bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Ag Nanocrystals for use in Solar Cell Applications
Authors: ThØegersen Annett , Bonsak Jack , Mayandi Jeyanthinath , Marstein Erik Stensrud , Umadevi Mahalingam 
Published: August 2010

AbstractAg nanocrystals made by chemical synthesis have been used in solar cell applications as a part of light trapping. The shape, crystal structure, defects and composition of these nanocrystals have been studied in detail. Samples with different ratios of silver solution (AgNO3) and reductant (NaBH4) were made, and a difference in nanocrystal size was observed. HRTEM and diffraction patterns showed that the samples contained mostly Ag nanocrystals, and some of them contained Ag2O nanocrystals as well. Some nanocrystals contained large defects, mostly twinning, which induced facets on the nanocrystal surface.
Recent Advances of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells and Integrated Modules at SHARP
Authors: Koide Naoki , Yamanaka Ryohsuke , Katayama Hiroyuki 
Published: August 2010

AbstractAn equivalent circuit for DSCs was studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement, and the improvements of conversion efficiency of DSCs for not only single cells but also integrated modules were investigated. Further improvement of cell characteristics of DSCs was also investigated from the view point of modified TiO2 films and series-internal resistance design. The series-internal resistance elements were found to correlate positively with the sheet resistance of the transparent conducting oxide and the thickness of the electrolyte layer and negatively with the roughness factor of the platinum counter-electrode. The short circuit current density (Jsc) of the DSCs was effectively improved by use of a high-haze TiO2 film. In addition, the analysis of TiO2/dye interface by scanning probe microscopy and transient absorption spectroscopy were also useful for the study. As a result, the maximum single cell conversion efficiency of over 11% was obtained. Furthermore, an integrated DSC module composed of many rectangular cells connected in series was fabricated and the efficiency was increased to 8.4% (confirmed by AIST) by realizing high active area and high uniformity.
Technique to Measure Adhesive Forces Between Electrospun Nanofibers
Authors: Shi Qiang , Wan Kai-Tak , Wong Shing-Chung , Chen Pei , Blackledge Todd A. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractDue to the difficulty in handling nanofibers, little is reported and understood on the dry adhesion between electrospun nanofibers. In this study, we develop a technique to measure the dry adhesive forces between electrospun nanofibers. Of critical importance is the ability to mimic naturally occurring dry adhesion such as that between gecko's and spider's foot hairs and untreated surfaces. The adhesion test was performed on two poly(e-caprolactone) electrospun ultrafine fibers using a nanoforce tensile tester. It was found that the adhesive force per unit area increased with decreasing fiber diameter. The degree of crystallinity, order parameters of macromolecules in the amorphous region and crystallite orientation of the spun fibers were determined by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The high measured adhesion between single PCL fibers in comparison to other reported values was attributed to crystal orientation due to electrospinning and the increase of adhesive force per unit area with decreasing fiber diameter.
Ensemble Effects on the Optical Properties of Indium Phosphide Nanowires at Various Temperatures
Authors: Lohn Andrew J. , Holt Milo , Dawson Noel , Kobayashi Nobuhiko P. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractEnsembles of indium phosphide nanowires were grown on amorphous quartz substrates and their optical properties were examined at various cryogenic temperatures. Complex dynamics result from the large areal densities, random orientation, combination of both zincblende and wurtzite phases, and the geometries of the nanowires. Those complex dynamics are discussed in relation to their effect on the temperature dependence of photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. Five peaks are found to exist in the photoluminescence spectra at low temperatures which are attributed to radiative recombinations associated with quantum confined zinc blende, quantum confined excitons in zinc blende, quantum confined wurtzite, excitons in bulk zinc blende and impurity states. An energy transfer mechanism between two types of radiative recombinations among the five is proposed to explain intensity variations and the temperature dependence of the PL peaks is discussed. The Raman spectra is observed to have peaks created by a combination of zinc blende and wurtzite vibrational modes which is explained by folding the phonon dispersion.
Boundary Lubricant - Functionalized PVA Gels for Biotribological Applications
Authors: Blum Michelle M , Ovaert Timothy 
Published: August 2010

AbstractA novel material design was developed by functionalizing a biocompatible hydrogel material with organic boundary lubricants. Polyvinyl alcohol was functionalized with varying molar ratios of 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 moles of lauroyl chloride. Tribological and mechanical characterization was performed by means of nanofriction testing and nanoindentation to determine the influence of the hydrocarbon chains on the friction coefficient and elastic modulus of the hydrogels. It was found that fusing of the lubricant to the polymer material has a positive effect on the surface friction properties, yet an unfavorable effect on stiffness properties of the gel due to the processing method.
Structural stability, elastic constants, bonding characteristics and thermal properties of zincblende, rocksalt and fluorite phases in copper nitrides: plane-wave pseudo-potential ab initio calculations
Authors: Kanoun-Bouayed Nawel , Kanoun Mohammed , Goumri-Said Souraya 
Published: August 2010

Abstract
We report plane-wave pseudo-potential ab initio calculations using density functional theory in order to investigate the structural parameters, elastic constants, bonding properties and polycrystalline parameters of copper nitrides in zincblende, rocksalt and fluorite structures. Total and partial densities of states indicate a metallic character of these copper nitrides. We estimate bond strengths and types of atomic bonds using Mulliken charge density population analysis and by calculating the electronic localized function. These results reveal the coexistence of covalent, ionic, and metallic bonding.
The Place of Belletristic Writing in Scholarly Publishing: The Council of Editors of Learned Journals Keynote Addresses MLA Convention 2003
Authors: Raz Hilda , Lependorf Jeffrey , Cornett Michael 
Published: August 2010

If literary awards were books, you could enter a library and find shelves of them, from the folio volumes of the Pulitzer and Nobel, requiring two arms to lift and carry to a table, to slim chapbooks like the Hillsborough Historic Society Award for Poetry on Topics of Local North Carolina History, Preferably about Orange County, which my daughter won when twelve years old. Yet if you wanted to find an award for the journals themselves, where all the individual award-winning writers publish their stories, poems, memoirs, essays, and other forms of belles lettres, or an award for the editors of those journals, even after an advanced search in WorldCat, as far as I am aware, you would turn up nothing. Such a ‘book’ has needed to be written - needed badly, in my view and in the view of other members of CELJ, whose membership includes many literary journals. In response to this embarrassing lack in our culture, CELJ worked during 2003 to establish such an award, and, at the MLA Convention in San Diego, the CELJ Award for Literary Achievement was unveiled. The award is actually a series of three rotating awards for Best New Literary Journal, Distinguished Literary Editor, and the Parnassus Award for Significant Editorial Achievement for a single issue of a journal that demonstrates a peak achievement of publishing mission.1 It was only fitting, then, that the keynote addresses on the occasion of this important announcement be given by two prominent members of the literary publishing field. Hilda Raz, editor of the distinguished literary journal Prairie Schooner, and JeffreyLependorf, executive director of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, helped to celebrate the new award by speaking on the place of belletristic writing in scholarly publishing. Raz reflects on the long history of Prairie Schooner's role in nurturing writers, many of whom have gone on to become celebrated authors, and then outlines several ways in which such a publication contributes to the university institution of which it is a vital part. Lependorf puts forth the pointed argument that the literary journal, by providing a distinctly belletristic context for the critical essay, opens up scholarly work to a greater multiplicity of expression and meaning than is possible in a traditional scholarly publication. Freed from the constraints of the purely academic forum, criticism in the pages of literary journals, drawing equally on creative and scholarly purposes, can be radically opinionated, passionately reflective, critically experienced. Both Raz and Lependorf demonstrate that literary publishing in the academy is constitutive of the soul of the university.
Immune restoration and onset of new AIDS-defining events with combination antiretroviral therapy in HIV type-1-infected immigrants in the Netherlands
Authors: Kesselring Anouk M , Gras Luuk , Wit Ferdinand W , Smit Colette , Geerlings Suzanne E , Mulder Jan W , Schreij Gerrit , Sprenger Herman G , Reiss Peter , de Wolf Frank 
Published: August 2010

Background We investigated differences in immune restoration and onset of new AIDS-defining events on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) among HIV type-1 (HIV-1)-infected patients of different regional origin now living in the Netherlands. Methods Treatment-naive adults reaching plasma viral load (pVL)<400 copies/ml within 9 months of starting cART were selected from the Netherlands ATHENA cohort. CD4+ T-cell response on cART was determined over 7 years using mixed models. CD4+ T-cell counts were excluded from the analyses at the first of two consecutive measurements of pVL≥400 copies/ml following prior suppression to <400 copies/ml. Multivariate analyses included gender, age, CD4+ T-cell count and pVL prior to cART, hepatitis coinfection, HIV-1 transmission and region of origin (Western Europe/North America [WN], sub- Saharan Africa [SSA], Southeast Asia [SEA], Latin America/Caribbean [LAC] or other). Results For 6,057 selected patients (WN 3,947, SSA 989, SEA 237, LAC 695 and other 189), median follow-up was 3.2 years (WN 3.3, SSA 2.9, SEA 3.2, LAC 2.7 and other 2.7). CD4+ T-cell increase in the first 6 months of cART was lower in males than females (-26 cells/mm3; P<0.0001) and in patients from SSA compared with WN (-36 cells/mm3; P<0.0001). Because men from SSA started with lower CD4+ T-cell counts than men from WN, they continued to lag behind and had lower absolute CD4+ T-cell counts after 7 years of cART. Furthermore, cumulative tuberculosis incidence after 7 years of cART was higher in SSA compared with WN (4.5% versus 0.5%, hazard ratio 5.08, 95% confidence interval 2.22–11.60). Conclusions HIV-1-infected immigrants from SSA have blunted immune restoration on fully suppressive cART and should be identified at an earlier disease stage. Our results call for more intensive screening for both latent and active tuberculosis in these patients.
Inhibition of hepatitis B virus DNA replication by a thermostable interferon-γ variant
Authors: Brunelle Marie Noëlle , Saboulard Didier , Massinet Hélène , Lamant Céline , Soussan Patrick , Brezillon Nicolas , Kremsdorf Dina 
Published: August 2010

Background Treatment of HBV chronic carriers using interferon (IFN)-α or nucleoside/nucleotide analogues fails to suppress viral infection. Type-II IFN-γ has been shown to inhibit HBV replication. The goal of the present work was to evaluate the antiviral efficacy against HBV of a thermostable IFN-γ variant isolated using Massive Mutagenesis® and thermoresistant selection (THR™) technologies. Methods The thermostability of wild-type (wt) and S63C IFN-γ was determined in vitro and in vivo. Activation of the IFN-γ responsive element by wt and S63C IFN-γ was tested using a luciferase assay. HepG2.2.15 cells constitutively expressing HBV were used to analyse the antiviral activity of wt and S63C IFN-γ against HBV replication. Intracellular HBV DNA was detected by Southern blot and quantified by real-time PCR analyses. Results S63C IFN-γ was shown to be more thermostable and had a longer half-life than wt IFN-γ. Both wt and S63C IFN-γ displayed a similar capacity to activate the IFN pathway. The treatment of HepG2.2.15 cells with wt or S63C IFN-γ induced the inhibition of HBV viral replication. After heating, S63C IFN-γ displayed better conservation of its antiviral activity against HBV when compared with wt IFN-γ. Conclusions These results confirm that the THR™ method can be used to isolate mutants with enhanced thermostability and demonstrate that a thermostable IFN-γ variant presents antiviral properties against HBV replication. This molecule could provide a new strategy to treat patients who do not respond to antiviral therapy.
Occult HBV infection in untreated HIV-infected adults in Côte d'Ivoire
Authors: N'Dri-Yoman Thérèse , Anglaret Xavier , Messou Eugène , Attia Alain , Polneau Sandrine , Toni Thomas , Chenal Henri , Seyler Catherine , Gabillard Delphine , Wakasugi Naomi , Eholié Serge , Danel Christine 
Published: August 2010

Background In countries with high rates of chronic HBV, the World Health Organization recommends screening all HIV-infected adults for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) before initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), and starting HIV–HBV-coinfected patients on regimens containing lamivudine (3TC) or emtricitabine (FTC) plus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Here, we estimated the prevalence of untreated HIV-infected adults with negative serum HBsAg and detectable plasma HBV DNA in Côte d'Ivoire. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey. We tested all untreated HIV type-1 (HIV-1)-infected adults with CD4+ T-cell counts <500 cells/mm3 for HBsAg, hepatitis B core antibodies (anti-HBc) and HBsAg antibodies (anti-HBs). We measured plasma HBV DNA in patients who tested positive for HBsAg and/or anti-HBc. Results We included 495 adults, of whom 73% were women. Median CD4+ T-cell count was 329 cells/mm3 and median HIV RNA was 4.9 log10 copies/ml. Overall, 63 (13%) patients had chronic hepatitis B (HBsAg-positive), 115 (23%) had never been exposed to HBV (HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc-negative and anti-HBs-negative), 108 (22%) had signs of cured infection (anti-HBc-positive and anti-HBs-positive) and 209 (42%) had isolated anti-HBc (HBsAg-negative, anti-HBc-positive and anti-HBs-negative). Of these, 51 (10%) had detectable HBV DNA. Median HBV DNA level was 5.2 log10 copies/ ml (interquartile range [IQR] 3.2–8.8) for patients with chronic hepatitis and 2.2 log10 copies/ml (IQR 1.8–2.7) for those with occult HBV infection. Conclusions Among ART-naive HIV-1-infected African adults, 13% were HBsAg-positive and 42% had isolated anti-HBc, including 10% who had occult HBV. The clinical implications of high occult HBV prevalence are unknown. Future studies should assess the benefits of routine use of 3TC or FTC plus TDF as first-line ART in African settings, where HBV DNA tests are unavailable.
Care Gap in Patients with Early Inflammatory Arthritis with a High Fracture Risk Identified Using FRAX®
Authors: CHENG CARLY K. , McDONALD-BLUMER HEATHER , BOIRE GILLES , POPE JANET E. , HARAOUI BOULOS , HITCHON CAROL A. , THORNE CARTER , SUN YE , BYKERK VIVIAN P. 
Published: August 2010

Objective.To determine the proportion of patients with early inflammatory arthritis in a Canadian cohort who are at high risk for a major osteoporotic fracture using the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®), and to determine if a care gap exists in high-risk patients.Methods.FRAX was applied to 238 patients enrolled in the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort (CATCH) study based on norms from the United States and the United Kingdom, without the use of bone mineral density measurements.Results.FRAX identified 5%–13% of patients at high risk for fracture, using a conservative analysis. Based on US norms, there was a significant correlation between increasing fracture risk groups and oral glucocorticoid use (p = 0.012) and baseline erosions (p = 0.040). Calcium or vitamin D use did not vary among the different fracture risk groups (p = NS), nor did bisphosphonate use (p = NS). The Disease Activity Score with 28 joint count in the high-risk group was significantly higher compared to the low-risk group (p = 0.048).Conclusion.Patients at increased risk had higher disease activity, more frequent glucocorticoid use, and more baseline erosions compared to patients at low risk. A care gap exists, in that a very low proportion of patients at high risk are being treated with calcium, vitamin D, and/or bisphosphonates. A higher fracture risk was calculated in our cohort using the US FRAX calculation tool compared to the UK calculation tool. These data highlight the need to identify and modify fracture risk in patients with early inflammatory arthritis.
Factors Associated with a Longer Time to Access Pediatric Rheumatologists in Canadian Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Authors: SHIFF NATALIE J. , TUCKER LORI B. , GUZMAN JAIME , OEN KIEM , YEUNG RAE S.M. , DUFFY CIARÁN M. 
Published: August 2010

Objective.The Research on Arthritis in Canadian Children Emphasizing Outcomes (ReACCh Out) cohort is a prospective inception cohort of patients with newly diagnosed juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) seen in 16 Canadian pediatric rheumatology (PR) centers. We used data from this cohort to explore factors associated with longer time from symptom onset to the first visit to (PR), and with longer time from first visit to a diagnosis of JIA.Methods.We included children enrolled in ReACCh Out within 6 months of JIA diagnosis, for whom the dates of symptom onset and first PR visit were recorded. We used Cox proportional hazard modeling to investigate the effects of history, physical examination, and laboratory evaluation on the interval from JIA symptom onset to first PR assessment.Results.In total, 319 children from the cohort were included. Having a fever (hazard ratio 1.80, 95% CI 1.10, 2.93), any part South Asian ethnicity (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.04, 2.95), highly educated parents (HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.18, 2.44), and limp (HR 1.55, 95% 1.16, 2.06) were significantly associated with shorter time from symptom onset to first PR assessment, while a history of heel pain or enthesitis (HR 0.61, 95% 0.38, 0.97) was significantly associated with a longer time to first PR visit.Conclusion.Children with a history of a fever, limp, any part South Asian ethnicity, or highly educated parents were more likely to see PR sooner than patients without these features, while children with a history of enthesitis received PR care later than those without enthesitis.
Utility of Serum S100B Protein for Identification of Central Nervous System Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: FRAGOSO-LOYO HILDA , CABIEDES JAVIER , ATISHA-FREGOSO YEMIL , LLORENTE LUIS , SÁNCHEZ-GUERRERO JORGE 
Published: August 2010

Objective.To evaluate utility of S100B protein in serum as a marker of central nervous system involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods.Forty patients with SLE, hospitalized because of central neuropsychiatric (cNP) manifestations (n = 36) and peripheral NP manifestations (pNP, n = 4) were studied. Patients were evaluated at hospitalization and 6 months later, including a serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample. As controls, 4 SLE patients with septic meningitis (SLEsm), 13 surgical SLE patients (SLE surgical), 14 patients with nonautoimmune diseases, and 4 patients with primary NP syndromes were included. Serum and CSF S100B protein levels were determined by ELISA.Results.At baseline, serum levels of S100B protein did not differ across SLE groups. Using an arbitrary cutoff value, positive S100B levels in serum were observed in 7 (19%), 6 (46%), and 1 patient from the cNPSLE, SLE surgical, and SLEsm groups, respectively. S100B protein levels in cNPSLE and SLE surgical patients were similar. In CSF, S100B protein levels did not differ among SLE groups, except in patients with SLEsm. Paired serum/CSF samples were obtained in 23 patients with cNPSLE at 6 months after the acute event. Overall, levels of S100B protein in serum did not change despite the decrease observed in CSF (p = 0.004). The correlation coefficient of serum and CSF S100B protein levels among all the SLE patients at baseline was poor (r = 0.23).Conclusion.Serum levels of S100B protein do not differentiate SLE patients with and those without central neurological manifestations.
Use of Highly Sensitive C-Reactive Protein for Followup of Wegener’s Granulomatosis
Authors: KÄLSCH ANNA-ISABELLE , CSERNOK ELENA , MÜNCH DOMINIK , BIRCK RAINER , YARD BENITO A. , GROSS WOLFGANG , KÄLSCH THORSTEN , SCHMITT WILHELM H. 
Published: August 2010

Objective.Since Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) represents a relapsing disease, efforts have been made to reliably predict relapses using blood tests. Followup measures such as conventionally determined C-reactive protein (CRP), antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (C-ANCA) titer, and proteinase-3 (PR3) ELISA are applied. We evaluated whether during remission elevated highly sensitive CRP (hsCRP) precedes relapse as a marker of subclinical inflammation and thus might improve clinical assessment.Methods.We investigated 227 sera of 57 patients with WG: 74 sera collected from patients in remission who subsequently relapsed (before relapse), 30 sera collected during relapse, and 123 sera from patients in remission without relapse. We also distinguished between major and minor relapse. hsCRP, conventionally determined CRP (CRP), C-ANCA, PR3-ELISA, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were measured using commercial kits, and levels were correlated to clinical status.Results.Only hsCRP and ANCA titer, but not CRP levels, were higher in sera from patients who subsequently relapsed versus those who did not, indicating patients at risk. Levels of hsCRP, CRP, and ESR were higher in sera collected during relapse than in the sera before relapse. hsCRP, conventional CRP, and ESR were also higher in samples collected during major relapse than before major relapse. Looking at the levels just before relapse compared to previous levels during remission, none of these measures rose directly before the clinical manifestation of the relapse.Conclusion.Our study provides evidence for an additional value of hsCRP in the clinical assessment of patients with WG.
L'emploi des personnes incarcérées en prison : pénurie, fléxibilité et précariat.
Authors: Dufaux Florence 
Published: August 2010

En considérant l’univers carcéral comme un microcosme reflétant, de manière exacerbée, les rapports de force présents au sein de la société, nous nous poserons la question des raisons de l’absence de législation relative au travail des détenus alors qu’il existe, en Belgique, une loi conférant droits et devoirs aux reclus depuis 2005 – loi qui, dans ses travaux préparatoires, prévoyait l’octroi d’une sécurité sociale pour les personnes incarcérées. Dans une approche foucaldienne, nous envisagerons le travail comme enjeu de pouvoir et tenterons, d’une part, d’éclairer ce qu’il apporte aux personnes incarcérées et à l’institution pénitentiaire et nous essaierons, d’autre part, de comprendre le sens de l’absence de législation en la matière et les analogies possibles entre travail intra-et extra-muros.