bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimization of Hydrothermal Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass in the Bioethanol Production Process
Authors: Nitsos Christos K. , Matis Konstantinos A. , Triantafyllidis Kostas S. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThe natural resistance to enzymatic deconstruction exhibited by lignocellulosic materials has designated pretreatment as a key step in the biological conversion of biomass to ethanol. Hydrothermal pretreatment in pure water represents a challenging approach because it is a method with low operational costs and does not involve the use of organic solvents, difficult to handle chemicals, and “external” liquid or solid catalysts. In the present work, a systematic study has been performed to optimize the hydrothermal treatment of lignocellulosic biomass (beech wood) with the aim of maximizing the enzymatic digestibility of cellulose in the treated solids and obtaining a liquid side product that could also be utilized for the production of ethanol or valuable chemicals. Hydrothermal treatment experiments were conducted in a batch‐mode, high‐pressure reactor under autogeneous pressure at varying temperature (130–220 °C) and time (15–180 min) regimes, and at a liquid‐to‐solid ratio (LSR) of 15. The intensification of the process was expressed by the severity factor, log Ro. The major changes induced in the solid biomass were the dissolution/removal of hemicellulose to the process liquid and the partial removal and relocation of lignin on the external surface of biomass particles in the form of recondensed droplets. The above structural changes led to a 2.5‐fold increase in surface area and total pore volume of the pretreated biomass solids. The enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose increased from less than 7 wt % for the parent biomass to as high as 70 wt % for the treated solids. Maximum xylan recovery (60 wt %) in the hydrothermal process liquid was observed at about 80 wt % hemicellulose removal; this was accomplished by moderate treatment severities (log Ro=3.8–4.1). At higher severities (log Ro=4.7), xylose degradation products, mainly furfural and formic acid, were the predominant chemicals formed.
The metabolic deterioration that antedates diabetes: personal trajectories of HbA1c and fasting glucose as early indicators and possible triggers for intervention
Authors: Dankner Rachel , Bergman Michael , Danoff Ann , Qureshi Sana , Whitford Ian , Kaviani Nargess , Dynkevich Yevgeniya , Roth Jesse 
Published: November 2012

SummaryHbA1c testing has become an accepted means of diagnosing diabetes as an alternative to blood glucose levels. However, population‐based norms of glucose and of HbA1c levels do not enable the detection of diabetes at an early enough stage to thwart complications. Personal trajectories of glucose levels show steep increases a number of years prior to diabetes diagnosis. Here, we hypothesize that a comparable time‐dependent deviation in an individual's HbA1c level may be an early manifestation of disease that should prompt lifestyle modifications. We predict that analysis of personal trajectories of glucose and of HbA1c will promote earlier intervention and a greater reduction in disease complications than current standards, which are based on population‐based norms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Low‐complexity high‐rate irregular QC‐LDPC codes with applications to PR2 and EPR2 channels
Authors: Imtawil Virasit , Kupimai Mongkol , Kruesubthaworn Anan , Siritaratiwat Apirat , Meesomboon Anupap 
Published: November 2012

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we propose a modified high rate (3,L) quasi‐cyclic low‐density parity‐check (QC‐LDPC) code based on circulant permutation matrices for efficient encoder implementation. The structure of the code is modified from a (3,L) regular QC‐LDPC code to be an approximate lower triangular matrix and a linear independent form. We present two novel efficient encoding techniques for generating redundant parity bits. The complexity of the encoder implementation depends on the number of redundant parity bits of the code for one‐stage encoding and the length of the code for two‐stage encoding. The advantage of both encoding techniques is that few XOR gates are used in encoder implementation. The simulation results show that the proposed codes at code rate 0.884 and 0.953 have good bit error rate performance compared with other LDPC codes over PR2 and EPR2 channels. European Transactions on Telecommunications. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adult sea lamprey tolerates biliary atresia by altering bile salt composition and renal excretion
Authors: Cai Shi-Ying , Lionarons Daniël A. , Hagey Lee , Soroka Carol J. , Mennone Albert , Boyer James L. 
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The sea lamprey (

Petromyzon marinus

) is a genetically programmed animal model for biliary atresia, as it loses its bile ducts and gallbladder during metamorphosis. However, in contrast to patients with biliary atresia or other forms of cholestasis who develop progressive disease, the postmetamorphosis lampreys grow normally to adult size. To understand how the adult lamprey thrives without the ability to secrete bile, we examined bile salt homeostasis in larval and adult lampreys. Adult livers were severely cholestatic, with levels of bile salts >1 mM, but no evidence of necrosis, fibrosis, or inflammation. Interestingly, both larvae and adults had normal plasma levels (˜10 μM) of bile salts. In larvae, petromyzonol sulfate (PZS) was the predominant bile salt, whereas the major bile salts in adult liver were sulfated C27 bile alcohols. Cytotoxicity assays revealed that PZS was highly toxic. Pharmacokinetic studies in free-swimming adults revealed that ˜35% of intravenously injected bromosulfophthalein (BSP) was eliminated over a 72-hour period. Collection of urine and feces demonstrated that both endogenous and exogenous organic anions, including biliverdin, bile salts, and BSP, were predominantly excreted by way of the kidney, with minor amounts also detected in feces. Gene expression analysis detected marked up-regulation of orthologs of known organic anion and bile salt transporters in the kidney, with lesser effects in the intestine and gills in adults compared to larvae. These findings indicate that adult lampreys tolerate cholestasis by altering hepatic bile salt composition, while maintaining normal plasma bile salt levels predominantly through renal excretion of bile products. Therefore, we conclude that strategies to accelerate renal excretion of bile salt and other toxins should be beneficial for patients with cholestasis.
A randomized trial comparing conventional cytology to liquid‐based cytology and computer assistance
Authors: Klug Stefanie J. , Neis Klaus J. , Harlfinger Werner , Malter Armin , König Jochem , Spieth Sibylle , Brinkmann‐Smetanay Friederike , Kommoss Friedrich , Weyer Veronika , Ikenberg Hans 
Published: November 2012

AbstractLiquid‐based cytology (LBC) has replaced conventional cytology (CC) for cervical cancer screening in some countries. However, it remains unclear whether LBC is superior to CC. A randomized controlled trial was conducted between August 2007 and March 2009 in Germany to compare LBC, alone and in combination with computer‐assisted imaging technology (CAS), to CC in the detection of histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The main outcome measures were detection rates, relative sensitivities, positive predictive values (PPVs) and relative PPVs comparing LBC without and with CAS to CC. Primary histological outcome was CIN2 or higher. Included were 20,627 women participating in opportunistic cervical cancer screening at 20 gynecologic practices. The practices were randomized weekly to use LBC (n = 11,331) or CC (n = 9,296). Patients with positive findings were invited to expert colposcopy. The relative sensitivity of LBC versus CC using the CIN2+ cut‐off was 2.74 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.66–4.53). The relative sensitivity of LBC/CAS versus CC for CIN2+ was 3.17 (95% CI 1.94–5.19). The PPV of LBC and CC for CIN2+ was 48% and 38%, respectively. The PPV ratio did not differ significantly from unity. Differences between LBC and CC were smaller in some sensitivity and subgroup analyses; however, relative sensitivity of LBC remained increased. LBC without and with CAS compared with CC under the field conditions of an opportunistic screening system had a significantly higher sensitivity for the detection of CIN without deterioration of PPVs. Additional use of CAS did not further improve sensitivity of LBC. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ag nanorod based surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy applied to bioanalytical sensing
Authors: Negri Pierre , Dluhy Richard A. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractRecent progress in substrate nanofabrication has led to the development of Ag nanorod arrays as uniform, reproducible, large area SERS‐active substrates with high signal enhancement. These novel nanostructures fabricated by oblique angle vapor deposition (OAD) offer a robust platform for the rapid detection of biological agents and open new perspectives for the development and integration of biomedical diagnostic for clinical and therapeutic applications. Ag nanorod arrays have been investigated as SERS‐active substrates for the detection and identification of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, as well as to evaluate the potential of this biosensing platform for bio‐recognition of high affinity events using oligonucleotide‐modified substrates. This review summarizes the various nanostructured substrates designed for SERS‐based applications, highlights the nanofabrication methodology used to produce Ag nanorod arrays, outlines their morphological and physical properties, and provides a summary of the most recent uses of these substrates for clinical diagnostic and biomedical applications. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
PICVib: An accurate, fast, and simple procedure to investigate selected vibrational modes at high theoretical levels
Authors: Santos Marcus V. P. dos , Aguiar Eduardo C. , Silva João Bosco P. da , Longo Ricardo L. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractA new approach Procedure for Investigating Categories of Vibrations (PICVib) for estimating vibrational frequencies of selected modes using only the structure and energy calculations at a more demanding computational level is presented and explored. The PICVib has an excellent performance at only a small fraction of the computational demand required for a complete analytical calculation. The errors are smaller than ca. 0.5% when DFT functionals are combined with high level ab initio methods. The approach is general because it can use any quantum chemical program and electronic structure method. It is very robust because it was validated for a wide range of frequency values (ca. 20–4800 cm–1) and systems: XH3 (D3h) with X = B, Al, Ga, N, P, As, O, S, and Se, YH4 (D4h) with Y = C, Si, and Ge, conformers of RDX, SN2 and E2 reactions, [W(dppe)2(NNC5H10)] complex, carbon nanotubes, and hydrogen‐bonded complexes including guanine‐cytosine pair. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hardness potential derivatives and their relation to Fukui indices
Authors: Saha Soumen , Bhattacharjee Rituparna , Roy Ram Kinkar 
Published: November 2012

AbstractA simple as well as easy to compute formalism of hardness potential (originally defined by Parr and Gazquez, J. Phys. Chem., 1993, 97, 3939) is presented. Use of hardness potential formally resolves the N‐dependence problem of local hardness. However, the hardness potential cannot describe the intra as well as intermolecular reactivity sequence satisfactorily of some chemical systems. The corresponding electrophilic [Δ+h(k)] and nucleophilic [Δ−h(k)] variants of the hardness potential are also developed, which measure the reactivity toward a nucleophilic (i.e., Nu−) and an electrophilic (i.e., El+) reagent, respectively. Interestingly, these two variants of the hardness potential lead to the right and left derivatives of Fukui potential. The proposed reactivity descriptors correctly predict the expected reactivity trends in the chosen systems. It has also been illustrated that the values of the variants of hardness potential (or Fukui potential) at the atomic nucleus have the ability to explain the intramolecular reactivity of biologically active indole derivatives. The future scope of applications as well as limitations of the proposed descriptors is also highlighted. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ab initio calculations of the Ar–ethane intermolecular potential energy surface using bond function basis sets
Authors: Zhang Jian‐Dong , Li Shu‐Jin , Tao Fu‐Ming 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThe intermolecular potential energy surface (PES) of argon with ethane has been studied by ab initio calculations at the levels of second‐order Møller–Plesset perturbation (MP2) theory and coupled‐cluster theory with single, double, and noniterative triple configurations (CCSD(T)) using a series of augmented correlation‐consistent basis sets. Two sets of bond functions, bf1 (3s3p2d) and bf2 (6s6p4d2f), have been added to the basis sets to show a dramatic and systematic improvement in the convergence of the entire PES. The PES of Ar–ethane is characterized by a global minimum at a near T‐shaped configuration with a well depth of 0.611 kcal mol−1, a second minimum at a collinear configuration with a well depth of 0.456 kcal mol−1, and a saddle point connecting the two minima. It is shown that an augmented correlation‐consistent basis set with a set of bond functions, either bf1 or bf2, can effectively produce results equivalent to the next larger augmented correlation‐consistent basis set, that is, aug‐cc‐pVDZ‐bf1 ≈ aug‐cc‐pVTZ, aug‐cc‐pVTZ‐bf1 ≈ aug‐cc‐pVQZ. Very importantly, the use of bond functions improves the PES globally, resulting accurate potential anisotropy. Finally, MP2 method is inadequate for accurate calculations, because it gives a potentially overestimated well depth and, more seriously, a poor potential anisotropy. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
SEM‐EDX, water absorption, and wetting capability studies on evaluation of the influence of nano‐zinc oxide as additive to paraloid B72 solutions used for wooden artifacts consolidation
Authors: Tuduce Trǎistaru Ana‐Adriana , Crina Anca Sandu Irina , Cristina Timar Maria , Lucia Dumitrescu Georgeta , Sandu Ion 
Published: November 2012

AbstractConsolidation of frail, degraded wood is a key issue of wooden cultural heritage conservation. Paraloid B72 is one of the most often used consolidant in conservation practice. The present research aimed at formulating stable consolidation solutions of Paraloid B72 with ZnO nano‐additives and at determining the influence of these additives on the penetration pathways, retention of the consolidation material into wood and on the water behavior of the treated wood. The experiments were performed on sound samples of aspen (Populus tremula). The addition of nano‐ZnO slightly increased the uptake and retention of the consolidant within the wooden structure and led to hydrophobic surfaces. However, the influence of nano‐ZnO additives to the water absorption was not conclusive. Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with an EDX Detector investigation proved vessels, fibers, and interconnecting pits as main pathways of consolidant penetration into the wooden structure as well as the presence and distribution of nano‐ZnO. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Structure and Substance in Artificial‐phonology Learning, Part I: Structure
Authors: Moreton Elliott , Pater Joe 
Published: November 2012

AbstractArtificial analogues of natural‐language phonological patterns can often be learned in the lab from small amounts of training or exposure. The difficulty of a featurally‐defined pattern has been hypothesized to be affected by two main factors, its formal structure (the abstract logical configuration of the defining features) and its phonetic substance (the concrete phonetic interpretation of the pattern). This paper, the first of a two‐part series, reviews the experimental literature on structural effects. The principal finding is a robust complexity effect: Patterns which depend on more features are reliably harder to learn.
On the Flame Resistance Behavior of PP/PET Blends in the Presence of Nanoclay and a Halogen‐Free Flame Retardant
Authors: Entezam Mehdi , Khonakdar Hossein Ali , Yousefi Ali Akbar 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThe flame retardancy behavior of PP/PET blends containing organoclay and a halogen‐free flame retardant is explored. The morphological analysis reveals that the clays are mainly localized in PET bulk phase. The rheological analysis shows that the clay network structure is maintained in both PP‐rich and PET‐rich blends. The localization of clays in PET matrix exhibits a stronger impact on the rheological properties. Based on TGA it is found that the clays of network‐like structure in the blends are only capable of improving the thermal stability of the PET‐rich blend. In the same way, a higher efficiency of flame retardancy of the clays is observed for the PET‐rich blend using the cone‐calorimetry test, as compared to the PP‐rich blend.
Note on the Serre‐Swan theorem
Authors: Morye Archana S. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractWe determine a class of ringed spaces,\documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagestyle{empty}$(X,\mathcal {O}_{X})$\end{document}for which the category of locally free sheaves of bounded rank overXis equivalent to the category of finitely generated projective\documentclass{article}\usepackage{amssymb}\begin{document}\pagestyle{empty}$\Gamma ({X},{\mathcal {O}_{X}})$\end{document}‐modules. The well‐known Serre‐Swan theorems for affine schemes, differentiable manifolds, Stein spaces, etc., are then derived.
Assessment of the safety of maslinic acid, a bioactive compound from Olea europaeaL.
Authors: Sánchez‐González Marta , Lozano‐Mena Glòria , Juan M. Emília , García‐Granados Andrés , Planas Joana M. 
Published: November 2012

ScopeMaslinic acid, the main pentacyclic triterpene of the cuticle of Olea europaea L. fruit, has multiple beneficial effects on health, most notably antitumor and hypoglycemic properties. Notwithstanding the biological activities, there is a lack of knowledge about its safety. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether high doses of maslinic acid have harmful effects on Swiss CD‐1 male mice.Methods and resultsThe single oral administration of the pentacyclic triterpene at 1000 mg/kg to mice did not produce any signs of morbidity or mortality. The repeated daily oral administration of 50 mg/kg of maslinic acid for 28 days did not induce any sign of toxicity during the experimental period. Body weight did not differ between mice that received the triterpene and the control group. Similarly, hematological and biochemical variables were not affected by the treatment. Histopathologic examination of the organs revealed that there were no differences between the control and the treated mice.ConclusionTaken together the results obtained from the acute and the repeated intake of maslinic acid indicate that the compound does not exert any adverse effects on the variables tested in mice, thus suggesting a sufficient margin of safety for its putative use as a nutraceutical.
Occupational stress and its association with early retirement and subjective need for occupational rehabilitation in cancer patients
Authors: Böttcher Hilke M. , Steimann Monika , Rotsch Martin , Zurborn Karl‐Heinz , Koch Uwe , Bergelt Corinna 
Published: November 2012

AbstractObjectiveReturning to work often plays an important role for cancer survivors. Occupational stress may hamper a successful return to work, so cancer survivors should be given the opportunity to address occupational stress issues before returning to work. We investigated the amount of occupational stress among cancer patients and whether it is associated with their well‐being, their subjective need for occupational rehabilitation and elevations in their risk of early retirement.MethodsAt the beginning of rehabilitation, we asked cancer patients to respond to occupation‐related and health‐related questionnaires. We used t‐tests, chi‐square tests, and logistic regression analyses to address our research questions.ResultsA total of 477 patients participated in the study. Of these, 19% were occupationally stressed, and 26% reported subjective need for occupational rehabilitation. Patients who reported work‐related stress had a diminished quality of life, were more likely to report subjective need for occupational rehabilitation (OR = 2.16), and had a higher risk of early retirement (OR = 5.44). Furthermore, cancer patients reported deficits in both active coping abilities and mental stability at work.ConclusionsBecause occupational stress is associated with a higher risk of early retirement, both patients and physicians should take work‐related problems seriously. Screening patients for occupational stress may help physicians identify patients who are at risk of experiencing problematic work re‐entries. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest that cancer patients might have problems maintaining confidence in their abilities to solve work‐related problems. Therefore, facilitating the development of a perception of self‐efficacy might be an important treatment goal. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering Performance of Individual Gold Nanoflowers and Their Application in Live Cell Imaging
Authors: Li Qi , Jiang Yuanyuan , Han Rongcheng , Zhong Xiaolan , Liu Siyun , Li Zhi‐Yuan , Sha Yinlin , Xu Dongsheng 
Published: November 2012

AbstractMolecular imaging techniques based on surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) face a lack of reproducibility and reliability, thus hampering its practical application. Flower‐like gold nanoparticles have strong SERS enhancement performance due to having plenty of hot‐spots on their surfaces, and this enhancement is not dependent on the aggregation of the particles. These features make this kind of particle an ideal SERS substrate to improve the reproducibility in SERS imaging. Here, the SERS properties of individual flower‐like gold nanoparticles are systematically investigated. The measurements reveal that the enhancement of a single gold nanoparticle is independent of the polarization of the excitation laser with an enhancement factor as high as 108. After capping with Raman signal molecules and folic acid, the gold nanoflowers show strong Raman signal in the living cells, excellent targeting properties, and a high signal‐to‐noise ratio for SERS imaging.
Lattice Deformation and Domain Distortion in the Self‐Assembly of Block Copolymer Thin Films on Chemical Patterns
Authors: Xu Ji , Russell Thomas P. , Checco Antonio 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThe self‐assembly of cylinder‐forming block copolymer (BCP) microdomains confined within chemical stripe patterns of widths incommensurate with the natural period of the copolymers, L0, is studied. It is shown that this incommensurability causes changes in both the shapes of the microdomains and their spatial period. Specifically, a transition from n to n + 1 rows of microdomains is observed when the stripe width is about n ± 1/2 L0. When the stripe's width is comparable to L0, ellipticity of microdomains can be induced with an aspect ratio up to 2.2. Free energy models are applied to describe the energetic origin of such behavior. Although our observations qualitatively resemble results in sphere‐forming BCPs confined in topographical trenches, the quantitative difference is noteworthy and technologically important for the design of nanostructures with programmable shapes.