bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strain Balanced Epitaxial Stacks of Quantum Dots and Quantum Posts
Authors: Alonso‐Álvarez Diego , Ripalda Jose María , Alén Benito , Llorens Jose María , Rivera Antonio , Briones Fernando 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThe self assembly of quantum dots by heteroepitaxy of lattice‐mismatched semiconductors is based on elastic energy relaxation, which spontaneously occurs at the growth front when the largest atoms in the crystal cluster together. Because a larger covalent radius is related to weaker bonds, and this is in turn fundamentally related to smaller bandgaps, the formation of quantum dots leads to a confinement potential for electrons and/or holes. This effect has applications ranging from ultralow threshold diode lasers to highly efficient solar cells and usually requires the stacking of multiple quantum dots. The number of layers is limited by the stress accumulated during growth due to the larger covalent radius of the atoms that constitute the quantum dots. This accumulated stress can be relieved by introducing in the epitaxial layers compensating atomic species with a smaller covalent radius, enabling a reduction of spacer layer thickness. In the limit of sub‐nanometer spacer thickness, the quantum dots, which have a tendency to line up vertically, fuse into a quantum post. The current efforts to optimize the properties of strain balanced quantum dot stacks and quantum posts are reviewed.
Atomic Layer Deposition of Tin Monosulfide Thin Films
Authors: Sinsermsuksakul Prasert , Heo Jaeyeong , Noh Wontae , Hock Adam S. , Gordon Roy G. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThin film solar cells made from earth‐abundant, non‐toxic materials are needed to replace the current technology that uses Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 and CdTe, which contain scarce and toxic elements. One promising candidate absorber material is tin monosulfide (SnS). In this report, pure, stoichiometric, single‐phase SnS films were obtained by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using the reaction of bis(N,N′‐diisopropylacetamidinato)tin(II) [Sn(MeC(N‐iPr)2)2] and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at low temperatures (100 to 200 °C). The direct optical band gap of SnS is around 1.3 eV and strong optical absorption (α > 104 cm−1) is observed throughout the visible and near‐infrared spectral regions. The films are p‐type semiconductors with carrier concentration on the order of 1016 cm−3 and hole mobility 0.82–15.3 cm2V−1s−1 in the plane of the films. The electrical properties are anisotropic, with three times higher mobility in the direction through the film, compared to the in‐plane direction.
Adenosine A2A receptor gene disruption protects in an α‐synuclein model of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Kachroo Anil , Schwarzschild Michael A. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractTo investigate the putative interaction between chronic exposure to adenosine receptor antagonist caffeine and genetic influences on Parkinson's disease (PD), we determined whether deletion of the adenosine A2A receptor in knockout (KO) mice protects against dopaminergic neuron degeneration induced by a mutant human α‐synuclein (hm2‐αSYN) transgene containing both A53T and A30P. The A2A KO completely prevented loss of dopamine and dopaminergic neurons caused by the mutant α‐synuclein transgene without altering levels of its expression. The adenosine A2A receptor appears required for neurotoxicity in a mutant α‐synuclein model of PD. Together with prior studies the present findings indirectly support the neuroprotective potential of caffeine and more specific A2A antagonists. Ann Neurol 2012;71:278–282
Proteomic pattern analysis discriminates among multiple sclerosis–related disorders
Authors: Komori Mika , Matsuyama Yumiko , Nirasawa Takashi , Thiele Herbert , Becker Michael , Alexandrov Theodore , Saida Takahiko , Tanaka Masami , Matsuo Hidenori , Tomimoto Hidekazu , Takahashi Ryosuke , Tashiro Kei , Ikegawa Masaya , Kondo Takayuki 
Published: September 2011

AbstractObjective:To use a new, unbiased biomarker discovery strategy to obtain and assess proteomic data from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS)‐related disorders.Methods:CSF protein profiles were analyzed from 107 patients with either MS‐related disorders (including relapsing remitting MS [RRMS], primary progressive MS [PPMS], anti‐aquaporin4 antibody seropositive–neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder [SP‐NMOSD], and seronegative‐NMOSD with long cord lesions on spinal magnetic resonance imaging [SN‐NMOSD]), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or other inflammatory neurological diseases (used as controls). CSF peptides/proteins were purified with magnetic beads, and directly measured by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. The obtained spectra were analyzed with multivariate statistics and pattern matching algorithms. These analyses were replicated in an independent sample set of 84 patients composed of those with MS‐related disorders or with other neurological diseases (the second cohort).Results:MS‐related disorders differed considerably in terms of CSF protein profiles. SP‐NMOSD and SN‐NMOSD, both of which fit within the NMO spectrum, were distinguishable from RRMS with high cross‐validation accuracy on a support vector machine classifier, especially in relapse phases. Some peaks derived from samples of relapsed SP‐NMOSD can discriminate RRMS with high area under curve scores (>0.95) and this was reproduced on the second cohort. The similarity of proteomic patterns between selected neurological diseases were demonstrated by pattern matching analysis. To our surprise, the spectral differences between RRMS and PPMS were much larger than those of PPMS and ALS.Interpretation:Our findings suggest that CSF proteomic pattern analysis can increase the accuracy of disease diagnosis of MS‐related disorders and will aid physicians in appropriate therapeutic decision‐making. ANN NEUROL 2012;
Rice husk/poly(propylene‐co‐ethylene) composites: Effect of different coupling agents on mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties
Authors: de Carvalho Fabiana Pires , Isabel Felisberti Maria , Soto Oviedo Mauro Alfredo , Davila Vargas Marcio , Farah Marcelo , Fortes Ferreira Marcia Pires 
Published: September 2011

AbstractPoly(propylene‐co‐ethylene) composites with rice husk were prepared in a corotating intermeshing twin‐screw extruder using four different coupling agents. While modified maleic anhydrides such as maleated polypropylene (MAPP) and maleated polyethylene (MAPE) are commonly used as compatibilizers to improve interfacial adhesion between lignocellulosic filler and matrix, in this study, polypropylene grafted with acid comonomer (CAPP) and high‐density polyethylene grafted with acid comonomer (CAPE) were also used. The morphologies and the thermal and mechanical properties of the composites were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning analysis, tensile and impact tests. The results indicate that the base resin of the compatibilizer is an important factor in determining the effectiveness of compatibilizers for composites. Composites with PP‐based compatibilizers are more effective than PE‐based compatibilizers due to the improved wetting of the former compatibilizer in the matrix polymer. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
13C solid‐state NMR study of the 13C‐labeled peptide, (E)8GGLGGQGAG(A)6GGAGQGGYGG as a model for the local structure of Nephila clavipes dragline silk (MaSp1) before and after spinning
Authors: Yazawa Koji , Yamaguchi Erika , Knight David , Asakura Tetsuo 
Published: September 2011

AbstractWe prepared the water soluble model peptide, (E)8GGLGGQGAG(A)6GGAGQGGYGG, to throw light on the local structure of spidroin 1 (MaSpl) protein in spider dragline silk of Nephila clavipes before and after spinning. Solution 13C NMR showed that the conformation of the peptide in aqueous solution was essentially random coil. Solid‐state NMR was used to follow conformation‐dependent 13C chemical shifts in 13C selectively labeled versions of the peptide. The peptide lyophilized from an aqueous solution at neutral pH (hereafter referred to as “without acid treatment)”was used to mimic the state of the spidroin stored in the spider's silk gland while the peptide precipitated from the acidic solution (“with acid treatment”) was used to simulate the role of acid treatment in inducing conformation change in the natural spinning process. In without acid treatment, the fraction of random coil conformation was lowest in the N‐terminal region (residues 15–18) when compared with the C‐terminus. The conformational change produced by the acid treatment occurred in the sequence, G15AG(A)6GGAG27, interposed between pairs of Gly residues pairs, Gly12,13, and Gly29,30. The acid treated peptide showed a remarkable decrease in the fraction of random coil conformation from A20 to A23 in the poly‐Ala region when compared with the peptide without acid treatment. These observations taken together suggest that the peptide can be used as a model for studying the localization of the conformation change in spider silk fibroin in the natural spinning and the role of acid treatment in this process. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 97: 347–354, 2012.
Amyloid fibrils as functionalizable components of nanocomposite materials
Authors: Rao Shiva P. , Meade Susie J. , Healy Jackie P. , Sutton Kevin H. , Larsen Nigel G. , Staiger Mark P. , Gerrard Juliet A. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractAmyloid fibrils are a form of protein nanofiber that show promise as components of multifunctional bionanomaterials. In this work, native bovine insulin and bovine insulin that had been previously converted into amyloid fibrils were combined with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) via solution casting to determine the effect of fibrillization on the thermomechanical properties of the resulting composite. The synthesis method was found to preserve the amyloid fibril structure and properties of the resulting fibril‐PVOH composite were investigated. At a filling level of 0.6 wt %, the fibril‐reinforced PVOH was 15% stiffer than the PVOH control. Various properties of the films, including the glass transition temperature, degradation temperature, microstructure, and film morphology were characterized. Although more work is required to optimize the properties of the composites, this study provides proof of principle that incorporation of amyloid fibrils into a polymeric material can impart useful changes to the mechanical and morphological properties of the films. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012
Reconfirmation of the right medial division of the portal venous system of liver
Authors: Zheng Nan , Zhang Jian‐Fei , Gong Jin , Yu Sheng‐Bo , Xu Qiang , Wang Xiao‐Mei , Gao Hai‐Bin , Tang Wei , Zhang Cheng‐Hong , Sui Hong‐Jin 
Published: September 2011

AbstractWith the development of hepatic surgery and radiology, an increasing amount of researchers have reported discrepancies between the real distribution of the hepatic portal vein branches and Couinaud's segmentation, especially for further division of the right medial division. The present study investigated 25 cadaveric liver dissections and 30 three‐dimensional reconstruction images of intrahepatic vessels. The ramifications, course, distribution and quantity of the portal branches were analyzed. An oblique fissure that had few vessels was found among third‐order branches of the hepatic portal vein of the right medial division. The right medial division could be redivided into the ventral subsegment and dorsal subsegment by this oblique fissure. A hepatic vein coursed in the oblique fissure between the ventral subsegment and dorsal subsegment. The hepatic vein could serve as an anatomical landmark of the inter‐subsegmental plane. This new method of identifying further division of the right medial division is a novel concept providing further information on conventional segmental anatomy. Clin. Anat. 25:489–495, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Identification of molecular motors in the Woods Hole squid, Loligo pealei: An expressed sequence tag approach
Authors: DeGiorgis Joseph A. , Cavaliere Kimberly R. , Burbach J. Peter H. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractThe squid giant axon and synapse are unique systems for studying neuronal function. While a few nucleotide and amino acid sequences have been obtained from squid, large scale genetic and proteomic information is lacking. We have been particularly interested in motors present in axons and their roles in transport processes. Here, to obtain genetic data and to identify motors expressed in squid, we initiated an expressed sequence tag project by single‐pass sequencing mRNAs isolated from the stellate ganglia of the Woods Hole Squid, Loligo pealei. A total of 22,689 high quality expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences were obtained and subjected to basic local alignment search tool analysis. Seventy six percent of these sequences matched genes in the National Center for Bioinformatics databases. By CAP3 analysis this library contained 2459 contigs and 7568 singletons. Mining for motors successfully identified six kinesins, six myosins, a single dynein heavy chain, as well as components of the dynactin complex, and motor light chains and accessory proteins. This initiative demonstrates that EST projects represent an effective approach to obtain sequences of interest. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Determinants of vascular access: Patient characteristics or physician preference?
Authors: Shah Megha , Jain Vijay , Spalding Lori , Choudhry Wajid 
Published: September 2011

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe goal of the Fistula First Initiative is to increase the use of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for dialysis to 66% of total dialysis patients. Most facilities fall short of this target. Our objective is to determine the impact of provider bias in influencing the rate of AVF in dialysis facilities.METHODSWe retrospectively studied 176 patients who received a new vascular access for dialysis over 18 months in two groups. In one group, a single surgeon was involved in vascular access placement (56 patients), while the other group had multiple surgeons (120 patients).RESULTSA significantly higher number of patients received AVF as their primary vascular access in the single‐surgeon group, even though there were no significant differences in age, gender, and co‐morbidities in the two groups. There was no difference in primary and secondary fistula failure rates.CONCLUSIONSOur study shows that AVF rate varies in different dialysis units, involving different providers, despite similar patient profiles. This implies the presence of a possible bias among providers when selecting a patient for type of access. Thus a higher rate of AVF placement, closer to the target rate, can be achieved by removing this bias. Dial. Transplant. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cre‐mediated recombination can induce apoptosis in vivo by activating the p53 DNA damage‐induced pathway
Authors: Zhu Jianjian , Nguyen Minh‐Thanh , Nakamura Eiichiro , Yang Junming , Mackem Susan 
Published: September 2011

AbstractCre‐mediated apoptosis has been observed in many contexts in mice expressing Cre‐recombinase and can confound the analysis of genetically engineered conditional mutant or transgenic alleles. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon. We find that the degree of apoptosis induced correlates roughly with the copy number of loxP sites present in the genome and that some level of increased apoptosis accompanies the presence of even only a few loxP sites, as occurs in conditional floxed alleles. Cre‐induced apoptosis in this context is completely p53‐dependent, suggesting that the apoptosis is stimulated by p53 activation in response to DNA damage incurred during the process of Cre‐mediated recombination. genesis 50:102–111, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Zebrafish Tshz3b negatively regulates hox function in the developing hindbrain
Authors: Erickson Timothy , Pillay Laura M. , Waskiewicz Andrew J. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractConfocal images of hindbrain neurons in two‐day old wild type (left) and tshz3b mRNA‐injected (right) zebrafish embryos. The two top panels show the GFP‐positive branchiomotor neurons (green) of Tg(isl1:GFP) embryos co‐stained with the zn‐5 antibody against Alcam a (red). The bottom two panels highlight the hindbrain reticulospinal neurons as visualized using the rmo44 α‐Neurofilament‐medium antibody. Overexpression of tshz3b perturbs the normal segmental patterning of these neurons.
Enantioselective capillary electrochromatography: Recent developments and new trends
Authors: Mangelings Debby , Vander Heyden Yvan 
Published: September 2011

AbstractSince its development in the early 1970s, CEC has been studied quite extensively, but unfortunately its use is still mostly located at an academic level. Reasons for this are the limited availability of commercially available stationary phases (SPs) and columns, along with some practical limitations, such as column fragility, lack of column robustness and reproducibility. Nevertheless, CEC maintains a place among the separation techniques, probably because of its unique feature to combine two separation principles. Also in the field of chiral separations, CEC is often used as a separation technique and already showed its potential for this kind of analyses. This overview will focus on the recent applications, i.e. between 2006 and 2010, in enantioselective analysis by means of CEC. For the selected applications, the used SPs (chiral selectors) and their potential for future method development or screening purposes will be evaluated and critically discussed.
Adaptive regulating reserve scheduling for the isolated power system
Authors: Chang‐Chien Le‐Ren , Chien Chung‐Wei , Hu Tsung‐Hao 
Published: September 2011

SUMMARYRegulating reserve is generally deployed to support system frequency. Because the moment‐to‐moment load fluctuations require continuous frequency control, allocating the reserve for this kind should be flexible to support the function of automatic generation control. Because fast response units not only are assigned to support automatic generation control but also are utilized to deal with credible frequency events, the regulating reserve may be planned as a portion of contingency reserve for security concern, especially for an isolated power system. Without inter‐tie to mutually support system frequency, frequency of an isolated system is much more sensitive to the disturbances than that in the interconnection. Therefore, the scheduling of regulating reserve for an isolated system should be more cautious to take both security and economy into account. This paper describes a methodology that adaptively schedules the regulating reserve based on the dynamic security margin as well as the ongoing demand of the system. Compared with the conventional way of using the historical data, the proposed scheduling method is proven to be more capable of dealing with the change of system condition and furthermore potentially reducing the extraneous reserve. More operational cases will be presented to show the merits of the proposed method that is applied to the ancillary service market. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Environmental release, environmental concentrations, and ecological risk of N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET)
Authors: Aronson Dallas , Weeks John , Meylan Bill , Guiney Patrick D , Howard Philip H 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide's (DEET) commercial use as an insect repellent and other reported uses are reviewed. Evidence that DEET is reaching the environment mainly from consumer use of DEET-containing insect repellent includes studies reporting higher concentrations of DEET in surface water and wastewater samples during the summer months, the presence of DEET in on-site septic tank effluent at concentrations similar to that reported in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent, and changes in WWTP effluent concentrations before and after the introduction of a DEET replacement in Germany. Its detected concentrations in influent and effluent of WWTP and surface water worldwide are reviewed and correlations between DEET usage and wastewater effluent concentrations are analyzed. The removability during wastewater treatment is also evaluated. A correlation between commercial DEET use in a metropolitan area and concentrations in WWTP effluents was assessed, and 2 different models were used to predict DEET concentrations in rivers and streams throughout the United States. Ecological toxicity data are reviewed for acute studies and for chronic values that are available for Daphnia magna and algae. The ecological risk of DEET usage is evaluated by examining the relationship of the expected dose/response to observed concentrations. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2012;8:135–166. © 2011 SETAC
Coaxial electrospun poly(ε‐caprolactone), multiwalled carbon nanotubes, and polyacrylic acid/polyvinyl alcohol scaffold for skeletal muscle tissue engineering
Authors: McKeon‐Fischer K. D. , Flagg D. H. , Freeman J. W. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractSkeletal muscle repair after injury usually results in scar tissue and decreased functionality. In this study, we coaxially electrospun poly(ε‐caprolactone), multiwalled carbon nanotubes, and a hydrogel consisting of polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylic acid (PCL‐MWCNT‐H) to create a self‐contained nanoactuating scaffold for skeletal muscle tissue replacement. This was then compared to electrospun PCL and PCL‐MWCNT scaffolds. All scaffolds displayed some conductivity; however, MWCNT incorporation increased the conductivity. Only the PCL‐MWCNT‐H actuated when stimulated with 15 and 20 V. The PCL, PCL‐MWCNT, and hydrogel only scaffolds demonstrated no reaction when 5, 8, 10, 15, and 20 V were applied. Thus, all components of the PCL‐MWCNT‐H scaffold are essential for movement. All three PCL‐containing scaffolds were biocompatible, but the PCL‐MWCNT‐H scaffolds displayed more multinucleated cells with actin interaction. After tensile testing, the MWCNT‐containing scaffolds had higher strength than the rat and pig skeletal muscle. Although the mechanical properties were higher than muscle, the PCL‐MWCNT‐H scaffold shows promise as a potential bioartificial nanoactuator for skeletal muscle. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A:, 2011.