Correction: Azamacrocycles and tertiary amines can be used to form size tuneable hollow structures or monodisperse oxide nanoparticles depending on the 'M' source

Correction for 'Azamacrocycles and tertiary amines can be used to form size tuneable hollow structures or monodisperse oxide nanoparticles depending on the ‘M’ source' by Graham E. Tilburey, et al., Dalton Trans., 2019, 48, 15470–15479. The authors would like to correct the author list, as S. V. Patwardhan is not included on the author list in the published article. The correct author list is shown above. The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers

Risk attitudes and informal employment in a developing economy

© 2012 Bennett et al.; licensee Springer. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0),which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.We model an urban labour market in a developing economy, incorporating workers’ risk attitudes. Trade-offs between risk aversion and ability determine worker allocation across formal and informal wage employment, and voluntary and involuntary self employment. Greater risk of informal wage non-payment can raise or lower informal wage employment, depending on the source of risk. Informal wage employment can be reduced by increasing detection efforts or by strengthening contract enforcement for informal wage payment. As the average ability of workers rises, informal wage employment first rises, then falls. Greater demand for formal production may lead to more involuntary self employment

Influence of estradiol on bovine trophectoderm and uterine gene transcripts around maternal recognition of pregnancy

Embryo survival and pregnancy success is increased among animals that exhibit estrus prior to fixed time-artificial insemination, but there are no differences in conceptus survival to d16. The objective of this study was to determine effects of preovulatory estradiol on uterine transcriptomes, select trophectoderm (TE) transcripts, and uterine luminal fluid proteins. Beef cows/heifers were synchronized, artificially inseminated (d0), and grouped into either high (highE2) or low (lowE2) preovulatory estradiol. Uteri were flushed (d16); conceptuses and endometrial biopsies (n = 29) were collected. RNA sequencing was performed on endometrium. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed on TE (n = 21) RNA to measure relative abundance of IFNT, PTGS2, TM4SF1, C3, FGFR2, and GAPDH. Uterine fluid was analyzed using 2D Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry-based Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) method. RT-PCR data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS. There were no differences in messenger RNA (mRNA) abundances in TE, but there were 432 differentially expressed genes (253 downregulated, 179 upregulated) in highE2/conceptus versus lowE2/conceptus groups. There were also 48 differentially expressed proteins (19 upregulated, 29 downregulated); 6 of these were differentially expressed (FDR \u3c 0.10) at the mRNA level. Similar pathways for mRNA and proteins included: calcium signaling, protein kinase A signaling, and corticotropin-releasing hormone signaling. These differences in uterine function may be preparing the conceptus for improved likelihood of survival after d16 among highE2 animals

Azamacrocycles and tertiary amines can be used to form size tuneable hollow structures or monodisperse oxide nanoparticles depending on the 'M' source.

We show that the azamacrocycle 'cyclam' (1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclodecane) in conjunction with a silicon catecholate ion generates novel hollow tetragonal tube-like crystalline materials [(C6H4O2)3Si][C10H26N4]·H2O, whose dimensions can be tuned according to the pH of the reaction medium. The synthesis approach was successful for both silicon and germanium and we hypothesise that a range of other catecholate precursors of elements such as iron could be used to generate a large array of inorganic materials with interesting morphologies. The synthesis approach can be extended to tertiary diamines with functional group spacing playing an important role in the efficacy of complexation. Of the molecules explored to date, a C2 spacing (N,N,N',N'-Tetramethylethylenediamine (4MEDAE)), leads to the most efficient structure control with hollow hexagonal tube-like structures being formed. In addition, we show that azamacrocycles, in the presence of unbuffered tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) solutions can be used to manipulate silica formation and provide a fast (ca. 10 minutes) synthesis route to particles whose diameter can be tuned from ca. 20nm to several hundreds of nm under reaction conditions (no extremes of pH) that make the sols suitable for direct use in biotechnological applications

Activation of miR-9 by human papillomavirus in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women worldwide, leading to about 300,000 deaths each year. Most cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. However, persistent transcriptional activity of HPV oncogenes, which indicates active roles of HPV in cervical cancer maintenance and progression, has not been well characterized. Using our recently developed assays for comprehensive profiling of HPV E6/E7 transcripts, we have detected transcriptional activities of 10 high-risk HPV strains from 87 of the 101 cervical tumors included in the analysis. These HPV-positive patients had significantly better survival outcome compared with HPV-negative patients, indicating HPV transcriptional activity as a favorable prognostic marker for cervical cancer. Furthermore, we have determined microRNA (miRNA) expression changes that were correlated with tumor HPV status. Our profiling and functional analyses identified miR-9 as the most activated miRNA by HPV E6 in a p53-independent manner. Further target validation and functional studies showed that HPV-induced miR-9 activation led to significantly increased cell motility by downregulating multiple gene targets involved in cell migration. Thus, our work helps to understand the molecular mechanisms as well as identify potential therapeutic targets for cervical cancer and other HPV-induced cancers

Don’t Forget the Laptop: Using Native Input Capabilities for Expressive Musical Control

We draw on our experiences with the Princeton Laptop Orchestra to discuss novel uses of the laptop’s native physical inputs for flexible and expressive control. We argue that instruments designed using these built-in inputs offer benefits over custom standalone controllers, particularly in certain group performance settings; creatively thinking about native capabilities can lead to interesting and unique new interfaces. We discuss a variety of example instruments that use the laptop’s native capabilities and suggest avenues for future work. We also describe a new toolkit for rapidly experimenting with these capabilities

Isolation of a wide range of minerals from a thermally treated plant: Equisetum arvense, a Mare’s tale

Silica is the second most abundant biomineral being exceeded in nature only by biogenic CaCO3. Many land plants (such as rice, cereals, cucumber, etc.) deposit silica in significant amounts to reinforce their tissues and as a systematic response to pathogen attack. One of the most ancient species of living vascular plants, Equisetum arvense is also able to take up and accumulate silica in all parts of the plant. Numerous methods have been developed for elimination of the organic material and/or metal ions present in plant material to isolate biogenic silica. However, depending on the chemical and/or physical treatment applied to branch or stem from Equisetum arvense; other mineral forms such glass-type materials (i.e. CaSiO3), salts (i.e. KCl) or luminescent materials can also be isolated from the plant material. In the current contribution, we show the chemical and/or thermal routes that lead to the formation of a number of different mineral types in addition to biogenic silica

Ego defense mechanisms in Pakistani medical students: a cross sectional analysis

Background: Ego defense mechanisms (or factors), defined by Freud as unconscious resources used by the ego to reduce conflict between the id and superego, are a reflection of how an individual deals with conflict and stress. This study assesses the prevalence of various ego defense mechanisms employed by medical students of Karachi, which is a group with higher stress levels than the general population. Methods: A questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted on 682 students from five major medical colleges of Karachi over 4 weeks in November 2006. Ego defense mechanisms were assessed using the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) individually and as grouped under Mature, Immature, and Neurotic factors. Results: Lower mean scores of Immature defense mechanisms (4.78) were identified than those for Neurotic (5.62) and Mature (5.60) mechanisms among medical students of Karachi. Immature mechanisms were more commonly employed by males whereas females employed more Neurotic mechanisms than males. Neurotic and Immature defenses were significantly more prevalent in first and second year students. Mature mechanisms were significantly higher in students enrolled in Government colleges than Private institutions (p \u3c 0.05). Conclusions: Immature defense mechanisms were less commonly employed than Neurotic and Mature mechanisms among medical students of Karachi. The greater employment of Neurotic defenses may reflect greater stress levels than the general population. Employment of these mechanisms was associated with female gender, enrollment in a private medical college, and students enrolled in the first 2 years of medical school

The effects of water and microstructure on the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells

n this paper, we present a comprehensive non-isothermal, one-dimensional model of the cathode side of a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell. We explicitly include the catalyst layer, gas diffusion layer and the membrane. The catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer are characterized by several measurable microstructural parameters. We model all three phases of water, with a view to capturing the effect that each has on the performance of the cell. A comparison with experiment is presented, demonstrating excellent agreement, particularly with regard to the effects of water activity in the channels and how it impacts flooding and membrane hydration. We present several results pertaining to the effects of water on the current density (or cell voltage), demonstrating the role of micro-structure, liquid water removal from the channel, water activity, membrane and gas diffusion layer thickness and channel temperature. These results provide an indication of the changes that are required to achieve optimal performance through improved water management and MEA-component design. Moreover, with its level of detail, the model we develop forms an excellent basis for a multi-dimensional model of the entire membrane electrode assembly

Characterisation of LV myocardial exercise function by 2-D strain deformation imaging in elite adolescent footballers

This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer via the DOI in this recordPurpose: Few data exist on the descriptions of LV myocardial mechanics and reserve during dynamic exercise of adolescent athletes. The aim of this study was to describe the LV myocardial and cardiopulmonary changes during exercise using 2-D strain deformation imaging. Methods: Elite adolescent male football players (n = 42) completed simultaneous cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and exercise echocardiography measurement of LV myocardial deformation by 2-D strain imaging. LV longitudinal and circumferential 2-D strain and strain rates were analyzed at each stage during incremental exercise to a work rate of 150 W. Additionally, exercise LV myocardial deformation and its relation to metabolic exercise parameters were evaluated at each exercise stage and in recovery using repeated measures ANOVA, linear regression and paired t tests. Results: LV peak systolic baseline 2-D strain (longitudinal: − 15.4 ± 2.5%, circumferential: − 22.5 ± 3.1%) increased with each exercise stage, but longitudinal strain plateaued at 50 W (mean strain reserve − 7.8 ± 3.0) and did not significantly increase compared to subsequent exercise stages (P > 0.05), whilst circumferential strain (mean strain reserve − 11.6 ± 3.3) significantly increased (P < 0.05) throughout exercise up to 150 W as the dominant mechanism of exercise LV contractility increase. Regression analyses showed LV myocardial strain increased linearly relative to HR, VO2 and O2 pulse (P < 0.05) for circumferential deformation, but showed attenuation for longitudinal deformation. Conclusion: This study describes LV myocardial deformation dynamics by 2-D strain and provides reference values for LV myocardial strain and strain rate during exercise in adolescent footballers. It found important differences between LV longitudinal and circumferential myocardial mechanics during exercise and introduces a methodology that can be used to quantify LV function and cardiac reserve during exercise in adolescent athletes.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR