bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A cantilever beam analogy for quantifying higher mode effects in multistorey buildings
Authors: Wiebe Lydell , Christopoulos Constantin 
Published: January 2015

SummaryThis paper examines higher mode effects in systems where the ductile mechanism for seismic design is the base moment‐rotation response. The modal properties of flexural and shear beams with uniform mass and elasticity and with a variable amount of base rotational restraint are derived. As the base fixity is released, the first mode becomes the rigid body rotation of the beam about the base, but the higher modes change much less, particularly for the shear beam model. Most response quantities that are of interest in the seismic design of typical mid‐rise buildings are controlled by the first two lateral modes, except at locations along the height where the second mode contributes little. However, the third and higher lateral modes are more significant for high‐rise buildings.Based on the theory of uniform cantilever shear beams, expressions are developed to avoid the need for a modal analysis to estimate the overturning moment, storey shear, and floor acceleration envelopes. Considering the measured response from the shake table testing of a large‐scale eight‐storey controlled rocking steel braced frame, the proposed expressions are shown to be of similar or better accuracy to a modified modal superposition technique, which combines the higher mode response from an elastic modal analysis with the response associated with achieving the maximum base overturning moment according to an inverted triangular load distribution. Because the proposed method uses only parameters that are available at the initial design stage, avoiding the analysis of a structural model, it is likely to be especially useful for preliminary design. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Jacobian‐free Newton–Krylov method for thermalhydraulics simulations
Authors: Ashrafizadeh A. , Devaud C.B. , Aydemir N.U. 
Published: January 2015

SummaryThe current paper is focused on investigating a Jacobian‐free Newton–Krylov (JFNK) method to obtain a fully implicit solution for two‐phase flows. In the JFNK formulation, the Jacobian matrix is not directly evaluated, potentially leading to major computational savings compared with a simple Newton's solver. The objectives of the present paper are as follows: (i) application of the JFNK method to two‐fluid models; (ii) investigation of the advantages and disadvantages of the fully implicit JFNK method compared with commonly used explicit formulations and implicit Newton–Krylov calculations using the determination of the Jacobian matrix; and (iii) comparison of the numerical predictions with those obtained by the Canadian Algorithm for Thermaulhydraulics Network Analysis 4. Two well‐known benchmarks are considered, the water faucet and the oscillating manometer.An isentropic two‐fluid model is selected. Time discretization is performed using a backward Euler scheme. A Crank–Nicolson scheme is also implemented to check the effect of temporal discretization on the predictions. Advection Upstream Splitting Method+ is applied to the convective fluxes. The source terms are discretized using a central differencing scheme. One explicit and two implicit formulations, one with Newton's solver with the Jacobian matrix and one with JFNK, are implemented. A detailed grid and model parameter sensitivity analysis is performed.For both cases, the JFNK predictions are in good agreement with the analytical solutions and explicit profiles. Further, stable results can be achieved using high CFL numbers up to 200 with a suitable choice of JFNK parameters. The computational time is significantly reduced by JFNK compared with the calculations requiring the determination of the Jacobian matrix. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Experimental study of degradation of molasses wastewater by biological treatment combined with ozonation
Authors: Tsioptsias Costas , Banti Dimitra C , Samaras Petros 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe aim of this work was the examination of molasses wastewater treatment by the combination of activated sludge with ozonation, for the effective removal of refractories. In addition to biological treatment, samples were subjected to: (a) ozonation prior to activated sludge; (b) ozonation coupled with addition of hydrogen peroxide prior to activated sludge; (c) post‐ozonation of activated sludge effluents; and (d) ozonation applied to influents and effluents, as a pre‐ and post‐treatment of the biological process.RESULTSThe activated sludge treatment of the mixture resulted in a 48% reduction of COD, while the combination of ozone pretreatment followed by biological treatment resulted in 66.5% COD removal and the production of an effluent with 240 mg L−1 COD. Therefore, it was concluded that ozone pretreatment might contribute to the enhancement of the biodegradability of the influent. This assumption was further supported by the examination of molecular weight distribution of wastewater samples by size exclusion chromatography.CONCLUSIONThe combined biological and ozone processes resulted in effluents with similar COD values, independent of the stage of the application of the ozone treatment process, either as a pretreatment or as post‐treatment step, indicating that a fraction of the compounds of the raw influent was resistant to the particular treatment process. This recalcitrant residual exhibited high organic nitrogen content, and was responsible for the relatively moderate total nitrogen content reduction, although almost complete nitrification and denitrification took place during the biological process, as deduced by the ammonia and nitrates content of the effluents. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
The fate of oxytetracycline in two‐phase and single‐phase anaerobic cattle manure digesters and its effects on microbial communities
Authors: Akyol Çağrı , Ince Orhan , Cetecioglu Zeynep , Alkan Fulya Ustun , Ince Bahar 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe fate of veterinary antibiotics in manure digesters is of great concern because of poor biomethane recovery and potential development of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment.RESULTSManure samples collected from therapeutically treated cattle (a standard veterinary practice of 50 mL OTC solution as 20 mg kg−1 cattle weight) were used in digestion studies. The methane yields of OTC‐medicated two‐phase and single‐phase digesters were 99 ± 8 and 72 ± 9 mL CH4 g−1 VS in the presence of 3.11 ± 0.12 and 3.07 ± 0.14 mg OTC L−1, respectively; whereas, non‐medicated two‐phase and single‐phase digesters had 43% and 52% higher methane yields, respectively. Fluorescence in situ hybridization results indicated that the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria was negatively correlated with the presence of OTC. Methanobacteriales seemed to be a resistant order of methanogenic Archaea to OTC and comparatively higher methane yield in two‐phase non‐medicated cattle manure digester might be the result of the poor cell activity of Methanosarcinales in two‐phase OTC‐medicated cattle manure digester.CONCLUSIONHigher OTC removal and biomethane production were achieved by two‐phase configuration, thus, it can be an alternative to treat antibiotic‐medicated manures in full‐scale applications in order to reduce its adverse effects. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Degradation of crude oil by fungal enzyme preparations from Aspergillus spp. for potential use in enhanced oil recovery
Authors: Zhang Jun‐Hui , Xue Quan‐Hong , Gao Hui , Ma Xin , Wang Ping 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBACKGROUNDMicrobial enhanced oil recovery is a potential technology to enhance crude oil recovery from depleted oil reservoirs and solve stagnant petroleum production. Relevant studies have mainly focused on the use of bacteria, with less attention paid to the potential of fungi. In this study, the efficiency of fungal extracellular enzymes for crude oil degradation and their feasibility for use in enhanced oil recovery were evaluated.RESULTSSix fungal cultures of Aspergillus spp. were isolated from oil‐contaminated surface soil samples from an oilfield. The performance of fungal extracellular enzymes to degrade crude oil was investigated using solid enzyme preparations. All the enzyme preparations efficiently degraded the alkane, aromatic, resins, asphaltene, and decreased the viscosity of crude oil to varying degrees (max 59.0%). Enzymatic degradation of crude oil was accompanied by dynamic production of gases (CO2 and H2) and organic acids (oxalate and propionate). In addition, the enzyme preparations removed 83.40–87.78% of crude oil adsorbed on filter paper.CONCLUSIONExtracellular enzymes from Aspergillus spp. are efficient in degrading crude oil, and have great potential for applications in enhanced crude oil recovery. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Tough Photoluminescent Hydrogels Doped with Lanthanide
Authors: Wang Mei Xiang , Yang Can Hui , Liu Zhen Qi , Zhou Jinxiong , Xu Feng , Suo Zhigang , Yang Jian Hai , Chen Yong Mei 
Published: January 2015

Photoluminescent hydrogels have emerged as novel soft materials with potential applications in many fields. Although many photoluminescent hydrogels have been fabricated, their scope of usage has been severely limited by their poor mechanical performance. Here, a facile strategy is reported for preparing lanthanide (Ln)‐alginate/polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels with both high toughness and photoluminescence, which has been achieved by doping Ln3+ ions (Ln = Eu, Tb, Eu/Tb) into alginate/PAAm hydrogel networks, where Ln3+ ions serve as both photoluminescent emitters and physical cross‐linkers. The resulting hydrogels exhibit versatile advantages including excellent mechanical properties (∼MPa strength, ≈20 tensile strains, ≈104 kJ m−3 energy dissipation), good photoluminescent performance, tunable emission color, excellent processability, and cytocompatibility. The developed tough photoluminescent hydrogels hold great promises for expanding the usage scope of hydrogels.
image
Management of impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease: Controversies and future approaches
Authors: Samuel Michael , Rodriguez‐Oroz Maria , Antonini Angelo , Brotchie Jonathan M. , Ray Chaudhuri Kallol , Brown Richard G. , Galpern Wendy R. , Nirenberg Melissa J. , Okun Michael S. , Lang Anthony E. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractImpulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease are a group of impulsive behaviors most often associated with dopaminergic treatment. Presently, there is a lack of high quality evidence available to guide their management. This manuscript reviews current management strategies, before concentrating on the concept of dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome and its implications for the management of impulse control disorders. Further, we focus on controversies, including the role of more recently available anti‐parkinsonian drugs, and potential future approaches involving routes of drug delivery, nonpharmacological treatments (such as cognitive behavioral therapy and deep brain stimulation), and other as yet experimental strategies. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Non‐invasive prenatal testing for trisomy 21 based on analysis of cell‐free fetal DNA circulating in the maternal plasma
Authors: Alberti A. , Salomon L. J. , Le Lorc'h M. , Couloux A. , Bussières L. , Goupil S. , Malan V. , Pelletier E. , Hyon C. , Vialard F. , Rozenberg P. , Bouhanna P. , Oury J. F. , Schmitz T. , Romana S. , Weissenbach J. , Vekemans M. , Ville Y. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractObjectiveBy‐the‐book implementation of non‐invasive prenatal test and clinical validation for trisomy 21.Study DesignPublicly funded prospective study of 225 cases. Women at risk for trisomy 21 > 1/250 based on combined ultrasound and serum markers during first or second trimester were eligible following an informed consent. The technique was established from the available literature and performed on 10 mL of venous blood collected prior to chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. Investigators were blinded to the fetal karyotype. Results were expressed in Z‐scores of the percentage of each chromosome.ResultsAmong 976 eligible cases, 225 were processed: 8 were used for pretesting phase and 23 to build a reference set. One hundred thirty six euploid cases and 47 with trisomy 21 were then run randomly. Eleven cases yielded no result (4.8%). Z‐scores were above 3 (7.58+/−2.41) for chromosome 21 in all 47 trisomies and in none of the euploid cases (0.11+/−1.0). Z‐scores were within normal range for the other chromosomes in both groups. Using a cut‐off of 3, sensitivity and specificity were of 100% 95% CI [94.1, 100] and 100% 95% CI [98, 100], respectively.ConclusionNon‐invasive prenatal test for trisomy 21 is a robust strategy that can be translated from seminal publications. Publicly funded studies should refine its indications and cost‐effectiveness in prenatal screening and diagnosis. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structure‐based design of combinatorial mutagenesis libraries
Authors: Verma Deeptak , Grigoryan Gevorg , Bailey‐Kellogg Chris 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThe development of protein variants with improved properties (thermostability, binding affinity, catalytic activity, etc.) has greatly benefited from the application of high‐throughput screens evaluating large, diverse combinatorial libraries. At the same time, since only a very limited portion of sequence space can be experimentally constructed and tested, an attractive possibility is to use computational protein design to focus libraries on a productive portion of the space. We present a general‐purpose method, called “Structure‐based Optimization of Combinatorial Mutagenesis” (SOCoM), which can optimize arbitrarily large combinatorial mutagenesis libraries directly based on structural energies of their constituents. SOCoM chooses both positions and substitutions, employing a combinatorial optimization framework based on library‐averaged energy potentials in order to avoid explicitly modeling every variant in every possible library. In case study applications to green fluorescent protein, β‐lactamase, and lipase A, SOCoM optimizes relatively small, focused libraries whose variants achieve energies comparable to or better than previous library design efforts, as well as larger libraries (previously not designable by structure‐based methods) whose variants cover greater diversity while still maintaining substantially better energies than would be achieved by representative random library approaches. By allowing the creation of large‐scale combinatorial libraries based on structural calculations, SOCoM promises to increase the scope of applicability of computational protein design and improve the hit rate of discovering beneficial variants. While designs presented here focus on variant stability (predicted by total energy), SOCoM can readily incorporate other structure‐based assessments, such as the energy gap between alternative conformational or bound states.
Resistant dextrin, as a prebiotic, improves insulin resistance and inflammation in women with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled clinical trial
Authors: Aliasgharzadeh Akbar , Dehghan Parvin , Gargari Bahram Pourghassem , Asghari-Jafarabadi Mohammad 
Published: January 2015

Improvement of insulin resistance and inflammation is a basic strategy in the management of type 2 diabetes. There is limited evidence that prebiotics improve insulin resistance and inflammation. However, the ameliorating effect of resistant dextrin, as a prebiotic, on insulin resistance and inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes has not been investigated so far. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effects of resistant dextrin on insulin resistance and inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients. In a randomised controlled clinical trial, fifty-five women with type 2 diabetes were assigned to two groups: the intervention group (n 30) and the control group (n 25). The intervention group received a daily supplement of 10 g resistant dextrin and the control group received a similar amount of maltodextrin as placebo for 8 weeks. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, insulin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), IL-6, TNF-α, malondialdehyde (MDA) and serum endotoxin concentrations were measured before and after the intervention. Data were analysed using SPSS (version 13). Paired and unpaired t tests and ANCOVA were used to compare quantitative variables after the intervention. Patients supplemented with resistant dextrin exhibited a significant decrease in fasting insulin (20·1 pmol/l, 22·8 %), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (1·3, 24·9 %), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (0·2, 7·2 %), IL-6 (1·4 pg/ml, 28·4 %), TNF-α (5·4 pg/ml, 18·8 %), MDA (1·2 nmol/ml, 25·6 %) and endotoxin (6·2 endotoxin units/ml, 17·8 %) concentrations than those supplemented with maltodextrin (P< 0·05). Decreases in FPG (0·05 mmol/l, 0·6 %), HbA1c (0·5 %, 9·6 %) and hs-CRP (2·7 ng/ml, 35·1 %) concentrations in the resistant dextrin group were not significant when compared with the maltodextrin group. In conclusion, resistant dextrin supplementation can modulate inflammation and improve insulin resistance in women with type 2 diabetes.
Self-assembly and electrostriction of arrays and chains of hopfion particles in chiral liquid crystals
Authors: Ackerman Paul J. , van de Lagemaat Jao , Smalyukh Ivan I. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractSome of the most exotic condensed matter phases, such as twist grain boundary and blue phases in liquid crystals and Abrikosov phases in superconductors, contain arrays of topological defects in their ground state. Comprised of a triangular lattice of double-twist tubes of magnetization, the so-called ‘A-phase’ in chiral magnets is an example of a thermodynamically stable phase with topologically nontrivial solitonic field configurations referred to as two-dimensional skyrmions, or baby-skyrmions. Here we report that three-dimensional skyrmions in the form of double-twist tori called ‘hopfions’, or ‘torons’ when accompanied by additional self-compensating defects, self-assemble into periodic arrays and linear chains that exhibit electrostriction. In confined chiral nematic liquid crystals, this self-assembly is similar to that of liquid crystal colloids and originates from long-range elastic interactions between particle-like skyrmionic torus knots of molecular alignment field, which can be tuned from isotropic repulsive to weakly or highly anisotropic attractive by low-voltage electric fields.
Imperceptible magnetoelectronics
Authors: Melzer Michael , Kaltenbrunner Martin , Makarov Denys , Karnaushenko Dmitriy , Karnaushenko Daniil , Sekitani Tsuyoshi , Someya Takao , Schmidt Oliver G. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractFuture electronic skin aims to mimic nature’s original both in functionality and appearance. Although some of the multifaceted properties of human skin may remain exclusive to the biological system, electronics opens a unique path that leads beyond imitation and could equip us with unfamiliar senses. Here we demonstrate giant magnetoresistive sensor foils with high sensitivity, unmatched flexibility and mechanical endurance. They are <2 μm thick, extremely flexible (bending radii <3 μm), lightweight (≈3 g m−2) and wearable as imperceptible magneto-sensitive skin that enables proximity detection, navigation and touchless control. On elastomeric supports, they can be stretched uniaxially or biaxially, reaching strains of >270% and endure over 1,000 cycles without fatigue. These ultrathin magnetic field sensors readily conform to ubiquitous objects including human skin and offer a new sense for soft robotics, safety and healthcare monitoring, consumer electronics and electronic skin devices.
A “green” strategy to construct non-covalent, stable and bioactive coatings on porous MOF nanoparticles
Authors: Agostoni V. , Horcajada P. , Noiray M. , Malanga M. , Aykaç A. , Jicsinszky L. , Vargas-Berenguel A. , Semiramoth N. , Daoud-Mahammed S. , Nicolas V. , Martineau C. , Taulelle F. , Vigneron J. , Etcheberry A. , Serre C. , Gref R. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractNanoparticles made of metal-organic frameworks (nanoMOFs) attract a growing interest in gas storage, separation, catalysis, sensing and more recently, biomedicine. Achieving stable, versatile coatings on highly porous nanoMOFs without altering their ability to adsorb molecules of interest represents today a major challenge. Here we bring the proof of concept that the outer surface of porous nanoMOFs can be specifically functionalized in a rapid, biofriendly and non-covalent manner, leading to stable and versatile coatings. Cyclodextrin molecules bearing strong iron complexing groups (phosphates) were firmly anchored to the nanoMOFs' surface, within only a few minutes, simply by incubation with aqueous nanoMOF suspensions. The coating procedure did not affect the nanoMOF porosity, crystallinity, adsorption and release abilities. The stable cyclodextrin-based coating was further functionalized with: i) targeting moieties to increase the nanoMOF interaction with specific receptors and ii) poly(ethylene glycol) chains to escape the immune system. These results pave the way towards the design of surface-engineered nanoMOFs of interest for applications in the field of targeted drug delivery, catalysis, separation and sensing.
Identification of novel viral receptors with cell line expressing viral receptor-binding protein
Authors: Mei Mei , Ye Jianqiang , Qin Aijian , Wang Lin , Hu Xuming , Qian Kun , Shao Hongxia 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThe viral cell receptors and infection can be blocked by the expression of the viral receptor-binding protein. Thus, the viral cell receptor is an attractive target for anti-viral strategies and the identification of viral cell receptor is critical for better understanding and controlling viral disease. As a model system for viral entry and anti-retroviral approaches, avian sarcoma/leukosis virus (ASLV, including the A-J ten subgroups) has been studied intensively and many milestone discoveries have been achieved based on work with ASLV. Here, we used a DF1 cell line expressed viral receptor-binding protein to efficiently identify chicken Annexin A2 (chANXA2) as a novel receptor for retrovirus ALV-J (avian leukosis virus subgroup J). Our data demonstrate that antibodies or siRNA to chANXA2 significantly inhibited ALV-J infection and replication and over-expression of chANXA2 permitted the entry of ALV-J into its non-permissible cells. Our findings have not only identified chANXA2 as a novel biomarker for anti-ALV-J, but also demonstrated that cell lines with the expression of viral receptor-binding protein could be as efficient tools for isolating functional receptors to identify novel anti-viral targets.
The first step of peptide selection in antigen presentation by MHC class I molecules
Authors: Garstka Malgorzata A. , Fish Alexander , Celie Patrick H. N. , Joosten Robbie P. , Janssen George M. C. , Berlin Ilana , Hoppes Rieuwert , Stadnik Magda , Janssen Lennert , Ovaa Huib , van Veelen Peter A. , Perrakis Anastassis , Neefjes Jacques 
Published: January 2015

SignificanceMHC class I molecules select and present a limited set of peptides from a broad repertoire provided by TAP. How MHC class I makes this selection is unclear. We show that MHC class I H-2Kbmolecules initially bind many peptides because of highly flexible binding pockets. Peptide binding is followed by a selection step wherein a large fraction of these peptides is released, leaving the canonical peptides for presentation. The peptide presentation has a remarkable temperature dependency and explains the low-affinity peptides found associated to MHC class I molecules in cells cultured at low temperature. Our data suggest that MHC class I goes through rounds of considering and rejecting peptides until peptides with high affinity are acquired for presentation.