bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dynamic and reversible surface topography influences cell morphology
Authors: Kiang Jennifer D. , Wen Jessica H. , del Álamo Juan C. , Engler Adam J. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractMicroscale and nanoscale surface topography changes can influence cell functions, including morphology. Although in vitro responses to static topography are novel, cells in vivo constantly remodel topography. To better understand how cells respond to changes in topography over time, we developed a soft polyacrylamide hydrogel with magnetic nickel microwires randomly oriented in the surface of the material. Varying the magnetic field around the microwires reversibly induced their alignment with the direction of the field, causing the smooth hydrogel surface to develop small wrinkles; changes in surface roughness, ΔRRMS, ranged from 0.05 to 0.70 μm and could be oscillated without hydrogel creep. Vascular smooth muscle cell morphology was assessed when exposed to acute and dynamic topography changes. Area and shape changes occurred when an acute topographical change was imposed for substrates exceeding roughness of 0.2 μm, but longer‐term oscillating topography did not produce significant changes in morphology irrespective of wire stiffness. These data imply that cells may be able to use topography changes to transmit signals as they respond immediately to changes in roughness. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2013.
Ni/ZSM‐5 Zeolite Modified Carbon Paste Electrode as an Efficient Electrode for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Formaldehyde
Authors: Raoof Jahan Bakhsh , Chekin Fereshteh , Ojani Reza , Ghodrati Sakineh 
Published: January 2013

AbstractIn this study, we prepared a modified carbon paste electrode consisting of Nickel entrapped in synthesized ZSM‐5 zeolite (Ni/ZMCPE). Then Ni(II) ions were incorporated to electrode by immersion of modified electrode in 1 M Ni(II) ion solution. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry experiments were used for electrochemical study of this modified electrode; a good redox behavior of Ni(OH)2/NiOOH couple at the surface of electrode can be observed, the excellent capability of this modified electrode for catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde was demonstrated during the anodic potential sweep in alkaline solution. The amount of transfer coefficient (α), surface coverage (Γ*) of the redox species and catalytic chemical reaction rate constant (k) for formaldehyde were evaluated. Thus, it can be a candidate as an anode for fuel cell application.
Systemic effects of Wnt signaling
Authors: Maruotti Nicola , Corrado Addolorata , Neve Anna , Cantatore Francesco Paolo 
Published: January 2013

AbstractWnt signaling plays a key role in several physiological and pathological aspects. Even if Wnt signal was first described more than 20 years ago, its role in systemic effects, such as angiogenesis and vascular disorders, bone biology, autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, and neoplastic disorders, was only recently emerged through the use of animal and in vitro models. Moreover, Wnt signaling inhibitors, such as DKK‐1, may be advantageously considered targets for the treatment of several diseases, including osteoporosis, vascular diseases, inflammatory diseases, neurological diseases, and cancer. Nevertheless, further studies are required to provide a complete understanding of this complex signaling pathway, and especially of its role in human diseases, considering the possible advantageous effects of Wnt signaling inhibitors on the progression of disease conditions. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 1428–1432, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Molecular epidemiology of Echovirus 30 in Fujian, China between 2001 and 2011
Authors: Yang Xiu‐hui , Yan Yan‐sheng , Weng Yu‐wei , He Ai‐hua , Zhang Hong‐rong , Chen Wei , Zhou Yong 
Published: January 2013

AbstractEchovirus 30 (E‐30) was responsible for an outbreak of aseptic meningitis between April 1 and June 2, 2011 in Fujian Province, China. A molecular epidemiology study of 115 E‐30 strains was performed to characterize the genetic features of the etiologic agent of the 2011 aseptic meningitis outbreak. The phylogenetic trees of the complete VP1 gene (876 bp) from 74 of 115 isolates and 50 reference sequences were analyzed. Three lineages (E‐30_h, i, and j) were detected that had co‐circulated in Fujian in the last decade, of which E‐30_j was new. The other 72 Fujian strains and 16 representative strains from other provinces of China all belong to E‐30_h and E‐30_i. Two distinct E‐30 clusters including virus isolates obtained during adult surveillance were associated with the 2011 outbreak and differed from Fujian isolates prior to 2011, suggesting that the viruses may vary and adult infections play an important role in viral transmission. Thus, the multiple lineages of E‐30 in Fujian and variant viruses enhanced transmissibility, which may be related to the epidemic activity of E‐30. J. Med. Virol. 85:696–702, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Norovirus infection in children admitted to hospital for acute gastroenteritis in Belém, Pará, Northern Brazil
Authors: Siqueira Jones Anderson Monteiro , Linhares Alexandre da Costa , de Carvalho Thaís Cristina Nascimento , Aragão Glicélia Cruz , Oliveira Darleise de Souza , dos Santos Mirleide Cordeiro , de Sousa Maisa Silva , Justino Maria Cleonice Aguiar , Mascarenhas Joana D'Arc Pereira , Gabbay Yvone Benchimol 
Published: January 2013

AbstractNoroviruses are the leading cause of epidemic, non‐bacterial outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis, and are also a major cause of sporadic acute gastroenteritis in infants. The aim of the present study was to identify norovirus infections in children not infected by rotavirus admitted to hospital for acute gastroenteritis in Belém. A total of 348 fecal specimens were obtained from children with diarrhea aged less than 5 years, all of whom had tested negative for rotavirus, between May 2008 and April 2010. Fecal samples were screened for norovirus antigen using enzyme‐immunoassay (EIA). Specimens were subjected to reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) using the primers Mon432/434–Mon431/433 for detection of the GI and GII norovirus strains, respectively. Based on both methods, the overall norovirus positivity rate was 36.5% (127/348). Of the 169 samples collected in the first year, 44.4% (n = 75) tested positive for norovirus using both methods, 35.5% (n = 60) by EIA and 40.8% (n = 69) by RT‐PCR. Using RT‐PCR as a reference standard, a sensitivity of 78.3%, specificity of 94%, and agreement of 87.6% were recorded. Genome sequencing was obtained for 22 (31.9%) of the 69 positive samples, of which 90.9% (20/22) were genotype GII.4d and 9.1% (2/22) were genotype GII.b. Norovirus infection was most frequent in children under 2 years of age (41.5%–115/277). The peak incidence (62.1%) of norovirus‐related acute gastroenteritis in these patients (not infected by rotavirus) was observed in February 2010. These findings emphasize the importance of norovirus as a cause of severe acute gastroenteritis among children in Belém, Pará, Northern Brazil. J. Med. Virol. 85:737–744, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mixed responses of farmland birds to the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program in Pennsylvania
Authors: Pabian Sarah E. , Wilson Andrew M. , Brittingham Margaret C. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe Pennsylvania Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) was initiated in 2000 and within 4 years, 40,000 ha of conservation grasslands were established in southern Pennsylvania. We determined whether CREP habitat has benefitted farmland and grassland bird populations during the 10 years since the program began. From 2001 to 2010, bird surveyors conducted road‐side point counts in a 20‐county area in south‐central Pennsylvania. We observed positive CREP effects on the abundances (in 2009–2010) and changes in abundance (from 2001–2002 to 2009–2010) of 5 species, including eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna); negative CREP effects for 3 species, including vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus); and no CREP effects for 2 species, including grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum). We additionally observed changes in the size and direction of the local CREP effects (within 250 m of count locations) depending on the amount of CREP grassland or field cover in the surrounding landscape (within 5,000 m of survey routes). For example, the local CREP effect on the change in abundance of eastern meadowlarks was 15 times greater at points nested within landscapes with 9% CREP cover compared to landscapes with 1% CREP cover, indicating the potential for greater benefits of adding new CREP grasslands to areas with more CREP habitat already in the surrounding area. We conclude that more careful spatial targeting of CREP enrollment could improve the benefits of the program for farmland and grassland bird populations. © The Wildlife Society, 2013
The influence of lubricating oil on deposits formation in a diesel engine under the operation condition of high power density
Authors: Dong Lihui , Liang Xingyu , Shu Gequn 
Published: January 2013

ABSTRACTThe requirements of higher power density and stricter regulations on emissions of internal combustion engines lead to lubricating oil's role shifting from simply lubricating to adapting higher power density and to achieving lower emissions. An important factor influencing an engine's power and emissions is the deposits in the engine. Lubricating oil is a chief contributor to deposits formation. The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of lubricating oil on deposits formation when the engine is operated under high power density. Metal elements content in lubricating oil and changes to power and emissions were measured to verify deposits changes. Different power densities can be achieved by adjusting the fuel supply system in the engine. Three kinds of synthesised lubricating oils were used in the investigation. The temperature of the oil pan and cooling water was strictly controlled. The experimental results demonstrated well the influence of the quality of different kinds of oil on deposits formation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multipeak fat‐corrected complex R2* relaxometry: Theory, optimization, and clinical validation
Authors: Hernando Diego , Kramer J. Harald , Reeder Scott B. 
Published: January 2013

PurposeTo develop R2* mapping techniques corrected for confounding factors and optimized for noise performance.Theory and MethodsConventional R2* mapping is affected by two key confounding factors: noise‐related bias and the presence of fat in tissue. Noise floor effects introduce bias in magnitude‐based reconstructions, particularly at high R2* values. The presence of fat, if uncorrected, introduces severe protocol‐dependent bias. In this work, the bias/noise properties of different R2* mapping reconstructions (magnitude‐ and complex‐fitting, fat‐uncorrected, and fat‐corrected) are characterized using Cramer‐Rao Bound analysis, simulations, and in vivo data. A framework for optimizing the choice of echo times is provided. Finally, the robustness of liver R2* mapping in the presence of fat is evaluated in 28 subjects.ResultsFat‐corrected R2* mapping removes fat‐related bias without noise penalty over a wide range of R2* values. Complex nonlinear least‐squares fitted and fat‐corrected R2* reconstructions that account for the spectral complexity of fat provide robust R2* estimates with low bias and optimized noise performance over a wide range of echo times combinations and R2* values.ConclusionThe use of complex fitting and fat‐correction improves the robustness, noise performance, and accuracy of R2* measurements, and are necessary to establish R2* as quantitative imaging biomarker in the liver. Magn Reson Med 70:1319–1331, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Development, characterization, and modeling of environmentally friendly open‐cell acoustic foams
Authors: Mosanenzadeh Shahrzad Ghaffari , Naguib Hani E. , Park Chul B. , Atalla Noureddine 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis study shows the development of new polymeric open‐cell foams from polypropylene (PP) and polylactide (PLA) resins with a focus on sound absorption properties and modeling of these foams. The objective is to develop new environmentally friendly foams to replace the existing non‐recyclable Polyurethane foams are currently used for sound insulation in industry. Through this research, open‐cell foams of about 90% porosity were fabricated from PP and PLA. These resins were selected since PP is a recyclable thermoplastic polymer, and PLA is a bio‐based thermoplastic polymer made from renewable resources. Polyurethane (PU) foam which is currently used for sound absorption and noise control in industry was compared to the fabricated PP and PLA foams. As the first attempt to fabricate environmentally friendly acoustic foams, the resulting foam structures show improved properties as compared to the existing materials. The average absorption of PP and PLA foams fabricated is in the range of 0.42–0.55 which is comparable or even higher than the average absorption of PU foam. To better understand the effect of structural and material properties on sound absorption and further improve the acoustic performance of bio‐based foams, an analytical model based on Johnson–Champoux–Allard model was used to numerically simulate the acoustic performance of foams under study. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
Evaluation of thiol‐ene click chemistry in functionalized polysiloxanes
Authors: Cole Megan A. , Bowman Christopher N. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractPolysiloxanes are commonly used in a myriad of applications, and the “click” nature of the thiol‐ene reaction is well suited for introducing alternative functionalities or for crosslinking these ubiquitous polymers. As such, understanding of the thiol‐ene reaction in the presence of silicones is valuable and would lead to enhanced methodologies for modification and crosslinking. Here, the thiol‐ene reaction kinetics were investigated in functionalized oligosiloxanes having varying degrees of thiol functionalization (SH), π–π interactions (from diphenyls, DP), and ene types (CC). In the ene‐functionalized oligomers, π–π interactions were controlled through the use of dioctyl repeats (DO). The polymerization rate and rate‐limiting steps were determined for all systems containing an allyl‐functionalized oligomer, and rates ranging from 0.10 to 0.54 mol L−1 min−1 were seen. The rate‐limiting step varied with the oligomer composition; examples of rate‐limited propagation (5:3:2 CC:DP:DO/1:1 SH:DP) or chain transfer (5:3:2 CC:DP:DO/3:1 SH:DP) were found in addition to cases with similar reaction rate constants (5:2:3 CC:DP:DO/1:1 SH:DP). None of the siloxanes were found to exhibit autoacceleration despite their relatively high viscosities. Instead, the allyl‐, vinyl‐, and acrylate‐functionalized siloxanes were all found to undergo unimolecular termination based on their high α scaling values (0.98, 0.95, and 0.82, respectively) in the relation Rp ∝ Riα. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013
Gender Relations and Effect of Credit Availability on Household Expenditure: Evidence from Rural Bangladesh
Authors: Jayaraman Anuja , Findeis Jill L. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractTo improve the well‐being of individuals, development policies not only have to take into account how resources are allocated within the family or household but also look at the impact of this resource allocation on individuals. The objective of this article is to understand how intrahousehold dynamics (e.g., variations in household bargaining behaviors) lead to differences in outcomes of specific interest (e.g., food and non‐food expenditure). The household bargaining model is used to study the effects of credit, both formal and informal, on consumption choices. The focus is on the household expenditure patterns and participation in the credit market is taken as the measure of bargaining between the head and the spouse. This article uses the International Food Policy Research Institute's Food Management and Research Support Project (IFPRI‐FMRSP) household survey of Bangladesh for the years 1998–99. OLS is used to estimate the food share and personal care share equations, and Tobit models are used to estimate the 10 other non‐food budget shares. Our results indicated that more men compared to women participate in the credit market. Amount of credit taken by the male household head negatively affects food expenditure and positively affects the share spent on adult goods. The negative effect on food expenditure has policy implications related to nutritional intake and educational attainment of children in the household. Women's use of credit has a positive impact on the expense of children's goods, durable goods, education, and housing. The results show that resources in the hands of women have implications for improvement in child outcomes, especially educational outcomes.
Duplication in CHIT1 gene and the risk for aspergillus lung disease in CF patients
Authors: Livnat Galit , Bar‐Yoseph Ronen , Mory Adi , Dagan Efrat , Elias Nael , Gershoni Ruth , Bentur Lea 
Published: January 2013

AbstractBackgroundAspergillus often persists in the respiratory tract of patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and may cause allergic broncho‐pulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Chitinases are enzymes that digest the chitin polymer. Plants use chitinase as a defense mechanism against fungi. Chitotriosidase (CHIT1) is the major chitinase in human airways. Variation in the coding region with 24‐bp duplication allele results in reduced CHIT1 activity. Recently, CHIT1 duplication heterozygocity was found in 6/6 patients with severe asthma and fungal sensitization (SAFS).AimOur aim was to evaluate the link between CHIT1 duplication in CF patients and the predisposition to Allergic broncho‐pulmonary mycosis (ABPM) or persistent Aspergillus positive sputum (APS).Patients and MethodsCHIT1 duplication was assessed in three CF groups. Group 1: patients who had neither ABPM nor APS in the past (control group). Group 2: patients with persistent APS (≥2/year), without ABPA. Group 3: patients with current or past ABPM.ResultsForty patients with CF were included in the analysis, CHIT1 duplication heterozygocity was found in 3/6 (50%) of the patients in the ABPM group, 3/12 (25%) in the APS group, and 7/22 (31.8%) in the control group (P > 0.05). Eleven patients carried W1282X mutation, 90.9% were negative for CHIT1 duplication, five of them were homozygous for W1282X; none of them had CHIT1 duplication or ABPM.ConclusionsCHIT1 duplication is not found in all CF patients with ABPM in contrast to patients with SAFS. These results suggest that CHIT1 duplication cannot be the sole explanation for Aspergillus positive sputum in CF patients. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2014; 49:21–27. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Molecular dynamics simulation of PNPLA3 I148M polymorphism reveals reduced substrate access to the catalytic cavity
Authors: Xin Yong‐Ning , Zhao Yuqi , Lin Zhong‐Hua , Jiang Xiangjun , Xuan Shi‐Ying , Huang Jingfei 
Published: January 2013

AbstractA missense mutation I148M in PNPLA3 (patatin‐like phospholipase domain‐containing 3 protein) is significantly correlated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To glean insights into mutation's effect on enzymatic activity, we performed molecular dynamics simulation and flexible docking studies. Our data show that the size of the substrate‐access entry site is significantly reduced in mutants, which limits the access of palmitic acid to the catalytic dyad. Besides, the binding free energy calculations suggest low affinity for substrate to mutant enzyme. The substrate‐bound system simulations reveal that the spatial arrangement of palmitic acid is distinct in wild‐type from that in mutant. The substrate recognition specificity is lost due to the loop where the I148M mutation was located. Our results provide strong evidence for the mechanism by which I148M affects the enzyme activity and suggest that mediating the dynamics may offer a potential avenue for NAFLD. Proteins 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Three enhancements to the inference of statistical protein‐DNA potentials
Authors: AlQuraishi Mohammed , McAdams Harley H. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe energetics of protein‐DNA interactions are often modeled using so‐called statistical potentials, that is, energy models derived from the atomic structures of protein‐DNA complexes. Many statistical protein‐DNA potentials based on differing theoretical assumptions have been investigated, but little attention has been paid to the types of data and the parameter estimation process used in deriving the statistical potentials. We describe three enhancements to statistical potential inference that significantly improve the accuracy of predicted protein‐DNA interactions: (i) incorporation of binding energy data of protein‐DNA complexes, in conjunction with their X‐ray crystal structures, (ii) use of spatially‐aware parameter fitting, and (iii) use of ensemble‐based parameter fitting. We apply these enhancements to three widely‐used statistical potentials and use the resulting enhanced potentials in a structure‐based prediction of the DNA binding sites of proteins. These enhancements are directly applicable to all statistical potentials used in protein‐DNA modeling, and we show that they can improve the accuracy of predicted DNA binding sites by up to 21%. Proteins 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Solvated protein–protein docking using Kyte‐Doolittle‐based water preferences
Authors: Kastritis Panagiotis L. , Visscher Koen M. , van Dijk Aalt D. J. , Bonvin Alexandre M. J. J. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractHADDOCK is one of the few docking programs that can explicitly account for water molecules in the docking process. Its solvated docking protocol starts from hydrated molecules and a fraction of the resulting interfacial waters is subsequently removed in a biased Monte Carlo procedure based on water‐mediated contact probabilities. The latter were derived from an analysis of water contact frequencies from high‐resolution crystal structures. Here, we introduce a simple water‐mediated amino acid–amino acid contact probability scale derived from the Kyte‐Doolittle hydrophobicity scale and assess its performance on the largest high‐resolution dataset developed to date for solvated docking. Both scales yield high‐quality docking results. The novel and simple hydrophobicity scale, which should reflect better the physicochemical principles underlying contact propensities, leads to a performance improvement of around 10% in ranking, cluster quality and water recovery at the interface compared with the statistics‐based original solvated docking protocol. Proteins 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Men's health in Australia
Authors: Lynch William 
Published: January 2013

AbstractAlthough Australian men are no different from most men around the world in that they suffer poorer health outcomes than women, the government has only recently launched a national male health policy to identify priorities to improve all aspects of male health. Bill Lynch outlines some of the programmes that have been initiated as a result and discusses ideas for moving forward. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons
Advanced prostate cancer – optimising and integrating care
Authors: Payne Heather A. , Farnham Chris , Kirby Mike , Troup Janis 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis report summarises discussions led by specialists in secondary, primary and palliative care during a series of four regional meetings organised by the British Uro‐oncology Group in partnership with Macmillan. The aim of these meetings was to debate appropriate pathways of care for patients with advanced disease, focusing on sequencing of therapy and palliative care. They also provided a forum to increase awareness and understanding across professional disciplines of NHS reforms and commissioning processes in the field of prostate cancer. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons