreased rainfall in JA is associated with prolonged dry spells; the frequency and durations of dry spells exceeding 7 days increase, especially for dry spells exceeding 15 days. This increase in dry spell duration is positively correlated with a northward shift in planetary waves expressed by the 5700‐gpm isoline at 500 hPa and the westerly jet at 200 hPa, which lead north‐central China to close to the left of jet entrance and a positive vorticity convergence region on the high level, it is helpful to downward movements and less rainfall. The northward shift in planetary waves is affected by boundary forcing. Dramatic increases in temperature over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) result in a large temperature gradient and thermal contrast between the TP and mid‐high latitude, and likely strengthening and widening the South Asian High (SAH) pattern and pressure gradient. These conditions contribute to the northward shift in planetary waves and prolonging dry spells.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: Treatment patterns of a population‐based sample
Authors: Harlan Linda C. , Eisenstein Jana , Russell Maria C. , Stevens Jennifer L. , Cardona Kenneth 
Published: April 2015

ObjectivesThe National Cancer Institute (NCI) annually confirms therapy with treating physicians on a sample of patients diagnosed with a specific cancer.MethodsUsing the NCI Patterns of Care data, treatment patterns were examined on a population‐based sample of patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in 2008.ResultsA random sample of 323 of 405 GIST patients registered in SEER was selected. Most patients had gastric GISTs, were ≥65 years, white, had private insurance, and treated in a hospital with a residency program. Surgery was primarily performed in patients with non‐metastatic disease (94%), in which: 26, 12, and 36% were at low, intermediate, and high‐risk of recurrence, respectively. Amongst low‐risk patients, ∼30% received adjuvant therapy. Amongst patients at higher risk, 26–40% did not receive adjuvant therapy. Imatinib was the most common targeted therapy administered. On multivariate analysis, age and risk‐group were associated with receipt of adjuvant targeted therapy.ConclusionsOur study shows that in 2008, the majority of patients diagnosed with GIST received appropriate surgical and adjuvant therapies. However, a considerable subset may have been overtreated and undertreated. Future studies identifying factors that impact the delivery of adjuvant therapy should be conducted. J. Surg. Oncol. 2015 111:702–707. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Oxidation of Carbamazepine by Lipopathic Mn(VII), Cetyltrimethylammonium Permanganate: A Mechanistic Study
Authors: Garnayak Sarita , Patel Sabita 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTIn this contribution, we report the oxidation of an established anticonvulsant and antiepileptic drug, carbamazepine, by a lipopathic oxidant, cetyltrimethylammonium permanganate (CTAP), in a nonpolar medium. 1H‐Dibenzo[b,f]azepine‐4,5‐dione is found to be the major product of the oxidation reaction. The kinetics of the reaction is studied in organic media spectrophotometrically by monitoring the disappearance of Mn(VII) at 530 nm. The reaction is found to be fractional order with respect to carbamazepine and first order with respect to CTAP. Based on the experimental findings, a suitable ionic mechanism is proposed where carbamazepine reacts with CTAP in a slow rate‐determining step to form a hypomanganate ester intermediate through a nonpolar cyclic transition state. Subsequently, the intermediate decomposes and hydrolyzes in fast steps to the dicarbonyl product. The proposed reaction mechanism is also supported by the effect of solvent and temperature on the rate of the reaction. The addition of ionic surfactants increases the rate of reaction, and the catalyzing effect is explained through the possible formation of mixed reverse micellar aggregates where carbamazepine is partitioned more to the interfacial region in the vicinity of the permanganate anion.
Development and experimental evaluation of air flotation element with additional air‐intake capacity
Authors: Li Xin , Guo Zhilei , Kagawa Toshiharu 
Published: April 2015

AbstractFocusing on the flotation transmission of thin and light glass substrates, we propose a new air flotation element design. This new element takes advantage of a rotating airflow to form negative pressure, which then intakes additional air to support the floating workpiece via an intake hole connecting the negative pressure with the atmospheric environment. This design can effectively improve the flotation height and can reduce air consumption. Here, the structure and operating principles of this new element are illustrated, while the fundamental characteristics are experimentally investigated. We study the variation of negative pressure and the resulting intake flow when the flotation height varies. It is found that the new flotation element can intake additional air when the flotation height is larger than a certain critical value. Also, the additional air is conducive to raising the flotation level of the workpiece. This feature is suitable for applications involving low flotation forces, e.g. the flotation transmission of thin and light glass substrates. Additionally, the performances of the new element and the traditional orifice element are compared, indicating that, for the same flotation force and supplied airflow, the newly designed element can increase the flotation height by 25%. On the other hand, the air consumption can be reduced by approximately 50% using the new element, for the same flotation force and height. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Changing Food Consumption Behaviors
Authors: Lowe Ben , Fraser Iain , Souza‐Monteiro Diogo M. 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTFew products are as pervasive and essential to our everyday lives as food: food fuels and satisfies our body, but also excites, disgusts, arouses, stimulates, and tantalizes all of our senses. It is functional and utilitarian, yet also hedonistic. Food consumption is also often a social act and our environment strongly influences what we consume. Yet, despite its obvious importance to us and our well‐being, it appears that as a society the consumption of food has led to a variety of difficult challenges that require some level of behavior change by consumers. Though several decades of research have sought to find answers to the many food consumption challenges that exist, it appears that excessive consumption of the “wrong” foods and its consequences (e.g., obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, etc.) have begun to override prior concerns about food consumption deficit. Levels of obesity seem to be rising globally and apparently “no national success stories have been reported in the past 33 years” (Ng et al., 2014, p. 766).
Consumers’ Responses to Small Portions: Signaling Increases Savoring and Satiation
Authors: Areni Charles S. , Black Iain 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTThis research examines the savoring or eating behaviors by which consumers are able to adjust their level of satiation to accommodate different portion sizes. Over three experiments, it shows that consumers who receive a smaller number of chocolates than initially expected compensate by eating more slowly (an effect mediated by number of chews) pay more attention to the experience, take longer to rate each chocolate, and show increased levels of satiation, relative to consumers who, while eating, believe they will receive a larger quantity but actually receive the same number of chocolates. This research suggests that communicating the benefits of slowing consumption and savoring ones food, may be a useful tool in reducing the amount of food eaten, as it can be paired with messages highlighting how doing this maintains the utility gained from food in terms of its satiating effect and enjoyment.
Heat‐Stress effects on the myosin heavy chain phenotype of rat soleus fibers during the early stages of regeneration
Authors: Oishi Yasuharu , Roy Roland R. , Ogata Tomonori , Ohira Yoshinobu 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTIntroduction: We investigated heat‐stress effects on the adult myosin heavy chain (MyHC) profile of soleus muscle fibers at an early stage of regeneration. Methods: Regenerating fibers in adult rats were analyzed 2, 4, or 6 days after bupivacaine injection. Rats were heat stressed by immersion in water (42 ± 1°C) for 30 minutes 24 hours after bupivacaine injection and every other day thereafter. Results: No adult MyHC isoforms were observed after 2 days, whereas some fibers expressed only fast MyHC after 4 days. Heat stress increased fast and slow MyHC in regenerating fibers after 6 days. Regenerating fibers expressing only slow MyHC were observed only in heat‐stressed muscles. Bupivacaine injection increased the number of Pax7+ and MyoD+ satellite cells in regenerating fibers, more so in heat‐stressed rats. Conclusion: The results indicate that heat stress accelerates fast‐to‐slow MyHC phenotype conversion in regenerating fibers via activation of satellite cells. Muscle Nerve 52: 1047–1056, 2015
Force regulation and electrical properties of motor units in overloaded muscle
Authors: Kryściak Katarzyna , Celichowski Jan , Drzymała‐Celichowska Hanna , Gardiner Phillip F. , Krutki Piotr 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The influence of long‐term muscle overload on force regulation and electrical properties of motor units (MUs) was investigated in rats. Methods: Compensatory overload of the medial gastrocnemius was induced by tenotomy of its synergists. Electrophysiological experiments were performed on functionally isolated MUs 3 months after the surgery. Results: Force–frequency curves for overloaded MUs were shifted rightward compared with control, thus MUs developed the same relative tetanic forces at higher frequencies. Higher force increase was achieved in response to an increase in stimulation frequency in overloaded fast MUs compared with control. The optimal tetanic contraction, characterized by the highest force–time area per pulse, was evoked at higher stimulation frequencies for all overloaded MUs except FF. Only minor adaptive changes in MU action potentials occurred. Conclusions: Compensatory muscle overload leads to substantial modifications in MU force development mechanisms, which are MU‐type‐specific and influence whole muscle force regulation. Muscle Nerve 53: 96–106, 2016
Diagnosis of becker muscular dystrophy: Results of Re‐analysis of DNA samples
Authors: Straathof Chiara S.M. , Van Heusden Dave , Ippel Pieternella F. , Post Jan G. , Voermans Nicol C. , De Visser Marianne , Brusse Esther , Van Den Bergen Janneke C. , Van Der Kooi Anneke J. , Verschuuren Jan J.G.M. , Ginjaar Hendrika B. 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTIntroductionThe phenotype of Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is highly variable, and the disease may be underdiagnosed. We searched for new mutations in the DMD gene in a cohort of previously undiagnosed patients who had been referred in the period 1985–1995. Methods: All requests for DNA analysis of the DMD gene in probands with suspected BMD were re‐evaluated. If the phenotype was compatible with BMD, and no deletions or duplications were detected, DNA samples were screened for small mutations. Results: In 79 of 185 referrals, no mutation was found. Analysis could be performed on 31 DNA samples. Seven different mutations, including 3 novel ones, were found. Long‐term clinical follow‐up is described. Conclusions: Refining DNA analysis in previously undiagnosed cases can identify mutations in the DMD gene and provide genetic diagnosis of BMD. A delayed diagnosis can still be valuable for the proband or the relatives of BMD patients. Muscle Nerve 53: 44–48, 2016
Effects of the compositional ratio distribution with sulfurization temperatures in the absorber layer on the defect and surface electrical characteristics of Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cells
Authors: Yang Kee‐Jeong , Sim Jun‐Hyoung , Son Dae‐Ho , Kim Dae‐Hwan , Kim Gee Yeong , Jo William , Song Soomin , Kim JunHo , Nam Dahyun , Cheong Hyeonsik , Kang Jin‐Kyu 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAlthough Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) has attracted attention as an alternative absorber material to replace CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) in solar cells, the current level of understanding of its characteristic loss mechanisms is not sufficient for achieving high power conversion efficiency. In this study, which aimed to minimize the characteristic losses across the devices, we examined the relations between the compositional ratio distribution in the absorber layer, subsequent defect formation, and surface electrical characteristics. A high‐temperature sulfurization process was used to improve the crystallinity of the absorber layer, which increased the uniformity of the compositional ratio distribution and consequently suppressed the formation of a ZnS secondary phase on the CZTS/MoS2 interface. Because defects and defect clusters generated in the absorber layer are shallower when the compositional ratio distribution is uniform, the electron‐hole recombination loss is reduced. These characteristics were confirmed by measuring the defect energy level using admittance spectroscopy and by analyzing the surface potential and current characteristics. These measurements revealed that improving the compositional ratio distribution suppresses the formation of deep‐level defects and reduces the rate of carrier recombination. In addition, improving the compositional ratio distribution substantially contributes to improving the series resistance and short circuit current density characteristics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nanocomposite hydrogel consisting of Na‐montmorillonite with enhanced mechanical properties
Authors: Li Ting , Xiang Shuangfei , Ma Piming , Bai Huiyu , Dong Weifu , Chen Mingqing 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTA new kind of nanocomposite (NC) hydrogel with Na‐montmorillonite (MMT) is presented in this article. The NC hydrogels were synthesized by free radical copolymerization of acrylamide and (3‐acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (ATC) in the presence of MMT and N,N′‐methylene‐bis‐acrylamide used as chemical cross‐linker. Due to the cation‐exchange reaction between MMT and ATC (cationic monomer) during the synthesis of NC hydrogels, MMT platelets were considered chemical “plane” cross‐linkers, different from “point” cross‐linkers. With increasing amount of MMT, the crosslinking degree enhanced, causing a decrease of the swelling degree at equilibrium. Investigations of mechanical properties indicated that NC hydrogels exhibited enhanced strength and toughness, which resulted from chemical interaction between exfoliated MMT platelets and polymer chains in hydrogels. Dynamic shear measurements showed that both storage modulus and loss modulus increased with increasing MMT content. The idea described here provided a new route to prepare hydrogels with high mechanical properties by using alternative natural Na‐MMT. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 1020–1026
Morphological TEM studies and magnetoresistance analysis of sputtered Al‐substituted ZnO films: The role of oxygen
Authors: Van Gompel M. , Atalay A. Y. , Gaulke A. , Van Bael M. K. , D'Haen J. , Turner S. , Van Tendeloo G. , Vanacken J. , Moshchalkov V. V. , Wagner P. 
Published: April 2015

In this article, we report on the synthesis of thin, epitaxial films of the transparent conductive oxide Al:ZnO on (0001)‐oriented synthetic sapphire substrates by DC sputtering from targets with a nominal 1 at.% Al substitution. The deposition was carried out at an unusually low substrate temperature of only 250 °C in argon–oxygen mixtures as well as in pure argon. The impact of the process–gas composition on the morphology was analysed by transmission electron microscopy, revealing epitaxial growth in all the cases with a minor impact of the process parameters on the resulting grain sizes. The transport properties resistivity, Hall effect and magnetoresistance were studied in the range from 10 to 300 K in DC and pulsed magnetic fields up to 45 T. While the carrier density and mobility are widely temperature independent, we identified a low field–low temperature regime in which the magnetoresistance shows an anomalous, negative behaviour. At higher fields and temperatures, the magnetoresistance exhibits a more conventional, positive curvature with increasing field strength. As a possible explanation, we propose carrier scattering at localised magnetic trace impurities and magnetic correlations.Cross‐sectional HAADF‐STEM image of an Al:ZnO film grown without oxygen in the sputtering gas. The inset is a false‐colour [100] high resolution STEM image (inverted annular bright field: green, annular dark‐field: red) of the ZnO crystal structure.