bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of Zn1−xSnxOy buffer layer thickness in 18.0% efficient Cd‐free Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells
Authors: Lindahl J. , Wätjen J. T. , Hultqvist A. , Ericson T. , Edoff M. , Törndahl T. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTThe influence of the thickness of atomic layer deposited Zn1−xSnxOy buffer layers and the presence of an intrinsic ZnO layer on the performance of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells are investigated. The amorphous Zn1−xSnxOy layer, with a [Sn]/([Sn] + [Zn]) composition of approximately 0.18, forms a conformal and in‐depth uniform layer with an optical band gap of 3.3 eV. The short circuit current for cells with a Zn1−xSnxOy layer are found to be higher than the short circuit current for CdS buffer reference cells and thickness independent. On the contrary, both the open circuit voltage and the fill factor values obtained are lower than the references and are thickness dependent. A high conversion efficiency of 18.0%, which is comparable with CdS references, is attained for a cell with a Zn1−xSnxOy layer thickness of approximately 13 nm and with an i‐ZnO layer. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evolution of gene expression changes in newborn rats after mechanical ventilation with reversible intubation
Authors: Trummer‐Menzi Eliane , Gremlich Sandrine , Schittny Johannes Constantin , Dénervaud Valérie , Stampanoni Marco , Post Martin , Gerber Stefan , Roth‐Kleiner Matthias 
Published: July 2012

AbstractMechanical ventilation (MV) is life‐saving but potentially harmful for lungs of premature infants. So far, animal models dealt with the acute impact of MV on immature lungs, but less with its delayed effects. We used a newborn rodent model including non‐surgical and therefore reversible intubation with moderate ventilation and hypothesized that there might be distinct gene expression patterns after a ventilation‐free recovery period compared to acute effects directly after MV. Newborn rat pups were subjected to 8 hr of MV with 60% oxygen (O2), 24 hr after injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), intended to create a low inflammatory background as often recognized in preterm infants. Animals were separated in controls (CTRL), LPS injection (LPS), or full intervention with LPS and MV with 60% O2 (LPS + MV + O2). Lungs were recovered either directly following (T:0 hr) or 48 hr after MV (T:48 hr). Histologically, signs of ventilator‐induced lung injury (VILI) were observed in LPS + MV + O2 lungs at T:0 hr, while changes appeared similar to those known from patients with chronic lung disease (CLD) with fewer albeit larger gas exchange units, at T:48 hr. At T:0 hr, LPS + MV + O2 increased gene expression of pro‐inflammatory MIP‐2. In parallel anti‐inflammatory IL‐1Ra gene expression was increased in LPS and LPS + MV + O2 groups. At T:48 hr, pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory genes had returned to their basal expression. MMP‐2 gene expression was decreased in LPS and LPS + MV + O2 groups at T:0 hr, but no longer at T:48 hr. MMP‐9 gene expression levels were unchanged directly after MV. However, at T:48 hr, gene and protein expression increased in LPS + MV + O2 group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the feasibility of delayed outcome measurements after a ventilation‐free period in newborn rats and may help to further understand the time‐course of molecular changes following MV. The differences obtained from the two time points could be interpreted as an initial transitory increase of inflammation and a delayed impact of the intervention on structure‐related genes. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2012; 47:1204–1214. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A randomized trial of a brief intervention to promote smoking cessation for parents during child hospitalization
Authors: Ralston Shawn , Grohman Charmaine , Word Dana , Williams Janet 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBackgroundParental smoking significantly increases the risk of child hospitalization for multiple illnesses. Parenting smokers may not have easy access to smoking cessation services elsewhere and a few interventions with this population in the inpatient setting have shown promising results.MethodsWe sought to evaluate the efficacy of a brief intervention with smoking parents on smoking cessation rates after child hospitalization with a randomized, controlled trial.ResultsSixty smoking parents participated in the study. The majority of study participants were uninsured women under age 30 who smoked approximately half of a pack per day. There were no statistically significant differences between control and intervention groups for our outcomes. However, 45% (CI: 33–57%) of all participants reported at least one quit attempt during the 2‐month study period and 18% (CI: 10–30%) of participants were quit at study conclusion.ConclusionsWillingness to quit smoking was much higher than expected in this population of parenting smokers. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2013; 48:608–613. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Exhaled eicosanoid profiles in children with atopic asthma and healthy controls
Authors: Glowacka Edyta , Jedynak‐Wasowicz Urszula , Sanak Marek , Lis Grzegorz 
Published: July 2012

AbstractRationaleChronic endobronchial inflammation is a hallmark of pediatric asthma and involves the arachidonic acid pathway. Its non‐volatile metabolites can be quantified in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC), and single substances have been studied as non‐invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of children with asthma. The aim of this study was to compare the content and profile of a wider range of eicosanoids in the EBC between patients and a control group.Materials and MethodsEBC was sampled from 33 children (aged 12.4 ± 3.1 years) with stable atopic asthma (26 on inhaled steroid treatment) and 25 healthy controls (11.8 ± 3.2 years). Validated high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a tandem mass spectrometry platform (HPLC‐MS2) was used to measure 13 different compounds. In addition, exhaled nitric oxide levels (FeNO) were measured and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) was assessed by an exercise challenge test in all subjects. An analytical approach was used for multivariate regression modeling of disease status using the most relevant variables.ResultsThe levels of PGEM (P < 0.001), PGD2 (P < 0.001), 6keto‐PGF1α (P = 0.03), LTC4 (P < 0.001), trans‐LTC4 (P = 0.04), and 5HETE (P = 0.02) were significantly higher in asthmatics compared to healthy children, while 11‐dehydro TXB2 was significantly less abundant (P = 0.02). The Eicosanoids Asthma Classification Ratio (EACR) was computed as the logistic regression function using four variables: PGEM, PGD2, LTC4, and 5HETE. This composite parameter discriminated asthmatic from healthy children better than FEV1, FeNO, or BHR.ConclusionComplementary measurements of PGEM, PGD2, LTC4, and 5HETE in small‐volume EBC samples are feasible by HPLC‐MS2 and showed a specific profile in our study population. EACR should be evaluated further in the context of diagnosing and monitoring childhood asthma. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2013; 48:324–335. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Characterization of the prostate cancer susceptibility gene KLF6 in human and mouse prostate cancers
Authors: Chiam Karen , Ryan Natalie K. , Ricciardelli Carmela , Day Tanya K. , Buchanan Grant , Ochnik Aleksandra M. , Murti Krisna , Selth Luke A. ,   Australian Prostate Cancer BioResource, Butler Lisa M. , Tilley Wayne D. , Bianco‐Miotto Tina 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBACKGROUNDKrüppel‐like factor (KLF) 6 is a candidate tumor suppressor gene in prostate cancer, but the mechanisms contributing to its loss of expression are poorly understood. We characterized KLF6 expression and DNA methylation status during prostate tumorigenesis in humans and mice.METHODSKLF6 expression was assessed in matched human non‐malignant (NM) and tumor prostate tissues (n = 22) by quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR) and in three independent human prostate cancer cohorts bioinformatically. QPCR for KLF6 expression and methylation‐sensitive PCR (MSP) were performed in human prostate LNCaP cancer cells after 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine treatment. Klf6 protein levels and DNA promoter methylation were assessed in TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) tumors by immunohistochemistry and MSP, respectively.RESULTSKLF6 splice variants expression was increased (P = 0.0015) in human prostate tumors compared to NM tissues. Overall, KLF6 was decreased in metastatic compared to primary prostate cancers and reduced expression in primary tumors was associated with a shorter time to relapse (P = 0.0028). Treatment with the demethylating agent 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine resulted in up‐regulation of KLF6 expression (two‐fold; P = 0.002) and a decrease in DNA methylation of the KLF6 promoter in LNCaP cells. Klf6 protein levels significantly decreased with progression in the TRAMP model of prostate cancer (P < 0.05), but there was no difference in Klf6 promoter methylation.CONCLUSIONKLF6 expression was decreased in both clinical prostate cancer and the TRAMP model with disease progression, but this could not be explained by DNA methylation of the KLF6 promoter. Prostate 73: 182–193, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Core–shell InGaN nanorod light emitting diodes: Electronic and optical device properties
Authors: Kölper Christopher , Sabathil Matthias , Römer Friedhard , Mandl Martin , Strassburg Martin , Witzigmann Bernd 
Published: July 2012

AbstractIn this theoretical study, we investigate both electronic and optical properties of core–shell InGaN nanorods (NRs) for light emitting diodes (LEDs). These structures feature active layers wrapped around high aspect ratio NR cores, thus allowing for an enormous increase in active area. Hence, efficiency may be increased by operating at lower carrier densities, mitigating efficiency droop known to limit conventional InGaN LEDs. Due to poor conductivity of the outer pGaN shell, current spreading along the entire NR length is challenging and requires an additional cover of transparent conductive oxide in order to fully exploit the active area. At the same time, quantum wells (QWs) on core–shell NRs are grown on m‐plane rather than conventional c‐plane GaN facets. The calculations show that the absence of piezoelectric fields on these non‐polar facets results in strong reabsorption of the emitted photons. A comprehensive numerical model is applied, linking internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and light extraction via the process of photon recycling. In summary, increasing optical absorption and photon recycling losses limit extraction efficiency. While this partially compensates the gain in IQE with increasing active area, a net improvement of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of +10% is achievable by the proposed design of a novel core–shell NR LED.
Atomic‐layer‐deposited ZnO thin‐film transistors with various gate dielectrics
Authors: Yang Jaehyun , Park Joong Keun , Kim Sunkook , Choi Woong , Lee Sangyoon , Kim Hyoungsub 
Published: July 2012

AbstractWe have investigated the effects of gate dielectric layers having different microstructures on the crystallographic properties and device performances of atomic‐layer‐deposited (ALD) ZnO thin‐film transistors (TFTs) in a bottom‐gated structure. Among three gate dielectric materials (thermally grown SiO2, ALD‐HfO2, and ALD‐Al2O3), the ALD‐ZnO layer on Al2O3 exhibited the best crystallinity and surface morphology due to the excellent surface roughness and/or hydrophilic surface polarity of the amorphous Al2O3 layer. As a result, it showed the best TFT performance, including field‐effect mobility (∼3.9 cm2/Vs), subthreshold swing (∼1.35 V/decade), and on/off ratio (∼5 × 107).
Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry for the rapid identification of four highly hazardous pesticides in agrochemicals
Authors: Wang Lei , Zhao Pengyue , Zhang Fengzu , Li Yanjie , Pan Canping 
Published: July 2012

RATIONALEDirect analysis in real time (DART) is a new ion source technique, which is conducted in the open air under ambient conditions, applied to the rapid and direct analysis of any material (gases, liquids, and solids) with minimal or no sample preparation. In order to take advantage of the capacity of DART mass spectrometry for the real‐time analysis of hazardous ingredients in commercial agrochemicals, a pilot study of rapid qualitative determination of hazardous pesticides was performed.METHODSHighly hazardous pesticides were identified by DART ionization coupled to a single‐quadrupole mass spectrometer (DART‐MS). Acetonitrile was chosen for dissolving samples prior to the analysis. Samples were analyzed by this technique in as little as 5 s.RESULTSPhorate, carbofuran, ethoprophos and fipronil were be detected directly from commercial agrochemicals. The ionization‐related parameters (DART temperature, grid voltage and MS fragment) of these compounds were optimized to obtain highly response. Isotope patterns were taken into consideration for qualitative identification. Relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 5) of 2.3–15.0% were obtained by measuring the relative abundance of selected isotopes.CONCLUSIONSThis study showed that DART‐MS technology was able to qualitatively determine the existence of highly hazardous pesticides in commercial pesticide formulations. It is suggested that this technology should be applied for routine monitoring in the market. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of monoisotopic masses of chimera spectra from high‐resolution mass spectrometric data by use of isotopic peak intensity ratio modeling
Authors: Niu Ming , Mao Xinli , Ying Wantao , Qin Weijie , Zhang Yangjun , Qian Xiaohong 
Published: July 2012

RATIONALEChimera spectra make it challenging to identify proteins in complex mixtures by LC/MS/MS. Approximately half of the spectra collected are chimera spectra even when high‐resolution tandem mass spectrometry is used. Chimera spectra are generated from the co‐fragmentation of different co‐elute peptides, and it is often difficult to distinguish monoisotopic precursors of these peptides from each other.METHODSIn this paper, we propose a peak intensity ratio‐based monoisotopic peak determination algorithm (PIRMD) to distinguish different monoisotopic precursors of chimera spectra. Monoisotopic peaks in non‐overlapping clusters are detected by the edge features of the isotopic peak intensity ratios. For multiple overlapping clusters grouped as one cluster, monoisotopic peaks can be detected by an advanced estimation of the similarity between the estimated and the experimental isotopic distribution based on the isotopic peak intensity ratios.RESULTSHigh‐resolution mass spectrometric datasets acquired from mixtures of 30 synthetic peptides and mixtures of 18 proteins were used to evaluate the efficiency and accuracy of PIRMD. The results indicate that PIRMD can recognize monoisotopic precursors from the chimera spectra containing non‐overlapping and overlapping isotopic clusters. Compared to several published algorithms, PIRMD identifies approximately 2 ~ 14% more spectra and has fewer false positives.CONCLUSIONSThe results on standard datasets and actual samples demonstrated that PIRMD could notably improve the successful identification rates of the spectra by identifying more chimera spectra, and of the identified spectra, approximately 25% are chimera spectra. This novel algorithm will help to interpret spectra produced by shotgun strategy in proteomics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improving intrusion detection for imbalanced network traffic
Authors: Thomas Ciza 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTThe acceptability and usability of intrusion detection systems get seriously affected with data imbalance in network traffic. A large number of false alarms mean a lot in terms of the acceptability of intrusion detection systems. The reason for the increase in false alerts is that the normal traffic abound. Even with highly accurate intrusion detection systems, the effective detection rate of the minority attack types will be unacceptably low, and those attack types are often the most serious ones. Thus, high accuracy is not necessarily an indicator of high model quality, and therein lays the accuracy paradox of predictive analytics. The cost of missing an attack is higher than the cost of false alarms. The aim of this work is to provide an architecture that enables available intrusion detection systems to work together towards creating a more realistic model of the state of a network. The data‐dependent decision fusion architecture presented in this paper learns from the data and then appropriately gives weighting to the decisions of various intrusion detection systems. The fusion enriches these weighted decisions to provide a single decision, which is better than those of the existing intrusion detection systems. It is also shown that our technique is more flexible and also outperforms other existing fusion techniques such as OR, AND, SVM, and ANN. This method reduces the false positive rate and improves the overall detection rate and, also, the detection rate of minority class types in particular. For illustrative purposes, two different data sets, namely the DARPA 1999 data set as well as the real‐time network traffic embedded with attacks, have been used. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Facile Aqueous‐Phase Synthesis of Biocompatible and Fluorescent Ag2S Nanoclusters for Bioimaging: Tunable Photoluminescence from Red to Near Infrared
Authors: Wang Chuanxi , Wang Yu , Xu Lin , Zhang Dan , Liu Mingxia , Li Xiangwei , Sun Hongchen , Lin Quan , Yang Bai 
Published: July 2012

AbstractLow toxicity and fluorescent nanomaterials have many advantages in biological imaging. Herein, a novel and facile aqueous‐phase approach to prepare biocompatible and fluorescent Ag2S nanoclusters (NCs) is designed and investigated. The resultant Ag2S NCs show tunable luminescence from the visible red (624 nm) to the near infrared (NIR; 724 nm) corresponding to the increasing size of the NCs. The key for preparing tunable fluorescent Ag2S NCs is the proper choice of capping reagent, glutathione (GSH), and the novel sulfur‐hydrazine hydrate complex as the S2− source. As a naturally occurring and readily available tripeptide, GSH functions as an important scaffold to prevent NCs from growing large nanoparticles. Additionally, GSH is a small biomolecule with several functional groups, including carboxyl and amino groups, which suggests the resultant Ag2S NCs are well‐dispersed in aqueous solution. These advantages make the as‐prepared Ag2S NCs potentially applicable to biological labeling as well. For example, the resultant Ag2S NCs are used as a probe for MC3T3‐EI cellular imaging.
A review of middleware approaches for energy management in distributed environments
Authors: Noureddine Adel , Rouvoy Romain , Seinturier Lionel 
Published: July 2012

SUMMARYEnergy management solutions and approaches for computer systems are becoming broadly available as energy concerns are becoming mainstream. Many approaches have been proposed to manage the energy consumption of the hardware, operating system, or software layers. The widespread usage of ubiquitous devices and the high coverage of networks (Wi‐Fi and 3G) have led to a new generation of communicating and mobile devices that uses complex middleware platform functionalities. Therefore, energy management has emerged as a topic of research interest in the middleware layer, and solutions specific to this layer are proposed along the more traditional ones existing at the other levels. In this article, we report on a review of state‐of‐the‐art approaches for energy management middleware platforms. This article defines also an architectural taxonomy and compares existing approaches on the basis of this taxonomy. In particular, we review middleware platforms and detail a number of approaches where energy management is handled. Finally, we review application scenarios where the energy management concepts at the middleware layer are applied in intelligent environments. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tumor-Initiating Cells of Various Tumor Types Exhibit Differential Angiogenic Properties and React Differently to Antiangiogenic Drugs
Authors: Benayoun Liat , Gingis-Velitski Svetlana , Voloshin Tali , Segal Ehud , Segev Rotem , Munster Michal , Bril Rotem , Satchi-Fainaro Ronit , Scherer Stefan J. , Shaked Yuval 
Published: July 2012

Abstract
Tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are a subtype of tumor cells believed to be critical for initiating tumorigenesis. We sought to determine the angiogenic properties of TICs in different tumor types including U-87MG (glioblastoma), HT29 (colon), MCF7 (breast), A549 (non-small-cell lung), and PANC1 (pancreatic) cancers. Long-term cultures grown either as monolayers (“TIC-low”) or as nonadherent tumor spheres (“TIC-high”) were generated. The TIC-high fractions exhibited increased expression of stem cell surface markers, high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, high expression of p21, and resistance to standard chemotherapy in comparison to TIC-low fractions. Furthermore, TICs from U-87MG and HT29 but not from MCF7, A549, and PANC1 tumor types possess increased angiogenic activity. Consequently, the efficacy of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) neutralizing antibody is limited only to those tumors that are dependent on VEGF-A activity. In addition, such therapy had little or reversed antiangiogenic effects on tumors that do not necessarily rely on VEGF-dependent angiogenesis. Differential angiogenic activity and antiangiogenic therapy sensitivity were also observed in TICs of the same tumor type, suggesting redundant angiogenic pathways. Collectively, our results suggest that the efficacy of antiangiogenic drugs is dependent on the angiogenic properties of TICs and, therefore, can serve as a possible biomarker to predict antiangiogenic treatment efficacy.
ZO-1 Regulates Erk, Smad1/5/8, Smad2, and RhoA Activities to Modulate Self-Renewal and Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Authors: Xu Jianliang , Lim Sophia Beng Hui , Ng Mei Yong , Ali Safiah Mohamed , Kausalya Jaya P. , Limviphuvadh Vachiranee , Maurer-Stroh Sebastian , Hunziker Walter 
Published: July 2012

Abstract
ZO-1/Tjp1 is a cytosolic adaptor that links tight junction (TJ) transmembrane proteins to the actin cytoskeleton and has also been implicated in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation by interacting with transcriptional regulators and signaling proteins. To explore possible roles for ZO-1 in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), we inactivated the ZO-1 locus by homologous recombination. The lack of ZO-1 was found to affect mESC self-renewal and differentiation in the presence of leukemia-inhibiting factor (LIF) and Bmp4 or following removal of the growth factors. Our data suggest that ZO-1 suppresses Stat3 and Smad1/5/8 activities and sustains extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (Erk) activity to promote mESC differentiation. Interestingly, Smad2, critical for human but not mESC self-renewal, was hyperactivated in ZO-1−/− mESCs and RhoA protein levels were concomitantly enhanced, suggesting attenuation of the noncanonical transforming growth factor β (Tgfβ)/Activin/Nodal pathway that mediates ubiquitination and degradation of RhoA via the TJ proteins Occludin, Par6, and Smurf1 and activation of the canonical Smad2-dependent pathway. Furthermore, Bmp4-induced differentiation of mESCs in the absence of LIF was suppressed in ZO-1−/− mESCs, but differentiation down the neural or cardiac lineages was not disturbed. These findings reveal novel roles for ZO-1 in mESC self-renewal, pluripotency, and differentiation by influencing several signaling networks that regulate these processes. Possible implications for the differing relevance of Smad2 in mESC and human ESC self-renewal and how ZO-1 may connect to the different pathways are discussed.