bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
TWENTIETH CENTURY LAND RESILIENCE IN MONTENEGRO AND CONSEQUENT HYDROLOGICAL RESPONSE
Authors: Nyssen J. , den Branden J. Van , Spalević V. , Frankl A. , Van de velde L. , Čurović M. , Billi P. 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTTo study the magnitude of land degradation, desertification or resilience in Montenegro throughout the 20th and early‐21st centuries, we rephotographed the landscapes recorded on 48 historical photographs dating back to between 1890 and 1985, and analysed in a semi‐quantitative way the land use and cover changes that had occurred using an expert rating system (six correspondents). Time‐series of hydrology and population density were analysed for the period since 1948 and were compared with the changes observed using repeat photography. Overall, vegetation cover has strongly increased, and barren areas occupy less space. The industrialisation that expanded in the 1950s led to strong urbanisation. Despite steadily increasing population (with the notable exception of the mountain region), the vegetation cover has increased markedly everywhere. This denser vegetation has led to higher infiltration of rainfall. Partitioning of water led, on one hand, to deep infiltration and better low flows and to increased evapo‐transpiration at the boundary layer, leading to decreased total runoff coefficients. In the mountain region, runoff coefficients have increased, which may be related to earlier snowmelt. Overall, the findings of this study are in line with observations elsewhere in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and suggest that, as a result of erosion control and significant vegetation regrowth, the changes observed over a century there has been land resilience and not degradation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tribological studies of coated pistons sliding against cylinder liners under laboratory test conditions
Authors: Demas Nicholaos G. , Erck Robert A. , Ajayi Oyelayo O. , Fenske George R. 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTThe presence of coatings and surface topography play an important role in the tribological performance of sliding components. Depending on the coating used, it is possible to reduce friction and/or reduce wear. However, although there may be low friction and wear‐resistant coatings suitable for use in pistons, some coatings may hinder the tribological performance by changing the lubrication regime or by preventing additives from their intended function through chemical mechanisms. In this work, piston skirt segments extracted from a commercial aluminium alloy piston were coated with a diamond‐like carbon (DLC) coating, a graphite–resin coating or a nickel–polytetrafluoroethylene (Ni–PTFE) coating and were tribologically tested using a reciprocating laboratory test rig against commercial grey cast iron liner segments. The tribological tests used commercial synthetic motor oil at a temperature of 120 °C with a 20 mm stroke length at a reciprocating frequency of 2 Hz. Results showed that the graphite–resin coating, although it may serve as a good break‐in coating, wears rapidly. The Ni–PTFE coating showed friction reduction, whereas the DLC coating wore off quickly due to its small thickness. Furthermore, the higher hardness of the DLC coating relative to the cast iron liner surface led to pronounced changes on the liner counterface by polishing. In contrast with the uncoated piston skirt segments, all of the coatings prevented the formation of a visible tribochemical film on the cast iron surface. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parallel factor analysis of ovarian autofluorescence as a cancer diagnostic
Authors: George Ronie , Michaelides Michalis , Brewer Molly A. , Utzinger Urs 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesEndogenous fluorescence from certain amino acids, structural proteins, and enzymatic co‐factors in tissue is altered by carcinogenesis. We evaluate the potential of these changes in fluorescence to predict a diagnosis of malignancy and to estimate the risk of developing ovarian cancer.Study Design/Materials and MethodsOvarian biopsies were interrogated over 270–550 nm excitation and fluorescence was collected from 290 to 700 nm. Two hundred forty‐nine measurements were performed on 49 IRB‐consented patients undergoing oophorectomy. Data are analyzed using parallel factor analysis to determine excitation and emission spectra of the underlying fluorophores that contribute to the total detected fluorescence intensity.ResultsUsing multivariate normal distribution fits and cross‐validation techniques, sensitivity and specificity of 88% and 93%, respectively, are achieved when classifying malignant samples versus others, while 88% and 80%, respectively, are achieved when classifying normal post‐menopausal patients as being either at high‐ or low‐risk of developing ovarian cancer based on their personal and family history of cancer. Performance of classifying cancer increases when the normal group does not include benign neoplasm and endometriosis samples. Performance of high‐ versus low‐risk classification decreases when normal samples include both pre‐ and post‐menopausal women. Excitation over 270–400 and 380–560 nm, respectively, have the best diagnostic performance for cancer detection and risk‐status assessment.ConclusionsAssessing the endogenous fluorescence could be useful in screening women at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. Lasers Surg. Med. 44:282–295, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PDT in non‐surgical treatment of periodontitis in HIV patients: A split‐mouth, randomized clinical trial
Authors: Noro Filho Gilberto A. , Casarin Renato C.V. , Casati Márcio Z. , Giovani Elcio M. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground and ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the non‐surgical treatment of periodontitis in HIV patients.MethodsTwelve HIV patients from the CEAPE/UNIP, Brazil, with periodontitis were included in this 6‐month, split‐mouth, double‐blind, controlled clinical trial. Patients were placed in the following groups: Group SRP—scaling and root planning with an ultrasonic device (SRP); and Group SRP + PDT—SRP associated with a course of PDT with a diode laser with a wavelength of 660 nm and 0.03 W power associated with methylene blue 0.01% lasting 133 seconds. All clinical measurements (periodontal probing depth (PPD), gingival recession (GR), clinical attachment level (CAL), full‐mouth plaque index (FMPI), bleeding score (FMBS)), and microbiological parameters (detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Tannerella forsythia (Tf), and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa)) were assessed at baseline and at 45 days, and 3 and 6 months after therapy. The ANOVA/Tukey was used for statistical analysis (α = 5%).ResultsThere were no differences in any of the investigated parameters observed at baseline in the two groups (P > 0.05). Moreover, participants in the SRP + PDT group presented a higher PPD reduction and CAL gain than those in the SRP group at 45 days and 3 and 6 months. At 6 months, sites receiving SRP + PDT showed a significant PPD reduction of 1.4 ± 0.5 mm, while those in the SRP group showed a 0.3 ± 0.8 mm reduction (P < 0.05). The CAL gain at the sixth month was 1.3 ± 0.5 mm and 0.2 ± 0.7 mm for participants in the SRP + PDT and SRP groups, respectively (P < 0.05). Microbiologically, both therapies presented a reduction in the detection of Pg, Tf, and Aa, and there was no difference between them (P > 0.05).ConclusionWe concluded that PDT therapy used adjunctively to SRP could promote additional benefits in the treatment of HIV‐associated periodontitis. Lasers Surg. Med. 44:296–302, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cost Constrained Mediation Model for Analytic Hierarchy Process Negotiated Decision Making
Authors: Chen Sifeng , Jiang Yuanchun , Liu Yezheng , Diao Cuixia 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTConsensus is an important concept in group decision making. Although various methods have been proposed to derive agreement among experts, the decision cost in the mediation process is scarcely considered. This paper focuses on the decision cost in group decision making and develops a multi‐round mediation model under the constraints of decision costs. After experts provide advices within the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) framework, the proposed model integrates expert advices, estimates the decision cost to reach consensus and updates expert weights to conduct further mediation. This process continues until the consistent opinion is achieved among experts or the decision cost exceeds a maximum threshold. A numerical study shows that the proposed model provides a guideline for the AHP group decision‐making problems to reach acceptable consistency under cost constraints. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Calcium transport genes are differently regulated in maternal and fetal placenta in the knockout mice of calbindin‐D9k and ‐D28k
Authors: Koo Tae‐Hyoung , Yang Hyun , An Beum‐Soo , Choi Kyung‐Chul , Hyun Sang‐Hwan , Jeung Eui‐Bae 
Published: March 2012

AbstractCalbindin‐D9k (CaBP‐9k) and ‐D28k (CaBP‐28k) are cytosolic proteins with EF‐hand motifs that have a high affinity for calcium ions. Many types of calcium channels and intracellular calcium binding proteins, such as sodium/calcium exchangers (NCXs) and transient receptor potential cation channels (TRPVs), have been detected in the placenta. In this study, the expression of calcium channels involved in maternal–fetal calcium transport were investigated in wild‐type mice versus CaBP‐9k, CaBP‐28k, and CaBP‐9k/28k double knockout (KO) mouse models. The expression of calcium transport genes in three dissected sections of the placenta (maternal, central, and fetal) was examined on gestational day 19 (GD 19). The expression of CaBP‐9k, TRPV6, TRPV5, and NCX1 mRNA was high in fetal compared to maternal placenta, while CaBP‐28k was abundant in the maternal placenta. CaBP‐9k was enhanced in all sections of placenta in CaBP‐28k KO mice, whereas CaBP‐28k was reduced in CaBP‐9k KO mice. The expression of TRPV6, TRPV5, and NCX1 were induced in both maternal and fetal placentas in CaBP‐9k KO mice, but were upregulated in maternal and central placentas of CaBP‐28k KO mice. The levels of these proteins showed similar patterns with those of their mRNA. Placental CaBP‐9k, TRPV6, TRPV5, and NCX1 proteins were abundantly expressed in the intraplacental yolk sac located in the fetal placenta. CaBP‐28k did not colocalize with other calcium transport genes, although it was enriched in the placental trophoblasts of the decidual zone in the maternal placenta. These results indicate that placental TRPV6, TRPV5, and NCX1 compensate for CaBPs in CaBP‐9k and/or CaBP‐28k KO mice, and may take over the roles of CaBP‐9k and CaBP‐28k to transfer calcium ions in the placenta. Taken together, these results indicate that TRPV6, NCX1, and CaBP‐9k in the fetal placenta and CaBP‐28k in the maternal placenta may play key roles in controlling calcium transport across the placenta during pregnancy. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 346–355, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
mTOR is required for asymmetric division through small GTPases in mouse oocytes
Authors: Lee Seung‐Eun , Sun Shao‐Chen , Choi Hyun‐Yong , Uhm Sang‐Jun , Kim Nam‐Hyung 
Published: March 2012

AbstractMammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is central to the control of cell proliferation, growth, and survival in mammalian cells. Prolonged treatment with rapamycin inhibits mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) activity, and both the mTORC1‐mediated S6K1 and 4E‐BP1/eIF4E pathways are essential for TORC2‐mediated RhoA, Cdc42, and Rac1 expression during cell motility and F‐actin reorganization. The functions of mTOR in the mouse oocyte remain unclear, however. The present study shows that rapamycin affects mTOR expression and cytoskeleton reorganization during meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes. mTOR mRNA was expressed in germinal vesicles (GV) until metaphase I (MI), and increased during metaphase II (MII). Immunostaining showed that mTOR localized around the spindle and in the cytoplasm of oocytes. Treatment of oocytes with rapamycin decreased mTOR at the RNA and protein level, and altered asymmetric division. Formation of the actin cap and the cortical granule‐free domain were also disrupted after rapamycin treatment, indicating the failure of spindle migration. Injection of an anti‐mTOR antibody yielded results consistent with those obtained for rapamycin treatment, further confirming the involvement of mTOR in oocyte polarity. Furthermore, rapamycin treatment reduced the mRNA expression of small GTPases (RhoA, Cdc42, and Rac1), which are crucial regulatory factors for cytoskeleton reorganization. Taken together, these results suggest that rapamycin inhibits spindle migration and asymmetric division during mouse oocyte maturation via mTOR‐mediated small GTPase signaling pathways. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 356–366, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Secondary Metabolites from the Phloem of Piper solmsianum (Piperaceae) in the Honeydew of Edessa meditabunda
Authors: Ramos Clécio S. , Kato Massuo J. 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTIntroductionThe phytochemistry of species of the genus Piper has been studied extensively, including Piper solmsianum. However, no studies have addressed the phytochemistry of the sap content of Piper species.ObjectiveTo evaluate the transferring of secondary compounds from the saps of P. solmsianum to the honeydew of Edessa meditabunda.MethodologyThe honeydew of E. meditabunda and saps of P. solmsianum were analysed by GC‐MS, 1H‐NMR and LC‐MS.ResultsThe lignan (−)‐grandisin and the phenylpropanoid (E)‐isoelemicin were detected in both saps of P. solmsianum and honeydew of E. meditabunda.ConclusionAnalysis of honeydew secreted by the sap‐sucking insect E. meditabunda indicated that (−)‐grandisin and (E)‐isoelemicin are absorbed from the phloem of Piper solmsianum. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Highly uniform and reliable resistance switching properties in bilayer WOx/NbOx RRAM devices
Authors: Sadaf Sharif Md. , Liu Xinjun , Son Myungwoo , Park Sangsu , Choudhury Sakeb H. , Cha Euijun , Siddik Manzar , Shin Jungho , Hwang Hyunsang 
Published: March 2012

AbstractMemory performances, especially uniformity and reliability of resistance random access memory (RRAM) devices with W/NbOx/Pt structures were investigated. Scaling down the active device area (ø = 250 nm) can significantly minimize extrinsic defects related to nonuniform switching and also demonstrate low‐voltage SET/RESET operations due to increased Joule heating. Electromigration of oxygen ions under the bipolar electric field, bilayer formation, and lightning‐rod effect localized at WOx/NbOx interface can explain the improved switching behavior in this novel stack. Excellent device characteristics such as lower switching voltage, fast switching speed (100 ns), high‐temperature retention (>104 s, 85 °C), stable cycling endurance (107 cycles), almost 100% device yield and excellent switching uniformity are obtained.
Roles of molecular vibrations in photoinduced insulator‐to‐metal and neutral‐to‐ionic transitions
Authors: Yonemitsu Kenji 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe roles of molecular vibrations during photoinduced phase transitions in strongly correlated electron systems are theoretically studied on the basis of the time evolution of the exact many‐electron and many‐electron–phonon wave functions in extended Holstein–Peierls–Hubbard models. For the transition from a Coulomb‐driven charge‐ordered insulator to a metal, molecular vibrations interfere with charge transfers between neighboring molecules. For the transition from a neutral paraelectric state to an ionic ferroelectric state, they enhance the amplitude of ionicity modulation. They stabilize the initial phase in both cases, but their quantum nature is pronounced only in the former case.
Influence of randomness on the Mott transition in κ‐(BEDT‐TTF)2X
Authors: Sasaki T. , Sano K. , Sugawara H. , Yoneyama N. , Kobayashi N. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractWe present a detailed transport study in the organic superconductor κ‐(BEDT‐TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br that is irradiated by X‐rays. Weak molecular disorder introduced by X‐ray irradiation induces the Anderson‐type localization insulating state from the strongly correlated metallic/superconducting state. The hydrostatic pressure to the localization insulator restores the metallic properties. These observations indicate that the stronger electron correlations upon approaching the Mott transition enhance Anderson‐type electron localization due to disorder introduced by X‐ray irradiation. In the metallic state with weak disorder or under pressure, the resistivity shows a T2 dependence, which suggests that the dominant electron scattering comes from the electron–electron correlations of a Fermi‐liquid metal. The coefficient A of the T2 term, however, seems not to follow the Fermi‐liquid theory fully as the origin of the T2 dependence in a case of the disorder effect. Further studies of the competition and/or cooperation of the Mott and Anderson transitions close to the Mott critical point are important for understanding the critical behavior of the electrons in real materials.
The nature of Arctic polar vortices in chemistry–climate models
Authors: Mitchell D. M. , Charlton‐Perez A. J. , Gray L. J. , Akiyoshi H. , Butchart N. , Hardiman S. C. , Morgenstern O. , Nakamura T. , Rozanov E. , Shibata K. , Smale D. , Yamashita Y. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe structure of the Arctic stratospheric polar vortex in three chemistry–climate models (CCMs) taken from the CCMVal‐2 intercomparison is examined using zonal mean and geometric‐based methods. The geometric methods are employed by taking 2D moments of potential vorticity fields that are representative of the polar vortices in each of the models. This allows the vortex area, centroid location and ellipticity to be determined, as well as a measure of vortex filamentation. The first part of the study uses these diagnostics to examine how well the mean state, variability and extreme variability of the polar vortices are represented in CCMs compared to ERA‐40 reanalysis data, and in particular for the UMUKCA‐METO, NIWA‐SOCOL and CCSR/NIES models. The second part of the study assesses how the vortices are predicted to change in terms of the frequency of sudden stratospheric warmings and their general structure over the period 1960–2100.In general, it is found that the vortices are climatologically too far poleward in the CCMs and produce too few large‐scale filamentation events. Only a small increase is observed in the frequency of sudden stratospheric warming events from the mean of the CCMVal‐2 models, but the distribution of extreme variability throughout the winter period is shown to change towards the end of the twentyfirst century. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society and British Crown Copyright, the Met Office
Detection of isocyanates and polychlorinated biphenyls using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry
Authors: Agarwal B. , Jürschik S. , Sulzer P. , Petersson F. , Jaksch S. , Jordan A. , Märk T. D. 
Published: March 2012

RATIONALEIsocyanates are highly reactive species widely used in industry. They can cause irritation of the eyes, trigger asthma, etc. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were widely used in electrical equipments like capacitors and transformers in the last century and are still present in the environment today. PCBs are known to cause cancer and to affect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems. Therefore, there is a need for a simple, rapid and reliable analytical method for the detection of traces of isocyanates and of PCBs.METHODSThe data presented in this paper were obtained using a proton transfer reaction (PTR) time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer and a high sensitivity PTR quadrupole mass spectrometer. We also utilized a recently developed direct aqueous injection (DAI) inlet system for proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR‐MS) instruments that allows the analysis of trace compounds in liquids.RESULTSWe detected four isocyanates in the headspace above small sample quantities and investigated their fragmentation pathways to obtain a fundamental understanding of the processes involved in proton transfer reactions and also to determine the best operating conditions of the PTR‐MS instruments. In addition, nine PCBs were unambiguously identified via their exact mass and isotopic distribution and detected in different concentration levels via direct injection of the liquid.CONCLUSIONSUtilizing recent developments and improvements in PTR‐MS, we can rapidly detect two important environmental pollutant compound classes (isocyanates and PCBs) at high accuracy and without any sample preparation. In this paper, we provide proof of the detection of traces of isocyanates and PCBs in air and also of PCBs in liquids. These results could be used for the development of a real‐time monitoring device for industrial waste, polluted air or water quality surveillance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Probability‐dependent gain‐scheduled control for discrete stochastic delayed systems with randomly occurring nonlinearities
Authors: Wei Guoliang , Wang Zidong , Shen Bo 
Published: March 2012

SUMMARYIn this paper, the gain‐scheduled control problem is addressed by using probability‐dependent Lyapunov functions for a class of discrete‐time stochastic delayed systems with randomly occurring sector nonlinearities. The sector nonlinearities are assumed to occur according to a time‐varying Bernoulli distribution with measurable probability in real time. The multiplicative noises are given by means of a scalar Gaussian white noise sequence with known variances. The aim of the addressed gain‐scheduled control problem is to design a controller with scheduled gains such that, for the admissible randomly occurring nonlinearities, time delays and external noise disturbances, the closed‐loop system is exponentially mean‐square stable. Note that the designed gain‐scheduled controller is based on the measured time‐varying probability and is therefore less conservative than the conventional controller with constant gains. It is shown that the time‐varying controller gains can be derived in terms of the measurable probability by solving a convex optimization problem via the semi‐definite programme method. A simulation example is exploited to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design procedures. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.