bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantification of free fetal DNA in multiple pregnancies and relationship with chorionicity
Authors: Attilakos George , Maddocks Deborah G. , Davies Teresa , Hunt Linda P. , Avent Neil D. , Soothill Peter W. , Grant Simon R. 
Published: July 2011

ObjectiveFree fetal DNA (ffDNA) in the maternal plasma appears to originate mainly from the trophoblast. We tested the hypothesis that ffDNA concentration is increased in multiple pregnancies where trophoblastic mass has been shown to be increased.MethodsQuantitative real‐time PCR was used to measure the plasma concentration of DYS14 in singleton and twin pregnancies with one or two male fetuses. Royston and Wright's regression method was used to relate ffDNA to gestational age in singleton controls; z‐scores were calculated for the multiple pregnancy subgroups.ResultsFifty‐five singleton and 65 twin pregnancies (36 with one and 29 with two male fetuses) were analysed. There was significantly higher ffDNA concentration in twin pregnancies with two male fetuses compared with pregnancies with one male fetus. In cases with two male fetuses, there was no statistically significant difference between monochorionic and dichorionic pregnancies.ConclusionsThere is higher ffDNA concentration in multiple pregnancies, and this must be taken into account for future quantitative ffDNA applications. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Birth outcomes among women exposed to neuraminidase inhibitors during pregnancy
Authors: Svensson Tobias , Granath Fredrik , Stephansson Olof , Kieler Helle 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTPurposeTo compare birth outcomes between women exposed and unexposed to the antiviral medications oseltamivir or zanamivir during pregnancy.MethodsThis was an observational cohort study including women who gave birth to singletons in Sweden 2005–2007 and their infants. We obtained information from the national health registers and evaluated risks of low Apgar score, small for gestational age (SGA), low birth weight, preterm delivery, congenital malformations, birth‐related death (stillbirth and neonatal death combined), and neonatal morbidity by conditional logistic regression. The unexposed [n = 860] were matched to the exposed [n = 86] by birth year and fetal gender.ResultsA total of 81 women filled a prescription with oseltamivir only, 2 with zanamivir, and 3 with both oseltamivir and zanamivir. Compared with the unexposed infants, the exposed ones had higher risks of late transient hypoglycemia (crude OR = 4.00, 95%CI: 1.26–12.76). There were no statistical increased risks of low Apgar score, congenital malformations, SGA, low birth weight, preterm birth, or birth‐related death. Adjusting for maternal age, parity, smoking, and body mass index had minor effects on the results. None of the women exposed to oseltamivir or zanamivir had been admitted to hospital for influenza during their pregnancy.ConclusionsExcept for an increased risk of late transient hypoglycemia, we found no increased risks of adverse birth outcomes among infants exposed to neuraminidase inhibitors in fetal life compared with the unexposed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Irish Medicines Board safety warnings: do they affect prescribing rates in primary care?
Authors: Musleh S. , Kraus S. , Bennett K. , Zaharan N. L. 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTPurposeTo examine the impact of safety warnings issued between 2005 and 2007 by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) on the rate of prescribing of clopidogrel, co‐amoxiclav, celecoxib and haloperidol by primary care physicians in the General Medical Services (GMS) scheme across Ireland.MethodsThis study was performed using the Irish Health Service Executive–Primary Care Reimbursement Services national prescribing database. Rate of prescribing per 1000 GMS population was calculated for each of the 12  months before and after the IMB warnings were issued to physicians. A segmented regression analysis was used to examine the change in level and trend in prescribing rates before and after the IMB warnings. Regression coefficients are presented with SEs. Significance at p < 0.05 was assumed. SPSS 16 and SAS were used for statistical analysis.ResultsPrescribing of clopidogrel continued to rise in both genders following the warning. This increase was slightly higher in male patients. The prescribing of co‐amoxiclav showed seasonal variation with significant autocorrelation. The rate of prescribing of celecoxib declined approximately 4  months prior to the IMB warning. A significant decrease in the level and trend of the rate of prescribing of celecoxib was observed with evident discontinuity. The IMB warning had no significant effect on the level of trend in the prescribing of haloperidol, suggesting no discontinuity.ConclusionsResults indicate that the IMB safety warnings had inconsistent effects on the rate of prescribing of drugs considered. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantitative temporal proteomic analysis of human embryonic stem cell differentiation into oligodendrocyte progenitor cells
Authors: Chaerkady Raghothama , Letzen Brian , Renuse Santosh , Sahasrabuddhe Nandini A. , Kumar Praveen , All Angelo H. , Thakor Nitish V. , Delanghe Bernard , Gearhart John D. , Pandey Akhilesh , Kerr Candace L. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractOligodendrocytes (OLs) are glial cells of the central nervous system, which produce myelin. Cultured OLs provide immense therapeutic opportunities for treating a variety of neurological conditions. One of the most promising sources for such therapies is human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as well as providing a model to study human OL development. For these purposes, an investigation of proteome level changes is critical for understanding the process of OL differentiation. In this report, an iTRAQ‐based quantitative proteomic approach was used to study multiple steps during OL differentiation including neural progenitor cells, glial progenitor cells and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) compared to undifferentiated ESCs. Using a 1% false discovery rate cutoff, ∼3145 proteins were quantitated and several demonstrated progressive stage‐specific expression. Proteins such as transferrin, neural cell adhesion molecule 1, apolipoprotein E and wingless‐related MMTV integration site 5A showed increased expression from the neural progenitor cell to the OPC stage. Several proteins that have demonstrated evidence or been suspected in OL maturation were also found upregulated in OPCs including fatty acid‐binding protein 4, THBS1, bone morphogenetic protein 1, CRYAB, transferrin, tenascin C, COL3A1, TGFBI and EPB41L3. Thus, by providing the first extensive proteomic profiling of human ESC differentiation into OPCs, this study provides many novel proteins that are potentially involved in OL development.
Transferring network topological knowledge for predicting protein–protein interactions
Authors: Xu Qian , Xiang Evan Wei , Yang Qiang 
Published: July 2011

AbstractProtein–protein interactions (PPIs) play an important role in cellular processes within a cell. An important task is to determine the existence of interactions among proteins. Unfortunately, the existing biological experimental techniques are expensive, time‐consuming and labor‐intensive. The network structures of many such networks are sparse, incomplete and noisy. Thus, state‐of‐the‐art methods for link prediction in these networks often cannot give satisfactory prediction results, especially when some networks are extremely sparse. Noticing that we typically have more than one PPI network available, we naturally wonder whether it is possible to ‘transfer’ the linkage knowledge from some existing, relatively dense networks to a sparse network, to improve the prediction performance. Noticing that a network structure can be modeled using a matrix model, we introduce the well‐known collective matrix factorization technique to ‘transfer’ usable linkage knowledge from relatively dense interaction network to a sparse target network. Our approach is to establish a correspondence between a source network and a target network via network‐wide similarities. We test this method on two real PPI networks, Helicobacter pylori (as a target network) and human (as a source network). Our experimental results show that our method can achieve higher performance as compared with some baseline methods.
Suppression of composition modulation in In‐rich InxGa1−xN layer with high In content (x ∼ 0.67)
Authors: Jeong Myoungho , Lee Hyo Sung , Han Seok Kyu , Shin Eun‐Jung , Hong Soon‐Ku , Lee Jeong Yong , Song Jung‐Hoon , Yao Takafumi 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThe composition modulation of in In‐rich InxGa1−xN layers with an indium content as high as ∼67% was suppressed in plasma‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy on c‐sapphire substrates. It was found that the higher nitrogen plasma flow rate was very effective in suppression of composition modulation in In‐rich InGaN layers. X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopic images clearly showed disappearance of composition modulation with increasing the nitrogen flow rate.
Fabrication of high open‐circuit voltage a‐Si1–xOx:H solar cells by using p‐a‐Si1–xOx:H as window layer
Authors: Inthisang Sorapong , Krajangsang Taweewat , Yunaz Ihsanul Afdi , Yamada Akira , Konagai Makoto , Wronski Christopher R. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractWe have deposited p‐type hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (p‐a‐Si1‐xOx:H) by 13.56 MHz radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF‐PECVD) using a gas mixture of silane (SiH4), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and diborane (B2H6). Optical and electrical characterization showed that high quality wide optical band‐gap (Eopt) p‐a‐Si1‐xOx:H films could be achieved by using low doping concentration and high H2 dilution. We also fabricated a‐Si1‐xOx:H single‐junction p‐i‐n solar cells by using p‐a‐Si1‐xOx:H and intrinsic a‐Si1‐xOx:H as window and absorber layer, respectively. These solar cells exhibited open circuit voltages of over 1.05 V and good short‐circuit currents as well as fill factors (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Testing and failure analysis of thin film solar cells
Authors: Boit Christian , Boostandoost Mahyar , Friedrich Felice , Glowacki Arkadiusz 
Published: July 2011

AbstractElements of a systematic concept for test, characterization and analysis of thin film solar cells is discussed that is based on application and comparison of respective techniques in the world of micro‐ and nanoelectronic technologies, Starting with test and reliability issues, in depth electrical characterization like activation energy analysis from reverse dark currents, is presented. Analysis techniques that belong to the concept require electrically active devices and include all aspects of luminescence and stimulation. A key topic in electronic devices, Focused Ion Beam based Device or Circuit Edit, is also evaluated for application in thin film photovoltaics. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Optimization of the absorber layer for a‐Si:H and a‐Si1–xGex:H single‐junction solar cells
Authors: Tsai C. C. , Hsu C. H. , Hsu H. J. , Cheng P. H. , Wang C. M. , Huang Y. T. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThis paper focuses on the optimization of the absorber layers in single‐junction a‐Si:H and a‐Si1‐xGex:H solar cells. For a‐Si:H thin‐film solar cells, we have found the electrode‐to‐substrate (E/S) spacing is an important parameter. By optimizing the E/S spacing, the cell efficiency was improved from 7.62% to 8.70% due to an improvement in material quality and JSC. For a‐Si1‐xGex:H solar cells, by optimizing the Ge‐content, the microstructure parameter and the graded bandgap, we were able to improve the cell efficiency to 8.15%. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Surface nitridation of silicon nano‐particles using double multi‐hollow discharge plasma CVD
Authors: Uchida Giichiro , Yamamoto Kosuke , Kawashima Yuki , Sato Muneharu , Nakahara Kenta , Kamataki Kunihiro , Itagaki Naho , Koga Kazunori , Kondo Michio , Shiratani Masaharu 
Published: July 2011

AbstractWe present production of silicon nano‐particles and their surface nitridation for efficient multiple‐exciton generation. Nitridated silicon nano‐particles were produced using double multi‐hollow discharge plasma CVD, where generation of silicon particles and their nitridation were independently performed using SiH4/H2 and N2 multi‐hollow discharge plasmas. We succeeded in controlling nitrogen content in a silicon nano‐particle by varying a number density of N radicals irradiated to the Si particle. We also observed strong photoluminescence (PL) emission around 300‐500 nm from silicon nano‐particles, where the PL peak energy is about 2.5 and 3.1 eV for pure Si nano‐particles, and 2.5, 3.1, and 4.1 eV for nitridated Si nano‐particles. The additional UV‐peak of 4.1 eV from nitridated Si particles is closely related to the nitridation surface layer on Si nano‐particles (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
High energy yield low‐voltage silicon thin‐film solar modules
Authors: Tsai Chin‐Yao , Tsai Chin‐Yi 
Published: July 2011

AbstractLow‐voltage, 30 V and 70 V, amorphous/microcrystalline tandem silicon thin‐film solar modules with high energy yield have been successfully designed and mass produced from Auria Solar and certificated by TÜV Rheinland. Several key technologies, such as Moon Technology and Hot Technology, were researched, developed, and introduced into the production line to enhance the performance of these low‐voltage modules and narrow their power distribution in mass production. A 900 kW PV system with these low‐voltage panels was installed and its performance ratio has been simulated and projected to be 92.1%, which is much better than the crystalline silicon and CdTe counterparts. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A Productivity Study of Digital Printing in the Packaging Industry
Authors: Ryynänen Marko , Sirviö Petri , Tanninen Panu , Lindell Henry 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARYIn this study, the suitability of digital printing is evaluated in short runs in packaging industry. The image quality of digital printing is high enough to be used in packaging. The advantages of digital printing and modern converting processes include e.g. the possibilities of using variable data, on‐demand manufacturing and cost‐effectiveness within short print runs. The limitations may include a smaller colour gamut compared to traditional presses, format size, productivity and lower printing speed. In addition, the variety of substrates for use is smaller than in traditional printing.The productivity of the world's first integrated digital printing line designed for short runs was tested by simulating various packaging runs in production. For further analysis, an MS Excel calculation tool was developed. In the calculations, the productivity of a digital packaging line was compared with that of a standard packaging line based on an offline offset printing technique. The cost advantages to be achieved by digital printing techniques in short runs are discussed in two scenarios. The scenarios address the subjects' break‐even point and inline production process.The results of the study show that it is possible to achieve significant cost savings using the inline digital printing and converting systems when compared with traditional offline manufacturing systems in short runs. However, as there are numerous variables included to the production process, it is impossible to present any exact numbers for the break‐even point. In this study, the break‐even point calculated is estimated to be in the range of 4000–8000 packages, depending on the package and sheet sizes. The greatest difference in price per package occurs when the runs are below 2000 packages. Based on the calculations, the inline process itself can decrease the payback time for the machine line as much as 20–35%.One significant factor to be mindful of is that when digital printing is used in the short runs, it often releases machine time from the traditional presses. This part of the analysis has not been included in this study, but using the calculation tool, it is easy to simulate different scenarios and perform further analyses on the systems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ab initio effective rotational Hamiltonians: A comparative study
Authors: Cassam‐Chenaï P. , Bouret Y. , Rey M. , Tashkun S. A. , Nikitin A. V. , Tyuterev VL. G. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractTwo independent methods to obtain ab initio effective rotational Hamiltonians have been implemented recently. The first one is based on a generalization of perturbation theory to noncommutative rings, the other one on contact transformation (CT) techniques. In principle, both methods are able to give rotational Hamiltonians including centrifugal distortion effects of arbitrary high orders. These methods are compared, for the first time, in this article with regard to calculations of the rotational levels of methane vibrational ground state. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012
Liposome impaired the adhesion and spreading of HEK293 cells: an AFM study
Authors: Jin Hua , Ma Shuyuan , Song Bing , Ma Lina , Pi Jiang , Chen Xianxian , Chen Yong , Cai Jiye 
Published: July 2011

AbstractGene transfer has been proven to be a promising approach for treatment of several diseases. The cytotoxicity of transfection reagents is one of the key factors for clinical applications. The cytotoxicity of liposome has been extensively studied. However, its effects on the adhesion and spreading of transformed cells are still unclear. In this study, the cytotoxic effects of liposome on cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential of HEK293 cells were first evaluated. Then, an atomic force microscope (AFM) was recruited to investigate the effects of liposome on the adhesion and spreading of HEK293 cells. AFM data indicated that liposome induced a significant decrease in number of cellular pseudopodia and cell‐surface particles, in cell‐surface roughness, and in average adhesion force of cell membranes. The AFM data implied that liposome impaired the adhesion and spreading of HEK293 cells. SCANNING 33:413–418, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effect of thermal annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of magnetron sputtered hydrogenated amorphous carbon films
Authors: Zhang Bin , Zhou Yan , Zhang Junyan , Wang Zhou 
Published: July 2011

AbstractHydrogenated amorphous carbon films were deposited by magnetron sputtering of a carbon target in a methane/argon atmosphere. A postdeposition annealing at 300 °C was performed and the microstructure, bonding structure and mechanical properties of the as‐deposited and annealed films were analyzed and compared directly by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, micro‐Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and nanoindentation. The results showed that the carbon films are quite stable upon annealing, since there are only minor changes in microstructure and chemical bonding in the amorphous matrix. The hardness of the films remained unaffected, but the elastic properties were somewhat deteriorated. In comparison to the outcomes of our previous work on the growth of fullerene‐like hydrogenated carbon films, we can state that the formation of fullerene‐like carbon structures requires different sputtering process conditions, such as a higher ion energy and/or different sputtering target. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of starch acryloylation on the grafting efficiency, adhesion, and film properties of acryloylated starch‐g‐poly(acrylic acid) for warp sizing
Authors: Li Manli , Zhu Zhifeng , Pan Xia 
Published: July 2011

AbstractIn order to enhance the grafting efficiency of graft copolymerization of granular cornstarch with acrylic acid (AA) for improving the adhesion and film properties of starch‐g‐poly(acrylic acid) used as sizing agent, the esterification of hydrolyzed starch with acryloyl chloride was applied before graft copolymerization. The influence of three common initiators on the copolymerization were also studied. The initiators included ceric ammonium nitrate [Ce(NH4)2(NO3)6], hydrogen peroxide/ferrous ammonium sulfate [H2O2/FeSO4 · (NH4)2SO4], and potassium persulfate/sodium bisulfite [K2S2O8/NaHSO3]. It was found that acryloylation of starch before the copolymerization was an effective method for substantially enhancing the grafting efficiency and improving the performances such as adhesion‐to‐fibers and mechanical properties of grafted starch film. The acryloylation could increase the efficiency to 67–81% when the degree of substitution (DS) of acryloylated starch ranged from 0.010 to 0.036. The adhesion to polyester and cotton fibers reached their maximum at DS = 0.010 and 0.022, respectively. Strong and tough film was obtained when the DS value was in a range of 0.010–0.022. H2O2/FeSO4 · (NH4)2SO4 redox system was more appropriate for initiating the copolymerization of acryloylated starch with AA.
Effective Transplantation of Photoreceptor Precursor Cells Selected via Cell Surface Antigen Expression
Authors: Lakowski J. , Han Y.-T. , Pearson R.A. , Gonzalez-Cordero A. , West E.L. , Gualdoni S. , Barber A.C. , Hubank M. , Ali R.R. , Sowden J.C. 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Retinal degenerative diseases are a major cause of untreatable blindness. Stem cell therapy to replace lost photoreceptors represents a feasible future treatment. We previously demonstrated that postmitotic photoreceptor precursors expressing an NrlGFP transgene integrate into the diseased retina and restore some light sensitivity. As genetic modification of precursor cells derived from stem cell cultures is not desirable for therapy, we have tested cell selection strategies using fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies recognizing cell surface antigens to sort photoreceptor precursors. Microarray analysis of postnatal NrlGFP-expressing precursors identified four candidate genes encoding cell surface antigens (Nt5e, Prom1, Podxl, and Cd24a). To test the feasibility of using donor cells isolated using cell surface markers for retinal therapy, cells selected from developing retinae by fluorescence-activated cell sorting based on Cd24a expression (using CD24 antibody) and/or Nt5e expression (using CD73 antibody) were transplanted into the wild-type or Crb1rd8/rd8 or Prph2rd2/rd2 mouse eye. The CD73/CD24-sorted cells migrated into the outer nuclear layer, acquired the morphology of mature photoreceptors and expressed outer segment markers. They showed an 18-fold higher integration efficiency than that of unsorted cells and 2.3-fold higher than cells sorted based on a single genetic marker, NrlGFP, expression. These proof-of-principle studies show that transplantation competent photoreceptor precursor cells can be efficiently isolated from a heterogeneous mix of cells using cell surface antigens without loss of viability for the purpose of retinal stem cell therapy. Refinement of the selection of donorphotoreceptor precursor cells can increase the number of integrated photoreceptor cells,which is a prerequisite for the restoration of sight.