bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of circulating concentrations of glucose homeostasis biomarkers, progesterone, and growth hormone in healthy Elkhounds during anestrus and diestrus
Authors: Mared Malin , Catchpole Brian , Kämpe Olle , Fall Tove 
Published: January 2012

Abstract
Objective—To investigate whether circulating concentrations of biomarkers of glucose homeostasis, progesterone, and growth hormone in healthy female Elkhounds differ during diestrus and anestrus and to compare those findings with data from dogs of other breeds.
Animals—22 healthy female dogs of Elkhound breeds (known to have a high incidence of diestrus-associated diabetes mellitus) and 18 healthy female non-Elkhound dogs.
Procedures—For each dog, a blood sample (12 mL) was collected once during anestrus and once 2 to 8 weeks after cessation of estrual bleeding. Serum or whole blood samples were analyzed for glucose, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1, C-peptide, fructosamine, and glycated hemoglobin A1c concentrations. Homeostasis model assessments (HOMAs) of pancreatic beta-cell function and insulin secretion were calculated.
Results—In Elkhounds, C-peptide concentration and the HOMA for beta-cell function (markers of insulin secretion) were higher in samples obtained during diestrus, compared with findings in samples obtained during anestrus. The HOMA for insulin sensitivity was lower (albeit not significantly) during diestrus than it was during anestrus in Elkhounds. Markers of insulin secretion and sensitivity were similar during anestrus and diestrus in the dogs of other breeds. Serum progesterone concentrations were greater during diestrus than during anestrus in Elkhounds and non-Elkhound dogs. All other variables did not differ between diestrus and anestrus within or between the 2 breed groupings.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results provided evidence that circulating insulin concentrations during diestrus are higher than those during anestrus in Elkhounds, which could contribute to development of diestrus-associated diabetes mellitus.
Effect of a solution of hyaluronic acid–chondroitin sulfate–N-acetyl glucosamine on the repair response of cartilage to single-impact load damage
Authors: Henson Frances M. D. , Getgood Alan M. J. , Caborn David M. , McIlwraith C. Wayne , Rushton Neil 
Published: January 2012

Abstract
Objective—To investigate effects of 1% hyaluronic acid–chondroitin sulfate–N-acetyl glucosamine (HCNAG) on the damage repair response in equine articular cartilage.
Sample—Articular cartilage from 9 clinically normal adult horses.
Procedures—Full-thickness cartilage disks were harvested from the third metacarpal bone. Cartilage was single-impact loaded (SIL) with 0.175 J at 0.7 m/s and cultured in DMEM plus 1 % (vol/vol) HCNAG or fibroblastic growth factor (FGF)-2 (50 ng/mL). Histologic and immunohistochemical techniques were used to identify tissue architecture and apoptotic cells and to immunolocalize type I and II collagen and proliferating nuclear cell antigen (PCNA).
Results—Type II collagen immunoreactivity increased in SIL cartilage, compared with control samples. At days 14 and 28 (day 0 = initiation of culture), control samples had significantly fewer repair cells than did other treatment groups. In control samples and SIL + HCNAG, there was a significant decrease in apoptotic cell number, compared with results for SIL and SIL + FGF-2 samples. At days 14 and 28, there was a significant increase in chondrocytes stained positive for PCNA in the control samples.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—1% HCNAG significantly affected apoptotic and repair cell numbers in an SIL damage-repair technique in adult equine articular cartilage. However, HCNAG had no effect on the number of PCNA-positive chondrocytes or on type II collagen immunohistochemical results. The inclusion of 1% HCNAG in lavage solutions administered after arthroscopy may be beneficial to cartilage health by increasing the number of repair cells and decreasing the number of apoptotic cells.
Quantifying Urban form: A Case Study of Rajshahi City
Authors: Bin Kashem Md Shakil , Chowdhury Tufayel Ahmed , Majumder Joydip , Rahman Md Asif 
Published: January 2012

The urban areas comprise complex systems of activities, so the study of its form in terms of a few statistical measures is quite taxing. This paper attempts to employ such measures to define the urban form of Rajshahi city in Bangladesh. It evaluated some of the measures to quantify urban form and selected two indices, namely, Gini coefficient and Moran coefficient to quantify the urban form of the study area. Residential floor area and floor area for employment was computed in a tessellated form for quantifying the urban form of the study area. GeoDa software was employed to calculate Moran for both of the residential and employment floor space. From Moran and Gini value it was found that both of these land uses are highly clustered in a few locations of the study area. The two indices together give intuitive results, which is, residences are generally more dispersed and continuous than that of employment. Although this kind of analysis of urban form is better applied in comparative analysis, the present study provides the take off point for further research of urban form in Bangladesh.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbip.v2i0.9555 Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners Vol. 2, December 2009, pp. 39-48
Risk and Real Estate Ownership: Empirical Evidence of Hotels in Singapore
Authors: Farzana Fawzla , Murtaza Md Ghulam 
Published: January 2012

This paper examined the impact of real property ownership on the systematic risk of hotel companies in Singapore. This issue is interesting because few studies have been carried out on this topic. The hypothesis is that the real estate ownership would impose negative effect on the systematic risk of company in hotel sector because corporate real estate is commonly considered as an instrument for diversification in a mixed portfolio. To examine the effect, two-stage least-square regression was applied. The data was collected from published sources and other data streams. The results indicate that real estate ownership has impact on the systematic risk of companies. The implication is that the different strategies of companies may result in the different directions of impacts.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbip.v2i0.9579 Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners Vol. 2, December 2009, pp. 193-200
L'émergence est une économie politique. Vers une économie politique comparée de l'industrialisation et de la globalisation industrielle en Chine et en Inde
Authors: Ruet Joël 
Published: January 2012

Résumé Les économies des pays émergents nécessitent un regard original, qui permet en retour de questionner les approches d’économie comparée du développement et les politiques industrielles comparées. L’objet central de cet article concerne les politiques industrielles et leurs modes de régulation. Ces questions éclairent le capitalisme et en particulier l’économie politique du système capitaliste indien et de ce qu’on appelle avec imprécision le “capitalisme d’État” dans le cas de la Chine. La visée de l’article est de suggérer qu’il faut renouveler le regard sur ces économies politiques. Trois thèses en particulier sont déployées et structurent thématiquement cet article. Pour les deux pays, les politiques industrielles ont procédé -et continuent de le faire d’un système d’encastrement de l’économique au politique et au social. Corolaire de l’assertion précédente, les choix économiques relatifs à l’ entrée de ces deux pays dans la globalisation n’ont pas été la conséquence de mobilisations internes d’acteurs bénéficiant de la globalisation, mais ont plutôt procédé de choix publics. Sans aucunement négliger le rôle des entrepreneurs indiens, il s’agit ici de rappeler leur inscription dans une trajectoire de capitalisme proche des réseaux d’État; pour la Chine il s’agit de pousser l’intéressante thèse d’un capitalisme avec des caractéristiques chinoises (Huang Yasheng) vers la thèse d’un non-capitalisme. Dans les deux cas, la cohésion économique-territoriale et nationale est l’enjeu structurant. Enfin, les industries et entreprises des deux pays font plus que de se multinationaliser, elles se globalisent. En conclusion directe de ces trois thèses, qui toutes posent en somme que les relations économiques dans ces pays ne sont pas stabilisées mais au contraire dynamiques, l’article suggère qu’une économie de l’émergence n’a pas de clôture systémique. Une théorie économique de l’émergence, entendue en tant que système de pensée autonome de la production et des échanges et de leur organisation, rencontre en Chine et en Inde toujours un politique et un social en mouvement. L’économie stricte de l’émergence est impossible ; la pensée de l’émergence est nécessairement une économie politique.
A New Approach to Model‐Based Simulation of Disordered Polymer Blend Solar Cells
Authors: Stenzel Ole , Koster L. Jan Anton , Thiedmann Ralf , Oosterhout Stefan D. , Janssen René A. J. , Schmidt Volker 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThe 3D nanomorphology of blends of two different (organic and inorganic) solid phases as used in bulk heterojunction solar cells is described by a spatial stochastic model. The model is fitted to 3D image data describing the photoactive layer of poly(3‐hexylthiophene)‐ZnO (P3HT‐ZnO) solar cells fabricated with varying spin‐coating velocities. A scenario analysis is performed where 3D morphologies are simulated for different spin‐coating velocities to elucidate the correlation between processing conditions, morphology, and efficiency of hybrid P3HT‐ZnO solar cells. The simulated morphologies are analyzed quantitatively in terms of structural and physical characteristics. It is found that there is a tendency for the morphology to coarsen with increasing spin‐coating velocity, creating larger domains of P3HT and ZnO. The impact of the spin‐coating velocity on the connectivity of the morphology and the existence of percolation pathways for charge carriers in the resulting films appears insignificant, but the quality of percolation pathways, considering the charge carrier mobility, strongly varies with the spin‐coating velocity, especially in the ZnO phase. Also, the exciton quenching efficiency decreases significantly for films deposited at large spin‐coating velocities. The stochastic simulation model investigated is compared to a simulated annealing model and is found to provide a better fit to the experimental data.
Robust Hollow Spheres Consisting of Alternating Titania Nanosheets and Graphene Nanosheets with High Photocatalytic Activity for CO2 Conversion into Renewable Fuels
Authors: Tu Wenguang , Zhou Yong , Liu Qi , Tian Zhongping , Gao Jun , Chen Xiaoyu , Zhang Haitao , Liu Jianguo , Zou Zhigang 
Published: January 2012

AbstractRobust hollow spheres consisting of molecular‐scale alternating titania (Ti0.91O2) nanosheets and graphene (G) nanosheets are successfully fabricated by a layer‐by‐layer assembly technique with polymer beads as sacrificial templates using a microwave irradiation technique to simultaneously remove the template and reduce graphene oxide into graphene. The molecular scale, 2D contact of Ti0.91O2 nanosheets and G nanosheets in the hollow spheres is distinctly different from the prevenient G‐based TiO2 nanocomposites prepared by simple integration of TiO2 and G nanosheets. The nine times increase of the photocatalytic activity of G‐Ti0.91O2 hollow spheres relative to commercial P25 TiO2 is confirmed with photoreduction of CO2 into renewable fuels (CO and CH4). The large enhancement in the photocatalytic activity benefits from: 1) the ultrathin nature of Ti0.91O2 nanosheets allowing charge carriers to move rapidly onto the surface to participate in the photoreduction reaction; 2) the sufficiently compact stacking of ultrathin Ti0.91O2 nanosheets with G nanosheets allowing the photogenerated electron to transfer fast from the Ti0.91O2 nanosheets to G to enhance lifetime of the charge carriers; and 3) the hollow structure potentially acting as a photon trap‐well to allow the multiscattering of incident light for the enhancement of light absorption.
Atomic Layer Deposition of Nanostructured Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications
Authors: Marichy Catherine , Bechelany Mikhael , Pinna Nicola 
Published: January 2012

AbstractAtomic layer deposition (ALD) is a thin film technology that in the past two decades rapidly developed from a niche technology to an established method. It proved to be a key technology for the surface modification and the fabrication of complex nanostructured materials. In this Progress Report, after a short introduction to ALD and its chemistry, the versatility of the technique for the fabrication of novel functional materials will be discussed. Selected examples, focused on its use for the engineering of nanostructures targeting applications in energy conversion and storage, and on environmental issues, will be discussed. Finally, the challenges that ALD is now facing in terms of materials fabrication and processing will be also tackled.
Spray‐Assisted Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Buildup: from Step‐by‐Step to Single‐Step Polyelectrolyte Film Constructions
Authors: Schaaf Pierre , Voegel Jean‐Claude , Jierry Loïc , Boulmedais Fouzia 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThe alternate deposition of polyanions and polycations on a solid substrate leads to the formation of nanometer to micrometer films called Polyelectrolyte Multilayers. This step‐by‐step construction of organic films constitutes a method of choice to functionalize surfaces with applications ranging from optical to bioactive coatings. The method was originally developed by dipping the substrate in the different polyelectrolyte solutions. Recent advances show that spraying the polyelectrolyte solutions onto the substrate represents an appealing alternative to dipping because it is much faster and easier to adapt at an industrial level. Multilayer deposition by spraying is thus greatly gaining in interest. Here we review the current literature on this deposition method. After a brief history of polyelectrolyte multilayers to place the spraying method in its context, we review the fundamental issues that have been addresses so far. We then give an overview the different fields where the method has been applied.
Optimization of Electrodeposited p‐Doped Sb2Te3 Thermoelectric Films by Millisecond Potentiostatic Pulses
Authors: Schumacher Christian , Reinsberg Klaus G. , Akinsinde Lewis , Zastrow Sebastian , Heiderich Sonja , Toellner William , Rampelberg Geert , Detavernier Christophe , Broekaert José A. C. , Nielsch Kornelius , Bachmann Julien 
Published: January 2012

AbstractA systematic optimization of p‐type Sb2Te3 thermoelectric films made by potentiostatic electrodeposition on Au and stainless steel substrates is presented. The influence of the preparative parameters of deposition voltage, concentration, and the deposition method are investigated in a nitric acid solution. As a postdeposition step, the influence of annealing the films is investigated. The use of a potential‐controlled millisecond‐pulsed deposition method could improve both the morphology and the composition of the films. The samples are characterized in terms of composition, crystallinity, Seebeck coefficient, and electrical resistivity. Pulsed‐deposited films exhibit Seebeck coefficients of up to 160 μV K−1 and an electrical conductivity of 280 S cm−1 at room temperature, resulting in power factors of about 700 μW m−1 K−2. After annealing, power factors of maximum 852 μW m−1 K−2 are achieved. Although the annealing of DC‐deposited films significantly increased the power factor, they do not reach the values of the pulsed‐deposited films in the preannealing state. Structural analysis is performed with X‐ray diffraction and shows the crystalline structure of Sb2Te3 films. The performance is tuned by annealing of deposited films up to 300 °C under He atmosphere while performing in‐situ X‐ray diffraction and resistivity measurements. The chemical analysis of the films is performed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‐OES) as well as scanning electron microscope energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (SEM‐EDX).
Exact results with the Kotliar‐Ruckenstein slave‐boson representation
Authors: Frésard R. , Kopp T. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractRadial slave boson representations have the particular advantage that the expectation values of their respective fields are finite even without the formal introduction of spurious Bose condensates for each of the bosonic fields. The expectation values of the radial (real) fields are in fact to be interpreted as the density of empty or singly occupied sites. Whereas the radial representation of the Barnes slave bosons has been investigated before, a setup for the functional integral of radial bosonic fields in the more physical Kotliar‐Ruckenstein representation has not been accomplished to date. We implement a path integral procedure with suitable renormalization factors for a strongly correlated two‐site model which allows to control the formal steps in the intricate evaluation, as the results for the partition function and the expectation values are known from exact diagonalization for such a minimal single impurity Anderson model. The partition function is shown to be a trace over a product of matrices local in time and therefore can be calculated analytically. Eventually, we establish the scheme for the evaluation of correlation functions and thermodynamic properties.
Impurity diffusion, point defect engineering, and surface/interface passivation in germanium
Authors: Chroneos A. , Schwingenschlögl U. , Dimoulas A. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractIn recent years germanium has been emerging as a mainstream material that could have important applications in the microelectronics industry. The principle aim of this study is to review investigations of the diffusion of technologically important p‐ and n‐type dopants as well as surface and interface passivation issues in germanium. The diffusion of impurities in germanium is interrelated to the formation of clusters whenever possible, and possibilities for point defect engineering are discussed in view of recent results. The importance of electrically active defects on the Ge surface and interfaces is addressed considering strategies to suppress them and to passivate the surfaces/interfaces, bearing in mind their importance for advanced devices.
Polylactide latex/nanofibrillated cellulose bionanocomposites of high nanofibrillated cellulose content and nanopaper network structure prepared by a papermaking route
Authors: Larsson Karolina , Berglund Lars A. , Ankerfors Mikael , Lindström Tom 
Published: January 2012

AbstractPrevious attempts to use polylactide (PLA) latex particles and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) in papermaking processing have been limited to low NFC content. In the present study, a bionanocomposite material was successfully produced using a PLA latex and NFC. The components were mixed using a wet mixing method and bionanocomposite films were made by filtration followed by hot pressing. In composite materials, the dispersion of the reinforcing component in the matrix is critical for the material properties. Biopolymers such as PLA are non‐polar and soluble only in organic solvents; NFC is, however, highly hydrophilic. By utilizing latex, i.e., an aqueous dispersion of biopolymer micro‐particles, wet mixing is possible and the problem of aggregation of the hydrophilic nanocellulose in organic solvent is avoided. The properties of the resulting NFC/PLA latex bionanocomposite films were analyzed. Thorough blending resulted in good dispersion of the reinforcing component within the matrix. Adding increasing amounts of NFC improved the Young's modulus, tensile strength, and strain at break of the bionanocomposite material. The increase in the tensile properties was linear with increasing NFC content as a result of the good dispersion. The NFC also improved the thermal stability of the bionanocomposite material. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Alcohol‐induced change of “reverse osmosis” polyamide membrane surface
Authors: Agrawal Vinod K. , Singh Puyam S. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractAn analysis method based on Attenuated total reflectance infra‐red spectroscopy was used to measure water and alcohol sorption from water–methanol and water–isopropanol aqueous solutions in the “reverse osmosis” polyamide membrane. Preferential sorption of water over alcohol was observed in the membrane. As alcohol concentration in the solution increases, the sorption selectivity of water over methanol increases from 4 to 375, whereas the sorption selectivity water over isopropanol increases only from 2 to 8. However, as water is nonsolvent for polyamide, the membrane surface structure remains unaffected by the water sorption. On the other hand, the sorption of alcohol in the membrane leads to decrease in characteristic IR band intensities of the polyamide implying a change in membrane surface structure which corroborates with the change in membrane surface roughness as observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Impact and prospective of fungal pre‐treatment of lignocellulosic biomass for enzymatic hydrolysis
Authors: Tian Xiao‐fei , Fang Zhen , Guo Feng 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThe presence of lignin in lignocellulosic biomass leads to a protective barrier which prevents enzymes from being accessible to cellulose and hemicellulose for hydrolysis. As a result, pre‐treatment is a ‘must’ step for subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Bio pre‐treatment is normally conducted at low temperatures and low pressures without using expensive equipment, chemical agents, reactors, and additional energy for lignin removal and biomass structure destruction. Therefore, it is a green, safe, and inexpensive method. White‐rot fungi (WRF), a group of fungi (more than 1500 different species) are successfully applied in bioconversion processes such as sewage treatment, biopulping, conversion of forest and agricultural residues to animal feeds, and the production of edible or medicinal mushrooms. In the bio pre‐treatment process, WRF are mostly used for secreting ligninolytic enzymes, a variety of donor substrates and selective degradation of lignin. Current research related to WRF bio pre‐treatment is mainly focusing on the following four aspects: (i) selection of candidate strains for certain biomass materials; (ii) optimization of cultivation methods; (iii) characterization of fungal treated materials; and (iv) evaluation of combining bio pre‐treatment with chemical or physicochemical approaches. Future prospects and recommended research work on applying WRF in bio pre‐treatment are also briefly introduced and summarized in this review. These include (i) integrated methods (i.e. co‐treatment with organic solvents, diluted acids, supercritical CO2 and ionic liquids) to resolve problems existing in fungal pre‐treatment applications; (ii) mutation breeding and crossbreeding of fungal mycelia to obtain engineering strains; and (iii) integration of fungal pre‐treatment with simultaneous saccharification and fermentation to produce biofuels and value‐added products. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd